Karnataka Minister Opposes Shifting HAL Projects to Andhra Pradesh

Karnataka’s Minister for Large and Medium Industries, M B Patil, has said that HAL’s aircraft projects should stay in Bengaluru. He was reacting to news that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has asked the central government to shift HAL’s aircraft production to Andhra Pradesh.

Patil explained that HAL is very important for Karnataka’s aerospace industry, and moving these projects would weaken the state’s leadership in defense and aircraft manufacturing. He made it clear that Karnataka will not accept any move that takes away this key role.

He also said he would soon talk to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Karnataka’s Chief Minister, and other senior officials. He plans to speak with Union ministers from Karnataka to make sure the state’s interests are protected.

What Andhra Pradesh Has Proposed

According to reports, the Andhra Pradesh government has offered 10,000 acres of land in the Lepakshi-Madakasira region of Anantapur district, which is about one hour from Bengaluru’s airport. Andhra Pradesh has told the central government that this area is close to Bengaluru and has enough land for HAL’s aircraft production.

In response, M B Patil said that building a new HAL unit in Andhra Pradesh is acceptable, but shifting the existing projects out of Karnataka is not right. He also said he would be surprised if Chandrababu Naidu had actually made such a request.