Naidu hard-sells AP in Karnataka
BENGALURU: The Karnataka state government swung into damage-control mode after IT giant Infosys said it will pull out of the proposed software development centre to be set up near Kempegowda International Airport.
The move came on the day Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu was busy in the city trying to woo investors to his state.
The government on Tuesday said it was ready to fulfill all the infrastructure needs Infosys had sought to stop it from moving out. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is set to meet Infosys representatives on Thursday to ensure that the project takes off without any hiccups.
The move comes amid Naidu's aggressive wooing of IT biggies to the neighbouring state, where special packages and incentives are being offered under the Centre's policy to help the state which suffered economically after Telangana was carved out.
Naidu on Tuesday participated in a function to inaugurate an IT company in the city and later held an interaction with captains of industry. It may be recalled that he had recently succeeded in clinching the Hero Motocorp project, which was earlier keen to set up a plant in Karnataka.
On the sidelines of the function, Naidu told reporters that he is set to meet representatives from CISCO and other companies. 'I will hold road shows in various cities and will be here (Bengaluru) again on November 10,' he said.
When asked about plans to woo investors from Karnataka, he said nothing has moved yet. 'Andhra Pradesh is a new state and it is facing many challenges. We are based in Hyderabad as of now and, as you know, places in Andhra are a least 150 km away. 'We have to travel a lot for everything and we need to tackle a lot of problems. The Centre has promised a few incentives and with all that, we have to build a new state.'
News Posted: 5 November, 2014
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