Having applied in 2007 and running from pillar to post ever since for getting the allotment order, the small IT entrepreneurs from Hubballi are apprehensive about having to start afresh following a direction from the Urban Development Directorate (UDD).
The small IT entrepreneurs are puzzled over why they have to wait for so long for getting land in the Aryabhata Tech Park in Hubballi established to promote Information Technology, IT Enabled Services (ITES) and Bio-technology in the region.
Following the direction from UDD, the council of Hubballi Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) will deliberate on the issue in the general body meeting.
Addressing presspersons here on Monday, Proprietor of ClickHubli.com Deepali Gotadke, Director of Navya Biologicals, Hubballi, Dr K.R. Rajyashree and Proprietor of Sismatics, Krishna Katwe sought to know from the government why they were being made to wait for seven long years even after providing every details of their project and now suddenly being asked to start afresh.
Ms. Deepali, recipient of the ‘High Performing Women IT Entrepreneur’ Award (2010) given by STPI and Department of IT and BT, Government of Karnataka, said that after they applied for land in the second phase of the Aryabhat Tech Park in 2007, they were asked to provide various documents and subsequently told by the authorities that their firms had been shortlisted for land allotment and the proposal had been sent to the directorate for approval from the State Government.
“In the last seven years, I have submitted the necessary documents several times to HDMC, met various government authorities, Ministers and Chief Ministers in Bengaluru. But despite the letters from the Chief Minister and district-in-charge minister nothing happened so far. Now we hear about fresh notification for inviting applications for land allotment. After submitting all the documents which were scrutinised by competent committee and recommended for land allotment, we are being asked to start from the beginning. Is our wait for seven years has no value?” Ms. Deepali questioned.
Plea
Ms. Deepali and Dr. Rajyashree said that their only plea was that they should be given priority in land allotment as their applications had been processed and recommended for allotment already.
“We have come to know that the issue will be discussed at the council meeting of HDMC this week and prior to that we will submit memorandum to the Mayor, floor leader, opposition leader and other councillors requesting them to help us”, they said.
Based on the committee’s recommendations the HDMC had sent the proposal to allot 10.5 acres of land to seven firms including ClickHubli, Navya, Sismatics and Gumbi Software to the state government for approval. As per the sources, the proposal was reportedly put on hold because of another proposal on allotting as part of the same land to Agasthya Foundation, which has now been rejected by UDD. And the directorate now wants to issue fresh notification reportedly to maintain transparency.
