Keonics to urge CM to set up Baliga Hi-Tech City in Mangaluru

Baliga Hi-Tech City would serve as an alternate to Bengaluru's Electronic City

Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (Keonics) Chairman Harikrishna Bantwal said that the Keonics would make an appeal to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to set up R K Baliga (Rama Krishna Baliga) Hi-Tech City in Mangaluru, on 75 to 100 acres of land, to create an electronic city outside Bengaluru.

Rama Krishna Baliga was the first chairman of Keonics and hailed from Bantwal in Dakshina Kannada district. As a Keonics chairman, he was responsible for setting up of Electronics City in Bengaluru, which is now considered as Silicon Valley of India.

“Setting up a hi-tech park in his home district will be a true honour to his contributions to the growth of electronics city in Bengaluru,” Harikrishna added.

He said the hi-tech park should be set up jointly by private, government and educational institutions and should be on the model of Israel catering to the needs of laser, robotics, chip, fiber optics and other technologies development. The park can be promoted under Atmanirbhar Bharath.

“Already, I have spoken to Deputy Chief Minister who is also Minister for IT and BT Dr C N Ashwath Narayan and BJP State President Nalin Kumar Kateel in this regard,” he added.

Recently, both CM and Deputy Chief Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan have spoken on Karnataka aiming to take tech eco system beyond Bengaluru. In this regard, IT-BT park should be set up in Mangaluru in the name of R K Baliga, Harikrishna said.

He said that the setting up of an IT park in Mangaluru will solve the unemployment problem and will also help the engineering and other graduates to get employment in the district itself.

Software park

Further, he said that a detailed project report (DPR) had been prepared for setting up a software park on three acres of land belonging to the Keonics at Derebail. About Rs 60 crore is required for setting up the park.

The Board of the Keonics has already decided to take up the project either on PPP mode or with the full assistance from the State government. About 2,00,000 sq ft area building will be set up, he added.