The Dharwad Pratyeka Mahanagara Palike Horata Vedike has urged the State government to issue the final gazette notification for the formation of a separate Dharwad Municipal Corporation within 15 days, failing which it has warned of launching an indefinite satyagraha.

The forum leaders led by B.D. Hiremath and Venkatesh Machakanur and others staged a demonstration before the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad on Tuesday and demanded that the notification on separate municipal corporation be issued immediately.

The State government had issued a draft notification for the proposed civic body and that the Governor had accorded conditional approval to it on May 25, 2026. However, they alleged that the Urban Development Department had delayed issuing the final gazette notification, they said.

The members submitted a memorandum addressed to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to the district authorities seeking early action.

In the memorandum, the forum has contended that Dharwad, which had an independent municipality during the British period, was merged with Hubballi in 1962. It alleged that administrative functions had since remained largely concentrated in Hubballi, causing inconvenience to residents of Dharwad. The forum also alleged disparities in the allocation of funds, claiming that a larger share of the municipal budget and Smart City funds had been utilised in Hubballi.

Citing legal provisions and Supreme Court judgments, the forum maintained that the government could issue the final notification with prospective effect from April 1, 2027, without affecting the tenure of the existing elected representatives.

Other demands include immediate appointment of a senior IAS officer as Special Officer to oversee the division of assets, offices and staff, and a special grant of ₹200 crore for the establishment of the proposed corporation.

The forum said that if the government failed to initiate talks and announce its decision within the stipulated 15 days, it would convene a meeting of supporters on August 21 to decide on the next course of action, including an indefinite satyagraha.

Earlier in the day, the forum members held a protest before the municipal corporation office in Dharwad and also had a heated discussion with mayor Durgamma Bijawad over the delay in issue of notification from the government. They were joined by HDMC councillors and leaders belonging to Congress, BJP and JD(S).

Published - August 04, 2026 07:29 pm IST