I wouldn't quite agree with the fact that Hyderabad is taking away the sheen from Bangalore, which the world identifies as the IT hub of the Indian Sub-continent. No doubt Hyderabad is gradually establishing itself in the IT sector, owing to its unique geographical structure and a cosmopolitan nature found nowhere else in the country.

Yes, it is true that Hyderabad has been seeing companies like Infosys, Wipro, and Honeywell coming in and investing in the faith of the environment, which has been developed in favour of the growth of the entrepreneurship. It is true that the present government has come riding on the wave of working for the poor and the rural areas of the country but the current Chief Minister has already made it clear to state machinery and people that equal focus would be given to both the urban and the rural areas and none would be neglected at the cost of other.

Policies of the Andhra Pradesh government are one thing, which are giving a red carpet welcome to the national and international companies to set up their base here. Apart from developing corporate friendly policies there are several other factors which make Hyderabad score over other cities in general and Bangalore in particular.

The government is enthusiastic in its approach for development. Not only has it been granting certain concessions to companies to Hyderabad, the IT department has also been taking extra steps for certain projects by getting special dispensations from the Cabinet.

Not only that, the government is also keen to address certain issues, which sprung up with the growth of the metropolis. For instance two tier cities such as Vishakhapatnam are being developed to provide with a steady support base to the growing infrastructural demands of the city.

We, in the government, are not only promoting the software sector as has happened in Bangalore but are also keen to develop its potential in the field of Hardware as well, by taking initiatives such as establishing Hardware parks to create an environment for all round development of the IT sector.

It's true that Bangalore has had its due and is now facing various constraints such as congestion, over pollution. But this was bound to happen and hold true for any metropolis, which has witnessed a massive growth with a sudden spurt in a short span of time. But it is rather too early to acclaim that Hyderabad is eating into the IT pie of Bangalore.

Another important thing is that the attrition levels in Hyderabad are much lower in comparison to Bangalore. Even the cost of living in the city is comparatively lower to other metropolis, which though gives a high standard of lifestyle but all at a premium.

Hyderabad has such a composition, in terms of language, that though it is positioned in south, it boasts of all three major languages such as Telugu, Hindi and English, making it a true cosmopolitan and an apt habitat for the global corporate bodies. Culturally, Hyderabad is a very alluring city, something like Mumbai I would say. It has several natural and obvious merits like that of an upcoming metropolis and until the saturation point is reached, which comes in every developed city at one time or other, it can laugh its way for a joyride with many plum projects in its lap.

As told to Ashok Kumar