Ahead of Amit Shah-CMs’ meet, 10 out of 11 MHA villages drop plan to join state Karnataka

Mumbai, December 14: Ahead of Amit Shah's meeting with the Maharashtra and Karnataka CM, 10 villages of Akkalkot district in Solapur which has earlier passed a resolution seeking a merger with Karnataka, have cancelled their resolutions and want to stay with Maharashtra.

 

It should be noted that 11 villages of Akkalkot district in Solapur earlier passed a resolution seeking a merger with Karnataka. Following this, the Maharashtra government issued a notice and asked them to explain why they passed a resolution seeking a merger with Karnataka.

 

 

 

“In the last few days, we had issued show-cause notices to 11-gram panchayats in Akkalkot taluka who had passed a resolution seeking a merger with Karnataka. The notices were issued since the gram panchayats had indulged in anti-Maharashtra activities,” Sachin Khude, block development officer, told The Indian Express on Wednesday.

 

“The show-cause notice mentioned that the government provides basic amenities, and asked why the gram panchayats, instead of creating awareness about them as per government guidelines, passed such a resolution,” Khude added.

 

By Tuesday, Khude said 10 gram panchayats had replied. “Of the 11 gram panchayats, 10 have said that they have cancelled their resolutions and want to stay with Maharashtra. As for the 11th gram panchayat, we are told that the sarpanch is out of station,” said Khude.

 

Akkalkot MLA Sachin Kalyanshetti, however, said all 11 gram panchayats have withdrawn their resolutions. “I have been holding meetings with them. Even yesterday, I held a meeting with them and gave them details about the projects and works being implemented in their respective villages. At the meeting, there was not a single sarpanch who raised any dispute. They have all agreed to withdraw the resolution and conveyed it to the government,” Kalyanshetti said.

 

Kalyanshetti said the villagers were demanding basic amenities, primarily roads. “Because of Covid, there were restrictions on development works for two years. Besides, because of the delayed monsoon, we could not take up the road work as this area is full of black cotton soil,” he said.

 

 

 

Mantus Hature, sarpanch of Aglaegaon, one of the 11 panchayats that wanted to merge with Karnataka, said, “As per my information, 10 gram panchayats have already taken back their resolution. However, we are still consulting our advocate and finalising our response. The gram panchayats apparently took back their resolution because the government told them that their gram panchayat would be dissolved.”

 

Hature said that his gram panchayat had passed a resolution to merge with Karnataka as the Maharashtra government “had failed to provide basic amenities like good roads, water, electricity and health facilities”.

 

Kalyanshetti said the gram panchayats had resorted to passing such a resolution hoping the government would announce a financial package like it did in the case of Jat taluka of Sangli district. “Someone apparently told the sarpanches that if they pass such a resolution, the state government will announce a financial package for their areas as well since it had done so for Jat taluka…I have explained to them the reason for the delay in implementing the development works and now all of them are satisfied,” he said.