JOIN USKarnataka to recover unused industrial land from big companies
The Karnataka government is planning to recover unused industrial land from the investors as part of its efforts to create a large land bank in the state.
The industries department plans to insert a clause in this direction in its new industrial policy, which will be announced very soon, the state industries minister Jagadish Shettar said.
Over the last 10 years, the state government has allotted thousands of acres land to some big-ticket investors such as global steel giant ArcelorMittal to the extent of 2,600 acres in Ballari district. Other investors include Kalyani Group among others. However, these investors have still not used the land.
Briefing reporters on the upcoming state delegation led by chief minister B S Yediyurappa to the World Economic Forum (WEF) being held at Davos in Switzerland from January 21 to 24, he said the government is currently undertaking a survey of unused land across the state.
The government has also identified 30,000 acres of land to build a land bank and already issued a final notification under Section 28 (4) of the Land Acquisition Act for the acquisition of 12,000 acres across the state. The government intends to keep the land ready ahead of the proposed global investors meet being held from November 3 to 5, 2020 in Bengaluru.
“We are encouraging industries to focus on Tier-2 cities as Bengaluru is congested. We are developing huge land banks in various Tier-2 cities such as Hubballi-Dharwad, Belagavi, Kalaburagi, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar,” Shettar said.
The government is mulling over setting up of a regional authority for the development of industrial layouts in Tier-2 cities. There will be a provision for this in the new industrial policy, the industries minister said.
The state government has identified 3,000 acres at Durgadakeri, 500 acres at Gamanagatti in Dharwad district and 520 acres at Kittur in Belagavi district, he said adding that the farmers have come forward to give up their land for industrial purpose.
Land to JSW Steel
Replying to a query on the conversion of the lease of 3,667 acres land to the Sajjan Jindal-promoted JSW Steel in Ballari into a sale deed, Shettar said the final decision will be taken at the Cabinet meeting. "We are yet to decide at what rate the land is to be given to JSW Steel. The old agreement entered into between the company and the government was no proper and we will take legal opinion before taking the final decision," Shettar said.
World Economic Forum
The state delegation will be holding one-to-one meetings with several industry leaders at Davos during the World Economic Forum from January 21. Already, the government has received confirmations from 45 out of 200 companies. During the event, Karnataka pavilion will be opened on January 20 and a curtain-raiser event will be held on Invest Karnataka on January 22.
The chief minister will make a presentation on the investment opportunities in Karnataka at the WEF summit.