Belgaum readies to host assembly session

The decision to hold the Assembly and Legislative Council sessions in Belgaum from September 25-29 has shaken the district administration out of its slumber. The district administration is hurrying with the preparations.

A team of officers from the law department is expected to visit Belgaum to discuss the preparations. According to sources, holding the sessions outside Bangalore is expected to cost the exchequer Rs 3-5 crore.

The state government's move to hold the session in Belgaum is the result of Maharashtra raking up the border issue and the UPA government withdrawing its affidavit to the Supreme Court over its stand on the Mahajan Commission report on border dispute.

The Karnataka government's move is aimed at reasserting its influence on the border areas and strengthening its support base in Belgaum district that borders Maharastra.

The Assembly session will be held at the KLE Society's Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College auditorium, while the council will sit at the Kumara Gandharva Hall. Some 700 rooms are being readied to accommodate the MLAs and MLCs. The administration is making arrangments to provide a delicious spread to the participating legislators at a cost of Rs 500 per meal.