Kalaburagi Mega Textile Park, a test case for State: FKCCI

The proposed mega textile park at Kalaburagi will be a boon for employment in the region and the Government has to pursue the project in mission mode so as to commission it at the earliest.

There is a lot of concern about jobs for youth in interior and rural parts of Karnataka like Kalaburagi at the present juncture. With this announcement, the youth are looking up to the textile park project for gainful employment.

While the textile park is coming up in 1550 acres of land, the Government has only transferred about 1,000 acres to the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board, which is the agency to develop the infrastructure facilities for the textile park.

FKCCI would like to request the Government to identify the remaining part of the land and transfer it so that the KIADB can take up infrastructure development immediately.

Kalaburagi district has a lot of talent to realize the 5F vision of the textiles sector, namely, Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign. This would also translate to a lot of opportunities for the local ancillary industries.

It must be remembered that the present infrastructure for industries is a mess in Kalaburagi, therefore we would like to caution the Government that without providing reliable power supply, availability of water, waste disposal system and an effective single window clearance system, the project cannot be expected to reach its ambitious target and will end up disappointing the people.

Keeping in mind the past experience, it will be a litmus test for the Government to prove that it can follow up on its promises of providing state-of-art plug and play manufacturing facilities, common amenities including effluent treatment plants, accommodation for workers, skill training centres and warehouses.

“A lot of expectation is riding on the mega textile park project. Kalaburagi’s strategic location and the prospects of an estimated one lakh people getting jobs from the park has given it a lot of heft. We have seen in the past many announcements not being taken to the logical conclusion or inordinate delays dealing a death blow to the project. We hope the Government will not allow such things to happen in this case.

B.V. Gopal Reddy
President, FKCCI