Rail Land Dispute
Belagavi
Union Minister of State for Railways V Somanna has alleged that Dharwad District In-charge Minister Santosh Lad is not cooperating in acquiring land for the construction of the Belgaum-Channammana Kittur-Dharwad direct railway line.
Speaking at a press conference here on Monday, he said, “1,200 acres of land have been acquired in Belgaum district for this project. However, the land acquisition process for 45 acres in Dharwad district is yet to be completed. I will meet Lad again and make every effort to resolve this crisis. If he does not cooperate, we also have alternative ways.”
“The Centre has released a grant of Rs 937 crore for this project. 100 percent of the land acquisition process has been completed in Belgaum district. However, there are obstacles in Dharwad district. If this route is constructed, the travel time between Belagavi and Dharwad will be reduced by more than an hour. Railway connectivity between the two cities will increase,” he said.
“I have spoken to Lad two or three times regarding the land acquisition process in Dharwad district. Union Minister Prahlad Joshi and MP Jagadish Shettar have also spoken to him. However, Lad is not responding no matter how many times I have contacted him,” he complained.“Santosh Lad is still growing in the political arena. But, I don’t know why he is doing this. I will go and find him myself again. There is no point in delaying development works for the sake of politics,” he said.
“I have discussed the implementation of the project with the Chief Minister, the Chief Secretary to the government and Deputy Commissioner. When I met the Deputy Commissioner at Hubballi Airport on Monday, I spoke in my own language. The state government should explain why it is not cooperating with the project. The project will not be stopped for any reason,” he warned.
