Hubballi: Bus terminal to VV Circle stretch to be widened soon

HUBBALLI: It is a short but a very busy stretch in Hubballi, and taking cognisance of the need to prevent congestion on this segment – Vani Vilas Circle to a point very close to the Hosur Bus Interchange terminal – Hubballi-Dharwad Smart City Ltd (HDSCL) initiated the process to widen the road between the two points. However, work on the project was stalled owing to the bureaucratic hurdles that relocating households near Veeramaruti Nagar posed.But HDSCL appears to have overcome all the problems, and work on widening the stretch is likely to commence soon.
HDSCL has floated a tender inviting bids to construct houses in a four-storeyed building for the 72 residents in Veeramaruti Nagar who are being relocated. HDSCL had had a hard time convincing the residents to agree to relocate. However, Dharwad district in-charge minister Jagadish Shettar met with the residents, and made them see the need for the project, following which they afreed to relocate.
The stretch in question is infamously narrow, to the extent that North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) buses struggle while turning at Vani Vilas Circle. Following the commencement of operations at the Hosur Bus Interchange terminal, the number of buses using the stretch has increased markedly, as has the incidence of gridlock, said an NWKRTC official.
HDSCL special officer SH Naregal told TOI that the public works department had been entrusted the responsibility of widening the road. “HDSCL will be building the houses for the 72 families that will lose their houses to the project,” said Naregal, adding that HDSCL had earmarked Rs 14 crore for the construction of homes.
“We have already identified a plot where the multi-storeyed building will be constructed. Each of the72 families will be given a one-bedroom house spread across 560sqft” he said.