Karnataka Council to Debate Kittur, Kalyana Karnataka Issues

Belagavi: As the winter session of the Karnataka Legislature convenes in Belagavi, the Legislative Council will dedicate an entire day to discussing long-pending issues of the Kittur Karnataka and Kalyana Karnataka regions. The special debate will take place on Wednesday after the Question Hour, Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti announced.

Speaking at Suvarna Soudha, Horatti said the key issues listed for discussion include the Krishna Upper Bank project, implementation of the Mahadayi and Kalasa-Banduri projects, forest land encroachments, grievances of affected families, challenges faced by farmers in North Karnataka, and measures to boost employment.

He noted that the Council has consistently allotted special time for regional issues in previous sessions. In the 145th session, 6 hours and 35 minutes were devoted to North and Kalyana Karnataka concerns, with 19 MLCs participating. The 151st session saw 1 hour 40 minutes of discussion with six members taking part, while the 154th session spent 5 hours and 12 minutes with contributions from 11 members.

"This session too will have focused discussions on the long-standing issues of both regions," Horatti said.

He added that the 157th session will run for 10 working days. So far, 1,649 questions have been admitted, including 965 starred and 684 unstarred. The Council has also received 112 notices under Rule 72 and 84 notices under Rule 330.