Hubballi Dharwad Smart City Limited (HDSCL) is implementing ‘Green Mobility Corridor’ along the Unkal Naala in Hubballi. The total length of the corridor is around 9.2km.
The project starts at Unkal Lake and ends at Gabbur. It will be executed in 3 phases. The first phase of the project (around 640m) is ready and it will be inaugurated soon.
The corridor will have Theme gardens, Food Street, Public Bicycle Sharing system, a Children’s play area, Public parks, Outdoor Gyms, and Sports arena, etc.
The Green Mobility Corridor aims to connect major roads with Cycle tracks and Walking Paths to encourage cycle and pedestrian movement across the city (Non-motorised transport Zone).
The corridor is well integrated with BRTS and Public Bicycle Sharing system to provide sustainable last-mile connectivity in the Hubballi city.
The total budget of the project is around ₹130 Crores. France government is funding ₹80 Crores and Smart City Limited will invest the remaining ₹50 Crores.
The project is funded jointly by Agence Francaise De Developpement (AFD), European Union, Ambassade De France En Inde, NIUA India and CITIIS etc.
The corridor will also have Multi arched Check dams with Walkways, Canopy over walkways, Vending Zones, Cycle tracks, Guardrails along the edge, and CCTV surveillance for enhanced safety.
Overall, the main objective of the project is to convert inaccessible and dead space into a physically accessible and vibrant green space in Hubballi city.
Great things to happen. If only people don’t look at land with greed anything positive can happen. In the last 50 years Hubli has lost it’s charm.If any old timers do remember, a climb on the Butt Hill known as Nruptunga Hill today, one could see the blue waters of Santhosh Nagar lake which is now a little better than a cess pool, the entire has been converted into what is now known as Santhosh Nagar. From this lake which had under water springs, the water would flow perenially into large naturally formed troughs which would take the water right into the swamps where a number of birds would flock for their meal of fresh fish. The water would then flow through which is now Bhavani Nagar and this was clean water which many a washerman Dhobi could use. A few picnickers would drink this flowing water too. The water pathways would go on through the end of Deshpande Nagar, flow through the Nala at Cotton Market, right to Hosur and from there to Old Hubli. Believe me there were no mosquito menace as frogs which we hardly get to see these days were in plenty and the mosquito would be a meal. Besides these waters had a lot a guppies which would control the mosquito menace.
Now another aspect of how the Unkal lake would get fresh water everyday. The present APMC is on a land earmarked as a catchment area alongwith the present Nava nagar for Unkal lake. Where the APMC is now situated there was a deciduous forest of shrubs and small trees with natural springs. These springs would feed the small rivelet which flowed under the thick foliage of trees, flow under the bridge and go right into the Unkal Lake. The entire stretch of the flow of water had small black water fowls, the kirkar thorny trees having nests of weaver birds and of course the occasional Horn Bill and the Russian migratory red plumed Ducks. The Lake did have plenty of fish for the Storks and in general people loved to have their picnics there without the plastic menace now prevalent. For the water they would go and carry water fro the springs. Alas, the ApMC was built, borewells were dugs, the springs died and what was left became full of grease from a lorry garage of a transport company. If today one wants to develop a green corridor let that be more natural.
Besides I had surveyed an area from the Shamla river bed walking upto a temple near the present SDM College of engineering. If the present Govt so desires the Green Corridor could also be extended to the Shamla river bed, acquiring land for a lake and building check dams would increase the water level so we can have our own LaLbagh, any takers?