The NRI's of the North Karnataka present the Online Submission of Signature Campaign

Submission of Online Petition by email - Min of Urban Development
Source from http://nageeta.blogspot.com/ - Nagesh Tavageri Blog

Please I Request,the People of North Karnataka all over the world to support this unique campaign of signature to include the Hubli-Dharwad In JRUMN project.

The Details of the Letter sent the several Ministers at the centre and state is as follows.

To
Sri.S.Jaipal Reddy
Hon. Minister for Urban Development
Government of India
New Delhi

Hon.Minister, Sri.S.Jaipal Reddy,

Sub: Non-inclusion of Hubli-Dharwad twin cities to JNNURM project – 2ndlargest city of Karnataka – Submission of Online Petition – Requesting theInclusion – Regarding

Reference: Online petition at the internet website:http://www.petitiononline.com/HDJNNURM/petition.html - Along with the 1174 online signatures supporting the said petition – @internet website: http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?HDJNNURM.

Herewith is respectfully submitted the online petition, with the support of1174 signatures from the citizens of Hubli-Dharwad, residing in twin cities and also spread across the world. The non-inclusion of the twin cities to the JNNURMproject has brought about conceivably large amount of frustration, amongst it’snatives.

Being the second largest city of the state of Karnataka, next only toBangalore, we collectively express that this non-inclusion to the JNNURM projectwould not only decelerate the cities’ development in terms of lack ofinfrastructure assistance and quality of living to the urban populace, but wouldalso widen the already existing imbalance amongst the different regions of thestate. Should the state of Karnataka accelerate it’s share to the burgeoningnational economy, the development of North Karnataka region is as essential.

Please look into the comments of educated non-residents who hail from thisregion, on the internet link @http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?HDJNNURM, to perceive our frustrations, stemming out of the regional imbalance. It is our unequivocal demand to your honorable ministry, for an immediate action in this regard, that will pave the way for the twin cities’ inclusion to JNNURM project.

Thanking you in anticipation.

Respectfully submitted,
Nagesh Tavarageri
Place: Cerritos, CA
Date: 7th of May, 2006

From
Nagesh Tavarageri
XXXXX XXXXX XXXXXXXX
Cerritos, CA 90703

Copy of this email is also submitted, for favour of information and necessary action, to:

Hon. President, Sri.Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, New Delhi
Hon. Prime Minister, Sri.Manmohan Singh, New Delhi
Hon. Chief Minister, Sri. H.D.Kumaaraswamy, Bangalore
Hon. Revenue Minister & District-in-charge Minister, Sri.Jagadish Shettar,Bangalore
Hon. Minister for Urban Development, Govt of Karnataka, Bangalore
Hon. Joint Secretary, Sri.M.Rajamani, Ministry of Urban Development,Government of India, New Delhi
Hon. Director, (NURM), Sri.Aniruddha Kumar, Ministry of Urban Development,Government of India, New Delhi
Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India, New Delhi
Hon. Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka, Bangalore
Hon. Principal Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, Government ofKarnataka, Bangalore
Hon. Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, Government of Karnataka,Bangalore.
Hon. Deputy Commissioner, Sri.M.S.Srikar, Dharwad
Hon. Commissioner, Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation, Hubli

Dharwad - Gateway of Learning

Dharwad - Gateway of Learning
Source from "http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/dharwad/"
by Jyotsna Kamat

Dharwad, home of delicious, tongue-melting phedas and artistic Kasuti saris, is also famous as a seat of learning for at least one hundred and twenty-five years. Together with Hubli, it is the second largest city in state of Karnataka. Hubli-Dharwad city has been home of political, social, educational and economic activities for the whole of North Karnataka and the region beyond erstwhile Mysore state ruled by the Maharaja of Mysore.

History of Dharwad goes back to more than one thousand years. Two epigraphs dated 1116 and 1126 A.D. mention the place as "Darwad". According to Dr. P.B. Desai, the renowned epigraphist, the name has been derived from Sanskrit 'dwarawata'. Dwara meaning door and Wata or Wada meaning town. Actually it was gateway between mountain land (malenadu) and the plains (bayaluseeme).

In ancient times, Dharwad was capital of Halasigenadu. This region was jointly ruled by Kadamba king of Goa, Jayakeshi and his queen Mailaladevi. She was the daughter of illustrious king emperor Chalukya Vikramaditya VI in the 11th century A.D. Dharwad continued to be important trading center and a strategic town and many battles were fought for its control during Mughal and Peshwa times. It was a center of 'Southern Maratha country' a wrong nomenclature of Marathas accepted by the British for some decades, for four Kannada districts along with those of Maharashtra of Bombay Presidency.

The British were drawn by the cool and pleasant climate and developed it as camp for hunting tigers in the nearby thick forests. By 1880 there were more than a hundred European families in Dharwad who had their own clubs. Even a golf club and gymkhana club made their appearance in 1886.

Christian Missionaries followed British administrators. Basel Mission school came up in 1836. Moegling, Ziegler and Kittel were the persons who strived for development of Kannada language and literature. Grammar books, English-Kannada and Kannada–English dictionaries are their contributions.

Epigraphist J.F. Fleet, a revenue officer (I.C.S) brought to light hundreds of inscriptions, folk tales and ballads besides editing important Oriental periodicals. For college education, youngsters had to go to Poona. R.H. Deshpande and Aluru Venkat Rao were pioneers in creating awareness among the middle-class about the need of higher education in Dharwad itself. Karnatak College came up in 1917, by the private organized efforts. This gave boost to students who had completed studies in High Schools started by Karnataka Education Society and Lingayat Education Society (1887) Sanskrit Pathashala was run by Murugha Math. The other pathasala in traditional vedic lore, the one in Gandhichowk has been rendering service for more than two hundred years.

The training colleges for primary school teachers (for men in 1857 and for women in 1885) were the only training institution in the whole of North Karnataka for many decades. Karnataka Vidyavardhak Sangh established by R. H. Deshpande in 1890 strived hard to create awareness among commoners about greatness of their region and language. Later the movement for unification of Karnatak started in Dharwad only as also Nationalist movement. Hubli-Dharwad produced many frontline political leaders during freedom movement.

Dharwad is home of Hindustani classical music. Musicians of fame like Mallikarjun Mansur, Gangubai Hangal, Bhimsen Joshi, Basavaraj Rajguru hail from this place. More than a dozen excellent vocalists, instrumentalists and Tabla artists belong to Dharwad.

In literature also Dharwad has made name. There is a saying that you throw a stone in Dharwad and it hits a poet. Right from D.R. Bendre, we have any number of poets who have contributed to different branches, Navodaya, Navya Bandaya etc. Poets, writers, researchers, scholars, who have spent two or more years in Dharwad, always feel nostalgic about the place.

Seven hillocks, seven tanks and seven villages round about Dharwad, made the Old Township. Alas! No more now (year 2004). The tanks have disappeared, hillocks are bereft of vegetation, making way for concrete jungle and villages have become the suburbs of dry city called Dharwad. Water-scarcity is terrible. Even then Dharwad has retained its charm as a place of learning and music.

IT czars meet on May 20

IT czars meet on May 20
The Newindpress.com

Tuesday May 9 2006 11:35 IST

HUBLI: Revenue and District incharge Minister Jagadish Shettar has disclosed that a meet of investors and ‘bigwigs’ of information technology will be held in Hubli on May 20 to attract investors toward north Karnataka.

Speaking to reporters after performing bhoomi pooja to take up developmental works at a cost of Rs 2.65 crore at the Gokul industrial area here on Monday, Shettar said a high-level committee meeting was held to discuss the IT meet in Hubli and officials concerned had been directed to begin work on the proposed meet.

The proposed investors meet intended to attract industrialists and persuade them to set up their firms in Hubli-Dharwad. The meet would focus on potential needed to set up the industries, he added.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had been invited to inaugurate the meet, said Shettar, adding that the investors meet was considered to be a fallout of the efforts to place the twin cities on the IT map.

The Minister disclosed that already, six IT firms had shown encouraging signs to set up their firms in Hubli, and to this effect, the government had decided to fix Rs 10 per sq metre as an encouraging move to industrialists who purchase business establishments in Hubli IT Park.

He said the Chief Minister and deputy CM would hold consultations with Ratan Tata to persuade him not to move the proposed Tata Motors’ car manufacturing unit out of Dharwad.

Extending his co-operation, Prahlad Joshi, Member of Parliament, asked small scale industrialists to furnish their problems and demands.

Choudappa, general manager, KSIDC and R Basavaraju, additional director, Department of Industries, were present.

Hubli airport: Shettar confident of getting more land

Hubli airport: Shettar confident of getting more land
The Hindu.com
Staff Correspondent

`Kumaraswamy, Yediyurappa have agreed to the proposal'
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Union Civil Aviation Ministry wants land to be given to the AAI free of cost

People to be urged to cooperate with regard to land acquisition
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GRAND PLAN: K. Ramalingam, Regional Executive Director of Airports Authority of India, (extreme right) showing the masterplan for Hubli Airport expansion to Revenue Minister Jagadish Shettar in Hubli on Monday.

HUBLI: Revenue Minister Jagadish Shettar on Monday expressed confidence of convincing Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa of the need to provide 386.6 acres of land to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for the proposed expansion of the Hubli Airport.

Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Shettar said that he had brought the matter to the notice of Mr. Kumaraswamy and Mr. Yediyurappa and explained to them the need for giving some more land to the AAI keeping in mind the overall development of Hubli and Dharwad.

"Both of them have agreed in principle to the proposal. Even if there is any problem, I am sure of convincing the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister," he said. On the request to waive the property tax arrears due to the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation by the AAI, the Revenue Minister said that he would take up the matter with the authorities concerned.

Pralhad Joshi, MP, said that he had discussed the expansion project with Praful Patel, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation.

The Union Minister had promised that his department would consider the project for approval if the Government provided land to the AAI free of cost.

He said he would appeal to those having property in the airport's vicinity to cooperate with the authorities.

Survey soon on land for airport expansion

Survey soon on land for airport expansion
The Hindu.com

Staff Correspondent

Airports Authority of India needs 386 acres of land more for master plan implementation
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Work on airport terminal to be completed in two months

Runway, taxiway, apron and associated works to end by July 31

Rs. 7.5 crore allocated for airport expansion this year
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HUBLI: Officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Revenue Department will conduct a survey by month end to ascertain the land needed for the proposed expansion of the Hubli Airport.

K. Ramalingam, regional executive director, Southern Region, Airports Authority of India (AAI), told presspersons here on Monday that the AAI required 386.6 acres of land more for the implementation of the master plan to upgrade the airport. Dr. Ramalingam visited the airport along with Jagadish Shettar, Revenue Minister, Pralhad Joshi, MP, M.S. Srikar, Deputy Commissioner, and P. Manivannan, Commissioner of the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation.

On the work taken up at the airport, he said the expansion of the terminal would be completed in two months. Strengthening of the runway, taxiway, apron and associated works that were underway at a cost of Rs. 7.12 crore were likely to be completed by July 31.

Dr. Ramalingam said Rs. 7.86 crore was sanctioned last year for the work on upgrading the airport.

The Government had allocated Rs. 7.5 crore for the purpose this year.

The airport would have a fire station by this December, and fencing work would be completed by March next.

According to the master plan, the airport would be upgraded to handle Airbus 320. The runway had to be extended by another 2,000 ft. for the purpose. Its width had to be increased from 30 ft. to 45 ft. To make it an "all-weather airport", the AAI required 386.6 acres of land more, he said.

To implement the master plan, some residential areas had to be acquired. There was a need to revise the plan to avoid acquisition of residential areas.

"We will be bring the issue to the notice of the central office, following which a joint survey will be held," he said.

Dr. Ramalingam said that after taking possession of land, the AAI needed 24 months for the execution of the master plan.

Property tax arrears


Dr. Ramalingam said AAI took over the airport recently and appealed to the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation to waive property tax arrears of Rs. 40 lakh due to it by the airport.

C.P. Purushottam, general manager of aerodrome of AAI, and T.S. Chandramouli, general manager, construction, were present.