Private airlines to start operation from Hubli airport

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/14674359.cms

HUBLI: There is good news for the people of Hubli that a few private airlines are keen to operate their flights from Hubli airport. SpiceJet and Pegasus airlines are said to have expressed their desire to start operation from Hubli.

Sources from Hubli airport said, if everything goes well according to plan, in next couple of months, service of SpiceJet and Pegasus may become reality. If it happens, it also give boost to the economy of the city.

According to sources from Hubli airport, SpiceJet airlines and Pegasus airlines which are know for low cost air services have already expressed their willingness to operate their flights from Hubli airport to Bangalore and other metros. Kingfisher airlines has already stopped its operation from Hubli for Hubli to Bangalore since two weeks. So, airport authorities are now waiting for other private airlines to operate from here.

SpiceJet and Pegasus airlines have also sent a letter to the airport authority expressing their interest to start their service. In response to their letter, airport authority said to have given green signal.

Besides, top officials from SpiceJet visited Hubli airport a few days back to check the infrastructure facilities available here and held talk with airport officials. SpiceJet is said to have given its nod to start its operation but waiting for official clearance from the Airport authority of India, said sources.

An airport official, on anonymity said, SpiceJet and Pegasus airlines are ready to commence their flight service. If our elected representatives put a bit pressure on AAI, it will give its nod immediately to SpiceJet and Pegasus, he added.

Talking to TOI, K M Basavaraju, Director, Hubli Airport has confirmed that SpiceJet and Pegasus airlines are keen to operate their flights from Hubli airport. If everything goes well, both these airlines may start their operation here in next couple of months.

Job mela in Hubli on June 28

Source: The Hindu

The Department of Employment and Training, State Information Department, District Employment Exchange and Human Resources Development Centre, Hubli, and Moorusavir Math Industrial Training Institute will organise a job mela in Hubli on June 28.

According to a release issued by Assistant Director of District Employment Exchange Shrikanth Malagatti, the job mela will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Moorusavir Math ITI premises.

The objective of the job mela is to create a common platform for the employers and job-seekers and help trained candidates get suitable employment, Mr. Malagatti has said.

Over 40 companies doing business in sectors such as manufacturing, information technology, BPO, automobile, insurance, finance, garments, health and hospitality are expected to participate in the job mela.

Interested candidates should contact the District Employment Exchange on 0836-2225288/ 89 for registration and other details.

Dharwad to get 20 new HOPCOMS outlets

Source: The Hindu

The Horticultural Producers' Cooperative Marketing and Processing Society (HOPCOMS) will open 20 new fruit and vegetable outlets in the city.

At a press conference here on Wednesday, Karnataka Horticulture Federation (KHF) president Ishwarchandra Hosmani said Minister for Horticulture S.A. Ravindranath would symbolically conduct the ceremony to lay the foundation stone for the Shivagiri outlet here.

Funding

He said the KHF provided financial support of Rs. 4 lakh for each of the outlets. Work would be completed and the outlets, which would have modern storage facilities and spot billing facility, would open for business in four months. The outlets would sell quality produce at competitive prices, he said.

HOPCOMS would open 20 outlets in Dharwad this year and 40 outlets in Hubli next year. The Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation had provided land on lease to set up the outlets, and the HOPCOMS was ready to open outlets in new localities provided the HDMC gave it land.

A target of setting up 150 outlets in Hubli-Dharwad had been set and if land was provided, the KHF was ready to fund them, Mr. Hosmani said.

Organic produce

To a query, Mr. Hosmani said that though there were no immediate plans to open separate outlets for the organic produce, HOPCOMS would arrange for organic counters at its outlets if farmers wished to market organic products at the HOPCOMS outlets. Only organic produce that had been tested and verified by the HOPCOMS officials would be allowed to be sold at the organic counters, he said.

Aditya Birla [Gulbarga] Group plans Rs 2,000-cr cement plant in Karnataka

Source: The Hindu

 

The Aditya Birla Group will invest Rs 2,000 cr in a 4 million tonne cement plant at Malkhed (in Gulbarga district), said the group's Chairman, Mr Kumar Mangalam Birla, at the Global Investors Meet in Bangalore on Thursday.

The Group also plans to expand its aluminium plant in Belgaum from 2,000 tonnes to 3,000 tonnes at Rs 700 crore.

[Bijapur] Work on Kudgi thermal plant to begin on June 2

Source: DHNS

Bijapur, May 28 2012, DHNS:

Work on the much-delayed thermal power plant project is set to begin at last, with Union Minister for Power Sushilkumar Shidhe scheduled to lay the foundation-stone at Kudgi in the district on June 2. 

The first project to be taken up in the State by the National Thermal Power Corporation requires 3,500 acres of land, of which 1,923 acre has already been acquired.

The NTPC officials held a meeting with the farmers on Saturday and cleared the way for acquisition of rest of the land by agreeing to pay a special compensation of Rs two lakh per acre.

The total amount of compensation per acre will be Rs 7.25 lakh for dry land and Rs nine lakh for irrigated land, General Manager Asimkumar Samanth told Deccan Herald.

A project office has also been set up on the site where a 4,000-mw capacity plant will come up.  In the first phase, three units with a capacity of 800 mw each will be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 15,166 crore. In the second phase, two units with 800-mw capacity each will come up.

The NTPC has signed an agreement with two companies – Toshiba of Japan and Dusan of Korea – on purchase of equipment worth Rs 6,087 crore required for the project in the first phase, and 162 cusec of water will be supplied to the plant from the Almatti reservoir.

Coal will be supplied through railways and the Centre has been requested to provide infrastructure required for the same at the earliest, said Samanth.  The 2,400 mw power to be generated at the plant in the three units, will be distributed among Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puduchery.

Karnataka approves Rs 1,000-cr investments in logistics - One in Hubli

Source: The Hindu

Bangalore, May 31: 

Ahead of the Global Investors Meet (GIM), the Karnataka Government has cleared investments in logistics and warehouses to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore.

Also on its own, the government plans to build four Logistics Parks with a total investment of Rs 1,800 crore through private partnership route.

To facilitate development across the state, the Infrastructure Development Department has initiated moves to build Logistics Parks in Bangalore, Hassan and Hubli on public-private partnership (PPP) mode. According to a senior Infrastructure Development Department (IDD) official, the government is looking for an integrated approach by providing multi-modal/integrated logistics transport centre, warehouses, inland container depots, domestic rail head, and air cargo centres.

invites registration of interests

Logistics Parks are to come up at Harohalli Industrial Area in Bangalore with an investment of Rs 500 crore, Dabbaspet (Rs 600 crore), Hassan (Rs 350 crore) and Hubli (Rs 350 crore).

The department has invited registration of interests (RoI) from global, national companies and is open to joint ventures and consortia for development of logistics parks.

An industries department official said the projects cleared recently are Vikram Logistics and Maritime Services which is investing Rs 342.59 crore to set up logistics services at Maranaikanahally and Samanduru villages in Anekal.

The project is to come up on 120 acres of land owned by one of the directors of the company.

It is likely to give employment to 675 people. Property developer Gopalan Enterprises is to build a warehouse at Cheelur village Maralvadi hobli in Kanakapura with an investment of Rs 188 crore and offer employment to 5,000 people.

The promoters of the project have sought 104.06 acres of land.

The government has instructed project proponent to obtain consent to an extent of 70 per cent from the land owners for further assistance.

The Gurgaon-based Siddhivinayaka Farm Fresh is to set up a muti-commodity agri-cold chain network and logistic hub at Vishwanathapura near Devanahalli. The project is to come up on 11 acres on a private land at an investment of Rs 160.66 crore.

Magna Warehousing and Distribution Private Ltd with an investment of Rs 381 crore to develop spaces and infrastructure for IT offices, hotel rooms, meeting spaces and convention, shopping including food courts, restaurants, cinema, departmental stores to complement with the location at EPIP industrial areas at Hoodi Village next to Sri Sathya Sai Hospital at Whitefield.

[Davangere] Job mela @ Bapuji B-Schools

Source: The Hindu

Bapuji B-Schools will be organising a mega job fair for fresh graduates in all disciplines, including BA, B.Com., BBM and for final year MBA students, here on May 25 on the college premises.

Director Anil Kumar Garag, in a statement here on Tuesday, said that fresh graduates in any discipline from any university who were looking for jobs or those in the final year of MBA could take part.

Over 20 companies have confirmed their participation in the job fair. Individual interviews would be conducted and candidates shortlisted. Those interested in taking part should bring five copies of their resume along with five passport-size photos. The job fair begins at 8.30 a.m. For details, call 9886987165, 9611172627. — Staff Correspondent

Gadag-Betageri to get better bus service soon

Source: The Hindu
The Hindu

Bus services in some major cities of north Karnataka will soon get a boost with the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) joining hands with North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) to share the cost of a project to improve the public transport systems of cities.

Initially, city bus services in Gadag-Betageri will be strengthened.

NWKRTC chairman Mallikarjun V. Savakar told The Hindu that DULT had sanctioned Rs. 5 crore for the project.

Of this, it had earmarked Rs. 1 crore for the first phase; Rs. 50 lakh had been released to buy new buses.

“NWKRTC has matched this contribution and added Rs. 50 lakh and five new buses have been procured. These buses are better than the ones already plying in cities such as Hubli and Dharwad,” Mr. Savakar said. “They are semi low-floor buses with LED destination boards.”

A letter from the commissioner of DULT confirmed these figures. Another 40 per cent of the sanctioned amount (Rs. 1 crore) would be released after NWKRTC began new services on three identified routes in Gadag (route numbers 101, 102 and 105). The rest would be released after submission of the evaluation report, the letter added.

According to Mr. Savakar, the formal commissioning of the new buses will be on May 28. “Once we commission the new buses, we will receive funds from DULT and our matching grant will enable five more new buses to be bought,” he said.

Shelters too

As per the project proposal, funds are not just for procurement of buses. “We plan to build bus shelters in Gadag-Betageri with the involvement of the local municipal body. Creating minimum infrastructure and amenities at bus terminals and improvement of footpaths are other works planned under the project,” Mr. Savakar said.

NWKRTC plans to have similar projects to strengthen the city bus services in tier-II and tier-III cities in north Karnataka. “We will have similar projects soon for Bagalkot, Haveri and Sirsi,” the corporation chairman added.

---

It is part of a project to improve public transport systems in tier-II and tier-III cities

Initially, five new buses will be commissioned on May 28 in Gadag-Betageri

[Bidar, Yadgir, Gulbarga] State highways in three divisions to be improved

Source: The Hindu

The State government has approved the improvement of State highways in Gulbarga, Yadgir and Bidar divisions of the Public Works Department in two phases at a cost of Rs. 295.05 crore.

Official sources told The Hindu here on Monday that under Phase I, the total cost of the projects approved was Rs. 156.12 crore and under Phase II, projects worth Rs. 138.93 crore had been approved.

The sources said that in Gulbarga division under Phase I, 206.28 km of State highways would be improved at a cost of Rs. 76.18 crore. This included improvement of Mahagoan-Sulepeth Road to a distance of 47.58 km, Chigaralli Cross-Sindagi State highway via Yedrami (52 km), Srirangapatna-Jewargi State highway (19 km), Mudhol-Yeragera State highway (24.50 km) and Aurad-Sadashivgad State highway (63.20 km).

In Yadgir division, under Phase I, 54.50 km of road would be improved at a cost of Rs. 17.51 crore, including 33.62 km of Mudhol-Yeragera State highway passing through Yadgir district and Basavakalyan-Raichur State highway to a distance of 20.88 km, passing through Yadgir district.

The sources said that in Bidar division, 186.21 km of State highways would be improved at a cost of Rs. 62.42 crore, including the Humnabad-Bidar State highway to a distance of 36.70 km, Wanmarpalli-Raichur State highway passing through Bidar to a distance of 80 km and of Aurad-Sadhashivgad State highway, passing through Bidar district, to a distance of 69.51 km.

Under Phase II, the State government has approved improving 191.19 km of State highways at a cost of Rs. 82.59 crore, including the Basavakalyan-Raichur State highway, passing through Gulbarga district, to a distance of 39.30 km; Bhalki-Chincholi State highway, passing through Gulbarga district, to a distance of 34.60 km; Shahpur-Shivarampur State highway to a distance of 57.63 km; and Shahpur-Shivarampur State highway to a distance of 59.66 km.

The sources said that in Yadgir district, 90.20 km of State highways would be improved at a cost of Rs. 36.45 crore, including the Srirangapatna-Jewargi State highway, passing through Yadgir district, to a distance of 57.30 km and the Sindagi-Kodangal State highway to a distance of 32.90 km.

In Bidar district, 57.40 km of State highways would be improved at a cost of Rs. 19.89 crore, including the Bhalki-Chincholi State highway to a distance of 24.40 km.

Works to be taken up at a cost of

Rs. 295.05 crore

In Bidar division, State highways to be improved at a cost of Rs. 62.42 crore

Dharwad to get hitech forest institute

Source: http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/dharwad-to-get-hitech-forest-institute/474422/

Dharwad will soon have a high-tech forest training institute. The state government, responding to a proposal sent by Western Ghat Task Force, has sanctioned Rs 4 crore for setting up the institute. It will come up at Gungaragatti, 15 kms from Dharwad.
Western Ghat Task Force chairman Ananth Hegde Ashisar who was here to attend a seminar on forest research told Business Standard on Tuesday that the research and training centre will help the forestry students to learn and take up advanced research of Western Ghats and Kappathgudda.


He said both Kappatagudda and Western Ghats have been declared as conservation protected areas and hence mining, felling of trees and destruction of flora and fauna in these areas have been prohibited. Considering Bedthi and Aghanasini as a bio-diversity sensitive area, it has also been declared as conservation reserve. Now, no dams or power plants can come up in this area. Nearly 50 meters on both sides of the Shalmala river has also been declared as conserve reserve. All along the river belt, the existing plant life would be conserved.
To check sea erosion, the Western Ghat Task Force has launched a new project titled ‘Karavali Hasiru Kavacha’ (Coastal Green Cover). “Earlier to prevent soil erosion, huge rocks and boulders used to be dumped on the sea shore. Now, ‘Green wall’ comprising several trees is being built. This would protect the sea bio-diversity,” he asserted.
Apart from this, the task force has identified a few villages which have rich bio-diversity. These villages are tagged as ‘Hasiru Samruddhi Grama’. So far 36 such villages have been identified.
and installation of bio-gas plants, solar units and nurturing of medical plants has been taken up in these villages. The Village Forest Committees (VFCs) have been asked to monitor the project and help the villagers.
Ashisar strongly condemned the fatal attack on Dandeli ACF Madan Nayak. He said the task force had taken up the issue seriously and had asked the government to take steps to monitor the activities in the resorts.

[Gulbarga] Centre sanctions Rs. 79 crore for Chowdapur-Afzalpur road

Source: The Hindu

The Union Government has approved the proposal to improve the Chowdapur-Afzalpur road to Maharashtra.

A sum of Rs. 79 crore from the Central Road Fund (CRF) has been sanctioned for this.

According to a communication from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to the Principal Secretary, Public Works Department, the State government has been asked to submit a detailed proposal on the work to be taken up.

Benefit for pilgrims

The Gulbarga-Afzalpur State Highway to the Maharashtra border was one of the worst stretches of the road. It has been a long-pending demand to develop the single-lane road to Deval Ganagapur, a major pilgrimage centre.

The highway was partly covered under the World Bank-aided Karnataka State Highway Improvement Programme (KSHIP) and a 23-km stretch from Gulbarga to Chowdapur was included under KSHIP II. However, a major part of the highway in Chowdapur and Afzalpur was not included.

The proposal to include the road from the Maharashtra border, through Afzalpur town to Chowdapur, under an initiative to develop inter-State connectivity, was first mooted by Union Minister of Labour and Employment M. Mallikarjun Kharge.

However, it did not materialise.

Meanwhile, the State government also approved a Rs. 66-crore proposal under the State Highway Development Project for developing the road. Before the final approval could be given, the Centre gave its green signal.

[ವಿಜಾಪುರ] ವಿವಿಧ ಉದ್ಯೌಗಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಅರ್ಜಿ ಆಹ್ವಾನ

Source: Kannadamma

ವಿಜಾಪುರ,10- ಡಿ.ದೇವರಾಜ ಅರಸು ಹಿಂದುಳಿದ ವರ್ಗಗಳ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ದಿ ನಿಗಮ ನಿ.ವಿಜಾಪೂರ 2012-13ರ ಸಾಲಿಗೆ ಸ್ವಯಂ ಉದ್ಯೌಗಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ವಿವಿಧ ಯೋಜನೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಅರ್ಹ ಹಿಂದುಳಿದ ವರ್ಗಗಳ ಜನರಿಂದ ಅರ್ಜಿಗಳನ್ನು ಆಹ್ವಾನಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಚೈತನ್ಯ ಸಬ್ಸಿಡಿ ಕಂ ಸಾಪ್ಟಲೋನ್ ಯೋಜನೆ, ಅರಿವು ಶೈಕ್ಷಣೀಕ ಸಾಲ ಯೋಜನೆ, ಚೈತನ್ಯ ಸ್ವಯಂ ಉದ್ಯೌಗ ನೇರಸಾಲ ಯೋಜನೆ, ಕಿರುಸಾಲ ಯೋಜನೆ, ಸಾಂಪ್ರದಾಯಿಕ ವೃತ್ತಿದಾರರ ಮತ್ತು ಕುಶಲಕರ್ಮಿಗಳ ಯೋಜನೆ, ಕುಂಬಾರಿಕೆ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ದಿ ಯೋಜನೆ, ಗಂಗಾ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ ಯೋಜನೆ, ನೀರಾವರಿ ಯೋಜನೆ, ಸವಿತಾ ಸಮಾಜ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ದಿ ಯೋಜನೆ, ಅಲೆಮಾರಿ ಅರೆ ಅಲೆಮಾರಿ ಜನಾಂಗದವರಿಗೆ ಆರ್ಥಿಕ ನೆರವು ಯೋಜನೆ ಹಾಗೂ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ತ್ರೀಯ ಹಿಂದುಳಿದ ವರ್ಗಗಳ ಹಣಕಾಸು ಮತ್ತು ಅಭಿವೃದ್ದಿ ನಿಗಮದ ನ್ಯೂ ಸ್ವರ್ಣಿಮಾ ಮತ್ತು ವಿವಿಧ ಸಾಲ ಯೋಜನೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಲ ಸೌಲಭ್ಯಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಹಿಂದುಳಿದ ವರ್ಗಗಳ ಜನರು ಅರ್ಜಿ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸಬಹುದು.
ಅರ್ಜಿದಾರರು ಹಿಂದುಳಿದ ವರ್ಗಗಳ ಪ್ರವರ್ಗ-1, 2ಎ, 3ಎ, 3ಬಿಗೆ ಸೇರಿದವರಾಗಿದ್ದು, ಕುಟುಂಬದ ವಾರ್ಷಿಕ ವರಮಾನ 22 ಸಾವಿರ ರೂ.ಗ ಹಾಗೂ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ತ್ರೀಯ ಹಿಂದುಳಿದ ವರ್ಗಗಳ ಹಣಕಾಸು ಮತ್ತು ಅಭಿವೃದ್ದಿ ನಿಗಮ ಯೋಜನೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಗ್ರಾಮಿಣ ಪ್ರದೇಶದವರಿಗೆ 40 ಸಾವಿರ ರೂ. ನಗರ ಪ್ರದೇಶದವರಿಗೆ 55 ಸಾವಿರ ರೂ.ಗಿಂತ ಕಡಿಮೆ ಇರಬೇಕು.  ಭರ್ತಿ ಮಾಡಿದ ಅರ್ಜಿಗಳನ್ನು ಅಗತ್ಯ ದಸ್ತಾವೇಜುಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಡಿ.ದೇವರಾಜ ಅರಸು ಹಿಂದುಳಿದ ವರ್ಗಗಳ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ದಿ ವಿಜಾಪುರ ಜಿಲ್ಲಾ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥಾಪಕರ ಕಚೇರಿಗೆ  ದಿ: 30-6-2012ರೊಳಗಾಗಿ ಕಳುಹಿಸಬೇಕು. ಅರ್ಜಿ ನಮೂನೆ ಹಾಗೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಮಾಹಿತಿಗಾಗಿ ಡಿ.ದೇವರಾಜ ಅರಸು ಹಿಂದುಳಿದ ವರ್ಗಗಳ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ದಿ ನಿಗಮ, ವಿಜಾಪುರ ಇವರ ಕಚೇರಿಯನ್ನು ಸಂಪರ್ಕಿಸಿ ಪಡೆಯಬಹುದಾಗಿದೆ.

Tune in! FM comes to Hubli

Source: Times of India 

 

HUBLI: Citizens will soon be able to tune into music on FM radio, just like their counterparts in Bangalore. If all goes well, a full-fledged FM radio station will be set up within two months, and will give entertainment a whole new meaning in Hubli.

Deccan Exploration discovers additional gold resources in Haveri district

Source: The Hindu

Bangalore May 8: 

Deccan Exploration Services Private Ltd (DESPL), a 100 per cent subsidiary of Deccan Gold Mines Ltd, has discovered additional gold resources at its main Ganajur project in Haveri, Karnataka.

Ganajur-Karajgi areas

The company, in a release to stock exchanges, said traces of additional gold resources have been found at Karajgi Main prospect, Ganajur Main deposit and at Ganajur south east prospect.

All the mining areas are in and around Ganajur-Karajgi villages of Haveri district in the north-west part of the Karnataka.

“In addition to the three prospects, there are also a number of other satellite prospects which fall within the granted PL block.

To continue drilling

“DGML will draw up a programme of continuing drilling in the satellite prospects which is very likely to add additional gold resources to the main project,” the company release said.

Six locations

DESPL recently completed a total of 1,262 m of core drilling in the Ganajur-Karajgi PL block spread over six locations which included three deep holes in the Ganajur main deposit; two holes at Karajgi main prospect and one in the Ganajur south east prospects. The results of the survey at Karajgi main prospects has confirmed the existence of high grade gold bearing zones in the prospect and also suggests the possibility of finding additional resources in the prospect subject to carrying out additional drilling.

Karajgi main is located one kilometre south east of Ganajur main prospects and is rated by DGML as one of the most important prospects in the PL block.

Surveys at Ganajur main had indicated the possibility of extension of the Ganajur main deposit below the existing 3,08,000 ozs of gold.

Detailed drilling

The drilling was successful in indicating the possibility of an extension.

Due to these encouraging results, DGML will take up a detailed drilling programme to define the gold bearing body that might exist below the currently known gold deposit.

Ganajur south east prospect is located around 1.2 km south east of Ganajur Main prospect.

Preliminary exploration by way of channel sampling, DTH drilling and 576 meters of RCD drilling has resulted in delineating a mineralised zone for a length of 455 meters.

Apart from this the recent geophysical IP survey has also indicated strong IP anomaly over this zone. The results indicate the possibility of increasing the over all resource in the PL block.

B’lore firm may develop solar parks in State

Source: DHNS

A private company which has developed Asia’s first and the world’s largest solar park at Charanka village in Gujarat, is likely to bag the Solar Park projects in Karnataka too.

Sources told Deccan Herald that the State government had invited engineers from EI Technologies based in Bangalore, to conduct inspections at four locations in the State where solar parks could be set up.

One of the proposed locations is Mannur village in Bijapur district, where 4,000 acres have been identified to develop a solar park of 500 MW capacity, according to Energy Minister Shobha Karandlaje. Sources said other proposed locations are in Raichur and Yadgir districts.

On Friday, Karandlaje said the solar plant at Mannur would be developed with an initial capacity of 80 MW to 100 MW and would be expanded later. She said the work on the solar park would be monitored by Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL), the nodal agency for promoting renewable energy. KREDL would also be responsible to provide basic infrastructure like power evacuation, water and roads to the developers.

EI Technologies engineer N Ranganath told Deccan Herald that he had been invited to conduct site inspections in the State to set up solar parks. He said like Gujarat, Karnataka was also a preferred State for tapping solar power in districts like Dharwad, Raichur, Bidar and Yadgir.

Ranganath said the estimated cost of developing a solar plant of 1 MW capacity was around Rs 9 crore and to develop a 80 MW plant, it would cost around Rs 720 crore. He said if the land was in possession of the government, it would not take more than six months to complete the project.

Ranganath said tapping solar energy would be inevitable in future as it had advantages when it came to total savings on the project, operation and maintenance. He said any location to develop solar park should have minimum availability of water as solar panels need periodical cleaning.

KREDL Managing Director N Prasanna Kumar said once the developer was finalised, the government would provide infrastructure and the project would begin. He said the project would be maintained by the developer for a lease agreement period of 30 years.

Rs 98 crore for drinking water projects in Belgaum

Source: Times of India

BELGAUM: The central government has approved a grant of Rs 98 crore to undertake drinking water projects in the district for 2012-13 under the National Rural Drinking Water Project.
ZP president Iranna Kadadi told journalists here on Saturday that the government had increased the approved budget this year from Rs 74.84 crore last year.

He said that the works like laying new pipelines, exchanging pipelines, constructing overhead tanks and developing water storage systems in rural area will be taken under this project.
Officials are already engaged in preparing an action plan for the project, which will be submitted to the government shortly, the ZP president added.

Gulbarga to host MSMI investors' meet on May 28

Source: The Hindu

MoUs worth Rs. 10,000 crore expected to be signed

Sharing information:Minister for Small-Scale Industries Narasimha Nayak addressing a press conference in Gulbarga on Sunday. Commissioner of the Industries Maheshwara Rao isseen.— Photo: Arun Kulkarni

The State government will host an investors' meet for micro-, small- and medium-scale industries (MSMI) in Gulbarga to explore the investment potential in Gulbarga Revenue division covering Gulbarga, Raichur, Bellary, Bidar, Yadgir and Koppal district on May 28.

Briefing presspersons after chairing a preliminary meeting with representatives of trade and industry in Gulbarga on Sunday, Minister for Small-Scale Industries Narasimha Nayak and Commissioner of Industries Maheshwara Rao said Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda would inaugurate the investors' meet here on May 28. Minister for Major Industries Murugesh Nirani would also participate.

Mr. Nayak said he expected that at the meet, Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) would be signed with potential investors for investments worth Rs. 10,000 crore in Gulbarga.

He said the investors' meet was part of the Global Investors' Meet (GIM) to be held in Bangalore on June 7 and 8. While the GIM in Bangalore would deal with investment in major industries, the investors' meet held at the divisional headquarters would tap potential investment in MSMIs.

Mr. Nayak said the investors' meets for MSMI held in other parts of Karnataka including Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad and Belgaum were an unprecedented success, with the government signing MoUs worth several thousand crores.

At the investors' meet held in Mysore on May 4, MoUs worth more than Rs. 10,000 crore were signed; at the meet held in Hubli in March, MoUs worth Rs. 4,800 crore were signed, and at the meets held in Belgaum and Mangalore, MoU's worth Rs. 2,000 crore and Rs. 1,500 crore respectively were signed.

To a question, Mr Nayak said that investment opportunities in MSMIs was very high in the state and it had remained untapped all these years and the investors meet had helped the state to tap this potential and create more employment avenues with the opening of new industries in the tier II cities.

Mr. Nayak said Gulbarga had good potential in the MSMI sector, and the State government was confident of inviting investors from the neighbouring State of Andhra Pradesh to invest in the pharmaceutical and other industrial hubs in the Gulbarga region.

The government would set up a common effluent plant in Yadgir for the proposed pharmaceutical hub in Yadgir district.

In Gulbarga, a jewellery park was proposed to be set up along with the textile park and other industries.

[Bidar] Cattle bank in Surpur, says KMF chief

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/article3392261.ece

Cows and buffaloes bred here will be sold to poor women at subsidised rates, says Somashekara Reddy

Big plans:Karnataka Milk Federation Chairman G. Somashekara Reddy inaugurating a new milk packaging unit in Bidar on Sunday.— Photo: Gopichand T.

The Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) will start a cattle bank in Surpur in Yadgir district to breed high-quality cows and buffaloes and give them to poor women, KMF Chairman Gali Somashekara Reddy has said.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the upgraded Bidar dairy and packaging unit here on Sunday.

Best breeds

We would get the best breeds from around the world and rear them at the bank. The cattle would then be sold at subsidised prices to poor women. This would not only give them a source of livelihood, but also increase milk production potential, he said.

“If a milch animal costs between Rs. 30,000 and 40,000 in the market, we would sell it for Rs. 10,000 to Rs 15,000,” he said. The KMF would tie up with banks and cooperative institutions to help women get easy loans to buy cattle, he said. The Bidar District Central Cooperative Bank, he said, had decided to give set aside Rs. 15 crore for this programme.

The work on building a cattle breeding and maintenance farm on 120 acres along the Krishna in Surpur was in progress and would be completed in two or three months, Mr. Reddy said.

“We plan to invite Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda to inaugurate the centre,” he added.

With 48 lakh litres being produced every day, Karnataka is the second-largest producer of milk in India.

“The State is now aiming at being the leader in milk production. We have plans to take milk production to 70 lakh litres a day in the next five to six years. We are taking several steps towards this, including providing a cash incentive of Rs. 3 a litre of buffalo milk, in addition to the Rs. 2 cash incentive given by the State government to farmers on every litre of milk sold to the KMF,” he said.

Cooperatives

The federation would provide a grant of Rs. 2 lakh to construct buildings for milk producers' cooperative societies, he said. “Our dream is to have milk societies in every village.” The KMF would consider the demand for job security to the staff of societies.

The Bidar-Gulbarga milk union should focus on procuring more milk from farmers. “The union collects only around 50,000 litres a day, but we need to work towards a target of 3 lakh litres a day. If the procurement reaches 1-1.5 lakh litres, then we will set up an ice-cream unit in these regions,” he said. The KMF would set up a water plant to provide water to the Bidar dairy.

‘No irregularities'

He denied allegations made by the former KMF chairman H.D Revanna that there were large-scale irregularities in the federation. Without naming Mr. Revanna, Mr. Reddy said he was making such allegations because he was “jealous”. “He has asked for a CBI inquiry. I am ready for any inquiry,” he said. “If I am found to have cheated farmers or misused funds, I will resign,” he added.

He urged Animal Husbandry Minister Revu Naik Belamagi to transfer community grazing lands in villages to the KMF so that it could cultivate fodder crops and distribute green grass and fodder among cattle rearers.

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‘KMF will tie up with banks, cooperative institutions to help women get loans'

‘Work on cattle breeding and maintenance farm in Surpur will be completed within three months'

NWKRTC may shift new Hubli bus-stand

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/article3386374.ece


The plan is to move it from Gokul Road to Hosur

Improvement ahead?:Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Jagadish Shettar inaugurating the newly formed Dharwad division of the North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation in Dharwad on Friday.

The North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) is planning to shift the new Hubli bus-stand from Gokul Road to Hosur, according to Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Jagadish Shettar.

Speaking after inaugurating the newly formed NWKRTC Dharwad division here on Friday, Mr. Shettar said if the plan worked out, the new bus-stand would be shifted to the premises of the Hubli depot at Hosur, and the depot to Gokul Road. The Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) proposed for Hubli-Dharwad had necessitated this change, which would be convenient for passengers, he added.

Facelift

The Cabinet had given its approval to BRTS, under which bus-stands and terminals would get a facelift. A team of local legislators and others recently visited Ahmedabad to study BRTS, which had been working there for the last three years.

It could be used as a model for Hubli-Dharwad with certain modifications, the Minister said.

Mr. Shettar said efforts were on to convince the Union government to sanction projects under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for Hubli-Dharwad. As the population of Hubli-Dharwad had reached 10 lakh, the city was eligible for it, he said.

NWKRTC chairman Mallikarjun Sawkar said the new division would include Dharwad, Saundatti, Dandeli and Haliyal depots. A new bus depot would also be set up near the new central bus-stand in Dharwad, for which the district administration had provided three acres.

He said the NWKRTC had made profits this year. It would get 700 more buses and improve services to rural and urban areas.

The NWKRTC would introduce 20 additional buses between Hubli and Dharwad, and these buses would start from new points in various layouts and interior areas that had no bus connectivity. Plans were on to improve the city bus terminus, old bus-stand and new bus-stand in Hubli and Dharwad, he said.

‘Improve connectivity'

Chandrakant Bellad, Hubli-Dharwad West MLA, urged the authorities to introduce air-conditioned Volvo buses from Dharwad to Bangalore and to Pune. He demanded that mini-bus terminals be set up in the extension areas, with direct buses to different localities.

NWKRTC Managing Director Hemaraju said there was a need for a workshop for the division, and the NWKRTC was ready to set it up if a minimum of five acres was provided within two or three km of the divisional office.

He said Rs. 5 crore would be released to clear the arrears of retired employees this month.

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Cabinet gives nod for Bus Rapid Transport System: Shettar

Centre urged to sanction projects for Hubli-Dharwad under JNNURM

Clearance for SEZ near Hubli may be given soon

Source: The Hindu

The Union Government is considering giving clearance for the setting up of a special economic zone (SEZ) on information technology and IT-enabled services at Gamanagatti near Hubli.

Assurance given

An assurance in this regard has been given by Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma when Dharwad MP Pralhad Joshi met him in New Delhi recently.

In a release issued here, Mr. Joshi said that the Union Minister gave this assurance when they met during the budget session recently.

It might be recalled that the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) is developing 12.15 hectares of land at Gamanagatti for a SEZ.

Mr. Joshi said that the proposal had been pending before the Union Government for the last two years.

He said that the SEZ Board of Approval of the Union Ministry of Commerce had approved the proposal at its meeting held on May 31, 2011. However, the Home Ministry's approval was essential and therefore the final approval was getting delayed.

He said that he had requested Mr. Sharma to exempt the SEZ in Hubli from getting approval from the Home Ministry and Mr. Sharma had assured him that he would issue the notification approving the SEZ soon.

[Hubli] Aayakar Seva Kendra to ease taxpayers' woes

Source: The Hindu

With the Income Tax Department setting up ‘Aayakar Seva Kendra' (ASK) here, the city has become one of 60 cities across the country to have such a facility.

Hubli is the third city in the State after Bangalore and Mangalore to have this facility, which aims to address the grievances of taxpayers at the earliest.

The ASK has been set up on the premises of the Income Tax Office at Navanagar here. It has begun operations and has been catering for the needs of taxpayers since the last few days.

Modernisation

According to B.L. Meena, Commissioner of Income Tax, Hubli, the initiative is part of modernisation programmes nationwide, such as e-filing of returns, e-payment of taxes, centralised processing of returns, online tax accounting system and refund banker scheme, for the convenience of tax payers.

Terming it a “milestone”, Mr. Meena said: “Aayakar Seva Kendra is a computerised, single-window system for taxpayers for delivery of services in a time-bound manner, as promised by the Income Tax Department in its Citizens Charter published in 2007.”

Facilities

The official said the kendra was user friendly.

All applications including income tax returns would be processed here, and system-generated acknowledgement numbers issued for easy monitoring of applications.

“The kendra's ultimate aim is to promote and encourage voluntary compliance through providing better taxpayer services,” Mr. Meena added.

NRI to set up Rs 10cr auto unit in Dharwad

Source: Times of India

HUBLI: It's a call of the motherland for Ravi Harsoor, an NRI hailing from Gulbarga and settled in the US, who has come forward to set up an auto ancillary unit in north Karnataka and contribute his bit to the industrial development of the region.

At the North Karnataka Investors' Meet held here on Monday, Harsoor expressed his intent to set up an auto ancillary unit at Belur industrial area in Dharwad at a cost of Rs 10 crore. It will be a pilot project and based on the response, the NRI plans to expand it further.

Born and brought up in Gulbarga, Ravi Harsoor is an engineering graduate settled in America for the past 18 years. He worked for a few years at the Tata Consultancy Services in Mumbai before moving on to the US.

Speaking to TOI about his project, Ravi said he was waiting for some opportunity to set up an industrial unit in north Karnataka. It came in the form of the North Karnataka Investors' Meet.

"I was invited by the industries ministry to attend the meet. I decided to tap the potential of the region in the auto sector," he said.

"If the pilot project takes off well, we are keen on setting up a permanent auto ancillary establishment investing Rs 50 crore more," he said.

Two of Harsoor friends, Virupannavar and Goutam Chopra are also joining hands with him in this venture.

Now, the team is in the process of identifying land in Belur and finding prospective buyers.

They plan to start the unit by the end of December.

Harsoor is running real estate and health care projects in the US. He is also owns a BPO in Mysore.

Tata Steel gets land for Haveri project

Source: Deccan Herald

While West Bengal is dithering over the policy of land acquisition for industrial development in the state, the Karnataka government has completed the land acquisition process for the integrated Tata Steel and Tata Metaliks project at Haveri district.


“The Karnataka government has acquired 2,500 acres at Haveri for the integrated plant of Tata Steel and Tata Metaliks,” Tata Steel vice-president (Corporate Services) Partha Sengupta told reporters on the sidelines of Global Investors’ Meet, 2012, roadshow of Karnataka industry and tourism ministries.

“The coal needed for the three million-tonne plant, to be operational in two years, will be imported. Iron ore will be sourced locally,” Sengupta said.

Speaking on the occasion, Commissioner of Industries of Karnataka government M Maheshwar Rao said: “The State government’s policy on land acquisition is to give compensation at market rates. Information Technology, biotechnology and aerospace were the three top industries where the State is on top. There are more than 500 multinational companies operating out of Karnataka, of which 80 belonged to the Fortune 500 list.

“The State has 58 Special Economic Zones creating more than 97,000 jobs.”

The press conference was a curtain raiser by the Karnataka government to woo investments from West Bengal by organising road shows ahead of the Global Investors Meet 2012 to be held in Bangalore in June this year.

“We welcome investments from industrialists of West Bengal in Karnataka,” Minister for Large and Small Industries Murugesh B Nirani said.

Notices have been issued to the farmers for acquiring 2,500 acre of land for Tata company’s proposed plant in Haveri. As many as 250 farmers will lose their land if the government goes ahead with the acquisition process. The land for the proposed factory is yet to be acquired.

The Tata company recently sponsored a trip for farmers to Jamshedpur and about 40 farmers visited the Tata plant to see its working and the welfare programmes taken up by the company for the affected farmers there.

IBM to set up office in Hubli

Source: The Hindu

The city, which is looking forward to inviting new Information Technology companies to improve the employment opportunities for software professional from this part of the country, has a good news in the form of software giant IBM, deciding to open an office in Vijayawada too during current calendar year. According to information the IBM will open 13 new branches in Kanpur, Patna, Ranchi, Nasik, Goa, Mysore, Vadodara, Hubli, Udaipur, Rajkot, Trichy, Vijayawada and Jammu, as part of their geographic expansion initiative of having their presence in 47 cities across India and South Asia.

When contacted the IBM officials did not confirm the news, but also did not deny. In 2011, they had launched 12 new branches. at Coimbatore, Indore, Guwahati, Raipur, Dehradun, Visakhapatnam, Trivandrum, Jamshedpur, Ludhiana, Surat, Nagpur and Mangalore. This will not only enhance IBM's client and partner relationships, but also improve their ability to deliver software solutions, technologies and services close to the client's location.

[Bellary] BUDA to acquire 100 acres to develop new layouts

Source: The Hindu

The general body of the Bellary Urban Development Authority (BUDA), which met here on Monday, approved the acquisition of land for development of layouts.

Chairman of the authority Vinodkumar presided over the meeting.

During the meeting, the participants were informed that farmers had offered to part with about 100 acres of land for the layouts. The farmers had been made aware of the BUDA rules. They had been told that as per Government directions, sites developed in the new layouts would be shared between landowners and BUDA in the ratio of 40:60.

Steps would soon be taken to estimate the cost of developing the layouts, conduct a feasibility study, and if found viable, a proposal would be sent to the Government for approval.

A proposal to construct two roads, estimated to cost Rs. 10 crore, which would be shared by both BUDA and the city corporation, was approved. While one road was proposed from T.B. Sanatorium to National Highway 63, the other one would be between the residence of the Superintendent of Police and the judges' quarters.

Other proposals

Proposals for completing an underground drainage system and civil works in Venkataram Nagar, fencing parks in Vijayanagar, Siddarth and Inna Reddy colonies, Gopalagowda Nagar Stage II, Tekur Subramanyam Park, and installation of lights in the cultural complex were approved.

Mr. Vinodkumar said that the authority wanted to acquire about 100 acres for developing layouts and allot sites to the poor. He said that a proposal to construct 90 commercial shops in the vacant space available on the BUDA office premises was unanimously approved.

G. Somashekara Reddy, MLA; Mrutyunjaya Jinaga, MLC; Amlan Aditya Biswas, Deputy Commissioner; D.L. Narayan, BUDA commissioner; and Murgannanavar, Deputy Superintendent of Police, were present.

Dharwad's truck terminal likely to be ready soon

Source: The Hindu

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The truck terminal at the Belur Industrial Area, near here, is expected to be ready for use by March.

It has been constructed by D. Devaraj Urs Truck Terminal Corporation Ltd. at a cost of Rs. 7.82 crore, and would be the first truck terminal in north Karnataka and the second in the State.

The first one was inaugurated in Mysore recently. The terminal is coming up on eight acres beside the main road of the industrial area.

It is expected to provide a safe and well-equipped parking facility for trucks and other heavy vehicles entering the industrial area.

At present, these vehicles are being parked on the roadside and the drivers lack proper facilities.

Unsystematic parking of vehicles is also creating traffic problems. Govind Tejwadekar, engineer in-charge of the project, said the truck terminal could accommodate 183 vehicles and 40 trailers at a time.

The terminal has a cafeteria, and a dormitory that can accommodate 100 drivers.

Space

“Space has been provided for a petrol station and a police station. Attention has also been given to ensure greenery. As many as 120 shade giving saplings have been planted and a garden is being developed on the terminal's premises,” Mr. Tejwadekar said.

Work on the terminal commenced in September 2010 and was expected to be completed in a year.

Mr. Tejwadekar said that the actual works started only by March last year as the site selected for the project was slushy.

“It took around six months to fill the land. Besides, certain changes in the original plan were made at the last minute. This delayed the completion of the work,” he said.

User-fee

It has been planned to maintain the terminal by collecting user-fee . Sources said a final decision would be taken upon completion of the work.

Centre to fund project reports for intelligent transport system - Hubli Included

Source: The Hindu

The Union Urban Development Ministry will fund 80 per cent of the cost of preparing master plan/ detailed project report for intelligent transport system (ITS) in important cities across the country, including those in Karnataka.

A senior Ministry official announced this at the concluding session of a seminar on ITS jointly organised by UDD, governments of Japan and Karnataka here on Friday. Karnataka was keen on implementing ITS initially in three cities — Mysore, Bangalore and Hubli-Dharwad.

“Let the experience in these cities be pilot projects as Karnataka has been the role model for other,” the official said.

The seminar was attended by many big names in the field of electronics from Japan, which is keen on implementing ITS in India, particularly the southern States.

Addressing these companies, the official said that low-cost technology is abundantly available to develop ITS. “If you are keen on implementing ITS in India, you should deploy low-cost technology. The companies will not lose anything because the volumes of deployment are very high,” he said.

At the same time, the companies should explore to make the best utilisation of the existing infrastructure such as mobile telephone network, he suggested.

Also, the companies should be prepared to set up manufacturing units in India by creating Indian subsidiaries, as the country is keen on developing indigenous technology as well as creation of employment.

On the role of Japan International Cooperation Agency, which has been funding various projects in India, he urged the agency to fund certain pilot projects of ITS in India, to test the proof of concept.

The agency may fund preparation of detailed project reports and support the national architecture for ITS which is being developed by UDD. The next phase of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, which may be launched this year, will include funding ITS.

Commissioner, Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT), Karnataka, V. Manjula, said that a few initiatives of ITS are being adopted in the State, including B-TRAC in Bangalore and the World Bank-funded ITS in Mysore. She said that integration of information and communication technology with the transport infrastructure, vehicles and users, will help people to make more informed travel choices even as it helps improve traffic flow.

Throughout the day, representatives from Japanese companies Nippon Koei, ITS Japan, Zero-Sum Wireless Solutions, East Nippon Expressway Company, Toshiba, Hitachi, Nagoya Electric Worksco, Mitsubushi Heavy Industries and Toyota Tshusho Electronics made presentations on different aspects of ITS.

Yasuhiro Okumura from Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Taro Okawa from JICA were present.

[Bijapur] Construction work for the proposed mega thermal power project at Kudgi in Bijapur district is likely to start soon

Source: Deccan Herald

Construction work for the proposed mega thermal power project at Kudgi in Bijapur district is likely to start soon as the state-owned power producer National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has got the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) clearance for its stage one (3x800 MW) project.

Kudgi is the first plant to be set up in Karnataka by NTPC with a total installed capacity of 4,000 MW in two stages, with Phase 1 of 2,400 MW.
The Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board, nodal agency of the Karnataka Government to acquire land, had recently handed over 1,923 acres of land required for the main plant. Land acquisition for the rest 1,600 acres is in progress.

The NTPC Board of Directors recently cleared investment proposal to the tune of Rs 15,166 crore for setting up the project. NTPC would be awarding the main plant package and taking up other infrastructure development works shortly.

“The project will have super critical boilers and latest technology. Coal requirement will be met from NTPC’s own mine at Pakhri Barwadi in Jharkhand,” the statement said.

To meet the water requirement, Karnataka Government has approved 5.2 tmc of water per annum from the Almatti Dam, which is 18km from the plant site.

The proposed plant will have a capacity to generate 80 million units of power a day and 50 per cent of it will be supplied to Karnataka. The remaining units will be shared among other states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry through the Central Grid.

The MoU for the mega project was signed between the Karnataka government, NTPC and the state-held Power Company of Karnataka Ltd in January 2009. Though the company had planned to start the works by the middle of last year, getting environment clearances delayed it till now.

[Bijapur] Rs. 45-cr. proposal for drinking water project in Indi taluk

Source: The Hindu

In order to provide a permanent solution to the drinking water problem in 53 villages and 19 tandas of Indi taluk, the Panchayat Raj Engineering Division of Bijapur district has submitted a proposal to the State Government for taking up Rs. 45.83-crore multi-village project, Ramesh Jigajinagi, MP, has said.

He told presspersons here on Wednesday that it would be a “low-cost” project as water would be stored in the Arjanal tank from the Indi sub-canal through “gravity flow system”. The Arjanal tank's capacity is 80 million cubic meters (mcum) and the water required for the project would was only 2 mcum, he said. The project would be completed in 18 months.

Delegation

“As the proposal has been submitted to the Government, a delegation led by Indi MLA S.S. Bagali and Nagtan MLA Vittal Katakdond will be taken to the Chief Minister to seek early clearance for the project,” Mr. Jigajinagi added.

ZP developments

Mr. Jigajinagi said he was keen on making his elder sister, Kamalabai Mayavanshi, who represents Atharga, as president of the Bijapur Zilla Panchayat. He, however, added that the party leadership's decision would be final.

The BJP district core committee recently decided to seek the resignation of zilla panchayat president Shankrubai Chalwadi and vice-president Shrishailgouda Biradar to provide an opportunity to other BJP members to be at the helm of affairs in the panchayat for the remainder of its term. Ms. Chalwadi submitted her resignation on Tuesday.

On the differences between Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda, the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and the State BJP president K.S. Eshwarappa, the MP said the leaders, who struggled for decades to come to power, should concentrate on development works and win the hearts of people.

Bidar may get HALs proposed chopper project

Source: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/bidar-may-get-hals-proposed-chopper-project/219033-60-119.html

BANGALORE: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), a Navaratna defence PSU and a top-ranked global defence aerospace company, which is looking for a location to house a production facility for its Advanced Utility Helicopter (AUH) project, could get land in Bidar for the project.

Bidar Lok Sabha member and former chief minister N Dharam Singh told Express that Union Defence Minister A K Antony had shown keen interest in establishing the unit at Bidar, where the Indian Air Force also has its base.

“Let us secure land for the proposed AUH programme and the Defence Ministry will� give a green signal to HAL to locate its production facility in Bidar,” Singh said.

He also said Karnataka Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, with whom he had taken up the matter on Saturday, readily agreed to release land for the project.

“The CM’s response was encouraging and it will be the first major aerospace project in the entire Hyderabad-Karnataka region, considered the most backward in the state,” he said.

The new facility will set off huge economic activities in the region and also boost employment, he said.

According to HAL sources, the defence PSU had been on the lookout for a suitable location for the AUH project for the last two years.

Three to four locations in Karnataka had been considered but Bidar, situated at the northeastern tip of the state, seemed suitable, sources said.

Referring to the Union Defence Ministry’s proposal seeking land in Bidar, Karnataka State Infrastructure Department Secretary, Rajkumar Khatri said, “If the proposal materialses, it would help reinforce Karnataka’s leadership in aerospace.”

He said the state government would extend all cooperation to the Union Defence� Ministry in providing all necessary logistic support including land, water,� electricity� and manpower and added that Karnataka has already made a mark in� aerospace engineering activities. HAL has 16 production, three MRO divisions and 10 R&D centres across the country.

If sanctioned, Bidar would be developed as an exclusive hub for HAL’s helicopter manufacturing facilities, the sources said.

[Gulbarga] GUDA plans outer ring road