Dharwad: Request for a separate city company for Dharwad seems to have received encouragement with Minister of Basavaraj Bommai signaling that Dharwad needs to be released from Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation.
The delegation of a leading resident of Dharwad met Bommai at his residence in Hubballi during his visit to the city on Sunday and Submit a Memorandum bifurcation looking from HDMC.
Bommai said Dharwad was feasible to be released from HDMC and the government actively considered the demand.Convener Separate Action Committee Municipal Corporation for Dharwad Manoj Patil said the told that the minister received his request and statement had boosted residents’ hopes.The demand for separate city companies for Dharwad is getting hard As a city, despite the regent quarter, has received a default agreement as far as development under the HDMC scheme concerned.
The HDMC is based on the government in 1962 and all board members are nominated.
Giriyappa Nawadi from Dharwad is the first mayor.
The establishment of a city company for twin cities without requests from people in Hubballi or Dharwad.With Hubballi has more numbers of wards compared to the number of wards in Dharwad, most of the funds have been allocated for development work in Hubballi.
Now there are 82 wards at HDMC and from those 28 in Division Dharwad and 54 in Hubballi Division.
Darwad is always discriminated against when taking the development work and all HDMC projects have been Hubbali-centric, said Manoj Patil.HDMC Commissioner, Mayor and Deputy Mayor visit Dharwad only twice a week, and it’s also for a few minutes.
They often miss visiting the HDMC office in Dharwad quoting several meetings at the DC office or Minister’s visit as reason.
The power of staff at the Dharwad office has also decreased forcing people to go to Hubballi for work related to HDMC.under Smart City projects there is no funds allocated for Dharwad and all works related to Hubballi.
There are plans to build a bridge from Kalghatigi naka toll to the flow of Venkatrao circles in Dharwad to reduce traffic congestion and which have been saved while working on the construction of the flyover in Rani Channamma circle has begun.
Since the former CM Jagadish Shettar and the UNI Minister Prahlad Joshi is from Hubballi, focus more on Hubballi.
Dharwad did not have political leadership, said residents of Lalit Bhandari.The demanded a white paper on the development works carried out in both Dharwad and Hubballi by HDMC since 1962.For City to be eligible to have the city company must have a three-lakh population and Dharwad already has a population of 5.5 lakh.
By having a separate city company, Dharwad will get an annual special grant from RS 100 Crore for development and Hubballi will be free from saving money in the grant allocated to it, the committee said in memorandum that had been signed by leading writers, artists, academics and employers.