Minister Santosh Lad Vows Quick Resolution for Hubballi-Dharwad LED Lighting Project

Hubballi: District-in-Charge Minister Santosh Lad has assured that the twin cities will soon be illuminated by LED lights. He pledged to make every possible effort to replace 75,000 conventional lights with energy-efficient LED lights. The minister stated that he will promptly engage with higher officials to ensure that tenders for this project are floated soon.

During a review meeting of the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) at the Sawai Gandharva Hall in Hubballi on Monday, Lad made these assurances. BJP Corporator and former mayor Veeranna Savadi brought to the minister’s attention the project’s stagnation and urged him to communicate with officials in the Directorate of Municipal Administration to expedite the ambitious initiative.

Savadi also emphasized the urgency of addressing the legacy waste, now resembling mountains in dumping yard sites on Karwar Road in Hubballi and Hosayallapur in Dharwad. He requested the minister to engage in discussions with officials to clear the legacy waste in a scientific manner, as the project has been pending for quite some time. Lad assured that this matter would be resolved within a week.

Furthermore, Savadi urged the minister to grant in-principle approval for the construction of a new auditorium to accommodate general body meetings adequately. The existing space falls short for accommodating 82 corporators, officials, media persons, and spectators. Savadi highlighted that the long-pending project, estimated to cost between Rs 35 to 40 crore, is facing delays due to a fund crunch. He requested the minister’s assistance in obtaining in-principle approval from the government. The HDMC has already secured a Rs 5 crore grant, which could be utilized to commence the foundation work for the new auditorium.

Minister Lad pledged to extend all possible help and assured corporators that the new auditorium building would be state-of-the-art in terms of facilities and aesthetics.

In attendance at the meeting were MLAs Prasad Abbayya, Mahesh Tenginkai, Mayor Veena Bhardwad, Deputy Mayor Satish Hangal, floor leader Shivu Hiremath, Leader of the Opposition Suvarna Kallakuntla, and corporators Tippanna Majjagi, Rajanna Koravi, among others.