Nrupatunga all set to beckon picnickers

Nrupatunga all set to beckon picnickers

Vincent D'Souza, TNN 31 August 2009, 10:21pm IST

HUBLI: It's time to make some changes in your weekly schedule now. For, the picturesque Nrupatunga Hill - standing tall on the north-eastern fringes of the commercial city - is getting spruced up to provide a perfect destination for lovelorn souls, children, joggers and sightseers.

The 15-acre sprawling hilltop has been landscaped with inter-locking tiled pathway flanked by flower and ornamental plants, green turf and attractive streetlights.

A wooden-like cement fencing alongside the pathway, chirping of birds nesting on trees, dummies of animals and birds, colourful butterflies, artificial waterfall and fountains give a wild touch to the garden. The presence of century-old Syed Hazrat Shah Khadri dargah and Revu Mata Temple in one corner of the hill give religious touch. The children's park, rock gardens and canteen make it an ideal picnic spot.

The entrance is marked by a huge gate flanked by red wall with artificial tree lowering on top of the gate. A circular ticket counter is coming up near the entrance. Visitors can rest on the benches placed all over the garden. Attractive dustbins will help the garden to be litter-free.

The hillock provides a panoramic view of KSCA cricket stadium in Rajnagar, BVB College, Naveen Hotel, KIMS campus, Gangubai Hangal Music Academy, Hubli APMC, Hubli Airport and Unkal Lake which are miles away.

C V Manjunath of Dharwad Nirmiti Kendra, who is in charge of the development works there, said 95% of the works have been completed and the park will be open to visitors in a week's time.

He said an entry fee of Rs 10 or 15 will be collected from the visitors for the upkeep of the only picnic spot in the city. He said the monthly maintenance cost of the park, involving power, gardening, and security runs up to Rs 1.50 lakh.

Tata Motors assures Karnataka it is in race for second Nano plant

Tata Motors assures Karnataka it is in race for second Nano plant

Business Standard September 01, 2009, 1:04 IST

Bangalore: Karnataka may have narrowly lost the race for housing Tata Motors’ Nano car plant but that is not stopping the southern state from nursing ambitions of winning the second round of the same race. It was late last year when Tata Motors announced that it would set up the first plant for producing the Rs 1-lakh car at Gujarat’s Sanand rather than Karnataka’s Dharwad, among other places.

Now, if all goes well, Karnataka will get a chance to play host to Tata Motors’ proposed second Nano car plant in South India. The state government has been assured by the company that Dharwad will be a preferred choice for the company’s plans to expand its Nano manufacturing capacity into South India.

The state government, in turn, has assured the company that it will provide the required land as well as tax concessions, similar to those offered by the Gujarat government, for setting up the second Nano car plant, Karnataka minister for medium and large industries Murugesh R Nirani said.

“When Tata Motors initially came to inspect Dharwad, we had offered them 600 acres within 24 hours and had assured another 400 acres in three months. But the company chose to go to Gujarat for reasons best known to them. However, they have told us, for expansion of their Nano car capacity, they will consider Dharwad and we have promised them all possible help,” he told Business Standard.

Nirani added the state government recently acquired 2,500 acres at Dharwad, adjacent to the existing Tata Motors’ bus plant, where the company had intended to set up the Nano plant. Tata Motors had indicated a requirement of around 1,000 acres.

“We have already discussed this with the company’s higher officials. They have plans to set up one more plant in South India for producing the Nano car and they want to do it in Dharwad because it is closer to Pune, where they have a major presence. Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata has invited us for further talks in this regard and we will soon meet him,” Nirani said.

Tata is currently manufacturing the Nano at their plant in Pantnagar. Its dedicated Nano car plant will be operational at Sanand in Gujarat by early 2010.

At Dharwad, Tata Motors currently operates two plants to manufacture construction equipment under the Telcon brand name. It also produces buses in a joint venture with Brazil’s Marcopolo. So far, it has acquired 600 acres and employs around 3,500 workers in both the plants. The company has invested close to Rs 500 crore in its bus plant, which started commercial production in January this year.

In addition to Tata’s Nano car plant, the state government is also in talks with Korea’s car maker Hyundai Motors and the domestic utility vehicle major, Mahindra and Mahindra, for locating their new plants in Karnataka.

Recently, the state government approved an additional investment proposal of Rs 800 crore by Toyota Kirloskar Motors at Bidadi, near Bangalore. The government is also planning to hold a special meeting with the automobile industry very soon in Bangalore, as a precursor to its forthcoming global investors’ meet scheduled to be held in January 2010, Nirani added.