IT Inc wants BATF back, but Dharam cool to the idea

IT Inc wants BATF back, but Dharam cool to the idea
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Bangalore IT Inc has once again urged the government to revive the Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF) - a public-private partnership initiated by the previous Congress government for effective co-ordination among civic stakeholders to improve city infrastructure.

But the coalition government is not so keen on reviving because of the peculiar political situation in the State. This, however, is not the first time that the IT sector representatives have been asking for the revival of BATF.

Time and again, the coalition government has remained non-committal on the issue. Despite an appeal made by IT Inc at a meeting convened by Chief Minister Dharam Singh with IT captains on Thursday, Dharam Singh did not even made any reference to BATF during his speech.

Instead, he promised to constitute a committee headed by himself for periodic review of issues related to IT and Industry. The proposed committee will have three representatives each from the IT sector and the government.

Though Chief Minister Dharam Singh promised to revive BATF several times in the past, no specific steps have been initiated in that direction.

It is said that the coalition partner JD (S), which had opposed the BATF headed by Infosys Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Nandan Nilekani is not keen on reviving it.

With a pro-rural and pro-poor image, the revival of BATF, which is more to do with IT and BT sectors, would send wrong signals to the JD (S) vote bank.

Instead, the party is keen on gaining its votes among slum dwellers by improving their living conditions by distributing possession certificates and organising Daridra Narayana rallies.

At a meeting convened by Dharam Singh to discuss infrastructure bottlenecks on Thursday, IT Czars urged the government to revive the public-private initiative, which was discontinued after the coalition government was formed.

Chairman and Chief Mentor of Infosys Technologies N R Narayana Murthy has urged the government to “resurrect a public private initiative to expedite development works.”

He had also said that the industry was keen to partner with the government and contribute to the development of the State. “We should not destroy such institutions. Make us partners with you.

“There is a need to expedite works to make Bangalore compete with Shangais and Singapores of the world,” he urged the government.

Similar views were expressed by Chairperson and Managing Director of Biocon Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, who says that private public-partnership would go a long way in addressing infrastructure bottlenecks plaguing the city.