‘Sustain the momentum’

‘Sustain the momentum’
The Sunday Vijay Times
As told to PRAMODKUMAR VAIDYA
The glitterati of IT senior management descended in H ubli for the IT I nvestors’ meet jointly conducted by the KCCI , district administration and like-minded associations to showcase H ubli in particular and North K arnataka in general as next IT destinations. T he top brass of the IT industry had acommon refrain ‘ Sustain the momentum’. S ome of their exclusive reactions are presented by Vijay Times

Pankaj Baliga, Vice-president,TCS:
I am in contact with Hubli from the incep tion of IT Park profession ally and as I hail from here, I know the city well. I have never seen such changes in a short period in the past. Earlier consultative efforts of administrative machiner ies were missing. I’m really delighted by the way in which the meet has been conducted and how the city has been projected. Efforts are on in the right direction. The government should draw a long term plan on infrastructure bottlenecks before IT takes off in Hubli. They should learn lessons from what’s happening in Bangalore.

Hari Hegde, Vice-president ( operations ) Wipro Technologies:
The presence of Chief Minister Kumaraswamy itself shows how serious the government is in making Hubli, as an IT destination. The momentum is on and the focus is also in the direction. The meet has given visibil ity about what is available in Hubli. Now I cannot comment on investment as we are in the mode of exploring. The need is to sustain the momentum gained by this meet. The government should give compelling reasons as to why they have to invest here, only then anchor companies like ours can think on those lines.

Prahlad Patil Senior vice-president, M phasis:
It is an wonderful event organised by the government in a city such as Hubli. As I am connected with the city for many years, I can say the infrastructure has changed manifold. The role of the corporation in involv ing public private participa tion in the development of the city should be hailed. The available infrastructure is enough to attract investors.But the government should take a cautious approach in controlling inflation.

Anand Talawai, CEO , E4ELabs:
While a businessman wanting to invest prepares a check list on availability of facil ity, resource, predictively and profitability, I think Hubli has made the right move as most investors will fill right in the check list. This is the first successful step of this meet. It is now up to companies to take a decision. We will now act as an ambassador for Hubli and argue in favour of the city in our respec tive companies.

Sitaram Vice president ( government projects ) ,IBM:
It is a great event organised by the govern ment in such a cool and systematic manner. It has succeeded to grab the attention of investors. The response shown to the invitation by the industry is also encouraging for the government to announce incentives and other facili ties. This momentum should be sustained by holding such events and facilitating whoever shows interest.

C V Vijaykumar Teledate Informatics:
There is no argument that the meet has been well conducted. As far as investment following this meet, it is hard to comment. Investment is a strategy decision and such decisions cannot be taken over night. The government should keep in mind not to repeat the mistakes of the IT park in Hubli.