Bangalore maintains high growth in IT

Bangalore maintains high growth in IT
Deccan Herald

Bangalore: This IT capital of the country continues to be the preferred investment destination in the knowledge sector, notwithstanding the hue and cry over poor infrastructure being raised by a section of the industry which had threatened to boycott Bangalore IT.in, the IT trade show beginning October 26.

Sources in the State Information Technology and Biotechnology Department and the Software Technology Parks of India-Bangalore told UNI that the city had attracted 64 new companies, including 43 with foreign equity, during the first four months of the current fiscal, with four new companies registering every week.

The Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC) had cited the city's poor infrastructure as the main reason for boycotting the annual IT extravaganza, for which preparations were on in full swing. The BCIC boycott followed the Bangalore Forum of IT Companies (BFIT), comprising prominent companies such as Philips, MphasiS and Oracle, raising a banner of revolt.

Though BCIC President Anant Koppar discounted any political colour to the boycott call and said it was only a wakeup call to the Government to take necessary steps to improve the infrastructure, Chief Minister N Dharam Singh saw in the call a ''political conspiracy''. Mr Singh had called for a meeting of the IT companies on September 20 to iron out the differences.

The BCIC had claimed that the inadequate infrastructure had resulted in the slowdown, with only 30 companies registering last year as against 52 the previous year. This, however, had been contested by the Government.

Sources in the IT and BT department said software exports between April and July this year had touched Rs 6,800 crore as against Rs 5,700 crore during the corresponding period last fiscal, which saw a total export of Rs 27,600 crore.