NEW DELHI: With an eye on the Karnataka Assembly election next year, the Centre is taking stock of infrastructure projects that are relevant to the state, including the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor and the Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway projects.“The government will review its industrial focus on south India in general and Karnataka in particular, keeping in view the upcoming state election. The government has recently asked for the list of all Central government projects in and around Karnataka,” said a senior official in the Department of Industrial Policy and Planning (DIPP).
A slew of announcements are likely over the coming few weeks, he said. “Also, the government has asked National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) to put the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor on fast track,” the official said.The Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor is an upcoming mega infrastructure project of the Centre under the aegis of NICDIT. It will come up along Chennai, Sriperumbudur, Ponnapanthangal, Ranipet, Chittoor, Bangarupalem, Palamaner, Bangarpet, Hoskote and Bengaluru.
It has three industrial nodal points — the Ponneri Node in Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu, Tumakuru Node in Tumakuru district of Karnataka and the Krishnapatnam Node in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh. Even Kerala is planning to link Kochi with this corridor, which is expected to boost commerce between south India and east Asia by enabling quicker movement of goods.
“About $30 billion investment is expected to flow into the corridor and the commerce ministry is planning to discuss the project with ASEAN leaders, who will be visiting on January 26 to attend the Republic Day function. Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu will visit the state between January 15 and January 19,” he said.