North Karnataka cannot cry hoarse this time

North Karnataka cannot cry hoarse this time

DH News Service, Bangalore:

• North Karnataka has got a due attention in 2008-09 budget.

       A number of major infrastructure projects have been announced, including an international airport at Hubli. The Government will acquire 700 acres for this purpose.
       The twin-city, Hubli-Dharwad, has also got Rs 136 crore to implement a project to augment drinking water. He has also assured to speed up construction of Kalasa Banduri Canal for supply of drinking water to the twin cities. The airport at Belgaum will be expanded and 370 acres land will be acquired for this purpose.
      This apart, Yeddyurappa has promised to allocate Rs 700 crore to develop seven major cities -- Hubli-Dharwad, Belgaum, Gulbarga, Davanagere, Bellary, besides Mysore and Mangalore.

      As for the railway project, new rail line will be laid between Bidar and Gulbarga, Munirabad and Mehaboobnagar, Kotturu and Harihar and gauge conversion of Sholapur-Bagalkot-Gadag will be taken up.
The budget has provided financial assistance of Rs 50 crore to the ailing North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation. Truck terminals will be established in Hubli-Dharwad, Belgaum and Bellary.
Bangalore one centres, which are one-stop shop for citizens to avail the services of various utility providers, will also be established in twin cities of Hubli-Dharwad, Gulbarga, Belgaum, Bellary, Mysore and Mangalore.

Happy days for Industry too

TEAM TOI

Other promises

• New industrial policy

Samrudda Karnataka Global Investors Meet in Bangalore

Vision group for industrialization

Improved roads to reach mining areas, and levy toll on vehicles plying on these roads

A sum of Rs 2 crore for setting up a food processing park in Shimoga. Similar parks in Malur, Bagalkot, Hiriyur and Jewargi

   The government has devised ways to decentralize industrial development. The budget announced that a government-run export-import corporate office will be set up in Hubli — a first-of-its-kind experiment in the state. Presently, the state’s import-export statistics are managed by the commerce and industries department in Bangalore.
   The government has named the proposed Bangalore-Mumbai industrial corridor as Suvarna Karnataka industrial corridor. The corridor, connecting from Chennai, will be set up on the lines of the Mumbai-Delhi industrial corridor. Propelled by the Centre showing interest on the CBM corridor, for which a feasibility report is being conducted, CM Yeddyurappa said the proposed CBM corridor will have 8-lane roads: Bidar-Bangalore via Chitradurga; Tumkur-Honnavar via Shimoga; Chitradurga-Mangalore via Shimoga-Udupi; Bangalore-Belgaum via Davangare-Hubli. For that, the government has earmarked Rs 10 crore.

INDUSTRIAL ZONES

Based on merits of each district, the government has proposed to develop six special industrial zones on PPP model.
A steel zone will be set up in Bellary, Koppal, Raichur, Bagalkot, Haveri and Gadag districts. A cement zone will be set up in Gulbarga, Bagalkot, Chitradurga and Belgaum districts. A food zone will be established in Bangalore Rural, Kolar, Shimoga, Bagalkot, Bijapur and Davangere districts. An IT/BT zone will be established in Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Belgaum, Shimoga and Gulbarga. An automobile zone will be set up in Ramanagaram, Shimoga and Hubli-Dharwad; Bangalore Rural, Tumkur, Kolar, Mandya, Belgaum and Bidar.
In the next one year, the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB), the nodal agency for industrial development in the state, will spend Rs 500 crore for the purpose.

BSY logs into rural areas, moots IT, BT zones

BSY logs into rural areas, moots IT, BT zones

SHIFT IN FOCUS

TEAM TOI

   Tech capital Bangalore draws a blank. No promises in the budget — be it infrastructure or incentives that would build investor confidence and bring businesses to Bangalore.
   There’s consolation, though: a slew of business development activities is proposed for rural Karnataka. “But again, the proof of the pudding is in doing things on the ground,’’ said an industry observer.
   Anant R Koppar, CEO, KTwo Technology Solutions, said, “The government has shown interest in removing the regional imbalance which is commendable. But nothing much for urban Karnataka.’’
   The budget proposes special zones for IT and BT sectors across Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Belgaum, Shimoga and Gulbarga. Industrial corridor projects planned include those along Bidar-Bangalore via Chitradurga, Tumkur-Honnavar via Shimoga, Chitradurga-Mangalore via Shimoga-Udupi, Bangalore-Belgaum via Davangere-Hubli.
   To spread the IT/BPO/BT segment growth, the state plans to build infrastructure at taluk level. The business would get exemption from stamp duty, reduction of registration charges and waiver of conversion fee as per the guidelines prescribed in the New Industrial Policy 2006-11.
   IT and BT parks are proposed to be set up in Hubli-Dharwad, Belgaum, Gulbarga, Shimoga, Davangere, Mangalore through joint ventures of private parties and Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board. If good infrastructure comes up, it could attract companies into those regions. The budget talks of a rural IT programme, with an allocation of Rs 5 crore, to create IT-based employment opportunities in small towns. This is expected to promote BPO services in rural areas.
   To take technology to the rural masses, the government will set up a pilot project in Bellary, Chitradurga and Gulbarga.

International Airport at Hubli

International Airport at Hubli

TEAM TOI

   The state is all set to have a second international airport. B S Yeddyurappa promised to acquire necessary land to upgrade the Hubli airport to international standards. The budget also promises expansion of Belgaum and Mangalore airports.
   “Steps are being taken to acquire additional land for development of Mysore airport. Similarly, airports at Bijapur, Gulbarga, Shimoga and Hassan will be developed on a public-private-partnership basis,’’ he said.
   The state government will establish airstrips in districts that have airports. To give tourism an impetus, Yeddyurappa proposed to spend Rs 40 crore to develop 10 airstrips at Rs 4 crore each in various districts which do not have airports.
   Promising to take necessary steps to quickly improve road connectivity to the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA), the government said it released state support of Rs 295 crore and equity of Rs 48 crore to BIAL.