Karnataka Government Offers Land for India's First Construction Equipment Testing Facility

The Karnataka Government has offered 105 acres of land to the Central Government to establish India’s first dedicated construction and infrastructure equipment testing facility. The Centre had sought land for the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) to set up the facility at an estimated cost of Rs 500 crore. Recently, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H D Kumaraswamy said the testing facility would come up near Mandya and that he had written to the Government for the required land. Karnataka Industries Minister M B Patil said the Government had identified a location at Basaralu, around 30 km from Mandya. “While the Centre requested 100 acres, the State Government is ready to allocate 105 acres,” he said Tuesday. A central team and ARAI representatives were invited to conduct a joint site inspection at the site offered by Karnataka, he said. A day earlier, he wrote to Kumaraswamy, noting that the proposed site was around 500 m from the Mandya-Nagamangala state highway. “I am happy to share that the Deputy Commissioner, Mandya District vide letter dated 30.01.2026 informed that around 105 acres of Government land is available in Muddanaghatta and Heggadathihalli villages of Basaralu Hobli of Mandya taluk,” Patil said in the letter. This was in response to Kumaraswamy writing to the Government seeking 100 acres of land for the ARAI facility. On February 8, the Union minister, who represents the Mandya Lok Sabha constituency, said the world-class facility was his answer to criticism from some MLAs from Mandya district regarding his contributions to the region.