Bangalore losing IT Hub tag; Infy, Wipro upset with K'taka

Bangalore, Nov 23: Following the alleged inaction of the Karnataka government, Bangalore may lose its "IT Hub" tag soon. It seems that major software companies in India - Wipro, Infosys are upset with the state government and are showing their interest to shift their focus more on West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and on Andhra Pradesh.

Both IT majors are now giving up their plan to expand their campus at Sarjapur region in Bangalore. Karnataka government's "extraordinary delay" for the approval of the proposal compelled officials to shift their focus from Sarjapur to Rajarhart - a place at the outskirt of Kolkata.

Global Head, Operations and Head of Water Business, Wipro - Hariprasad Hegde has been quoted as saying, "Rajahart is about 50 acres. We can triple our capacity in that campus."

Azim Premji led Wipro wanted to invest almost Rs 500 crore on 1.5 mn sq ft in phase 1 on 12,000 to 15,000 seats at a proposed campus at Sarjapur, Bangalore. However, the government's slow land approval process made them to wait for a long time.

Similarly, KV Kamath led Infosys is looking for sites outside Karnataka. Stating about the hurdles at Sarjapur region, Senior Vice President and Head of Infrastructure at Infosys Ramadas Kamath informed, "There is a major problem which we are envisaging in terms of road connectivity, second is water, both are not there right now. The government has promised both, but there is absolutely no positive sign. We are waiting and watching."

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