Kalaburagi:Attempt to hoist a separate statehood flag of Kalyan Karnataka by members various organisations to boycott Kannada Rajyotsava celebrations was foiled by police here city on Friday.
Members of the Hyderabad Karnataka Pratyeka Kalyan Karnataka Rajya Horata Samiti president M S Patail Naribol and a few others, who tried to break the police cordon at Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Chowk, were stopped and prevented from hoisting the flags bearing the map of the Kalyan Karnataka region.
Later, they sat on a dharna near S V Chowk and raised slogans against state government for neglecting the region and not properly implementing Article 371 (J). Around 20 activists of the organisations were detained by the police and released later.
After offering floral tributes to the portrait of Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, as part of Rajyotsava celebrations, Kalaaburagi Deputy Commissioner B Sharath said commencing of commercial operation from Kalaburgi airport is drawing closer with director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on October 31 issuing an aerodrome license for landing and departure of flights and aircraft , he said .
Mr Sharath said several people had made sacrifices for the unification of all Kannada-speaking areas in Mysore region. He also said that the government was taking efforts for the development of Kalyan Karnataka region, which was merged from the erstwhile Hyderabad state.
The Kannada-speaking population had waited for 391 years for unification after the fall of the Vijayanagara empire, which had united all Kannada-speaking areas, he said. Karnataka has a
wider meaning, as it represents the culture of the people of the state and Kannada speakers.
DC B Sharath said that Article 371 (J) of the Constitution, which provides special status to Hyderabad-Karnataka region which is now Kalyan Karnataka , would help set right regional imbalances.
The students of Hyderabad-Karnataka region were the first to enjoy reservation under Article 371 (J) and as against the normal admission of around 120 students in medical colleges under government seats all these years, 304 students from the region got admission in various medical seats this year.
The government was making efforts for extending reservation in employment to people from the region, besides implementing development projects under the Kalyan Karnataka Regional Development Board, he added.(UNI)