42 Maha villages threaten to merge with K’taka if water issues not resolved

CHIKKODI: At a time when the border row between Karnataka and Maharashtra is again in the forefront, and the legal battle in the Supreme Court is in the final stages, several border villages of Maharashtra are now demanding that they be merged with Karnataka. They have even started an e-mail campaign, writing to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

The villagers have started an e-mail campaign, writing to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

Residents of 42 villages in Jath taluk of Sangli district in Maharashtra have demanded that they be provided drinking water and irrigation facilities and warned that they will merge with Karnataka if their demands are not heeded.

After Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that Jath, Akkalkot and Solhapur in Maharashtra should belong to Karnataka, the members of the Jath irrigation project struggle committee met at Umadi village on Friday evening and declared that they should join Karnataka.

Sunil Potdar speaking to the media.

Sunil Potdar, a member of the struggle committee said, “We are giving a eight-day deadline for the Maharashtra Chief Miniter, Deputy CM, Water Resources Minister to visit Jath taluk and resolve the water problems in the villages. Otherwise, we have planned to invite the Karnataka Chief Minister to the taluk and inform him of their decision to join Karnataka.