Call tenders for sanctioned road works: MLC

MLC Pradeep Shettar has urged the State Government to take steps to call tenders for all road development works for which funds have been sanctioned under the Central Road Fund (CRF) and national highways development.

He told media persons here on Tuesday that tenders should be called by the Public Works Department (PWD), as funds are already available.

He said, of Rs 468 crore CRF grants sanctioned for 28 works in the district, tenders have been called only for 15 works worth Rs 209 crore. Under national highways division, Rs 707 crore for different works in the district has been sanctioned, but tenders have been called for works worth only Rs 160 crore, he lamented.

He also asked the State Government to speedily release the pending pension grants to the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC), so that the HDMC can spend that money to develop interior roads in the twin cities.

He said, as the State Government had not released the pension grants of the retired employees of the HDMC, the HDMC was paying the pension from its funds earmarked by for developmental works in the twin cities.

Meanwhile, he said, the action plan to increase bulk water supply from Malaprabha reservoir should also be approved.

Rs 83 crore pending amount under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) should also be disbursed to the farmers in the district, Mr Pradeep said, asking District In-charge Minister Vinay Kulkarni to follow-up these issues.

Bhoomi Pooja today

For the 2.2 km Tender SURE road development, from Arts College Cross at Vidyanagar to Tolanakere, the Bhoomi Pooja would be held at Akshay Colony on Wednesday (January 3) at 11:00 am.

PWD Minister H C Mahadevappa and Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Jagadish Shettar would be the guests, Mr Pradeep noted.

For this Rs 35 crore project, Hubballi-Dharwad BRTS Company Limited has provided Rs eight crore, while the remaining amount is borne by the PWD, he added.

Corporator Mahesh Burli stated that the Tender SURE road would be a four-lane modern road with facilities like footpath, bicycle track, improved junctions, and underground utility lines.

HESCOM has already called Rs 2.5 crore tender to shift the electric poles and lay underground cable on this stretch. The road development work would take one year of duration, he added.

Corporator Veeranna Savadi, BJP leaders Nagesh Kalburgi, Mahesh Tenginkai, Lingaraj Patil, and others were present.