IMTMA exhibition centre to come up in Bangalore

Bangalore, May 29 (UNI) The Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers Association (IMTMA), a premier institution engaged in promoting Machine Tools and its allied industries in the country, is setting up a world-class exhibition centre in the city at a cost of over Rs 120 crore on private-public partnership.

Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) Chairman Jamshyd N Godrej told newspersons here today that the centre, coming up on the Bangalore-Pune National Highway in over 40 acres of sprawling land, would not only house the Association's highly acclaimed international machine tool exhibition, IMTEX, and other IMTMA organised events, but would also be made available to the Indian industry for scheduling international events.

He said the exhibition and conference facility of international standards was ideally located in South India, where over 70 per cent of the nation's machine tool industries were concentrated. Bangalore was emerging as a key manufacturing centre for the Indian industry and BIEC would make it a new destination for trade and fairs.

Mr Godrej said the centre would offer multi-purpose facilities for exhibitions, product demonstrations, international seminars and summit skill development training, machine tools design institute and large, medium and small workshops.

He said the BIEC would be the first 'green project' of its magnitude in the country as it had adopted eco-friendly features, including rain water harvesting system and energy-efficient mechanisms and would utilise over 50 per cent of fly ash in cement concrete mix used in its entire construction.

Mr Godrej said the BIEC had a strategic alliance with the German-based Deutsche Messe AG, the owners of world's largest exhibition facility in Hannover, to promote the BIEC centre worldwide, provide technical support for management, train personnel and bring its expertise to organise exhibitions at the centre.

He said the IMTMA would invest over Rs 40 crore in the project and the Union Government had released a grant of Rs 35 crore. The EXIM Bank of India had funded Rs 40 crore for the project and another Rs ten crore as bridge loan. The Union Government had also released another Rs 15 crore, which would be utilised for the development of the Peenya industrial area situated near the BIEC.

He said the construction of the BIEC had started and was scheduled to be completed by the year-end. The maiden event IMTEX-2007 and Tooltech-2007, the 13th edition of the Indian Machine Tool Exhibition with international partnership, would be held in January 2007. Over 27 countries have confirmed participation in the mega event, apart from domestic companies.

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