The Minister has already reached out to firms
BBN Bureau
Thiruvananthapruam: When the scorching sun beats down on Bengaluru, Kerala extends its office spaces to tech companies based there. Media reports indicate that the “Silicon Valley of India” has been grappling with acute water shortages for weeks, prompting tens of thousands of people working in the city to flee.
Kerala’s Industries Minister, P. Rajeeve, who is eager to attract investments to the state, sees this as a golden opportunity. The Minister has already reached out to firms, urging them to consider the state for expansion.
“Yes, I have written to them, offering office space and facilities. After learning about the water crisis in Bengaluru, we extended the offer to IT companies, assuring them of ample water supply. With 44 rivers, big and small, in our state, water scarcity is not an issue,” candidly admits Rajeeve.
Media reports highlight that Bengaluru, the capital of the country’s IT industry with an annual turnover of $254 billion, has faced a shortfall of 500 million litres of water since the onset of summer.
The Prestige Group recently completed an 8.5 lakh square feet tech park in Kochi, and the Brigade Group is constructing a similar one in the state capital city of Thiruvananthapuram.
Infopark in Kochi boasts its own facilities, along with those built by private developers such as Brigade, Carnival, Lulu Group, and Asia Cyber Park.
Kerala offers an ideal environment for IT operators with four international airports and a fifth one in the works. Additionally, the state boasts good road, rail, and port connectivity.
“We have set up a dedicated team to pursue investments,” says Rajeeve. However, he did not disclose the names of the companies he approached. Nonetheless, he asserts, “We are in discussions with some of them.”
Presently, Kerala hosts three IT facilities—Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram, Infopark in Kochi, and Cyberpark in Kozhikode. The government plans to replicate these parks with full infrastructure in other cities and towns across the state.
IBM’s success story in Kochi has bolstered Rajeeve’s confidence. The company doubled the capacity of its lab in Kochi just 30 months after its opening in the city. The Minister hopes that this will attract more investments to the state.
The government has an ambitious target of raising the number of techies working in the state to one million in five years. Currently, 24 lakh people are employed at tech parks owned by both government and private developers across the state.
