KOZHIKODE: Kozhikode is all set to stake its claim as a desired IT investment destination with the launch of the district’s first cyber park at Nellikode here.
A project of the Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS), UL CyberPark is touted to be the first IT Park in the Cooperative sector in the country.
According to the promoters of the IT park, the process of signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the companies has begun and the facility is expected to be inaugurated within the next two to three months.
“The construction of the main IT building and other amenities have been completed. The process of signing MoUs with companies is under way and we hope to inaugurate the park within the next couple of months,” said sources.
The `270-crore park is designed to support IT development and BPO companies. The first phase is expected to generate around 3,500 direct and several thousand indirect jobs.
The park will have major multi-national and domestic IT companies, of which the names will be announced later. It is expected that ULCCS’ own IT division UL Tech Solutions will expand its operations from UL CyberPark Kozhikode.
The 4,82,000-sqft IT park building is green-certified, making UL Cyberpark the first Leed Gold Standard-certified IT Park in Kerala.
The main IT building has 10 floors, including space for housing banks, ATMs, meeting halls, training rooms, conference rooms, food court and travel counters. Three underground floors are reserved for parking.
At present, a few startup companies are functioning from the park centre building. P Rameshan, chairman and managing director, UL Cyberpark, said it was the first IT Park of Kozhikode and also the first IT Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the Malabar region, which is being set up in 25.11 acres of land. The opening of the UL Cyberpark and presence of major IT companies is expected to provide a major boost to the already mushrooming housing and construction sector along with giving impetus to tourism, healthcare and entertainment landscape of Kozhikode city.
‘Hopeful of completing work by Dec’
The construction of the much-delayed main IT building of the Government CyberPark, a stone throw away from the UL CyberPark, is progressing, with 50 per cent of the work already completed. The officials said that they were hopeful of completing the work in a time-bound manner by December and open the space for businesses by March 2016. Once completed, the park will provide 1 lakh-sqft of plug-and-play facility in SEZ and another 2 lakh-sqft of warm shell space in SEZ. The Cyber Park is being constructed on five acres of land near Nellikode.