August 31, 2020: Karnataka is in talks with the Centre to explore the possibility of obtaining 3,200 acres of land from Bharat Gold Mines Ltd, in Kolar Gold Fields, to set up an industrial park in Kolar, said state’s large and medium scale industries minister Jagadish Shettar.
BGML is a government of India enterprise and at one time was the largest gold producer in the famed Kolar Gold Fields but has been inoperational as the gold deposits in Kolar had become unremunerative to extract after nearly a century of operations.
Shettar said he had held talks with Union minister for mines Pralhad Joshi in this regard. “We held talks with Union Minister Pralhad Joshi to obtain 3,200 acres of unused land at Bharat Gold Mines Ltd to set up an Industrial park in Kolar.”
The availability of the land will be known in six months after a survey is undertaken by the mines and geology department to assess the presence of any natural resources. After the survey, if the land parcel does not possess any natural resources, then Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) shall obtain the land from the ministry with necessary approvals to set up an Industrial park.
The land, he said, is strategically located at 90kms from the Bengaluru airport, 260 km from Chennai Port, 314 km from Krishnapatnam port.
The state minister further said that the New Industrial Policy 2020-2025 launched recently would help to build a prosperous Karnataka and create large-scale employment opportunities.
“This industrial policy is very forward-looking and brings with it several incentives and regulatory reforms such as land access and labour market regulation,” he said.
Promoting economic and industrial development of the state, he said, has always been a top priority for the government.
Amid Covid-19 pandemic and months of stringent lockdown, Karnataka has attracted investments worth Rs 31,676 crore in the last five months which is expected to generate 65,459 direct employment opportunities, said Shettar.
Source: Hindustan Times
