KOCHI: In a charter of demands submitted to the chief minister, techies have raised a slew of issues plaguing the areas surrounding the IT hub of Infopark in Kakkanad. A lack of nightlife, poor transportation facilities after 7pm, the need to construct more roads to the IT park, stricter enforcement of security, and surveillance against drugs have all found mention in the document.
The IT employees’ welfare organisation, Progressive Techies, submitted the demands during Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s breakfast meeting organised as part of the Nava Kerala Sadas in Thrikkakara on Monday. A vibrant nightlife in Kakkanad has been a long-pending demand of the techies, and there was an uproar recently when the Thrikkakara municipality moved a proposal for the closure of eateries within its limits by 11 pm.
“We have submitted a detailed report to the chief minister on behalf of all techies about the problems faced by the IT community and some of the immediate developments we need in and around Infopark,” Anish Pandalani, of Progressive Techies, said.
The lack of transport facilities at night is a major concern for software engineers working at the IT park. “After 7pm, it is very difficult to find any form of public transportation. People from various corners of the city work here,” he said.
Highlighting how important Infopark is to the state’s IT sector, the techies pointed out that the park has grown from hosting 125 companies in 2011-12 to 580 companies now.
“The first point we made was the dire need of transportation facilities to and from the park,” Anish said. The techies suggested the implementation of a multi-level transportation model to solve the issue. “The combination of Water Metro, mobility hub (KSRTC depo or stand), Kochi Metro and K-Rail will work wonders,” the report said.
Another point is the development of the existing roads and the construction of new ones. “The road to Infopark Phase II needs to be four-laned, the Kakkanad-Pallikkara-Kothamangalam Road needs to be six-laned, the Infopark-Edachira-Manjerikuzhy Road should be widened, the Kakkanad IMG Junction-Infopark Road not only needs to be widened but also footpaths have to be constructed and all bus shelters that have been set up in an unscientific manner need to be shifted,” the report said.
The techies proposed the construction of new roads, for instance, one from Infopark Carnival Junction to Athani. “There is a need to construct an elevated or six-laned road from Chittettukara in Kakkanad to Ernakulam Bypass,” said the report.
OTHER SUGGESTIONS