With a number of IT majors showing interest in setting up their units in Orissa, the state government today decided to start the construction of an ’Info-valley’ project over 500 acres of land from April, official sources said.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the IT Task Force chaired by the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here.
The project to be located at a place under Jatni tehsil area near the state capital, was targeted to complete its first phase by April 2011, said IT secretary P. K. Mohapatra.
Of the 500 acres area demarcated for the project, 320 acres were earmarked for IT SEZ and the remaining land for development of an integrated township, he said.
Stating that 5,000 people would get employment in the project, he said that the state run Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) would provide basic amenities like water, electricity and road to the proposed IT project.
IT major Infosys had been identified as the anchor tenant in the project where the company would invest Rs 300 crore. “Infosys will build its development centre over 50 acres of land within the Info Valley,” an official release said.
This apart, the meeting also decided to develop about 100 to 130 acres outside the Info Valley, as a green patch.
Besides, sources said plans were afoot to develop an IT Investment Region (ITIR) in over 10,000 acres area in the capital city.
The ITIR would house cyber city, knowledge city and commercial areas, they said.