The first IT building of the second phase of Infopark Koratty in Thrissur, which is expected to turn it into a sought-after IT destination, will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on January 21 at 5 p.m.
Minister for IT P.K. Kunhalikutty will preside. Announcing this at a press conference here on Wednesday, Infopark CEO Hrishikesh Nair said that six-storied building named Indeevaram (blue lotus) with 3.30 lakh square feet built at a cost of Rs. 76 crore is capable of generating 3,000 jobs. It is built on six acres out of the 18 acres notified as Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
The ground floor offers plug-and-play facility and warm shell office space is available in the remaining floors. Each floor has about 32,000 sq.ft to 35,000 sq.ft space and depending on demand another floor will be converted into plug-and-play.
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The first phase of the park constitutes 30 companies employing around 700 people functioning out of renovated buildings in 12 acres of non-SEZ zone. The government has been approached for another building in the non-SEZ zone.
Keys will be handed over to five anchor clients on the occasion of the inaugural ceremony. “We have allocated 3,000 sq.ft for setting up an ICT Academy making it an attractive destination for start-ups and students from engineering colleges. Besides, an incubator will also be part of the building,” Mr. Nair said.
He said that the commissioning of the first government-funded building would definitely attract investments into the campus under the private public partnership model. The basic infrastructure has been readied at an investment of Rs. 24 crore.
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“Rather than the commissioning of a mere building, it’s part of a larger goal of developing Koratty from a mere spoke of Infopark Kochi into a hub on its own right. The strategic location – just 15 minutes from the Kochi airport and along the national highway– and lower operating costs, about 30 per cent less compared to Kochi, being the highlights,” Mr. Nair said.
The government has agreed to handover another 15 acres to the Koratty Park, which would open up direct access to the park from the main road.