The project has not materialised nearly three years after the Karnataka government promised in the Budget that a textile park will be established at Karkala in the Udupi district.
The establishment of two new textile parks in the State, one at Karkala and the other in Shiggaon in Haveri district, had been announced by the then-Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa in the Budget for 2020–21. He had stated that they will result in the employment of 3,000 people.In July 2022, Shiggaon Textile Park’s foundation stone was set by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. Yet, the process to create the park in Karkala is moving quite slowly.
The Department of Handlooms and Textiles official informed The Hindu that 15 acres had been set aside. for the envisioned park in the nearby Karkala village of Nitte. The department’s name has been listed as the owner of the given land (in the RTC). The official added there is no other way to advance the move forward besides this.
For the proposed park, the Udupi district administration had earlier designated 20 acres of public property in Miyar. This land was later abandoned.The official explained that since the land has already been allocated, a special purpose vehicle (SPV), a legal organisation established to carry out a particular duty, will need to be established in order to move the idea ahead. The SPV will build the park’s infrastructure, including the roads, water and electricity supplies, dormitories, hostels, restaurants, and related services, and then assign investor sites. The department is authorised to offer incentives to investors when they erect their units in the park, up to a maximum of 40%.
Several significant suggestions for the coastal belt that were put up in the 2021–22 Budget are still on the table. It includes establishing a $6 million Advanced Bio-tech Innovation Center for Aqua-Marine in Mangaluru. It aims to promote the growth of biotechnology businesses and creative start-ups as well as the manufacture of light food products that make use of the beneficial chemicals found in fish and seaweed.
Waterways between Mangaluru and Panaji will be developed through a public-private collaboration, according to the then-chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa, in order to enhance tourism and provide economical passenger and freight transit. It has persisted.
