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| Edited By: Hemanth Kumar |Source: DNA |Updated: Mar 17, 2018, 02:30 AM IST
A day after global steel emperor Lakshmi Mittal announced his commitment to set-up a mega steel project in Karnataka, state large and medium industries minister Murugesh Nirani was busy in Delhi wooing auto giants to set-up a huge automobile manufacturing hub in the state.
Nirani visited the international auto expo being held in Delhi on Friday. He met the top brass of global auto giants Toyota, Mercedes Benz, Audi, Honda, Tata and Bosch and invited them to set up their units in Karnataka. He also invited them to participate in the Global Investors’ Meet to be held in Bangalore in June.
“I made a brief presentation on the attractive incentives and concessions being provided by Karnataka to attract automobile industries to the state. The success stories of Toyota, which has a huge plant in Bidadi near Bangalore, and Tata Motors in Dharwad, is testimony to the fact that we provide what we promise.
The initial response from all the auto majors was very encouraging and we are highly optimistic about significant breakthrough in wooing them during the Global Investors’ Meet,” Nirani told DNA.
The state government has drawn up ambitious plans to develop a mega automobile industrial cluster in Bangalore Rural district and Dharwad-Hubli-Belgaum region.
Nirani also stated that the state government had set its eyes on the cement sector too for the speedy development of northern Karnataka.
Dispelling fears about red tapism in providing land for the mega steel plant to be set up by the Arcelor Mittal group, chief minister BS Yeddyurappa said that there will be no delay in the setting up of a mega steel plant in North Karnataka.
“Land acquisition will start immediately after signing the memorandum of understanding. All necessary approvals would be issued immediately after the Mittals finalise their land selection,” he said.
Talking about the grand celebrations planned to commemorate the 500th year of coronation of Sri Krishnadevaraya, the iconic king of the erstwhile Vijaynagar empire, Yeddyurappa said that the state has allocated Rs15 crore for the event, of which Rs7 crore has already been released, and an order has been issued for the release of the remaining amount as well.
“We plan to invite prime minister Manmohan Singh to declare open the celebrations at Hampi in Bellary from January 27 to 29. We also plan to invite to the festival President Pratibha Devisingh Patil, chief ministers of all states, and some foreign dignitaries,” the chief minister said.
He added that he would invite the prime minister when he calls upon him at Delhi on January 13. The chief minister is leading an all-party delegation to discuss the Kalasa-Banduri Nala drinking water project.
He added that a cabinet reshuffle would be done only after the presentation of the 2010-11 annual budget. “I met the new national president of the BJP, Nitin Gadkari, on Thursday, but did not discuss anything about the cabinet reshuffle and appointments to boards and corporations with him, as it was a cordial visit,” Yeddyurappa said.
When asked about the charges levelled against him by JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda on his government flouting rules with regard to the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor, Yeddyurappa declined to react.
(With inputs from Srikanth Hunasavadi)
