Dharam decides to log in and put 'Brand Bangalore' back on track

Dharam decides to log in and put 'Brand Bangalore' back on track
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Concerned over all the bashing from various quarters over the cracking and crumbling infrastructure, especially roads, Chief Minister Dharam Singh has decided to market Brand Bangalore in a more transparent and realistic way.

As a first move, he is to meet with the captains of the Information Technology and Biotechnology sectors to clear the air and do a reality check.

“We have been doing considerable work, but quietly. And we have proof to show that things are moving in a positive direction”, he told this website’s newspaper in an exclusive interview on Monday. He admitted that his government has not been able to communicate the progress made so far in a proper way, but “we will start building bridges with all the stake-holders”, he said.

Dharam Singh said the date for the meeting with the IT and BT sectors would be fixed very soon. “I would like to interact with the captains of the industry and apprise them on the steps taken by the government to put things back in place”.

“What is needed at this stage is not merely filling the potholes or asphalting the roads. The ever increasing number of new vehicles adding to traffic every day creates chaos. We have to increase the capacity of roads keeping in view of the increasing number of vehicles”, he said.

For widening the roads at the earliest, two senior officials had been deputed to Hyderabad to study how the AP Government took up similar projects without getting into any litigation. They have filed a report, which would be implemented after discussions, Singh said.

The government had agreed in principle to develop two hi-tech city projects in the IT corridor near Hosur at a cost of Rs 390 crore, exclusively to service the IT sector. The proposal would be taken up at the next cabinet meeting for clearance. The hi-tech city will be a self-contained township with office and housing facilities.

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister T R Balu had already announced a Rs 400 crore road improvement project in South Bangalore, where most of the IT industries are located. While the Centre would give Rs 200 crore, the State Government would chip in Rs 100 crore. The remaining Rs 100 crore would be raised from the public. “We are in constant touch with the Centre regarding implementation of the project”, he said.

Dharam Singh attributed the present chaos on the roads to the unscheduled stoppage of work on many ongoing mega infrastructure projects, like construction of fly-overs, underpasses and widening of roads. The work had stopped partly due to elections and partly due to escalation in the prices of raw materials, especially steel.

Many of these projects had been taken up on fixed cost tender basis with no room for escalation clause. Since the cost of steel registered a steep hike during the last six months, the work had stopped.

“We have overcome all these hurdles and the work has once again commenced. New deadlines have been fixed for each of these projects, keeping in view the hardships faced by the commuters,” Singh said.