The Hindu Business Line : Dharam Singh woos AP entrepreneurs

The Karnataka Chief Minister, Mr N. Dharam Singh, with his Andhra Pradesh counterpart, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, at Suminfra 2005 meet in Hyderabad on Thursday. - K. Ramesh Babu

Hyderabad , July 28

THE Karnataka Chief Minister, Mr N. Dharam Singh, has invited Andhra Pradesh-based entrepreneurs to participate in various infrastructure development projects being taken up in his State on public private partnership (PPP) model.

He said his Government has cleared projects worth around Rs 52,000 crore in the last 14 months and projects involving investments of around Rs 14,000 crore were currently under active consideration.

Mr Singh was here on Wednesday to address entrepreneurs at the Summit on Sustainable PPPs in Infrastructure (Suminfra-2005), organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

He said the key infrastructure projects where the State Government was seeking private participation include power generation and distribution, State highways, bye-passes, urban and rural infrastructure development, metro rail system and airport-rail link project for Bangalore.

Mr Singh has invited Andhra Pradesh entrepreneurs to invest in the special economic zones created in different parts of Karnataka, especially those close to Hyderabad. These SEZs are coming up at Gulbarga, Raichur and Bidar, where adequate infrastructure was being developed.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Summit, Mr Dharam Singh admitted to the growing traffic problems in Bangalore. He said the Government has formed a Task Force Committee to continuously examine the traffic management measures.

The Rs 6,500-crore Bangalore Metro Rail Project was awaiting Central Government approval. It would carry 16.4 lakh passengers and significantly reduce the traffic congestion. The Government has sanctioned Rs 491-crore hi-tech city project spread over 1,100 acres area. The State Government proposes to invest around Rs 13,500 crore in upgradation of transmission and distribution network during the next five years. The Karnataka Power Corporation has firmed up an ambitious programme of constructing six major power projects in the next three years, adding about 3,350 MW to the existing grid.

Further, the Chief Minister said ONGC has agreed to invest Rs 21,176 crore in a mega petrochemical project in the State. This involves Rs 7,465 crore on petrochemical and aromatic complex, Rs 8,594 crore on LNG-based 2,000-MW power project, Rs 3,950 crore on LNG re-gasification plant and Rs 945 crore in Mangalore-Bangalore gas pipeline project, Mr Dharam Singh said.

Infrastructure policy: The Karnataka Government proposes to constitute a committee of top bureaucrats to bring out an exclusive PPP infrastructure policy in the next three months, the State Minister for Industry and Infrastructure Development, Mr P.G.R. Sindhia, announced here.

According to him, the PPP model is the only viable way to make major projects a reality, and the Government is promoting the Bangalore International Airport through this model. Further, it is also engaging private sector in setting up of airports at Gulbarga, Hassan and Mysore and for the new international airport at Mangalore.

While highlighting some of the successful PPPs in Karnataka, Mr Sindhia said that the Government was also creating a cluster of machine tool industry in Bangalore, foundry cluster in Belgaum and an automobile estate in Hubli, all with participation from private players.

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