Sadhanakeri Lake to sport new look soon

Sadhanakeri Lake to sport new look soon

GURURAJ JAMKHANDI, TNN, Dec 3, 2010, 09.13pm IST

DHARWAD: Sadhanakeri, the lake that was a source of inspiration to Jnanpith laureate poet Da Raa Bendre, is now ready to inspire new-generation Bendres with a new look. The lake and its surroundings have been given a facelift under the Baaro Sadhankerige project sanctioned by the department of tourism (GoI), and is all set to be thrown open to the public in a month.

DC Darpan Jain, who has succeeded in taking the project to the logical end, told reporters here on Thursday that civil works at the tank site are completed and the park is expected to be inaugurated before January 26.

The area spread over eight acre land has been transformed into a park which houses an amphitheatre, a musical fountain, boating facility, canteen, walk path, landscaping, playing equipment for children, etc. Nirmiti Kendra has made the dream come true at a cost of Rs 2.58 crore.

Jain said a proposal was submitted to the Union government in 2006, seeking funds for development and beautification of the historic tank. The Centre had allotted Rs 3.6 crore for the project and the work had been entrusted to a private contractor. However due to poor quality of work, the amphitheatre collapsed, forcing the government to terminate the contract and assign the work to Nirmiti Kendra under the direct supervision of DC in April 2010.

Measures have been taken for illuminating the park and also creating parking space. There are toilet blocks in and outside the park.

Two pedal boats and a mechanical boat would be operational for the public. The park would be a plastic-free zone. Cultural programmes at weekends would be regularly organized at the amphitheatre.

The lake and park would initially be maintained by Nirmit Kendra.

State to get two world class education hubs

State to get two world class education hubs

November 30th, 2010

DC Correspondent

Nov. 29: The education sector is set to receive a heavy flow of investment as if things go according to plan, the state will develop two education hubs; one at Chikkaballapur and another at Dharward, and the institutions will be set up with an initial investment of Rs 1,475crore.

According to senior officials of the department of higher education, “The Chennai-based Marg Group has been granted permission to set up the education hub at Dharwad, while the Manipal-based MAHE University will develop a world-class multi disciplinary global education campus at Doddaballapur in Chikkaballapur district.

The State High Level Clearance Committee (SHLC) has cleared both projects.” In fact, for the first time, the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) will allot land for the two institutions to be set up. Just recently, educational institutions had appealed to the state government asking it for land to develop new campuses.

According to sources, the Marg group will invest Rs 980 crore for the proposed education hub at Dharward, which is expected to create 2,690 employment opportunities and the KIADB will distribute 100 acres of land for the purpose.

“According to the proposal, this education hub will accommodate a number of educational institutions under one roof. It is a first-of-its-kind experiment in the state and nobody has invested such a large sum of money to build a campus,” said the sources.

Meanwhile, the MAHE University is making an initial investment of Rs 495 crore for the hub at Doddaballapur taluk, and the KIADB will allot 60 acres of land for this purpose.

Mr Rajesh H. Rao, an overseas education consultant, said that the proposed education hubs are expected to be the country’s answer to the fear of foreign investments in the education sector. “The education sector has a lot of scope for investment. Such big investments and exclusive hubs help institutes share an understanding with prestigious institutes from foreign countries while providing quality education to our students,” said Mr Rao.

Hubli Airport: Land would be acquired within a month, says DC

Hubli Airport: Land would be acquired within a month, says DC

TNN, Oct 19, 2010, 10.09pm IST

HUBLI: The Dharwad district administration, which is trying hard to complete the land-acquisition process towards the expansion of Hubli airport so that it can hand over the land to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for development, has sought an immediate assistance of Rs 100 crore.

DC Darpan Jain told reporters on Monday that several hurdles in completing the land-acquisition process had been cleared and about 99% of the land owners had given their consent to part with their land.

He expressed confidence that the entire land-acquisition process would be completed within a month. "We have sought a grant of Rs 100 crore to compensate the land owners, and we expect to receive the same from the government shortly," he added.

Jain said the survey for laying four-lane road between Hubli and Dharwad had been completed and tender bids on the Rs 174-crore project would be opened on October 26.

Shettar lays foundation stone

Shettar lays foundation stone

TNN, Oct 18, 2010, 10.32pm IST

HUBLI: Dharwad district minister Jagadish Shettar has said the upcoming sports complex plays a vital role in the making Hubli-Dharwad, collectively a mega city.

Speaking after laying a foundation stone for a sports complex at the Gymkhana Grounds here on Monday, he said north Karnataka has sporting talent in abundance, "but lack of government will to create proper infrastructure is proving to be a dampener". "Because of this, sportspersons with sound background are making their own arrangements to compete in top sporting events, while others who are poor go unnoticed," he added.

Shettar appreciated the efforts of Karnataka Gymkhana Association (KGA) for building the complex without much help from the government. "Efforts are being made to build an indoor stadium at Heggeri Grounds, and also to complete the work on a pavilion at KSCA Stadium in Rajnagar," he added.

Appreciating the efforts of KGA, MP Pralhad Joshi said there will be less scope for confusion in the development works taken up under PPP model and there will be a sense of ownership about the property among the public.

Highlighting the need to improve sports infrastructure in the twin cities, DC Darpan Jain hailed KGA for voluntarily building a sports complex. Jain also expressed happiness over putting the land to optimal utilization, at least after 90 years of its being handed over by the government to KGA.

Stating that there is a lot of sporting talent in the region, Jain said there is a huge inflow of students into the twin cities needing good sports-related infrastructure. The DC requested KGA authorities to identify the poor but talented sportspersons and train them.