Karnataka to spend Rs 6,000 cr on Bangalore's infra: CM

State would acquire about 12,000 acres of land at Tumkur, create an ecosystem for orderly growth of the industry with linkages and support system

The Karnataka government would invest Rs 6,000 crore during the present financial year (2013-14) to improve the infrastructure facilities in Bangalore, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said here today.

Addressing the national executive committee meeting of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), he said the government would provide basic infrastructure facilities and improve the existing civic amenities in Bangalore.

Promising the chambers of his full support to facilitate investments in the manufacturing and services sectors, the chief minister said the state government would reduce impediments in doing business across the state.

"To give growth the required buoyancy, infrastructure requires immediate attention. We will ensure that power projects both in conventional and non-conventional sectors, will be implemented faster. We are in the process of getting coal block allocations. We expect Karnataka to be a power surplus state by 2017," Siddaramaiah added. Assuring the industry of all the help, he said the departments would provide all clearances in a timely manner so that projects can be implemented quickly, Siddaramaiah asserted in his special address on 'Development Plans for Karnataka'.

"The last couple of years have not been too kind to the industry. The economic crisis, continued recession in global markets has affected growth of the Indian economy. The growth in manufacturing sector recorded 2.5 per cent in the quarter-ended March. To reduce impediments in doing business, I wish to make single window system more effective," he said.

Nearly Rs 32,000 crore would be invested in Metro and Sub-urban railway system in the coming years in Bangalore. "At the same time, we will also develop quality infrastructure, to make Tier-II towns attractive investment destinations," he said. The state government will acquire about 12,000 acres of land at Tumkur, about 70-km from Bangalore, create an ecosystem for orderly growth of the industry with linkages and support system.

As envisaged in the National Manufacturing Policy, the state government would develop National Investment Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) in Tumkur in about 12,000 acres of land. The state government is also trying to get approval for two more NIMZs in Gulbarga and Kolar, he said. FICCI president and HSBC Bank country head Naina Lal Kidwai, FICCI senior vice-president Sidharth Birla and secretary-general A Didar Singh and Karnataka state council chairman Avinash Vashishtha were present on the occasion.