Address infrastructure needs of twin cities

‘Address infrastructure needs of twin cities’

Staff Correspondent - The Hindu

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Rs. 3,500 crore needed for Hubli, Dharwad: Savadatti

IT SEZ, agro-tech park between twin cities favoured

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DHARWAD: Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Jagadish Shettar has said that the development of Hubli and Dharwad will lead to the growth of surrounding areas in the region.

He was speaking on the development requirements of the twin cities at “AHead”, an interaction programme on comprehensive development strategy for Hubli-Dharwad at the Srujana Auditorium here on Friday. Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa inaugurated the programme.

From the need for improving the drinking water supply system to making the twin cities the next IT destination, Mr. Shettar threw light on various infrastructure demands of Hubli and Dharwad.

Mr. Shettar stressed the need for having a ring road around Hubli and Dharwad, four-lane between Hubli and Dharwad, improving the drainage system and developing the interior roads in the twin cities, which were in bad shape.

“There is a need to implement development programmes with the objective of making Hubli-Dharwad a mega city. In this regard, infrastructure needs should be addressed initially,” he said.

Making a presentation on the requirements, M.I. Savadatti, Chairman of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee, said the twin cities required investments to the tune of Rs. 3,500 crore for overall development.

Underscoring the need for a planned development, Prof. Savadatti said the twin cities needed Rs. 120 crore for improving social infrastructure.

Making a presentation on the Hubli-Dharwad Development Agenda, Ashok Shettar, Principal of B.V. Bhoomaraddi College of Engineering and Technology, said that absence of large-scale industries and closure of small-scale industries had led to stagnation in the economic growth and employment opportunities in Hubli-Dharwad.

Prof. Shettar stressed the need for setting up an IT SEZ and agro-tech park between Hubli and Dharwad. A large talent pool was available in the region and steps should be taken to retain them by attracting investors to the region.

Veteran journalist Patil Puttappa urged the Chief Minister to put an end to the growth of Bangalore. This would facilitate the growth of other urban areas in the State. Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Suresh Kumar said that the Government would take steps to allocate funds for the projects aimed at the development of twin cities.

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Viranna Mattikatti spoke.

Yeddyurappa doles out several promises for Hubli-Dharwad

Yeddyurappa doles out several promises for Hubli-Dharwad

Staff Correspondent -The Hindu

Government to invest Rs. 2,966 crore in six years in the twin cities

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IT SEZ to come up between Hubli and Dharwad

Scheme to develop seven cities in State

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Development agenda: Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Jagadish Shettar inaugurating the interaction programme on Comprehensive Development Strategy for Hubli-Dharwad, in Dharwad on Friday.

DHARWAD: Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has said that the State Government has plans to invest Rs. 2,966 crore in six years for infrastructure in Hubli-Dharwad.

The Chief Minister made this announcement after inaugurating the interaction on the Comprehensive Development Strategy (CDS) for Hubli-Dharwad “AHead” in which experts presented their views on the strategy for development of the twin cities.

Mr. Yeddyurappa said the government would release a special grant of Rs. 100 crore for the development of traffic management system, slums and storm water drains and implementation of the solid waste management scheme. He said the Government would invest Rs. 160 crores under the North Karnataka Urban Sector Investment Programme for development of roads and the drainage system in the twin cities.

Equitable development

Mr. Yeddyurappa said: “Our Government wants to ensure equitable development across the State.”

The Chief Minister said: “Before I present the Budget on July 17, similar programmes on development in seven cities outside Bangalore (including Hubli-Dharwad) would be conducted. The outcome of the discussions on development of these cities would be incorporated in the Budget.” Mr Yeddyurappa said that he would be holding a similar programme in Gulbarga on Saturday followed by Belgaum, Bellary, Davangere, Mysore and Mangalore.

The Chief Minister said a high-level committee would be set up to look into the suggestions received during the discussions on development of these cities.

He said the Government had plans to invest Rs. 100 crore for converting the road between Hubli and Dharwad into a four-lane one and the work would be handed over to Karnataka Road Development Corporation.

He said a ring road connecting the National Highway no. 4, no. 63 and no. 218 would be constructed to streamline vehicular movement.

He also promised to release Rs 136 crore in a phased manner for the implementation of the third stage of Malaprabha Drinking Water Project.

The Chief Minister said apart from expediting the work on the Arybhata IT Park in the twin cities, the Government would take steps to set up an IT Special Economic Zone in between Hubli and Dharwad. A Kannada Bhavan would be constructed in Hubli.

Karnataka to reboot, targets Rs 1,20,000-cr IT revenues by 2011

Karnataka to reboot, targets Rs 1,20,000-cr IT revenues by 2011
1 Jul, 2008, 0116 hrs IST,Peerzada Abrar, ET Bureau

BANGALORE: Top software industry leaders have presented a blueprint to the BJP government in Karnataka for the revitalisation of the information technology and biotech industries in the state to more than double revenue from the sectors to Rs 1,20,000 crore by 2011.
One of the key components of the blueprint is the creation of four new hubs of 500 acres each around Bangalore exclusively for companies in the IT, BT and health sectors, with industry and government jointly buying land from farmers at market rates.
Access to land in and around Bangalore for expansion, along with the city’s well-documented infrastructure crisis, have been long-standing concerns for IT companies. Applications for land allotment by top names such as Infosys and Wipro have been hanging fire even as they step up investments at locations outside Karnataka.
Karnataka’s leadership in the IT sector appears to be under serious threat, with software exports from the state growing by just 11% during 2007-08, compared to Andhra Pradesh’s 41%, Tamil Nadu 37% and the national average of 29%.
Bangalore’s technology sector employs some 6 lakh people, nearly a tenth of the city’s total population.
The revitalisation blueprint, a copy of which is with ET, envisages an autonomous empowered authority to give all permissions and approvals for what it calls the ‘IT-BT-Health cities.’

“A high-power committee consisting of members from the government and industry will be formed to negotiate and finalise the land procurement,” it says.
In addition a monitoring panel headed by the state’s IT minister and including representatives from government and industry has been suggested. Software companies are wary of property developers and real-estate companies developing technology parks and would prefer instead to set up campuses on their own. The IT industry wants the four new hubs to be located along the proposed peripheral ring road around Bangalore, which is being taken up at a cost of about Rs 3,000 crore.
To give a thrust to the new government’s policy of developing tier II and tier-III cities as magnets for technology companies, the IT industry is asking for a special investment of Rs 500 crore each in Mysore and the port city of Mangalore in three years. It also wants an ‘electronic city’ to be established on 1,000 acres of land in Mysore on the lines of the main technology hub on the outskirts of Bangalore.
A similar integrated IT-BT-Health city is envisaged for the twin cities of Hubli-Dharwad to be set up under a public-private partnership. For the northern cities of Belgaum and Gulbarga, it wants ‘electronic cities’ which will help generate large-scale local employment for business process outsourcing companies.
Karnataka’s new IT minister, Katta Subramanya Naidu, has asked technology companies to fan out to the state’s smaller towns and cities to generate local employment and to ease the strain on Bangalore, which is groaning under poor infrastructure and problems with land acquisition.
Software companies say they are ready to invest in other parts of the state, but the government must provide adequate infrastructure and access to human resources in these areas.

CBaySystems to invest $25-mn; ramp-up headcount in country

CBaySystems to invest $25-mn; ramp-up headcount in country

29 Jun, 2008, 1146 hrs IST,

MUMBAI: With a view to rapidly ramp up operations and expand its footprint in the country, CBaySystems, has drawn up a USD 25 mn capex plan over the next two years.
CBaySystems also plans to up its headcount to 10,000 from the present 5,500 and set up 10 new centres, primarily in Tier II and III locations, by 2010.
The company is a global leader in the healthcare information management and patient financial services (PFS) space with over 400 large hospitals in the US, physician practices and clinics as its clients.
"We have lined up an USD 25 mn investment for India over the next two years to fuel our expansion. We also plan to raise our headcount to 10,000 by then," CBaySystems India Director and Chief Operating Officer, Dinesh Kumar, said.
The funds would be raised through internal accruals and "also through outside funding", Kumar said. CBaySystems runs its global back-end operations from India through its wholly-owned subsidiary, CBaySystems India.
Headquartered in Mumbai, the company presently has 37 centres in the country including Bangalore, Hyderabad, a small unit in Vijayawada which it plans to expand, and Nagpur.
"We now plan to enter Tier II and III locations such as Hubli, Indore, Raipur, Belgaum and Coimbatore, apart from Chennai," Kumar said.