Bidar likely to get HAL's helicopter unit

Karnataka Chief minister Jagadish Shettar has requested the Union minister for defence A K Antony to speed up the process of setting up helicopter manufacturing division at Bidar.

The ministry of defence had proposed to establish the helicopter manufacturing division at Bidar by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The ministry had entrusted the job of identifying the land for the project to HAL. The state cabinet had approved the proposal of the defence ministry and request for allotting land in the state at its meeting held on April 12, 2012. “The state government is ready to allot the required land at guidance value. We have identified 384.34 acres in Bidar in one stretch adjacent to the present Air Force Station and also committed to provide electricity and water for setting up the helicopter manufacturing division at Bidar by HAL,” Shettar said in a letter to Antony.

He requested the union minister to direct the concerned officers in the ministry and HAL to process the proposal of the ministry speedily and take immediate necessary action for setting up of the helicopter manufacturing division at Bidar.

Presently, the Indian Air Force is having an air base with Jet and Hawks Training Centre at Bidar. The proposed helicopter division would further help boost the economy of Bidar district, which is one of the backward districts in Hyderabad-Karnataka region, the chief minister added. In another letter written to C P Joshi, minister for road transport and highways, Shettar has requested for inclusion of Annigeri-Ramanagar road via Navalgund and Hebsur stretching up to 111 kms for upgradation to national highway. The road runs in Dharwad, Belgaum and Uttar Kannada districts on north Karnataka and connects Goa.

This road also inter-connects the already existing national highways of NH-63, NH-218, NH-4 and NH-4A in the region. It provides shortest route to the world heritage centres in Badami, Aihole, Pattadakallu and Hampi to the Goa from where the foreign tourists visit these places, Shettar said in his letter.