‘Include Belgaum in list of smart cities’

October 6, 2014

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was here for a while on Sunday en route to Tasgaon in Sangli district in Maharashtra, where he addressed an election rally in the afternoon.

Mr. Modi was accorded a warm reception at the Belgaum airport on his arrival by an Indian Air Force aeroplane. The dignitaries included Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Suresh C. Angadi, MP; former Minister Umesh V. Katti; Rajya Sabha member Prabhakar Kore; Vishwanath I. Patil, MLA; Mahantesh M. Kavatagimath, MLC; former MLA Abhay Patil; BJP district unit president Eranna Kadadi; and BJP Belgaum city unit president Ujwala Badavanache. Deputy Commissioner N. Jayaram, Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao, and Assistant Commissioner of Police Anupam Agarwal were present.

Memorandum

The BJP leaders presented a memorandum to the Prime Minister with a request to include Belgaum in the list of smart cities and take up Centrally aided development works in Belgaum city and other backward areas in the district. Mr. Modi was also urged to advise the Railway Ministry to consider introducing a high-speed train between Mumbai and Bangalore via Belgaum, besides doubling the existing broad gauge line between the two metro cities. The BJP leaders stressed on according priority to Belgaum city while taking up Centrally aided development works, such as research laboratories, academic institutions and promoting medium and major scale industries.

They told the Prime Minister that Belgaum was gifted with natural resources such as rivers and forests along the Western Ghats. The city nestled between the boundaries of three States viz. Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra was well-connected by rail, road and air. The city was a major educational hub in north Karnataka and also had good healthcare facilities. In view of the State government’s steps to develop Belgaum city as a second capital of Karnataka, the Centre should also encourage and support them, Mr. Angadi said.

Source:The Hindu