The BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra has appointed senior minister and veteran leader Chandrakant Patil as the ‘nodal minister’ to carry forward talks towards resolving the long-pending Maharashtra-Karnataka boundary dispute.
Patil, who looks after the ministries of Cooperation, Pubic Works Department, Marketing and Textiles, hails from Kolhapur, which borders Karnataka.
On Tuesday, the General Administration Department (GAD), headed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, came out with an order, notifying the appointment.
“Chandrakant Patil has been appointed nodal minister to pursue the matter,” said the notification issued by Dr Prem Singh Meena, the Additional Chief Secretary of GAD.
Patil had taken part in the Belagavi movement earlier and is well-versed with the issue.
Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti, which is spearheading the agitation for several decades, wants Belagavi city and 865 surrounding villages to be placed under the Central government rule till the border dispute is resolved.