A delegation of the KKCCI, led by president Sharanabasappa M. Pappa, submitting a memorandum to Minister for Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development M.B. Patil in Kalaburagi on Wednesday (July 22).
\| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

A delegation of the Kalyana Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KKCCI) met M.B. Patil, Minister for Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development, in Kalaburagi on Wednesday (July 22). Members submitted a memorandum to him, urging the State government to expedite the setting up of the PM MITRA Mega Textile Park at Kalaburagi and facilitate the revival of the dormant GE Heavy Engineering Plant at Shahabad.

The delegation, led by KKCCI president Sharanabasappa M. Pappa and honorary secretary Shivraj V. Inginshetty, said the two projects were crucial for accelerating industrialisation, attracting investments and generating large-scale employment in the Kalyana Karnataka region.

In the memorandum, KKCCI appreciated the State government’s efforts, including review meetings chaired by district in-charge Minister Priyank Kharge and the financial support sanctioned for infrastructure development at the PM MITRA park. However, it pointed out that the Kalaburagi project continued to progress at a slower pace than other PM MITRA parks approved across the country. It urged the Minister to ensure early completion of pending infrastructure works, statutory approvals, utility connections and other clearances to enable the park to become operational at the earliest.

KKCCI also sought the Minister’s intervention to revive the long-defunct GE Heavy Engineering Plant at Shahabad. The memorandum noted that the plant, established in 1965, had remained non-operational for more than a decade despite possessing extensive manufacturing infrastructure and an integrated township spread over more than 300 acres. It said the closure had adversely affected employment and ancillary industries in the region.

Pointing to GE Aerospace’s expansion plans in India, KKCCI suggested that the existing Shahabad facility could be modernised and repurposed for aerospace, defence, energy and other advanced engineering sectors. It requested the government to initiate high-level discussions with GE/GE Vernova for revival of the plant and, if manufacturing operations were not resumed, explore suitable policy and legal measures to ensure productive utilisation of the industrial infrastructure.

According to the memorandum, the expeditious implementation of the PM MITRA Mega Textile Park and revival of the Shahabad plant would complement the State government’s ‘Build Beyond Bengaluru’ initiative by promoting industrial decentralisation, attracting investments, strengthening MSMEs and creating thousands of direct and indirect employment opportunities in Kalyana Karnataka.

Published - July 22, 2026 07:12 pm IST