Several major Information Technology companies have been waiting in vain for land from the state government to set up their units around the city. Though the government claims to have a pro-IT stance, it has not yet responded to the applications of top-notch companies such as Siemens, HCL, Applabs and Value Labs for land.
The state government did say some time back that it would not allot any more land around Hyderabad to IT firms but it made exceptions for companies such as Infosys. “We expected a positive response from the government when we proposed to set up our second centre in the country in Hyderabad,” said a Siemens official. “But it has not taken a decision yet.”
In fact, the IT department does not have even a single acre to allot to the IT companies. The state government has transferred hundreds of acres to the AP Infrastructure Corporation for auction, because of the increasing pressure on land around Gachibowli and in the vicinity of Shamshabad Airport. “How can we give land to companies when there is no land available around Hyderabad?” asked Mr S.K. Joshi, secretary of the IT department. “The available land is with the APIIC.” Vexed, Siemens is planning to start another development centre at Visakhapatnam. “This does not necessarily mean we have abandoned the Hyderabad project,” said the company official.
Other companies are still waiting for a favourable decision from the IT department. The government’s decision to achieve exports of over Rs 25,000 crore this year. And to achieve this, it is intending to promote ‘IT towns’ in areas which fall in Nalgonda and Mahbubnagar districts. “We don’t want to face a logjam as in Bangalore where land is not available and travel has become difficult,” said an IT department official.
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