Cognizant worried over Bantala campus environment

Information technology major Cognizant, which invested Rs 200 crore to set up its campus in Bantala, is trying to work out ways to improve the ‘environment’ around it. “Our Bantala campus is not environment-friendly. But we have invested Rs 200 crore and have started transferring people to that campus,” said R Chandra Sekaran, president and managing director, Cognizant.

Cognizant’s first campus in Kolkata is at Salt Lake Sector V which employs around 6,500 people, while its second campus in Bantala can house 4,000 people in the first phase. The second campus is spread over 21 acres. The Calcutta Leather Complex at Bantala in east Kolkata is in a mess as the common effluent treatment plant (CETP) at the complex is not functioning properly and the toxic waste is overflowing into adjoining areas, creating environmental hazards.

A portion of the 1,100-acre complex was earmarked as a special economic zone (SEZ) for information technology (IT) companies, but the pollution caused by the chemical effluent is affecting the construction activities taken up by many of these companies. Among other plans, Cognizant expects around 20 per cent revenue growth in 2010 calendar year, compared to 16.5 per cent in 2009. “We will also give out-of-turn promotions and high bonusses to our employees,” said Chandrasekaran. Currently, the US contributes nearly 80 per cent of the company’s revenues while Europe contributes close to 20 per cent. The company has a total employee strength of 78,000 people globally of which 75 per cent is in India.