Govt gives green signal for real estate activities

The land owners of Sathanur, Ramanagar, Solur and Nandagudi will be benefitted from today's cabinet decision of revoking the freeze imposed in 2006, Law Minister S Suresh Kumar told reporters here.

The state government in 2006 notified Bidadi, Sathanur, Ramanagar, Solur and Nandagudi for development of integrated townships in each and banned any construction activity.

However, the integrated township projects did not take off for various reasons, which led to a spurt in demand by land owners for permission to develop their land, Kumar said.

Excepting Bidadi, the cabinet today resolved to relax the ban in other four areas with a rider that such development activity should get the Government approval.

It was also decided to launch the new Socio, economic and caste based census, initiated by the Centre, in Karnataka's rural areas from next month and completed by this year end.

Kumar said the Centre will provide Rs 105 crore for the census, which will be undertaken by the Rural Development Department and Urban Poverty Alleviation Department.

The cabinet resolved to transfer the Government engineering colleges in Raichur, Hoovinahadagali, Karwar and Gangavati to the control of Visveswaraya Technical University control, he said.

Kumar said the Government started nine new engineering colleges during 2007-08 and of them four could not be provided with own buildings.

The Visvesvaraya Technological University now will take steps to create required infrastructure for these colleges and those technical staff already present will have the option of either returning to their parent department or merge with the VTU, he said.

Kumar said the Centre has changed the nomenclature of the self-employment programme -- Swarna Jayanthi Rojgar Yojane to National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM).
Consequent to this change, the programme will be christened State Rural Livelihood Mission Agency in the state under which poor families from rural areas will be provided with skill development training to earn their livelihood.

In the first phase, the programme will be implemented in 20 taluks of Belgaum, Dharwad, Gulbarga, Mysore and Tumkur, Kumar said.

The cabinet again decided to offer the "One Time Settlement" scheme to small scale industrialists to enable them to clear their loan dues availed from the Karnataka State Financial Corporation (KSFC). Those who clear the principal amount by this December 31, 2011 will get waiver of interest and compound interest, he said.

A total of 847 sick units owe about Rs 106.82 crore which includes Rs 23 crore as principal and the rest interest.

Kumar said those defaulting entrepreneurs who would clear the dues from January 2012 to March 31, 2012, will be offered 75 per cent concession in interest and those belonging to SC and ST section will be given nine months time to avail this benefit if they are able to revive their sick units.