Land allotment: the real picture

Land allotment: the real picture
In his missive to the chief minister, JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda has ridiculed Infosys chief mentor N R Narayana Murthy’s idea of urban governance, apart from seeking re-examination of land allotments to Infosys and questioning achievements of the Bangalore Agenda Task Force. Are some IT firms out to defame the government? Were these companies wrong in offering suggestions for better infrastructure? Team TOI seeks some answers.
The Times of India
Did IT pressure — particularly from Infosys — force the government to relax restrictions around Bangalore and change land use for software development?

Following the application from Infosys seeking 845 acres of land in Sarjapur hobli, the urban development department issued a notification on September 21, removing restrictions imposed by the Bangalore Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (BMRDA) and permitting development.
BMRDA sources said: “Sarjapur hobli was originally part of the interstitial zone (IZ-6), which is supposed to act as a non-developmental, agriculture buffer. BMRDA was forced to reconsider the IZ classification, though not just for Infosys — as alleged by JD(S) national president H D Deve Gowda. Infosys was part of the mix, but reclassification followed BDA’s plan for an IT corridor from Electronic city to Whitefield that cuts through the zone, including Sarjapur hobli.’’

The Infosys proposal is being taken up at a higher level — the industries department high level committee (HLC) chaired by chief minister N Dharam Singh. It is not cleared yet, so Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) has not issued even preliminary notifications for the land.

Sources said: “This is the first time an IT company has sought so much land, though other sectors like steel have been allotted 900-1,000 acres. Wipro has asked for only 120 acres in Mysore. Still, if the HLC clears it, we have nothing more to say.’’

However, the point raised by Gowda that legally, KIADB land cannot be used for a residential township as proposed by Infosys, has been disputed. Officials said the Jindal industrial estate in Hospet has townships to house their employees, on KIADB land.