No ornate words or thoughts; a visit to Infopark Thrissur at Koratty and a view of the plans of the technopolis there will definitely indicate what lies ahead for the IT industry of the park and Kerala.
Infopark Thrissur, the first IT park in the state to be launched based on the hub and spoke model of development, provides one with an inside view of how Kerala’s advantages have been blended with the demands of the global information technology marketplace.
When Infopark Thrissur was launched in October 2009, there were 12 medium-sized companies, and, in a year, the park will accommodate 24 companies on its campus. “Infopark has been receiving lots of interests from major IT companies everyday and the park is running out of space. The new 2-lakh-sqft building in the proposed Special Economic Zone (SEZ) will satisfy the requirements of the major companies,” Infopark’s CEO Ishita Roy said.
Ishita says that, with the inauguration of the second phase on January 8, the authorities have already started on an ambitious plan to develop the 25 acres of Infopark Thrissur as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Architectural plans and tender documents have been finalised for constructing a multi-storey IT building, facing the national highway. The planned building will cost around `40 crore and will be able to accommodate nearly 2,000 to 2,800 IT professionals. The remaining land in the SEZ will be leased out to IT companies and co-developers for developing their own campuses. It is estimated that, when the park becomes fully operational, it will have a built-up area of around 1.4 million sq ft, which will provide employment to around 12,000 to 15,000 IT professionals.
But, when will the park get the SEZ approval? “It is expected to get the notification in less than a year. Additional land clearance has to be done by the Revenue Department for SEZ approval. Once it gets cleared, we can apply for the approval,” Ishita Roy says.
Innovative atmosphere
In the first phase, the park has a 44,500-sqft of plug and play office ready and operational as on date with 4,640 sq ft food court. In the second phase, the park has 18,240 sq ft of plug and play office, of which, 5,500 are ready and operational as on date. Shared services and amenities, cafeteria, banks, ATM, utility stores, etc, are already operational, catering to almost 300-plus employees as on date. But, these are not the features which attract entrepreneurs and techies to the Infopark Thrissur. Over a year, the authorities have been able to turn the 30 acres of raw land into a plush green world for the youth. One of the techies says she comes to the park as if she is going to her college. “The mood in the park is the most attracting thing. In a park, which has been fuelled by youth, we need lots of space and interactive and private places coupled with all the swanky facilities, which are very much available here. Here we don’t do, but enjoy our work,” she says.
Future perfect
With the rising demand for space and the pace at which new companies are coming to the park, the authorities promise that the future of the IT industry in Infopark Thrissur is perfect. “Infopark Thrissur has already boosted the commercial developments happening in and around Koratty since its inception. This is because of its strategic proximity to the Nedumbassery airport, equidistance from Kochi and Thrissur cities, excellent data connectivity and an excellent workplace in a green environment. The work on the four-lane road connecting Kochi and Thrissur is almost complete and this will help reduce the time of commuting between the two cities.” Ishita Roy says. As said by Ishita, once the basic facilities are provided, Infopark Thrissur would definitely be a model for the rest of the country.