IT industry withdraws IT.in boycott

Govt to set up review committee to track progress of city's infrastructure projects

The captains of IT sector on Thursday announced the withdrawal of their boycott of Karnataka government's flagship IT event Bangalore IT.in next month.

This followed the assurance by chief minister N Dharam Singh that the basic infrastructure problems in the country's silicon valley will be addressed.

This will pave way for the smooth running of the country's premier information technology event Bangalore IT.in 2005, which attracts major IT companies from across the world.

At the meeting convened by Singh and attended by representatives from over 20 IT and biotechnology companies, the government announced that it is setting up a six-member review committee with equal representation from the IT industry and state government to periodically review the progress of various infrastructure projects to be initiated by the government.

Speaking at the two-hour-long meeting Dharam Singh promised the IT industry representatives that the government will upgrade 10 arterial roads, build 15 flyovers and also slap an eight-hour ban on truck movement within the city limits to ease the traffic congestion during peak hours.

Responding to the government's assurances, Infosys Technologies chief mentor and chairman N R Narayana Murthy stated: "There is no question of boycott of Bangalore IT.in by the industry. The government is organising the event for the benefit of the industry."

Singh said that the coalition in the state is committed to improving the infrastructure in the city. "There is a political will to do these things. The government has already begun work on the international airport and work on the metro rail project for the city will commence soon," he said.

In response to the suggestion by Narayana Murthy to revive the Bangalore Agenda Task Force, Singh said the review committee will monitor the infrastructure projects for the city.

The meeting, second with the IT industry representatives in the last one week, was attended by deputy chief minister M P Prakash, cooperative minister R V Deshpande and industries minister P G R Sindhia, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, chairperson of Biocon among others. Later, speaking to reporters, public works minister H D Revanna said that the government has sent a Rs 516 crore project proposal to the Centre for taking up upgradation work of 38 roads in the state.