The Renuka temple at Kottalagi village attracts devotees from various districts of Karnataka and Maharashtra. The tiny village has another unique distinction. It lies at the intersection of Karnataka and Maharashtra. It is the last village in Belagavi district on the Bachi-Raichur highway before the road enters the vast dry fields of Vijayapura district.
The people of this village, situated around 210 km away from the district headquarters, usually take the overnight bus to reach Belagavi. “Any farmer who has any work in the district offices cannot leave in the morning, get the work done and get back by night,” said Raju Kharpat, a resident.
Belagavi district stretches for 350 km from Athani taluk in the north-east to Khanapur in the south-west. The zilla panchayat has jurisdiction over 506 villages. The demand to divide the district to create two more new districts is long pending. Several people feel a proper trifurcation exercise can lead to equitable development. However, the exercise to create Chikkodi district was not taken up when some districts were divided in the past. This is probably the most locally important issue in this election. Sadly, no party is talking about it at the moment.
