The coalition government, which has in the past been accused of “discriminating” against north Karnataka, on Thursday decided to shift nearly a dozen of the offices of major departments from Bengaluru to the northern region of the State.

A Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, gave in-principle approval to the proposals made by an official committee headed by the Chief Secretary and decided to shift some of the offices to north Karnataka.

The allegations that the government was discrimination against north Karnataka had also fuelled a separate statehood demand.

Briefing on the Cabinet decisions, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said head offices of the Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Ltd., Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Ltd., Sugarcane Directorate and office of Sugarcane Commissioner, Karnataka Powerloom Development Corporation, Department of Archives, and offices of two Information Commissioners and office of one Karnataka Human Rights Commission member would be shifted from Bengaluru to north Karnataka.

It was decided to bifurcate the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Board to form a separate North Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Board. The new offices of the North Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Board would be established in north Karnataka.

The KHRC has four members and one member would function from North Karnataka. Similarly, two information commissioners would function from north Karnataka, Mr Gowda said.

The headquarters of the Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam would be shifted to Almatti in Bagalkot. Mr. Gowda said it was decided to constitute a Cabinet sub-committee to identify locations to shift the offices from Bengaluru to the north Karnataka region. The Cabinet broadly approved the recommendations made by the committee, headed by the Chief Secretary, and all decisions are subject to the decisions of the Cabinet sub-committee.

The Cabinet would clear the committee’s recommendations. The Chief Minister had been authorised to constitute the panel, he added.