Karnataka govt. has offered help and support for our expansion: HAL CMD

Amid recent reports that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has sought to shift Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Bengaluru operations to his State, the defence PSU has said that the Karnataka government has offered help and support for its expansion in the State.

HAL chairman and managing director D.K. Sunil said that the Karnataka government has promised to offer extra land to the PSU.

“I met Minister for Large and Medium Industries M.B. Patil. He promised us that the government is willing to give whatever we need, including extra additional land. We have asked for some additional land in Tumakuru and the government is looking at that favourably. After this particular statement from the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, the Karnataka government is also saying it will give us whatever we want,” Dr. Sunil told The Hindu.

HAL has a factory in Tumakuru where the light utility helicopter (LUH) is being built. This factory will also produce Indian multi role helicopter (IMRH) and is expected to undertake maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of helicopters in the future.

In May, it was reported in certain sections of the media that Mr. Naidu has been seeking to shift HAL’s Bengaluru operations to his State.

“Today every State wants us to set up something. So today if something new is coming, we are definitely looking at all State governments. The Karnataka government is also offering lots of benefits and land. I think Mr. Naidu had said it from his point of view. I don’t think there was any intention that HAL will be moved out of Bengaluru. That was a distortion that happened in the media,” Dr. Sunil said.

Dr. Sunil added that many governments are also giving incentives like tax concessions, apart from offering land.

A bulk of HAL production units is in Bengaluru where the company had its origin. Apart from Bengaluru and Tumakuru, it has facilities in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Odisha, and Kerala.