A new chapter of transforming Belagavi city, with a history of more than 1,000 years, into a modern smart city was opened with the formal launch of the Smart City Project (SCP) for its execution in five years by Minister for Small Scale Industries and district in-charge Ramesh L. Jarkiholi here on Saturday.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Mr. Jarkiholi said it was now the responsibility of all the elected representatives, officials and the public to join hands to realise the dream project during its scheduled five years’ time.
“We need to work together and in coordination with various departments, private organisations and members of the public to keep pace with the schedule,” he said.
Earlier, former Minister Satish L. Jarkiholi and Feroz N. Sait, MLA, said they took efforts along with the officials and experts in the City Advisory Committee, besides members of public, to prepare a broad perspective, eventually leading to the selection of the city for the project.
Mr.Jarkiholi also said that during his short term as SSI Minister he allowed agencies like Karnataka State Small Industries Development Corporation to buy land directly from the public/farmers with the consent of the Deputy Commissioner concerned to remove hurdles in facilitating industrial development in the State. He said the selection of Belagavi city for SCP would prompt many entrepreneurs to invest in the city, which would open up a large number job opportunities to educated and skilled human resource personnel.
Mr. Sait, while thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Urban Development M. Venkaiah Naidu for launching the SCP and selecting Belagavi among the first 20 of the 100 cities in the country for execution, said the SCP was essentially old wine in a new bottle. The SCP was a new name for the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), a massive city-modernisation scheme launched by the previous Congress-led UPA government.
Suresh C. Angadi, MP, wanted work taken up on the long pending proposal to construct a ring road for the city.
Belagavi City Corporation Commissioner G. Prabhu highlighted the salient features of the project and works to be taken up under SCP shortly. Mayor Sarita Patil and Sanjay B. Patil, MLA, were present.
