Serious industrialists in tears:
Like the ghost in Shakespeare's Hamlet which appears so very often and refuses to go away, the controversy about the alleged construction of an industrial building near Bommanahalli Lake, Hebbal industrial area, never seems to end. This despite the repeated statements by the Deputy Commissioner, by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) officers and advertisements in newspapers by KIADB reaffirming that the industry that is coming up near the lake is legal and as per the government (KIADB) sanction. That there is no encroachment of the lake bed. Despite all this, the controversy persists.
On Apr. 7, 2009, the President of Mysore Industries Association (MIA) P. Vishwanath and former MLC D. Made Gowda addressed the press alleging that a construction work is underway on the lake area despite High Court’s stay order on Mar. 22. However, the KIADB officers denied this the very next day on Apr. 8, 2009, quoting the relevant portion of the High Court order and saying they have not violated the High Court order. What are we the people to make of these claims and counter-claims, allegations and denials? On the face of it, it appears one particular industry has been targeted for attack by way of agitations and demonstrations, for whatever reason, though many names are mentioned in the petition filed in the High Court.
If the High Court decision goes in favour of Mysore Industries Association, it is obvious that 22 industries mentioned in the writ petition No.4776 - 4777 / 2009 (GM - KIADB) as respondents should pack up and leave, unless they go in an appeal to the Supreme Court. Let us wait.
But the point I want to make here is about the manner in which KIADB, with its headquarters in Bangalore with a Chief Executive Officer who is an IAS, manages the affairs of Hebbal Industrial Area which is one of the oldest, started in early 1980s. The first phase of Hebbal industrial area has about 2000 acres of land acquired in the 80s and took about 30 years to develop, if what we see today is development. Till the time Infosys came there in the year 2003, occupying an area of about 250 acres, half of Hebbal industrial area was lying just vacant because of poor infrastructure and prohibitively heavy cost of corruption, which still continues.
It is said, before politicians and bureaucrats at the highest level of administration discovered the goldmine in the poor farmers’ lands, which would be notified and then denotified for heavy bribe, KIADB was a sure source of illegal money for them. Every year certain amount of money in crores would be allotted for the development of these industrial areas on the pretext of providing good roads, UGD, water and electricity that would be "spent" with the bills that would meet the requirement of auditors of the kind who audited the accounts of Satyam Computers. Got it? Today if you go and talk to an industrialist in Hebbal industrial area, you will hear his woes no end, all because of KIADB. This is why nobody trusts KIADB including in the case of Hebbal - Bommanahalli lake allegation by MIA.
It is beyond one's understanding and it defies logic when we learn that KIADB so very enthusiastically launched the second phase of Hebbal industrial area in the year 2001 initiating notification of acquisition for 220 acres of land. With ever increasing greed of politicians and bureaucrats, the Government issued notification for acquisition of another 3000 acres of land in 2006. With so much of scope for kick - back and bribe that would follow with every major work, KIADB constructed huge roads but did not provide other facilities like streetlights, power and water for industries that would come up on these lands.
Believe it or not, in the so - called 3000 acres area, if you visit the place, you will find just two industries, one is A. J. Stationery Pvt. Ltd., and another Rangsons. And they are not new industries either. They were either shifted from another site or it was their second unit. According to one source, in the first stage, second phase, there are industries only in 37 acres.
If one takes a peek into the manner in which the KIADB has passed resolutions since 2001, it would be clear that there was much vacillation on the part of KIADB in the matter of acquisition and issuing of final notification. Therefore, it is not surprising some of the farmers and owners of the land went to the Court and obtained stay, and in one case some farmers had even won the case sometime in Oct.2008. However, KIADB is going in appeal even though there are already 3000 acres of land said to have been allotted to various industries which would not be started for want of infrastructure and also for the reason some of the allottees got the land by way of investment rather than for starting an industry. Small wonder, KIADB is more interested in taking into possession lands that are closer to Infosys when nearly 3000 acres of land is already available to it for distributing to industrialists. Why? Your guess is as good as mine!
All things considered, it is advisable for the Government to abolish KIADB lock, stock and barrel and in its place establish another organisation whose Board of management will have members from a reputed NGO, Head of the Department of Economics of the local University, Chairman or President of the local Industries Association, Mayor of the City Corporation or President of the local Municipality, Chairman of the local Urban Development Authority, apart from the Government representatives from the Departments that have responsibilities towards industrial areas in one way or the other like the electricity, water, Pollution Control Board, PWD etc. The decision of the Board by a majority should be final without giving any leeway either for the bureaucrats or Ministers individually to interfere and manipulate.
It is reliably learnt that out of 22 industries to whom sites were allotted by KIADB [claiming these sites are away from the lake and lake-bed as per law], only one industry by name Scanray Technologies has started construction work seriously while all other allottees do not seem to evince interest in setting up their industry. No wonder Scanray is bearing the brunt of the protest by MIA.
It is obvious the other 21 allottees are not serious players and got the site allotted as investment.
In such a murky situation, it is best the Government formulated new policy for KIADB wherein a provision is made for resuming the site after five or ten years [depending on the size of the intended industry] and refund the amount paid by the allottee with a nominal interest [in a show of natural justice]. If this is done, industrial sites could be made available to serious players at the current rate and as a collateral benefit it will enrich the coffers of KIADB.
What the Scanray people underwent ever since they came to Mysore to set up the industry nearly four years ago and are still undergoing can be compared to what Tatas underwent in Singur, West Bengal, in the matter of setting up Nano car factory. Let better counsel prevail. It will, only if corruption vanishes by 50%!
Tailpiece:
Star of Mysore itself wanted to shift its printing unit to Hebbal Industrial area around 1988 and identified a couple of vacant sheds opposite JSS Urban Haat. KIADB simply winked at us. We knew. In retrospect I can say: No regrets.
