Clueless Dharam blabbers on

Priority for roadworks: Dharam Singh

The Hindu

`I am the Chief Minister, and I have to take care of the needs of the people of the State as a whole'

# State to submit memorandum to Centre seeking Rs. 516 crores in aid
# Six-lane "Core Ring Road" to be built shortly
# Government to meet IT sector representatives today
# Chief Mentor of Infosys N.R. Narayana Murthy among invitees

BANGALORE: The Government, which has hit back at the information technology sector and questioned its commitment to providing jobs to Kannadigas, is concerned over the lack of infrastructure and will seek a special assistance from the Centre, Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh has said.

He told The Hindu here on Wednesday that top priority will be accorded to development of infrastructure in Bangalore. He said the Government will submit a memorandum to the Centre seeking an immediate assistance of Rs. 516 crores for improving 38 arterial roads in Bangalore, including roads along which a large number of offices of IT and biotechnology firms are located. The Government proposes to take up several major projects for improving the infrastructure. A six-lane "Core Ring Road" will be built shortly within a radius of a few kilometres from the Vidhana Soudha, he added.

Promise of support

Mr. Dharam Singh, apparently perturbed by the manner in which the chief executives of a few IT firms are attempting to direct the Government's policy on infrastructure, said he has brought the matter to the notice of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia. They have promised to explore the possibility of providing financial support to Karnataka and are "aware of the problems prevailing here." The Government has, however, does not have any firm assurance from the Union Ministry of Information Technology on special grants for infrastructure development, despite statements made by Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran.

The Chief Minister said the people of the State, in particular those of Bangalore, are conscious of the image of the city which is now known the world over. The Government not only wants to market "Brand Bangalore" but also ensure that other cities, such as Mysore, Hubli Dharwad, Mangalore, and Gulbarga, receive attention. The IT sector, which has taken Bangalore forward, has begun to establish offices in these cities. "I am the Chief Minister of the State and have to take care of the needs of the people of the State as a whole. Of course, the Government has to prioritise all development works, and Bangalore will definitely receive added attention since a major chunk of the population reside in the capital city."

Interaction

Mr. Dharam Singh has called a meeting with the captains of the IT sector here on Thursday. It is expected to enable the Government to explain what it has done over the past year to improve the infrastructure in Bangalore and what it plans to do. It will serve as an occasion for the Government to hear the complaints of the IT sector.

Invitees

Sources in the Government said Chief Mentor of Infosys N.R. Narayana Murthy, who spoke to the Chief Minister on Wednesday, will attend Thursday's meeting. Among the IT sector representatives who have been invited are India chief of Texas Instruments, Bobby Mitra, chief operating officer of WIPRO K.L. Rao, IBM's chief of operations Shankar Annaswamy, chief of Accenture Chet Kamat, and chief of operations of Intel, Ketan Sampath.

`What can they do?'

With IT firms also deriving a variety of benefits, the representatives of the Government would like to know what they propose to do for the betterment of the State and for the poor and the downtrodden. It is learnt that the Government wants to convey to the IT representatives that they cannot not indulge in "arm twisting" and dictate to the Government. The Government wants them to bear in mind that infrastructure cannot be developed overnight nor can the infrastructure deteriorate all of a sudden. Several parts of the State, including Bangalore, have borne the brunt of unusually heavy monsoon showers in the past three months, and this has added to the woes of motorists.

`Mumbai roads worse'

Mr. Dharam Singh, who visited Mumbai recently, said roads in Bangalore are in a better condition. "I would like to assure all citizens that the Government is serious about improving infrastructure. The Janata Dal (Secular), in particular former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, has extended support towards improving infrastructure," he added.