Amidst the ongoing tug of war between Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka for an aerospace park project, more reactions poured in from political figures, intensifying the debate. This came after AP Minister Nara Lokesh extended an open invitation to aerospace investors after Karnataka scrapped the Devanahalli land acquisition.
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‘We love competition’: Priyank Kharge
Karnataka's ITBT Minister Priyank Kharge hit back, saying AP, being a newer state, must resort to aggressive incentives. "They will give land for 99 paisa/acre... They need to attract investments, so they will do a song and dance about it... While we also offer subsidies and incentives, we don't need to do what they have to do….our competition is different," he said, as quoted by news agency ANI.
"While we love competition, they can give free land, water, and as many subsidies as they want... People are still going to come to us. It has nothing to do with a few acres of land being given back to the farmers," he added.
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‘Not one industry will go out’: MB Patil
{{/usCountry}}ALSO READ | ‘Just outside Bengaluru’: Nara Lokesh pitches 8,000 acres in AP to aerospace firms after Karnataka U-turn
‘Not one industry will go out’: MB Patil
{{/usCountry}}Industries Minister MB Patil also echoed the sentiments, and reassured stakeholders, insisting that land won’t be a barrier. "Just because of one incident of a land issue, where we had to drop some land acquisition because of farmers' issues, that doesn't mean it is the end. We have ample space and land. In our state, not one industry will go out because of a want of land," he said.
‘20,000 acres of land in Tumkuru’: Cong MLA offers a solution
Senior Congress MLA TB Jayachandra also chipped into the row, suggesting a solution: shifting the project to Tumkuru, where 20,000 acres of land is available for the aerospace project in Vasantnarasapura Industrial Area.
"The alternative now is Tumkuru. In Vasantnarasapura, more than 20,000 acres of land is available. I request and propose the investors to come to Tumkuru," he told ANI.
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‘If Karnataka fails…these industries will move’: Industrialist warns
Meanwhile, industrialist and Treasurer of Hubballi Dharwad Development Forum, CSV Prasad, expressed concern over Karnataka’s shifting stance on industrial land. "Land is a fundamental requirement for industrial development. It is the duty of the state government to proactively identify and allocate land to the entrepreneurs who are ready to invest," he said.
"The government should have policies such as land pooling, like in Andhra Pradesh's Amravati... The owner does not lose the land, but gets a share in the developed land... If Karnataka fails to act decisively, these industries will move to neighbouring states which are ready with investor-friendly policies. I urge the state government to reverse the decision," he added.
(With inputs from ANI)