Karnataka CM asks IT companies to expand elsewhere

Citing helplessness to allocate large tracts of land in and around Bangalore for the IT industry, chief minister of Karnataka HD Kumaraswamy has said that IT and ITES companies “were free to expand their activities within Karnataka and in other states.”



He added that the government was keen on developing industries in other parts of the state, and sought the cooperation of investors in this regard. He was speaking at a meeting with the press on the occasion of his government completing 100 days in office.



Replying to a question on why Karnataka lost out the much-touted deal Fabcity to Andhra Pradesh, he said that Karnataka might have bagged the project had the government offered land around Bangalore. “However, the government was keen on dispersal of industry to ensure all-round development of the state and hence offered 1,500 acres of land near Nanjangud near Mysore, which has adequate water. But the promoters were not interested,” he said. 



Later, at a global conference in the city, 'Where is globalization heading?' Kumaraswamy said that it is time to do a serious study on the impact and effects of information technology in Bangalore. Reading out his speech at the inaugural session, minister BS Horatti, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, said, “I urge you to ponder over the dangers posed by the digital divide - there are too many instances of hi-tech facilities being enjoyed by a small percentage of people while a vast majority living a few kilometers away are denied even basic amenities.”