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.”