IT companies from Gulf make a beeline for Infopark at Cherthala

The IT corridor of Kochi is fast expanding into neighbouring regions with Infopark at Cherthala in Alappuzha district getting offers to start private campuses.

According to Hrishikesh Nair, CEO of Kochi Infopark, the satellite park at Cherthala is shaping up as a major hub for IT companies from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and other West Asian countries. Infopark Cherthala, which is being developed as a spoke of Infopark Kochi, has attracted mid-segment companies, mainly from Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE by providing the best-in-class infrastructure facilities and leveraging its proximity to Kochi, he said.

Currently, 15 companies operate out of the park, which is situated on 66 acres. Of this, 60 acres has been notified as a special economic zone (SEZ). The park has an added advantage of being equidistant from Kochi, Kottayam and Alappuzha.

"Infopark Cherthala, designed for low-cost operations, has emerged as a much sought-after destination for IT companies from the Middle East. We are developing the park to accommodate more companies in the next two years. Tenders will be floated to invite private participation in developing IT campuses in the park," said Nair.

The park with a built-up area of 240,000 sft offers plug-and-play facilities to companies. The IT building has food courts, conference hall, discussion rooms and game zones. The park has its own 110 kV sub -station, a water treatment plant, storage tanks, internal roads and an effluent treatment plant.

Kuwait-based Path Solutions, which provides financial software services like core banking and mobile and internet banking for Islamic banking industry, plans to scale up operations at the park by making substantial investments. It also plans to raise the manpower from 50 to 100 in soon, according to Bobby Kuriakose, its director.

"We opted for the park because of low operating cost and good infrastructure," said Deepu Krishnan, manager of Bahrain-based Voyager IT Solutions, which has development centres in Bahrain and Singapore.

This is the company's first development centre in India and it hopes to expand operation in the next two years, he added.

"The operational cost is very less in Cherthala when compared to having a similar facility in major cities. We have also been able to find the right talent locally as per our requirement," said Anoop Krishnan, CEO of Kuwait-based Webna Web Solutions Private Limited. The Cherthala facility is 40 km from Kochi.