Not a promising start for a 3-year-old assurance to North Karnataka region

The winter session of the legislature will be held in the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha after a gap of three years, which will see the entire government machinery work out of Belagavi for a full 10 days.

It’s also been three years since the government promised the shifting of nine departments to different districts in north Karnataka. However, the promise has not been kept in full.

While on one hand only a few of these offices have shifted, on the other, even those that have moved continue to operate significantly from Bengaluru, raising concerns on whether they will turn into administrative white elephants.

In 2018, following protests for a separate statehood for the region, the then H D Kumaraswamy government said nine departments would move to north Karnataka, symbolising inclusive governance: Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Limited (KBJNL, Bengaluru); Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited (KNNL, Bengaluru); Karnataka State Textile Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (Bengaluru); Directorate of Sugar and Commissionerate for Cane Development (Bengaluru) and the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage
(Mysuru).

That apart, the government had proposed to bifurcate the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board, with one division for North Karnataka.

One member of the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission, one Upa Lokayukta and four Information Commissioners (two each in Kalaburagi, Belagavi) were expected to be appointed for the region.

Chief secretary P Ravi Kumar told DH that KBJNL and the sugar directorate had shifted. One information commissioner had been appointed to Belagavi, while the rest will be shifted soon, he said.

“It’s only a matter of identification of office spaces. It will be done soon.”

The sugar directorate in Belagavi has brought respite, Belgaum Rural MLA Laxmi Hebbalkar says.

“Earlier, we had to come to Bengaluru for all work related to sugar factories. Ever since the sugar directorate was shifted to Belagavi two months ago, I got many pending files cleared here itself.”

Nonetheless, administrative challenges remain. The directorate is functioning both from Bengaluru and Belagavi.

One official said, “The government’s decision to shift the office entirely to Belagavi is not feasible. Officers will have to travel frequently to Bengaluru to meet ministers and senior officials.”

The Textile Development Corporation is another case in point. While its office was shifted in 2019, they are dependent on Bengaluru for all administrative work, including grant of funds. “This is an administrative setback,” one official says.

Even in Belagavi, the office is temporary and needs repair. “We’ve requested for office space in Suvarna Soudha,” another official adds.

Sources in KBJNL had a similar view. A majority of the operations have shifted to Almatti, with only a liaison office in Bengaluru. Recently, the government proposed to shift this, too.

“Our officers recently visited Almatti to do a feasibility study. The government has not set up any facilities there. Moreover, several technical committees related to the corporation are in Bengaluru. How can we shift there?” officials wonder.

No state-level office other than the Karnataka State Information Commission has shifted to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, which was expected to serve as the state’s second secretariat.

Some 24 district-level offices are functioning from the building, which is a replica of the grand Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru. The government approximately spends Rs 2 crore for its upkeep annually.

With the inordinate delay in shifting of offices to North Karnataka as promised, the Raitha Sene Karnataka is planning a massive protest in December, according to Veeresh Sobaradamath, who leads the organisation.

“The government is yet to shift majority of the offices. Not just this, north Karnataka continues to be neglected on all fronts.”

(With inputs from Raju Gavali in Belagavi)