TCG to add 1mn sq feet IT space at Salt Lake

The Chatterjee Group (TCG) would add one million square feet of space for IT industry at Salt Lake Electronics Complex in the next three years.

The estimated cost of building this infrastructure would be in the region of Rs 150-180 crore, Purnendu Chatterjee, chairman of TCG, said on Saturday.

"We have always believed Bengal to be a natural technology hub. The state has all the long-term criteria to be an IT destination," Chatterjee said at the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the third tower at the Bengal Intelligent Park in Salt Lake.

The tower will have around 3.25 lakh sq ft of space. As per the plan, after the 18-storeyed third tower which will come up in 14 months, TCG will set up a bigger facility with 4 lakh sq ft space in the same complex.

TCG had already put up 1.85 lakh square feet of plug-n-play infrastructure in the first two phases, which houses TCG group companies like Skytech, CATS (a Computer Associates & TCG Software joint venture), TCG Software among others.

Chatterjee said Skytech, which provides software solutions to United Airlines, would add 2000 jobs by 2006. Besides, TCG Software would also add 200 jobs.

On top of it, TCG is planning to set up another four lakh sq ft space in Salt Lake.

"We have another plot in Salt Lake, where we can create another facility. In view of the rising demand, we think there will be enough takers," he added.

According to a Nasscom study, the IT industry in the country will require around 100 million sq ft of space in the next five years and will create over 1.5 million jobs.

Manabendra Mukherjee,the state IT minister , said the government planned to create more space for the IT industry in the city.

"Besides the tower in Bengal Intelligent Park, three other projects will be commissioned in the next 60 days. We will finalise the first project in Rajarhat New Town in the next 30 days, while the other two, one in Salt Lake and the other in Sunrise City, will start in two months," said Mukherjee.

The state government is providing land for these projects and the tendering process has already started.

"Though we believe the growth of the industry will depend on private initiative, the government also has to prepare human resources and infrastructure," said Mukherjee.