Amid the lockdown restrictions, the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation has decided to take up work to remove silt from the main storm-water drain with earthmovers provided by a private company.
Speaking to presspersons after initiating the work near Ayyappa Temple at Shirur Park in Hubballi on Monday, Minister for Large and Medium Industries Jagadish Shettar said that before the arrival of the monsoon, the main storm-water drain that passes through the city would be cleaned.
Mr. Shettar said that the work had been taken up with the earthmovers provided by Tata Hitachi and it would be completed in a month’s time. “Already, a comprehensive plan has been chalked out for the development of the main storm-water drain and the work would be taken up soon,” he said.
To a query, the Minister said that as there was a lockdown in the city, the municipal administration wanted to make good use of the lockdown period and remove silt from the storm-water drain. The silt would be shifted to the designated area, he said.
On a request from industrialists and businessmen to allow industries and businesses to function with conditions during the lockdown period, Mr. Shettar said that their plea had already been brought to the notice of the senior officials of the Union Ministries of Urban Development, Industries and Labour and there was a likelihood of the Union government considering it.
Mr. Shettar said that industrialists had in their plea said that the extension of lockdown would severely affect the economy of the State and the country apart from causing hardships to the lakhs of workers engaged by these industries and the same had been communicated to the authorities concerned.
Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad Deepa Cholan, Municipal Commissioner Suresh Itnal, Govindrao Kulkarni of Tata Hitachi, former councillor Mahesh Burli and others were present.