This was revealed as part of the study on ‘Environmental and Social Impact of Information Technology Industry: A Study of Chandigarh’ being conducted in the Department of Anthropology, Panjab University. Raj Bala, a research scholar of the department, also a lecturer at Government College in Sector 46, is conducting the study.

The study compares the effects of the Bangalore IT industry with the state of the environment in Chandigarh. It states that no government can afford to ignore the IT sector as it boosts the economy. Professionals trained in the region would get jobs here and they would not be required to migrate to other cities. There would be an improvement in infrastructural facilities including railways, airport, banks and hospitals. The sex ratio is likely to improve with equal job opportunities being provided to males and females, the study reveals.

Pointing out the negative impacts, the study says the IT industry would lead to an increase in population as well as the number of vehicles. Apart from the professionals who would be recruited from different cities, there would also be an influx of migrants. The increasing population would put a strain on the existing resources and infrastructure and acquisition of land would lead to peripheral unplanned suburban sprawl.

The study further points out that the industry would destroy the intellectual and artistic culture of the city. A large amount of industrial waste would be produced and disposal would be a challenge.

“I started working on the topic two years back. These are part of the findings of the study. Though the industry is developing in the area, the problems that the city could face have not been taken into consideration. Having IT parks in such a small space is a mistake and could prove to be harmful,” Bala said.