Karnataka plans land bank for tourism

To hold tourism investors' meet in September.

The Department of Tourism, Karnataka government, proposes to create a land bank to develop the tourism infrastructure in the state.

The land bank will consist of both government and private land suitable for setting up hotels, resorts, amusement parks and entertainment complexes at places of interest to tourists across the state.

According to IM Vittalamurthy, secretary, Department of Tourism, the department has identified three tourists' places in the state "" Pattadakal, Belur and Kodachadri "" for setting up hotels as joint ventures with private hotels and resort chains. The department has in its possession between 5 acres and 10 acres of land in each of these places.

The department has earmarked Rs 5 crore for land acquisition this year. The state budget for tourism is also being hiked from the present Rs 148 crore to Rs 250 crore for the next financial year, he said.

He said, "There is a shortage of accommodation at important tourist destinations like Hampi, Belur, Halebid, Bijapur and Pattadakal. Private investors are finding it difficult to get land. So, as per the new tourism policy, being released shortly, we want to ensure that wherever government land is available it would be given at half the market price to investors in the tourism industry. Wherever government land is not available, we will acquire private land and give it to the private players at the market price."

Alternatively, the department proposes to bring onto a common forum the people who own land and those who want to invest and facilitate mutual consultation and consent for the price of the land. So the government will become only a facilitator and does not involve in land acquisition and transfer, he told Business Standard.

"Right now, we have some land in Pattadakal, Belur, Hampi and Kodachadri and Talakadu. In Hampi, the department has about 200 acres. We have invited bids from interested hotel operators to develop hotels there. We wish to develop hotels there on a public-private partnership. The department will give them land and they will invest money to create the suitable infrastructure," he said.