IT, BT giants queue up for their share in proposed Hi-tech city

IT, BT giants queue up for their share in proposed Hi-tech city
The Times of India

Bangalore: The proposed Hi-tech city between Sarjapur Road and Hosur Road, has kindled the interest of major IT and BT players based in the city.

The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), the nodal agency for the project, has already put out a public notification to acquire the 997 acres needed. This land, incidentally, lies across 12 villages under the Varthur, Sarjapur and Begur hoblis.

Sources say that Infosys has sought 50 acres and that other IT and BT biggies such as Wipro, Intel and Biocon, are in the queue as well. A high-level committee has been set up to clear these companies’ land allocation requests. Land is to be given out in packages of 10, 15, 25 acres up to a maximum of 100 acres.

According to the BDA, the Rs 490-crore Hi-tech city project includes the 8.5-km long, 60-metre wide corridor road at an estimated cost of Rs 114 crore. Apart of the corridor, 4.5 km, will come under the ‘green belt’ of the 1995 Comprehensive Development Plan of the city. And BDA commissioner M.N. Vidyashankar stresses that the project could be called a ‘part’ of the ambitious IT Corridor project of the previous government. In fact, he says that the old masterplan for the IT corridor will come in handy when planning Hi-tech city.

When the IT Corridor project was talked about, Jurong Consultants of Singapore, gave a ‘draft structural plan’ for the project. The company submitted a draft to the BDA and proposed that a new set of planning controls and guidelines be developed for the IT Corridor Project. The project, however, did not make much headway. Now, Vidyashankar says the Jurong Consultants’ Masterplan will guide the progress of Hi-tech city, but that not every suggestion the consultants made will be considered.

The BDA has to provide every kind of the infrastructure — power, water and underground drainage (UGD) facilities — for the companies with units in Hi-tech city. Cauvery water will be supplied and Vidyashankar says a tertiary treatment plant will come up so that each company gets dual pipelines laid (for potable water and treated water) on their premises.

Tender requisitions, call for pre-bid documents and receipt of tender documents will be completed in the coming two months. Work on the project is supposed to start by May and over by January 2006.