MLA seeks out-of-court settlement for Mah-K'taka border dispute

Mumbai, Mar 28 (UNI) Narsing Patil, independent MLA from Chandgad in Kolhapur district today called for an out-of-the court settlement of the long-standing boundary dispute with Karnataka.

Speaking on the budget debate Mr Patil, whose constituency is situated on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border, urged Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to arouse the conscience of Governor S M Krishna (ex-Chief Minister of Karnataka) and hold talks with the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) fighting for the rights of the Marathi-speaking people in the border areas.

He expressed apprehensions whether Maharashtra would get justice from the Supreme Court, which will hear the case.

Mr Patil said the boundary dispute was an extremely sensitive issue and question of existence to the people from the area.

Meanwhile a Vishnu Savra (BJP) while speaking on the budget debate demanded division of the Thane district. He said the population in the district is over one crore. It covers six Municipal Corporations and nine Municipal Councils.

''Thane has port, urban, hilly, tribal areas and one Collector cannot do much for the development of such a vast district. Our earlier demands have gone unnoticed on grounds that a division would be too expensive and later it was said delimitation of constituencies was in progress. But, now the delimitation process has been completed. The number of Assembly constituencies in the district has gone up from 13 to 24,'' he added.

Finance Minister Jayant Patil will reply to the two day debate tommorrow.

UNI