No irrigated lands for SEZs, says Industries Minister

No irrigated lands for SEZs, says Industries Minister

Special Correspondent

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KIADB directed to acquire only dry lands for SEZs
The Centre has cleared SEZs in Hubli-Dharwad, Gulbarga, Bidar, Belgaum
and Mysore
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BANGALORE: The Government has decided against acquiring irrigated lands
for establishing Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the State, Industries
Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu has said.

Addressing presspersons here on Wednesday, Mr. Naidu said the Industries
Department had directed the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board
(KIADB) to acquire only dry lands for SEZs.

The Centre had recently cleared SEZs in Hubli-Dharwad, Gulbarga, Bidar,
Belgaum and Mysore. Except the SEZ in Hubli-Dharwad, the others were
sector specific, he said.

The State Government had been developing SEZs for pharmacy and
biotechnology, textiles, food processing and agro-based industries in
Hassan and SEZ for information technology in Mangalore.

Mr. Naidu said the department was holding an investors' meet in Belgaum
on March 8.

On the same day, a job fair had been organised for unemployed graduates
under the Suvarna Kayaka Shikshana Yojane.

A few private firms had agreed to participate in the fair. In Raichur,
the job fair would be held on March 10, he said.

The industries in and around Bellary district were facing severe
scarcity of water. The department had submitted a proposal to the Water
Resources Department to supply 5 tmcft of water either from the
Tungabhadra Dam or the Alamatti Dam, he said.

For inclusion of industry-related courses in the college syllabus, Mr.
Naidu said the department had convened a meeting of vice-chancellors and
education experts on March 5.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/03/01/stories/2007030112330400.htm