‘We are setting milestones for development…’

‘We are setting milestones for development…’
IT is the fastest growing sector today. The proposed Integrated Township and Knowledge City in Bidadi is a step towards meeting the demands of the growing IT sector here. The Bidadi township will serve as a model to other townships that are being planned, says M N Vidyashankar, the State’s IT Secretary, in a chat with Poornima B V


At what stage is the Bidadi Integrated Township project in?
The preferred bidder will be in place in two months' time. A large weightage will be given to bidders who provide the best rehabilitation package to farmers in the local area. The project is being developed as a public-private partnership (PPP) initiative.
What are the plans for Bidadi Township?
The Bidadi Township will serve as a model for all other townships that are coming up. The lessons learnt from this project will be incorporated in others. The Bidadi Township is coming up in 10,000 acres of land. It's the first of its kind. Nowhere else can you find a township that's so huge. Forget 10,000 acres, even something that's one-fourth its size is hard to find. The project has been discussed in several forums and the response from the IT sector has been fantastic. The availability of space in IT parks in the Electronic City is around 900 acres. Whereas in Bidadi, the IT Park has 10,000 acres of land available. This should translate to 25,000 acres of commercial built-up space that should be enough till the year 2015. The total investment would be close to Rs 50,000 crores.
What are the likely benefits of this township?
The idea is to provide topnotch facilities under one roof. This would also add to IT productivity as it reduces travel time drastically. We are encouraging Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities to decongest Bangalore. It will provide the right ecosystem for the IT sector - that is why it is referred to as Knowledge City. Any IT company that buys commercial space in Bidadi will also have to either build or buy residential accommodation to house their staff. All other facilities such as educational institutions, parks, and shopping malls will be made available under one roof. The investment from the government will be zero. Farmers will get market rates for their land. The IT industry in Karnataka employs over five lakh employees. By 2010, that figure is likely to be 10 lakhs. Imagine the plight of the city if so many people have to commute to work daily.
There's a growing perception that the IT sector is responsible for the growing divide between the rich and the poor? What's your answer to that?
The greatest beneficiary of the IT sector is the common man. There's a multiplier effect. Thanks to the IT sector, there are employment opportunities for so many people down the line. There are 6,000 security guards in Electronic City alone. There is employment generation across all sectors as there is a growing need for many services. It's a huge value add for our economy, especially because the average age of our population is 24.1, which is very young. If we have a young, but well-educated population, it is definitely a value-add to our country's economy.
What's your vision for Bangalore?
We are trying to set milestones for development in the short-term and mediumterm. The aim is to touch one million employees in the IT and ITES sectors. The net exports from these sectors are worth Rs 50,000 crores from Karnataka alone. The aim is to reach Rs 1,00,000 crores by the year 2009-10. By 2012, 50 percent of the State's GDP should come from IT and it's not difficult to achieve.
Moreover, Bangalore continues to be the most preferred destination. Two years ago, Bangalore stood third in terms of highest sold commercial space. Last year, it was London, Bangalore and Tokyo in that order. Bangalore is second only to London in terms of demand for commercial space now.
How do you propose to achieve that?
The IT contribution to the national GDP is 4.7 to 4.8 percent. In the State, the sector is growing at 37 percent. In Mangalore, it is 60 percent per annum. In the Hubli-Dharwad region it is 45 percent per annum. No other sector grows this way. Bangalore tops in IT and BT, and will soon emerge on top in nanotechnology as well.