KOCHI: Connectivity issues, and the lack of safety for women employees and recreational activities are some of the long-pending issues voiced by the IT employees at Infopark. Though hopes were high after the new government took over, there has been little change, says Jidheesh Rajan, who has been working at Infopark for five years.
“If I am made an MLA, the first thing I would do is find a permanent solution to the connectivity issues,” he says. Jidheesh has worked in Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram and an IT park in Bengaluru. “Unlike Technopark, which has public transportation services on its campus, the techies working in Infopark have to depend on external autorickshaw and taxi services. So, my priority would be to introduce transportation services on the campus,” says Jidheesh. “About 50,000 techies are currently working at Infopark. Reaching the IT park is quite a headache.”
Jidheesh says he would also launch welfare programmes for IT employees. “Though IT employees account for a large chunk of taxes, there are no proper welfare schemes for us,” notes Jidheesh. Recreation would be another priority area, he says. Compared to Technopark, there is inadequate space for sporting activities such as cricket, football and badminton, which would help improve the health of techies, Jidheesh notes. “Lastly, I would also introduce ambulance service for Infopark,” he adds. “Two years ägo, an IT employee suffered a cardiac arrest on the campus. We couldn’t take him to the hospital on time, as the ambulance arrived late. So, an ambulance is an essential service for us,” he says.