The efforts of the Andhra Pradesh government to replicate Hyderabad’s Cyber Towers in Visakhapatnam seem to be bearing fruits. There was a good response to the expression of interest (EoI) floated by the government for appointment of a consultant to construct an iconic Signature Tower in the port city.
The consultant will finalise the designs and funding pattern for the tower at Rushikonda, part of Madhurawada IT Special Economic Zone according to officials. “The timelines for the super-structure will be finalised soon,” APIIC Executive Director V. Raghunath told The Hindu on Sunday.
The 10-storied building will come up on a hill in an area of 21.16 acres, which was taken back from the IT firm Kennexa by APIIC for not adhering to allotment norms.
It is expected to have one million square ft. of built-up area with ample parking space. The government has declared that it will be more imposing than Cyber Towers of Hyderabad as it wants to make Vizag (Visakhapatnam) the new destination for investments in IT. The government has already launched an exercise to convince Microsoft, Infosys and TCS to set up campuses in the city.
The State has already submitted a proposal for establishment of IT Investment Region (ITIR) in an area of 12,000 acres to the Centre for which Ernst & Young conducted a feasibility study. At present Wipro, Tech Mahindra, HSBC and IBM have their campuses in the city.
Rushikonda, where several IT units are housed, and its periphery are being developed as the new Vizag.
Located at an elevated place with sea-view, Sunrise Startup Village was set up in the area sometime ago following a tie-up with MobMe Wireless of Kochi Startup Village fame.
Vizag – the largest city in A.P. has an IT turnover of Rs.1,500 crore and growth rate of 15 to 20 per cent is also projected as Silicon Valley of AP. During his recent visit, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu directed the officials to take up the Signature Tower project on a fast-track mode. “Undeterred by the devastation caused by Cyclone Hudhud last year, we will make Vizag a world-class city,” he had told investors at the launching of Infrastructure Mission.
Rushikonda, where several IT units are housed, and its periphery are being developed as the new Vizag
