Around 6,000 people, mainly students and athletes, took part in the Hubballi Marathon organised on the theme ‘Smart City’ here on Sunday.
KLE Technological University, B.V. Bhoomaraddi College of Engineering and Technology and Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation jointly organised the event to highlight the need for more participation in the Union government-sponsored smart city scheme. The Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation is now competing to get into the list of top 20 cities under the scheme.
Even before day break, a large number of enthusiastic participants who had registered for the run, gathered at the BVB College of Engineering and Technology to collect their marathon kits and chest numbers. Many others had reached early for spot registration.
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As the scheduled time for the start of the event neared, hundreds more joined them wearing white t-shirts with the marathon logo and the smart city message. They also held placards with messages such as ‘Let’s unite and bring upon the change’; ‘think big, think different and think smart’; ‘Your vision, our future’, Let’s get smart’ and others.
Citizens’ contribution
Addressing the gathering, MP and BJP State president said the objective of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious smart city scheme was to create smart cities and smarter people. “The objective is to make every citizen feel it’s his or her city and it is they who have to make it great. Along with making the city smart, the citizens should also become smart,” he said.
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Vice-Chancellor of KLE Technological University Ashok Shettar said the huge participation showed the interest of the people of the twin cities in involving themselves in the implementation of the smart city scheme.
BJP leader Pralhad Joshi, along with Hubballi Dharwad Mayor Ashwini Majjagi, Deputy General Manager of the State Bank of India R.K. Agarwal, KLE Society Director Shankaranna Munavalli, HDMC Commissioner C.M. Noor Mansoor, flagged off the marathon at the gate of BVB College.
While the athletes finished the marathon easily, several other participants also managed to complete the marathon which concluded at the college.