Urban Development Minister U.T. Khader on Monday said the government will amend legislation to establish industrial township authorities for industrial areas within urban local bodies (ULBs).
Amendments will be introduced during the forthcoming monsoon session, Mr. Khader told presspersons here.
At present, the Karnataka Municipalities Act, 1964, and Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976, govern ULBs in the State.
The Minister said the move would considerably improve the situation in industrial areas/estates in the State where entrepreneurs have consistently been complaining about lack of facilities and infrastructure. Except Electronics City Industrial Township Authority, there is no similar authority in the State.
The amendments would make the authorities, that would have eight members, autonomous. While five members would be from industries, one each would be from Urban Development and Industries & Commerce Departments and one from the jurisdictional ULB, all nominated by the government. The authorities have to pay 30% of taxes collected to the jurisdictional ULB while utilising the rest for the area development.
Mr. Khader said a meeting of his department and the Industries and Commerce Department to chalk out the modalities was held in Bengaluru on Monday evening.
He noted that various industry bodies had been demanding a separate authority to govern industrial areas/townships/ estates as their needs were not catered to by local urban administrations. During his recent visit to Baikampady Industrial Estate in Mangaluru, a similar demand was made by the Kanara Small Industries’ Association to which he had responded positively. The amendments are being proposed aiming at the overall development of industrial areas in the State, the Minister added.