Southern States - Karnataka   

Hinterland in for fast growth

By Our Staff Correspondent

MANGALORE JULY 16. With the Chief Secretary, B.S. Patil, holding a review meeting in Bangalore recently, hopes of development of the hinterland of the New Mangalore Port has risen again. The hinterland, one of the largest among those of the 11 major ports in the country, has features that can transform a large part of the State into an industrially and economically vibrant zone. With three proposed special economic zones, the region is set for fast growth.

According to Government sources, Mr. Patil suggested at the meeting that stress be given to the speedy completion of the Hassan-Mangalore broadgauge conversion project to give an impetus to the economic activities in the region, including exports from the port. It is estimated that about 80,000 tonnes of coffee grown and processed in Kodagu, Chikmagalur, and Hassan districts can be exported from the port. It is now being done from Tuticorin and Chennai. The port has resumed container traffic and has a full-fledged container terminal. The Government's interest in developing the Hubli-Ankola railway line, as mentioned by the Chief Secretary, will also add to the advantage of the port, as there will be an alternative to the national highways.

Since Hubli is likely to get an airport, the movement of cargo to the port will get a shot in the arm. Another development is that the condition of the Bangalore-Mangalore stretch of National Highway 48 has also come under review. The Government was keen on turning this stretch into a six-lane highway as an extension of the Prime Minister's ambitious Golden Quadrilateral project. It has been suggested that Padil-Nanthoor-Mangalore bypass be included in the National Highway 48 to provide a shortcut to the lorries coming to the port. There are chances that the Mysore-Mangalore road will also get attention from the Government.

G. Girdhar Prabhu, President of the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told The Hindu that comprehensive hinterland development would place the service sector in an advantageous position as increased cargo handling would need additional facilities for container maintenance, ship repair, and so on. Some portion of the existing industrial setup here would get rejuvenated. Some unit could offer their spare production capacity to produce value-added products in the proposed special economic zones. The Container Corporation of India Ltd. had been permitted by the Centre to set up a container station here, and it had set apart a sum of Rs. 1.5 crore for developing the container park.

He stated that the problems aired at the Hinterland Development Committee meeting would be heard by the top leadership of the country.

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