Belagavi business fraternity sore over stalled development projects in city

Belagavi: The business fraternity here is upset with infrastructure development projects having taken a backseat in Belagavi city – the latest sore point being the suspension of the Belagavi-Bengaluru daily morning flight by Indigo airlines.Members of the Federation of Associations of Belagavi (FOAB) feel the city is being given short shrift so far as implementation of Union govt projects is concerned.A few years ago, Air India's Belagavi-Bengaluru service was moved to Hubballi from Belagavi. Now, the abrupt suspension of the Belagavi-Bengaluru flight, despite a favourable load factor, has triggered a huge debate. Taking to social media, citizens from various walks of life have expressed their anger and dismay over what they have termed as an arbitrary move.Not just that. In the past few months, Belagavi lost its air connectivity to several key cities, including Jodhpur, Surat, Indore, and Nashik. It is also being said that the flight to Ahmedabad could soon be axed, too.Several central govt projects such as the Belagavi-Dharwad railway line, Belagavi Ring Road, Halaga-Macche Bypass, to name just a few, have not moved beyond the approval stage for many years. Chaitanya Kulkarni, the coordinator of FOAB and national chairman of the Affordable Housing Committee of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI), told TOI Indigo suspended the Belagavi-Bengaluru service citing technical maintenance issues."Why does this ‘technical maintenance' issue arise when it comes to Belagavi? Why not for services to Hubballi?" he questioned."From FOAB, we are planning to hold a meeting shortly with the heads of various organisations to discuss the issue and find solutions," Kulkarni said.As a case in point of discriminatory treatment, many have cited the recent decision by the Railway ministry, albeit under pressure from MP and Union minister Pralhad Joshi, to extend the Pune-Belagavi Vande Bharat Express to Hubballi, though a similar request to extend the Bengaluru-Dharwad Vande Bharat train to Belagavi has been ignored.Weighing in on the issue, social worker Raju Topannavar said people will face such punishment when they lose the spine to take their elected representatives to task."People of Belagavi voted for Jagadish Shettar, keeping Prime Minister Narendra Modi in mind. Now, they are searching for Shettar, who has vacated his rented accommodation in Belagavi. There will be no solution unless the people of Belagavi put forth their demands aggressively," he said.Topannavar added: "Vehicle owners are being fleeced in the name of toll at Hattaragi and Ganebail toll plazas, though there's hardly any road there. No political neta or organisation has come forward to question this."
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