Karnataka orders survey of 3,000 acres of BGML land

Karnataka Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani on Tuesday is said to have ordered a survey of 3,212 acres of land belonging to the defunct Bharat Gold Mines Limited (BGML) in Kolar, about 100 km east of Bengaluru, where the government plans to set up an industrial township.

Officials are expected to get back to Nirani with the survey report in 15 days, which is expected to give thrust to the state government’s plans.

According to sources, Nirani chaired a meeting with senior officials where they discussed how unused Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) land can be utilised.

Karnataka has been pursuing the Centre to use unencumbered land of the BGML to develop a second industrial node in the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor. The BGML, which operated the KGF and was closed in 2001, has about 12,000 acres of land. Of this, some 3,000-4,000 acres have been used up for mining activities.

It is learnt that Nirani has asked Commissioner for Survey, Settlement and Land Records Munish Moudgil to survey 3,212 acres of the abandoned BGML land.

“If the report is submitted within 15 days, then the next step will be taken based on the union cabinet’s decision,” sources quoted Nirani as saying in the meeting, adding that 2,000 acres of land have been surveyed already.

This is not the first attempt the state government is making to get its hands on the BGML land. At one point, the government considered taking over all 12,000 acres by clearing off Rs 1,600 crore that the defunct undertaking owed the Ministry of Mines. This plan was dropped. In 2017, the government considered creating a satellite city at KGF in order to decongest Bengaluru. The plan never came through.

Nirani is learnt to have told officials to complete the survey early. The government expects “big industries and more investments” once the Centre hands over the land to Karnataka.

Sources said Nirani would hold talks with Union Minister for Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi to take the project forward. Nirani had, in August, met Joshi in New Delhi and had petitioned him with a request to allow Karnataka to use the unused BGML land.

Last year, Joshi visited Bengaluru and held talks with the then chief minister B S Yediyurappa on making use of the BGML land.

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