HASSAN: Criticising the reported decision of Maharashtra Government to file a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking Union Territory status for Belgaum, Bidar and Karwar districts till the border dispute between the two states is resolved, Kannada Sahitya Parishat (KSP) president Chandrashekar Patil said that the move was politically motivated. It was an act of desperation by political parties of the neighbouring State, he said.

Mr. Patil, who was here to participate in an interaction programme organised by Rangayana, told presspersons that political parties in Maharashtra were interested in keeping the issue alive as they wanted to capitalise on the issue in the next election, he added. He urged the Union Government to put an end to the controversy by declaring that the verdict by Justice Mahajan years ago as final and there was no question of reopening the issue. "By doing so, the Union Government will do a favour to disputing states, as both will concentrate on development of border villages, which has been neglected because of uncertainty," he said.

Mr. Patil said that he was disappointed with the decision of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal directing the Union Government to appoint a three-member committee to go into the cropping pattern and water requirements of the four riparian states. He said it would further delay the submission of award. He urged software companies to provide more jobs to local people.

Regretting the violent incidents in Bangalore after actor Rajkumar's death, he said it was a massive congregation and the Government was not prepared for that. Appreciating the policemen, he said that the repercussions would have been much more serious if they had lost their patience.

Welcoming the decision of the Government to conduct "Vishwa Kannada Sammelana" in the border district of Belgaum, he said that this would instil confidence in people. Besides conducting conventions of the kind, strengthening the border district by taking up development works would help in the long run, he said.

A mass movement on the lines of "Gokak agitation" was the need of the hour to save the land, language and water of the region, but under the circumstances it was not easy to organise that kind of movement.

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