Bidding process for MP's IT park starts

The civil work for the park has been completed with an investment of Rs 35 crore

The managing director of the Indore Audyogik Kendra Vikas Nigam (a subsidiary of Madhya Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation), Ashish Shrivastava, told Business Standard here, "The park has a huge built-up area and civil work has been completed with an investment of Rs 35 crore. Now we are completing technical jobs like air-conditioning and power back-up connectivity."

The Crystal IT Park has parking floors with 2,258 Kw power supply and high-tech connectivity. It has office space of 12,558 square metres. However, big firms like Wipro and Infosys gave a lukewarm response to the government proposal for setting up shop in the park. Crystal IT Park is being set up near Indore University at Bhanwarkuan over 22 acres.

Conceived and planned by the Digvijay Singh government, the park has been given in-principle product-specific special economic zone status by the ministry of commerce and industries, but "a notification is yet to be issued in this regard," said Shrivastava.

The government is focusing on marketing the park for the last two years. Former Chief Minister Uma Bharti's attempt to get Azim Premji to invest was unavailing.

Premji suggested building an international airport in Bhopal, work on which is pending due to bureaucratic hurdles, high land prices and differences between the aviation ministry and the state government. The newly launched IT policy is yet to be reviewed and re-defined; since it carries lines that may lead to litigation.

The previous IT policy, announced on May 5, 1999, failed to bring results. Despite a mega offer to IT firms, each entitled for Rs 25,000 concession on each job created within the premises, provided the firm creates minimum 100 jobs, no firm has come forward so far.

The new policy also offers land free of cost, if an IT firm offers jobs to 500 people subjected to the approval of the Apex Committee on Investment Promotion.