More cities join IT bandwagon

More cities join IT bandwagon
Deccan Herald

By R Krishnakumar DH News Service Bangalore:

After pegging its Information Technology sector to Bangalore for long, Karnataka is opening up to the potential of other cities in a big way. If plans lined up for Mysore and Mangalore are anything to go by, the State looks well on course to spread the Bangalore feel-good elsewhere. And accordingly, the software export target has been revised — to $US 20 billion, by the year 2010.

According to M K Shankaralinge Gowda, Secretary to the Department of Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science and Technology, Government of Karnataka, while Mysore and Mangalore continue to attract more investors, fledgling IT spaces in Hubli and Belgaum are also slowly gaining in prominence.

Mr Gowda says Mysore has already registered Rs 1,200 crore as investment in the IT sector. With a new airport, expressway and doubled railway track on the cards, he sees Mysore as a key in driving the State’s IT growth for the future.


“It is going to be a major training hub for MNCs. Companies like IBM and I-Flex are going to take space in Mysore. Work on Wipro’s 100-acre development centre is also on,” Mr Gowda says.

The 500-acre SEZ in Mangalore — created exclusively for IT — will further tap on the town’s IT potential. “We are working towards raising the exports from Mangalore to Rs 1,000 crore next year, from the present Rs 587 crore,” he says.

Hubli and Gulbarga are also key parts in the State’s scheme of things. “Adding to the 3,00,000-sq ft technology park at Hubli, we are looking at using the presence of engineering colleges in the region to lure more BPO companies,” says Mr Gowda. Gulbarga’s first earth station will also be set up this year, to be used primarily as a relay station for export of software.

“By the end of this financial year, we’ll be touching the $US 8 billion mark in exports. Even with a 25 per cent growth from here, we will touch the earlier target — of $US 10 billion by 2007. The revised target is $US 20 billion by 2010. The challenge is to ensure that Karnataka’s share of export continues to be 1/3rd of the national output,” he says.

Mr Gowda says manpower requirement is going to play a major role in the State’s future as an IT leader. “The onus is on the State to provide the necessary manpower. The universities have to look at the finishing school concept. For every graduate who passes out, the key question should be ‘Is he IT-enabled’? The focus should be on taking as many candidates for IT training and making them equipped to meet the demands of the industry,” he says.

Infighting mars Hubli chance to be SEZ

Infighting mars Hubli chance to be SEZ
Business Standard

Our Correspondent / Hubli January 02, 2006

Hubli lost a chance of being declared an export-oriented Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for industrial valves because of the infighting between two groups.

The two groups, one headed by an industrial family of Hubli and another comprising new players vied with each other to get the credit for getting the SEZ status for Hubli and at the end lost out to Hasan.

Hubli is known as centre of production and export of valves. An estimated Rs 100 crore worth of valves with wide-ranging applications in petroleum and chemical industries are exported every year from Hubli.

The Karnatak government had sent a proposal to the Centre to declare some towns in the state as industrial clusters for a particular type of activity.

It had proposed Belgaum as foundry cluster, Bellaryn as garments cluster and Hubli as valves cluster.

While proposals for Belgaum and Bellary were cleared, the Centre rejected the proposal for Hubli and instead declared Hasan as a cluster town for textiles even though the place is not known for export oriented textile units.

Under the SEZ scheme each cluster was to get Rs 50 crore to set up facilities beneficial for selected local industries. What deprived Hubli the chance, according to local industrialists is the difference between the two groups.

While one group had initiated the proposal for getting Hubli the SEZ status the other group hurriedly set up the required special purpose vehicle called the Hubli Walve Cluster Society to deprive the other group the credit for its efforts.

New-look Kittur Channamma Circle by January-end

New-look Kittur Channamma Circle by January-end
The Hindu.com

Work on the beautification project of the corporation begins

• Project being implemented in coordination with PWD and NHAI
  
• Seven roads to be developed
  
• Medians being built on public-private partnership basis
  

GETTING A FACELIFT: Kittu Channamma Circle in Hubli which is being beautified.
HUBLI: Kittur Channamma Circle here will wear a new look by January end. Work on the circle and adjacent roads has begun.

An action plan chalked out by the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation is being implemented in coordination with the Public Works Department and the National Highways Authority of India as the roads come under these departments.

Parapet

According to the plan, a parapet will be constructed around the statue of Kittur Rani Channamma. Within the circle, a lawn will be raised.

As part of the beautification project, the corporation will develop seven roads. The corporation wants these roads to be asphalted from footpath to footpath and it has agreed to pay the additional cost to the Public Works Department.

S.S. Phatke, Executive Engineer, Hubli (North) of the corporation, who is supervising the project said the corporation has deposited Rs. 10 lakhs with the Public Works Department and another Rs. 10 lakhs will be paid to the department.

Agreement

Similarly, asphalting of roads coming under the purview of the National Highways Authority of India will be done in coordination with the Public Works Department. The corporation is hopeful of signing an agreement in this regard at the earliest, he said.

The corporation will spend Rs. 50 lakhs on the beautification of the circle and asphalting of roads between the circle and Basava Vana, circle and the ESI Hospital, Basava Vana and Gali Durgamma Temple, and Basava Vana and IT Park.

In addition, a stretch between Neeligen Road from Eureka Tower up to the Traffic Police Station at the New Cotton Market will be asphalted. A sum of Rs. 1 crore will be spent on the project. New traffic signals will be installed at four points, he said.

Mr. Phatke said Neeligen Road is being developed to provide an alternative thoroughfare for VIPs visiting the twin cities. While some roads leading to Neeligen Road will be developed under the Rs. 30-crore Road Development Project, a few others will be developed by the National Highways Authority of India, he added.

Meanwhile, the corporation has begun building medians on Old National Highway opposite the Old Bus Stand and on Lamington Road on a public-private partnership basis. Some of advertising agencies here have come forward to develop medians and to construct three foot over-bridges.

More cities in state to be renamed

More cities in state to be renamed

Business Standard

Press Trust Of India / Gulbarga December 19, 2005: After Bangalore becomes Bengaluru, Gulbarga may be renamed Kalburgi, Mysore ‘Mysuru’, Mangalore ‘Mangaluru’, Hubli ‘Hubballi’ and Belgaum ‘Belagavi’.

There were proposals to rename the towns of Karnataka and the state government was considering them, chief minister N Dharam Singh said on Sunday.

“We will support them (the proposals)” and send them to the Centre for approval after discussion in the state cabinet, which will be held after this week’s zilla and taluk panchayat elections, he told reporters here.

Defending renaming of Bangalore, Singh said the proposal had come at a meeting of litterateurs on the eve of “Suvarna Karnataka” (golden jubilee year of the formation of the state after the reorganisation of the states in 1956) celebrations.

The new name will come into vogue from November 1 next year. He said the move to rename Bangalore has been welcomed by intellectuals and others.