There were many projects spoken of, even foundation stones laid, credit taken but the end result is still not seen.

Lets see some projects and its status over the years and what all is required in the coming years: (this list is not exhaustive)

Ring Road: In 2006 a Jaipur based company was awarded the contract but even before the work could commence the urban development ministry canceled the contract and gave it to state road Development Corporation and cases were filed. The Rs.30 crore project is now estimated to go over Rs.300 crores and one more plan suggested it to cross Rs.1000 crores.

Current status: nothing is happening

Bus stand development: The development of the Central bus stand was planned in 2008 and then in 2009 a Draft proposal was made and tenders were called in but nothing happened later. The estimated Project Cost then was Rs. 25.70 crores and was to be built on Lease-cum-Development Format Design-Build-Operate-Transfer (DBOT) basis.

According to the plan the new bus stand would have 41 bus bays, bus circulation and parking areas, auto-rickshaw lane, taxi parking lane, basement parking for private vehicles, passenger entry/ exit, Terminal building consisting of passenger circulation and waiting areas, ticket/ reservation counters, cloak room, first-aid room, waiting rooms, passenger amenities like drinking water, toilets, yatri nivas etc., restaurant, shops, kiosks and administrative offices, crew restrooms, parcel office and other facilities.

Current status: nothing is happening

Cricket stadium: The Karnataka Cricket Association international stadium at Kanbargi which was envisaged and even work had begun in April 2009. But after the initial ground leveling nothing is happening.

Current status: nothing is happening

Fly over / under pass near railway crossings: For years, Belgaum has suffered patiently waiting at railway gates and wasted lakhs of productive man hours just practicing being cool in times of urgency.

In 2009 the state government had agreed to bear a part of the cost of the over bridge near Kapileshwar gate and old Dharwad road. Tender process for the Rs.100 crore sanctioned by the state govt. was also sanctioned.

But not a stone has moved here. The railway authorities later said that soil there is not feasible and an underpass would be better and ordered for another proposal which is yet to be made. The local residents also opposed the over bridge. On the Dharwad road front nothing really moved.

On the question of the heavy traffic congestion at First gate, Second gate, Third gate there are NO plans actually drawn yet.

Current status: nothing is happening only planning

Subways: The two subways were planned are at DC office to court and another one at fish market to Anthony school. Rs.75 lakhs each for the subway were allocated. Year of plan: 2010

Current status: nothing is happening only planning

Indoor Stadium: On the empty land of the corporation in Malmaruti an indoor stadium was to be built.

Rs.5 crore was the cost estimated for the indoor stadium. Year of plan: 2010
Current status: nothing is happening only planning.

Road widen from fish Market to Udyambag: Khanapur road from Govaves to 3rd gate is planned to widened to 120 feet. The PWD has surveyed the area and made markings on the buildings on the road. 9 crores budget allocated. The road from Fish market (near old age home) till Zad Shahapur comes under the PWD as a part of the NH 4A . The initial plan was to widen the road till Udyambag at least. But now PWD plans only widening the 2 km stretch until 3 rd gate from Basveshwar circle. Year of plan: 2009

Current status: nothing is happening only planning.

FM station: A city with more than 5 lakhs population still does not have a FM radio station. Since 2008 we are waiting for a FM station. Under Phase III of the FM radio licenses the city can have upto 4 stations. Still the frequency auction has not yet taken place.

KLE is planning to start one FM station in BVB college Hubli and also plans to start one in KLE university later this year.
Heritage Park at Vaccine Depot: The Vaccine depot which has a long history to it came into the lime light when there were rumors that it will be good site for building the Suvarna Vidhan Soudha in August 2007. Environmentalists and nature lovers came together and raised voice that the rich heritage and the flora and fauna should be saved and preserved.

Then in 2008 it was decided that a heritage park would be built in the Vaccine Depot premises. As of today the first designs for the park are ready are put forth discussions. Belgaum architect Randhir Chowgule has designed the park which will also be home to a wide variety of birds, butterflies with plenty fruit bearing trees along with a glass house, walking and cycling tracks, an amphitheater, hanging bridges, art gallery, food courts & Sculptures would be installed at various points in the park.

Current status: Design of Heritage park ready now waiting for approval. At this rate time for completion would be another 12-24 months.

Airport: The Sambra airport dates back to 1942, when it was under the Patwardhan Sarkar of Sangli. The Patwardhan Sarkar gave permission for establishing the air base at Sambra to the Royal Air Force (RAF) in late 1942.

In 1999 the airport was closed for modernization and extension of runway. 370 acres of land adjoining the airport has been acquired to extend the length of existing runway (537 metres).  All flights were stopped from 21 November, 2011 and after that there have been no signs of any flight resumptions. The airport has been upgraded and equipped with better facilities at a cost of Rs. 3.57 crore recently but there are no flights taking off.

The airport needs an extension of runway so as to land Boeing 737-800 or A320 types of planes. The runway is already wide enough but the length is the constraint. The second taxiway near the emergency service enclave is under construction and after connecting it to the main apron it will cater to VIP terminal. The present apron is also limited for Avro or ATR. To allow a Boeing it will needs a small expansion on either southeast or southwest side of old taxiway.

Current status: No Flights and no expansion work in progress

Multi level Car Parking: Right from 2007 the Bapat Galli Car parking space was talked to be converted into a multi level car parking. Nothing has moved on this. Except for some tours by the corporators. Even a dream of a Vertipark (multi level parking) was shown but nothing happened on the ground. Not even an inch has moved around the car parking which now cant even hold 60 cars where as the number of cars have tripled since 2007 in the city. Parking has become a major problem and no one is looking at this a major problem and trying to resolve it.

Current status: Nothing is happening

Information Technology: The Desur IT park built in 2008 still has no IT company in it. The current state of the IT park is nothing but land for grazing cows.  It is an ambitious project to begin with on 41 Acres 19 guntas land at Desur on Belgaum – Panaji Road (about 500 Mtrs. off NH).

We get to hear that about 16 applications were received and allocations would be done anytime. But with the current state of the park dont expect anything to happen there for the next two years. Now a JLR golf resort is also planned just in the vicinity of the IT park.

Current Status: Allocation of plots going on

Autos by meters: This is a dream which each Belgaumite is born with since ages. The pre paid auto at railway station has not picked up. The local RTO has never shown interest in meeting the Auto owners and fixing the FARES. When the same is done in Bangalore why dont the authorities fix the FARES here. It has been decades now since the fare were fixed.

What also needs to be looked is at the ever growing city, its sewage and garbage problem. The city has now grown beyond compare but even still we have only one water treatment plant for the entire city with some small filtration units on local wells.

 All this leads us to keep asking the question ‘WHY’? Why not… Is it too much to expect from a government that flourishes on taxpayers’ money? If we have the audacity of hope to dream big, we must also have the guile to demand highways for our dreams.

]]> http://allaboutbelgaum.com/infrastructure/dream-projects-of-belgaum-will-citizens-see-the-dreams-realized/feed/ 9 http://allaboutbelgaum.com/specials/mornings-of-belgaum/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mornings-of-belgaum http://allaboutbelgaum.com/specials/mornings-of-belgaum/#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 07:36:05 +0000 Editor http://allaboutbelgaum.com/?p=24314 A glimpse of the Mornings of Belgaum. All photos taken between 6am and 7 am at various places.

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Picture this: A crowded Saturday market in Belgaum’s busy Ganpat Galli….anytime in March-April-May. Hang around the corner from the fag end of Ganpat Galli towards Kambli Khut and take a deep breath. An infusion of smells hits your nose that makes you crave for all that is available there. Walk further across Rajpurohit Dry Fruits. Look out for those subtle hints of smell.

Yes, you’re right there, amidst the haute cuisine of Belgaum. Women, men, children squatting on the roadside and offering the summer delights , so exclusive for this area. Indian Blackberry – Jambhul, Cranberries – Karvande- both raw green and ripe black, Jackfruit arils- gare, Dhamne ( Don’t know what it’s called, but it resembles red buttons shaped like the figure 8), Chare ( the Buchanania fruits whose seeds are the nutty Charoli or Chironji used in Srikhand), the invitingly beautiful Kairis – raw mangoes and gooseberries that stimulate your taste buds with mere mentions. Shahapur Market also offers fresh stuff from Yellur area. Station area is where you can find most of the Cashew apples – those orange fruits that leave a strong taste in your mouth. And most of this stuff is sold in eco-friendly leaves, something we must be proud of. You just can’t imagine these berries being sold in malls, carefully packed in air-tight plastic bags that you pick up and bring home, only to eat it like some disinfected stuff. There is fun in holding a leaf cone in your hand, get drenched in the juices, some stains on your dress for effect and a coloured mouth for company.

Many would recall an old lady who’d carry a huge cane basket on her head and go about selling her ware saying something like “Kanbargi Kavlihanne….SSSSSS”. Do you miss that clarion call that woke you up on those boring summer noons? One can still spot the hand carts selling Jambhuls and Blackberries.

A lot of children would still rue the fact that they invariably appear in the noons , sounding a very sweet bell, when the elders are in deep slumber and kids can’t buy this stuff. So is it with the Baraf-ka-gola, that sinfully colourful grated ice with slurpy syrup poured over it. What fun to watch the mouth turn a funny pink or red or yellow with its colour. Although branded ice creams have become the norm, there is fun in lying your hands on that butter paper clad white Femila ice cream sold on the push-cart that made a loud thud every time the seller closed its lid. One can spot that cycle riding salesman selling a tower of funky pink candy floss or Buddhi Ke Baal, and kids salivating at its sight. Even the memories of its melting in your mouth have the potential to bring a smile on your face. Whilst the Kheera – Valuk and the water melon still dominate the roads, it’s these humble cousins that rule our hearts, atleast for now.

Many of us have guests coming over for Summer Holidays and preferring these delights over the universal Pizza-Coke treats. They would never find all of these at one place anywhere else in the metros. If anyone wants some more reasons for not being able to lift the second leg from Belgaum, this is it!

Photo courtesy: Santosh Purohit & Internet

A week is such a wonderful experience in Belgaum with commuting time less than 30 minutes from one end to the other and hardly 3-4 traffic signals on any given route of business district. Belgaum workplaces also boast of that old-worldly charm with simple people who care for each other. Have a stroll along Belgaum’s quadrangular streets any evening and you are sure to bump into some colleague or friend. However, not all’s so rosy on weekends. The biggest worry for Belgaum’s families and the youth is the lack of options to spend weekends. Since Belgaum functions on a 6 day week, the weekend begins late on Saturday and spills over to Sunday night. Normally, a city boasts of leisure places like restaurants, cafeterias, malls, multiplexes, exhibition centers, art galleries, amusement parks, zoos, gardens, fine dining standalone restaurants or eateries at bigger hotels, book shops, etc. How many of the above options are available to us?

Let us put it succinctly… when was the last time you heard Ajanta Café / Uday Bhavan / Saffron / Sanman , etc. changed their menu or introduced some new dish with a major announcement?
When was the last time you heard of some chef of repute from a Star grade hotel being invited to cook and present his signature fare for Belgaum foodies? Exceptions exist may be only for the Fish Festival organized by some hotels.

Don’t you think we are tired of the same old fare dished out year after year? By change, I mean not variations in portion sizes/ change in dish designs / change in presentation. Last year saw Goli wada pav enter Belgaum and that’s about it. Many people get put off by the location of US Pizza or even Kakewalk (Tilakwadi).

The Art scene in Belgaum is lackluster at its best and dismal at its worst. Subhash Studio has a gallery, albeit a small cramped one and they hold some showings. Mahaveer Bhavan recently introduced another and Vangmay Charcha mandal presents some stuff every year. Belgaum prides itself on artists like Kamkar Datta, Shirish Deshpande, Bharat Jagtap, etc. Why don’t we get to see art in its varied and vibrant forms here? With incomes surging and décor tastes getting subtle, any artist worth his talent should get a thumping response in Belgaum. Murals, glass, installation art, mixed medium, stone work have never been shown by any artist in Belgaum.

The exhibition scene is so pathetic that we rebound and flock to any board that spells it, irrespective of whether the ware on sale is relevant to our tastes and needs. No wonder we found hundreds of women at the auto expo, not out of curiosity about the vintages or the Beetle, bet many may not even be aware of the uniqueness of some of the vehicles, but more for the vegetable peelers and the furniture and food stalls. Show me one woman who can tell which stable Santa Fe belongs and I will show you ten who have noted that Emu was available at the expo! While you wait at the traffic signal at the old NCC office, one never misses the crowds seen jostling at the exhibit inside, poring through sarees, imitation jewelry, shirts, bags and mugs and cups.

Belgaum has no zoo, ( now come on, the animals we’ve been seeing at Military Mahadev qualify to be guests of Belgaum at the most), no amusement park, no water park ( yes, I know the Fort Lake has boating facility, but rumours of crocodiles in its waters dither any resolve of venturing), no book store that organizes book readings, no cafes that belt old classic English numbers or present live bands, our gardens are stamp size and overcrowded. Hindalga Ganesh Mandir is a good option to the devout and now provides some games for the kids but is ruled out in the monsoons for obvious reasons. The lone mall is insufficient- has been repeatedly visited and the shopping streets provide no real pleasure anymore. All these places are frequented by everyone – the youth, the families with kids in tow, the elderly and the womenfolk out for some serious shopping sprees and time pass.

Let’s not despair for there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. Belgaum has always been an eternally optimistic city. But another week comes to an end. So where are you going?

Now you can vote for your personal favorite and see him as this year person of the year 2011.

Rohan Konkane –The Skating champ for getting his name in to the Guinness book of World records for the farthest distance limbo skating under cars is 38.68 metres (126 ft 11 in).

R K Patil, CEO Vayavyalabs Belgaum- got his company USD 1 million of funding from IAN and helped Belgaum to come on the global semi conductor map.

Atish Jadhav – The specially abled child, for winning the Gold medal in 400 Mtrs Freestyle at the Special Olympics at Athens.

Sandeep Patil IPS, Superintendent of Police Belgaum: For his work in the city and reaching out to the people by programs such as Janata Darshan, being very strict on Matka lobby and maintaining law and order.

Voting ends on January 02, 2012 and results would be announced in the following week.

Event: AllAboutBelgaum.com’s Belgaumite of the Year Award 2011

Owner of the Event: AllAboutBelgaum.com [AAB]

Event management: Personnel from AAB or appointed/engaged by AAB, who are responsible for the conduct of the Event, includes the jury appointed by AAB.

Applicant:

• Any individual who has contributed significantly to the welfare of Belgaum in th year 2011.
  
  

• Any individual from Belgaum who’s achieved a significant feat in the year 2011.
  
  

• Any individual from Belgaum who’s brought laurels and fame to Belgaum in the year 2011.
  
  

• Any individual who has made Belgaum proud in the year 2011.
  
  

Contestants: Top 15 (if available) Applicants short listed after evaluation by the Initial Jury in Phase 1.

The Top 15 ((if available) will be announced by AAB on Allaboutbelgaum.com on 14th December. Further to this announcement, should the public of Belgaum feel they have names of outstanding achievers who they feel have made significant strides towards securing this award and are not in the initial list of contestants, their names along with their achievements may be sent on or before 14th December 2011 by email to uday@allaboutbelgaum.com

Nominees: Based on the emails received from the readers in the form of nominees that need to be awarded, all nominees achievements and profiles will be carefully evaluated by a hand picked jury chosen by AllAboutBelgaum.com. A filtered list of three-ten nominees chosen by the AAB jury will be put on AllAboutBelgaum.com on the 23st of December 2011 for publicvoting.

Winner: One Event Winner would be arrived at through evaluation by the Final Jury and by means of online voting by the public from 24st December 2011 to 02nd January 2011.

The Prize: The prize would be in form a certificate or a memento

Initial Jury: Group of persons selected by the Event management company & AAB who will evaluate the Applicants, Contestants and Nominees.

Final Jury: Group of persons selected by the Event management & AAB who will evaluate the Finalists.

Conditions: All the decisions taken by Allaboutbelgaum.com and its jury will be final and binding. 

AllAboutBelgaum.com since its inception has been raising issues as to why Belgaum is not coming up as a industrial friendly town.

We have now decided to take this forward with BELGAUM FORWARD, a new series in which the people who have worked in Belgaum and also those who are from Belgaum but work else-where feel the drawbacks and advantages are of Belgaum from their experiences.

To being with lest start with IT, information technology.

We asked the members of IT Belgaum,(a group is cluster of companies engaged in Information technology (IT) and IT enabled services (ITeS) which are based in Belgaum)

We asked all the members the below two questions:

Name 3 most important factors holding Belgaum back  from achieving a stature befitting its potential?

Name 3 things that need to be done to make Belgaum achieve spectacular growth/prosperity?

 All individuals have tried to analyse the current situation and made their points. Here we are not discussing on a language or a state but we are keeping forth the ideas of the entrepreneurs who are working in Belgaum  and what they feel will make this city a better place to work and grow.

Dr.Ameet Patil of Spundhan Labs

Name 3 most important factors holding Belgaum back  from achieving a stature befitting its potential?

Dr.Ameet Patil ———>
1. Bangalore sprang to success due the Govt. introducing several schemes to promote growth especially in IT sector. In Belgaum the Govt. does the opposite: in the name of IT promotion they try to sell expensive land with ZERO benefits to the buyers. If the Govt. sees the stagnant situation in Bangalore, applies its mind and introduces some great schemes in Belgaum, then I don’t see why Belgaum can’t get there?

2. Lack of belief in the local people that Belgaum also can be in the top league. More and more people migrate to Bangalore and else where. Why not make it big in Belgaum itself?

3. ZERO Infrastructure: pathetic service, there is IT park but no Internet facility. Ever heard of such a thing? No proper regular electricity supply. No good roads.

Name 3 things that need to be done to make Belgaum achieve spectacular growth/prosperity?

Dr.Ameet Patil ———>

1. IT is the driver and has been the driver for growth in other industrial sectors. A good resourceful in-city or close to city IT park building (not simply land) with all the facilities: un-interrupted power, internet, telephone, etc. where companies get some subsidies to setup offices there is of great essence. Make the offer attractive and growth will happen.

2. People of Belgaum, the youth should plan on staying on in Belgaum and get things right. Its a struggle yes. But you do it now, later people will talk about you for what you did.

3. Industry and University/Colleges should have close tie-ups in Belgaum. Conduct conferences, seminars, encourage internships and give local companies priority for campus recruitment.

R K Patil, CEO Vayavyalabs

Name 3 most important factors holding Belgaum back from achieving a stature befitting its potential?

R K Patil ————->
1. Lack of a leadership team/members ( both at political level and business level) who can influence a spectrum of populace from this region

2. Local government body (Municipal council) which is always busy in fighting the language related problem

Name 3 things that need to be done to make Belgaum achieve spectacular growth/prosperity?

R K Patil ————-> 1. Let the elected members for once take a resolve to work in unity for bringing up Belgaum ( at least for one term of their duty!)

2. Local business leaders coming together to promote Belgaum as destination

3. A sincere effort by every Belgaumite to take pride in talking about Belgaum in any forum and doing their bit in promoting Belgaum in whatever way they can

Rajendra Pai, Freelance Consultant

Name 3 most important factors holding Belgaum back  from achieving a stature befitting its potential?

Rajendra Pai ———>Lack of support from State Govt for Industrial Development outside Bangalore

Name 3 things that need to be done to make Belgaum achieve spectacular growth/prosperity?

Rajendra Pai ———>Create awareness amongst laymen regarding the negative image created about the City due to language issues.

Lobby with State Govt/Central Govt to increase support for Industrial Development. Central Govt can help by setting up some big Public Sector units near Belgaum.

Building up Brand Belgaum by offering incentives to Investors (Who will do this? Corporation? They may not have the resources. State Govt? Goes back to point 2)

Kedar Betgeri, AavishkaarNeoteric Communications India Pvt Ltd

Name 3 most important factors holding Belgaum back  from achieving a stature befitting its potential?

Kedar Betgeri ————> Lack of long term futuristic planning, lack of planned initiatives, huge migration of talent to cities like Bangalore and Mumbai.

Name 3 things that need to be done to make Belgaum achieve spectacular growth/prosperity?

Kedar Betgeri ————> Consistent electricity, more flights to Belgaum, and clear the border issue so either Maharashtra or Karnataka will support growth.

I wonder how to retain the culture, flavour of Belgaum intact and still make it … what do we want it to be like? Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune or California? because all these cities in the name of growth are losing their identity completely.

Rajesh Patil, dotCord USA.

Name 3 most important factors holding Belgaum back  from achieving a stature befitting its potential?

Rajesh Patil ———–> 1. Vision-less and Passionless leaders is the top most factor that’s holding Belgaum back. – We here fancy goals, but never seen achievable objectives that were defined.

2. Old Education System- The world has moved miles ahead, but our local schools and colleges that are run by people who are not exposed to the outside world.

3. No Good Infrastructure for Roads , Lights, communication etc- Another key factor is cleanliness if everybody keeps their community clean Belgaum will shine.

Name 3 things that need to be done to make Belgaum achieve spectacular growth/prosperity?

Rajesh Patil ———–> 1. Young and Dynamic Entrepreneurs should enter local politics like Belgaum Mayor and other posts

2. More training institutes that can compete or compliment current education system  to educate students in latest trends in Management, Leadership, Technology, Politics etc

3. Build a “Clean Committee” who will help clean the community and also enforce cleanliness to maintain it- Remove street pigs and dogs forever. Do not encourage sudden slums and work in groups to make it happen.

Madhav Karekar, Conqcore Solutions

Name 3 most important factors holding Belgaum back  from achieving a stature befitting its potential?

Madhav Karekar ———–> First , On going border dispute , linguistic problems created among people  by state as well as local public, No strong leadership to take up any issue to state govt or central govt. due to which Belgaum is losing projects to neighboring cities like Hubli, Dharwad,

Need People participation in development work,

Name 3 things that need to be done to make Belgaum achieve spectacular growth/prosperity?

Madhav Karekar ———–> - Need good leader who can take up priority basis pending projects like, IT park, Textile Park, SEZ, Transposrtation Infrastructure like Airport expansion , Train connectivity, Road development, Basic amenities in the CITY Road, Water & Electricity,  Setting up of IIT.

Belgaum has potential to be known as  Industrial HUb, Educational Hub now IT Hub .

I personally feel that if State govt take up the pending projects in priority basis, then Belgaum could become another metro city of INDIA.

Sandeep Hegde, dotCORD

Name 3 most important factors holding Belgaum back from achieving a stature befitting its potential? Sandeep Hegde ———- > Media coverage more on the border/language dispute which throughs a bad impression to a outside world about doing business in belgaum

Lack of political leadership

Lack of infrastructure, right from power to internet connection, roads to flights.

Name 3 things that need to be done to make Belgaum achieve spectacular growth/prosperity?

Sandeep Hegde ———- > Development of basic infrastructure and uninterrupted power supply

Better Leadership

Building Brand Belgaum so people could consider a being in Belgaum, working in Belgaum or may be starting up a business in Belgaum

Vinayak K. Talukar, Founder Ideaflask

Name 3 most important factors holding Belgaum back from achieving a stature befitting its potential?

Vinayak K. Talukar ———-> 1. Skilled labour: Majority of Belgaumites quit education after 10th or even earlier. Awareness has to be created amongst all communities about the importance of education.

2. Perspective about career: Majority of us Belgaumites do not venture into alternative careers. People either follow herd mentality or stick to the traditional business of the family. While that is not entirely harmful but that limits the amount of growth. People need to venture into more modern ways of doing business.How ever, this is the mentality of the people and it is very difficult to change. This will only evolve over a longer period of time, with the influence of the environment.

3. Ignore Politics and Government: Lets stop talking about our bad politicians and how the government is ignorant. Well, as a matter of fact, those are issues of concern, but they fall out of our influence.

Name 3 things that need to be done to make Belgaum achieve spectacular growth/prosperity?

Vinayak K. Talukar ———-> 1. Give it time: We should not hurry into creating a METRO. In-organic growth creates cities like Bangalore. We should make sure the development happens across all communities and not on a subset.

2. Training Institutes: Training institutes should be established that would cater to a wider variety of audience. Institutes should cater to diverse fields like Carpentry, Agriculture, Construction, etc… [ I am talking about private institutes here ]

3. Career Guidance Programs: There is a need to setup career guidance programs that would guide youth about the careers they can choose. After all Medical and Engineering are not the end of the world !!!

Purushottam Deshpande, HutGeeks

Name 3 most important factors holding Belgaum back from achieving a stature befitting its potential?

1. Belgaum is not yet prepared to take up that high stature

- Ask people and they would not want Belgaum to become like Bangalore or any other metro city
- To be in a high status, behave like one that includes how we deal social/political/economical affairs
- It will happen even if you don’t want it to. But we do not want to be called ourselves developed with no human values(linguistic, communal.. anything that disturbs the city’s peace).

2. Lack of genuine Mentors

- We lack mentors at colleges & schools. Mentors who know what is invention, talk about innovations and himself/herself getting involved.

- Mentors motivating students to go places is fine but also seed a thought of coming back to Belgaum to give back to the “roots”.

3. Lack of Vision by people towards success of Belgaum

How will Belgaum be recognized? What needs to be done? By when should we make this happen?

- The roadmap to success isn’t planned

4. Everyone wants to come back to Belgaum but everybody is waiting for the magic

- Even successful people are not ready to take the risks and not willing to move back to Belgaum

Name 3 things that need to be done to make Belgaum achieve spectacular growth/prosperity?

We need time, but we definitely need catalysts to fasten this process. Else we will have to wait for long-long period. Those catalysts can be-

1. Colleges & Schools can play a vital role in building the city’s pride

- Colleges need to promote internship activities & research programmes
- Engage students in Open-Source projects, the first lesson of giving back to the society
-  Avail infrastructure to students

2. Govt/Local leaders taking keen interest in city development by

- Working in close association with interest groups to have common vision and success roadmap
- Introducing schemes that motivate entrepreneurs to invest in Belgaum
OR

if that doesn’t happen

Interest Groups meet local leaders to requesting to take interest in city development

3. Preserve the thought of growth. Believe and act responsibly.

To be continued…..

A city suffers…and how! The blogosphere is abuzz with comments and remarks expressing disdain for the closure of Belgaum. Students are reluctant to leave campuses, for the academic years have just begun for many, businessmen lament the loss of earnings and the common man suffers at the politicians’ flat jingoism. Belgaum has been part of Karnataka since 1956 and a generation thereafter has only inherited friction ever since. Any kind of vandalism is unacceptable. However, with due respect for the democratic values of this country, one fails to understand how shutting a city down can resolve a problem or even be a mode of expressing contempt.

Democracy stands for rights with responsibility and not smug nationalism. If an Anna can exemplify how it is possible to bring a whole Government to fall in line with public demand, why can’t it be emulated elsewhere?

The world economy is treading a dangerous path with many a superpower losing its sheen and every nation under the perennial danger of a recession. We dream aloud of making India a superpower by 2020. No nation has ever gained superpower status by repeatedly putting a spanner in the wheels of progress. The common man is cheesed off with constant ‘bands’ and strikes. A whole working machine is unnecessarily clogged. Imagine the plight of tourists, the sick, students having exams, families having functions, businessmen with important meetings scheduled…

A small message to the politicians- we really want to work. Let us..please. Let us inherit a legacy of hard work, let us build an India that our generations will be proud of. Think big, think for the broader betterment of the country. Come out of petty mindsets. Resolve issues asap. Don’t use the common man to your own personal political benefits. Correct us if we’re wrong, guide us if we stray, change us if we stagnate, but dont break us…We really don’t like it!

P.S.

Politicians must be suggested some innovative means for condemning any incident

- Stop talking to each other for a year…better still…take maun vrat

- Wear T-shirts that say ‘ I am protesting against …………’

- Give ads on cable TV as scrolls

- Take a hammer, spanner and nails and repair what was destroyed

- Sing aloud Hum Honge kaamyaab

- Give a jaadu ki Jhappi to the vandals!