The Karnataka government on Friday decided to rename Ramanagara district as “Bengaluru South”. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting, led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The Ramanagara district, located about 50 km from Bengaluru, consists of Ramanagara, Magadi, Kanakapura, Channapatna and Harohalli taluks.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the decision to rename the district was taken based on the “demand of people”.
“We have decided to rename Ramanagara district as Bengaluru South….It is based on the demand of the people there. The Revenue Department will start the process,” Patil stated. “Only the name of the district will change, remaining all will remain the same,” he told reporters after the meeting.
The proposal to rename the neighbouring district as ‘Bengaluru South’ gained steam recently, with a Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar-led delegation meeting the Chief Minister and submitting a memorandum to raise the pitch.
Ramanagara is the home district of Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, who had tabled the proposal in October last year.
“Leaders from Ramanagara district had met me under the leadership of DK Shivakumar, stating that people of the region consider themselves to be part of Bengaluru since the beginning, so the district should be renamed as Bengaluru South district. I said it has to be decided at the Cabinet and will place the matter before the Cabinet,” CM Siddaramaiah had said.
However, the decision did not go well with former Karnataka CM and Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who alleged that the proposal aimed to exploit real estate opportunities in Ramanagara, an NDTV report said.
The JD(S) leader went on to say he would reverse the plan when he assumes the post of CM again. Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister of the JD(S)-BJP coalition when Ramanagara district was carved out in August 2007.
Responding to Kumarawamy’s comments, CM Siddaramaiah said, “First of all they won’t come to power. So him (Kumaraswamy) reversing it is an illusion.”
(With PTI inputs)
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