No land to develop industries

No land to develop industries
Investors Asked To Wait, State Government Stops Accepting Applications For Bangalore
S Kushala & R Jayaprakash | TNN


Bangalore: More than 100 investors are knocking on the doors of the state government, wanting to fund industrial projects in Bangalore. But it’s thumbs-down for them right now — Bangalore has run out of land for industrial use.
Udyog Mitra, the government’s single-window agency to clear industrial projects, has stopped accepting applications from potential investors looking at Bangalore as their destination. This is even as manufacturing industries, information technology and general engineering companies have been waiting for approval since the last two months. This is simply because there is no land available in the existing industrial belts.
Officials in the industries department told The Times of India that in Dobbespet and Harohalli industrial areas, Udyog Mitra will not accept project proposals until the KIADB finds suitable land for acquisition. For industrial use, the KIADB has to look for dry land that can have one crop. It cannot acquire agriculture land, forest areas or farm lands with double crops.
“There is no dry land in the area anymore. There is only well-fed farm lands, which the KIADB cannot acquire. Hence, Udyog Mitra has put on hold accepting industrial proposals,” officials explained. To accommodate the 100-odd industries waiting for approval, the KIADB needs about 600 acres. Hence the government is trying to place them in two-tier cities like Mysore, Mangalore, Hassan, Belgaum and Gulbarga. This is despite industrial land in Mysore and Mangalore also getting exhausted. “We cannot turn away big industrial houses and foreign companies. So two-tier cities are now looked at as the next best option for investment,” officials added.
“For projects cleared during the last one year, the land acquisition process for about 1,500 acres in Dobbespet and Harohalli has already been initiated. In the area, 25 per cent has to be reserved for housing, 30 per cent for roads and other infrastructure and the remaining 50 per cent has to be given to industries,’’ sources said, explaining the nitty-gritty involved in the industrial land acquisition process.
As a rule, 25 per cent of the acquired land will be reserved for residential purpose, or the “work-live’’ concept. “Majority of the people travel to the nearest city after work as there are no proper facilities to reside. Hence, allotment of land for residential purpose and creation of facilities will help them stay put close to the workplace,’’ officials explained.
PRESENT SCENARIO
Other possible places for creation of industrial areas: Kunigal, Mandya, Tumkur (can be further developed), all along the Bangalore-Hubli highway.
Existing industrial areas near Bangalore that are full: Dobbespet — 1,000 acres, Harohalli — 1,000 acres, Malur — 800 acres, Narsapura (Kolar taluk) — 700 acres.
Facilities required: Good connectivity and proximity to a city, water and drainage facilities, suitable climatic conditions.