Houston Firm Replicating Silicon Valley In Orissa

A US project development company is replicating the Silicon Valley in Orissa by creating a technology park spread over 250 acres in Bhubaneshwar.

Intech Global Resources Inc of Houston is also developing in India mega power projects of 2,000 megawatt (MW) as well as captive generating capacities of 30 to 40 MW.

The Bhubaneshwar Electronics and Software Technology Park (BEST) will have the atmosphere of the Silicon Valley in terms of facilities and work environment, said company vice-president Nalin R. Pillai, an Indian American.

The Smart Park, as we call it, is being landscaped like Woodlands of Houston where high-technology biotech engineering companies are headquartered, he saud. The park, Pillai said, will house software technology development companies and research and development firms which can own and operate their own organisations in a very globally competitive environment.

 

We recognise that to unleash the creative and innovative energies of the people, we have to create a conducive atmosphere for the knowledgeable workers, he said. The park, which is a self-contained township, will have music halls, entertainment centres, a five-star hotel, technology incubators and multimedia education centres.

It is being developed as a unique centre for high-tech development, Pillai claimed, adding that every home and office in the park will be wired using latest connectivity tools so that employees can choose to work from home or office any time of the day.

The park will house R&D facilities for silicon solar cells, pharmaceutical and drug development laboratories besides software development firms. Through the silicon solar cell manufacturing units in the Bhubaneshwar park, Intech plans to establish a lead in solar energy-based power plants, Pillai said.

Another unique project that is coming up in the park is the technology incubator. Technology innovation and commercialising creative concepts by hand-holding potential inventors are the main areas of focus of the incubator centres, he said.

Innovation Creativity Capital (IC Square) Institute of University of Texas in Austin has shown interest in working with the park to promote several incubators, he said. Incubators are for helping entrepreneurs with their proposals and concepts including patented products, Pillai explained. But it will not buy patents or other inventions. Indian entrepreneurs can work with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research or Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), for example, and then use the incubator units to launch successful businesses, he said.

Pillai said Intech would not provide venture capital but will go after funding sources for projects. The total investment it would be making in the technology park is estimated at $100 million and Intech is hoping to double business in India every 12 months.

Intech, which has set up a company Taurus Techno-Solutions, has started a software development, consulting and training facility in Cochin, Kerala, at an estimated cost $300,000. (IANS)

Another Intech company, the Taurus Soft Trac Inc, is setting up similar projects in Houston at almost the same cost for software development, Pillai said. In 1998 Intech projects an investment of a million dollars in information technology projects alone.

Pillai said India can develop and sustain its competitive edge in information technology (IT) only through training of IT specialists familiar with mainframe computers and client server technologies. We are providing such facilities and training at our Taurus facilities in Cochin, he added.

He said Intech can help finance software companies which want to implement and absorb new technologies in India. If Indian companies cannot absorb latest information technology concepts, they cannot remain competitive in the global market, Pillai said. We, therefore, find a niche business developing here.

The other area where Intech has got involved in India is as an independent power producer. It is working on a 2,000 MW power project in Vembar in Tamil Nadu. A Malaysian and American financial consortium is investing in the $2 billion project.

Intech has also signed in Mumbai, during US commerce secretary William Daleys visit to India last month, an agreement with the Modi group to develop a 38 MW power project in Alwar, Rajasthan, at a cost of $32 million. It is also negotiating a joint venture in Andhra Pradesh for setting up a 30 MW captive power plant using conventional fuel. In Tamil Nadu it is working with partners to set up a 30 MW power unit for the sugar industry using industrial waste. IANS