Major Industries and Infrastructure Development Minister M. B. Patil viewed a presentation prepared by Boston Consultancy Group (BCG) on the design of the proposed KHIR (Knowledge, Healthcare, Innovation and Research) City near Bengaluru on February 8. In addition, he consulted officials and experts regarding the project.
Addressing the gathering, he said that the focus of the KHIR-City will be on research, innovation and development of prototypes. No manufacturing will take place there.
“In the first phase, the city will come up on a parcel of about 1,000 acres. Experts have suggested that it should be developed gradually by taking up 200-300 acres at a time,” he explained.
The Minister stated that the entire investment for the KHIR-City would be by private players. The government will invest in the form of land equity. Further, he informed that such cities in different countries of the world have been studied.
Stakeholders have suggested that the proposed city should have excellent connectivity, such as road, metro, and suburban rail, and should be reachable from Bengaluru city centre within an hour.
As much as 15% of the allotted land should be meant for educational institutes such as research universities, 15% should be for setting up healthcare facilities, 20% for R&D centres and corporate offices of various industries, 10% of space for startups, 20% for residential complexes, 15% for commercial and retail space, and 5% for government offices and utilities.
A suggestion is that 35% of the 1,000 acres should be reserved for green cover, and 5% each should be used for roads and civic amenities. The remaining 55% should be used for KHIR City.
A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) should be set up to ensure coordination between the government and the master developer of the proposed city. In addition, six types of incentive measures have been suggested to promote investment, Mr. Patil said.
