Dharwad: The Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) Commissioner Major (Rtd) Siddalingayya Hiremath who hopes to see the city free of illegal occupancy, has planned to launch one more drive to clear encroachments on footpaths and parking areas in the first week of January.
Addressing a civic general body meeting of HDMC in Dharwad Hiremath said that he would not yield to any kind of pressure from any influential person and that he would carry on with the drive till the city becomes free of encroachments.
It was planned to clear encroachments at Subhash Road and Jakhni Bhavi areas in the first phase of the drive, followed by market areas in twin cities and at K C Circle in Hubballi.
The survey in this regard on Neeligin Road in Hubballi has been completed and the drive will be launched shortly. The drive will be completed by the end of January, he said.
HDMC which hopes to clear all parking areas in twin cities, during its last such operation, had cleared the parking lots of commercial complexes and a few owners had closed the parking lots and constructed walls. Such persons will be penalised besides initiating other legal action against them, the Commissioner said.
Speaking on the occasion Congress member Ganesh Tagragunti demanded concrete measures to reduce the traffic congestion in twin cities.
BJP corporators Veeranna Savadi, Shivu Hiremath and Sanjay Kapatkar said the encroachments in the market area should be cleared before the officials move on to layouts on the outskirts of the city.
