BENGALURU: The needling seems to have hit the spot. After widespread criticism of Bengaluru’s infrastructure by the IT sector, especially the poor condition of Outer Ring Road and areas housing tech firms, the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) is soon setting up an ‘Economic Development Agency’.
The agency will look after the interests of not only the existing IT sector and industries, but also ensure that infrastructure is at a level that will attract more companies to come to the city, invest and provide employment. It will also rope in representatives from the industry as its members for better coordination and effective functioning.
The agency will be similar to the Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (BSMILE) and Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Ltd (BSWML), which have been assigned specific tasks and they focus only on that. A source close to the development said the agency will more or less act as a bridge between the IT sector and government.
Bengaluru’s poor infrastructure -- pothole-ridden roads, dust and infamous traffic, especially on the Outer Ring Road, frequented by IT workers -- had become a hot topic of discussion across the country. The Congress-led state government came under attack for not attending to the complaints.
The Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, has a provision to set up an Economic Development Agency for Bengaluru. “The authority, within a year of its constitution, shall establish an Economic Development Agency. It will be headed by the Minister for Bengaluru Development as its chairperson. GBA has the power to appoint other members by specifying regulations,” stated the GBA Act.
It is said that work is on to define the powers, functions and duties of the agency. “Its major task is to attract investments and generate employment in the GBA jurisdiction by building suitable public and private partnership projects,” the source said.
GBA Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao was not available for comment.
