Land prices for industries will be stabilised: Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee

Bengaluru: Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee on Monday assured industry bodies that land prices in the state would be regulated and the government would encourage private entities to set up industrial parks in the city.

On the demand to exclude industries from the BBMP trade licence net, Mr Mukherjee said that it has been implemented in the industrial policy announced in September.

On bringing price of land on par with neigbouring states, he said, at an FKCCI-organised interaction with traders, “Accumulation of land stocks is wrong. Land bank is a bad idea. We will try to set things right and the rates will definitely become reasonable if not lesser.”

Pointing out that the land allotted by KIADB for private industrial parks is being turned into real estate, he said the government is willing to provide infrastructure only if the parks didn't indulge in such practices.

On the garbage crisis, he said municipal authorities did not find a consolidated solution which led to the crisis. “The quantum of garbage in the city needs to be reduced to manage it effectively.

Through composting, 50 per cent of garbage can be reduced. At present, we are processing one tonne of garbage everyday and this will be increased to two tonnes. But it will take another one year to set things right," he said.

On the Mandur crisis, he said, “The village once cultivated the best grapes, but now, it has turned into a dump yard. We will stick to the December 1 deadline.”

He said that an 18-km tunnel would be constructed at Shiradi Ghat to ease traffic between Bengaluru and Mangaluru. “We have convinced JAICA to fund the project and a decision will be taken soon," he said.

Metro passes for employees in Peenya
Mr Mukherjee said that the Phase 1 of Metro would be completed by August 2015 and the delay was because a tunnel boring machine is stuck inside a tunnel.

Employment for Kannadigas
FKCCI demanded 70% employment for Kannadigas, and Mr Mukherjee asked, "Who is a Kannadiga? I'm also a Kannadiga. We haven't done enough for locals and we need to provide them with skills to ensure better job opportunities for them.”