BENGALURU: Bengaluru city is on course for a major expansion of its IT infrastructure with the central government on Tuesday listing the creation and expansion of 89 tech parks.
The announcement has come at a time when the state government is gearing up for the tech summit scheduled by the end of November, and questions are being raised about the crippling of the city’s basic infrastructure.
“With this announcement, the state capital, also known as the tech capital, is now going to become an infrastructure magnet. Accommodating more growth is a challenge, but now it needs to be channelled at a rapid pace,” a senior IT-BT department official told The New Indian Express.
As some of the listed industrial and tech parks already exist, experts said this is a welcome move. With the tech summit round the corner, the focus of the state and central governments is now on creating infrastructure, skills and drawing investments.
The new sectors are largely listed in north Bengaluru, Bellandur, Whitefield, Hebbal and Outer Ring Road, where growth is already happening. The other areas listed include Yeshwanthpur, Banaswadi, CV Raman Nagar, Nagawara, Bannerghatta, Koramanagala, Indiranagar, Tumkuru Road and the Central Business District (CBD) where there is scope for growth.
An official explained that when the areas were first demarcated and land parcels were given for setting up tech parks like Manyata Tech Park, ITC, ITPL, Bagmane and Embassy, some vacant plots were kept aside for further development. Listing them in the new business corridor will help in expanding their development and growth.
Ekroop Caur, IT- BT department secretary, said more such developments will help create live, work and play spaces. These tech parks will help in developing the eco-system and the city at large.
However, some experts termed it a regular run of the mill to keep things happening in the central and state governments. “Tech parks will come up if the infrastructure is good.
There is no need for new announcements. This is like reverse psychology, where the government is first making the announcements and will then work on finances. Bengaluru and Karnataka are already ahead of the curve in the IT- BT sector, such announcements from the central government will only help in being better prepared,” said an expert working with the government.