Wednesday, August 31 2005 16:19 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: After facing ire of the IT sector over poor infrastructure facilities in Bangalore, Karnataka government today (Aug 31, 2005) said it has submitted Rs 550 crore project proposal to the Centre for developing 38 arterial roads linking areas that house IT firms.

Minister for PWD and Energy H D Revanna told reporters here that the state has also urged the Centre to approve its project targetted to build an eight-lane road from Konappana Agrahara to International Airport, a stretch dominated by the IT sector.

IT firms in Bangalore, India's technology hub, have been constantly crying hoarse over the "poor" infrastructure in the city which is now overstretched, caused mainly by the IT boom.

The other projects posed by the state for the approval of the Ministry of Road Transport include Four-laning of Hospet-Chitradurga, conversion of existing two-lane road between Hospet and Bellary, construction of an Expressway around Bangalore, Four laning of Hassan-Bantwal section among others which involved Rs 1760 crore expenditure, he said.

Revanna said the Union Power Minister P M Sayeed would launch the Rs 1025 crore Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification programme on September 27 in the city.

He also said that a Japanese Bank has sanctioned Rs 400 crore to the city for taking up power distribution and automation project and the power distribution firms would be contributing Rs 2000 crore to the project.

The state has requested the Power Finance Corporation to open its regional office in the city, he said.