As the IT corridor in Bengaluru was devastated by heavy rains over the last few days and firms along the Outer Ring Road threatened to leave the city, IT-BT and Higher Education Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting with leaders of the industry and assured them of finding a permanent solution to the problems before the next monsoon.
In the meeting attended by top entrepreneurs and NASSCOM representatives, the Minister said all efforts would be made to keep intact the “Brand Bengaluru” and requested industry leaders to refrain from making negative comments on the city. Mr. Narayan also assured them of holding a virtual meeting every month for addressing the grievances of IT/BT professionals.
During a two-hour long meeting, IT leaders clarified that they have no intention of leaving Bengaluru. Responding to the IT minister’s appeal, the entrepreneurs said that their primary concern was to bring to the notice of the government the miseries they face and the loss that was caused.
Representatives of Goldman Sachs, Infosys, Wells Fargo, Wipro, Mphasis, Intel, Accenture, Sonata Software, Philips, Solace, and other software firms attended the meeting.
Partners in development
The Minister informed the entrepreneurs that the BBMP Zonal Commissioner has all powers to set right problems caused by rain havoc in Mahadevapura zone. Moreover, IT companies would be made “partners in the development work” in the zone to complete all developmental works as per schedule. On the lines of Electronics City Industrial Township Authority (ELCITA), work would be taken up in the area, Mr. Narayan told entrepreneurs. He also said efforts would be made to develop storm-water drains and drinking water supply under the 5 th phase of the Cauvery.
Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chairperson, State IT vision Group, said that the government was with the industry in resolving any problem they encountered. He said there was no need to worry about ‘Brand Bengaluru’. Nearly 80% of the city had not been impacted by the rains. “The damage that has occurred at Mahadevapura is not expected,” he said.
