The Dharwad Growth Centre Industries Association which had objected to the allotment of land at Mummigatti-Narendra Industrial Housing Area for purposes other than industrial township has obtained interim relief with the High Court of Karnataka, Dharwad, ordering maintenance of status quo in the issue.

Various industrialists who are members of the Dharwad Growth Centre Industries Association had strongly objected to the land allotment and had said that when the land earmarked for industrial township itself was inadequate, KIADB had allotted land to private parties for purposes other than industry.

After its appeals to government authorities had failed, the association approached the High Court. Accepting the Writ Petition (No 103873 of 2021 GM-KIADB), a Bench headed by Justice S.R. Krishna Kumar passed the interim order directing maintenance of status quo in the land allotment issue till the next date of hearing.

The Ministry of Industries, Union of India, the Principal Secretary to the Department of Commerce and Industries, Government of Karnataka, the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Member, the Joint Director, the Assistant Secretary and the Development Officer of Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) have been made respondents in the writ petition, along with Prakalpa Hospitalities and Rashtrotthan Parishat that have been allotted the land.

As per the Union Government’s guidelines, 241.5 acres of land along the Dharwad-Belagavi National Highway located in Mummigatti and Narendra villages were acquired for developing industrial township for the Dharwad Growth Centre in 1994. And, during 2019-20, KIADB passed a resolution on developing residential extension in 11 acres and the work is under way.

The association had objected to the allotment of various plots in the remaining 130.5 acres for purposes other than industry and despite the opposition, KIADB allotted three plots to three parties, Rashtrotthan Parishat, Prakalpa Hotel and Prakalpa Hospital, which, according to the association, has been done in clear violation of the guidelines. According to the association, residential facilities are required for nearly 10,000 industrialists and workers and even 241.5 acres was not sufficient to meet the requirement.