hief Minister Oommen Chandy has said that the State government is making all out efforts to recover lost ground in the State’s IT development by extending maximum possible assistance to young and student entrepreneurs.
Talking after the launch of the second phase campus of Infopark here on Wednesday, Mr. Chandy said that the cabinet approval to the start-up policy and the development of Infopark were steps in this direction. He said that the commissioning of the first phase of SmartCity Kochi and Cyber City at Kozhikode would help the State’s IT sector to surge ahead.
The biggest plus, Mr. Chandy said, has been the change in the attitude of the State’s youngsters and the government is encouraging them with maximum benefits and proper ecosystem. “We are yet to fully utilise the State’s possibilities and the government is training its focus on utilising its full potential,” he said. IT Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty presided.
The ambitious Rs 2,500-crore phase II project spread over 160 acres is aimed at creating 8 million sq ft for IT/ITeS companies and generating about 80,000 jobs. In the first stage, over a million sq ft IT space will be ready by the end of this year, including that of Infopark’s own IT building and Cognizant’s first phase building.
The campus will feature facilities like hotels, shopping malls, international school, multiplexes, convention centres etc. Basic infrastructure like power, internal roads, waterline and other communication facilities are in place. A single window clearance mechanism is in place to sanction the statutory approvals, within 15 days.
Infopark has joined hands with several global IT companies and infrastructure developers likeCognizant Technologies, UST Global, Trans Asia, Muthoot Group, Media Systems, Claysys Technologies, Caspian Techparks and Padiyath Innovation for phase II development.
Around 60 per cent of the land in the second phase has been leased out successfully to IT/ITeS companies and co-developers.
Minister for Excise K Babu, Minister for Public Works V K Ebrahim Kunju, MLAs V P Sajeendran and Benny Behanan MLA, district panchayat president Eldhose Kunnappillil, Industries and IT Principal Secretary P H Kurian and District Collector M G Rajamanickam, Infopark CEO Hrishikesh Nair , A.N. Safeena, Development Commissioner, Cochin Special Economic Zone were among those present.
