Rahim Khan calls for honouring those who fought Nizam to free Kalyana Karnataka

Municipal Administration and Haj Minister Rahim Khan has called upon the people of Kalyana Karnataka to remember and honour the sacrifices of freedom fighters who struggled to liberate the region from the rule of the Hyderabad Nizam and merge it with the Indian Union.

He was speaking after hoisting the National Flag and offering floral tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel during the Kalyana Karnataka Utsav celebrations at the Government PU College Grounds in Ballari on Wednesday.

“Though India became free on August 15, 1947, the people of Hyderabad-Karnataka, then under the Hyderabad Nizam, had to wait until September 17, 1948, to breathe the air of freedom,” Mr. Khan said.

Mr. Khan recalled that it was the Congress government in 2013 which established the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB) to ensure special grants for the overall development of the region.

“As per the vision of the Chief Minister, the Indira Canteen scheme will be implemented more effectively across all urban local bodies. Roads, drainage, drinking water supply, streetlights and sanitation will continue to be given priority,” Mr. Khan said.

Ballari MP E. Tukaram recalled how the Nanjundappa Committee was formed in 2002 to address regional imbalances. It identified 114 of the 175 taluks in the State as backward, including 21 of the 39 taluks in Kalyana Karnataka as most backward, he said.

“The report paved the way for efforts to secure special status for the region,” he added.

Kalyana Karnataka Horata Samiti district president Sirigeri Pannaraj, in a special lecture, narrated how the Nizam of Hyderabad refused to merge with India, leading to repression by the Razakars, the militia of the Nizam.

“People of this region fought against tyranny and secured freedom. We must remember their struggle,” he said.

Prizes and certificates were distributed to winners of essay, elocution and painting competitions organised as part of the utsav.

Mayor Mullangi Nandeesh, Deputy Mayor D. Sukum, District Guarantee Schemes Implementation Committee Chairperson K.E. Chidanandappa, Deputy Commissioner Nagendra Prasad K., Inspector-General of Police of Ballari Range Vartika Katiyar, Superintendent of Police Shobharani V.J., Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Mohammed Haris Sumair and senior officials, students and citizens attended the celebrations.