Third IT park at Chennai

The Tamil Nadu state government plans to set up a third IT park (Tidel III) in Chennai at a cost of Rs 800 crore, jointly with private players. It has also allotted nearly 768 acres of land for IT parks in tier-II cities including Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy, Salem and Tirunelveli, expecting software and BPO companies to move beyond the state capital. Its third IT park, a 2.1 million-sqft facility, would come up in 25 acres of land at MGR Film City in Taramani, and could offer job opportunity to 12,000 people. Tidel III would also have commercial centres, convention halls and serviced apartments, Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi, who also holds the IT portfolio told the assembly on Tuesday.Meanwhile, the government expects its second IT park (Tidel-II) to be completed by early 2009.

The project, estimated to cost Rs 850 crore, would commence in the next few months. Tidco, a state government agency, has called for bids to set up the facility. Mr Karunanidhi said that with these IT parks coming up in the state, the growth prospects for the sector were bright. Software exports from Tamil Nadu grew 46.6% to Rs 20,701.70 crore in 2006-07, with Chennai accounting for 96% of the total, according to STPI data. The performance review of the state’s IT department, tabled in the house said the government was keen that the IT revolution should spread all over the state, and that IT parks were being set up in these five tier-II cities. “Land for these projects has already been alienated to Tidco and Elcot for this purpose,” it said. Mr Karunanidhi said in Tirunelveli, 100 acres of land in the Sipcot Industrial Estate in Gangaikondan has been allotted to Elcot to set up an IT park.

In Salem, 164.26 acres of land in Jagir Ammapalayam village has been allotted to the state agency. In Trichy, the government has given an administrative sanction for construction of a million sqft IT tower, on a 135.04-acre land, it has set aside to Elcot. In Madurai, it has identified two parcels of land, including 29 acres near Elandaikulam village, and 239.58 acres in Vadapalanji and Kinnimangalam villages.