Karnataka pushing for twin defence corridors

Strap: Minister M.B. Patil said that the state’s case is strengthened by the presence of major industry players like HAL, Boeing, Airbus, Safran & others

Karnataka’s Industries Minister M.B. Patil has said he and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will meet Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi to press for the sanctioning of two defence corridors in the state.

Patil said Karnataka, which contributes nearly 65% to the country’s aerospace and defence manufacturing, deserves two dedicated corridors—one in the Kolar–Chikkaballapura region and another in the Hubballi–Belagavi belt.

“As the national leader in this sector, it is only fair that Karnataka receives the same support that Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh did,” Patil told the press, adding that the Centre had acknowledged this lapse in earlier allocations.

He said the state’s case is strengthened by the presence of major industry players like HAL, Boeing, Airbus, Safran, Lockheed Martin, and Collins Aerospace, and a well-established aerospace park near Bengaluru’s Devanahalli airport. Plans are already underway to develop another hi-tech aerospace and defence park in the same region, he added.

However, the Devanahalli project has triggered protests, with farmer groups objecting to the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board’s (KIADB) plans to acquire 1,282 acres of fertile land. CM Siddaramaiah is scheduled to meet the protesting farmers on July 15. The CM has previously said that legal constraints remain, as the final land acquisition notification has already been issued.

Patil reiterated that affected farmers will be compensated as per the Land Acquisition Act, 2013. He also claimed that HAL has extended support for the land requirements.

Responding to actor Prakash Raj’s criticism of the Devanahalli project, Minister M.B. Patil questioned why the actor had not raised similar concerns about large-scale land acquisitions in other states. “In Andhra Pradesh, more than 10,000 acres have been acquired for industrial corridors, and land is being offered free of cost,” Patil pointed out. He added that even IT giants like Infosys, Cognizant, and TCS had reportedly been allotted land there at just 99 paise per acre. “Why the selective outrage?” he asked, hinting at perceived bias.

Patil also warned that Karnataka risked losing aerospace investments to competing states if it did not move swiftly. He highlighted Tamil Nadu’s aggressive industrial expansion in Hosur—barely 50 kilometres from Bangalore—as a reminder that neighbouring states were already making strategic advances.

“Let me be clear—I have no personal grudge against Prakash Raj. But we must protect Karnataka’s industrial future,” Patil said.

Zoo trips to cost more from August!

OB Bureau

Visitors to Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) in Bengaluru and Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens in Mysuru will have to shell out more for entry from next month. The Karnataka government on Thursday approved a 20 per cent hike in ticket prices at both zoos, with the revised rates set to take effect from August 1. However, prices for bus and jeep safaris at BBP will remain unchanged.

The decision was taken during the 159th board meeting of the Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK), chaired by Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre in Bangalore. The hike comes in the wake of rising operational costs, including soaring expenses on animal feed and staff salaries.

While ZAK had proposed a 50% increase in the entry fee to address financial challenges, the minister declined the request, citing public affordability and the need to maintain visitor footfall. He approved a 20% hike instead, calling it a more balanced approach.

According to senior forest department officials, BBP requires close to Rs 18 crore annually just for administrative expenses, including the salaries of zoo staff. An additional Rs 10 crore is spent each year on food and fodder for the animals, taking the total operational cost to nearly Rs 30 crore. Mysuru Zoo, they said, runs on an annual budget of Rs 25–28 crore.

Officials noted that Karnataka’s zoos, unlike those in many other states, do not rely on government grants and are instead self-sustained. Their main sources of income include gate collections and the animal adoption scheme, though the latter contributes only a minor share.

Pointing to the rising cost of meat and other feed in recent years, an official said that despite financial pressure, ZAK has managed so far through internal revenue. However, with upcoming expansion projects planned for both BBP and Mysuru Zoo, the current revenue model is no longer sufficient, prompting the need for a fee revision.

Minister Khandre also instructed officials to improve amenities for visitors across all zoos in the state. This includes ensuring access to clean drinking water, resting areas, well-maintained toilets for men and women, and additional recreational facilities to enhance the visitor experience.

Karnataka delivers 200 Cr mails a year!

OB Bureau

Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya M. Scindia on Thursday laid out an ambitious plan to reimagine rural post offices as all-in-one service centres — or “village malls” — offering far more than just mail and banking. However, the proposal was met with concerns from postal staff, who said they were already grappling with low wages, long working hours, and growing responsibilities.

Scindia was speaking at an event held at Bangalore’s Town Hall, where 15 high-performing Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) from Karnataka were honoured in the presence of more than 800 postal employees from across the state. Among those in attendance were mail carriers, packers, delivery workers, branch postmasters, and assistant branch postmasters.

Scindia said he envisioned each village post office evolving into a digital access point where people could avail themselves of various goods and services — a transformation, he noted, already underway. He praised Karnataka’s postal network, pointing out that the state was responsible for delivering nearly 200 crore mails and parcels each year, amounting to roughly 30% of the national total. He added that the traditional role of the dhakiya (postman) had expanded significantly, now bringing banking services directly to people’s homes.

But during the interaction, postal workers pushed back. B. Nagarajappa, a branch postmaster from Davanagere, told the minister that their office, despite handling 46,500 live accounts, operated with just a postmaster and a clerk. He noted that a significant portion — around 75% — of the banking workload was handled by postal staff, but the benefits and recognition went to the banks.

Another staff member from Channapatna, who has served for 27 years, said that his monthly take-home salary remained stuck at Rs 27,000. He pointed out that their salaries had not been revised in the past decade, despite inflation and increased responsibilities.

Several GDS personnel also informed the minister that they regularly worked beyond the prescribed five-hour duty schedule, yet were not compensated for the additional labour. They expressed concern that the push for expanding services under the India Post Payments Bank and other schemes could increase their workload without improving their working conditions.

While Scindia’s vision of post offices as digitally empowered community hubs drew applause, the message from the ground was clear: any reform must begin with recognising and remedying the everyday struggles of those at the heart of the postal system.