It is learnt that the Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraja Bommai has requested his Goa counterpart to provide government land for construction of Kannada Bhavan in the State. It may be recalled that the Karnataka chief minister's statement of setting aside Rs 10 crore budget to build a Kannada Bhavan in Goa state had run into rough water since a certain political party in Goa had raised objection stating the move would dilute Goan identity. It is pertinent to note that Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy’s long-pending demand for an administrative building, ‘Konkani Bhavan’ at Mangaluru, will be realized soon, with the laying of the foundation for the building in February this year. It is pertinent to note that Konkani is the spoken language in Mangaluru, though the dialect is different. Goa is a small State and if all other States' residents raise such demands then it may infringe Goa's identity. In Goa there is also scarcity of land since the state is the size of a district in Karnataka. All aspects need to be taken into consideration before any decision on providing land for a Kannada Bhavan.
