With the state government deciding to take Electronic City out of the purview of the Palike and accord it industrial township status — in effect a warning to the BBMP to keep its hands off the IT and ITeS hub — the BBMP has been left red-faced.
The BBMP, had passed a resolution only a few days ago to extend its authority over self-contained Electronic City with an eye on garnering revenues of around `400 crore in building taxes. The resolution is pending before the state cabinet, which judging by the announcement by M.N. Vidyashankar, principal secretary, department of commerce and industry, of according E-city the industrial township tag, may have over-ridden the resolution. Along with Electronic City, the government is according industrial township status to industrial units in Belgaum, Mangalore and Mysore, that will function like autonomous bodies, collecting taxes and maintaining the area with their own resources.