Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari holded a video conference meeting with district administration officials on Wednesday. He expressed dissatisifaction with the slow progress of the flyover construction near Kittur Rani Chennamma Circle in Hubballi. The meeting included district administration officials aimed to review the status of the 3.61 km elevated road project. This project has been progressing at a sluggish pace despite significant financial backing from the central government.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi also participated in the meeting hosted by Nitin Gadkari from New Delhi virtually. He spoke on detail updates on the flyover work and instructed officials to accelerate the process immediately.
Minister Gadkari attributed the delays to issues like land acquisition and inadequate planning from the state and local authorities. He lashed out at the state government and local officials saying that the work is being delayed despite the central government providing the necessary funds for the construction of this 3.61 km elevated road (elevated corridor) being built in the heart of the commercial city of Hubballi.
During the meet, he pointed out that despite the central government allocating Rs 196.99 crore for the construction but the project didn’t make substantial headway with only 50% of the work completion. The actual cost of this 3.61 km long flyover in Hubballi was Rs 196.99 crore, to which an additional Rs 35.76 crore was added, meanwhile the total estimated project cost is Rs 232.75 crore.
In addition to that Minister Gadkari announced an additional funding of Rs 51.49 crore for the flyover project, although the annual cost of the project stands Rs 349.49 crore. He stated of providing additional funding and financial support through the special financial assistance by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for the corridor project if its dealing with any financial problems.
The flyover which connects NH 63, NH 4, and NH 218 is expected to ease traffic congestion and provide a more efficient route for commuters. However, ongoing issues with land acquisition and other logistical hurdles have hindered progress leaving the project far behind schedule.
The virtual meet includes Dharwad Deputy Commissioner Divya Prabhu, Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner N Shashikumar, HDMC Commissioner Rudresh Gali, Public Works Department Secretary and NHPWD Chief Engineer, among other senior officials were present.
