High-tech city to come up in six months

High-tech city to come up in six months

The Hindu

BANGALORE, OCT. 2. The State Government, close on the heels of the assurances made to the information technology (IT) sector nearly two months ago, has set the ball rolling for forming a high-tech city exclusively for the IT and biotechnology (BT) sectors on the outskirts of Bangalore. It is said that the high-tech city, which will be the first of its kind in the country, will have several facilities including those for water treatment and disposal of solid waste and sewage.

Sources in the Government told The Hindu here today that the plans for establishing the high-tech city were ready, and the novel proposal was awaiting Cabinet approval. They said the implementation of the project was expected to begin in about a month, and the high-tech city would be ready in about six months. The project would be executed by the Bangalore Development Authority on a no-profit, no-loss basis.

It is learnt that the high-tech city, the prime mover of which was the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, will satisfy all the requirements, or what could be called demands, of the IT and BT sectors. Soon after discussions with the IT industry captains, including Wipro chief, Azim Premji, and the Chief Executive of Infosys, Nandan Nilekani, the Chief Minister held a meeting with the BDA Commissioner, M.N. Vidyashankar, and the proposal emerged. The high-tech city will not only provide land for IT and BT firms but also adequate space for residential accommodation for their employees. Shopping complexes and facilities for entertainment will be built in the city.

A six-lane expressway, connecting the Bangalore airport with the Electronics City on Hosur Road, will be constructed to reduce the travel time from two hours to 20 minutes. IT professionals and clientele of IT firms will not have to Bangalore on arrival at the airport. Mr. Vidyashankar told The Hindu that the high-tech city would be located on either side of the expressway, between the Belandur area (periphery of Marathahalli) and the Electronics City, and would be spread over 1,070 acres of land. He said the cost of the project had been estimated at Rs. 400 crores.

The BDA would invite applications from IT and BT firms, and they would have to specify their land requirement soon after the commencement of the project. The applications would be processed to ensure that the land sought matched their requirements. IT firms would be allotted land for setting up units and provide residential accommodation for their employees. While 1,070 acres of land had been earmarked for the high-tech city at present, there was scope for expansion. The coming up of the high-tech city was expected to considerably ease the pressure for accommodation in some southern parts of Bangalore, Mr. Vidyashankar said.