bengaluru the karnataka industrial areas development board kiadb has recovered 85 plots that were allotted to investors but were not put to any use some for more than a decade notice has been issued to 400 such investors so that the industrial land can be reallottedthe investments which failed to take off include 15 mega projects one of them being a steel plant the size of plots recovered over the past three months ranges from 4000 square metres to 32 acres allottees from whom land has been recovered have been paid 95 of the land costfor instance a 4004 sq m plot no 163b1 allotted to risikavya industries in belur industrial area of dharwad on september 1 2004 has remained unused and was recovered another plot no 15 measuring 3239 acres allotted to optoinfrastructure in mysuru industrial area has also been recoveredwe started issuing notices to allottees of such plots with directions to explain the reasons for keeping the land unused and later initiated punitive action against those who failed to give proper justification this was done as a large chunk of land in the existing industrial estates has remained unused for the past many years this is an impedimentto industrialization said former kiadb ceo pankaj pandeyhe said huge parcels of agricultural land were acquired from farmers and allotted to industrial investors so that they could play a vital role in industrial develop ment with a focus on generating jobs but unfortunately many have remained unutilizedmany allottees bought them with the sole objective of real estate investment and not for establishment of industrial units there are even instances when the industrial plots after being kept unused for years were used for commercial purposes he saidin about 30 cases pandey said authorities decided not to take back the land because the allottees gave genuine reasons for delay the remaining cases are still in the process of hearing n jayaram the new ceo who took over from pandey recently said the drive would continue