TN waters hopes as City struggles

Thirsty City:

In yet another indication that the State is failing to retain industries within its boundaries, many industrial units operating in areas bordering with Tamil Nadu’s Hosur are drawing up plans of expansion in the neighbouring state.

Among a combination of factors making industrialists look for plots in Hosur, lack of water supply here and the apparent apathy from the agencies concerned looms large.

The 25-year-old Bommasandra Industrial Estate for example has been struggling without regular water supply since its inception. Even with over 1,000 units –– garments, food processing, granite, automobile and engineering –– making a representation, the association said, there is no response from the authorities concerned.

No improvement

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Association President Dayanand said: “The Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) collected Rs 80,000 per acre from us 25 years ago in order to provide us Cauvery water. Two-decades-and-a-half later we are still at the mercy of water tankers.”

Repeated discussions with KIADB and other agencies concerned have yielded them nothing but “waste of crucial man-hours.” There are also some borewells which yield hard water. It becomes a problem for some industries to process sensitive material using hard water.

Just eight kilometres away, inside Tamil Nadu, an industrialist said: “Our competitors have all the facilities. Can you believe that a state that always quarrels with us for water is providing it to its industries and here, in the capital of one of India’s leading industrialised states there is nothing.”

The situation in other industries in nearby areas like Attibele, Bommanahalli, Honsandra, et al are no different. Presently, the industries are paying Rs 400 per 4,000 litres of water and there are several complaints that the tankers are very irregular.

The result: Most people are looking towards Tamil Nadu. About 200 units in Bommasandra Industrial Estate alone, have already started operations in Hosur in the last six months and the numbers are not too different in the vicinity. “Everybody is looking towards Tamil Nadu. For how many years can we stand cheated,” Dayanand questioned, adding that loyalties aside it is the business that runs their families at the end of the day.

Cannot compromise

Sources in the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) said: “The industries here are already compromising on so much and being denied water can bring about nothing more than a decision to shift.”

Compared to Karnataka, the value added tax (VAT) in Tamil Nadu is 1.5 per cent lesser (14 per cent versus 12.5 per cent), buying land is hassle-free as there is no land reforms act in the neighbouring state and the government there, the association representatives said, is also more proactive than our government.

These are just some of the benefits that Tamil Nadu offers they said.

“Although we do not enjoy any of those and most of the benefits are directed towards the IT, ITeS firms we continue to operate here. But we do not even have water here so it is only natural that the next unit we set up will be outside,” they said.