India, June 24 -- It's getting dark, too dark, for techies in India's snazzy Silicon Valley to see a life beyond logged in.

Karnataka's plan to slap a 10-hour work regime that can be extended up to 12 hours a day has flared up fresh controversies with the IT professionals slamming it as modern day slavery. If theory calls it a way to ramp up productivity, then reality describes it as a blow to the fragile work-life balance of the employees.

"There's a big difference between working for long hours occasionally and being told to do so every day," said Shruti, a Bengaluru-based software engineer, refusing to be identified by the full name. "If this becomes mandatory, it will be exhausting, not empowering."

In India's rush to outshine peer...