BENGALURU: From brainstorming with startups over breakfast to understanding the plight of pourakarmikas over lunch with them to inspecting the city’s lakes by dusk, union minister of state for electronics and information technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar has been crisscrossing Bengaluru, his home turf, in the recent times. In between, he spoke with TOI’s Rakesh Prakash on how Bengaluru development will be the top priority in the coming months. Excerpts:
What do the startups want from the government?
Chandrasekhar: I make it a point that I meet startups every time I visit Bengaluru. Some startups wanted to express their concerns about the draft Data Protection Bill and give their input. I assured them that we will not enact any policy that will make things difficult for them.
Bengaluru’s infrastructural woes have made other cities woo startups and investors citing a better environment…
Chandrasekhar: Cities such as Bengaluru, which are the original epicenters of the technology movement, have to transform to remain competitive as this is an age where startups can move and operate from anywhere. But our focus now is to make Bengaluru a city not just for startups but for all its 1.3 crore citizens.
But Bengalureans want less rhetoric and more action to fix city’s eternal problems related to mobility, power, and water
Chandrasekhar: For those who are saying that things are not moving in Bengaluru, there is a backstory to this. In the last two years, the BBMP and every other part of the government were focused on protecting Bengalureans from Covid. It was not just an immense logistical exercise but was also at an immense cost. We do admit that momentum had slowed down with regard to the development of Bengaluru. But with Covid cases reducing and the economy bouncing back, Bengaluru development will be our priority and we will deliver what we had promised.
Speaking about the Bengaluru bouncing back, there are demands from certain sections to end the work from home (WFH) culture as it is impacting the city’s economy. What are your views on it?
I don't think the government can mandate that you cannot work from home, that is an issue between the company and the employee. Even major IT companies across the world are saying that at least 30-40% of the workforce will continue to work from home for another year or two. Unfortunately, in a city like Bengaluru, that impacts the entire ecosystem of service providers – it could be the taxies, the restaurants and hotels – that depends on the IT sector. I think the companies should incentivize and encourage people to work from the office and make WFH an exception. IT companies in Bengaluru should also be sensitive to the informal ecosystem of service providers that support them. It is a genuine question from the people of Bengaluru who have supported these IT companies for many years. I have told the IT companies not to deal with the service economy in an abrupt manner. However, as a minister, I must say that a certain percentage of digital remote working will be part of our landscape on an ongoing basis.
Even if everyone starts returning to the office the city’s road infrastructure and traffic will take a toll on productivity. In fact, industry honchos like Mohandas Pai have voiced their concerns and sought PM Narendra Modi’s intervention. Do we need the PM to fix Bengaluru roads?
With great respect to people who make these statements, we make it clear that the government does not need criticism to respond. It is not that our default mode is to not do anything until somebody famous makes a statement and then we go rushing. And I say this with seriousness, despite all the cynicism that my statement may be faced with, that we have had the last two years focused on protecting lives and livelihoods because of Covid. When the narrative was about oxygen supply and other health issues during the second wave in March last year the single-most-important job was to save lives, it was not the appropriate time to be talking about infrastructure projects. There is no way we could have done anything in the last two years, people have to be reasonable and give us the benefit of the situation. Going forward, I will also be deeply involved in the implementation of the vision for Bengaluru.
But expectations from the BJP government were high. When Bengaluru is the second-highest income tax-paying city in the country why are its roads in a bad shape eternally.
I am not denying anything that you're saying. I request Bengalureans to understand what we went through the last two years. During the pandemic, resource allocation for pandemic was the priority along with development programmes for the poor. Measure us by what we will do now in the next one year.
Meanwhile, neighbouring governments have started wooing investors and entrepreneurs promising better infrastructure…
I don’t think we should measure it this way, it is a good thing if India is winning. Cities will attract investments depending on the emergence of a whole new segment of innovations, these are not races that we should fixate about. Govt should play an enabling role in creating a good standard of living and making liveable cities.
Speaking about livable cities, the developments related to polarizing politics seems to be taking a toll on Bengaluru’s image as a peaceful city.
With the proliferation of social media, polarized views getting amplified have become a norm all over the world. Even a voice on the fringe gets amplified and you see that happening in the US and everywhere. As far as the BJP is concerned, PM Modi has said the rule of law is sacrosanct. The fringe views are not the government’s view. While the Hijab issue went to court, the statements made by fringe groups on halal and other issues have no government sanction.
The state government has been rocked by a corruption scam following a death note written by a contractor accusing senior minister K S Eshwarappa of…
Chandrasekhar: PM Modi has stated that those who violate the law will face consequences. Investigation is being done and law will follow. But for Congressmen like D K Shivakumar, who has gone to jail, and Rahul Gandhi to talk about corruption is laughable. On issues of integrity and probity of our leadership and our commitment to Bengaluru, you can test us repeatedly and we will pass the test.
