Hardware park needs a push

Hardware park needs a push
The Times of India

Bangalore: The 1,419-acre hardware park to redesign Bangalore’s “software’’ code is showing glimmers of taking off.

Delay over the hardware park is one of the sore points between the IT industry and the state government.

After four years of being talked about, land for the park near Bangalore international airport at Devanahalli has finally been “frozen.’’ A small push — clearance from the state’s urban development (UD) department — is due, before land acquisition begins.

Momentum picked up after the Bangalore International Airport Area Planning Authority (BIAAPA) gave its nod to allocate land. BIAAPA chief A K Agarwal said: “We have earmarked land for the hardware park in our area plan. Whatever the IT industry wants, we are willing to give. The sky is the limit: We have made provision to increase the amount of land allocated to them, if they want it.’’

With this, doubts cast over BIAAPA clearance to the project have cleared. Most of the land sought was in the agriculture zone — identified as a no-construction area by BIAAPA — but this has been modified in the area plan now submitted to the UD department.

The hardware park, however, has one knotty problem to consider and confront, before KIADB begins land acquisition. The industries department has raised queries on water availability for the hardware park, as the Devanahalli region has very low ground water.

Sources said: “Even KIADB’s apparel park at Doddaballapur is facing difficulties, as BWSSB can give dedicated supply of only half MGD (million gallons per day). A huge hardware park in that area will be difficult.’’

Pipes are being laid for two MGD dedicated water supply to the airport itself, but this cannot be routed to or depended upon by the hardware park. Industries offered to relocate the park on either Mysore Road or Harohalli, but both were vetoed by the IT sector as “wrong locations.’’

Faced with scepticism and snowballing anger from the IT sector over infrastructure woes, the government is now working to resolve this issue quickly. “BWSSB will have to provide additional supply, even if it is expensive. The hardware park must take off without any hassles,’’ officials said.