The Hubballi-Dharwad Corporation office in Dharwad.
Credit: DH Photo
Dharwad: January 2 will be remembered as a red-letter day for Dharwad after the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah gave approval for the bifurcation of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation and carving a separate corporation for Dharwad. With this, the decade-long demand of the people of Dharwad has been fulfilled.
Soon after the decision to separate corporation was announced, the people cheered and held Vijayotsava in front of the corporation office. They thanked the elected representatives of the district who cutting across political lines had supported the demand.
It was on February 25, 2019, a formal demand for bifurcation of HDMC was made and on February 26, this demand echoed in the HDMC general body meeting in Dharwad wherein then corporators Deepak Chinchore, Yasin Haveripeth, Raju Ambore and others pressed the mayor to pass a resolution. The then mayor Sudhir Saraf while accepting the demand had stated that this calls for a special meeting and all the HDMC corporators will support the demand, recalls social activist Lalit Bhandari.
Subsequently, a people’s movement was formed and various kinds of protests by various organisations were held. The Karnatak Vidhyavardhakh Sangha once again became an epicentre for the movement and this gave birth to a new umbrella organisation Dharwad Separate Corporation Agitation Committee.
The committee recalls how the demand for a separate Municipal Corporation for Dharwad arose. As the residents here felt that the city has been meted out step motherly treatment as far as the creation of infrastructure facilities and development works were concerned. Several delegations had met the chief ministers of successive governments demanding the separate municipal corporation and explaining how Dharwad deserved one.
The committee members had argued that Dharwad has always received a raw deal as far as development works are concerned. With the growth of educational institutes in Dharwad, the city is growing. Nearly 75% of the city does not have drainage system and 24X7 water supply project is implemented only in five wards” said Manoj Patil, member of the agitation committee.
A delegation of eminent citizens of Dharwad had also met Bommai at his residence in Hubballi in August 2021 and submitted a memorandum seeking bifurcation of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation. Bommai had said Dharwad deserved to be ‘freed’ from the HDMC and the government was actively considering the demand. This had raised the hopes of the demand being fulfilled. However, Bommai did not take it further.
This did not dampen the spirit of the agitators who visited Suvarna Vidhan Soudha in Belagavi during the winter session of state legislature and met the chief minister and Urban Development Minister Byarathi Suresh.
BJP MLA Arvind Bellad too pitched the demand at the House and in response to this, Byrathi Suresh assured that the government will consider the demand. Finally, Dharwad Rural MLA Vinay Kulkarni impressed upon the chief minister to announce separate corporation to Dharwad at the cabinet meeting on Thursday and met success.
The decision is expected to boost civic amenities in Dharwad known as hub of art, literature, music and education.
‘Bifurcate HDUDA’
Meanwhile, former mayor of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation and BJP functionary Iresh Anchatageri said the government should not restrict the jurisdiction of the new municipal corporation to the present wards no 1 to 26 which are under Dharwad division of HDMC but should expand it to include Belur industrial area, high court bench and Navanagar, he said.
He also urged the government to bifurcate the Hubballi-Dharwad Urban Development Authority (HDUDA) and create a separate Dharwad Development Authority. Demanding a separate special grant of Rs 2,000 crore for the comprehensive development of Dharwad, he said Dharwad deserves it as it houses IIT, IIIT, three state-run universities besides being a hub of music, art and literature.
Annual grants
Hubballi–Dharwad Municipal Corporation was constituted in 1962 by combining two cities separated by a distance of 20 kilometres. Out of 67 wards under HDMC 44 were in Hubballi and 23 were in Dharwad. Following delimitation, the number of wards has gone up to 55 in Hubballi and 27 in Dharwad.
As per the KMC Act, any city with more than four lakh population can have a corporation and Dharwad fulfills requisite conditions. By bifurcating the HDMC both Hubballi and Dharwad stand to gain as each will get an annual grant of Rs 100 crore, say the members of Dharwad Separate Corporation Agitation Committee.