The Hindu Business Line : Smaller IT cos keen on Vizag

APART from the arrival of four or five major companies such as Satyam Computers, the stage is also set for several smaller IT companies to invest in the proposed IT hub at Rushikonda near here and initially twenty companies are planning to invest Rs 350 crore or so.

This was stated by Mr B. Prabhakara Rao, President of the Visakhapatnam Information Technology Association, and other entrepreneurs at a press meet here on Thursday.

Expressing satisfaction over the response of the State Government to their proposals, they said the Government had agreed to allot 250 acres or so for these smaller units. The Government would extend several concessions to them.

Mr Prabhakar Rao said, "At present, there are 25-30 smaller IT units in Vizag with an investment of Rs 70 crore or so. For long we have been pleading with the Government that along with the bigger companies we should also be given the concessions, taking into account our scale of operations.

"In employment generation, our role is even more crucial than that of the bigger companies. Initially, 20 companies are setting up units at Rushikonda, providing jobs to 8,000 people."

The arrival of the bigger companies would in no way harm our interests and there would not be any attrition, he said. "In fact, Vizag will become known as a major IT centre and that will help us too," he said.

Mr Prasad V. Lokam, President and CEO of Miracle Software Systems, said that when he had approached the Government some years ago about starting an IT company here, the response was not very good.

"I set up the company at Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district. I invested Rs 30 crore there. At Rushikonda, I plan to invest Rs 30 crores more," he said.

He said Visakhapatnam had the right kind of atmosphere and ambience to attract IT companies, big and small, and "there is absolutely no doubt that the city will emerge as a major IT centre."

Mr Gopi Kumar Bulusu, the Managing Director of Sankhya Technologies Private Ltd, said the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, had expressed his commitment to develop Vizag as a major IT centre.

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