| Industrial corridor: 19 firms show interest | |
| Mahesh Kulkarni / Chennai/ Bangalore June 16, 2009, 0:27 IST | |
Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS), KPMG, Infrastructure Development Corporation Karnataka Ltd (iDeCK) and IDBI are among the 19 companies that have evinced interest in providing consultancy services to Karnataka on developing the proposed industrial corridors along National Highways 4 and 17 to attract investment and create employment opportunities for people in North Karnataka.
According to Murugesh Nirani, Karnataka’s minister for large and medium industries, the industrial corridors will be developed on the public-private partnership model.
Recently, the state government had invited an expression of interest from reputed consultancy firms to prepare detailed project report and advise the state government on the model to execute the new industrial corridor projects.
“Apart from these two Indian companies we have also received a proposal from an internationally-reputed foreign agency to participate in the project. We are evaluating their proposals and will soon finalise the bids,” Nirani told Business Standard.
The industrial corridors are planned along the Chennai-Mumbai national highways via Bangalore, Davanagere, Hubli, Belgaum and Pune. Cities falling on the National Highways NH-4 and NH-17 like Bangalore to Belgaum will be developed as a major corridor and Bangalore to Bidar on NH-17, Shimoga to Davanagere and Shimoga to Mangalore. It has been planned to create industrial townships in seven sectors like steel, cement, textile, automobile, food processing, oil & chemicals and fertiliser.
The minister said cement industries will be encouraged in Gulbarga, Bagalkot and Chitradurga, iron and steel industries in Bellary, Koppal and Tumkur. Automobile industries will be promoted in Belgaum, Hubli and Mysore. Meanwhile, Bangalore will be promoted further as a preferred destination for information technology and biotechnology, electronics and general engineering. He said, basic infrastructure will be upgraded in these cities to enable industry to progress. Star category industries will be provided facilities including residential townships and other infrastructure.
In addition, Nirani said centres of horticulture like Bagalkot, Bijapur, Belgaum, Shimoga districts could have food processing units.
A foundry zone will be developed in Belgaum. The government is in the process of identifying 500 acres on the outskirts of Belgaum for the proposed foundry park. Land acquisition is in progress, he said.
Nirani said the government will also complete the land acquisition process before holding the long-pending Global Investors Meet (GIM) in Bangalore in December.
The GIM will be held in December this year. The government is in the process of finalising the knowledge partner, event partner and media partner for the event.
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