Brand Mysore getting ready to take on Bangalore

Mysore, Aug 28: Emerging from the shadow of its cosmopolitan neighbour Bangalore, Mysore, witnessing a flurry of activities on many a fronts, is all set to evolve as a brand.

The city, hitherto known for its rich history and regal past, is now promising to be the next hot industrial destination not just in Karnataka, but across the country. Making the task of building 'Brand Mysore' easier are the Information Technology (IT) majors, who have committed to invest crores of Rupees and create thousands of jobs here.

Though Mysore lagged behind Bangalore, located just 140 km away, by at least three decades in terms of industrialisation, the royal city could take on the State capital as it scored better in offering good quality of life, pollution-free atmosphere and lived up to its reputation of being a centre of education and knowledge, the IT honchos of the city told UNI.

After finding a place among the top five tourist destinations in a survey conducted by the Union Tourism Ministry recently, the city had been ranked among the top ten cities in a survey of 18 important urban centres conducted by 'Business Today', a leading business weekly from the 'India Today' stable.

Mysore was consistently rated high for its traffic and commuting, law and order, work culture, cost of living, availability of office space and water. It was rated by all categories of respondents as the least polluted and was ranked higher than other fast growing urban centres like Coimbatore, Indore, Kanpur, Surat, Lucknow, Vishakapatnam, Jaipur, Nagpur and Patna, sub-registrar Prabhakar pointed out, explaining the real estate boom in the city.

The heritage city had suddenly become the cynosure of all eyes, with a flurry of activities being witnessed in the IT scene, infrastructure, housing, schooling and investments in highways and airport projects.

That Mysore was emerging as a preferred destination was evident from the official statistics pertaining to the number of projects cleared for the region during 2005-06. Mysore, along with Bangalore Urban and Bangalore Rural, was sanctioned over 65 per cent of the total projects under the State level single window agency. Of the 297 projects cleared, Mysore was sanctioned 56, while Bangalore Urban and Bangalore Rural were given 82 and 64 respectively.

A similar optimism was evident among the members of the IT Professional Forum, Mysore chapter, who said IT business in the city was expected to grow 300 per cent during the next few years and the quality manpower output from the University of Mysore and other institutions was set to fuel the city's IT ambitions. With nearly 7,000 English speaking graduates emerging from the city's educational institutions, the stage was also set for the entry of Business Process Outsourcing firms.

Observers feel that the ringing of the NASDAQ bell from the city to coincide with the silver jubilee of IT giant Infosys had done much to build the brand image of Mysore. The historic ceremony in the city, which along with London and Davos were the only places from where trading on NASDAQ was started remotely, could be symbolic, but it had helped the city take a giant leap forward.

Investment in the IT sector alone was expected to generate more than 40,000 additional jobs in Mysore in the next few years.

Infosys had announced that it was here to stay and be a partner in development along with biggies like Wipro and L and T. It had committed itself to invest an additional Rs 809 crore, taking its total investment in the city of palaces to over Rs 1,500 crore. Its Global Education Centre, coming up here, would be the world's biggest corporate training centre with a capacity to train 13,500 professionals simultaneously. Nearly 50,000 IT professionals would be trained in Mysore every year from June 2007.

Software Technology Parks of India Director B V Naidu said IT exports from 42 companies in Mysore was expected to touch Rs 850 crore during this financial year. It would register a quantum leap in the coming years as more and more IT firms were mushrooming in the city.

The IT majors were seriously considering to set shop here and a number of them have sought land for the purpose from the Government.

Besides IT majors, automobile giant TVS Motors had helped set the pace for industrial development in Mysore, which was set to alter the landscape and the socio-economic culture of the entire region. However, analysts and observers pointed out that certain key issues need to be addressed if the investors' confidence was to be sustained and Mysore was to emerge as a thriving commercial centre.

Both Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Mysore Chamber of Commerce and Industry members said connectivity holds the key to Mysore's rapid transformation and emergence as a counter magnet to Bangalore.

Former CII Chairman Murthy said doubling of Mysore-Bangalore railway lines and upgradation of Mysore airport were a must for Mysore to achieve dizzying heights at the global level.

The first path to growth was the flurry of real estate activity.

The construction sector was witnessing a boom and the skyline of Mysore was already changing as individual houses were giving way for high rise apartments and housing complexes.

Major developers and builders have big plans for Mysore as they anticipate a tremendous boom in the housing sector to meet the requirements of thousands of IT professionals who were expected to make a beeline to the city in the next few years.

Even the State Government had increased the stamp duty for registration of property. This had further increased the rate of lands and in some areas, property rates have almost doubled.

Notwithstanding the steady growth being recorded, if Mysore was to maintain its distinct character and quaint charm, then the onus was on the Government to invest in infrastructure and the Mysore Urban Development Authority to prepare a comprehensive development plan for the city and its suburbs.

UNI