Belagavi

WHY IN NEWS?

Recently, there has been a political tussle between leaders of Maharashtra and Karnataka over an area called Belagavi. Belagavi is an area in Karnataka, which has a sizeable Marathi-speaking population and has been at the heart of a five-decade-old border row between Karnataka and Maharashtra.

ABOUT BELAGAVI DISPUTE

• According to the State Reorganisation Act of 1956, Belagavi was handed over to the Mysore state, which was renamed as Karnataka in 1973.
• In 1957, slighted by the implementation of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, Maharashtra demanded readjustment of its border with Karnataka.
• Maharashtra invoked Section 21 (2) (b) of the Act and submitted a memorandum to the Ministry of Home Affairs stating its objection to Marathi- speaking areas being added to Karnataka.
• The central government constituted the Mahajan Committee in 1966 to assess the situation. Representatives from both sides, Maharashtra and the then Mysore state were part of the committee.
• In 1967, the committee recommended that some villages in Karwar, Haliyal and Suparna talukas of Karnataka be given to Maharashtra but left Belagavi with the southern state.
• In 2006, the Supreme Court held that the issue should be resolved through mutual negotiation and that linguistic criterion should not be considered as it may create more practical problems.
• The case is still being heard by the Supreme Court.

Prelims Question

Q. Belagavi which was recently in news is a disputed region between which among the following states?
a)Maharsahtra and Goa
b)Madhya Pradesh and Maharshtra
c)Maharashtra and Karnataka
d)Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka

Answer to the Prelims Question