Mumbai, Jul 8 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the state government will appoint senior legal experts, if needed, to ensure that the long-pending boundary dispute with Karnataka is taken up for hearing in the Supreme Court at the earliest.
Speaking at a meeting of a high-power committee on the border issue held at the state legislature, Fadnavis stressed that every possible effort will be made to resolve the dispute and protect the rights of Marathi-speaking people living in the border areas.
He said the state government will provide legal assistance to Marathi-speaking people facing court cases in Karnataka and will appoint lawyers for them. The government will also bear the legal expenses for these cases.
Noting that Marathi-speaking people in the border areas face several difficulties, Fadnavis assured them that the state stands firmly behind them.
He said the government is ready to act on all suggestions and pending issues raised by the committee.
“All information related to the Commission for Linguistic Minorities will be compiled and shared with all Members of Parliament from Maharashtra so that the issue can be raised effectively in Parliament,” Fadnavis added.
The Chief Minister said the state government will file the necessary applications in the Supreme Court to seek an early hearing of the border dispute. Senior legal experts will also be appointed, if required, to represent Maharashtra’s case.
He added that the ministerial committee will create an effective coordination mechanism to ensure legal and administrative support for Marathi-speaking people in the border areas.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, Rajya Sabha member Sharad Pawar, former Union minister Narayan Rane, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, Tourism Minister Shambhuraj Desai, Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif, legislators and other committee members.
Shinde said the Maharashtra government is sensitive to the problems faced by Marathi-speaking people living along the Karnataka border and is committed to resolving the issue under the leadership of Fadnavis.
He said the government is already implementing several welfare measures for the people in the border areas, including a five per cent reservation in the state civil services pre-examination training centre, reserved seats in engineering colleges, and reserved seats in medical education institutions.
Rane said several suggestions have been made to resolve the issues and stressed that a practical solution should now be found.
MLAs Jayant Patil and Bhaskar Jadhav, Advocate Shivaji Jadhav, Advocate General Milind Sathe, expert committee member Dinesh Oulkar, Central Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti working president Manohar Kinekar, and Prakash Margale also shared their views during the meeting, an official release said.
Senior government officials, legal experts and representatives of organisations working for Marathi-speaking people in the border areas were also present. PTI MR NR NSK
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