Making of silicon valley

Making of silicon valley
Approximately 18 kms from Vidhana Soudha, on Hosur Road is a massive industrial area spread in around 1,000 acres that has contributed to Bangalore earning the tag of Silicon Valley.


Home to around some of the top companies, Electronics City is a hub dominated by corporates from around the world. It is the home to companies like Infosys, Wipro, Satyam and has numerous foreign software companies such as GE, HP and Siemens.

The development in and around the Electronics City has done a great deal of good to the surrounding areas. A lot of posh villas, housing complexes and apartment blocks have sprung up in less than five years time.

Those who work in the IT companies, chose to buy plots and build houses closer to their workplace. A large number of apartment blocks and housing complexes have come up in Bommasandra, IT Surya Nagar and Begur.

Thanks to the IT crowd, one sees well-lit and well-laid out roads, green patches and clean environs in this part of the City.

Electronics City is surrounded by residential areas such as Doddatogur, Konnappana Agrahara and Ananthnagar but passing right in front of it is the colossal elevated highway project that runs for over nine kilometres. The project includes construction of a four-lane elevated highway between Silk Board Junction and Electronics City and an extension of 16-km ground road from Electronics City to Attibele. The new road will be a six-lane dual carriageway with two-lane service roads on either side. The whole system will work on the built-operate-transfer basis when completed and is estimated to cost Rs 450 crore.

Electronics City is now divided into two phases of which Phase Two was completed recently. This led to a massive strain that resulted in huge traffic jams in the areas around Electronics City. It was to counter this problem that the government began the construction of the elevated highway. Electronics City is also home to one of the premier graduate schools namely the International School of Information Technology which focuses on all aspects of IT. From this year Symbiosis, Pune has also started one of its branches here.

The entire maintenance of Electronics City is run by ELCIA (Electronics City Industries’ Association). Says Prakash Rao, CEO, ELCIA, ``When Electronics City first began we didn’t have lights, water or even basic roads. But now we have come a long way with the hi-fi security measures and water supply that the board sends to ELCIA which we send to the rest of the companies.” Adds Devin Thomas, Director, ELCIA, “Electronics City when started with a few companies but is now a corporate dominated arena. Bangalore witnessed this change overnight with the IT boom.”

Electronics City was the brainchild of R K Baliga, the first chairman and managing director of Keonics. The work on Electronics City began in 1978 but Baliga could not witness his dream of making Bangalore a Silicon Valley materialise as he passed away in 1988. It was under the Prime Ministership of P V Narasimha Rao in 1990 and the then Finance Minister Dr Manmohan Singh that Electronics City became what it is today. Electronics City has companies that boast of luxurious campuses. The attraction that drew crowds from all around Bangalore rather than just corporates was the launch of one of Bangalore’s first theme parks, Neeladri which is located just behind Electronics City. Also bordering the area are Gold Coin Resort and Estate Club.

What was once considered to be an isolated area far off from the City, now witnesses hordes of commuters every day.