If mall developers could move their properties around rather than be stuck with oversupply in some areas, they would surely grab the opportunities in Jharkhand and Orissa, two mineral rich states whose capitals are yet to become retail destinations, let alone crowded ones.
............................
Orissa, or rather its capital Bhubaneswar, is better placed than Jharkhand at the moment, since it already has a Big Bazaar retail outlet. In fact, shopping in a market-mall is gradually becoming a fashion statement, and the success of the Big Bazaar outlet has brought in its wake another, Vishal Market Mall.
The Big Bazaar outlet has become a landmark in less than two years, sprawling over 51,000 sq.ft. It has already started posting a profit even though it is yet to complete its third year. While local officials were reticent about the investments or the profit figures, it is learnt that the store needs sales of Rs 2.80 crore a year to break even.
Forget oversupply. Big Bazaar is also facing problems in getting space for expansion. Initially, it had taken a major portion of Forum Mart, not sure if its model would click in a small city like Bhubaneswar.
The second Big Bazaar outlet has come up in Cuttack, about 28km away from Bhubaneswar. It is also planning to set up a second outlet in Bhubaneswar city, at Patia. ”The market malls in Orissa are coming up according to the customers demand,” says Priyadarshi Mishra, the president of Super Bazaar, a government controlled market mall in the co-operative sector. After Big Bazaar, majors like Shopper’s Stop and C3 are also eyeing locations in Bhubaneswar.
So, whether it is Bihar, Jharkhand or Orissa, oversupply is the last worry for mall developers or promoters!
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=145594
Friday, May 25, 2007
State capital set for a total makeover
- Plan to form State Capital Region Authority
- Naveen launches webiste with details of projects
- An integrated industrial township mooted
BHUBANESWAR:
After making waves in attracting investment proposals during last half-decade, Orissa is now all set to give its capital city a complete makeover by shaping it to a vibrant metro centre by 2030.
An outline on State's industrial scenario brought out by `Team Orissa', a body that facilitates industrial development and investment promotion, said the State Government was actively considering forming State Capital Region Authority (SCRA).
Website launched
A website with details of different project proposals and policies of the state, was launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the occasion of inauguration of the Entrepreneurships' Week, 2007 here on Monday.
The State Capital Region would be directly linked with Paradip, an important port town and state's premier industrial hub, through an alternative 91-kilometre road with an estimated cost of Rs 700 crores.
Similarly, an investment to the tune of Rs 900 crores had been estimated for the Capital Region Ring Road (Khurda-Bhubaneswar-Cuttack). The ring road would see growth of a knowledge industry township, which would provide integrated facilities to working and living.
Knowledge township
"The knowledge township would be developed in two phases.
For first phase, we have identified 1500 acres and about 4,000 acres have been identified for the second phase," Managing Director of Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Orissa Limited (IPICOL) Ashok Meena said.
Besides, a 784-acre integrated township comprising special economic zone on information technology, residential, educational, commercial and business zones has been conceptualised.
Apart from this, the Team Orissa declared that a number of projects, which would be developed on Public Private Partnership mode, had been lined up.
Several corridors dedicated for different sectors have been planned to create opportunities for development.
The State Government is planning a landmark in the capital region by erecting a commercial and recreational complex over 11 acres at a cost of Rs 200 crores.
Residential complex
Moreover, a residential complex over 25 acres area had been contemplated for which the State Government proposed to spend Rs 400 crores.
It said that detail project reports for comprehensive multi-modal transportation plan and sewerage system had already been prepared.
The State Government hoped to put a world-class infrastructure in place in Bhubaneswar by investing Rs 3,300 crores in seven years under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewable Mission (JNNURM).
http://www.hindu.com/2007/03/06/stories/2007030614540300.htm
- Naveen launches webiste with details of projects
- An integrated industrial township mooted
BHUBANESWAR:
After making waves in attracting investment proposals during last half-decade, Orissa is now all set to give its capital city a complete makeover by shaping it to a vibrant metro centre by 2030.
An outline on State's industrial scenario brought out by `Team Orissa', a body that facilitates industrial development and investment promotion, said the State Government was actively considering forming State Capital Region Authority (SCRA).
Website launched
A website with details of different project proposals and policies of the state, was launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the occasion of inauguration of the Entrepreneurships' Week, 2007 here on Monday.
The State Capital Region would be directly linked with Paradip, an important port town and state's premier industrial hub, through an alternative 91-kilometre road with an estimated cost of Rs 700 crores.
Similarly, an investment to the tune of Rs 900 crores had been estimated for the Capital Region Ring Road (Khurda-Bhubaneswar-Cuttack). The ring road would see growth of a knowledge industry township, which would provide integrated facilities to working and living.
Knowledge township
"The knowledge township would be developed in two phases.
For first phase, we have identified 1500 acres and about 4,000 acres have been identified for the second phase," Managing Director of Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Orissa Limited (IPICOL) Ashok Meena said.
Besides, a 784-acre integrated township comprising special economic zone on information technology, residential, educational, commercial and business zones has been conceptualised.
Apart from this, the Team Orissa declared that a number of projects, which would be developed on Public Private Partnership mode, had been lined up.
Several corridors dedicated for different sectors have been planned to create opportunities for development.
The State Government is planning a landmark in the capital region by erecting a commercial and recreational complex over 11 acres at a cost of Rs 200 crores.
Residential complex
Moreover, a residential complex over 25 acres area had been contemplated for which the State Government proposed to spend Rs 400 crores.
It said that detail project reports for comprehensive multi-modal transportation plan and sewerage system had already been prepared.
The State Government hoped to put a world-class infrastructure in place in Bhubaneswar by investing Rs 3,300 crores in seven years under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewable Mission (JNNURM).
http://www.hindu.com/2007/03/06/stories/2007030614540300.htm
Monday, May 21, 2007
Bhubaneswar's successful realty story
If the real estate market in Bhubaneswar is taking giant leaps today, it's because investment is coming in with IT gaining a firm footing in the capital to lay the foundation for growth in the near future.
Most big IT majors like TCS, Infosys and Wipro have entered the city to tap into the city's trained manpower. One hears that real estate major DLF is also looking at developing an IT Park on 54 acres of land which will house other IT companies like Accenture and IBM as well. Posco is another driver here.
Of course, as disposable incomes and incomes in general have gone up over the years, there is better demand for retail and higher-end residential spaces.
Rahul Saraf, MD, Forum (a Kolkata-based company), recalls that when they started operating Bhubaneswar's first mall, also called Forum, about four years ago, they faced a problem of handling the kind of footfalls they were getting.
"Sometimes people would treat the airconditioned mall as a picnic spot while there were others who even walked in with their tiffins to have lunch in the mall's atrium," he says.
Thankfully, the situation today is quite different. Forum has managed to organise footfalls and even launched small format stores in the mall which didn't do too well initially, but are now making progress in terms of sales.
Saraf says that while most customers who ventured into Forum headed straight to Big Bazaar for value shopping, today the situation is changing.
"Now we see customers moving beyond Big Baazar," says Saraf. In the last 18 months, he says, sales for these smaller retailers have grown at least three times.
Abhijit Das, regional director at property consultants Trammell Crow Meghraj, informs that there are 4-5 malls being planned in the city, most of them in the newly developing Chandrashekharpur area.
The upcoming suburbs in the city include Chandrashekharpur in the north, Khurda, Jatni, and Choudwar towards the south, and along Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Road which is on NH-5.
Looking at the maturing consumer, Saraf is planning a 5,00,000 sq ft mall on 5.5 acres of land which in all probability will include the city's first multiplex, a large plaza and a 100-room, three-star hotel on top. "We intend to fill the big gap in the retail segment here," explains Saraf.
Another retail mall project, also on the larger side, is the 6,00,000 sq ft Junction Mall from Bengal Shrachi Housing Development (another Kolkata-based company), coming up in the Jaidev Vihar area en route to Infosys City.
The company's MD, Rahul Todi, says this will be the city's "first organised retail" destination. Set to cost around Rs 120 crore (Rs 1.2 billion), it will launch later this year (October-November). South Africa's Bentel will be the architects on this project, and it will boast of a two-level car parking in the basement.
But retail is not the only area which interests developers coming to the city. There is quite a bit of short supply in the quality residential segment in Bhubaneswar, according to Anup Mohapatra, president, Real Estate Developers Association (REDA).
He points out that over the last two years, rates in the city have increased at least four-fold. "There is demand for high-end residential property in the city, most of which is coming up towards the new IT developments taking place near Chandrashekharpur. If, for instance, the demand today is for 100 homes, the supply is lagging far behind at only 10-12 at the moment," he says.
For some Kolkata-based companies, Bhubaneswar is almost like an extension of their home ground and makes an attractive investment alternative. No wonder that apart from just malls, Todi is also planning to launch a high-rise, high-end residential project with 550-600 apartments spread over 14 acres. Situated on the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar National Highway, Neo City will have a club, swimming pool, and other lifestyle amenities.
The Sureka Group, which bought a 10-acre plot in Bhubaneswar recently, is also looking at a high-end residential development. Its MD, Pradeep Surekha, informs that the company is trying to procure more land at the same place.
"We are looking at a total of 20 acres for the Rs 400 crore residential project," he confirms. He is also eyeing the growing organised retail demand in the city. The Surekha Group is planning a 5,00,000-6,00,000 sq ft mall but if it gets suitable land at the right place (at least 10 acres), a mall might be developed on 1 million sq ft space. "Such is the scope for retail in the city," he explains.
Big townships, though, still haven't hit the Bhubaneswar market. "One of the reasons for this is that local builders do not have the strength to invest Rs 200-400 crore in a project. Also, larger national players are only now coming in and there might be plans for larger townships in the near future," says Mohapatra of REDA.
Land acquisition too is a big problem in the city. Being the capital, 70 per cent of the land here belongs to the state government. There is a mad rush for the balance 30 per cent of which 50 per cent has already been developed.
A consortium of local builders have joined together to start a new company, Arcon, which is planning a residential-cum-commercial complex with 200 high-end apartments on three acres of land close to Chandrashekharpur.
There's also news that Unitech has bid for a 10.5 acre plot at a prime locality (it is being processed at the moment) and the tender conditions put it as a mixed use development - residential, commercial as well as a retail mall.
The 54-acre IT Park being developed by DLF will also be a mixed use development with, sources tell us, as much as 30 per cent dedicated for just residential development. Most of it is likely to cater to the IT personnel within the park.
The developments at the moment are muted but there is reason to believe that there will be continued progress in the near future. Mohapatra informs that IIT Kharagpur is preparing a perspective development plan for the city which will be unveiled in the next couple of months.
Based on this, a new master plan will be developed and there are chances that new areas will be opened in this document. Meanwhile, the city's residents, we learn, are already buying property in these newer areas.
Perhaps they're hoping that these areas will be developed in the near future. From what we see, all of Bhubaneswar might be readying for a facelift.
http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/may/19spec.htm
Most big IT majors like TCS, Infosys and Wipro have entered the city to tap into the city's trained manpower. One hears that real estate major DLF is also looking at developing an IT Park on 54 acres of land which will house other IT companies like Accenture and IBM as well. Posco is another driver here.
Of course, as disposable incomes and incomes in general have gone up over the years, there is better demand for retail and higher-end residential spaces.
Rahul Saraf, MD, Forum (a Kolkata-based company), recalls that when they started operating Bhubaneswar's first mall, also called Forum, about four years ago, they faced a problem of handling the kind of footfalls they were getting.
"Sometimes people would treat the airconditioned mall as a picnic spot while there were others who even walked in with their tiffins to have lunch in the mall's atrium," he says.
Thankfully, the situation today is quite different. Forum has managed to organise footfalls and even launched small format stores in the mall which didn't do too well initially, but are now making progress in terms of sales.
Saraf says that while most customers who ventured into Forum headed straight to Big Bazaar for value shopping, today the situation is changing.
"Now we see customers moving beyond Big Baazar," says Saraf. In the last 18 months, he says, sales for these smaller retailers have grown at least three times.
Abhijit Das, regional director at property consultants Trammell Crow Meghraj, informs that there are 4-5 malls being planned in the city, most of them in the newly developing Chandrashekharpur area.
The upcoming suburbs in the city include Chandrashekharpur in the north, Khurda, Jatni, and Choudwar towards the south, and along Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Road which is on NH-5.
Looking at the maturing consumer, Saraf is planning a 5,00,000 sq ft mall on 5.5 acres of land which in all probability will include the city's first multiplex, a large plaza and a 100-room, three-star hotel on top. "We intend to fill the big gap in the retail segment here," explains Saraf.
Another retail mall project, also on the larger side, is the 6,00,000 sq ft Junction Mall from Bengal Shrachi Housing Development (another Kolkata-based company), coming up in the Jaidev Vihar area en route to Infosys City.
The company's MD, Rahul Todi, says this will be the city's "first organised retail" destination. Set to cost around Rs 120 crore (Rs 1.2 billion), it will launch later this year (October-November). South Africa's Bentel will be the architects on this project, and it will boast of a two-level car parking in the basement.
But retail is not the only area which interests developers coming to the city. There is quite a bit of short supply in the quality residential segment in Bhubaneswar, according to Anup Mohapatra, president, Real Estate Developers Association (REDA).
He points out that over the last two years, rates in the city have increased at least four-fold. "There is demand for high-end residential property in the city, most of which is coming up towards the new IT developments taking place near Chandrashekharpur. If, for instance, the demand today is for 100 homes, the supply is lagging far behind at only 10-12 at the moment," he says.
For some Kolkata-based companies, Bhubaneswar is almost like an extension of their home ground and makes an attractive investment alternative. No wonder that apart from just malls, Todi is also planning to launch a high-rise, high-end residential project with 550-600 apartments spread over 14 acres. Situated on the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar National Highway, Neo City will have a club, swimming pool, and other lifestyle amenities.
The Sureka Group, which bought a 10-acre plot in Bhubaneswar recently, is also looking at a high-end residential development. Its MD, Pradeep Surekha, informs that the company is trying to procure more land at the same place.
"We are looking at a total of 20 acres for the Rs 400 crore residential project," he confirms. He is also eyeing the growing organised retail demand in the city. The Surekha Group is planning a 5,00,000-6,00,000 sq ft mall but if it gets suitable land at the right place (at least 10 acres), a mall might be developed on 1 million sq ft space. "Such is the scope for retail in the city," he explains.
Big townships, though, still haven't hit the Bhubaneswar market. "One of the reasons for this is that local builders do not have the strength to invest Rs 200-400 crore in a project. Also, larger national players are only now coming in and there might be plans for larger townships in the near future," says Mohapatra of REDA.
Land acquisition too is a big problem in the city. Being the capital, 70 per cent of the land here belongs to the state government. There is a mad rush for the balance 30 per cent of which 50 per cent has already been developed.
A consortium of local builders have joined together to start a new company, Arcon, which is planning a residential-cum-commercial complex with 200 high-end apartments on three acres of land close to Chandrashekharpur.
There's also news that Unitech has bid for a 10.5 acre plot at a prime locality (it is being processed at the moment) and the tender conditions put it as a mixed use development - residential, commercial as well as a retail mall.
The 54-acre IT Park being developed by DLF will also be a mixed use development with, sources tell us, as much as 30 per cent dedicated for just residential development. Most of it is likely to cater to the IT personnel within the park.
The developments at the moment are muted but there is reason to believe that there will be continued progress in the near future. Mohapatra informs that IIT Kharagpur is preparing a perspective development plan for the city which will be unveiled in the next couple of months.
Based on this, a new master plan will be developed and there are chances that new areas will be opened in this document. Meanwhile, the city's residents, we learn, are already buying property in these newer areas.
Perhaps they're hoping that these areas will be developed in the near future. From what we see, all of Bhubaneswar might be readying for a facelift.
http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/may/19spec.htm
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Now....SAHARA CITY HOME in Bhubaneswar and Berhampur
Bhubaneswar Location - (South West of main city on 45.00 m wide road)
Distance from: Main City (Kms.) 10
Distance from: Railway Stn. (Kms.) 13
Distance from: Airport (Kms.) 10
Distance from: Main City (Kms.) 10
Distance from: Railway Stn. (Kms.) 13
Distance from: Airport (Kms.) 10
Distance from: Bus Stn. (Kms.) 07
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Prices For Skyscrapers Going Through The Roof
Increasing interest rates on home loans have resulted into squeezing of the customer base. Today, a middle class person can hardly think about owning a home through loan options or if he does, he requires to be prepared to break his bank. Close on the heels of metros are smaller cities which are equally threatening to become the costliest in near future.
Talking about the East, Kolkata is one of the fast developing real estate destinations in the country today. It is the better quality of life that the city now offers attracting the buyers. However, comfort never comes cheap. A three-bedroom apartment in Kolkata’s posh New Town is no less than Rs. 20-25 lakh, the same in Bhubaneshwar would go for Rs. 30 lakh and upwards.
A large part of land in Bhubaneshwar is under Government’s control. In majority of areas, it is as much as 70%. Since the remaining part is too little, the developers end up paying whatever the owner asks for a good deal. However, the ultimate sufferers are the consumers who need to bear the entire amount.
Lack of availability of private land to construct housing segments with a spiraling demand for up-scale apartments featuring an array of amenities has made the prices unaffordable.
While a two-three bedroom flat in Chandrashekharpur ranges between Rs 32.56 lakh, a similar flat in Surya Nagar in vicinity to Raj Bhavan costs Rs. 37.25 lakh, in up-scale BJB Nagar could cost anywhere around Rs 35.90 lakh. Unsurprisingly, the rates of bungalows and duplexes are going through the roof. Every home enthusiast seems to have their own woes regarding the sky hitting real estate market and home loan. The increase in either of them pushes a hike in the other segment.
http://www.indianrealtynews.com/category/real-estate-india/page/3/
Talking about the East, Kolkata is one of the fast developing real estate destinations in the country today. It is the better quality of life that the city now offers attracting the buyers. However, comfort never comes cheap. A three-bedroom apartment in Kolkata’s posh New Town is no less than Rs. 20-25 lakh, the same in Bhubaneshwar would go for Rs. 30 lakh and upwards.
A large part of land in Bhubaneshwar is under Government’s control. In majority of areas, it is as much as 70%. Since the remaining part is too little, the developers end up paying whatever the owner asks for a good deal. However, the ultimate sufferers are the consumers who need to bear the entire amount.
Lack of availability of private land to construct housing segments with a spiraling demand for up-scale apartments featuring an array of amenities has made the prices unaffordable.
While a two-three bedroom flat in Chandrashekharpur ranges between Rs 32.56 lakh, a similar flat in Surya Nagar in vicinity to Raj Bhavan costs Rs. 37.25 lakh, in up-scale BJB Nagar could cost anywhere around Rs 35.90 lakh. Unsurprisingly, the rates of bungalows and duplexes are going through the roof. Every home enthusiast seems to have their own woes regarding the sky hitting real estate market and home loan. The increase in either of them pushes a hike in the other segment.
http://www.indianrealtynews.com/category/real-estate-india/page/3/
Thursday, May 3, 2007
MindTree centre in city by 2008
BHUBANESWAR:
MindTree Consulting Limited, an IT and R and D Services Company, will be setting up its sixth development centre in Bhubaneswar by the end of 2008, said company's Chief Operating Officer Subroto Bagchi here on Wednesday.
"Construction of the development centre is proceeding at a fast pace. By the end of the 2008, we shall be able to set up our sixth development centre, which would be a world class campus," Mr. Bagchi said here after conducting an induction programme for 200 new employees from the State.
MindTree has increased its staff strength to 4162 by adding 1034 during the last financial year.
Mr. Bagchi said C&T Architects of Bangalore had been entrusted with the task of designing the campus, which would be coming up in the Infocity here.
The company has opened offices in Dallas, Munich, Stockholm and Sydney, bringing the total number of worldwide offices to 18 while it has just started its operation in Chennai and acquired 20 acres of land in Bhubaneswar.
It launched its Infrastructure Management and Tech Support Practice (IMTS) and 17 new customers were added during the recently completed quarter, bringing the current active customer base to 155.
Company's profit after tax grew by 66.1 per cent while revenue by 31.5 per cent during the last fiscal.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/05/03/stories/2007050308780500.htm
MindTree Consulting Limited, an IT and R and D Services Company, will be setting up its sixth development centre in Bhubaneswar by the end of 2008, said company's Chief Operating Officer Subroto Bagchi here on Wednesday.
"Construction of the development centre is proceeding at a fast pace. By the end of the 2008, we shall be able to set up our sixth development centre, which would be a world class campus," Mr. Bagchi said here after conducting an induction programme for 200 new employees from the State.
MindTree has increased its staff strength to 4162 by adding 1034 during the last financial year.
Mr. Bagchi said C&T Architects of Bangalore had been entrusted with the task of designing the campus, which would be coming up in the Infocity here.
The company has opened offices in Dallas, Munich, Stockholm and Sydney, bringing the total number of worldwide offices to 18 while it has just started its operation in Chennai and acquired 20 acres of land in Bhubaneswar.
It launched its Infrastructure Management and Tech Support Practice (IMTS) and 17 new customers were added during the recently completed quarter, bringing the current active customer base to 155.
Company's profit after tax grew by 66.1 per cent while revenue by 31.5 per cent during the last fiscal.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/05/03/stories/2007050308780500.htm
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Tech Giants Eye Big Plans In Orissa
Saturday, April 28, 2007:
Bhubaneswar:
Orissa would soon become another IT hub in the eastern region of India. Today, the state took another giant leap in information technology with IT giants like Wipro and Aricent Technology announcing their plans to come up with global training centres in Bhubaneswar. Anil Ambani’s Dhirubhai Ambani IT Centre, too, is all set to launch its software development centre in the state.
Upbeat over a strong IT export growth of 58 per cent during the 2006-07 fiscal, the state government said it would set up a second Infocity over an area of 671 acres and apply for its SEZ status. The decision was taken at the first meeting of the IT taskforce chaired by chief minister Naveen Patnaik.
Export earnings from the IT sector in Orissa leapt to Rs 732 crore during 2006-07, up from Rs 465 crore in 2005-06. Attracted by the state’s IT policy, 14 new companies had registered themselves with Software Technology Parks of India, Bhubaneswar, in the 2005-06 fiscal, while 19 companies did so in the last fiscal.Surya Patro, IT minister and vice-chairman, taskforce, said, ”Wipro has proposed to set up a global training centre with a capacity to train 3,000 IT professionals toeing the line of the company’s centre at Mysore in Karnataka. The state government would provide about 100 acres of land along the Puri-Konark marine drive.” Aricent Technology has also asked for 30 acres land along the Puri-Konark sea beach for establishing a similar global training centre with a capacity of 1,500 professionals. Mumbai-based Dhirubhai Ambani IT Centre, too, has offered to open its branch over an area of 40 acres of land somewhere near Jatni, around 15 km from Bhubaneswar. With Bhubaneswar turning into a major IT hub, the state government is planning to build a satellite city over 300 acres of land between Bhubaneswar and Khurda to provide residential accommodation to the growing IT population.Besides, around 25 acres of land is being identified near Infocity–I in Chandka industrial estate on the outskirts of the capital for construction of a housing complex for IT professionals.
Patnaik also asked Khurda collector to hand over 671 acres of land identified for the second Infocity to the Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IIDCO) within a fortnight. The corporation would then apply for a SEZ status after developing basic infrastructures like road connectivity, water and power supply, said the IT minister.IIDCO will also build up a knowledge park over an area of 92 acres adjacent to the site of Indian Institute of Information Science, the foundation stone of which was laid by President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar last year.
Around 1.5 lakh sq ft space available at the Toshali Plaza, a multi-storied office complex built by Orissa State Housing Board years ago, will be allotted to various BPO companies for opening development centres, Patro further said. In a meeting, the state government also decided to submit a proposal to the Union HRD ministry for establishment of another Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in Bhubaneswar. Recently, the HRD ministry has decided in principle to set up 20 IIITs across the country.
http://www.efytimes.com/efytimes/fullnews.asp?edid=18604
Bhubaneswar:
Orissa would soon become another IT hub in the eastern region of India. Today, the state took another giant leap in information technology with IT giants like Wipro and Aricent Technology announcing their plans to come up with global training centres in Bhubaneswar. Anil Ambani’s Dhirubhai Ambani IT Centre, too, is all set to launch its software development centre in the state.
Upbeat over a strong IT export growth of 58 per cent during the 2006-07 fiscal, the state government said it would set up a second Infocity over an area of 671 acres and apply for its SEZ status. The decision was taken at the first meeting of the IT taskforce chaired by chief minister Naveen Patnaik.
Export earnings from the IT sector in Orissa leapt to Rs 732 crore during 2006-07, up from Rs 465 crore in 2005-06. Attracted by the state’s IT policy, 14 new companies had registered themselves with Software Technology Parks of India, Bhubaneswar, in the 2005-06 fiscal, while 19 companies did so in the last fiscal.Surya Patro, IT minister and vice-chairman, taskforce, said, ”Wipro has proposed to set up a global training centre with a capacity to train 3,000 IT professionals toeing the line of the company’s centre at Mysore in Karnataka. The state government would provide about 100 acres of land along the Puri-Konark marine drive.” Aricent Technology has also asked for 30 acres land along the Puri-Konark sea beach for establishing a similar global training centre with a capacity of 1,500 professionals. Mumbai-based Dhirubhai Ambani IT Centre, too, has offered to open its branch over an area of 40 acres of land somewhere near Jatni, around 15 km from Bhubaneswar. With Bhubaneswar turning into a major IT hub, the state government is planning to build a satellite city over 300 acres of land between Bhubaneswar and Khurda to provide residential accommodation to the growing IT population.Besides, around 25 acres of land is being identified near Infocity–I in Chandka industrial estate on the outskirts of the capital for construction of a housing complex for IT professionals.
Patnaik also asked Khurda collector to hand over 671 acres of land identified for the second Infocity to the Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IIDCO) within a fortnight. The corporation would then apply for a SEZ status after developing basic infrastructures like road connectivity, water and power supply, said the IT minister.IIDCO will also build up a knowledge park over an area of 92 acres adjacent to the site of Indian Institute of Information Science, the foundation stone of which was laid by President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar last year.
Around 1.5 lakh sq ft space available at the Toshali Plaza, a multi-storied office complex built by Orissa State Housing Board years ago, will be allotted to various BPO companies for opening development centres, Patro further said. In a meeting, the state government also decided to submit a proposal to the Union HRD ministry for establishment of another Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in Bhubaneswar. Recently, the HRD ministry has decided in principle to set up 20 IIITs across the country.
http://www.efytimes.com/efytimes/fullnews.asp?edid=18604
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