Govt finalising deal with DLF on Knowledge City

The Karnataka government, which has decided to award the 'Knowledge City' project to real estate developer DLF, is working out the modalities of the agreement to be executed.

Apparently, DLF had sought certain changes in the project agreement. However, a top official of the Karnataka government said on Wednesday that "the deal with DLF is in the stages of being finalised".

Karnataka's IT/BT Secretary M N Vidyashankar said at an event organised by the India Semiconductor Association that 14 special economic zones were part of the 'Knowledge City' project. "Close to 10,000 acres of land will be brought under the project. Six new townships are also coming up near Bidadi, close to the project site," he added.

To be set up in the south of Bangalore, a major portion of the land required for the project is already with the government. It is aimed at attracting investments from the IT / ITeS sector.

According to government estimate, investments worth Rs 60,000 crore are expected to be made once the project is complete. The SEZs will be sector-specific. There will be SEZs for IT / ITeS, semiconductors, embedded systems, chip design houses and various industry bodies.

In an effort to link the Knowledge City with the upcoming Bangalore International Airport, the government has proposed to construct a six-lane 36 km-long expressway.

The 'Knowledge City' project will also include private airstrips, hotels, residential complexes, office space and shopping malls.