The border row between Maharashtra and Karnataka over Belgaum hotted up today with Chief Minister Ashok Chavan demanding that the Centre declare Marathi speaking villages in Karnataka as a Union Territory till a court decision. <br/><br/>The Shiv Sena is backing the demand. The demand came even as government buses of Maharashtra and Karnataka continued to be targeted over the vexed Belgaum issue, forcing the authorities to stop inter-state services for 48 hours. Mr Chavan told the Legislative Council during a discussion on Maharashtra-Karnataka border row that 865 Marathi speaking villages in Karnataka should be declared as Union Territory until the issue is settled in the Supreme Court. Mr Chavan, who would be meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tomorrow in Delhi with an all-party delegation, said he would make the request to him.<br/><br/>Throwing his weight behind Chavan's demand, Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray wanted Marathi-speaking areas in Karnataka like Belgaum, Nipani, Karwar, Bidar and Bhalki to be made union territory till the border row case is settled in Supreme Court. He said, Central security forces should be deployed in these areas. <br/><br/>The long-pending dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka over Belgaum got revived after the Centre's affidavit in the Supreme Court that the area could not become a part of Maharashtra just because most of the people there spoke Marathi. Mr Chavan also put the ball into BJP's court as BJP is ruling in Karnataka and asked them to intervene the matter.