A hi-tech city worth Rs 390 crore (Rs 3.9 billion) would be built in Bangalore for information technology and biotechnology companies by the Bangalore Development Authority, chief minister N Dharam Singh said on Monday.

The work for the project would start after November 15, Singh said. Earlier, inaugurating Bangalore IT.COM 2004, he said the government would soon unveil a hardware policy.

Bangalore suburb to be $2.9 bn smart city

Referring to infrastructural bottlenecks in the city that the IT industry had raised with the government, he admitted that more needed to be done on the roads and public transport fronts. "The government is fully committed to the orderly growth of the city in tune with the requirements of the IT sector,' he added.

Bangalore IT.COM, an ICT event, which is into its seventh year, has attracted 290 companies, 14 countries and 13 Indian states, its organisers Karnataka government and Software Technology Parks of India, said.