Bellary-Hospet Steel City Projects Thread

[engineer.akash]

Bellary is one of the fastest growing cities in the state of Karnataka.Given its rich mineral resources and the subsequent proposals made for setting up Steel Industries,Bellary is soon destined to become the Jamshedpur of the South.

Some statistics of Bellary city

This thread is meant for tracking projects underway in the city of Bellary.
All Steel related posts may be posted in the Karnataka Steel Corridor thread leaving this thread solely for City infrastructure news.

[engineer.akash]

Bellary city corporation Building U/C

Architects Kembhavi

[engineer.akash]

A new road Constructed in Bellary city-Ring Road???


cc surendra




c nageshwara

[engineer.akash]

Bellary gets a slice of luxury near home

Rise in disposable income in Karnataka’s mining capital is luring car makers and retailers to this dusty town

Poornima Mohandas amd Madhurima Nandy

Bangalore: Luxury auto maker Mercedes-Benz India Pvt. Ltd has an unlikely venue this month for a two-day event to display its cars, including its most expensive Mercedes-AMGs.

The German firm will be in the dusty town of Bellary in central Karnataka, home to the politically powerful Gali Reddy brothers and the state’s mining capital.

It will be Mercedes’ first such event in Karnataka though it has a showroom in state capital Bangalore.

“Bellary is a focus market in Karnataka. For the last two-three years, the steel and iron industry has been booming,” says Debashis Mitra, director, sales and marketing, Mercedes-Benz India, which has sold at least 25 vehicles to mining tycoons in Bellary in the past two years.

Graphic: Yogesh Kumar/Mint

Rival luxury car maker BMW India Pvt. Ltd is planning a satellite dealership in Hospet—the mining hub of Bellary—by the middle of 2011, says Abhay Dange, general manager, press and corporate affairs, BMW India. It will be the first presence for BMW outside Bangalore in Karnataka, he said.

A spokesperson for Honda Siel Cars India Ltd said the Japanese car maker also wants to set up a showroom in Bellary.

While Mercedes and BMW are in the process of expanding their presence to small cities such as Jaipur, Bhubaneswar, Ludhiana, all state capitals or commercial centres, Bellary’s qualifications are different.

Since October, the district has been in the news mainly because of the Reddy brothers—G. Karunakara Reddy, the eldest, who is also revenue minister in the Bharatiya Janata Party-run state government, G. Janardhana Reddy, tourism minister, and G. Somashekar Reddy, chairman of the Karnataka Milk Federation—either for probes into their mining business or a rebellion against Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa.

In March, the Supreme Court put curbs on their Obulapuram Mining Co. Pvt. Ltd’s mining activities on the Andhra Pradesh border. It also appointed a committee headed by the Survey of India to investigate alleged large-scale encroachment of reserve forest areas by the company. The lawsuit is to come up for hearing on 9 April.

Bellary’s story is similar to the sudden rise of towns such as little-known Sanand, 8km from Ahmedabad, which saw frenzied real-estate activity when Tata Motors Ltd announced it would produce the Nano from there.

For mineral-rich Bellary, the climb began when India opened its iron ore reserves to the private sector in 1999. Surging demand from China, hastened by the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, gave ore exports a sharp boost. Iron ore prices soared from Rs1,200 a tonne before 2002 to Rs6,000 a tonne in 2006-2007. The rates now hover at Rs6,800-7,000 a tonne, said two mining companies.

Bellary, the fifth largest iron ore contributor in the country, is estimated to have deposits of 2.5-4 billion tonnes, according to the Centre for Science and Environment, a non-profit organization.

In February, the state government cleared proposals for ArcelorMittal and Posco to build plants in Bellary, home to other large mining companies such as VSL Mining Co. and MSPL Ltd.

Prosperity coexists alongside poverty as elsewhere in India. Recent curbs on mining in the district has left labourers without work.

“In recent years, Bellary has seen wealth generation, health degeneration and environmental degradation simultaneously,” says B. Seshadri, a retired economics professor who has lived in the town for the past four decades and is a member of a high-powered group that was set up by the S.M. Krishna-led state government in 1999 for implementing recommendations of the D.M. Nanjundappa committee report on regional disparities.

Bellary, with a population of around two million, has a per capita income of Rs47,607, higher than the state average of Rs41,901. The literacy rate of 57% lags the state average of 67%.

Apart from luxury cars, organized retail is also making an entry into Bellary. Levi Strauss (India) Pvt. Ltd and Celebrity Fashions Ltd, which owns the Indian Terrain brand, are both setting up shop, executives said.

“The emerging town shows all the positive signs to expand there,” says Shyam Sukhramani, marketing director, Levi Strauss India. The brand looked at various surrogate indicators—a substantial consumer population wanting to spend, not much competition in retail, and high auto sales in the past year—before deciding on Bellary, he said.

The stores will save residents the long drive to Bangalore, some 300km away, to shop for branded goods. The rich of Bellary are even known to airlift expensive champagne and whisky from the state capital.

Raghavendra Rao, communications head for Baldota Group, which runs MSPL, India’s largest private sector mining company with 3,500 employees, says he was surprised to see Pepe and Reebok open showrooms in Hospet in the past five-six months. The prospect of rising disposable incomes may have drawn them.

“Our mid-level employees, who draw monthly salaries in the range of Rs40,000, have the money to spend but don’t know what to spend it on,” Rao said.

LiveMint
For the past two years the growth of cities in Karnataka has been phenomenal,Hope the social patterns also see a change in coming years.

[engineer.akash]

Bellary Green field Airport
Now that land has been acquired in Bellary for the construction of a Green field Airport and the compensation process in underway, with August 2010 being the schedule to kick start ground works,we may get to hear news regarding the airport construction.Kindly Post the news articles in the Bellary Airports thread

[engineer.akash]

Relief at last for residents of Bellary city

Staff Correspondent

End to heavy vehicles problem in sight as second phase of ring road is ready for use

The stretch is 11-km-long and connects Hospet Road and Bangalore Road

Rs. 90 crore spent on ring road so far; toll chargeable from vehicles

BELLARY: People from Bellary can look forward to some relief with the district administration planning to throw open the second part of the ring road from National Highway 63 on Hospet Road to traffic on Wednesday. This will free the city of heavy vehicular movement, and consequently noise and air pollution.

Ever since the iron ore boom in 2002, the movement of heavy vehicles had swelled by over tenfold. In the absence of a ring road/bypass, over 10,000 lorries transporting ore towards Chennai, Vishakapattanam and Salem had to pass through the city every day. Due to the ban on movement of iron ore-laden vehicles during day time, the city is flooded with such carriers from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. every day, putting people living in nearby areas to severe hardship.

As a result of this traffic surge, the city's air has been polluted beyond measure. Demands for respite from this ordeal fell on deaf ears for many years, with elected representatives not bothering to do anything.

Towards bringing about a solution to the problem, Mullangie Ravindra Babu, then Chairman of the Bellary Urban Development Authority (BUDA), during the Janata Dal (S)-BJP regime, came out with a proposal to request farmers to donate land for a ring road, and in turn, BUDA would give them permission to use up to 150 feet on either side of the road for commercial use. After repeated discussions and persuasion, the farmers agreed to part with their land.

By then, the coalition government fell apart and the BJP came to power. Tourism Minister G. Janardhan Reddy took the proposal forward and funds were sanctioned for the project.

The foundation stone for work on the first phase of the ring road was laid on August 15, 2008.

In the first phase, it was decided to develop 7.2 km of ring road between Halkundi on the Bangalore Road and Kakka Bevinahalli on the Anantapur Road, on Design-Build-Operate and Transfer (DBOT) basis. Even as the ‘pucca' road was being laid, heavy vehicles from Bangalore to Andhra Pradesh were allowed to pass through, bringing some relief to people residing between the APMC area on the Bangalore Road and the Taranath Ayurveda College on Anantapur Road. However, the residents near Cowl Bazaar and TB Sanatorium areas continued to suffer as lorries had to pass that way to join the first part of the ring road.

The second part of the road, a 11-km stretch from Hospet Road to Bangalore Road, is ready and will be inaugurated by Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa on Wednesday.

A sum of Rs. 90 crore has been spent on the 19-km long ring road which covers 137.12 acres of land. Toll will be collected from vehicles passing through it.

Yaseen Sharif kindly take pics of this road.

[engineer.akash]

Bellary: Private Aircraft Capital of India!

BANGALORE: Bellary. To most people outside Karnataka, the word evokes, at most, a vague image of a remote, dusty mining town. But the global commodity boom that has driven metal prices to stratospheric levels has turned Bellary - which accounts for 20% of India’s iron ore production - into a luxurious oasis. Here, designer houses with a phalanx of BMWs and Mercs in the garage and Himesh Reshammiya weekends boast of a private jet or a chopper in the hangar.

The rate at which the ‘miners’ are cutting eight-figure cheques, the district may soon run for the title of ‘Private Aircraft Capital of India’, accounting for almost 10% of the market for private flying machines.

The rich and the mighty in Karnataka’s north-east district, after cornering more than a fair share of the market for flashy four wheels, have now taken a fancy to jet-setting. Of the 50-70 private jets in India, as many as eight private aircraft, including two Bell helicopters, are in Bellary. Two more private aircraft and two choppers are likely to join the fleet this year.

Mine owners Lad Brothers, politician Janardhan Reddy, Baldota’s flagship iron ore firm MSPL, Bellary Iron Ores (BIOP) and Hothur Iron Ore are some of the prized owners of private aircraft in Bellary. “Flying is convenient for official and industrial visits from Bellary to Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa and Cochin,” says Hothur Iron Ore managing partner Mohammad Iqbal Hothur. He owns a turboprop aircraft.

Anil Lad uses his Bell Helicopter for business trips to the South. Taneja Aerospace joint MD Prashant Gurha says: “Two more mine owners are now looking to buy turbo prop aircraft. These and other clients are also looking at Citation jets.” The aerospace division of Jubilant Enpro, which is the independent representative of Bell Helicopters in India, is also looking at selling two more helicopters in Bellary by this year-end.

Bellary derives its wealth from 42 active mines. The district produced 30-35 million tonnes of iron ore last year. Bellary is estimated to have produced more than Rs 3,000 crore worth of iron ore in 2005. No surprise then, that it is an attractive market for private aircraft and luxury cars. Jubilant Motors, the automobile division of Jubilant Corp and authorised dealer of Audi in the South, aims to sell 15-25 SUV Q7 priced at Rs 70 lakh in Bellary this year.

“Rising steel prices have only added to the growing wealth of the mine owners in Bellary. And with the increasing number of top-level entrepreneurs, the number of private jets in India will multiply at a much faster rate,” says Deccan Aviation MD Captain GR Gopinath. The total number of private aircraft in India is set to rise as the government has given approval for importing 30 aircraft for non-scheduled operations within one-and-a-half years.

Taneja Aerospace, which manufactures aircraft & aerostructures, aircraft maintenance, and represents Cessna for the sale of their Citation jets in India, sold two turbo prop aircraft in Bellary last year. “One can only fly turbo prop aircraft in Bellary as it has only a 1,000-m long air-strip,” adds Mr Gurha. In the last ten years, Taneja Aerospace has sold 15 turbo prop aircraft to clients like Sesa Goa, Kalyani Steel, TVS, Sanmar and several Citation jets to customers, including Essar and Suzlon. The six-seater turbo prop aircraft costs around Rs 3 crore, excluding taxes.

“Better airfields are needed in Bellary for flying corporate jets. With the current infrastructure facilities, one can only buy small private jets. However, going forward, we are optimistic about the growing demand for corporate jets in the district,” said Bombardier (India) chief country representative Srinivas Duvvuri. “We have also got orders for two Lear Jets and two Challengers from South-based companies,” he added. Till date, Bombardier has sold four corporate jets in India, which includes Global Express to Ambanis and two Learjet to the government of Orissa.

Economic Times

[engineer.akash]

ACC Inaugurates Kudithini Plant in Bellary - 4th Cement Plant in Karnataka

Announcement / Corporate January 04, 2010, 19:24 IST

ACC Kudithini Cement Works was inaugurated today by Mr. G Janardhan Reddy the Hon’ble Minister for Tourism and Infrastructure Development Government of Karnataka, in the august presence of senior members of the local Government and Administration and other distinguished guest.

Located in Kudithini village which is 25 kilometres from the district headquarters town of Bellary, this new plant becomes the company’s sixteenth cement plant in its national network and the fourth in the state of Karnataka.

A GREENFIELD PROJECT
This new generation fully automated cement grinding plant has an annual capacity to produce 1.2 million tonnes of Cement of superior quality. The project involved an outlay of about Rs 370 crores. Clinker is supplied by ACC’s modern cement plants at Wadi in Gulbarga district and despatched by rail and road. The Kudithini plant has its own railhead and siding with sophisticated unloading and handling facilities.

Kudithini is strategically located in central Karnataka allowing easy access by road and rail to all important markets and regions of Karnataka and the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. In particular the fast developing region of Bellary can now enjoy fresh and prompt supply of cement from this modern plant.

GREEN AND DURABLE CEMENT
ACC Kudithini will produce Portland Slag Cement (PSC) using slag from Bellary region which is now an important source of iron and steel. This variety of Blended cements has superior binding properties not found in other ordinary cements. Its inherent characteristics enable it to make better-quality concrete that is more impermeable, exceedingly corrosion resistant, capable of withstanding aggressive soil and environment conditions and therefore more durable and long-lasting as compared to concrete made with ordinary cements.

ACC PSC is environment-friendly cement that involves reduction in the emission of harmful greenhouse gases and thus has the ability to play a meaningful role in the global effort to mitigate climate change.

Cement will be made available in specially designed 50-kg bags that are tamper-proof and seepage-proof. ACC Kudithini can also supply cement in bulk tankers to large construction projects, concrete product makers and to ready mixed concrete and batching plants in the local region.

AN ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY PLANT
The manufacturing process at the Kudithini cement plant does not generate any waste water, effluent or solid waste making it a “Zero Discharge Zero Solid Waste Plant”. The plant will maintain the highest possible standards in environment management, equipped with sophisticated air pollution control systems to stop dust and fugitive emissions. The environment-friendly ethos will be further enhanced by a unique township designed on the principles of sustainable habitats incorporating features such as green energy, water conservation, natural air cooling and organic farming. When finished, the township project will be a proud showpiece for Bellary demonstrating an environment and planet-friendly way of pursuing development.

ACC & KARNATAKA – PARTNERS IN PROGRESS
ACC Kudithini will prove to be one of the major industrial units in Bellary District, offering sustainable livelihoods to more than 1200 people through direct and indirect employment. It will generate considerable opportunities for new ancillary businesses such as road transport, packing and other trades.

Business-Standard
Old news but-Bellary is also seeing diversification in its industrial profile.

[engineer.akash]

Reddy plans sports complex for Bellary

March 14th, 2010
By DC Correspondent , DC Correspondent

March 13: For all you know, you might be watching the next IPL match in Bellary, instead of Bengaluru.
As tourism and infrastructure minister Janardhan Reddy himself put it, in a few years, it will be Bellary all the way.
The minister on Friday announced that Bellary’s crowning glory will be the international sports complex, a Rs 78 crore project, which is on the anvil.
To develop this project the state government has parted with 42 acres in Bellary city, where Jindal Steel Works (JSW) will take up the work in a phased manner.
The stadium which will be named O.P. Jindal Sports Complex, will house a cricket stadium of international standards, an athletics stadium, a gym, a swimming pool, a badminton court and a dormitory for the players to stay.
According to sources in JSW, it was a dream of both Mr Reddy and Sajjan Jindal, owner of JSW to bring international cricket to Bellary. “Bellary is known for the rich iron ore deposits and for the world heritage site at Hampi besides a host of educational institutions. Mr Jindal wanted to contribute in the field of sports, and Mr Reddy suggested setting up this complex. We have actually taken up works in the existing stadium, which will be upgraded in the first phase. Here we will set up the gym, badminton court and the pool. We intend to complete these works by March next year,” said the source.
On Friday, Mr Reddy who was part of the heated debate on whether or not to set up the proposed international airport in Bellary, justified the move saying the district would witness fast paced development with the sports complex being one of the prime projects.

Deccan Chronicle

JSW to construct world class cricket stadium in Bellary

Monday, 15 Mar 2010

Mr G Janardhana Reddy Tourism Minister of Karnataka informed the Legislative Council that Jindal South West steel plant at Vijayanagar in Bellary district will construct a world-class cricket stadium at a cost of more than INR 75 crore.

Making a statement in the House, he said that Bellary district has been put on fast track growth after the formation of the Vijayanagar Development Authority and many steel companies, including Mr LN Mittal's company and POSCO would set up their plants there.

He said the population of Bellary city has doubled in the last one decade to 600,000 and to provide better connectivity to other parts of the world it was decided to set up a Greenfield airport in Bellary district.

(Sourced from Mangalorean.com)

[engineer.akash]

Now, focus is on skills, infrastructure growth

Staff Correspondent

Area Development Authority set up in Bellary: Minister

Efforts on to see that local youth gain employment in industries: Janardhan Reddy

Heli-tourism initiative first in Hampi, Badami, Pattadakal, Aihole, Bijapur

BELLARY: After the success of the Global Investors Meet (GIM), the focus is on developing the required infrastructure as well as skills among local youth for them to gain employment in industrial units, Minister for Tourism and Infrastructure Development G. Janardhan Reddy has said.

Speaking to presspersons here on Saturday, Mr. Reddy said that 361 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed by industry representatives at the meet.

Efforts to provide world-class infrastructure in the form of roads, ports and airports would begin, he said.

“In Bellary, the Vijayanagar Area Development Authority (VADA) has been set up to develop a 530 sq. km area as a steel hub. A master plan is ready, ” he said.

Courses

In addition, he said he had begun a dialogue with nine companies, including JSW Steel to know about the kind of skills required by local youth who could be absorbed in these units and start courses on the same. “By the time the VADA area is developed and the proposed industries are commissioned, we want to develop the skills locally,” Mr. Reddy said.

Steel giant ArcellorMittal, which is setting up a six-million-tonne steel plant near Kuditini, has already deposited funds required for acquisition of the land, the Minister said. “All formalities, including issuance of clearances and approvals, were completed earlier,” he said. “This was a speciality of the GIM. Our Government has been putting into practice what it preached and will strive to implement promises made to the people,” he said.

Heli-tourism

The heli-tourism project would take off in the next couple of months, with the MoU already signed with the company concerned, Mr. Reddy said. According to him, it would initially be introduced in the heritage circuit covering Hampi, Badami, Pattadakal, Aihole, Bijapur. With an investment of around Rs. 100 crore, three ten-seater helicopters would be pressed into service.

Based on the response, the initiative would be extended to three more circuits — pilgrim, coastal and Malnad, the Minister said.

Minister for Health B. Sriramulu and J. Shantha, MP, were present.

The Hindu

[India101]

About time Bellary got it's own thread Good start Akash.

[sharifyaseen]

Ok i will take the pics of the Ring-road and area surrounding it and will post it soon.

[engineer.akash]

Originally Posted by sharifyaseen

Ok i will take the pics of the Ring-road and area surrounding it and will post it soon.

Thankyou sharifyaseen,let us know the various developments underway currently in Bellary,heard some mega park has been renovated.?

[sharifyaseen]

[sharifyaseen]

http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/6...ardshospet.jpg

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Sharif Yaseen, enclose the link between [IMG] and [/IMG]

[sharifyaseen]

[sharifyaseen]

[sharifyaseen]

Trucks heading towards Bangalore Highway

[sharifyaseen]