Ministers to meet corporate heads over infra woes

To assuage the feelings of the IT-ITes companies on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) and Whitefield region, a team of ministers will be interacting with top IT executives on January 21.

The  intention is to assure the sector that the government is aware of their concerns and is keen to address their grievances, besides exploring fresh investments ahead of Invest Karnataka scheduled to be held in February first week.

On Tuesday, Deccan Herald reported that several major IT-ITes companies had shelved their expansion plans in Bengaluru due to infrastructure problems in the region leading to a huge productivity loss. The estimated loss as calculated by the ORR Companies Association (ORRCA) is around 3.45 billion USD per annum.

Industries Minister R V Deshapande told Deccan Herald that he, along with a few other ministers, will be visiting Whitefield and the Outer Ring Road next week.

“We want to understand their problems and explain what steps the government is taking. Just to meet them and tell them what we are doing,” the minister said, adding that they would be meeting industry representatives from both IT and non-IT sectors in the region.

Apart from Deshpande, IT Minister SR Patil and Bengaluru Development Minister K J George will also be visiting, along with a battery of top officials, including Chief Secretary Arvind Jadhav, officials from infrastructure, urban development departments, the BDA, the BBMP and others.

“Concerns have to be addressed sometimes with short term and some other times with long term plans. We have to work together. This kind of interaction will help both the government and the industry to address the issues effectively,’’ Deshpande said.

The minister also said that he would be talking about possibilities of further investments in the State during Invest Karnataka.

 “It will be a chit-chat over a cup of tea, an opportunity to mingle and find a solution,” he said.  “Interaction of political leadership with industry leaders is always good. They understand each other’s challenges and explore opportunities,’’ said R K Misra, member of the panel on Invest Karnataka.