Saturday, September 07, 2013: The government of Karnataka is working to set up an IT Investment Region (ITIR) in a location 44 kms away from Bengaluru. The proposal to set up the ITIR has been approved by the union government. It is expected to provide boost to the development of IT/ITES and electronics industry in the proposed area.
The ITIR near Bengaluru will be the first ITIR approved under the ITIR Policy Resolution of the Government which was approved in May, 2008. The approval for ITIR is based on the proposal from the Department of Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka in this regard. The ITIR envisages an investment of Rs. 10,60,000 million in a period of twenty years and is expected to create employment for nearly four million people. The government of Karnataka has already taken several steps to initiate the development of ITIR.
Following are the steps taken by the state government in this direction:
* Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (KEONICS), a State Government enterprise, has been made the nodal agency till the Management Board takes over complete charge of development of infrastructure within the region. The area falls under the jurisdiction of Bengaluru International Airport Area Planning Authority (BIAAPA) and the applicable rules and regulations of BIAAPA form an integral part of the Master Plan 2021. The Government of Karnataka has gazetted the “Karnataka Information Technology Investment Region Act 2010” vide notification dated 16.09.2010. The Act provides for the constitution of a Management Board and lays down its functions.
* An initial Environmental Impact Assessment has been carried out to indentify the environmental issues associated with the proposed ITIR. Project wise Environmental clearances shall be insisted before implementation of the projects. The Department of IT, BT and S&T, Government of Karnataka has conducted a preliminary demand survey in 2010 for land in the proposed ITIR. 44 companies responded showing keen interest to take up either land or built up space in the proposed ITIR.
* The State Government has proposed 60 kms of water pipeline to supply recycled water from Koramangla – Chalagatta Valley and Raja Canal or Vrishabavathi Valley from Mysore Road to the ITIR. Six substations and 65 kms of transmission lines are proposed to be set up by the State Government at a cost of Rs 3,400 million. ITIR area is bounded by Naitional Highways(NH) 207 on south State Highways(SH)74 (road to Nandi Hills) on north and NH 7 (road to Hyderabad) on east.
* The role of the Central Government is to support the development of external infrastructure. The approval includes undertaking feasibility studies for the widening of NH 207 at an estimated cost of Rs. 6,500 million and Metro Rail Phase II- Extension from Bengaluru International Airport to ITIR at an estimated cost of Rs 63,600 million. Respective Ministries of Government of India would take up these feasibility studies. Government of Karnataka has been requested to take steps to notify the delineated area of the ITIR under the relevant State Act to take further necessary action to set up the ITIR at the earliest.
