Dharwad Separate Corporation Agitation Committee has reiterated its demand for creation of an exclusive municipal corporation for Dharwad city saying that grave injustice has been meted out to the cultural city of the State for long.
Addressing presspersons in Dharwad on Tuesday, president of the agitation committee Venkatesh Machakanur said that the committee has once again submitted a memorandum to the government through the Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad demanding that an announcement on the creation of an exclusive municipal corporation for Dharwad be made by November 1 this year.
Mr. Machakanur said that before the Assembly elections contesting candidates cutting across party lines expressed their solidarity with the committee but suddenly they have become silent on the issue now.
In the memorandum, the committee has said that despite being a district headquarters, Dharwad has been given a raw deal. A major chunk of development activities and funds meant for development works for Dharwad have been diverted to Hubballi city, he said.
Mentioning that Dharwad housed the Karnatak University, the University of Agricultural Sciences, besides IIIT, IIT Dharwad and several industries, he said the city required better infrastructure.
“To ensure the comprehensive development of the city, there is a need for bifurcation of the Hubballi Dharwad Municipal Corporation and the creation of an exclusive municipal body for Dharwad,” he said.
Clarifying that the agitation committee is apolitical and comprised people from all walks of life, he said that the objective is to ensure the development of Dharwad.
To mount pressure on the government, a series of protests involving advocates, doctors, artistes, writers, academics, traders and members of social organisations will be planned in the coming days, he added.