Source: http://sify.com/finance/work-on-dharwad-goa-road-finally-starts-news-news-kliaO8dggea.html
It is official now. The road between Dharwad and Ramnagar that connects Karnataka to Goa and which has been in a very bad condition for decades is being converted into double-lane highway by the state government. On Sunday, public works minister C M Udasi performed the bhoomi pooja for the road construction work at Alnavar in the presence of rural development and panchayat raj minister Jagadeesh Shettar and MP Prahlad Joshi.
The state government has entrusted the works to the Karnataka Road Development Corporation which in turn has given the responsibility to Hyderabad-based GVR-RMN-Pratyusha Companies consortium named GVRMP Dharwad-Ramna-gar Tollway Private Limited. The 61.50 km stretch on the Aurad-Sadashivagad state highway No 34, which has made the journey for those travelling to Goa from Dharwad via Ramnagar a herculean task, will be re-laid for Rs237.60 crore. It will be on the build-operate-transfer (BOT) / viability gap funding (VGF) basis.
The nine-metre-wide road covers 29.9 km in Dharwad district and 31.50 km in Belgaum district before entering Goa. It will pass through three railway crossings, one bridge and 12 culverts. There will be two truck lay base, five under passes and two toll gates. The work is expected to be completed in two years. When completed, it will give a big boost to tourism, trade and commerce in Dharwad, Belgaum and Uttara Kannada districts.
The road has been in a bad shape for decades and any number of petitions and complaints to the authorities had failed to yield results. Those traveling to Goa were forced to take a route via Belgaum and Savantawadi, covering an additional distance of 80 km.
Kannadigas settled in Goa had repeatedly appealed to the legislators and ministers visiting Goa to get the road repaired, but to no avail.
Udasi, being the public works minister for second term, had failed to fulfill the demand. Successive governments had given up the road repair work after conducting ‘bhoomi pooja’, citing financial crunch. Dharwad MP Prahlad Joshi and minister Jagadeesh Shettar’s efforts to get the road included in Central Road Fund during the regime of H D Revanna as public works minister had also not been fruitful.
Now it seems the road is set to be repaired with state government contributing 20 per cent of the cost while the Centre will contribute matching amount. The companies taking up the work on BoT basis will bear 60 per cent of the cost. Th e BoT is for a period of 30 years and the time frame for getting the road ready is two years.
Showing posts with label Goa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goa. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Bhimgarh (Dist: Belgaum) now wildlife sanctuary
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Bhimgarh-now-wildlife-sanctuary-/articleshow/5541334.cms
BANGALORE: A decade’s struggle has paid off. The ministry of environment and forests gave its consent to declare Bhimgadh in Belgaum district as a wildlife sanctuary. Goa is probably heaving a sigh of relief as it had locked horns with Karnataka over the Mahadayi river valley diversion project.
Bhimgadh was in the eye of a storm for two reasons. While it was a political issue between Goa and Karnataka over sharing of Mahadayi water, wildlife enthusiasts were keen on saving this unique habitat. Chief wildlife warden B K Singh confirmed that the Centre had given its consent for declaring 138 sqkm of forest as a wildlife sanctuary and the government issued the order three days ago.
UNIQUE HABITAT
Bhimgadh shelters two rare bat species — Wroughton free-tailed bats and Tomb bats. In India, Barapidi in Bhimgadh has the only colony of Wroughton free-tailed bats. Their only other habitat in the world is Brazil. Tomb bats are found in West Bengal. B K Singh said the Barapidi caves were part of the sanctuary. Wildlife enthusiast Ajay Desai said the forest was also a triangular corridor for tigers and elephants, which migrate between Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra.
MAHADAYI RIVER
State wanted water share
Bangalore: Bhimgarh, a unique habitat for two rare bat species, had been caught in a political wrangle with Goa even as wildlife enthusiasts fought to save it.
Karnataka wanted to build two check dams at Kalasa and Banduri to tap 7.5 tmcft water for supplying drinking water to Hubli-Dharwad. The project involved submerging 323 hectares of forest and the issue had been referred to the forest advisory committee for clearance.
The main Mahadayi project involved three dams at Potli, Alsara and Harinala. Karnataka argued that its catchment contributed 45 tmcft water to the Mahadayi river and over 200 tmcft of river water flowed into the sea.
Karnataka wanted a share of this water, to which Goa objected. The Goa government even favoured forming a tribunal to settle the dispute.
The issue was politically hot till 2004 during Congress rule. Subsequent coalition governments didn’t show much interest in this issue. Now, if the government wants to take it up, it has to obtain clearance under Wildlife Protection Act (1972).
BANGALORE: A decade’s struggle has paid off. The ministry of environment and forests gave its consent to declare Bhimgadh in Belgaum district as a wildlife sanctuary. Goa is probably heaving a sigh of relief as it had locked horns with Karnataka over the Mahadayi river valley diversion project.
Bhimgadh was in the eye of a storm for two reasons. While it was a political issue between Goa and Karnataka over sharing of Mahadayi water, wildlife enthusiasts were keen on saving this unique habitat. Chief wildlife warden B K Singh confirmed that the Centre had given its consent for declaring 138 sqkm of forest as a wildlife sanctuary and the government issued the order three days ago.
UNIQUE HABITAT
Bhimgadh shelters two rare bat species — Wroughton free-tailed bats and Tomb bats. In India, Barapidi in Bhimgadh has the only colony of Wroughton free-tailed bats. Their only other habitat in the world is Brazil. Tomb bats are found in West Bengal. B K Singh said the Barapidi caves were part of the sanctuary. Wildlife enthusiast Ajay Desai said the forest was also a triangular corridor for tigers and elephants, which migrate between Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra.
MAHADAYI RIVER
State wanted water share
Bangalore: Bhimgarh, a unique habitat for two rare bat species, had been caught in a political wrangle with Goa even as wildlife enthusiasts fought to save it.
Karnataka wanted to build two check dams at Kalasa and Banduri to tap 7.5 tmcft water for supplying drinking water to Hubli-Dharwad. The project involved submerging 323 hectares of forest and the issue had been referred to the forest advisory committee for clearance.
The main Mahadayi project involved three dams at Potli, Alsara and Harinala. Karnataka argued that its catchment contributed 45 tmcft water to the Mahadayi river and over 200 tmcft of river water flowed into the sea.
Karnataka wanted a share of this water, to which Goa objected. The Goa government even favoured forming a tribunal to settle the dispute.
The issue was politically hot till 2004 during Congress rule. Subsequent coalition governments didn’t show much interest in this issue. Now, if the government wants to take it up, it has to obtain clearance under Wildlife Protection Act (1972).
Monday, January 14, 2008
Reliance Fresh Belgaum retail outlet and Distribution Unit
Source: oheraldo.in & http://belgaumnri.blogspot.com/
Goa’s reliance on vegetables and fruits from Belgaum could be under threat and competition has come in from an economic giant. The setting up of a vegetable procuring unit at Belgaum by ‘Reliance Fresh’, a division of Reliance Industries Ltd, to provide vegetables to its growing chain of outlets in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra may adversely affect the supply of vegetables to Goa in the near future.Farmers in Belgaum are only too happy to offer their produce to Reliance at better rates and with the vegetable supply from Belgaum — predominantly meant for Goa — now likely to be diverted elsewhere, Goans would have to pay much more for the few vegetables that enter the Goan market.Incidentally, though Reliance Fresh intends to set up seven outlets in Goa at ‘cheaper rates’, the supply of vegetables would be too meagre to cater to the entire state. Reliance has recently set up a procuring unit at Halga, about 10 km from here, where vegetables are being purchased directly from farmers. “Vegetables purchased are being sent to Hyderabad and other places,” Suresh D, the unit manager at Halga said.At present, about 10 tonnes of vegetables are being procured by Reliance everyday and sources speculate that the demand would rise sharply with the growing number of retail outlets to be opened in the region. The unit at Halga is strategically based at the hub of the vegetable growing hinterland of Belgaum district, where more than 60% of the farmers in the district are engaged in growing vegetables.Sudhatai Hiremath, Secretary of the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), the apex body controlling the procurement and sale of vegetables and other farm produce, said Reliance has been issued licences to procure vegetables from farmers and the company has been promptly paying the cess to APMC. Officials disclosed that Reliance plans to open seven outlets in Goa and attempts are being made to supply farm-fresh vegetables from Belgaum at rates cheaper than that offered by the Belgaum vegetable traders.This is because Reliance will buy vegetables directly from farmers, eliminating middlemen in the process. “Our intention is to give justice to the farmers by offering them better rates for their produce,” said Aniruddin of Reliance. According to Umesh Patil — a vegetable wholesaler and member of the Cantonment Wholesale Vegetable Merchants Association — over 100 brokers supply vegetables to Goa and other coastal areas including Karwar, Kumta (Karnataka) and Sindhudurg (Maharashtra).“About 30 tempo loads of vegetables are supplied to Goa everyday and more than 70% of the vegetables from Belgaum are sent to the coastal areas,” said Patil.To a query on the impact of ‘Reliance Fresh’ on the prevailing supply of vegetables to Goa, Patil admitted that while the prices may not increase in the immediate future, the increase of Reliance outlets in the region could spark off a shortage of vegetables en route to Goa.Meanwhile, the farmers in the district are pleased with the new development, as they are being paid a better rate as compared to the brokers.“We do not have to bother about the brokerage and other costs that we earlier used to pay,” said a farmer.
Goa’s reliance on vegetables and fruits from Belgaum could be under threat and competition has come in from an economic giant. The setting up of a vegetable procuring unit at Belgaum by ‘Reliance Fresh’, a division of Reliance Industries Ltd, to provide vegetables to its growing chain of outlets in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra may adversely affect the supply of vegetables to Goa in the near future.Farmers in Belgaum are only too happy to offer their produce to Reliance at better rates and with the vegetable supply from Belgaum — predominantly meant for Goa — now likely to be diverted elsewhere, Goans would have to pay much more for the few vegetables that enter the Goan market.Incidentally, though Reliance Fresh intends to set up seven outlets in Goa at ‘cheaper rates’, the supply of vegetables would be too meagre to cater to the entire state. Reliance has recently set up a procuring unit at Halga, about 10 km from here, where vegetables are being purchased directly from farmers. “Vegetables purchased are being sent to Hyderabad and other places,” Suresh D, the unit manager at Halga said.At present, about 10 tonnes of vegetables are being procured by Reliance everyday and sources speculate that the demand would rise sharply with the growing number of retail outlets to be opened in the region. The unit at Halga is strategically based at the hub of the vegetable growing hinterland of Belgaum district, where more than 60% of the farmers in the district are engaged in growing vegetables.Sudhatai Hiremath, Secretary of the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), the apex body controlling the procurement and sale of vegetables and other farm produce, said Reliance has been issued licences to procure vegetables from farmers and the company has been promptly paying the cess to APMC. Officials disclosed that Reliance plans to open seven outlets in Goa and attempts are being made to supply farm-fresh vegetables from Belgaum at rates cheaper than that offered by the Belgaum vegetable traders.This is because Reliance will buy vegetables directly from farmers, eliminating middlemen in the process. “Our intention is to give justice to the farmers by offering them better rates for their produce,” said Aniruddin of Reliance. According to Umesh Patil — a vegetable wholesaler and member of the Cantonment Wholesale Vegetable Merchants Association — over 100 brokers supply vegetables to Goa and other coastal areas including Karwar, Kumta (Karnataka) and Sindhudurg (Maharashtra).“About 30 tempo loads of vegetables are supplied to Goa everyday and more than 70% of the vegetables from Belgaum are sent to the coastal areas,” said Patil.To a query on the impact of ‘Reliance Fresh’ on the prevailing supply of vegetables to Goa, Patil admitted that while the prices may not increase in the immediate future, the increase of Reliance outlets in the region could spark off a shortage of vegetables en route to Goa.Meanwhile, the farmers in the district are pleased with the new development, as they are being paid a better rate as compared to the brokers.“We do not have to bother about the brokerage and other costs that we earlier used to pay,” said a farmer.
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