We will talk to NRN, says Katta

We will talk to NRN, says Katta
Mini Joseph Tejaswi | TNN

Bangalore: The state IT minister Katta Subramanya Naidu will meet N R Narayana Murthy to know what prompted the IT captain to make a statement to the media on Wednesday that “Pune will soon overtake Bangalore in IT.’’
Naidu told TOI that the government has decided to discuss the matter with the Infosys Technologies chief mentor to understand the circumstances in which he made such a statement, especially when Karnataka still continues to be the “unquestionable leader’’ in the country’s technology business.
“We are a positive government. We will ask Murthy what all needs to be done to keep the state attractive to investors. Let the industry suggest what the government should do. We will do whatever it takes to maintain Karnataka as the IT capital of the country,’’ the minister said. Som Mittal, president of Nasscom, said large amounts of investment had gone out to other states “due to the lack of focus and bureaucratic inaction.’’ Consequently, the state’s business growth has dropped drastically. “It has to stop resting on its laurels,’’ said Mittal.
According to Bob Hoekstra, a longtime crusader for the city’s development and founder of Palindrome Technology Solutions, “A large number of European high-tech and R&D firms are showing increased interest in Bangalore. The state should realise this market potential and capitalise on it, instead of sending wrong signals.’’ “Talent so far has been the key bait of Bangalore to attract investors. But currently, similar talent is available across Pune, Hyderabad and Chennai. Also, the cost of doing business is 20% to 30% cheaper in these cities compared to that in Bangalore. So, it’s the government’s job to create a new unique selling point,’’ said Anand Adkoli, CEO, Liqwid Krystal.
“It has a great potential to lose its status to any other growth-hungry city including Pune,’’ said Vinay Deshpande, CEO, Encore Software.
Till recently, the international business community used to say, “If you are in IT, you should be in Bangalore.’’ It may not take much time for “Bangalore,’’ to be replaced with “somewhere in India,’’ said an industry observer.