BELAGAVI: Large and Medium Scale Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani on Friday informed the Assembly that a Russian company has evinced interest in setting up an electric vehicle plant in the state and the government has asked them to set it up in Belagavi.
Replying to a question by Belagavi South MLA Abhay Patil during the question hour in the Assembly, Nirani said a delegation from the company met him recently and the government convinced it to set up the plant in Tier 2 cities. Soon, a team of officials will hold a discussion with the company management.
Earlier, Patil said passing a resolution on the border row is not sufficient, and urged the government to create a congenial atmosphere for industrial development in the region because local industries are relocating to Kolhapur-Kagal industrial area.
A Rs-600 crore proposal is pending before the government to develop critical infrastructure in the city. It should be cleared and steps should be taken to generate employment for local people, he said. Nirani said the government is committed to take new industries away from Bengaluru. A majority of industries that have entered into an understanding with the government in the recently held Global Investors Meet would be encouraged to set up their units in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Specifically on Belagavi, he said, a company, Gold Glass, has set up a plant investing Rs 2,000 crore in the first phase and is planning more investment in the second phase, he added.
To a query by Belagavi North MLA Anil Benake on acquiring 700 acres of defence land for industrial development, Nirani said the government has already communicated with the Defence Ministry and will also bring it to the notice of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The state government has proposed to give the defence ministry a thousand acres near Khanapur in lieu of the Belagavi land.
Once the land is made available, it will be used to set up industries related to aerospace, semiconductors and other new-age industries, he added. MLA Kumar Bangarappa suggested to the government to identify eight strategic places across the state for sector-specific investments as has been done in Gujarat.