Should Ballari be bifurcated? Bandh in district shows opinion is divided

Educational institutions, shops and businesses including petrol stations, remained shut in Ballari city and few other areas of the district while agitations supporting the bifurcation was held in places like Hosapete.

TNM Staff

The bandh opposing the bifurcation of Ballari district into Ballari and Vijayanagara districts received a mixed response on Tuesday. While educational institutions, shops and businesses, including petrol stations, remained shut in Ballari city and few other areas of the district, agitations supporting the bifurcation were held in places like Hosapete.  "Ballari is a district with historical significance and there was no necessity to bifurcate it. We will continue our agitation against this decision taken to serve the interests of one disqualified MLA," said Ballari City MLA Somashekara Reddy of the BJP. In September, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had agreed to the demand of disqualified MLA Anand B Singh to bifurcate Ballari district and carve out a new district called Vijayanagar district, which included the constituency Anand represented. Pending cabinet approval, it will become the 31st district of Karnataka.  Of the 11 taluks, five taluks — Ballari, Kurugodu, Siraguppa, Sandur and Kudligi — will be part of Ballari while six taluks — Hosapete, Kampli, Hagaribommanahalli, Kottur, Hadagali and Harappanahalli — will constitute Vijayanagara district.  The bifurcation of the district has divided the opinion in Ballari. The bifurcation has found support in the western areas of the erstwhile Ballari district where people believe that it could lead to development in newer areas. In Hosapete, there were agitations in support of the bifurcation. Anand Singh had contended that the bifurcation will also help promote tourism since the world heritage site Hampi will now fall under the newly formed Vijayanagara district.  But in Ballari City, the bifurcation was opposed by lawyer groups, farmer associations, pro-Kannada groups and by BJP leaders, mainly Somashekara Reddy and Karunakara Reddy. They are the brothers of Gali Janardhana Reddy, who is a former Union Minister and the prime accused in the 2011 Ballari mining scam.  This comes at a time Anand Singh is said to be preparing for the Vijayanagara assembly constituency bye-polls, where he plans to re-contest on a BJP ticket if the Supreme Court gives interim relief for the disqualified MLAs. 

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