Karnataka to build tier II cities
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NDTV Profit.com
NDTV Correspondent
Tuesday, May 2, 2006 (Bangalore):
Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy has said that his government is not in a position to sanction any more land to industries due to a shortage of land and that IT companies should be encouraged to move out of Bangalore to places like Mysore.
Land prices in the city have gone up by more than three times, especially in the IT-corridor of Whitefield where prices have gone up from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,500 per sq foot in the last two years.
"I am not ignoring the IT sector. People who work in small-scale industries are facing a lot of problems. In that light I discussed some issues requesting them to go for second-rate cities," said Kumaraswamy.
Industry experts however say that this could be a good move but only if the government is keen on developing Tier II cities like Mysore, Dharwad, Hubli.
Recently approved projects like the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor show the government's keenness to tackle only Bangalore's infrastructure woes.
"Clearly I think this is a good move if IT companies take up their expansion plans in the Tier II cities. The cost is approximately 30 per cent lower than in Tier I cities. So it clearly would also get them to be far more profitable," said Prashant Singhal, Director, EnY.
First complaints of bad infrastructure and then government apathy leading to projects like SemIndia going to Hyderabad, if the government is keen on attracting and more importantly retaining the investment into the state, it has to ensure that IT companies don't end up being the latest political pawn in the hands of a government looking for popular appeal.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Monday, May 01, 2006
NRIs present a strong case for Hubli-Dharwad
NRIs present a strong case for Hubli-Dharwad
From Sachin Mellegatti DH News Service Hubli:
The issue of excluding Hubli-Dharwad cities from the list of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission is not only being discussed in the State, but is also being debated world wide among the natives of these cities.
The natives of Hubli-Dharwad residing overseas have been making online representation to the President A P J Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Union Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy and Chief Minister H D Kumaaraswamy, requesting them to include Hubli-Dharwad in the JNNURM Project. They have been feeding their demands through the website: www.petitiononline.com/HDJNNURM/petition.html. Till now, more than 800 non-resident Indians of north Karnataka, have made their representations.
The central government announced the project in December 2005 aiming to provide funds to about 60 cities in the country The Centre has given its green signal to the project in March 2006. The Centre has recognised that the local self governments in cities are politically and financially weak and led to infrastructure bottlenecks and inadequacies. The project seeks to assist the selected cities to improve basic amenities such as drainage, waste disposal, congestion reduction, transportation and water resource management.
“We highly appreciate and respect the recommendations of Chief Minister Kumaaraswamy to include Hubli-Dharwad under the project. We also express our strong concern about the non-commitment of the ministers to this effect. Hubli-Dharwad now stands to lose a whopping Rs 500 crores of development funds over the next seven years,” the NRIs have said in the website.
They have stated that this is yet another case of injustice carried out by the bureaucracy, which seems to have defied the political leadership to favour one city over the other. Successive governments in the state have neglected regions outside Bangalore-Mysore belt.
However, putting in context the neglect and injustice meted out to north Karnataka in general, it is appropriate for the leaders of the region to step up efforts to secure funds for Hubli-Dharwad under JNNURM project.
“We certainly do not wish to turn this issue into a rivalry and ill-will between the cities in the state,” they opine.
From Sachin Mellegatti DH News Service Hubli:
The issue of excluding Hubli-Dharwad cities from the list of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission is not only being discussed in the State, but is also being debated world wide among the natives of these cities.
The natives of Hubli-Dharwad residing overseas have been making online representation to the President A P J Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Union Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy and Chief Minister H D Kumaaraswamy, requesting them to include Hubli-Dharwad in the JNNURM Project. They have been feeding their demands through the website: www.petitiononline.com/HDJNNURM/petition.html. Till now, more than 800 non-resident Indians of north Karnataka, have made their representations.
The central government announced the project in December 2005 aiming to provide funds to about 60 cities in the country The Centre has given its green signal to the project in March 2006. The Centre has recognised that the local self governments in cities are politically and financially weak and led to infrastructure bottlenecks and inadequacies. The project seeks to assist the selected cities to improve basic amenities such as drainage, waste disposal, congestion reduction, transportation and water resource management.
“We highly appreciate and respect the recommendations of Chief Minister Kumaaraswamy to include Hubli-Dharwad under the project. We also express our strong concern about the non-commitment of the ministers to this effect. Hubli-Dharwad now stands to lose a whopping Rs 500 crores of development funds over the next seven years,” the NRIs have said in the website.
They have stated that this is yet another case of injustice carried out by the bureaucracy, which seems to have defied the political leadership to favour one city over the other. Successive governments in the state have neglected regions outside Bangalore-Mysore belt.
However, putting in context the neglect and injustice meted out to north Karnataka in general, it is appropriate for the leaders of the region to step up efforts to secure funds for Hubli-Dharwad under JNNURM project.
“We certainly do not wish to turn this issue into a rivalry and ill-will between the cities in the state,” they opine.
Night flights from Hubli to take wings soon
Major thrust on airport facilities boost for North Karnataka
Night flights from Hubli to take wings soon
From Shyam Sundar Vattam DH News Service Hubli:
All seems to be going well for the development of Hubli Airport. The day is not far for the introduction of night flights from Hubli, which is one of the long-pending demands of people of this region.
The airport authorities have already taken up preparation for providing night landing facility at the airport and it is expected to be completed by May 31. Besides, renovation of the lounge and passenger’s arrival and departure section in the airport is at the finishing stage. Once it is completed, it will definitely give a new look to the front elevation of the airport. At present, only smaller aircrafts are being operated on the Bangalore-Hubli-Belgaum route. but, there is a great demand for introduction of additional flights on the Bangalore-Hubli-Mumbai route.
According to sources, Air Deccan is learnt to have agreed to introduce night services from Hubli from June 1, provided the work on night landing facility had been completed by that time. At present, Air Deccan has been operating one smaller aircraft on the Bangalore-Hubli-Belgaum route. Three to four months ago, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) submitted a proposal to the state government seeking allotment of 177 acre additional land for taking up expansion activities. Subsequently, it submitted another proposal to the government wanting 390 acres of land.
The government had asked the principal secretary to find out how much land the AAI required for expansion activities, since it wrote two letters. Once the AAI authorities clarifies this, the district administration would go ahead with its work of acquiring an additional 390 acres on Gokul Road. As of now, the airport was situated on 357 acres and seeking sanction of an additional 390 acres would definitely change the very look of the airport. The AAI had a lot of projects in the pipeline for overall development of the airport for enabling landing and take-off of bigger aircrafts.
Recently, Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister B S Yediyurappa directed Dharwad Deputy Commissioner M S Srikar to hasten the process of acquisition of land as sought by the AAI. This clearly indicates the government’s keen interest in the development of this airport.
Investors’ meet
An official told Deccan Herald that such positive steps are required for the growth of north Karnataka region. The government is holding the investors’ meet in Hubli on May 20 with the intention of attracting investment in the IT section in this region.
The captains of reputed IT companies wish to have good air connectivity with both Bangalore and Mumbai from Hubli and all measures being initiated by the government would definitely help to attract IT companies to north Karnataka.
The government had agreed to spend any amount on acquisition of an additional 390 acres and this would help the AAI to take up expansion work at the earliest.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Mani Ratnam to shoot vintage train scene
Mani Ratnam to shoot vintage train scene
The Newindpress.com
Saturday April 29 2006 12:32 IST
HUBLI: A vintage steam engine and coaches hired to shoot a scene for Mani Ratnam’s latest Hindi film, ‘Guru’, starring Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, is expected to arrive at Hubli railway station on Friday evening.
The crew will shoot a song sequence, besides a scene on the moving vintage train, between Somapur and Banapur (19 km) in the Hubli railway division on Saturday and Sunday.
AVRK Sainath, public relations officer, South Western Railway, Hubli, told this website’s newspaper that shooting was scheduled to begin on Friday but was postponed for a day as the diesel locomotive that had to haul the vintage train from Delhi, had halted in Pune due to some technical problems.
The steam engine has been hired from the Railway Museum at Delhi at Rs 1 lakh per day.
Explaining the arrangements made to smoothen rail traffic between Somapur and Banapur section on the day of shooting, Sainath said rail traffic might not be disrupted on Saturday and Sunday on the said lines of the Hubli railway division as Mani Ratnam and his crew had been asked to shoot till it was time for the next train to arrive and then move the steam engine and train to another line. After the scheduled train leaves the station, the steam engine would be brought back to continue the shooting, he added.
Mani Ratnam’s crew has been shooting for the past week in the backdrop of the historical locations of Badami and Aihole, on the banks of a lake in Muchakhandi village near Bagalkot and in Halakatti’s century-old bungalow of Bagalkot.
According to sources, the Somapur railway station has been undergoing a huge makeover to create the scene of 1857.
People in the Somapur-Banapur area are eagerly awaiting to have a glimpse of Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan.
The Newindpress.com
Saturday April 29 2006 12:32 IST
HUBLI: A vintage steam engine and coaches hired to shoot a scene for Mani Ratnam’s latest Hindi film, ‘Guru’, starring Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, is expected to arrive at Hubli railway station on Friday evening.
The crew will shoot a song sequence, besides a scene on the moving vintage train, between Somapur and Banapur (19 km) in the Hubli railway division on Saturday and Sunday.
AVRK Sainath, public relations officer, South Western Railway, Hubli, told this website’s newspaper that shooting was scheduled to begin on Friday but was postponed for a day as the diesel locomotive that had to haul the vintage train from Delhi, had halted in Pune due to some technical problems.
The steam engine has been hired from the Railway Museum at Delhi at Rs 1 lakh per day.
Explaining the arrangements made to smoothen rail traffic between Somapur and Banapur section on the day of shooting, Sainath said rail traffic might not be disrupted on Saturday and Sunday on the said lines of the Hubli railway division as Mani Ratnam and his crew had been asked to shoot till it was time for the next train to arrive and then move the steam engine and train to another line. After the scheduled train leaves the station, the steam engine would be brought back to continue the shooting, he added.
Mani Ratnam’s crew has been shooting for the past week in the backdrop of the historical locations of Badami and Aihole, on the banks of a lake in Muchakhandi village near Bagalkot and in Halakatti’s century-old bungalow of Bagalkot.
According to sources, the Somapur railway station has been undergoing a huge makeover to create the scene of 1857.
People in the Somapur-Banapur area are eagerly awaiting to have a glimpse of Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan.
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