Software entrepreneurs from the city have sought a slew of incentives to boost IT exports from Visakhapatnam.
Alleging discrimination against investors in IT and IT-enabled services in the region, Rushikonda IT Park Association said they had been subjected to callous and apathetic attitude of the authorities. RITPA stated that people were migrating to Hyderabad for jobs as investors in Seemandhra were meted out step-motherly treatment.
RITPA president P. Vishnu Kumar Raju and vice-president O. Naresh Kumar said the IT turnover from AP was Rs.64,354 crore with Rs.51,300-crore exports and Rs.13,000 crore in domestic segment. Hyderabad accounted for 97 per cent and rest of the State just clocked three per cent share.
With 13 lakh employed in Hyderabad and only 23,000 people in rest of AP, the need of the hour was to extend incentives. According RITPA, Vizag with Rs.1,445 crore turnover could employ 17,000 people followed by Vijayawada with Rs.115 crore-crore turnover and 2,900 employees, Kakinada Rs. 61 crore with 1,900 employees, Tirupati Rs.7 crore and Warangal Rs.2.8 crore. “This is sorry state of affairs. We urgently need good promotional policies to develop tier-2 cities. Only Hyderabad has grown. Take out Hyderabad and we have only three per cent business,” Mr. Raju and Mr. Kumar said. They regretted that existing policy had failed miserably making Special Economic Zones sick. Most buildings were empty at Rushikonda IT Park necessitating initiatives like allowing ownership in IT SEZ as per new Central Government SEZ policy.
