With its glitzy glass and steel facades, the sprawling Bandra Kurla Complex is a defining landmark for the metropolis, but lack of support infrastructure for the nation's costliest business district came in for sharp criticism today from corporates head honchos.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has promised all help and substantial changes within a year, after the heads of State Bank of India and Standard Chartered Bank, two of the biggest names to have a presence in the area, went public with their ire.
"At BKC, we have developed a lot of buildings, but there is no infrastructure. There is no infrastructure in terms of entering the place or exiting the place. We don't get the basics rights," Standard Chartered Bank India, chief executive, Sunil Kaushal said, addressing a summit here today on the city's next phase of development.
The British lender moved its country head office out of the downtown Fort area to the upcoming BKC, joining an increasing league of institutions which are abandoning older business districts like Fort area and Nariman Point for BKC.
Kaushal also acknowledged the same, saying the bank has invested a lot in the new facility and also stressed on the need to increase the living standards of the people.
He also feared that occupants will be forced to migrate out of the complex if corrective steps are not initiated soon.
State Bank Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya, who also has a multi-storied building in BKC, which serves as the regional head office, also pointed to similar problems on the infrastructure front.
"Let's solve BKC. It has major infrastructure issues," she said, adding, this should serve as a top priority before the government initiates steps to transform this as a global financial centre.
