Five new layouts planned in Belgaum

BELGAUM: Belgaum Urban Development Authority (BUDA) has identified 455 acres of land at Kanabargi, Anagol, and Hindalaga on the outskirts of the city to develop five layouts.
The process to acquire 160.1 acres in Kanabargi is in final stages. As many as 2,120 sites will be developed there. About 145.35 acres have been identified at Bhagyanagar in Anagol, where 1,700 sites will come up.

BUDA will acquire 114.33 acres and 29.34 acres for the two layouts planned in Hindalaga, which will collectively have 1,740 sites. The government has approved four projects, while the one for Kapileshwar Layout -where 50 sites will come up on 5.33 acres - is awaited.

BUDA is offering 40% of the developed land to farmers, instead of compensation. BUDA commissioner D S Chougula and local representatives convened several meetings with farmers to convince them. "Over 50% of them are committed to BUDA," Chougula told STOI.

"The farmers will benefit from the 40:60 deal with BUDA. The present per-acre rate is Rs 18-20 lakh, but they will get around Rs 50-70 lakh after getting 7-8 gunta developed land," he said.

Green City project to give Belgaum a new look

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2009/06/24/stories/2009062453110300.htm

Belgaum: The Belgaum City Corporation (BCC), Belgaum Urban Development Authority (BUDA) and the Forest Department have jointly come up with project “Green City” with a view to change the face of the city.

The project, which aims at planting 50,000 different species of plants at a cost of Rs. 1.12 crore, has been conceived with the support of MLAs Abhay Kumar Patil, Sanjay Patil and Feroz Sait representing Belgaum South, Belgaum Rural and Belgaum North assembly constituencies, respectively.

The salient features of the project were presented to a select section of the Belgaum city at a seminar organised under the banner of Belgaum Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Patil complimented the Forest Department, BCC and BUDA for the project. But, he warned that it should not be another “vanamahotsava”, which only served the purpose of publicity.

He cited examples of certain villages where green cover was developed on the basis of participatory approach, involving residents. Consequentially, more than 70 per cent of the saplings planted had become huge trees.

Panchakshari Hiremath, landscape designer from Dharwad, disputed the claims of the Forest Department on its tree plantation programme.

He said: “If the claims of the Forest and Horticulture Departments on tree plantation programmes during last five to six decades are to be believed, then no space should have been left to plant even a single tree.”

However, he said the project was poised to change the face of Belgaum city if implemented and maintained in an effective manner.

Earlier, Deputy Conservator of Forest Girish Hosur highlighted the salient features of the project and said the average cost of each tree proposed to be planted would account for Rs. 224 for a maintenance period of three years.