Bengaluru: Reiterating the importance of environmental suitability while planning industrial development, industry members Friday urged the state govt to prioritise green corridors while creating industrial zones.“One area where Karnataka can do a little bit more is when we set up a new industrial corridor, like Beyond Bengaluru… they can be set up as green corridors already with a lot of sustainability practices built in,” said Guruprasad Mudlapur, chairman, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Karnataka State Council.Speaking at a panel discussion during the CII Karnataka ESG Summit 2026, Guruprasad said the move was essential for the industrial sector. Green corridors incorporate vegetation and open spaces within industrial areas with fragmented natural habitats, promote active mobility and help cool urban environments. “It could make a lot of sense to set it up as a true green corridor with renewable power already fully ensured so that every MSME doesn’t really need to struggle,” he said.Industrialists also welcomed Karnataka’s intervention to prioritise environmental sustainability (ESG) goals.Pavitra Shankar, convener, CII’s environmental sustainability panel, said the govt also needs to provide frameworks for industries. “Both vision and frameworks are required to actually see progress being made,” she said.N Venu, Hitachi Energy’s managing director for India and South Asia, said governance within companies was also significant for implementing ESG. “Governance also has equal metrics and equal importance… How we treat our employees, how we treat our shareholders, how we treat our partners, how we create ecosystems, how do we handle our minimum wage compliance requirement? Is it only a checkbox or do we do something else in that?” he asked.Climate change realityEarlier at the event, Srinivasulu, chairman of Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), told industrialists that climate change was no longer merely an environmental or developmental concern.“It has become a business and economic risk. Climate intelligence must therefore become business intelligence, with climate considerations embedded in boardroom decisions alongside land, labour, capital and finance,” he said.Emphasising that climate change is a reality, Thimmegowda MN, professor at UAS-GKVK, warned: “Bengaluru, which is supposed to experience 28-29 degrees centigrade during Sept first week, has already reached 33 degrees. In north Karnataka, where it is supposed to be 33 degrees, it has hit 37.”
