A group of 100 NRIs settled in the US have proposed to develop a knowledge city, with a total investment of Rs 10,000 crore, on the outskirts of Bangalore. The promoters have sought 1,000 acres of land for the project.

The State government is keen on the proposal and the Chief Minister has asked the NRI Cell to proceed with the proposal. The proposal came up for discussion in the NRI Cell meeting on Tuesday. Chief Minister Yeddyurappa presided over the meeting.

NRI Cell Deputy Chairman Ganesh Karnik said that over 100 NRIs, including a few from Karnataka, had sent him a proposal for the creation of a knowledge city. The project, titled Knowledge City Bangalore, caters to the education, entertainment, health, recreation, scientific research and information technology sectors.

"Dr K P Girish, one of the promoters of the project recently met me and discussed the project. He wants to take up the project on a PPP model with the State government's share of 20 per cent in the total investments, in the form of land and clearances from the government departments," he said.

Karnik said the chief minister had asked the Cell to proceed with the project. "Now I will get in touch with the promoters and ask them to come up with a concrete plan. Later the government will decide about the project. As per the proposal received, they have sought 1,000 acres of land," he said.

He said the extent of land the promoters need was not available in Bangalore. The government had to move out of the city. It might be either on Mysore Road, Tumkur Road or near Kolar. Such a project would bring in investment to the State, generate employment and facilitate flow of money.

Yeddyurappa appealed to the committee members to help in luring the investors across the globe to the Global Investors' Meet (GIM) scheduled for December this year. The State was expecting a total investment of Rs 3 lakh crores. He also said that the government had a plan to hold Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bangalore and asked the Cell to make preparations in this regard. The CM said that head quarters assistants to deputy commissioners in all districts will be entrusted with additional responsibility of helping NRIs in administrative matters. Karnik said, "NRIs hardly get three weeks of leave in a year. They don't get much time to attend to issues related to their land or property at their native places. Thus the CM has agreed to give additional responsibility to HQAs in this regard. NRIs can directly approach them for assistance," he said. The meeting also discussed NRIs' major demands including reforms in issuing Visa, opportunities to purchase sites in Bangalore, allowing their children to appear for the CET, land for an NRI colony in Bangalore.

Source: DHNS