Mining or industrial park? Centre revives BGML project

Union Coals & Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday offered a win-win solution on the long-pending plan of the Karnataka government to leverage land belonging to the defunct Bharat Gold Mines Limited (BGML) in Kolar for an industrial park.

Karnataka has been pursuing the Centre to use the unencumbered land of the BGML to develop a second industrial node in the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor.

The BGML, which operated the Kolar Gold Fields (KFG) and was closed in 2001, has about 12,000 acres of land.

“The Karnataka industries department has sought 3,200 acres,” Joshi said.

“I have requested the state government to get a physical survey done within three months. The Centre, through the Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd, will identify areas that haven’t been explored for natural minerals within six months. If there’s any gold, palladium or tungsten, the state government will auction it and get royalty. If no natural resources are found, then the land that’s unfit for mining will be handed over to the industries department for an industrial park,” he explained.

Out of 12,000 acres at BGML, Joshi said some 3,000-4,000 acres have been used up for mining activities.

Joshi was here along with officials from his ministry to hold talks with Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on various pending issues.

At one point, the state government was considering taking over all 12,000 acres at BGML by clearing off Rs 1,600 crore that the defunct undertaking owed the Ministry of Mines. This plan was dropped.

In 2017, the government considered creating a satellite city at KGF in order to decongest Bengaluru. The plan never came through.