IT cos agree to login into IT.in

The threat by IT firms to boycott the annual mega IT show - Bangalore IT.in 2005 - here starting on October 26 seems to have blown over after the state government smoothened their ruffled feelings today, promising a slew of short, medium and long term steps to upgrade infrastructure and remove traffic snarls.

At a meeting of the Empowered Committee to deliberate on problems of roads and other infrastructure "" at which Chief Secretary B K Das held talks with Information Technology executives "" the government as a short-term measure assured that it would improve 19 arterial roads and complete the work on them by December-January.

The meeting also decided to bring out a white paper by October end on long term policy initiatives to be implemented to improve infrastructure facilities, it was announced.

The state government also assured that it would soon take up work on the peripheral ring road to ease traffic congestion and complete the project in about five or six years.

Briefing reporters on the deliberations, Das described it as "very useful and meaningful and it decided to take up road improvement in Bangalore Central, Airport road, Hosur-Sarjapur road and Koramangala on a priority basis."

The IT industry has also agreed to support infrastructure development projects, he said, a statement that was endorsed by top executives of the IT industry such as Mohan Das Pai, CFO, Infosys Technologies, Ananth Koppar, president, MphasiS Technolgoeis and representatives from Software Technolgy Parks of India, HP Globalsoft, Bangalore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Philips Software, Wipro Technologies, Flextronics and others.