Bengaluru’s Whitefield is set to get a larger international exhibition and convention facility, with the Karnataka Trade Promotion Organisation planning a 20,000-square-metre centre designed for trade fairs, meetings, cultural events and parking for 500 cars, Industries Minister M.B. Patil said after a meeting with officials on Tuesday.
The proposed facility will replace or expand the existing KTPO exhibition centre, which was built in 2002 and is now considered inadequate for current requirements, according to a statement issued by Patil. The new development is planned across two floors, each measuring 10,000 square metres.
The project is expected to include several modern halls, exhibition areas, facilities for meetings and platforms for cultural programmes. The proposed parking provision is intended to accommodate 500 cars within the development. The minister did not announce a construction schedule, project cost or expected completion date in the statement.
KTPO has 48 acres and 35 guntas of land in Whitefield, which the minister described as one of Bengaluru’s important industrial areas. The proposed centre is being planned on this property with the involvement of the India Trade Promotion Organisation, or ITPO.
The state government holds a 49 per cent stake in KTPO, while ITPO holds 51 per cent. Patil said any development on KTPO’s property requires cooperation from ITPO. He visited the Whitefield site with ITPO chairman Javed Ashraf before the meeting, during which officials discussed the broad plan for the new exhibition centre.
The proposal places the project within a larger question of how Bengaluru’s industrial and commercial land is being used as the city expands around established employment hubs such as Whitefield. The announcement, however, establishes the proposed facility and its broad components but does not yet provide details on approvals, procurement, financing, construction phasing or how the existing centre will operate during any redevelopment.
The meeting also considered the possible use of an additional 14-acre KTPO property located near Kundalahalli Metro station and a main road under the government’s asset-monetisation programme. The land’s location alongside public transport and a major road was noted during the discussions. A transaction adviser will be appointed to provide recommendations on how the property could be used, Patil said.
The meeting was attended by Ashraf, Chief Minister’s Economic Adviser L.K. Ateeq, Industries Department Principal Secretary Selvakumar and KTPO managing director B.K. Shivakumar. The next stated step is the appointment of a transaction adviser for the 14-acre property, while the exhibition-centre proposal will require further planning and coordination between KTPO and ITPO.
