Hi-Tech city to begin on Nov 15

CM drums up impetus on infrastructure

The government of Karnataka will clear the 'Hi-Tech City' project in the next Cabinet meeting, according to P G R Sindhia, minister for medium and large industries, SSI and infrastructure, government of Karnataka.

Speaking to mediapersons after the inauguration of Bangalore IT.Com 2004, Sindhia said that the government would take every possible step to ensure that all infrastructure bottlenecks are addressed at the earliest possible time.

Hi-Tech City will come up at the stretch between Sarjapur Road and Hosur Road and is being taken up by the Bangalore Development Authority. It would be an integrated township comprising commercial and residential complex. It will also have a six-lane road within its premises.

"The Hi-Tech City is one such endeavor to ensure good infrastructure facilities for IT and Biotechnology companies," Sindhia said.

While the formulation of a Hardware Policy would also be part of the discussion at the Cabinet meeting, Sindhia said that work on the 1,070-acre Hi-Tech City would commence by November 15 after it obtains a final clearance from the Cabinet.

Earlier, addressing the delegates to the event, Karnataka chief minister N Dharam Singh said that the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) would incorporate the IT Corridor plan in their new Comprehensive Development Plan.

"This is bound to ensure orderly growth in the IT Corridor area. Apart from this, the BDA is also taking up the Hi-Tech City project near Sarjapur Road exclusively for IT and BT companies. The project will be spread over 1,070 acre and will cost Rs 390 crore," Singh said.

The chief minister said that his ministry had reviewed the shortcomings in the infrastructure and ordered all concerned authorities to complete the ongoing work within the set schedules and deadlines.

In this regard, he acknowledged participation of the IT sector in providing good infrastructure. "The industry has agreed to fund one-third of the project cost of about Rs 360 crore for constructing the elevated highway (to Electronics City). The remaining two-thirds will be shared equally by NHAI and the state government," he said.

The chief minister also explained that the rapid growth in the IT sector was putting tremendous pressure on the city's infrastructure.

"Today, there are over 1,400 companies in the state, of which 506 are MNCs and 116 major Indian companies. Of the seven 87 CMM Level 5 companies in the world, 63 are located in India, of which 32 are in Bangalore alone. The IT sector in the city provides employment to 2.5 lakh youth and also injects about Rs 7,000 crore (the total salaries) into the city's economy. This type of growth is putting the infrastructure of the city under tremendous pressure," Singh said.

Stating that 92 new companies have already registered in Bangalore between April-September 2004, Singh said that the city now attracts two foreign equity companies every week.