Byndoor: The Karnataka government has responded to a 432-day-long protest demanding the removal of rural areas from the Byndoor Town Panchayat limits, with Minister for Municipal Administration H.C. Balakrishna assuring protesters that five of the existing 20 wards will be excluded and a new Town Panchayat will be formed.
The protest, led by farmers’ leader Deepak Kumar Shetty, had continued for more than a year, with farmers alleging that the inclusion of rural areas within the Town Panchayat limits was carried out without proper planning and had caused difficulties for the farming community.
Government Assures Action on Farmers’ Demand
Responding to the agitation, Minister H.C. Balakrishna met the protesters who were staging a sit-in outside the Taluk Administrative Complex in Byndoor. He said he had visited the town at the direction of Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to address the farmers’ concerns.
The minister acknowledged that the farmers’ demand was justified and said the government had taken the alleged irregularities in the formation of the Byndoor Town Panchayat seriously.
According to the assurance given by the minister, five of the 20 existing wards will be excluded from the Town Panchayat limits, paving the way for the formation of a new Town Panchayat.
Minister Promises Resignation if Assurance Is Not Fulfilled
Emphasising that the announcement was an official commitment on behalf of the government, Balakrishna said he was not making the promise merely to pacify the protesting farmers.
He explained that issuing the necessary order could take another day or two, while completing the implementation of the announcement could require one to two months.
The minister also made a strong commitment to fulfilling the assurance, declaring that he would resign from his ministerial post and stand with the farmers if the government failed to deliver on its promise.
His statement brought renewed hope to the protesters, who have been demanding the removal of rural areas from the Town Panchayat jurisdiction for 432 days.
432-Day Agitation Reaches a Turning Point
Farmers have argued that including rural areas in the Byndoor Town Panchayat has created difficulties for residents and cultivators. Their sustained agitation sought to restore the rural character of the affected areas by excluding them from the urban local body’s jurisdiction.
The government’s response marks a significant development in the prolonged dispute. The farmers’ demand has received attention beyond party lines, raising hopes that a long-standing concern of the rural community may finally be addressed.
However, the protesters are awaiting the formal government order and its implementation before considering the agitation a complete success.
Farmers Await Official Order and Implementation
While the minister’s assurance has offered relief to the protesters, the outcome will depend on the issuance of the official order and the completion of the proposed changes.
The government has indicated that the process will take time, with the initial order expected within days and implementation potentially requiring one to two months.
For the farmers who have spent 432 days demanding changes to the Byndoor Town Panchayat limits, the next stage will be crucial. The formal exclusion of the five wards and the implementation of the revised arrangement will determine whether their prolonged struggle achieves its intended result.