K'taka Govt withdraws land given to industries

Bangalore, Aug 29: About 400 acres of land allotted to industries for implementing 80 projects in various parts of the state has been withdrawn by the Karnataka Government for not starting the projects on time, Major and Medium Industries Minister Katta Subramanyam Naidu informed today.

Speaking to newspersons here at a function organised to release the new Industrial Policy for the next five years, he said the government was considering returning the land to the same allottees, if they were ready to start the projects soon. However, they would have to pay the existing prices for the land, he added.

To a question, he defended allotment of vast tracts of lands to various industrial units by the high level committee headed by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and said these industries would have to show results periodically following introduction of time-bound implementation of the project as a condition. There was no scope for misuse of any land allotted for the purpose, he clarified.

He said the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board had resolved at a meeting on July one last to acquire 8585 acres of land in various districts for creating single unit complexes. It had submitted a proposal related to the preliminary notification to the government with regard to 3138 acres and the latter had already approved the proposal with regard to 2104 acres, he added.

UNI