Karnataka plans industrial park at Kolar Gold Fields, requests Centre to hand over part of gold mines land

Bengaluru: Karnataka is pursuing plans to set up an industrial park on 3,200 acres of unused land owned by Bharat Gold Mines (BGML) at Kolar Gold Fields, about 94 kilometres from Bengaluru. Chief minister BS Yediyurappa and industries minister Jagadish Shettar discussed the subject with Union Minister for Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi on Friday.The central public sector undertaking owns 12,109 acres at KGF, part of which could be used for setting up an industrial park.The location is ideal for solar manufacturers, automobile units, electronics and pharmaceutical companies to invest as it is well connected by expressway and railway, the chief minister said while chairing a high level meeting that reviewed mining and geology related issues. The availability of land, Shettar said, will be known in six months after the mines and geology department conducts a survey to see if the place has any mineral deposits. If it is free of any major natural resources, then the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) will take approvals from the Centre, and begin work on setting up the park.KGF is about 90 km from Bengaluru International Airport, 260 km from Chennai port and 314 km from Krishnapatnam port, and hence, is strategically located, the minister said. The site has the required infrastructure to set up a full-fledged industrial park and generate jobs in Kolar district.

The initiative is part of the state government’s efforts to attract investments in places away from Bengaluru and take industrial development across the state.