Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has instructed officials to complete all the works related to the Hubballi-Dharwad Smart City project within a year. Chief Minister Bommai was speaking after inaugurating a slew of civic infrastructure works under the Hubballi-Dharwad Smart City project in Hubballi Sunday. The Smart City work, launched in 2014-15, was to be completed in 2020, said Bommai and instructed officials to complete all the ongoing works before March 31 of the current financial year. Already 555 works under the project have been completed. Bommai asked officials to maintain the quality of the work. "There should be no compromise on the quality of the works under the Smart City project. Action should be taken against the contractors who fail to maintain high quality in the works," he added. Bommai also said that the problem of the main drain in the city would be resolved. "There should not be any disparity in the development of the district. The foundation stone for a branch of Jayadeva Cardiac Hospital to be built at a cost of Rs 300 crore will be laid in August. Orders have been issued for establishing an FMCG cluster in Dharwad which would create about 1 lakh jobs,” he added. According to the chief minister, special investment zones are being set up in Tumakuru and Dharwad. “The Hubballi-Ankola railway project would be taken up soon as the environment clearance is expected for the project. We are intending to launch the implementation of the Tumakuru-Davanagere and Dharwad-Belagavi railway projects this year. Development of Northern Karnataka region would get a big boost through comprehensive development of Hubballi-Dharwad," added Bommai.
