Dy CM Gets His Demand To Rename Ramanagar District As Bengaluru South District Conceded
Cabinet clears D.K. Shivakumar’s proposal to rename Ramanagar district as Bengaluru South, despite opposition from JD(S).
Bengaluru: Eventually Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar succeeded in getting one of his demands to rename Ramanagar district as Bengaluru South district conceded and the cabinet meeting on Thursday okayed to rename Ramanagar as Bengaluru South district. Ramanagar will continue to serve as the district headquarters of the newly carved Bengaluru South district.
However, the renaming of Ramanagar district drew opposition from Janata Dal Secular (JDS) and its State president and Union Minister of Large Scale Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy was instrumental in craving a new district ‘Ramanagar’ in 2007 when he was the Chief Minister.
In July previous year, a delegation of Congress leaders under the leadership of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, representing Kanakapura Assembly seat in Ramanagar district, met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru with a demand to rename Ramanagar as Bengaluru South district.
In the meeting with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar convinced the Chief Minister giving him plenty of reasons to effect renaming of Ramanagar such as industrial growth and increase in property value.
He made it clear “It is not a demand for a separate district but only a name change. However, Ramanagar will continue to serve as district headquarters.” By renaming Ramanagar, Shivakumar said, “Will help industrial growth of Mysuru district and also in Channapatna and Magadi taluks.”
Shivakumar also brought to the notice of the Chief Minister historical background prior to 1986 and stated before 1986, the taluks of Kanakapura, Magadi, Channapatna and Ramanagar were part of the undivided Bengaluru district. The taluks of Kanakapura, Magadi, Ramanagar, Channapatna, Doddaballapur, Nelamangala, Devanahalli and Hosakote were separated from Bengaluru district and a new district ‘Bengaluru Rural’ came into existence in 1986.
Again for administrative convenience, the taluks of Ramnagar, Kanakapura, Channapatna and Magadi came under a new district ‘Ramanagar’ in 2007 when H.D. Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister. However, the taluks of Doddaballapur, Hoskote, Devanahalli and Nelamangala remained as ‘Bengaluru Rural’ district.
The new district Ramanagar created by the then State Government started its functioning having Ramanagar town as the district headquarters. Now, a new taluk Harohalli has been carved out to the existing taluks of Kanakapura, Magadi, Ramanagar and Channapatna in Ramnagar district.