DK Shivakumar-led team petitions CM Siddaramaiah to rename Ramanagara as Bengaluru South

Bengaluru: A team of Congress leaders led by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar formally petitioned Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday seeking to rename the Ramanagara district as Bengaluru South.

The proposal, first mooted by Shivakumar in October last year, could shoot up property prices in regions that currently act as Bengaluru’s suburbs.

The proposed Bengaluru South district will comprise of Ramanagara, Channapatna, Magadi, Kanakapura and Harohalli taluks. The district will have Ramanagara as its headquarters.

“It is the aspiration of people and our plan that the global reputation, sovereignty and glory of Bengaluru should benefit Ramanagara, Magadi, Kanakapura, Channapatna and Harohalli taluks,” the petition given to Siddaramaiah stated.

“We’re not creating a new district. We want to retain our identity,” Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru City Development minister, said after meeting Siddaramaiah. “The existing Ramanagara district will be renamed as Bengaluru South. The matter will be placed before the Cabinet.”

The petition points out that Doddaballapur, Nelamangala, Yelahanka, Devanahalli, Anekal, Bengaluru South, Bengaluru East, Hoskote, Ramanagara, Magadi, Kanakapura and Channapatna taluks originally formed the Bengaluru district.

In 1986, a Bengaluru Rural district was created comprising Doddaballapur, Nelamangala, Devanahalli, Hoskote, Channapatna, Ramanagara, Magadi and Kanakapura taluks.

In 2007, the Ramanagara district was created by bringing under it Magadi, Kanakapura, Channapatna and Ramanagara taluks with Ramanagara as the headquarters. The Bengaluru Rural district covered Hoskote, Nelamangala, Devanahalli with Doddaballapur as the headquarters.

Apart from Shivakumar, the petition given to Siddaramaiah has 13 signatories, including Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, former Bangalore Rural MP DK Suresh (Shivakumar’s brother) and others.

The move to rename Ramanagara is also being seen as a political statement by Shivakumar against Union Minister and JD(S) state president HD Kumaraswamy. It was Kumaraswamy who, as CM, created the Ramanagara district.

But Shivakumar argued that renaming Ramanagara as Bengaluru South will benefit citizens. “Up until Mysuru, lots of industries and development will come. Property values will rise,” he said.