'Most farmers okay with land acquisition'

'Most farmers okay with land acquisition'

Express News Service 11 Jan 2010 04:52:00 AM IST

HUBLI: Murugesh Nirani, Minister for Medium and Large Scale Industries has claimed that 90 percent of the farmers, whose land have been identiified for expansion of Hubli airport, had little problem with the price fixed by the district administration.

Nirani, who is also the District In- Charge Minister, was speaking to reporters here on Sunday. He alleged that there are only a few people who are opposing the government price and slammed them for blowing the issue out of proprtions.

The Minister claimed that the government had been offering ‘an appropriate and a good price’ for the land as part of acquisition for the development and expansion of Hubli airport. “As per the government’s guidelines, we are offering the farmers a price that is more than the market value. The demand by some farmers to fix price for the land on par with Bangalore and other parts of the state is not fair and not practical,” he said.

He pointed out that the development and expansion of Hubli airport would pave way for overall development of the North-Karnataka region. ‘‘This is a very important project. All have to extend support to the government in its endeavour to develop the region,” he said. Nirani appealed to the farmers to cooperate with the government in the acquisition process.

Referring to the suggestion made by some MLAs of the region to go for a separate international airport between Dharwad and Belgaum to ensure the growth of the region in the next 50 to 100 years, Nirani said that since the government had already taken the decision to develop the Hubli airport to international standards, the suggestion is not practical at this juncture.

He said that non-availability of land in Dharwad was the main reason for Tata’s Nano project not being set up in the state.

60 years of AIR station's `yeomen services' recalled

60 years of AIR station's `yeomen services' recalled

TNN, 10 January 2010, 11:37pm IST

DHARWAD: The Dharwad station of All India Radio has completed 60 years. Those who spoke at a programme here to commemorate the occasion hailed

Professor C V Venugopal recalled how the Dharwad centre of AIR remained committed to the values amidst onslaught of electronic media and said it had helped several talents to bloom.

Police commissioner Raghavendra Auradker explained how he had benefited by the AIR programmes. Hindustani vocalist Chandrashekhar Puranikmath narrated the role of AIR in honing the talents of musicians in the region.

Sateesh Parvatikar, Keerti Nidgundi and Manjula Puranik, who have secured national prize in Akashavani drama competition, were felicitated on the occasion.

Assistant station director C U Bellakki explained the path traversed by the Dharwad station. Station director Bhagawan Sahay presided.

Govt to go ahead with airport at proposed site

Govt to go ahead with airport at proposed site

TNN, 10 January 2010, 11:38pm IST

HUBLI: District minister Murugesh Nirani on Sunday reacted to the demands of farmers, who will be displaced after the expansion of Hubli airport, saying it is not correct to compare the property value of Hubli to that of Bangalore. The landlosers were asking Rs 1 crore per acre like in case of Devanahalli airport.

Speaking to reporters after launching the pulse polio campaign, Nirani said the government is ready to give more than the sub-registrar value and the farmers should accept it. The expansion of the airport will help the development of the city and its surroundings in terms of industrialization and others.

Nirani said the farmers can buy land elsewhere with the same money. On some landlosers asking the government to shift the airport to elsewhere as it will fall in city limits, he said at present there is no such proposal before the government. The government wants to pursue the airport at the same spot, he said.

Karnataka govt woos auto czars to cement industrial sector

Karnataka govt woos auto czars to cement industrial sector

Hemanth Kumar/DNA Saturday, January 9, 2010 8:29 IST

Bangalore: A day after global steel emperor Lakshmi Mittal announced his commitment to set-up a mega steel project in Karnataka, state large and medium industries minister Murugesh Nirani was busy in Delhi wooing auto giants to set-up a huge automobile manufacturing hub in the state.

Nirani visited the international auto expo being held in Delhi on Friday. He met the top brass of global auto giants Toyota, Mercedes Benz, Audi, Honda, Tata and Bosch and invited them to set up their units in Karnataka. He also invited them to participate in the Global Investors’ Meet to be held in Bangalore in June.

“I made a brief presentation on the attractive incentives and concessions being provided by Karnataka to attract automobile industries to the state. The success stories of Toyota, which has a huge plant in Bidadi near Bangalore, and Tata Motors in Dharwad, is testimony to the fact that we provide what we promise.

The initial response from all the auto majors was very encouraging and we are highly optimistic about significant breakthrough in wooing them during the Global Investors’ Meet,” Nirani told DNA.

The state government has drawn up ambitious plans to develop a mega automobile industrial cluster in Bangalore Rural district and Dharwad-Hubli-Belgaum region.

Nirani also stated that the state government had set its eyes on the cement sector too for the speedy development of northern Karnataka.

Dispelling fears about red tapism in providing land for the mega steel plant to be set up by the Arcelor Mittal group, chief minister BS Yeddyurappa said that there will be no delay in the setting up of a mega steel plant in North Karnataka.

“Land acquisition will start immediately after signing the memorandum of understanding. All necessary approvals would be issued immediately after the Mittals finalise their land selection,” he said.

Talking about the grand celebrations planned to commemorate the 500th year of coronation of Sri Krishnadevaraya, the iconic king of the erstwhile Vijaynagar empire, Yeddyurappa said that the state has allocated Rs15 crore for the event, of which Rs7 crore has already been released, and an order has been issued for the release of the remaining amount as well.

“We plan to invite prime minister Manmohan Singh to declare open the celebrations at Hampi in Bellary from January 27 to 29. We also plan to invite to the festival President Pratibha Devisingh Patil, chief ministers of all states, and some foreign dignitaries,” the chief minister said.

He added that he would invite the prime minister when he calls upon him at Delhi on January 13. The chief minister is leading an all-party delegation to discuss the Kalasa-Banduri Nala drinking water project.

He added that a cabinet reshuffle would be done only after the presentation of the 2010-11 annual budget. “I met the new national president of the BJP, Nitin Gadkari, on Thursday, but did not discuss anything about the cabinet reshuffle and appointments to boards and corporations with him, as it was a cordial visit,” Yeddyurappa said.

When asked about the charges levelled against him by JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda on his government flouting rules with regard to the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor, Yeddyurappa declined to react.