Hubli all set for Incomex-2007

Hubli all set for Incomex-2007
The Newindpress.com
Wednesday January 24 2007 11:18 IST

HUBLI: Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI), Hubli has started preparations for the industrial exhibition ‘Incomex-07’, a mega event of the industrial sector in the region. The event is held once in five years.

President of KCCI S I Munavalli, in a press release issued here on Tuesday, said that the booking for nearly 400 stalls are in progress by both small and big names in industries, including Jindal Steel Works, Kirloskar, BEML, Hospet Steels, SW Railway, NWRTC, HMT, NROC, CSIR, NSIC, NABARD, SEABIRD, Kaiga, BHEL, etc.

To coincide with the exhibition, seminars and conferences have been planned on various topics, sectors viz steel and iron, readymade garments, IPRS trade work, export promotion, food processing, women entrepreneurship, vendor development, auto components etc, he said.

Special articles on steel, valves, textiles, media promotion, energy conservation, casting and forging, tourism etc will be published. Chairman of Jindal Steel Works Sajjan Jindal will be felicitated for his contribution for the industrial development of region.

Jindal has invested Rs 15,000 crore and is planning to invest Rs 12,000 crore more.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy will be inaugurating the exhibition on Febraury 25. Sriramulu, Minister for Textiles and Tourism, will be the chief guest.

Jindal, Kirloskar, Baldota, Y Mahabaleshwarappa and Sons, MLC Janardhan Reddy, Y Basavarajappa, B N Sing, CP Rangachar, Srinivas Sirurkar and other business tycoons will be present.

Netas' battle impedes growth

Netas' battle impedes growth
MANU AIYAPPA - TIMES NEWS NETWORK
25 Jan, 2007 0108hrs IST

HUBLI: When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. That's exactly what is happening in the case of the row over allotment of land to IT firms and the proposed law university.

The prolonged tussle between revenue minister Jagadish Shettar and opposition leader H K Patil over the issue has become a major stumbling block in the development of twin cities. "I don't understand why these two senior leaders are making a fuss of such a minor issue when both these projects are for the benefit of Hubli-Dharwad", some residents rued.

The row of allotting land to IT companies is brewing here since the last six months. It all started when the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation decided to allot 50 acres of land at Rayapur for IT Companies. This was after some major IT companies had evinced interest in setting up shop here.

However, former minister H K Patil, in an attempt to push through his dream project of setting up a law university, raised an objection, thus depriving investment from major IT companies.

"It is not right to change the whole plan just for the sake of one or two companies. Let them (IT firms) opt for their land wherever they want, but not at a place where it has been reserved for the law university", was Patil's contention.

His argument was that the previous government had notified the land near Rayapur for the law university and had even appointed a special officer to look into the details. Even primary and secondary education minister Basavaraj Horatti had endorsed his view at that point of time.

But he was convinced after a meeting of public representatives and officials was held in November. In the meeting, it was decided to allot the land to IT companies as several such firms wanted that land at Rayapur. Moreover, they also felt that the law university needed land of over 100 acres to set its campus.

But all these developments had little impact on H K Patil, who took up the issue at the government level. By then, the issue had also taken a political turn and district minister Jagadish Shettar, under pressure from his party men, took up the issue with renewed interest.

Due to his efforts, the cabinet finally gave its nod for allotting 50 acres of land at Rayapur to IT firms. With this, just when everyone though the dust has settled on the issue,H K Patil has once again sent ripples when he announced on Tuesday that he had made a representation to Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy seeking land at Rayapur for the law university.

To add to this, some organistions and law students have also joined hands in support of H K Patil's demand.

Twin-city roads get facelift

Twin-city roads get facelift
MANU AIYAPPA - TIMES NEWS NETWORK

18 Jan, 2007 0105hrs IST

HUBLI: The final phase of the ambitious Rs 30-crore road development programme has been initiated in the twin cities under which widening and recarpeting of roads is on full swing at various places.

The road to Sirur Park from Old PB Road and the road leading atop Nrupatunga Hill have already been widened and recarpeted, much to the joy of residents.

In fact, the road network here has seen unprecedented improvements over the past one year after the HDMC authorities accorded top priority to road development including footpaths and drains.

Under the Rs 30-crore project, which started last year, work orders were issued to contractors for resurfacing of roads and the work was divided into four phases.While the work on the first package was allotted to a Kozhikode-based company, it got stuck in a legal battle.Work under second, third and four packages were initiated barring a few roads, which are being now taken up.

Under the scheme, priority will be given to such paths which will help provide access to bus routes. Similarly, those in relatively better condition were selected for patchwork to repair potholes and depressions, officials said.

According to officials, metalling and tarring has been completed on about 100-km stretch that includes development of drainage and footpath. Another 70 km is yet to be completed.

"Though the project was long conceived, the work was delayed because of relentless monsoon and the long process for government ratification", officials explained.

Meanwhile, revenue minister Jagadish Shettar informed that the Union ministry of transport (surface) has approved a Rs 7-crore proposal to asphalt 22-km stretch between Keshwapur and Hebsur on Hubli-Bijapur highway.

He said that plans were afoot to construct eight overbridges on the 50-km NH at a cost of Rs 10.12 crore of which construction work on four bridges was nearing completion.

IT in Hubli gets jumpstart

IT in Hubli gets jumpstart
M L Kapur - TIMES NEWS NETWORK

18 Jan, 2007 0106hrs IST

HUBLI: It is all clear now for the launch of Hubli on the IT map of Karnataka as a Tier-II investment destination. The state cabinet has finally approved the proposal of Hubli Dharwad Municipal Corporation to allot 53 acres of its land to IT/ITeS companies.

Revenue and district in-charge minister Jagadish Shettar told 'The Times of India' on Wednesday that "the cabinet approved the HDMC proposal at its meeting last Thursday. The allotment letters to selected IT/ITeS companies will be issued in due course".

This welcome development for north Karnataka comes nearly eight months after the IT Investors' Meet held here in May last year to project Hubli as a Tier-II investment destination for IT/ITeS sector in view of the overstretched civic infrastructure and land scarcity in Bangalore.

Soon after the investors' meet, HDMC had set apart the land for IT/ITeS companies through a resolution unanimously adopted at its council meeting. Implementing the resolution, it had sent the proposal to the government in July 2006 for its approval.

But initially, the finance and urban development departments objected that the HDMC land couldn't be allotted at a pre-determined price. In case it is to be alienated, it has to be through open auction and not by allotment. Only the government can overrule this provision, it was contended.

Later, former law minister and opposition leader in the legislative council, H K Patil, wanted the same land at Rayapur in between Hubli and Dharwad to be alloted for the proposed Karnataka Law University, expected to become functional from the next academic session.

The HDMC's IT land allotment committee had originally recommended 25 acres of land each to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Quest. But TCS declined the offer saying its requirement was 50 acres, and that too in an IT-specific SEZ. Quest also backed out after waiting for five months.

The HDMC later recommended the allotment of land declined by TCS to some other IT/ITeS firms. The better known among them are the Bangalore-based electronics software design company Sankalp Semiconductor, and NS Infotech, a BPO start-up operating from Hubli.

It is learnt that the selected companies were being offered land at Rs 10 lakh per acre. The proposal could not be cleared at the cabinet meeting held on December 28 in view of objections from H K Patil that the land was being offered to IT/ITeS companies at "throwaway prices."

The HDMC had recommended that the land, which is totally undeveloped, be allotted at the rate of Rs 8 lakh per acre. It was based on the fact that across the road from this site KIADB is selling fully developed land at the rate of Rs 10.6 lakh per acre.