FOR A BETTER CITY: Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy with chief of the global NRI consortium B. Raghuram Shetty (left) and N. Yogish Bhat, Mangalore MLA.

MANGALORE: A consortium of non-resident Indians (NRIs) from West Asia, the U.S., Australia and the U.K. have agreed to invest Rs. 250 crores if the Government takes up a comprehensive plan to develop Mangalore city into a tourist destination.

Consortium chief B. Raghuram Shetty, who met Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and N. Yogish Bhat, Mangalore MLA, in Bangalore on Monday, has said that the consortium will raise Rs. 250 crores towards developing Mangalore city and has sought the Chief Minister's promise to allot a substantial sum of money as the Government's contribution to the plan.

Tourism and industry

The document, which was made available to the press, outlines development in various fields including tourism, industry, information technology, port, Special Economic Zone, library and education, basic facilities, development of green spaces, particularly Kadri Park, Mangala Stadium and the swimming pool, Wenlock and Lady Goshen Hospital and the international airport at Mangalore. According to the document, the city will have a tourism corridor, an industrial zone, an IT corridor, a port zone, a Special Economic Zone, a knowledge zone and a city zone. The tourism zone will come up around the two main beaches, Tanneerbavi and Panambur, while the existing industrial zones in Yeyyadi and Baikampady will be provided with wider roads and proper electricity on the lines of NOIDA and GIDC industrial estates.

The knowledge zone will be developed around Pilikula Nisargadhama, which has the regional science centre. According to the document, the aim is to develop a knowledge city in the zone, considering most IT industries will be set up around Ganjimath and Gurupur. Mr. Bhat said Mr. Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa have appreciated the plan and are particular that it should include development of large lung spaces in the city.

He said he told them that Kadri Park will be developed to include features such as theme gardens, water fountains, a green belt, water bodies, sand pits and a children's park. All these will be developed at a cost of Rs. 4 crores, he added.

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