CM promises 300 acres of land to Infosys

Chief minister Dharam Singh announced here on Wednesday that the government will sanction 300 acres of land near Yelahanka for Infosys.

This will be in addition to the 50 acres of land which will be given to the company in the Hi Tech City project area, he added. He was speaking during a visit to the Infosys campus in Electronic City.

"The government is in the final stages of processing the allocation and it will be finalised soon," said Singh. This move seeks to fulfill a long standing request.

Nandan Nilekani, CEO of Infosys, had said in 2004 that Infosys had applied for 300 acres of land and that it was crucial to their expansion in the city.

Narayana Murthy, chief mentor and chairman of Infosys said that the land will be used for the 'second phase' of the company's development. No details were available on the investment and number of people that would be taken on during the development of the area.

The chief minister also reiterated his commitment to developing the infrastructure of Bangalore.

"I know there are infrastructural problems in the city. I have heard a lot of people talk about it too. The city has grown a lot over the last few years. We have put forward these considerations to the prime minister and some of them were included in the Budget," he said.

When asked about the Metro Rail Project, he said that things were proceeding on course.

Replying to a question on the taxation of fringe benefits, Murthy said, "I believe the finance minister is looking into the budget to correct any anomalies. We would not like to comment till something comes out of that process."