You can cruise on roads in Hubli-Dharwad

HUBLI: Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation's 2012 New Year gift to the residents of Hubli-Dharwad will be pothole- and dust-free roads. The HDMC has begun an exercise to give roads in the interior parts of the twin cities facelift. It is expected to get over by this year-end.
The civic body has floated tenders to develop most of the interior roads in Hubli-Dharwad at a cost of Rs 40 crore.The development work is part of the second instalment of Rs 100-crore special grants that HDMC has received from the government. Rs 30 crore will be spent on asphaltation works, while the remaining Rs 10 crore will be used for laying cement concrete roads (CCRs).
HDMC commissioner K V Trilokchandra told TOI that it is for the first time that a large chunk of interior roads is taken up for development in the history of the twin cities. In all, there is about 600 km of interior roads in the twin cities, of which 150 km will be given the facelift. The work will start once the monsoon ends.
The commissioner said the roads that have been taken up for white topping (CCR) are those located in slums and where basic amenities like proper stormwater drain, underground drainage are already in place. Accordingly, Ramalingeshwar Nagar, Krishna Nagar, Kharadi Oni, Asara Honda, and other places will get concrete roads, which are expected to last for at least 20 years. Some of the extension areas will also get roads ashphalted for the first time.
The commissioner said the development work has been evenly distributed in all civic wards, so that each of them will get Rs 40-50 lakh. Local corporators have been taken into confidence while finalizing the work, he added.
Trilokchandra said steps will be taken to avoid road-cutting by putting up ducts under the new roads wherever it is necessary. The works would be completed by this year-end, he added.