Bhubaneswar, Nov. 24: The final master plan for sector-specific special economic zones (SEZ) that are being developed on the city outskirts for the IT sector would be ready within a month.
Singapore-based Jurong Technical Consultant Corporation is preparing the master plan for the IT cluster, the second one in the city after Infocity that was developed in the Chandka industrial estate near Patia.
The project is expected to create direct and indirect employment for six lakh people and generate Rs 1,500 crore in revenue during the first three years of operation, an official told The Telegraph.
At Infocity, 22 IT firms and three SEZ companies have set up their units. Major IT companies such as Infosys, Tata Consultance Service, Mind Tree and Wipro have set up their development centres there. After saturation of Infoctiy, the state government has planned the second IT hub called Infovalley.
The project is being developed over 613 acres at Goudakashipur, around 20km from the city. An area of 262 acres has been earmarked for the SEZ for IT industries. Another 215 acres have been set aside for the electronics manufacturing cluster (EMC), 113 acres for green area and 35 acres for a business park.
Official sources said China and Taiwan had evinced interest to invest in the proposed EMC. The central government has already approved Rs 196 crore for developing infrastructure for the EMC. It will fund 50 per cent of the infrastructure cost. The remaining 50 per cent will be borne by the state government and stakeholders.
Besides providing basic infrastructure such as land, road connectivity, water and electricity, the state government would set up a school with crèche facility and provide an integrated transport system for import/export on air and water routes, said a senior official of the state electronics and IT department.
The state government has allotted 50 acres to Infosys in the Infovalley SEZ area. The IT major, which is the anchor tenant, has already constructed its second development centre there and started operations, said an official.
The review of infrastructure development at Infovalley, which was undertaken by IT minister Pranab Prakash Das today, revealed that construction of a major portion of the compound wall and a 3.4km four-lane approach road had been over. The remaining work will be taken up after eviction of squatters. Besides, 4.55 million litres per day water would be made available to the project area and the water supply project will be executed in public private partnership mode, for which an agreement has been signed.
The state-run Odisha Power Transmission Corporation will provide the infrastructure support to ensure uninterrupted and quality power supply.
At the meeting today, it was decided to improve infrastructures near Infocity. The proposed measures include establishment of a food plaza, an auto parking place, an amusement park near Sikharchandi and the construction of bypass roads to ease traffic congestion on the existing road from Patia Square. Besides, police patrolling would be stepped up to make the area a safe zone for the people, especially women employees.
The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation will also improve the street lighting system.
