Kerala IT
sector to get big boost
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Information technology infrastructure
in Kerala will witness tremendous growth in the next
three years, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said here
yesterday.
“Several projects, both the government and private
initiatives, are coming up throughout the state,”
he said while inaugurating the new 450,000-sq ft campus
of the IBS Software Services, a leading global provider
of new-generation IT solutions to the travel, transportation
and logistics industry, at Technopark here.
Dubai’s Tecom Investments is developing a 350-acre
Smart City while Sobha Developers has started work on
the 400-acre Hi-Tec city in Kochi. These two projects
alone are expected to create 150,000 jobs.
Besides, the state government has announced a 500-acre
Techno City to be built in Thiruvananthapuram and a
contract had been awarded to a Malaysian consortium
to develop a similar facility in Kozhikode.
The Cochin International Airport is developing an IT
Park within its complex while major players like HDIL
have announced a number of projects to build IT infrastructure
in the state.
“The investment profile of the state has changed
drastically and we receive a lot of inquiries these
days for setting up new projects. Unlike Bangalore or
Hyderabad, these are not concentrated in a single city,”
Achuthanandan who also holds the IT portfolio said.
The IBS facility Achuthanandan inaugurated in the presence
of former chief minister Oommen Chandy who took major
initiatives to attract investors in the sector, is the
first of the four blocks on the company’s campus
spread over 5.26 acres within Technopark.
“We are planning similar campuses in all the 14
districts of the state and it won’t be limited
to certain pockets. We are looking at a decentralised
development of the IT industry in the state,”
the chief minister said.
With a built-up area of 450,000 sq ft, the campus will
accommodate over 4,000 professionals.
“Besides government support, the excellent infrastructure
available at the Technopark here and Infopark in Kochi
has encouraged us to maintain Kerala as the hub for
our India operations,” V K Mathews, chairman of
IBS, said. “The state is emerging as a key IT
destination and IBS’ growth over the last decade
is testimony to our belief in Kerala.”
IT majors Wipro, Infosys and TCS are also building similar
campuses in the state.
The IBS India operates out of 200,000sq ft of office
space in three buildings in the Technopark and two buildings
in Infopark.
“This campus here marks a beginning for the
next level of our aggressive growth plans, as we aim
to grow into a Rs10bn company by 2010. We also have
plans to set up other campuses within Kerala, in Kochi
and Kozhikode, and to open development centres outside
the state,” Mathews said.
Meanwhile, UST Global, a California-based IT firm that
has its Indian headquarters at Technopark here, yesterday
announced expansion plans involving an investment of
$130mn (Rs5bn).
Sajan Pillai, president and chief operating officer
of the company, said the development strategy would
be rolled out in three phases.
“We are building our own campus at the 36 acres
that Kerala government has given us inside Technopark.
After it is completed, we would have 1.3mn sq ft of
campus that would employ 10,000 professionals,”
Pillai said.
UST Global began its operations in 1999. Today it is
the biggest software employer in Kerala with a total
business of $250mn last fiscal.
Currently it employs 5,500 professionals, of which close
to 3,500 work at Technopark.
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