Kwin cities North Karnataka: Stung by criticism over hyper focus on Bengaluru, Minister Patil promises tech parks in North Karnataka

The state government will build about half a dozen Kwin cities outside of Bengaluru including in Vijayapura and Hubballi-Dharwad, Industries & Infrastructure Minister MB Patil said on Tuesday after the Congress regime came under criticism for ignoring North Karnataka by crowding Bengaluru with multiple tech parks.

Kwin stands for knowledge, wellness & innovation. The trigger for the latest outcry on social media was the minister’s announcement, last week, of building a 1000-acre tech park called Swift City at Sarjapur in east Bengaluru. Swift refers to startup, workspace, innovation, finance & technology, and the government said it will be a third major planned tech park after electronic city and international tech park-Bangalore (ITPB).

Just weeks earlier, the industries minister had announced 2000-acre Kwin city in Bengaluru rural district. The announcements come at a time when lawmakers in North Karnataka have come under intense pressure from the youth in their constituencies over lack of job opportunities due to scant investments.

Social media was full of suggestions to the government to consider shifting the Swift City to North Karnataka as Bengaluru had been weighed down by issues such as congestion, pollution and scarcity of drinking water. Two years ago, tech hubs in Mahadevapura zone, of which Sarjapur is a part, saw heavy flooding due to rains, crippling the functioning of several companies. “Most cities in North Karnataka now have excellent connectivity, making them well-suited for such initiatives,” one post on microblogging site X read.

Senior Congress MLA BR Patil (Aland) rued the government’s excessive focus on Bengaluru and warned his own party minister that North Karnataka would remain backward if the government did not demonstrate political conviction. The neighbouring Maharashtra, he added, was leading the way by driving investments far away from Mumbai. “Today, many MLAs have spoken in the assembly about the neglect of the north Karnataka region,” Patil told ET.

Minister Patil, however, sought to calm the anger by saying that the government would make important announcements for North Karnataka and Beyond Bengaluru in January ahead of the global investors meet (GIM), scheduled for February. None of those projects would remain on paper, he said.

The minister said he understood the voice of North Karnataka, having been part of one of the oldest and largest educational groups in the region. “I’m doing a lot, some of it is seen, some is unseen. And some can’t be disclosed till it’s finalized. However as minister I must see the larger picture, and make sure that while we seek regional balance, we also don’t lose out on investments…”