Urban News

Source : The Hindu Date : 23.06.2009

Status of heritage park project unknown

Shankar Bennur

— PHOTO: M.A.SRIRAM

untouched: The fenced area reserved for the heritage park project near Lalitha Mahal Palace on the foothills of Chamundi in Mysore.

MYSORE: The Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) had once set aside its prime land adjacent to the famed Lalitha Mahal Palace for a unique park project, which was then dubbed the first of its kind in the State. The project launched with much fanfare was called the ‘Heritage Park’. Its foundation stone was laid in 2005. Spread across 32 acres of land, the project was proposed to add to the aesthetics around Lalitha Mahal Palace, a prominent heritage monument of Mysore.

The MUDA had proposed the park to avoid haphazard growth around Lalitha Mahal Palace and around the foothills of Chamundi. It was announced that the heritage park would be “different” since experts of horticulture, archaeology and heritage were involved in drawing up the plan. The entire land was fenced to prevent encroachment. Thereafter, the project came to a stand still.

Funds

With Mysore identified under the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission project, the MUDA decided to seek funds under it and accordingly submitted the park’s detailed project report to the Karnataka Urban Development Infrastructure and Finance Corporation (KUDIFC) for placing it before the State-level Approval Committee (SLAC).

Panel

The SLAC is a high-powered committee constituted to screen the State’s projects that seek aid under the JNNURM. The SLAC approved the Rs. 35-crore project and forwarded the same to the Union Government for approval under JNNURM.

MUDA Commissioner P.C. Jayanna told The Hindu that the project had been referred to an expert committee on heritage, constituted by the Union Government, for examining the projects planned on heritage concept. “We are curiously awaiting the nod since the park was our ambitious project,” he said, and added that Rs 3.5 crore had been set aside in this year’s MUDA budget as its share towards the project.

The status of the project is as yet unknown. Infrastructure Development Corporation Karnataka Limited (I-DECK) had prepared the park’s DPR in 2008 in accordance with the objectives with which MUDA proposed the plan.

Stalls

It was proposed to develop stalls where visitors could interact with artisans and buy their products. The products envisaged were dolls, sculptures, pottery, ornamental items and so on. A performance court to showcase culture from different parts of the State had also been proposed. Also a “Thandi Sadak” (a shaded area), a coconut grove, an areca nut grove and a food complex to serve specialities from various districts of the State had been proposed, according to sources.

Source : The Hindu Date : 23.06.2009

HDMC hospital to be developed

Staff Correspondent

— Photo: Kiran Bakale

Checking out: Hubli-Dharwad Mayor Viranna Savadi interacting people at fish market at Ganeshpet in Hubli during his visit there on Monday.

Hubli: Hubli-Dharwad Mayor Viranna Savadi on Monday directed the corporation officials to chalk out a plan for the development of the fish market and mutton market in the Ganeshpet area of Hubli.

The Mayor paid a visit to the markets at Ganeshpet along with local councillors and Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) officials on Monday in the wake of complaints about lack of maintenance of the markets.

Mr. Savadi was shocked to see the ill-maintained mutton market at Ganeshpet. Shopkeepers there complained about the lack of maintenance and apathy of officials to the Mayor.

The shopkeepers at the fish market wanted a separate arrangement for the wholesale fish market.

They said since the market was small and couldn’t accommodate the vehicles transporting fish, the retailers were forced to shift their shops to the streets, which was causing problems for the residents of the locality. The Mayor promised them he would take required action.

Mr. Savadi also visited the hospital maintained by the HDMC at Ganeshpet and listened to the patients there. They drew his attention to the leaking roof and poor maintenance of the hospital. They complained about inadequate supply of medicines.

Mr. Savadi asked the hospital authorities to immediately submit proposals for development of the hospital.

He said he would try to get funds for the development under the Rs. 100 crore grants sanctioned to the HDMC.

MLA of Hubli Dharwad East Virabhadrappa Halaharavi, councillors Shama Hunagund, Sudhir Saraf, Laxman Gandagalekar, former Mayor Vijayanand Hosakote, former councillor Tippanna Majjagi accompanied the Mayor to all places.

Later, Mr. Savadi told presspersons that he had directed officials concerned to plan for systematic development of both the markets and also to improve the facilities at the HDMC hospital.