To set up 10,000-seater development centre.
After passing through a rather turbulent phase of five-years to commission its Orissa project, MindTree Consulting, one of India's leading mid-scale IT firms, has finally seemed to have breathed easy.
More than five years of delay had cast doubts about the future of the project with MindTree itself opting to pull out and seeking refund of the cost it had deposited for allotment of land for its development centre.
But by handing over possession of 20 acres of litigation free land in the Infocity area two days back the state government has kindled hope for the project.
MindTree is understood to have agreed to revive its Orissa project following a very recent meeting of the company's co-founder, vice-chairman and gardener Subroto Bagchi's meeting with top officials of the state government.
“MindTree has been handed over possession of 20 acres of litigation free lad at the Infocity area. If everything falls in place, the foundation stone for the project will be laid on January 26 next year,” said a highly placed official source with the knowledge of the matter.
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MindTree will build a 10,000-seater software development centre in the city with a total built-up area of 1.5 million sq ft.
When contacted by Business Standard, Bagchi said, “The project has gone through many ups and downs in the last five years. It is not appropriate to say anything at the moment.”
MindTree, co-headquartered in Bangalore and Somerset in New Jersey (US) had announced an investment of around Rs 200 crore for the development centre in Bhubaneswar. The company had signed a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) on August 29, 2006.
The company was even alloted 20 acres of land at the Chandaka industrial estate. However, litigations surrounding the land parcel coupled with lack of initiative by the company had virtually pushed the project into a blond alley.
Even the state minister for information technology Ramesh Majhi had mentioned in a written reply in the assembly that MindTree had scrapped its Orissa project.
“The state IT department and MindTree Consulting had inked an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) for setting up a software development centre and accordingly, 20 acres of land was alloted to the company at the Chandaka Industrial Estate on August 29, 2006. As the company was unable to set up the project in the stipulate time period, the land leased to the company was cancelled on May 22, 2010. The company has now expressed its inability to go ahead with the project and has sought refund of the amount it had deposited for land.
The company's proposal is under the consideration of the department,” Ramesh Chandra Majhi said in a written reply in the state assembly in April this year.