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
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.