The Hindu       28.11.2014 

Civic body to remove encroachments after winter session of Legislature

Encroachments on Khanapur road being removed during a drive recently.— FILE PHOTO

The Belagavi City Corporation will remove all
encroachments from its property and in the basements of commercial
complexes in the city after the winter session of the State legislature.

So
far, the corporation has listed 746 cases of encroachments on roads,
streets, lanes, footpaths and open sites. There are reportedly around
300 cases of encroachments of commercial complexes all over the city.

The
civic body has removed encroachments on the road stretch from Baveshwar
Circle (Goaves) to Peeranwadi Cross of the Belagavi-Goa (also called as
Khanapur road) National Highway 4A, which passes through the heart of
the city.

Encroachments on this Khanapur road were
removed after a request from the Public Works Department, which had
planned to widen this road stretch.

The government
had also sanctioned Rs. 30 crore towards road improvement/widening work
to the Public Works Department, which had promised to commence the work
soon, Mahesh Keshav Naik, Belagavi Mayor said here on Thursday.

He
added that the Commissioner M.R. Ravi Kumar had initiated steps on the
issue of corporation officials allegedly withdrawing from removing
encroachments of basements of commercial complexes. However, he was
transferred but reinstated owing to public demand.