Proposal to make Belagavi as second capital of Karnataka to be revived: CM

BENGALURU: Chief minister HD Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said the government will consider reviving the decade-old proposal of declaring Belagavi as the second capital of Karnataka.
Speaking to the media after a day-long development over the demand for having north Karnataka as a separate state, Kumaraswamy said: "The proposal of declaring Belagavi as the second capital of Karnataka has been pending since I became the CM in 2006.However, subsequent governments did not consider the proposal and have kept it pending. We will reconsider the proposal and deliberate on the feasibility of the matter."
Kumaraswamy said, as a stepping stone towards this proposal of declaring Belagavi as the second capital, he will be shifting certain departments to the "white elephant" of Suvarna Soudha.
"Instead of opening the Suvarna Soudha for only 10 days during the winter session, I intend to keep the Soudha in Belagavi 365 days a year. Working towards this intent, I will be shifting a few departments that are key towards the development of north Karnataka. I will announce the shifting of these departments in the coming weeks," he said.
Kumaraswamy dismissed the talks being held by BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa in Belagavi with seers and pontiffs of mutts in the region as nothing but a "gimmick" and that he and his party never showed any intent when in power to develop the northern parts of the state.
"However, I intend to ensure that those from Kalaburgi and Belagavi or Hubbali-Dharwad need not come to Bengaluru for every small issue," he said.
The CM said he will be embarking upon a tour of the 13 districts in north Karnataka and camp in every district for a couple of days to resolve the issues of the people in that region.
"I will be the common man and also hold meetings with the officials of each of these districts during my tour to resolve the issues that plague the region," he said.