Bengaluru beware, Hyderabad is waiting!

When Bengaluru stumbles, Hyderabad is always there, waiting to make the best of it by offering alternatives which it avers, are more attractive and investor-friendly.

So when a Bengaluru-based startup founder complained a couple of days ago that despite paying billions in taxes, startups in the IT City are reeling under infrastructure related problems such as bad roads and an airport which is a three-hour drive away, pat came the reaction from Telangana’s IT minister, the irrepressible KT Rama Rao. who extended an open invite saying Hyderabad had better infrastructure to offer. Which was not surprising considering that our capital city exports thousands of crores in IT products and services every year adding to Karnataka’s coffers and the wealth of its citizens.

But is it so easy to prise away IT companies and startups from a city which allowed them to painstakingly build themselves up from tiny entities into multi-million dollar conglomerates over the span of decades? Mr Rama Rao should know like anyone else that the evolution of Bengaluru into a tech and IT hub started after Independence when it saw the sprouting of defence and aerospace establishments and the setting up of hi-tech research institutions. And with the coming up of these institutions and the genius of IT czars like Narayanamurthy and Nandan Nilekani, a tech-savvy ambience was created which continues to foster the IT industry till date.

Those who complain about the crumbling infra in the city, no doubt have a point for despite thousands of crores being spent on roads and drains, they continue to be as citizen-unfriendly as ever. Half-hearted repair efforts are not what IT entrepreneurs are looking for as they go about inventing solutions for business and industry worldwide and rake in the moolah to augment the country’s financial reserves.

Maybe it’s time to seriously consider setting up an autonomous infrastructure development corporation specifically for Bengaluru which can devote all its energy to the development of the city by setting right its many problems. It seems futile to continue to trust the BBMP or any other civic body with pleas for a concerted effort to make the city what it deserves to be, falling on deaf ears.

The Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF) in the years after 2000, did make a promising start but then faded away with politicos suspecting a threat to their sway over the city. Considering the fact that Namma Bengaluru has already earned the prestigious tag of the IT hub, it will continue to be the target of envy and also ridicule for its not so good infrastructure. But that can always be set right with the right vision, initiative and funds. No IT behemoth would like to shift from a city known for its friendly people, salubrious climate and highly professional ambience after making huge investments unless there are compelling enough reasons and a few bad roads and stinking drains are just not compelling enough.

But thank you, Mr Rama Rao for reminding us to pull up our socks and keep our IT industry happy and smiling!