KG Info to set up Coimbatore’s first IT-specific SEZ
With an increasing number of IT companies eyeing Coimbatore as an ideal tier-II city for setting up operations, it has led to the formation of the first special economic zone (SEZ) in the texcity exclusively for private IT/ITeS companies.
The SEZ is being established by Coimbatore Hi-Tech infrastructure (CHIL), an SEZ infrastructure initiative promoted by KG Information Systems (KGISL). The company has obtained formal approval for the special economic zone, which is coming up on a 150 acre land in Saravanampatty.
Mr.Ashok Bhaktavathsalam, MD, KGISL said that CHIL would offer facilities such as ready-to-occupy incubation space as well as leased-out land where companies could build their own facilities to match their business plans. He said it would also have amentities for commercial and social infrastructure, including hotels, residential accomodation and healthcare.
Rober Bosch India (RBIL), Cognizant Technologiy Solutions (CTS) and Perot systems India have taken space in the upcoming special economic zone with a total of 50 acres for their own facilities. The remaining 100 acres is being developed at a total investment of about Rs.1000 crore over three years, targeting small and medium IT companies in and outside coimbatore.
RBIL has taken around 21.88 acres in the SEZ. Perot Systems, that already has its BPO operations in the city on a 20000 sq ft, two storey structure, has taken over seven acres of land to construct its facility over two lakh sq ft within a years time.
Officials in the CHIL told that IT major CTS is planning to have a built up space of two million sq ft as a plug-and-play facility that will be ready by July 2008. The company plans to develop 7.5 million sq ft in the first phase.
CHIL general manager R.Maheswaran said the company plans to build three million sq ft of office space over the next three years of accomodate around 30000 employees. Maheswaran added that market studies showed that It and IT-enabled service companies prefer these exclusive special economic zones rather than co-existing with other sectors like manufacturing in the same special economic zones.
