Land acquisition on a 178-km stretch between Badadal village in Kalaburagi district and Singanodi village in Raichur district for the Surat-Chennai Economic Corridor will be completed in three months, project director of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Ajay Malik told a DISHA (District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee) meeting here on Monday.
“The Surat-Chennai Economic Corridor is a highway project being taken up by NHAI under the Union Government’s flagship Bharat Mala project. A stretch of 178 km between Badadal village in Kalaburagi district and Singanodi village in Raichur district, which is part of the project, will be built in three phases. A stretch of 71 km of this project lies in Kalaburagi district and it will be built at a cost of ₹1,500 crore. Uttar Pradesh-based PNC Infratech Limited has bagged the contract and acquisition of 550 hectares of land will be completed in two or three months,” Mr. Malik told the DISHA meeting.
The meeting was presided over by Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers and Lok Sabha member from Bidar Bhagawanth Khuba and attended by Umesh Jadhav, Lok Sabha member from Kalaburagi.
Fertilizer supply
Referring to issues pertaining to fertilizer supply, Mr. Khuba said that the amount of fertilizer supplied to the State between April and June is 15% more than demand.
“There is a fertilizer crisis at the international level due to the Russia-Ukraine war. However, there is no problem in India as the Union Government has taken adequate precautionary measures. We have enough stock of fertilizer in the country. It is the responsibility of the lower-level administrative apparatus to ensure proper supply to farmers in need,” Mr. Khuba said.
The Minister directed the Agriculture Department to carry out inspections in fertilizer retail outlets to verify the sale of fertilizer sold at the maximum retail price. He asked Joint Director of Agriculture Rathindranath Sugoor to form special monitoring teams for carrying out inspections in fertilizer retail outlets to ascertain if there is any profiteering in the sale of fertilizer. He also warned that licence of outlets will be cancelled if they are found selling fertilizer above the packaged retail price.
Encroachment
Mr. Jadhav and legislator B.G. Patil expressed discontent over the lethargy of officers in clearing encroachment on service roads along the Ring Road, which was part of the National Highway, despite the issue being discussed in several meetings.
When Mr. Malik, in his response, sought the assistance of local officers for the task, Mr. Khuba asked NHAI and Kalaburagi City Municipal Corporation to carry out a joint survey and clear encroachment. He also directed civic body Commissioner Bhuvanesh Patil Devidas to lead the encroachment clearance operations.
Mr. Khuba took note of the poor distribution of Ayushman Bharat - Arogya Karnataka health cards and asked District Health and Family Welfare Officer Sharanabasappa Ganajalkhed to take steps to distribute the cards by putting up temporary stalls near fair price shops.
A Rural Development and Panchayat Raj official told the meeting that 243 works were completed against the 385 spillover works taken up under Jal Jeevan Mission in the district and the remaining 128 works are under progress.
When Member of Legislative Council Sunil Vallyapure raised the issue of duplication of works, the officer concerned was directed to carry out verification of all sites to check duplication of works taken up under Jal Jeevan Mission and also, various other schemes in gram panchayats and book criminal cases against officials indulging in duplication of works.
