HK Patil bats for dedicated municipality for Dharwad

Dharwad: Activists demanding a dedicated municipal corporation for Dharwad city received a shot in their arm with senior Congress leader and former minister HK Patil writing to chief minister Basavaraj Bommai urging him to consider the demand. In his letter to the CM, Patil highlighted the fact that Dharwad was a hub for culture, literature an education, the needs of which had been neglected for the past many years.
“A close look at the allocation of funds to the nine municipal corporations in the state, formed under the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976, shows that the funds disbursed to the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) are not sufficient. Furthermore, of the funds disbursed to the HDMC, only 15 to 20% is spent on Dharwad,” the former minister said.
Pointing out that Dharwad fulfilled all the criteria to have a dedicated municipal corporation of its own, Patil said, “A city must boast a population of three lakh, and its revenue must be Rs 6 lakh. Dharwad’s population is more than 4.5 lakh, and its revenue is Rs 37.3 crore. Bifurcation of HDMC will benefit both Hubballi and Dharwad.”
Meanwhile, Agitation Committee for Separate Municipal Corporation for Dharwad, have demanded that a corporator from Dharwad be nominated to the post of mayor to ensure the development of the city.