Dharam: "We Want Private Participation"

"We Want Private Participation"
Business Today

In political circles, Narayan Singh Dharam Singh is known as the Ajatashatru of Karnataka politics. For good reason. Easy-going and non-controversial, he's an eight-time legislator from the backward Jewargi assembly constituency and in May last year, managed to emerge as the leader of the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) government in the state. But in trying to please his coalition partners, Dharam Singh has been accused of neglecting Bangalore's development. In an exclusive interview to BT's Venkatesha Babu, he explains why that's far from the case. Excerpts:


Everybody here is complaining about Bangalore's infrastructure...

I cannot understand this. All infrastructure projects by their very nature are long gestation. Suddenly, some people seem to have discovered that there is traffic congestion in Bangalore. Weren't there traffic snarls earlier also? Yes, Bangalore has grown and so have its infrastructure needs. I am aware of the situation and have held consultations with all it industry captains and trade bodies.

After my government took over, 134 new it companies, including 65 that have foreign equity, have come up. Thirty thousand new jobs have been created in it and ITEs. We have announced the setting up of a Rs 390-crore High Tech city project for it companies. Bangalore City Corporation is upgrading 230 km of roads in the city. All pending works including flyovers, overhead bridges and other works are being completed on a war footing, and I am personally supervising their progress.

Does being a coalition government slow you down?

My government is functioning without any hitch. Both of us are working together to ensure smooth running of the government. My predecessor had done some good work, but rightly or wrongly was seen as urban-centric. We will not make the same mistake. We are firmly committed to developing both urban and rural areas of the state.

Why did you disband BATF?

Not true. BATF exists. My government has invited BATF (Editor's note: it is a private-public partnership for Bangalore's development) to come forward and tell us what they plan to do, and what help they want from us. The state government wants to involve the private sector in developing the state.

Apart from IT, what is your government focussing on?

There are plenty of SSIs like handloom and handicrafts, leather-based industries, khadi, coir and machine tools, textile, and manufacturing. Our aim is to rejuvenate the SSI sector as they provide employment to lakhs of people, particularly in small towns and rural areas. Media, unfortunately, does not notice all this. They are obsessed by information technology and biotechnology.