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Road works worth Rs. 51.95 cr. launched in twin cities

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The Hindu       20.11.2014 

Road works worth Rs. 51.95 cr. launched in twin cities

Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies Dinesh Gundu Rao visiting the Hubballi Airport on Wednesday to oversee the ongoing runway expansion works.— Photo: Kiran Bakale
Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies Dinesh Gundu Rao visiting the Hubballi Airport on Wednesday to oversee the ongoing runway expansion works.— Photo: Kiran Bakale

There appears to be some respite for the residents of the twin cities, who have been facing hardships because of the dusty roads for the last few months, as several road works were launched here on Wednesday.

Speaking to presspersons before initiating road asphalting and repair works worth Rs. 51.95 crore, Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies and district-in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao said that short-term tenders had been finalised and work orders issued. He said that Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Ltd. had been awarded works worth Rs. 5.5 crore.

“Pothole filling works worth Rs. 85 lakh will be taken up in the twin cities. A sum of Rs. 33 crore has been earmarked under the third phase of the Rs. 100 crore grant sanctioned to the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation. I am initiating works worth Rs. 19 crore under this scheme today,” Mr. Dinesh Gundu Rao said.

The Minister said that while 83 road works worth Rs. 10 crore would be taken up using the State Finance Commission grants, 12 works worth Rs. 1.62 crore were being taken up using money from the Calamity Relief Fund.

Mr. Dinesh Gundu Rao said that of the remaining instalments of the second phase of the Rs. 100 crore grant, 40 works worth Rs. 2.38 crore would be initiated. Under various heads of the 13th Finance Commission grants, Rs. 10.78 crore had been mobilised for road works.

The Minister said that like the rest of the roads in the twin cities, the Airport Road (Gokul Road) in Hubballi had been damaged due to heavy rain and the Public Works Department would soon initiate road improvement works worth Rs. 7 crore.

He said that the Public Works Department would take up road works worth Rs. 40 crore to Rs. 50 crore in the coming days under which Puna-Bangalore Road, Unakal-Sulla Road and Airport Road were included.

The Minister launched road development works at Hosur Cross, City Bus Station, Gandhi Chowk, Maratha Galli, Old Hubli and Unakal Cross. Accompanied by MLA Prasad Abbayya, MLC Nagaraj Chabbi, Mayor Shivu Hiremath, Deputy Commissioner Rajendra Cholan, HDMC Commissioner Noor Mansur, he inspected the condition of the Airport Road and also visited Hubballi Airport to oversee the expansion works.