A new office of the National Highways division, under the Department of Public Works, is set to be established in Belagavi. The announcement was made by Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi, who stated that the State government has issued a circular outlining the creation of this divisional office. The office will be headed by a Chief Engineer of National Highways, and will be supported by a team of 37 officers who will be appointed, transferred, or readjusted from other offices.
Raghunathgouda Patil, Undersecretary of Public Works, has issued the circular to initiate this process. The jurisdiction of the office will cover the Dharwad and Kalaburagi regions, as well as the districts of Belagavi, Bagalkot, Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, Uttara Kannada, Vijayapura, Kalaburagi, Bidar, Yadgir, Koppal, Raichur, Vijayanagar, and Ballari. This jurisdiction will include the supervision of 1,608 km of roads in the north and north-east regions of the State. It is important to note that out of the total 3,830 km of National Highways in the State, 2,222 km are located in the south and central regions.
The establishment of this new divisional office is crucial for the effective implementation of projects in the State. The concentration of all offices in Bengaluru has been a major hindrance to the proper execution of various projects. Officers based in Bengaluru are unable to adequately oversee works in the northern and north-eastern regions. Therefore, this decision has been made to address this issue and ensure the successful completion of projects. Mr. Jarkiholi emphasized the necessity of this divisional office, stating, “The new divisional office has been necessitated for the effective implementation of projects in the State. Concentration of all offices in Bengaluru is one