State should move away from 19th C slumber to embrace speed of 21st C: KJ George
Bengaluru: The state should move away from the slumber of 19th century to get used to the speed and efficiency of the 21st century and the government is willing to work towards such an environment, said K.J. George who holds multiple portfolios including large and medium industries, IT, science and technology and Sugar.
Speaking at the shareholders agreement signing ceremony between state government and the centre to develop Tier II city Tumakuru as an industrial hub under the Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor Scheme (CBIC) here on Friday the minister said, Vasanthanaraspura in Tumakuru district is all set to be the next big industrial hub in Karnataka. Bengaluru and Tumakuru are almost merging together. Development will bring MNC, big townships, international schools, entertainment, an integrated growth to Tumkur.
“We delay and create trouble. We don't have enough speed. We are in the 19th century and we have to turbo charge to 21 century,'' he said.
The industrial corridor will be developed, operated, regulated and managed through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) monitored by both the governments. With this, Vasanthanaraspura will have better infrastructure facilities to support the growth of small, medium, and large-scale enterprises and residential and commercial property developments.
George further said, “If our officers make up their mind, it can be achieved in 6-9 months. Our bureaucrats take interest, but lower level officials are slow in moving files.There is will and project clearance at the top level, but things are slow at the lower level.''
The CBIC is one of the five special economic and industrial corridors envisioned by the central government in a bid to boost manufacturing and industrial growth, and also to create jobs. The CBIC will be an important corridor linking the cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, measuring a total distance of about 560 kilometres, and creating industrial nodes across 16 districts in the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh.
Gaurav Gupta, Principal Secretary, Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of Karnataka said, "The proposed investment of Tumakuru Node will be around '50,000 crore with an employment potential of 2,20,000 persons. The state government will contribute 50% of the investment in the form of land, and central government will match the contribution in the form of grant to develop infrastructure.
State's nodal agency the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board has already identified 9629 acres of land in Vasanthanarasapura. Individual owners of the land have been paid adequate compensation for 1722 acres of land while preliminary notification has been issued for further acquisition of 7900 acres of land.
