Mangaluru: Responding to demands from the Kanara Small Industries Association (KSIA) here in the city, Minister for Small Scale Industries Satish Jarkiholi said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has set apart Rs. 100 crore for the current financial year and it will be equally distributed among industrial estates. The road infrastructure in all industrial estates in the State, including the ones in Mangaluru, will be improved in a phased manner.
KSIA association also highlighted several other problems being faced by them at the Baikampady Industrial Estate, the second-largest in the State (900 acres, 600 units, over 10,000 employees). Responding to the association Jarkiholi said that the Department would immediately start working on providing such plants in all industrial estates. As the situation is alarming, he promised to look into the demand for UGD system.
The industrial estate lacks an underground drainage system as well as treatment plants to treat sewage as well as industrial effluents. As a result, sewage and effluents join storm-water drains which later join natural water sources thereby polluting the environment, the association said.
The association urged the Minister to arrange for KSRTC city bus services to Baikampady industrial estate, to which area MLA Mohiuddin Bawa said he would urge the Deputy Commissioner to arrange the same with KSRTC’s JNNURM buses.
Association President Henry C.F. Britto, Vice President Gaurav Hegde, Secretary Ajith Kamath, Deputy Mayor Purushottam Chitrapura and others were present.
The Minister, who later on went on a visit to the industrial estate to get firsthand experience of the problems, directed the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board to put forth its case before the High Court and get the stay on repossession of land allotted to Jayaprakash Engineering and Steel Company (JESCO) vacated.
Mr. Jarkiholi’s directions came after the Kanara Small Industries Association told him that neither the government nor the KIADB have filed objections to the petition filed by JESCO challenging government’s action to repossess 986.52 acres of land allotted to it around Baikampady industrial area.
The Minister is on his visit to every district to see the problems of small-scale industries. Dakshina Kannada is the ninth district and he will visit Udupi on Tuesday.
