Ballari remembers its rich legacy in freedom struggle on Independence Day

Ballari, which played a significant role in the freedom movement in Karnataka, on Saturday celebrated the 80th Independence Day with tributes to the freedom fighters who helped kindle the spirit of resistance against British rule in the region.

Speaking after hoisting the national flag at the BMCRC grounds in Ballari, Planning and Statistics Minister and district in-charge B. Nagendra recalled the district’s contribution to the freedom struggle and said the sacrifices and struggles of the people of Ballari would remain etched in the history of Karnataka and India.

Recalling Mahatma Gandhi’s visit to Ballari in 1921, Mr. Nagendra said Yashwantrao Hindurao Ghorpade of Sandur had allowed temple entry to Harijans in 1932 and taken steps against untouchability, following which Mahatma Gandhi visited Sandur in 1934.

“The district is facing a serious rainfall deficit, and the government has taken measures to tackle the drought-like situation. Ballari, Sandur, Kampli and Kurugodu taluks have been declared drought-affected,” he said.

Mr. Nagendra said he had recently visited agricultural fields in Halakundi, Mincheri, Vittalapur, Metri and Siddarampur and reviewed the condition of tur, cotton, pearl millet and sunflower crops. “The administration is taking precautionary measures to protect farmers from the impact of the deficient rainfall,” he said.

Speaking on the development initiatives, Mr. Nagendra said more than ₹2,000 crore worth of development projects were being taken up in Ballari through the Karnataka Mining Environment Restoration Corporation (KMERC), particularly in mining-affected areas.

“These included a 200-bed cancer hospital and linear accelerator facility at BMCRC at a cost of ₹331 crore, a 250-bed hospital and blood bank at Sandur, 36 hostels for backwards-class students at a cost of ₹285 crore and the upgrading of 243 schools,” he said, adding that nutrition programmes covering 1.3 lakh children were also being taken up.

The Minister noted that the government was also planning a ₹55-crore Bengaluru Bio-Innovation Centre in the district, apart from upgrading infrastructure at industrial training institutes and polytechnics and establishing a proposed Mega Skill Academy in Sandur.

“The Apparel Jeans Park proposed in Ballari had entered the land acquisition stage through the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board,” he said.

Government land reclaimed

Pointing to the government initiatives against illegal encroachments, the Minister said that the district administration had reclaimed 126 acres of encroached government land in 14 operations within Ballari City Corporation limits. The reclaimed land, valued at ₹551.25 crore, would be reserved for public facilities, he said.

Earlier, Mr. Nagendra paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at his statue in Dr. Rajkumar Park and hoisted the national flag at the 150-foot-high flagpole at H.R. Gaviappa Circle in the city.