BELAGAVI
Responding to the woes of the people of Belagavi and Goa, Belagavi Deputy Commissioner Nitesh Patil will take up the long-pending issues pertaining to repairs and construction of the road between the city and the state via Chorla.
A joint meeting of heads of departments concerned and stakeholders will be convened after Dussehra to address the issues that have kept the road work pending.
It may be recalled that Union Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari had inaugurated the 69.17-km double-laning of the road from Jamboti to Sanquelim in February. No work has commenced since then.
With the monsoon receding and the festive season on the anvil, scores of Goans are visiting Belagavi. As the annual Dussehra holidays have commenced in Karnataka, a large number of tourists from Belagavi and the north Karnataka region will be travelling to Goa via Chorla.
“We have suffered for over two years due to Covid and now that things are normal, Goans are avoiding the visit to Belagavi due to the bad roads. We have been urging authorities to take up the matter at the earliest,” Kamlesh Khoda, a showroom owner, said.
Deepak Patil, a wholesaler of vegetables, said that due to the dilapidated road, their vehicles take more time to reach Goa.
“Moreover, there are occasional breakdowns, and minor accidents are causing unwarranted losses and a huge inconvenience,” Patil said.
When contacted, the Deputy Commissioner said that the matter would be taken up immediately.
"NHAI has appointed a contractor and other tenders also have been issued, however, the implementation is being delayed due to the clearances required by the forest department. I have also asked NHAI and PWD officials to give me a report on the same,” he added.
