THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If you are an investor planning to set up a factory in God’s Own Country, you will soon be able to choose an ideal location at the click of a button. The Department of Industries and Commerce has initiated steps to set up a comprehensive land data bank with satellite images and necessary information for investors to zero in on the plot.Though the department has agencies such as Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation, KINFRA and district industrial centres under its belt for industrial and investment promotion, these agencies have different policies and mandates. Now, the department is planning to come up with a detailed data bank of its land resources on a single platform, said Biju K, Director of Industries.
Survey Department officers have started survey work and a software will be designed with the help of the National Informatics Centre for the land data bank, he added.Department principal secretary K Elangovan said, “The industrial growth of a region depends on the availability of suitable land and resources readily available in the vicinity. So, it is vital to set up such a detailed data bank for the help of investors. We hope a preliminary data bank will be prepared within two months, which can be added with other details and features in a phased manner.”
The land data bank will have a wide variety of information such as accessibility by road, rail, air and water, apart from the nature of the land and other infrastructural resources available for industries in region, said officials.According to Trivandrum Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Raghuchandran Nair, around 33 per cent of the state is forest land and close to 30 per cent falls under the ecologically fragile category.
Environment protection laws such as the Coastal Regulation Zone, Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules will affect a good extent of the remaining land in the state.So, it is essential to identify the existing industrial land base for making the state industry-friendly. The industry-friendly trade policy mooted by the government will yield results only if there is a clear-cut idea about the land use and area of land available for the industry, he added.