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Dream Projects of Belgaum/Belagavi – Will citizens see the dreams realized?

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First Published 2010
Updated: January 2018

The people of Belagavi are known to be extremely tolerant towards the lax attitude of the political leaders whose apathy towards the development of the city, has, over the years, resulted in Belgaum/Belagavi becoming a massive village. All rhetoric of it being a booming metro city falls flat with the lack of basic infrastructure. If demolishing habitats and widening roads is the limit for the politician’s idea of development, then we are still in the primitive stage. Can we, as citizens of a beautiful and developing city, not expect certain amenities that will boost development even further?

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

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

dreamprojects1Ring 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 cross Rs.1000 crores. Now the new road to be known as Belagavi Bypass

Current status: Land Acquisition notification – The NHAI has issued a notification for the acquisition of land for the construction of the 4/6 lane (A) Belagavi Bypass (Western) tentatively from Km 9.500 (NH 4A) to Km 515.000 (NH 4) (22 Km) and (B) Belagavi Bypass (Eastern) from Km 515.000 (NH 4) to Km 492.000 (NH 4) (New NH 48) (33 Km) in the state of Karnataka.

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: Construction of the Bus stand is in progress and is expected to be completed by December 2019. The Connecting Waiting rooms to be constructed unber the Smart city project yet to commence.

Cricket stadium: The Karnataka Cricket Association international stadium at Kanbargi which was envisaged and even work had begun in April 2009.
Current status: Already has hosted international Women’s T20 matches and a couple of Ranji Trophy Matches.  

Fly over / underpass near railway crossings: For years, Belgaum/Belagavi 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 overbridge near Kapileshwar gate and old Dharwad road.
Current status: Kapileshwar Bridge, Old PB road, Gogte Circle RoB commissioned. Work on 3rd gate would commence any time. 

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

The pedestrian underpass at court is operational, but sadly no one uses it
Fish Market Subway Plan Scrapped

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: Plan SCRAPPED


Road widening 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 Fishmarket (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: 120 feet wide road from Gogte Circle to Peeranwadi Cross Comissioned.
Stretch of Road from Sanchayni Circle to Fish Market under Cantonment is not widened but a proposal for the same has been sent to Delhi. 

Dharwad- Belgaum(via Kittur) Rail Line

Only a feasibility study was done but nothing much after that, no funds also in the last budget for the same.

FM station: A city with more than 5 lakhs population still does not have a FM radio station. Since 2008 we are waiting for an FM station. Under Phase III of the FM radio licenses, the city can have up to 4 stations. No Private FM station as yet
KLE has started VenuDhwani on 90.4 FM a community radio station

Heritage Park at Vaccine Depot: The Vaccine depot which has a long history to it came into the limelight when there were rumors that it will be a good site for building the Suvarna Vidhan Soudha in August 2007. Environmentalists and nature lovers came together and raised a 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/Belagavi architect Randhir Chowgule has designed the park which will also be home to a wide variety of birds, butterflies with plenty of 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. Minister has reaffirmed the construction of the same in the December 2013 Assembly session.
Now plan is under Smart city plan. Only small Weirs have been constructed nothing else. 

Airport:T he 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.

Airport Runway expansion is completed, New Airport terminal building has been commissioned and now will hope to get more flights under UDAN 3.

Daily flights to Bangalore.

Flyover
Fly over from NH 4 near Shankam hotel to Ashoka circle has been planned and is currently in DPR stage
Current status: DPR 

Development and restoration of Fort
The project of the beautification of the fort & moat has now been put under the Smart city project and nothing has actually happened.

Current Status: Nothing happening

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. The tender was floated thrice and scrapped

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/Belagavi – 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: Nothing its a grazing ground. KEONICS plans one more at Hindalga.

Autos by meters: This is a dream which each Belgaumite is born with since ages. The pre paid auto at the 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.

Current Status: No Meters implemented 

Smart City Project 
About 18 odd roads to be converted as Smart road not even one is complete even after 2 years. Implementation of smart City projects has been the Worst.
Drinking water Kiosks have been installed at a few places. 

 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.

38 thoughts on “Dream Projects of Belgaum/Belagavi – Will citizens see the dreams realized?”

  1. Why this Kolaveri-Di 🙂
    Belgaum needs an Aamir Khan now….. Uday can you be the one?
    Local elected members are busy in making hey while their tenure lasts. Govt officials are waiting for transfer orders and the locals have resigned to their fate!

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  2. Gr8 job done Mr.Uday. I think mistake is on both the side.i.e.Government as well as Citizen. Everybody knows how the Government delays the project and cost of the project touches the sky. But, we the citizen also oppose the project, file in the court. As said Shivaji janmala ala pahije,pan shejarchya gharat. Yehi chalta aa raha hai.

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  3. Did I hear something, in one of the comments above?…Uday why not you take the lead?
    And we Belgaumites will vow to vote for an independent candidate this time around. Let’s set an example for all the constitutencies in India. Come on let’s do this young Belgaumites!
    Uday you have a big circle of young people and lot of young follower, we sure can do this!
    Let’s grab this opportunity!

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  4. SHUN THE DIFFERENCE BEETWEEN MARATHI AND KANNADA ,LET ALL OF US WORK TOGETHER FOR THE OVERALL DEVELPEMENT OF THE CITY, OTHERWISE HUBLI BE WILL
    AHEAD OF BELGAUM

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    • My dear Nand, I appreciate your cosmopolital view.
      Basisc need of all of us is bread and butter and basic infrastructuire. The division on the basis of language is the making of politicians to reach their ultimate dirty goal of dividing the people on the basis of caste, creed and language.
      Do you know I take proud in telling people that my three year old daughter is fluent in Marathi without any body teaching her the same, just because out neighbours are Marathis and love my daughter who is Kannadiga. Let us unite this humanity with an sea of affection and teach the dividing people a lesson that they cannot forget in their life time ? Let us appreciate the people who take care of basic needs of ordinary people , be it Kannadigas or marathis or hindus or Muslims or Chirstians and suppoprt them.
      GN
      Pampapathi B Desai ,Inspector, Income Tax Department , Belgaum.

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  5. THE ONLY SOLUTION INSIGHT TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF BELGAUM IS CREATE A NEW CITY CALLED NEW BELGAUM PURPORTED TO BE IN KARNATAKA ADJACENT TO BELGAUM CITY AKIN TO NEW DELHI ,NAVI MUMBAI AND DEVELOP THE SAME . THIS WILL DEFINITELY ENHANCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF BELGAUM CITY AT A RAPID PACE.

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  6. Great Uday… you have made people of Belgaum realise what they have missed???

    May be some achievements of the MP’s & MLA’s is what is needed to be written about… MP – Suresh Angadi, Prabhakar Kore, & MLA Abhay Patil, Sanjay Patil & Feroze Sait, also the Katti brothers, The Jarkiholi’s etc. (All are AVATARS of the corrupt YEDDYURAPPA or the REDDY’s – Phd. in Corruption)

    All the above mentioned, elected represenatatives of BELGAUM have done noting for Belgaum, Their business establishments that have multiplied, their educational institutions that have prospered, their wealth and assets have multiplied manifold, the sugar and steel factories that they are building, What can one say??? Big Time LOOT

    Public must review their wealth & assets before as an MP & MLA & after. through RTI / PIL. A review of all earlier/past MLA and MP of Belgaum must also be done. (Sidnal / Shankaranand etc)

    Belgaumites… wake up and think before you vote, next time!!! You can make the difference!!! Rise!

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  7. Hi belgaumities m studying engg in suresh angadi college in civil engg..
    Me now final year i m doing project on city planning n developing of our belgaum, n extend it to our suvarna soudha.. i want some help wat a good city needs, i want to plan 1 more water treatment plant for our city… Plz giv some hints, stil wat can be done..

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  8. The roads of the city are permanently disfigured, ended up in replacing my bike type just after one year of purchase, in most parts of the city the ground water has been contaminated with sever water , as the carrying capacity of the UGD has exceeded the load, The garbage is not being picked up from time to time ,the BCC acts only when phone calls are made……elected representatives of BELGAUM have done noting despite of filling there own pockets and they are responsible to have created a massive urban village.

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  9. We ALL belgaumaties should process a rally for all the activities that are not implemented…we pay tax regularly if we wont there will huge fine,so if gov wont pay our needs regularly or in timely then we should also make take actions or make warnings..isn’t??

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  10. Its a sorry thing that having a huge student population..all of them literate with knowing if students get together then no force can stop them from having a corrupt free state…yet v keep blaming the govt.
    Guys get together n feel the change………..its time v pay it back to soil..

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  11. Hi Uday, I see one more biggest thing which went flat was getting IT sector to Belgaum. I had read about it on your website itself https://allaboutbelgaum.com/infrastructure/belgaum-it-park-cum-grazing-ground/
    There are around 6+ engineering colleges in and around Belgaum, but most of the students after completion either move to B’lore or Pune, not just this there are 100’s of people from Belgaum who stay in cities like Blore/pune just for sake of Job (I hope I am not generalizing “#purely my own views”). There has to be some steps by our Govt to get employment to Belgaum. People would be more than happy by staying close to their families rather than staying away and raising funds for public/private transport players.

    Another important aspect I feel is improving the Tourism around Belgaum. There are a lot place with natural habitat, river bodies etc. There has to be a mechanism which can lead to improving tourism in and around Belgaum.

    Those are my 2 cents.

    Regards,
    Athar Ankalgi

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  12. They are using their brain on how to rob people in terms of taxes. Yesterday i paid property tax. They are charging Rs.100 per vehicle as tax and Rs.500 for solid waste management tax and Rs.100 Road Transport Tax. Taxes have been increasing year by year. But we get nothing but false promises.

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  13. There is an urgent need to have atleast 80 ‘ road between Channamma circle to Vadgaon passing through Ganapat galli naragund kar bhave chowk shani temple kapileshwar shahapursarafkatta and vadgaon which can prove alternative to Tilakwadi and adjoinig areas.Where Buses canply easily.The present road is not properly broadend and is occupied by hawkers

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  14. belgaum needs to be developed but this could be possible when our politicians will realize the need for development to be made, the thing is that they just get elected for five years, first three years they just go on fulfilling their needs which are unlimited , so in last two years they start working , they start social work in their particular area and win public sympathy and get elected for next five years, this is going on as routine, so the cabinet should be strong firstly later all development strategies will automatically work .

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  15. Belgaum airport is the oldest or second oldest in Karnataka, however due to the gov negligence interms of utilisation, it hardly comes 5th now. (After Banglore, Mangalore, Hubli, Maysore etc). With this pace even Gulbarga, Shimoga, Bellary will overtake us in few years. It’s high time it should pull its socks.

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  16. full belgaum wil demolish starts to comissioner first poor people houses then poor people shops .NH4 to apmc market one 80ft road is there last 24year back(1992). the implimintation work taken 2014. so many agriculture land that time they sell . and who taken they built housese lat 20,15,12,10,5, year the people are living there .the corporation comissioner aquring today where shall they go . they fully loan and poor police , drivers, like this type of peoples after demolished they houses they are on the road . our politicians are now new project on that road . road is not touch to apmc and NH4. only centre residential area they are making road.
    nobody is talking this problem.. this matter sai hall demolished that road…..40houses on the road…….

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  17. DEVELOPMENT ???????????
    NOT REALLY POSSIBLE UNTIL THE PRESENT MP AND MLA`S ARE IN OFFICE.
    YOU NEED A STRONG LEADER FOR DEVELOPMENT.

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  18. I read the above comments as many people aspiration (including me) IT to be established in Belgaum that is long days dream for us. I am being working in IT from last 4 years and my understanding is companies cannot bear a single day loss just because of Belgaum is bandh due to some regional disputes. Companies give more importance to Business Continuity more than money. So until people come to better understanding about peace out city cannot grow further in specially IT.

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  19. Belgaum / Belgaumites can make its entry in “Power of Shunya” … where the people try to make progress, dream of development, with the “power of Shunya” from its leaders. 😀

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  20. The problem with belgaum is we always let our pride get the better of us, the past election was again marathi vs kannada. Which is stupid, when a road has pot holes it will affect both marathis and kannadas vehicles. We refuse to see this.
    The biggest mistake we are making is we are letting the politicians set the agenda and let me promise you this that even 200 years from now we will still be fighting over the same marathi vs kannada.
    This is my suggestion next election take all these points and put it on a website with a petition. The rules should be simple. The people who will sign the petition will say that if any candidate wants their vote they should first address each and every point in the petition along with a time line on when it will be complete. Which points can be complete and which cant.
    If any politicians fails to do it all the signees will vote for NOTA.
    We should be setting the agenda for the elections we should tell the politicians what concerns us and what we are ready to vote for. Dont let the politicians tell you what is important and not, for them they will forever want to fight over kannada vs marathi cause that basically means sitting on their asses not doing development.

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    • Kannada Vs Marathi is all politicized and only politicians are taking advantages of this issue and people are at loss in terms of mental peace, money, time and causing the economy to bring down. I have many Marathi, Muslim friends and they in turn have many kannada, muslim friends when we are together we never felt the difference and we are very helpful each other. There is just a single wall between my house and a mosque I still remember as a kid during 1993 riots, the mosque priest used to help us by getting vegetables or any basic needs from market and we are very grateful to them. On the other side of my house there are Marathi’s staying who are equally helpful when we need them and I speak kannada. It all among us how we see people and how we cultivate the relationships. We have to realize that and should not fall for a trap among these politicians.

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  21. Belgaum needs some 3 to 4 major manufacturing industries . This will provide employment to local talent and stop brain drain. Some of the best talents are forced to go to bigger cities for employment even though would love to stay back. When people get employment and work lot of positive things happen

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  22. “I have been living in Belgaum all my life. I am sick and tired of this closed society and moved my children Niket and Pritam to Maharashtra.
    I hope you Kannadi people learn from Marathi manus.
    Mohan Bidikar
    Bhagya Nagar, 2nd Cross,
    Sukruthi, Tilakwadi,
    Belgaum”

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    • Wat closed society??do you hav ny breathing problem?? Are you not getting ny food?? Or are you a part of MES!! You can’t even take care of your own children, hoping kannadigas to learn from marathi ppl.
      You don’t worry sir. We all are good healthy and happy being together in the city. Coz of some morons we won’t change ourselves.
      If you really tired or sick being here den I suggest you to plz leave this city n live in your respective place

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  23. As An Ex-Belgaumite/Belagavian, i grew up in Belgaum in the middle part of the past century, this city was just growing -up as the population and necessities were less, hence the need for DP (Development Plan) was not felt by the then civic authorities in office. Now,over the past half-century, with the influx of population, the needs of the citizens have considerably increased in many respects, which is but natural. It is a sad state of affairs the people in power are not rising to the occasion to fulfill the needs of the local citizens. Hence there appears to be all round discontentment amongst the common man. So now there is Limit to their patience and then FOR HOW LONG !!!!!!

    Reply

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