55 CHAPTER-II BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY AREA A study of the geographical and socio-economic background of the city region under study is very' essential to understand and analyze the data where the present research study has been conducted. The Twin City of Hubli-Dharwad is the area of the study. The twin cities are considered the cultural and commercial capital of the Northern Karnataka region. This region was once called the Bombay Karnataka region as it was in the erstwhile Bombay State. In historical times, under British rule the region was also known as the Southern Maratha Country. This was on account of the region being once under the rule of the Maratha Peshwas of Pune and came to be conquered by the British some time during 1818 A.D. However, the region came under Karnataka State in 1956 when the states were re- organized on linguistic basis. The location of Hubli-Dharwad City is in a beautiful and enchanting area, which is quite picturesque as it is located on the undulating slopes of the hills of the Western Ghat region. The geographical space occupied by the twin cities extends from 15' 20° to 20' 28° N latitude, along the National Highway No.4, which connects the cities of Pune in the north and Bangalore in the south. The extension of the twin-city is in typical linear order as it has grown and spread along both the sides of the National Highway. The cities of Hubli and Dharwad were separate towns until 1962 with their own local civic bodies. However in March 1962, the two cities were merged under a single local authority of a Municipal Corporation for the purpose of their proper planning, administration and
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55
CHAPTER-II
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY AREA
A study of the geographical and socio-economic background of
the city region under study is very' essential to understand and
analyze the data where the present research study has been
conducted. The Twin City of Hubli-Dharwad is the area of the study.
The twin cities are considered the cultural and commercial capital of
the Northern Karnataka region. This region was once called the
Bombay Karnataka region as it was in the erstwhile Bombay State. In
historical times, under British rule the region was also known as the
Southern Maratha Country. This was on account of the region being
once under the rule of the Maratha Peshwas of Pune and came to be
conquered by the British some time during 1818 A.D. However, the
region came under Karnataka State in 1956 when the states were re-
organized on linguistic basis. The location of Hubli-Dharwad City is in
a beautiful and enchanting area, which is quite picturesque as it is
located on the undulating slopes of the hills of the Western Ghat
region. The geographical space occupied by the twin cities extends
from 15' 20° to 20' 28° N latitude, along the National Highway No.4,
which connects the cities of Pune in the north and Bangalore in the
south.
The extension of the twin-city is in typical linear order as it has
grown and spread along both the sides of the National Highway. The
cities of Hubli and Dharwad were separate towns until 1962 with their
own local civic bodies. However in March 1962, the two cities were
merged under a single local authority of a Municipal Corporation for
the purpose of their proper planning, administration and
56
development. In this study, the growth and development of each city is
dealt with separately for the period upto 1962 and thereafter the study
of the cities are taken as a single unit. The distance between the two
cities are about twenty-five Kilmeters. Today the twin city
agglomeration is the second largest in the state. Dharwad City is the
District Headquarters of Dharwad District and is well known as an
educational and cultural center of North Karanataka region. It is
situated on the eastern fringe of the Western Ghats and is situated at
a height of about 2800-ft. above mean sea level. Hence the city enjoys
a salubrious and healthy climate and was therefore was once known
as "Chota Mahabaleshwar". This was the main reason as to why the
British rulers selected the town as the district headquarters of the
northern region when they conquered the territory after the defeat of
the Marathas.
The city experiences the summer season, which commences in
the month of March and ends in May, and the maximum temperature
is of about 36.05 C. The winter season is experienced with the
minimum temperature being recorded in the month of December
when the temperature drops to about 12.06 C. The maximum rainfall
is recorded in the months of June and July and the average rainfall is
of 32.5". The monsoon period is from June to September every year.
The general wind direction is from East to West. The maximum wind
velocity is in July, when it reaches about 10 miles per hour. Dharwad
is often described as a hill station enjoying a quiet life style as
compared to the bustling city of Hubli. The city is often preferred by
retired employees on account of its good climate and is therefore also
called "pensioners paradise.” Etymologically, the name Dharwad is
derived from the words "Dhara" and "wada." The two words are
derived from the Sanskrit words "Dwara" and "Wata". The two terms
together gave the early name of "Dwara Vatika" or 'Gateway Town',
which in course of time came to be known as Dharawada (Desai
1957:6). It is believed that the term was derived from the geographic
location of the town since it is located between the foothills of the
57
Western Ghats ("Male-Nadu") and the plains of the Deccan plateau(
"Bailu-Sime"). The place was convenient to collect .taxes from
merchants going from the hilly region of the Ghats to the Deccan
plains. It was also a place where the goods and produce from the
Western Ghats were exchanged for those from the plains region.
Hence the name 'Gateway town'. A local folklore attributes the name
Dharwada to the terms "Dhara" and "Wada" which means "Dhara's
Palace" or "Dhara's Locality".
According to this interpretation the city got its name from a
historical personality named Dhara Rao who was a governor of the
region sent by the Vijayanagar emperors to administer this region. The
folklore attributes this person the credit of building the fort of
Dharwad and therefore the city, which came up soon thereafter, got
its name from this historical personality. However the well-known
historian and epigraphist Dr. P.B. Desai, has proved beyond doubt
that the town of Dharwad existed much before the arrival of the
Governor Dhara Rao. He has shown from the two inscriptions dated
12 century A.D, which were found at Narendra, a village on the
outskirts of Dharwad, that the town existed during this period,
whereas Rao arrived in Dharwad only during the 15th century A.D.
Hence the city could not have been named after him because the city
existed more than three hundred years before his arrival in this
region. For a very long time the town of Dharwad was the
administrative capital of the Pargana of Dharwad under various
Kannada dynasties such as the Hoysalas, Kadambas, the Western
Chalukyas, who ruled from the 6th century A.D to the 12th century
A.Ds. Even later under the Adil Shahi rulers of Bijapur, Dharwad
continued to maintain its importance as an administrative capital. The
name" Dharwada" keeps occurring frequently from the time of the
Chalukyas. Dharwad gained importance on account of its strategic
location and the existence of the impregnable fort at Dharwad, which
guarded the territory both towards the north and the south.
58
It was said that whoever guarded the fort of Dharwad was the
master of the territories both towards the north and the Deccan
plateau region in the south. During the height of glory of the
Vijayanagar Empire several Portuguese merchants and traders passed
through Dharwad from the West Coast to the capital of the empire
especially to sell horses. Among such travelers was Domingo Paes,
Fernao Nuniz, etc who have mentioned Dharwad in their accounts.
When the British conquered the region they recognized the strategic
importance of the fort and therefore continued to recognize it as an
important city for their defence. They stationed a large British force in
the fort at Dharwad and thereby controlled the various minor Chiefs
and landlords in the region, such as the Desais of Kittur, Nargund,
Ramdurg, Jamkhandi etc. The British Collector stationed at Dharwad
controlled even the Chhatrapati of Kolhapur. It was not until the
Mutiny of 1857 that the British themselves destroyed the impregnable
fort of Dharwad so that the rebels could not capture it. Today only two
gateways have been left as a memorial' to this great fort. The
remaining seven walls of the once mighty fort were torn down and the
stones used for the construction of the Collector's Office and other
British administrative offices. Under the British, Dharwad became not
only a cantonment for the British army but also became an
administrative capital for the newly conquered territories from the
Peshwas whom they defeated in 1817 A.D. The British soon after their
arrival began to introduce several civic amenities in the town in the
nineteenth century.
In 1830, Dharwad was made the Divisional Headquarters of the
Dharwad Collectorate. This region covered a large area consisting of
the former areas of the Southern Maratha Country, which included
not only the present area covered by the district, but also the region
covered by the districts of Belgaum, Bijapur and Solapur districts.
Hence Dharwad became an important town during the 19th century.
One of the first measures that the new British rulers undertook was to
widen the roads and lay proper drains for the flow of rain water which
59
would otherwise flood the town every year. Captain Munbee, the Army
Executive Engineer undertook to draw a proper plan for the growth
and development of the town in 1848. Thus the Army authorities took
a keen interest in the improvement of the sanitary conditions of the
town till the enactment of the Municipal Act of 1850 also known as
the Town Act XXVI by the British Government. Over the years
Dharwad came to develop by attracting people from the nearby regions
by offering employment opportunities in the various Government
departments. The town also had some of the earliest schools started
both by the Christian missionaries of the Basel Mission and also by
the British Government. Education was imparted not only in English
but also in Kannada and Marathi. The first College in the region was
the Karnatak College established in the year 1917. Thus people began
to migrate also in search of the excellent educational opportunities the
town offered.
Over a period of time the town has become not only famous for
its cultural activities but is today known as an educational center. The
city of Dharwad has today two Universities, namely the Karnatak
University and the University of Agricultural Sciences. Further there
are several good schools and colleges, which offer not only traditional
courses but also professional degrees in Medicine, Engineering and
Dental Sciences Students, are admitted to these colleges from different
regions of the country. However the city lacks major industries.
Attempts are being made by the Government to set right this
inadequacy by providing various facilities.
THE DHARWAD TOWN MUNICIPAL COUNCIL
With the enactment of the Town Act of 1850 the Army
authorities that were until then in charge of the civic upkeepment of
the town, persuaded the inhabitants of the town to petition for the
establishment of a Municipality, which the citizen did on 2nd May
1855. Accordingly the Secretary to Bombay Government issued a
Notification on 9th May 1855 and the Municipality came into
60
existence on 1st January 1856. With this the Municipality began to
function with the enforcement of proper regulations and a proper body
of personnel. Local self-governments were thus made responsible for
the upkeep of the towns. At the time when the town Municipal council
was started in 1856, Dharwad had a population of 26,471. The
council then had a paltry income of Rs. 2734 and its expenditure was
Rs. 3,085. In due course the Dharwad Municipal council grew in
terms of its members as well as budget.
The Dharwad town municipal Council started functioning with
only twelve members who were all nominated by the Government. This
nominated membership of twelve members continued for nearly thirty
years continuously. With the enactment of the Bombay Act IV of 1873,
cities were classified on the basis of the size of their population. The
Dharwad Municipality was raised to the status of a City Municipality
on 1st April 1883. With the passage of time, Lord Ripon the Viceroy
began to make many improvements in the structure of the local self-
governments in order to give the local inhabitants more participation
in the civic affairs of their cities. Thus according to Lord Ripon
Resolution of 1882 the local inhabitants began to be elected to the
Municipalities. The tenure of the commissioners was limited to three
years, with an election held every fourth year. All taxpayers had the
right to vote. After 1902 the Bombay Government ordered that the two
thirds of the total members of the council 'must be nominated and the
remaining one third should be elected. It was only in the year 1920
that Dharwad municipal council was constituted by election. In the
year 1956 the Government superseded the municipal council of
Dharwad and assumed all the powers and functions of the Municipal
council up to 1961. On 1st March 1962 the Government of Karnataka
established a single Municipal corporation for the twin cities of Hubli
and Dharwad.
61
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES :
Educational institutions provide skilled manpower for
engineering units and other small scale units like accountants
technicians managerial staff etc. as the twin city is based with
substantial number of all types of educational institutions. There are
many primary, secondary schools, pre-university and first grade
colleges, and professional institutions, in the twin cities providing
opportunity for academic excellence. The entire area under Dharwad
district is also well developed in educational facilities with various
private and government institutions established for providing
education from primary to degree levels. In the twin cities the
corporation runs two high schools to meet the educational needs for
the poorer sections of the society.
There are two universities. Karnataka University at Pawate
Nagar and Agricultural University at Yettingudda, both situated within
Dharwad city limits. Besides these, there are many first grade degrees
as well as pre-university colleges. The most prominent among these
being. S. D.M Dental college, Karnataka Arts college, Karnataka
Science college, Karnataka Commerce college, Kittle Arts college Kittle
Science college, J.S.S college and Karnatak University of Law,
Mrutunjay College, Hurkadli Ajja Law College, K.P.S.C. Law College
and others in Dharwad. In Hubli Karnataka institute of Medical
Science, BVB Engineering College, Sakri Law College, Kotambri
Science Institute, P.C Jabin Science College, Kadasiddeshwar Arts
College, J.G. Commerce College and Nehru College for Arts, Commerce
and Science and women's college, G.K. Law College, are the most
prominent. These aided institutions receive grants from state
Government and U.G.C. In these colleges every year many students
pass out with a degree, searching for jobs for an independent career.
These colleges have been providing good infrastructure facilities like
building, laboratories, libraries, study equipment's etc to students.
Hence these colleges attracted students from surrounding villages of
62
Hubli Dharwad as well as nearer district places. In Hubli Dharwad
area there are a score of Government, Semi Government and private
hostels, which provide free accommodation and food for poor
students. This has attracted the village poor students.
Apart from these there is a Technical Training Institute aided by
Swiss Government that provides specialized training in tools and die
making. The Gramodyoga center provides training in handy crafts.
The Government of India has established population Research center
in Dharwad, which is one of the five centers, established in different
parts of India.
HUBLI CITY
The city of Hubli, which is only 22 Kms away, is better known
as a business center. Geographically the city is located on the flat
plains of the Deccan Plateau and hence the climate is not as
invigorating and healthy as that is found at Dharwad. It is believed
that the term Hubli is derived from the Kannada word “Huballi” which
in term is derived from the Sanskrit term' Eleya Purvada Halli' an
inscription which is found in the Bhavani Shankar Temple in the city
and is dated l1th century A.D. The term is believed to have been
shortened to Purballoi, Purvalli, or Purvada Halli or Old Village. To-
day the city has grown immensely on account of several conducive
factors and is therefore divided into "Hale Hubbali" (Old Hubli) or also
known as 'Rayara Hubali' or the town which existed during the times
of the Vijayanagar Emperors and “Hosa Hubbali"( New Hubli) which
grew later during the times of the later rulers of the region, including
the British.
On account of its location on the flat plains of the Deccan
Plateau, Hubli has a warm and healthy climate. The summer is
generally hot, with the maximum temperature rising in April and May.
The average temperature experienced by the city is 86.8F. The
minimum temperature is in the month of December when the
temperature cools down to about 67.9 F. The average annual speed of
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wind is about 7 miles per hour. Hubli City had its first civic body in
1885. It was upgraded as a Borough Municipality in 1925. Today the
total area administered by the Corporation. is about 183.49 Sq.Kms.
The British introduced a railway in the later half of the 19th century
called the Madras and Southern Maharashtra Railway (M& S M) in
order to transport grains to the region and prevent the frequent
famines that area was subjected to, due to scanty rainfall. At first the
headquarters of the new Railways was at Dharwad but in1882, with
the introduction of a Railway workshop the Office of the Railways was
shifted to Hubli. The introduction of the Railway line linking Bombay
and Bangalore gave a fillip to industrial and business activities in the
city, especially with regard to the sale of cotton. Hubli began to have
one of the biggest cotton markets in the region.
In 1844 Captain Wingate found Hubli to have a population of
not less than 33,000 with long established banking activities and
trading firms which did business with Bombay and Madras. Further
the city was also the hub of religious activities for the predominant
Veerashaiva Lingayat community. The Mursavira Matha a preeminent
monastery or Matha was founded in the city during the 12th century
A.D. Besides this there are also other monasteries such as the
Hosamatha, Kalyanamatha, Ole Matha, Rudrakshi matha, Hannerdu
matha, and Neelkantha matha. However the Murasaivra matha is one
of the most important monasteries of the North Karnataka region and
play an active role not only in the promotion of religious activities
among the Lingayats of the region, but also takes an important role in
promoting social, religious and educational activities.
THE HUBLI MUNICIPAL COUNCIL
Under the provisions of Section 26 of the Government of India
Act of 1850 Hubli Town Municipal council consisting of only 18
members was established in the year 1855. The District Collector used
to work as the President of the Council while other members served as
council members. The Government upto the year 1883 appointed all
64
of them. After 1883 the first elections were held for Hubli Town
municipal council. A total of nine members were elected to the
Municipal council while the other nine members were used to be from
the official cadres of various district administrative bodies, who were
ex-office-members of the municipal council. The president was
appointed only from the elected members of the council and the
practice of appointing the president was given up in 1907 with the
practice of electing president to the Municipal council coming into
force.
The first elected president was a man from the British
Administration of India. In the year 1925, the method of adult
franchise came into practice and also separate member
constituencies. The Hubli town municipal council area was classified
into seven Non-Muslim and three Muslims member constituencies. In
the year 1948 the municipal council was re-organized and the
Government dissolved the separate member constituencies. At the
same time the total membership of the councilors was to forty two out
of these forty two seats, seven seats were reserved: four for women
and three for SC candidates. From June 1939 upto 1944 and from
October 1958 to 1962 the Government and all the powers superseded
the Municipal council and the Government assumed functions of the
Municipal council itself. In the year in which it became the municipal
council. It had an area of 16.40 sq. km covered under its jurisdiction
with a population of 35278 and an income of RS 6854 and
expenditure of RS 37550. The total expenditure on employees in terms
of salary was Rs. 3310 (H.D.M.C 1972), which was a big bill by
standard at that time. Hubli has developed as the hub of commercial
and business activities since it has many basic infrastructual
amenities.
The city has a Railway junction, which connects it with many
other big cities in the country. There is also an airport, which
connects it with Bombay and Bangalore. The city has also developed
65
as an important educational center with several schools and colleges.
The Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) is one of the
earliest and preeminent medical college and hospital.
DEVELOPMENT OF HUBLI-DHARWAD :
In order to promote the development of the two cities that are so
near to one another, the Government of Karnataka merged the two
Municipalities together in the year 1962. The joint civic body came to
be thence known as Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation or H.D.M
C. When both the cities were brought under single urban authority in
1962 the geographical area covered was about 52 square k.m.
However, consequent to the inclusion of several villages between
Hubli-Dharwad, owing to these villages having developed urban
characteristics, the total geographical area now stands at 181 square
kilometer in 1991.
The geographical out growth of Hubli-Dharwad began to occur
in a span of just 30 years. The ever-widening geographical area
covered under this urban agglomeration indicates the extent of which
various economic and service activities that has been established over
a period of time. In their urban environment, have been able to attract
people from far of places to persue their various interests. After the
formation of Hubli-Dharwad Municipal corporation area, 21 villages of
Hubli taluk came into the corporation jurisdiction in 1964. Thus in
1992-93 the area of the corporation on was 181.77 square kilometers.
Geographically this corporation is biggest in Karnataka. The twin -city
Hubli-Dharwad urban agglomeration is very important from the point
of its strategic location and economic importance to North Karnataka
in particular and Karnataka State and India in general. At the regional
also, both Hubli and Dharwad are important marketing centers for
agricultural produce for the surrounding.
The city of Dharwad has a Tuesday market, which is very
popular and important as a commercial market for the sale of cattle,
repair of tractors and the selling vegetables and grains. Similarly
66
Hubli has a Wednesday market, which caters to the people from
villages surrounding Hubli. Also Hubli City has an Agricultural
Produce and Marketing Corporation (APMC) yard. In Karnataka State,
next to the mega city of Bangalore, which is also the capital of
Karnataka state, Hubli-Dharwad is the biggest urban agglomeration
with a population of 6.47lakhs, and the population is projected to
cross a million mark by 2001 A.D. (Census of India, 1991). The twin
cities have several villages along the 22 kilometers stretch between
them. These villages are gradually assuming urban characteristics on
account of their proximity of these two urban centers. These villages
which are very close to either Hubli or Dharwad all along the National
Highway No.4 have been brought under one urban authority with the
formation of the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation. An
unprecedented increase in the traffic all along this urban stretch in
recent times has led to the decision for building a by pass road to the
National Highway No.4 for diverting traffic on the highway.
With the completion of this bye pass road, which is parallel at a
7 kilometers distance from the existing road, which passes through
the city, the heavy vehicular and direct traffic is prevented from
entering the congested cities by diverting it on this by pass road. With
the construction of this by pass road, the urban growth expansion is
likely to move in this direction in due course of time. With this, the
existing linear structure of urban growth of the twin cities will change
to some extent as the urban center it is likely to get widened.
POPULATION
Hubli-Dharwad is the second largest city and is next only to
Bangalore in terms of its population size and density. The growth in
population in recent times has been phenomenal due to increased
migration from surrounding small towns, villages and other regions of
Karnataka who have migrated due to the educational and employment
opportunities that the twin cities afford. The total population as
recorded in the Census of 2001 shows that the cities have a
population of 1,00,000. The Table 2.1 provides details on the decade-
wise growth of the population in the twin cities.
67
Table-2.1
DECADE WISE GROWTH OF POPULATION IN
HUBLI-DHARWAD TWIN CITIES FROM 1881 TO 2001
Year Total
Population Total Variation Variation
1881 6363161 - -
1891 83454 20293 32.12
1901 81143 2311 2.76
1911 91031 9888 12.18
1921 100992 9961 10.94
1931 124398 23406 23.17
1941 143504 19106 13.31
1951 196180 52676 36.70
1961 248489 52309 21.05
1971 379166 130677 52.58
1981 527108 147942 39.01
1991 648298 120532 22.86
2001 1000000 4032360 54.40
Source: District Census Handbook, Dharwad District Government of Kamakata, Bangalore; 1881-1991.
The population of twin cities in 1881 was 63,63,161 where as
the population in 1991 was 6, 47, 640. A detailed analysis of the
population growth of the twin cities indicates that the population has
been increasing rapidly during the four decades between 1961-1991.
In fact the demographics increase has been almost three folds during
this period. The population of twin cities increased from 2, 48, 487,
1961 to 647640 in 1991. A projected estimate of the population of the
twin cities for the year 2001 was 10,00,000 i.e. one million. In
addition to the residential population there is a large floating
population. This population visits the cities either as daily commuters
like farmers for selling their products, businessmen for commercial
transactions, and people from various taluk places and villages for
68
commercial and official transactions. Besides, there are also a large
number of students who reside in hostels and rented accommodations
who come from other cities and rural areas to pursue education.
In the wake of this increase in the population size, the number
of commercial establishments in the cities has increased steadily. The
density of population in Hubli-Dharwad agglomeration is 14:42
persons per square acre of area (Census 1991). The area covered
under the urban limits is so vast (182-sq. km) that the city has to be
divided into several divisions for efficient 'administration. The
distribution of population is not uniform. In some wards in the central
parts of these twin cities the density is quite high. As a result the
geographical density in this region is quite high unlike in the outer
rings of the cities where the density is quite low. About 33 wards in
the centre of the two cities contain slums, and such localities are
known for their filth and squalor. The slums in the two cities account
for nearly 60 in number, which are identified by the Slum Clearance
Board of the State Government. The population in slums in the twin
cities account for nearly 8.66 (56.100) per cent of the total population
with a density of 292.74 persons per square area (H.D.M.C: 1972).
The Hubli-Dharwad urban agglomeration has been witnessing a
rapid industrial and commercial growth, consequently attracting large
influx of immigrants from far and near who have migrated in search of
greener pastures for finding jobs, business opportunities or for
establishing service activities and so on. The population of Hubli-
Dharwad twin cities has increased ten folds during the span of 110
years beginning with 1881 up 1991 as the following table indicates.
The population was 648298 in 1991 and the number of households
was 1,10,700. As in 1993-94 the number of non- residential houses
was 12650 in Hubli and 10,783 in Dharwad. As in 1993-94 the per
capita income expenditure and per capita tax burden was Rupees 284,
Rs. 311 and Rs. 73 respectively.
69
LITERACY RATE OF DHARWAD DISTRICT
Dharwad district includes many urban and educational centers
like Dharwad and Hubli, Gadag, Nargund, Navalgund, Naregal, Haveri
Ranebennur etc. Naturally the literacy rate of the district is higher as
compared to other districts of the state. The Table 2.2 gives the
literacy rate in the Dharwad District.
Table 2.2
Literacy Rate in Dharwad District 1961-1991
Year Population Female Male Total
1961 54.30 30.88 57.30 44.69%
1971 59.62 34.04 60.81 49.96%
1981 59.61 42.37 62.37 52.61%
1991 70.20 50.26 67.04 70.20%
From the above table it is evident that there is a steady rise in
the literacy rate in the District. While it was only 44.69 per cent in the
year 1961, it now stands at 70.20 per cent. The next table 2.3 gives
the literacy rate in percentage.
Table 2.3
Literacy Rate in India-1901-1991
Year Literacy Rate in
Percentage
1901 10.1
1911 27.5
1921 32.5
1931 36.43
1941 39.62
1951 44.60
1961 54.30
1971 59.62
1981 60.02
1991 62.05
Source : 1. Census of India 1901 to 1971, Vol. XI, Part II, A general population table Mysore, 1975, Page 105.
70
GROWTH OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES IN TWIN CITIES
Growth of Industry: It may be said confidently that for the economic
growth of an area, the establishment of industrial centers becomes a
precondition for industrialization of the region. The Population of the
twin cities in 1991 is considerably large as compared to the
Population in 1881. Thus, over a period of a century the Population
has grown phenomenally due to the growth of industries. This has led
to urbanization and the population has been increasing as a
consequence of migration from the surrounding areas, not only for
education but also for the employment opportunities that the urban
region provides. Industrialization and urbanization has also led to a
general improvement in the standard of living of the people.
Not very long ago the northern region of Karnataka state was
considered industrially backward. The government perceived the twin
cities of Hubli and Dharwad as the ideal region for attracting
industrial investment. Hence the Government of Karnataka declared
the region as industrially backward and announced a package of
incentives to attract investment from industrialists. In the 1960s, the
Kirloskar Company, a private industrial unit, was in existence. This
industry had two units, one at Rayapur and the other at Gokul
industrial extensions of the city. It was the main provider for
employment opportunities for educated youths in the north Karnataka
region. This industry also encouraged many small-scale entrepreneurs
to provide ancillary parts to the unit.
However over a few decades the industrial unit began to face
losses and was on the verge of closure. It is during this period that the
State Government stepped in, to provide more jobs for educated
youths by declaring two regions for setting up industrial units very
close to the twin cities. One is situated towards to the north of
Dharwad city and is known as “Belur Industrial Estate" and the other,
adjoining Hubli city and is called the “Gokul Industrial Estate".
Recently the Government has started a third industrial area, which is
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located between the twin cities and is called the "Tarihal industrial
center". These industrial centers are bridging the gap between the two
cities, which were once vacant areas or had small villages. The
Kirloskar Company finally closed down its unit in the 1990s leaving a
large number of people unemployed, but fortunately by this time
alternate employment opportunities were available with the creation of
the Industrial estates by the Government. The recently established
KIADA Industrial centers at Belur 15 km away from Dharwad, on
Poona-Bangalore road is boosting the industrial production and
employment generation in the twin cities.
Various private and government under takings have invested
several of crores of rupees in these areas and have provided
employment to several thousands of workers who are not only from
the twin cities but who have also migrated from the surrounding
regions. These Industrial estates have been occupied not only by large
multinational companies such as Brooke Bond Tea, Wheel Detergents,
Gas bottling Company, etc but also by several small scale
entrepreneurs who make ancillary parts, as also manufacture other
items for the local and outside market. Very recently the Government
has provided facilities for establishing a Technology Park at Hubli city
with a view to make it the information center for the northern region
of Karnataka state. Due to these steps undertaken by the
Government, the cities of Hubli and Dharwad are slowly registering
their name on the industrial map of India and have also been
providing employment opportunities for the educated youths who
would have to otherwise go to other cities in the country for jobs.
TRADE AND COMMERCE
The twin cities are major commercial centers on the National
map of India. Hubli is known as major business center of North
Karnataka, whereas Dharwad is known as the center of education.
Various items like iron and steel, construction materials, vehicles.
stationery, house holds utensil, provisions, clothes, electrical, and
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electronics products plastic items etc are sold on whole sale basis,
meeting the requirements of people in the region. The average
transaction amounts to two crores of rupees. This provides
opportunity to the local people to get employment.
Service : A large number of services like garages for vehicles, petrol
station, hospital available in the city. Many specialized consultants in