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From Times of India 27
Jul 2007 |
Vizag to steal city's IT thunder
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HYDERABAD:
Chalo
Vizag! That could well be the motto for Hyderabad’s
IT companies as several of them are venturing into
the port city. And it’s not merely the tempting
23-km IT corridor planned between Kailasgiri and
Bheemili that’s attracting investors, but also the
serene beaches at Rishikonda and beautiful Araku
Valley that’s drawing them.
How serious a
destination it has become is evident in US
multinational Kenexa’s move to shift its global
delivery hub from Hyderabad to Vizag. “This will
become our hub for innovations and intellectual
space, research and development,” Kenexa’s global
CEO Rudy Karson said. Kenexa’s facility will come on
a 25-acre campus and, what is more, many of its
Hyderabad employees will be transferred to the port
city.
Others include
Hyderabad’s own global company Satyam, which is
setting up two units in Vizag: One at
Resapuvanipalem spanning 6.5 acres and the other on
the Vizag-Bheemili road as an SEZ. Infotech
Enterprises is planning to invest Rs 30 crore and
develop an SEZ on 5 acres in Rishikonda. HSBC is
also present.
“The situation in
Vizag is similar to that in Hyderabad in, say 1999,
when Hi-Tec City had just started coming up at
Madhapur. Since Hyderabad is getting saturated, IT
companies have discovered Vizag and found it to be a
great place,” an industry analyst said. Of course,
Vizag’s poor air connectivity is still a problem.
“Vizag’s landscape is
changing. It’s a happening place and it’s going to
become big,” IT principal secretary S K Joshi said.
According to
Infotech’s Global HR President Ashok Reddy, “The
city is growing and the talent pool is available
there. That’s why we are going there. Our facility
will start operating next year.” The company will
handle its marine design and automobile unit from Vizag.
For employees, it’s
the after-office and week-end getaways that makes
Vizag score over Hyderabad. “Rishikonda, the beach
and places like Araku valley make Vizag an
interesting place.
For the first one or
two years, Hyderabad looked interesting but not
anymore,” IT professional Anurag Sharma said.
Several employees
like him are willing to move to Vizag if the company
gives an option. “Once we are away from our place of
origin, it doesn’t make a difference whether we are
in Hyderabad or Vizag. In that case, we will go to a
more attractive place,” said another techie Sandeep
Singh.
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