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Kerala stumps its own Technopark

The shackles have been put at a time when Technopark is trying to promote itself in the face of high-decibel promotions by similar parks in Hyderabad

T O D A Y

• A nuclear reaction • L C Singh quits TCS • Infosys' plea • Technopark stumped

and Bangalore.

Promoted as the 'World's greenest technopolis', Technopark has 460,000 square feet of built-up office space, of which almost 45 per cent has been taken up by domestic and foreign infotech companies.

The park authorities have drawn up ambitious plans to fill up all available space in the park by the end of the current financial year, but the new constraint is expected to snuff out their plans.

Experts in the IT sector said office space in Technopark is still a good buy for infotech companies compared to modules in similar parks coming up in Bangalore or Hyderabad, but Technopark has not managed to attract enough investment due to shortcomings on the promotional front.

J K Das, chairman of Geosoft Technologies, that has set up shop in Technopark recently, said the park is easily the best of its kind in the country, but admitted he was not aware of the park until recently.

Of the country's estimated total output of Rs 100 billion in the software sector, Rs 65 billion worth of software is exported.

Of the total exports, Karnataka accounts for Rs 20 billion, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh account for Rs 2.5 billion each and Kerala lags behind with Rs 250 million worth of software exports.

Technopark sources say space at the park is still the cheapest among all the leading IT parks in South India. While IT entrepreneurs have to spend Rs 3,500 per square feet for space at the IT park in Bangalore and Rs 2,750 per square feet in Hyderabad's L&T Infocity, Technopark is selling office units at Rs 1,050 per square feet.

So far, however, Technopark has been only a moderate success because it has lacked the charismatic support of a Chandrababu Naidu, which Hyderabad has, or a fairly well known tradition in electronics, which Bangalore has.

The new constraints imposed on promotion are likely to place Technopark in a difficult position compared to its well-promoted rivals.

- Compiled from the Indian media

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