Peenya industrial area gets spl investment region status; hopes float for good infra

Bengaluru: The Peenya industrial area has been granted the special investment region status according to the Karnataka Special Investment Region Act, 2022.

According to a notification from the commerce and industries department, Peenya industrial area phases 1, 2, 3 and 4 will now come under the administration of a Regional Development Authority (RDA) that will focus only on the development of the Peenya industrial area. 

The special investment region status will take the Peenya industrial area out of BBMP’s jurisdiction. 

According to the Act, Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) will be the apex authority for the special investment region.  

With this, the industrialists in the area have achieved the long-pending demand for an administration model similar to a township authority. 

After putting up with years of crumbling infrastructure, the special investment region status to Peenya industrial area has sparked hope among the industrialists in the region. 

With the special status, 70% of the taxes paid by the industries in this area will be used for infrastructure development there and this would mean better roads, streetlights and other basic infrastructure. 

“For instance, the roads in the industrial area are in such a poor state that we can say village roads are in a far better condition. With the special investment region status, a large portion of our taxes will be used for infrastructure development here and this will help improve conditions drastically,” said Shivakumar R, president of the Peenya Industries Association.

The area is spread across two Assembly constituencies– RR Nagar and Dasarahalli - making it difficult for industrialists to approach elected representatives for any work.

Now, the regional development authority will be the single body responsible for all developments in the area, making it easier to flag issues and demand resolutions.

“Bad roads, sewage management and such other issues can be easily addressed now. That apart, we can take up common area initiatives such as training the unskilled labour. Overall, we are hoping that this will streamline activities here and help attract more investments,” said Prithviraj R, ex-president of the Association. 

This will boost employment opportunities, attract more investments and improve the overall economic conditions of workers and industrialists in the area, industrialists said. 

The fight for a separate township authority started back in 2002, Prithviraj said.

“We have been demanding a dedicated township authority. However, now we will come under a dedicated RDA. This will help steer growth,” he said. 

Peenya industrial area houses over 13,000 industries with a workforce of over 10 lakh. 

M G Rajagopal, president, Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (KASSIA), while welcoming the move, said this could solve the problem of infrastructure in the area.