Mangaluru, Nov 4 : The Karnataka government will set apart Rs 20 crore for developing and upgrading the basic infrastructure at Baikampady industrial zone on the city outskirts, state Minister for Large and Medium industries K J George has said.

Paucity of land was the problem encountered in the zone, he told reporters after a meeting of stakeholders of Kanara Small Industries Association (KSIA) at Baikampady Saturday.

A total of 543 acres acquired for a steel company was under litigation and the government was to apprise the court soon of the demand from small industrialists, he said.

The government had provided 160 acres of land for Coast Guard training centre besides assuring 50 acres for setting up a base of Rapid Action Force in the area, he said.

The Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) had submitted a proposal seeking Rs 59 crore for development of infrastructure which will be taken up in a phased manner, he said.

George said the KSIAs demand to allot the acquired land for MSMEs, electronic hardware park, logistics park and other projects was under consideration.

The KSIA had been asked to submit a concrete proposal including private players willing to develop industrial parks which could be submitted before court.

The minister said the government had set up K-tech innovation hub in the city, which is a Product Start-up Incubator-cum-Common Instrumentation Facility.'

The aim of the hub was to encourage innovation, stimulate entrepreneurship, help in creating technology-based start-ups, provide employment and fuel economic growth, he added.

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Pune (PTI): The Porsche car crash case exposed "systemic corruption," but the Pune Police have successfully uncovered the nexus behind the replacement of the accused juvenile's blood samples with those of his mother, Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said on Wednesday.

The case made national headlines after the high-end car allegedly driven by the 17-year-old boy in an inebriated state mowed down motorcycle-borne IT professionals Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa in the Kalyani Nagar area on May 19 last year.

"Last year’s Porsche car crash case sparked widespread discussions about Pune’s deteriorating social culture, alleged police corruption, and several other issues. Amid all the criticism, one positive aspect stood out: the case exposed systemic corruption.

"It also demonstrated how the police, working within the same system, managed to uncover the entire nexus behind the replacement of the juvenile’s blood samples with those of his mother," Kumar said while addressing Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, an initiative aimed at raising awareness against drug addiction, organised at Modern College.

He added that the juvenile has been released since he was a minor.

"However, his mother has remained in jail for over a year, and his father continues to be behind bars. Doctors from Sassoon Hospital and others involved are also still in jail," Kumar said, adding that one mistake by a child, and an attempt by his parents to cover it up, destroyed an entire family.

He said the police will follow up on this case until every guilty person is punished.

Kumar also appealed to students to stay away from intoxicating substances and drugs.

"You are not only endangering your own life but also putting your entire family at risk," he said, urging the youth not to fall prey to harmful addictions.

"Instead, stand strong and act as a force to ensure that drug abuse is curbed in your surroundings. We assure you of full police support," he added.

He further stated that if youth from all colleges unite and decide to end this menace, "the day is not far when not even one gram of drug will be sold in the city".

The investigation into the car crash had revealed that the juvenile's blood samples were replaced with those of his mother.

The roles of Dr Ajay Taware, head of the forensic department, Medical Officer Shreehari Halnor, and a hospital staffer came under scrutiny.

While the mother is currently out on bail, the juvenile’s father, Sassoon Hospital doctors Taware and Halnor, staffer Atul Ghatkamble, two middlemen, Ashpak Makandar and Amar Gaikwad, and others remain in jail for the alleged blood sample swap.