VISAKHAPATNAM: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is likely to start functioning from Vizag by December. Inaugurating the Infosys Development Centre (IDC) in Madhurawada on Monday, Jagan said he had asked his officials to look for suitable premises for him, his security and the CMO officials. “I was hoping for October but December would probably be the outer line when I would actually be staying in Vizag,” the Chief Minister stated while addressing the employees and the top brass of the IDC management.
Calling the inauguration of the IDC a landmark moment in the city’s growth story, Jagan said, “We acknowledge the support of Infosys in giving impetus to the city’s IT landscape and developing its overall ecosystem through community building. We are confident that this centre will not only give a massive boost to employment but will also strengthen the city’s sustainability story.”
Jagan hard sells Vizag, says it has potential to catapult into tier-1 city
He emphasised that Visakhapatnam has the potential to grow on par with tier-1 cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai. “Andhra Pradesh did not have a tier-1 city post the bifurcation. IT and related services and the kind of industries related to tier-1 cities could not be housed in Vizag as Hyderabad was our capital. Nevertheless, Vizag is the biggest city in Andhra Pradesh and has the potential to catapult into a tier-I city. Next year, Adani Data Centre is launching its operations that will change the entire landscape of Vizag’s IT business,” Jagan asserted while adding that submersible marine cables were being brought from Singapore for the data centre.
Hoping that Infosys would do wonders for Vizag, he noted that IDC, which was beginning its operation with a strength of 1,000 employees, would expand further.
Highlighting the progress of the education sector in the port city, the Chief Minister said Vizag is an educational hub with eight universities, four medical colleges, 14 engineering colleges and 12 degree colleges.
“The city has been generating 12,000 to 15,000 engineers on an average every year. There are prestigious institutes like IIM and National Law University. We have quite a few public sector companies also the Defence’s Eastern Naval Command. We have a strong port-based infrastructure in Vizag and Gangavaram, and a third one is coming up in Srikakulam,” he added.
Meanwhile, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Infosys Nilanjan Roy said that Vizag is one of the fastest growing cities with world-class connectivity. “In order to tap the tremendous talent hub in the city, we have partnered with some educational institutions. The development centre, the first in the State, is aimed at bringing the workspace closer to the employees. This centre will further our approach towards creating hybrid workplaces and also offer new opportunities,” he said.
IT and industries minister Gudivada Amarnath, health minister Vidadala Rajini, vice presidents of Infosys, including Niladri Prasad Mishra and Raghu Boddupally, and other senior government officials were present at the event.