Wipro plans IT park in Nagpur

Acquires 117 acres in the city's SEZ.

Wipro is close to setting up an IT park in Nagpur and is believed to have acquired 117 acres of land at the new special economic zone in the city. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys Technologies had also evinced interest in setting up IT parks, even though the companies are yet to be allotted land in the SEZ.

According to a source close to the development, the company has acquired 117 acres at the Multi-modal International Hub Airport (Mihan).

The company is also believed to have paid 20 per cent of the total price upfront to Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC).

MADC is the special purpose vehicle (SPV) launched by various Maharashtra state government bodies, including MSIDC and CIDCO among others, for the development of Mihan. MADC Vice-Chairman and Managing Director R C Sinha confirmed the development. "We have already allotted land to Wipro for setting up an IT park."

Earlier, MADC had allotted 100 acres each to Satyam Computer Systems and Shapoorji Pallonji & Co, and 120 acres to L&T Infocity. The companies would also look at setting up IT parks at Mihan. Wipro is looking at setting up a software development centre in the city. It would also look at using the location for expansion of its business process outsourcing (BPO), business process management and knowledge services among others.

However, it would take a while for the IT park to be operational. Wipro is believed to be looking at 1.5-2 years' window period before commencing operations from Mihan.

Laxman Badiga, vice- president, administration and facilities, Wipro, said: "We had earlier evinced interest in setting up a facility at Mihan. The process is on, and at this moment we cannot divulge anything further."

Nagpur is increasingly becoming a hot spot for industries, especially IT companies, as the city is home to over 40 educational institutes. An availability of resources or low salaries, and firms looking at moving over to tier-II cities, have also resulted in gaining an importance for the city.