The lack of infrastructure in Bengaluru, and across the state, was the industry’s biggest grouse at the just-concluded Invest Karnataka 2016. But Kamal Bali, the managing director of Volvo India, tells Shadma Shaikh he came away impressed that both the state and central governments seemed more than willing to address the problem. Excerpts from an interview:
“Make Bengaluru liveable” seemed to be the unanimous plea during Invest Karnataka. Do you think it has been able attract sufficient attention and commitment to solve the problem?
I think it has. This is probably one of the best investors’ meet I have attended. I say that because of the kind of presence of leaders it saw from various sectors of the economy. Despite being in opposition, 8-9 union ministers attended the event and promised cooperation. From the industry point of view, that’s a bright sign. The state has been able to attract a lot of investments for infrastructure development. It will definitely go into improving infrastructure in Bengaluru.
Did you see any immediate solution emerging to decongest the city?
Apart from solving the infrastructure limitations of Bengaluru, there was a lot of impetus towards developing other parts of the state. Developing other hubs -- including Tumakuru, Dharwad, Mysuru – is an idea that appealed to investors. As we decongest cities, we should also try and develop neighbouring cities. Elevated road networks and highways are being discussed. This will develop a strong network within the state. I think it will take about three to four years to build this network.
Volvo announced a significant investment in the state.
Karnataka is the only state we have invested in. The Volvo Group established its truck factory in Bengaluru in 1998. In 2007, we put up the Volvo bus factory and expanded its footprint by 100 per cent in 2013. We plan to invest around Rs. 500 crore by 2019. Our future investments will be determined by the demand we see coming from the state. We believe that despite its infrastructure challenges, Karnataka is the best state to invest in.
