8216;You can8217;t see sky in IT city Bangalore8217;

8220;If you are a resident of Bangalore and Hyderabad, it8217;s so disgusting the way the two cities have been developing8221;, he said without mincing words, terming Bangalore8217;s development 8216;vulgar and filthy8217;.

Rao, Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Council to Prime Minister and an author of over 40 books, said it8217;s unfortunate that the mushrooming of hundreds of malls in Bangalore is seen as a sign of prosperity, development and growth.

8220;How can you forget that 35 per cent of women in Bangalore are illiterate8221;, he asked, while delivering key-note address at the golden jubilee seminar on 8216;Fostering Scientific Temper: Popular Science Writing in India8217;, organised by the National Book Trust.

He also said big sign boards have come up all over the city. 8220;You can8217;t see sky in Bangalore8221;, he quipped. In addition, there are huge cut-outs and posters of political parties pasted all around with 8216;their ugly faces8217;.

8220;It8217;s terrible,8221; said Rao, also Head of the city-based Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research.

Taking on the IT sector, he said while this industry claimed that only 25 per cent of engineering graduates are employable, it did nothing to start any outstanding university or institute.