Infrastructure panel okays upgrading 23 roads in Bangalore

The empowered committee set up by the state government to monitor the progress of infrastructure projects in the city and pacify the IT industry, on Friday decided to upgrade 23 roads by June 2006.

At its maiden meeting chaired by chief secretary B K Das and attended by representatives of the IT industry, the committee decided that five roads will be improved by December 15, 2005, 11 by June 15, 2006 and eight by June 31 next year, Infosys chief financial officer Mohandas Pai told reporters.

The committee will meet every Friday to review the progress of works, he said. The committee comprises senior officials, chiefs of Bangalore city's stakeholders and representative from the IT sector.

The panel has identified 40 bus shelters in the city which were disrupting free flow of traffic and asked the police department to shift them, Pai said.

The six-member committee was constituted on Thursday following chief minister N Dharam Singh's assurance to IT leaders who were upset with city's crumbling infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the Central government has asked Karnataka government to submit a detailed report to enable it to consider the state government's demand for infrastructure development funds of Rs 5,000 crore.

Talking to reporters, state minister for industries and finance P G R Sindhia said Union finance minister P Chidambaram had promised him recently that the Centre was willing to consider the state's request for infrastructure development funds of Rs 5,000 crore.