IT firms in Chandigarh want more space

The small and medium IT and ITeS players in Chandigarh, who have been instrumental in making the city an important global information technology destination, could not get direct benefits with the development of Rajiv Gandhi Information Technology Park at Chandigarh.

Chandigarh has been ranked ninth among 50 global IT and BPO destinations of the world by the periodical Global Services owned by Cyber media.

There are about 80 small and medium players in software development and BPO services operating from various commercial locations in the town.

The Administration of Union Territory of Chandigarh initiated the development of the IT park four years ago in an area of 123 acres. The large players got the major chunk of land with Infosys being selected as the anchor company.

DLF was given 12.50 acre to build 650,000 square feet of ready-for-fit-out space and Infosys was earmarked 30 acre to develop a 450,000 square feet ready for occupation space.

About 20 acre was earmarked for 13 built-to-suit sites of between 1 acre to 1.7 acre for the small players. In phase two, in an area of 250 acres, only six built-to-suit sites have been proposed.

The small entrepreneurs contend that the ready to occupy space offered by the corporates in the IT park is not affordable to them.

"We are paying high rents at the commercial sites but the relocation to the IT Park would provide us with a stable power supply, a dedicated parking and other facilities and since we have worked at the grassroot level to create a talent pool for the large IT companies at Chandigarh we should be given more space at the IT park," said one entrepreneur.

The SMEs represented to the Chandigarh Administration to increase the number of sitesand decrease the plot size. The region exported software worth Rs 600 crore last year and the contribution of small players was substantial.

Although the administration proposed to earmark 20 plots for built-to-suit sites in phase three, it has a long way to go as even the land acquisition has not been completed for that task.