Viksit Bharat: Investors flag growing land use conflicts over industries | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: Investors in Karnataka have expressed concerns over the increasing disputes related to land use for industrial purposes, Amardeep Singh Bhatia, secretary, Union department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) said Saturday.Speaking on the sidelines of the Viksit Bharat @2047 Investors’ Roundtable Conference in the city, Bhatia noted that the state govt is already taking steps to address the issues. “We will also do whatever is necessary to improve the condition,” he added.Bhatia added that industry stakeholders also called for strengthening the single-window clearance system and upgrading infrastructure in existing industrial zones, especially by setting up effluent treatment plants.The roundtable brought together senior policymakers, govt officials, and business leaders to chart strategies for long-term industrial growth in Karnataka and across southern India. The event was part of the Centre’s broader push under the Viksit Bharat-2047 initiative to shape India into a developed economy by the centenary of its independence.Call to adopt Centre’s modelBhatia said at the roundtable that the 20 industrial parks being developed under the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP) will be fully equipped with essential infrastructure to meet the evolving needs of industries. He called upon southern states to emulate NICDP’s model of integrated industrial townships.“In the industrial townships developed under NICDP, infrastructure is not limited to roads. It includes water and power supply, sewage, solid waste management units, electronics testing facilities, and customised infrastructure for sectors like textiles,” he added.S Selvakumar, principal secretary, Karnataka department of commerce and industries, said the state is making continuous improvements to simplify its industrial policy and enhance ease of doing business. “The single-window system launched by the govt has been revitalised,” he added.Selvakumar assured that the Electronics City Association’s 1,000-acre township model would be scaled and replicated across Karnataka.Addressing concerns about the underutilisation of local taxes collected from industrial areas, he said a new mechanism had been introduced.“From April onwards, the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) will collect taxes in Special Investment Regions (SIRs) and return 30% to local bodies, while the remaining 70% will be used to develop core infrastructure in these SIRs.”