A crucial railway project connecting Belagavi and Dharwad via Kittur has hit a major roadblock, despite land acquisition being nearly complete. The project, sanctioned seven years ago, is now stalled because the state government has failed to release compensation funds to landowners.
Financial Halt Derails Progress
Three months after Belagavi Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan announced that land acquisition was nearly finished and the land would soon be handed to the Railways, the process has ground to a standstill. The primary reason is the state government's delay in releasing compensation money to those whose land is being acquired. This financial bottleneck has halted all further progress on the ground.
A total of 788.1 acres is required for the project. This includes 406.1 acres in Belagavi district and 382 acres in Dharwad district. In Belagavi, the acquisition process is almost complete, and a compensation proposal of ₹149.2 crore has been submitted to the government. However, the file remains pending. In Dharwad, the process is in its final stages, with a ₹94 crore proposal sent for approval.
A Project Seven Years in the Making
The railway line was sanctioned seven years ago, largely due to the efforts of the late former Union Minister of State for Railways, Suresh Angadi. The project carries an estimated cost of ₹937 crore. As per standard norms for such projects, the state government is responsible for providing the required land free of cost and bearing 50% of the total project cost.
Expressing deep concern over the prolonged delay, Belagavi MP Jagadish Shettar has criticized the state government. He alleges that this important public infrastructure project is being stalled solely due to the administration's failure to release the compensation for several months.
Political Pressure Mounts as Costs Threaten to Rise
Shettar has warned that further delays will inevitably lead to an escalation in the overall project cost, causing additional financial burden. He has taken the matter to the highest level in the state.
"I have written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, urging him to take up the matter urgently, as the project has already been languishing for seven years," Shettar stated. His intervention highlights the growing frustration over the bureaucratic and financial delays crippling a project of significant regional importance.
The continued impasse over the compensation funds leaves the future of the Belagavi-Dharwad rail link uncertain, despite the completion of the difficult land acquisition process.
