Hitec test in IT corridor
Candidates contesting from the Serilingampally Assembly constituency that includes the IT corridor, will face a “Hitec test” this time.
There are about one lakh IT employees residing in various colonies of this Assembly segment and the candidate who is able to win the confidence of the “techies” will be ahead in the game.
The IT employees, meanwhile, complain that politicians are only concentrating on slum voters and have not visited them so far to know their requirements and problems. They have thus decided not to wait for the politicians and are preparing a manifesto of what they want from their MLA and MP.
“We (IT employees) have started a campaign among our counterparts working in various IT and ITeS firms to submit their wish-lists depending on the local colony requirements. We will prepare a final wish-list (IT employees’ manifesto) and negotiate with contestants for its implementation. The candidate who convinces us the most will get a major chunk of our votes. We also plan to conduct a debate among contesting candidates on the wish-list of IT employees,” said IT Services Andhra Pradesh Association convenor (environ- ment cell) G. Pradeep.
Meanwhile special campaigns have been conducted within IT companies for registration of techies as voters and the number of IT employee votes in Serilingampally Assembly segment increased from 50,000 in the last election to nearly one lakh this time. An online campaign has also been launched to ensure that all IT employeescast their votes on polling day, which is April 30.
Swathi Tirunagari, an IT employee, has already submitted her wish-list to her counterparts. It includes proper implementation of laws in relation to the usage, disposal and recycling of plastic and garbage as she feels these choke the drains resulting in flooding of streets during the monsoon.
“There should be only 10 per cent reservation in education and jobs to only the economically backward sections. A total corrupt free administrative system should be brought in,” she said.
K. Srikanth, employee of Cognizant and resident of Kondapur, said “We want our MLA and MP to solve the drinking water problem in Hitec City areas. Many colonies do not have water lines and underground drainage network. We want them to be the sav- iors of lakes and parks. The contestants should not be involved in encroachment of lake bed areas and park lands. A team is being formed among IT employees to go around and find out the involvement of politicians who will be in the fray,” he said.
Mr B. Praveen Kumar, working with CA Technologies, said: “We need vision-oriented leaders to represent us. They should consult the IT employees before taking up works and projects in colonies. They should realise that IT employees too comprise a major chunk of votes in the Assembly constituency,” he said.