Karnataka to develop three new industrial hubs

The government has identified Chitradurga-Davanagere, Hubballi-Dharwad and Belagavi for development of new industrial clusters to decongest Bengaluru

The Karnataka government has planned to develop three new industrial townships along the Bengaluru Mumbai Industrial Corridor. The move, apart from developing various parts of the state, will also help decongest Bengaluru city, a top state government official said.

"The government has identified three clusters in Chitradurga-Davanagere, Hubballi-Dharwad and Belagavi along the Bengaluru-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. The government of India has agreed to support these clusters," said Ratna Prabha, additional chief secretary, department of commerce and industries.

She said the government has a land bank of 40,000 acres available for allotment for industrial purposes. The government has also identified 12,500 acres at Tumakuru for developing a National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ), she told at the annual members' meeting of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), here today.

A lot of industries have come forward to establish their plants at Vasanth Narasapur, where a node on the Chennai-Bengaluru-Chitradurga corridor is identified. The Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers Association has asked for 500 acres land for setting up a Machine Tool Park. Japanese and Germany companies want to develop their clusters there, she said.

"The government has also decided to reduce application fee by 50 per cent for new industrial projects, which will help the small and medium scale industries," she said.

The department of commerce and industries has moved a cabinet note in this regard and waiting for the approval, she said.

Currently, the state government charges between Rs 20,000 to Rs 30 lakh as application fee depending on the size of the investment.

The state government is keen on developing other parts of the state and decongest Bengaluru city, she said adding that special incentives would be provided to those who are ready to set up industries outside the state capital. The government is creating good infrastructure facilities in places like Hubballi, Dharwad, Mangaluru, Belagavi, Yadgir and Vijayapura among others.

Ratna Prabha said the government has acquired 3,300 acres land at Yadgir in north Karnataka for industrial development. Land prices will be finalized in about a week's time. Already, major companies like Hindustan Coca Cola have shown interest to establish manufacturing facilities in Yadgir. About 500 acres will be earmarked for a pharma park at Yadgir, she said adding that recently some 50 pharma companies from Hyderabad have expressed their willingness to relocate to Yadgir. A textile park is also being developed at Yadgir, she added.

To make things easy for investors coming to the state, the department has simplified application process by making one common application form for ten departments. This will enable industries to take key approvals through online portal. The Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board has been told to upload on their website information about the land available across the state with survey numbers, she said.

To fast track approval process, investment proposals up to Rs 100 crore will be approved by chief secretary of the state and large investment proposals above Rs 100 crore will be cleared by the committee headed by chief minister, she added.