Ballari, November 18: The Karnataka state cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal for carving out a new district called Vijayanagara by bifurcating Ballari district. Vijayanagara will become 31st district of Karnataka. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had last year assured that a new district would be carved out of Ballari and named Vijayanagara after the capital of historic Vijayanagara empire. Karnataka to Release Salaries of 1.3 Lakh Staff of State-Run Transport Corporations.

"Some of the regions of the district are at a distance of 200 kms from the district headquarters. This makes it difficult for farmers, economically backward sections, day labourers and others living in taluks farther away to travel for official work," Yediyurappa had said in his note to Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar. Karnataka to Act Tough on Marriages Involving Religious Conversion, Says C T Ravi.

Of the 11 taluks currently in Ballari district, five - Ballari, Kurugodu, Siraguppa, Sandur and Kudligi - will remain part of Ballari district, while six other taluks - Hospete, Kampli, Hagaribommanahalli, Kottur, Hadagali and Harappanahalli - will constitute the new Vijayanagar district, reports said. Yadgir was the last district created in Karnataka. It was carved out of Kalaburagi in 2009.

However, Vijayanagar may not be the last. There has been a demand for declaring Chikkodi as a separate district from Belagavi, which is Karnataka’s largest district in terms of area.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 18, 2020 12:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).