SMEs seek township status for Peenya & other industrial areas

Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (Kassia) on Monday urged chief minister BS Yediyurappa to set up industrial township authorities (ITA) to manage industrial areas.

The industry body sought formation of ITAs in Peenya (Bengaluru), Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubballi and Belagavi. The association said the proposals were pending with the government for a long time.

Kassia said the industrial estates developed by KIADB and KSSIDC are in a pathetic shape, and the government could consider setting up an authority under the industry minister's chairmanship to oversee their infrastructure needs.


In Karnataka, Electronic City and Bidadi industrial area are being managed by independent township authorities with some degree of autonomy and flexibility.

The proposal to set up Peenya industrial township authority had been pending before the government for two decades now, Kassia president KB Arasappa said.

The Kassia representatives also told the chief minister at a pre-budget interaction on Monday to set up new industrial estates through public-private partnership (PPP) route. The previous industrial policy had proposed this, but it never took off the industry representatives said.

They wanted townships in smaller 10-acre plots so that it could accommodate small players.