'Officials had opposed formation of taluks'

 The Karnataka government went ahead and announced 43 new taluks, despite stiff opposition from higher officials in the State, said Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar.

Shettar, who was on his way to Alnavar, the newly formed taluk in the district to campaign for party candidates contesting the local body elections, told mediapersons that through the decision, the government had shown that if there was political will, anything could be achieved.

The chief minister pointed out that the officials tried to shelve the idea, on the grounds that the proposal would create a lot of problems. They had also stated that it would result in a huge financial burden.

As the government was firm on its decision, they fell in line. In these days of forming smaller states and districts, it was necessary to have smaller taluks, he said.

He pointed out that there were demands for new taluks since 1973 and many committees had also recommended formation of new taluks, but no government had taken a decision in this regard.