Pending projects stare new govt in the face
Business Standard.com
Vidya Kulkarni / Chennai/ Dharwad February 14, 2006
During the Dharam Singh regime projects worth crores of rupees were announced for the development of twin cities. The twin cities lag behind Bangalore, Mysore, Mangalore and Hassan. The government had promised to transform the twin cities into an investor-friendly zone.
The formation of various committees and several rounds of meetings had raised hopes. But most projects did not take off. Now with the change in the government the people are worried about the fate of the projects.
The Dharam Singh government had announced several projects with assistance from many agencies within and abroad.
The City Infrastructure Improvement Committee (CIIC) had been formed with the deputy commissioner as its chairman to coordinate development works. The CIIC had been set up on the advise of the then Dharwad deputy commissioner, Gaurav Gupta. Ring roads to ease traffic congestion, setting up of a truck terminus, providing night landing facility at Hubli airport, creation of infrastructure for high court circuit bench were some of the projects initiated.
A Water and Land Management Institute was planned in Dharwad, so also was an IT Park at Hubli, construction of an indoor stadium in Dharwad, streamlining of traffic and most importantly regular and adequate supply of potable water to the twin cities have been on the agenda of the CIIC.
The CIIC held several rounds of meetings and discussed plans and projects but in the absence of funds, they were merely talking shops.
The state government submitted to the Centre a proposal to construct a 9.45 km ring road between Dharwad and Hubli. It has released Rs 20 lakh for the survey for the said works. But there is no information on the progress of the survey work. The widening of the road between Hubli and Dharwad for Rs 10 crore announced long ago is yet to be complete. Similarly, the work on rehabilitation of hawkers and vendors displaced during the ‘Operation Footpath’ is yet to take off. HDMC commissioner P Manivannan had said that 508 sites had been sanctioned for rehabilitating the roadside vendors.
Another major project hanging in balance is the Rs 176 crore Malaprabha third stage drinking water project when completed will provide 100 litres of water per capita per day for 20 lakh people till 2035 in the twin cities. The government has been talking of the project for over a decade.
The truth about the much-publicised World Bank-funded Malaprabha Third stage is that the finance department has rejected the proposal stating that the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation did not have the capacity to repay the loan.
The fact that the state government failed to use Rs 36 crore sanctioned by the Centre for the development of small and medium towns speaks of the lack of political will and preparedness of the bureaucracy to implement the projects. The state government has sanctioned another Rs 205 crore (in addition to the Rs 1,100 crore) to the department of municipal administration this fiscal.
The dilly-dallying by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) in handing over the 100-acre land to South Western Railway (SWR) has resulted in the SWR delaying development works in the region. The state government has agreed to hand over 100 acres near Rayapur between Dharwad and Hubli to the Railways for the goods-shed. Despite clearance at the ministerial level the KIADB has not handed over the land. Sources said the KIADB is demanding a hefty price.
The SWR had prepared a plan to upgrade the Hubli railway station for Rs 15 crore. The SWR says that expansion and development of Hubli Railway station cannot be taken up until the goods-shed is shifted.
The work on upgrading Hubli airport for Rs 2 crore was supposed to commence but is pending as the master plan is yet to be approved. Similarly, the work on supplying Malaprabha water to Belur industrial area off Dharwad was to be completed in December and water was to be supplied to the area from January. This was to enable the Tatas to set up their proposed unit in the area besides attracting more units. But the work is nowhere near completion.
Hubli-Dharwad has been included in the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
The mission, launched by the Union ministry of urban employment and poverty alleviation aims at providing basic services to urban poor in 63 cities. In Karnataka, Bangalore has been selected under the category of cities with four million plus population and Hubli-Dharwad under cities with one million population. All the works under the mission need to be completed within seven years.
It is to be seen if those from Dharwad district occupying ministerial berths in the new dispensation ensure the sanctioned projects are not stalled.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Hubli airport upgrading awaits Centre’s nod
Hubli airport upgrading awaits Centre’s nod
Newindpress.com
Sunday February 12 2006 12:34 IST
HUBLI: The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has devised a master plan for the upgrading of Hubli airport, said M S Srikar, Deputy Commissioner.
The master plan is Centre’s awaiting Centre’s approval. Once that is got Rs 2 crore would be released by KIADB for the development of Hubli airport, he added.
Elaborating on the steps taken for the development of the airport to MP Prahlad Joshi, during the inspection of works being taken up for the upgrading of Hubli airport at a cost of Rs 11.35 crore on Friday, he appealed to the MP to exert pressure on the Central government to give the nod for the master plan.
DC Srikar said the process of acquisition of 175 acres of land around Hubli airport would be taken up immediately after the release of Rs 2 crore.
During the inspection of works, officials of AAI confirmed that works on extension of the airport lounge, upgrading of runway and installation of signal lights for night landing were in progress. All these works were expected to be completed by March-end, they said.
He said though Deccan Airways operated a daily flight from Hubli to Bangalore, it was not sufficient to meet the growing needs of people of the region and demanded one more flight.
Though Deccan Airways was keen to start its services from Hubli in the night, it was not possible due to lack of adequate lights.
The Central government should be pressurised to convince other private airways to start air services from Hubli, he said. Joshi expressed displeasure over his not being invited to attend airport development meetings convened by the district administration.
He promised to hold talks with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa about the master plan devised by AAI and to take measures to bring pressure on the Centre to give it’s approval for the plan.
He also promised to discuss the issue of upgrading of Hubli airport with the Union Civil Aviation Minister during the parliamentary session scheduled to start from February 16.
Former MLA Ashok Katwe, councillor Ranga Baddi, Nagaraj Bakale, Umesh Joshi and others were present.
Newindpress.com
Sunday February 12 2006 12:34 IST
HUBLI: The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has devised a master plan for the upgrading of Hubli airport, said M S Srikar, Deputy Commissioner.
The master plan is Centre’s awaiting Centre’s approval. Once that is got Rs 2 crore would be released by KIADB for the development of Hubli airport, he added.
Elaborating on the steps taken for the development of the airport to MP Prahlad Joshi, during the inspection of works being taken up for the upgrading of Hubli airport at a cost of Rs 11.35 crore on Friday, he appealed to the MP to exert pressure on the Central government to give the nod for the master plan.
DC Srikar said the process of acquisition of 175 acres of land around Hubli airport would be taken up immediately after the release of Rs 2 crore.
During the inspection of works, officials of AAI confirmed that works on extension of the airport lounge, upgrading of runway and installation of signal lights for night landing were in progress. All these works were expected to be completed by March-end, they said.
He said though Deccan Airways operated a daily flight from Hubli to Bangalore, it was not sufficient to meet the growing needs of people of the region and demanded one more flight.
Though Deccan Airways was keen to start its services from Hubli in the night, it was not possible due to lack of adequate lights.
The Central government should be pressurised to convince other private airways to start air services from Hubli, he said. Joshi expressed displeasure over his not being invited to attend airport development meetings convened by the district administration.
He promised to hold talks with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa about the master plan devised by AAI and to take measures to bring pressure on the Centre to give it’s approval for the plan.
He also promised to discuss the issue of upgrading of Hubli airport with the Union Civil Aviation Minister during the parliamentary session scheduled to start from February 16.
Former MLA Ashok Katwe, councillor Ranga Baddi, Nagaraj Bakale, Umesh Joshi and others were present.
No tall claim this: Jain beats Bahubali
No tall claim this: Jain beats Bahubali
Mahendra Chavan
CNN-IBN
Hubli (Karnataka): The 58-feet statue of Bahubali in Shravanabelagola has competition. It may no longer be the tallest monolith.
Another Jain Tirthankara statue in Hubli boasts of being three feet taller.
And this is no tall claim. Weighing 185 tons and 61-feet-tall, the monolithic statue of Parshwanath Teerthankar standing on top of a 48-foot pedestal is no doubt the tallest monolith in the world.
Says a priest, Gunadhara Nandi Bhattaraka, "There are some differences. Bahubali was a great warrior so his body has been made like that of a wrestler. Parsvanath attained enlightenment when he was 16 years old so his statue bears a child-like countenance."
The work on the statue began almost a year ago and even though it was ready, its weight had made it difficult to prop it up.
Some of the cranes that had been brought to the place for the purpose could not hold the load and were sent back.
It was finally an American company called Petron, which came to the rescue. They used a crane with a capacity to lift 800 tons of load to make the statue stand upright.
Says a visitor of the statue, Amruth Joshi, "Hubli city will once again be on the world map for it's biggest monolithic statue. It's a matter of great pride not only for the people of Hubli but for entire Karnataka."
Hubli may have won over Shravanabelagola when it comes to the height advantage but as far as antiquity goes, the statue of Bahubali still reigns supreme.
(With inputs from Priyanjana Dutta)
Mahendra Chavan
CNN-IBN
Hubli (Karnataka): The 58-feet statue of Bahubali in Shravanabelagola has competition. It may no longer be the tallest monolith.
Another Jain Tirthankara statue in Hubli boasts of being three feet taller.
And this is no tall claim. Weighing 185 tons and 61-feet-tall, the monolithic statue of Parshwanath Teerthankar standing on top of a 48-foot pedestal is no doubt the tallest monolith in the world.
Says a priest, Gunadhara Nandi Bhattaraka, "There are some differences. Bahubali was a great warrior so his body has been made like that of a wrestler. Parsvanath attained enlightenment when he was 16 years old so his statue bears a child-like countenance."
The work on the statue began almost a year ago and even though it was ready, its weight had made it difficult to prop it up.
Some of the cranes that had been brought to the place for the purpose could not hold the load and were sent back.
It was finally an American company called Petron, which came to the rescue. They used a crane with a capacity to lift 800 tons of load to make the statue stand upright.
Says a visitor of the statue, Amruth Joshi, "Hubli city will once again be on the world map for it's biggest monolithic statue. It's a matter of great pride not only for the people of Hubli but for entire Karnataka."
Hubli may have won over Shravanabelagola when it comes to the height advantage but as far as antiquity goes, the statue of Bahubali still reigns supreme.
(With inputs from Priyanjana Dutta)
A dream drive, then a nightmare that never ends
A dream drive, then a nightmare that never ends
The Sunday Express
BANGALORE, FEBRUARY 11: In central Karnataka, on the 342.4-km stretch between Tumkur and Hubli, on the Mumbai-Chennai leg of the Golden Quadrilateral project, there is a 20-minute period when car drivers think they can make it to Hubli well under four hours.
That 20-minute reverie occurs on a 41.4-km stretch between Tumkur (60 km from Bangalore) and Sira, the only section on this stretch of the Golden Quadrilateral where the four-lane main carriageway is in place—fenced and protected on both sides by moats; pedestrian walkways are up; service roads and underpasses ready, and flowers bloom along the broad road divider.
Approved in April 2000, like the four other sections that make up the Tumkur-Hubli stretch, this 41.4-km stretch of the Golden Quadrilateral was sealed and delivered to the NHAI by contractors Larsen and Toubro a little after their November 2004 deadline, at the project cost of Rs 184 crore.
Exiting this stretch, drivers snap out of their Hubli-in-four-hours dream. The Sira-Chitradurga (66.7 km), the Chitradurga-Harihar (77 km) the Harihar-Haveri (56 km) and the Haveri-Hubli (64 km) stretches are a constant series of diversions between completed two lanes, under-construction flyovers, underpasses, bumpy roads, dust and ‘work in progress’ boards.
Deadlines have come and gone on more than two occasions but across the stretch only a little over 50 per cent of the work has been completed, making the roads a nightmare after dusk.
Take the Sira-Chitradurga patch. August 2004 was the original deadline for completion of the Rs 304-crore Asian Development Bank-funded project, being executed by a Malaysian-Indian joint venture between United Engineers of Malaysia and Essar, India. This deadline was extended to December 2005. While the main carriageway is more or less ready, the road will not be handed over to NHAI till June 2006.
The Chitradurga-Harihar stretch being implemented by the same consortium is worse. The original deadline of August 2004 was extended to December 2005, then to January 2006. Now the next deadline is June 2006. ‘‘We don’t expect completion at least till 2008,’’ says one worker.
The original estimated cost of Rs 318 crore has now risen over Rs 418 crore, says a representative of ICT Ltd, the supervisory consultants for the stretch.
‘‘The main carriageway will be ready by June 2006. There have been several hurdles. There have been several unforeseen changes incorporated. The fault lies with various people from local villagers, the NHAI to the contractor,’’ says the ICT official.
In one village along the highway, people refused to part with their land saying they had not been compensated when the original National Highway was built 20 years ago.
At another village, people produced the plan of a flyover in Japan and said an underpass would block airflow to the village.
In late 2004, the infrastructure and monitoring division of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation had squarely blamed the contractors for the poor progress (33 per cent then).
Like the Chitradurga-Harihar stretch, the Rs 204-crore Harihar-Haveri leg, also being implemented by UEM-Essar, has progressed painfully resulting in similar cost escalations.
With as many as 32 villages situated close to the highway between Chitradurga and Haveri, the contractors have reportedly had to change plans at as many as 52 points on this stretch.
The Haveri-Hubli stretch is slightly better off with at least two-way lanes functional along the entire route. But the section remains treacherous at night as evident from the sight of three major accidents involving trucks—two involving contractors’ trucks.
There are also two key bypasses on this Tumkur-Hubli stretch that are progressing at a snail’s pace.
The 13-km Tumkur bypass, work on which began in December 2001, was to have been completed by December 2003. The deadline was extended to February 2006. But only 60 per cent of work has been done and completion could well take another year.
The 18-km Chitradurga bypass, which is being constructed—like the Tumkur bypass—by contractors A L Sudershan and Co, since March 2002 has a similar story. Meant originally to have been completed bu August 2004, the project has received a new deadline of January 2006. Only 50 per cent of work has been done so far
The Sunday Express
BANGALORE, FEBRUARY 11: In central Karnataka, on the 342.4-km stretch between Tumkur and Hubli, on the Mumbai-Chennai leg of the Golden Quadrilateral project, there is a 20-minute period when car drivers think they can make it to Hubli well under four hours.
That 20-minute reverie occurs on a 41.4-km stretch between Tumkur (60 km from Bangalore) and Sira, the only section on this stretch of the Golden Quadrilateral where the four-lane main carriageway is in place—fenced and protected on both sides by moats; pedestrian walkways are up; service roads and underpasses ready, and flowers bloom along the broad road divider.
Approved in April 2000, like the four other sections that make up the Tumkur-Hubli stretch, this 41.4-km stretch of the Golden Quadrilateral was sealed and delivered to the NHAI by contractors Larsen and Toubro a little after their November 2004 deadline, at the project cost of Rs 184 crore.
Exiting this stretch, drivers snap out of their Hubli-in-four-hours dream. The Sira-Chitradurga (66.7 km), the Chitradurga-Harihar (77 km) the Harihar-Haveri (56 km) and the Haveri-Hubli (64 km) stretches are a constant series of diversions between completed two lanes, under-construction flyovers, underpasses, bumpy roads, dust and ‘work in progress’ boards.
Deadlines have come and gone on more than two occasions but across the stretch only a little over 50 per cent of the work has been completed, making the roads a nightmare after dusk.
Take the Sira-Chitradurga patch. August 2004 was the original deadline for completion of the Rs 304-crore Asian Development Bank-funded project, being executed by a Malaysian-Indian joint venture between United Engineers of Malaysia and Essar, India. This deadline was extended to December 2005. While the main carriageway is more or less ready, the road will not be handed over to NHAI till June 2006.
The Chitradurga-Harihar stretch being implemented by the same consortium is worse. The original deadline of August 2004 was extended to December 2005, then to January 2006. Now the next deadline is June 2006. ‘‘We don’t expect completion at least till 2008,’’ says one worker.
The original estimated cost of Rs 318 crore has now risen over Rs 418 crore, says a representative of ICT Ltd, the supervisory consultants for the stretch.
‘‘The main carriageway will be ready by June 2006. There have been several hurdles. There have been several unforeseen changes incorporated. The fault lies with various people from local villagers, the NHAI to the contractor,’’ says the ICT official.
In one village along the highway, people refused to part with their land saying they had not been compensated when the original National Highway was built 20 years ago.
At another village, people produced the plan of a flyover in Japan and said an underpass would block airflow to the village.
In late 2004, the infrastructure and monitoring division of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation had squarely blamed the contractors for the poor progress (33 per cent then).
Like the Chitradurga-Harihar stretch, the Rs 204-crore Harihar-Haveri leg, also being implemented by UEM-Essar, has progressed painfully resulting in similar cost escalations.
With as many as 32 villages situated close to the highway between Chitradurga and Haveri, the contractors have reportedly had to change plans at as many as 52 points on this stretch.
The Haveri-Hubli stretch is slightly better off with at least two-way lanes functional along the entire route. But the section remains treacherous at night as evident from the sight of three major accidents involving trucks—two involving contractors’ trucks.
There are also two key bypasses on this Tumkur-Hubli stretch that are progressing at a snail’s pace.
The 13-km Tumkur bypass, work on which began in December 2001, was to have been completed by December 2003. The deadline was extended to February 2006. But only 60 per cent of work has been done and completion could well take another year.
The 18-km Chitradurga bypass, which is being constructed—like the Tumkur bypass—by contractors A L Sudershan and Co, since March 2002 has a similar story. Meant originally to have been completed bu August 2004, the project has received a new deadline of January 2006. Only 50 per cent of work has been done so far
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