Date:12/11/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/11/12/stories/2006111218630300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Women IT employees demand better roads

Special Correspondent

`The approach roads to Electronic City are in a poor state'

Bangalore: You may call it woman power in action. Shortly before the recent Bangalore IT.in a group of women information technology professionals met Minister for Public Works H.D. Revanna, as part of the delegation of Electronic City Industries Association (ELCIA).

The association usually meets with government representatives before the major local IT event in its efforts to get better infrastructure for the city and the suburbs, especially the "IT Corridor." While a similar meeting took place last year too, not much has been achieved till now, they pointed out. The approach roads to Electronic City remained in a poor state after the rain making commuting difficult and generally affecting the quality of life and work.

Senior managers of Infosys Technologies N.S. Rama and N. Aruna were among those who met the Minister. At least 30 per cent of the IT workforce in and around Bangalore comprises women and poor roads badly affected them. Poor roads added to the difficulties of working women who had to juggle work and family responsibilities. Bad roads cut into their available time. For many who drove on their own it added to precious commuting time and they had to stay on late at work.

ELCIA members include representatives from the garment and manufacturing industries as well as IT.

The infrastructure and traffic problems had reached major dimensions, they told the Government. With an estimated traffic density of 1.20 lakh passenger car units an hour, Hosur Road had far exceeded its planned capacity of 60,000 PCUs. The ongoing work on the elevated road, planned to make driving to Electronic City faster, had made the problem more acute, they said. Because parallel roads and diversions could not cope with the traffic.

Other roads which they wanted widened or re-layered soon included Koramangala 80 ft. road and Bannerghatta Road. Many IT professionals stayed along these roads and driving had become more difficult after rain damaged the roads. Repairs on some other roads have been stalled for months together, they said.

The State Government is known to be in the process of calling tenders for works on six major roads connecting the IT Corridor. These include Attibele-Bommasandra-Sarjapur Road; Kadlur Gate-Sarjapur Road, Nagarathnapura-Sarjapur Road; Attibele-Sarjapur Road; Hosur Road-BTM Layout and Bommasandra-Varthur Roads.