Bangalore ranked as the Number Three city for business
- Survey by Business Today

So Bangalore has been ranked as the third best city for business. Well that doesn't come as a surprise. But what's surprising is the fact that it has slid from its Numero Uno position to rank three in a mere three years. This is a wake up call for the city to better its basic infrastructure if it plans to remain among the top players.

Bangalore's infrastructure problems can be seen in the condition and quality of the roads. While some roads are good, most others are pot-hole ridden and some are an absolute horror to motorists. Statistics quote that Bangalore has 840 m of roads which support 2.16 lakh cars as against Delhi's 26,323 m of roads which support 7.3 lakh cars. There is an urgent need to better the conditions and increase the number of roads to accommodate the growing motor population. The next biggest problem is that of power. CEOs see the erratic and inadeqaute power supply as a major disadvantage to the city. Then there are concerns among family makers about the rising cost of living - Bangalore being the seventh most expensive city after Mumbai and Delhi.

Bangalore is the third most polluted city in India as well and many people fear that it is going the Mumbai and Calcutta way. Piped water is still not reaching everybody in the city. Meanwhile, claims are being made by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board that once the fourth stage of the Cauvery Scheme is implemented, piped water will be made available to all in the city. Public Transportation is poor with only 1,800 buses of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Organisation catering to the city's huge population which travels by buses every day. With all these infrastructure bottlenecks, Bangalore has a long way to go if it wants to achieve its ideal of becoming the 'Singapore of India'.

Despite all its problems, Bangalore's crowning glory is the presence of a number of tech-oriented companies and research companies. IT greats like Infosys and Wipro, GE's largest research unit outside of United States, Cisco, IBM and other notable companies are based here. There is no dearth of technical talent, and career prospects are pretty good as well. Bangalore's work culture is praised by CEOs throughout the country. After Mumbai, Bangalore comes second for its professional and hardworking people.

Bangalore is perhaps one of the safest cities in the country and according to the city's Commissioner, H T Sangliana, the crime rate isn't bad given the 8,000 crimes in 2001. Education is by far the best in India with many reputed technical institutions and business schools in the city like the Indian Institute of Science and Indian Institute of Management. Telecommunication facilities are good. Big companies are of the opinion that connectivity and service is quick and efficient. However small-time entrepreneurs complain that it takes ages to get a telephone connection.

There are worries about the flagging IT industry, but with a good Biotech policy, definite plans of a Biotech Park and a Vision Group which is working towards the 'Biotech capital' ideal, Bangalore is all set to become the Biotech capital of India. It also has a good potential in the Healthcare and Medicare segment, and has a strong foundation in organised healthcare. Therefore it can take up the role of an off-shore operating facility for overburdened healthcare systems of the West.

We can conclude by saying that with better basic infrastructure Bangalore can once again become the Number One city in India for business.

Source: Business Today

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