43 new taluks in the offing

Revenue Minister V Srinivas Prasad said the government was committed to establishing 43 taluks in the State announced in the 2013-14 budget by the then chief minister Jagadish Shettar. Thirty-eight taluks among them are in the North Karnataka region.

Replying to a question by A B Malakareddy in the Legislative Assembly during the Question Hour on Monday, Srinivas Prasad said that 43 taluks had been announced in the budget during 2013-14 based on the recommendations of various committees formed for recommending new taluks, and some taluks that weren’t recommended by any committee may be also included.

Discussions were held during pre-budget meetings. Formation of each taluk would require a budget Rs 25 crore and for effective administration, new hoblis and subdivisions too would be required. Talks would be held with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah soon to meet the demand for new taluks, setting right regional imbalances as 38 of the proposed taluks are in the North Karnataka region, he stated.

Leader of the Opposition, Jagadish Shettar, asked the government to give a clear reply as to whether the State government would establish the new taluks or not. People need a clear message and the government needs to take a final decision, he demanded.