Kerala set to open first phase of Rs 600-cr IT park

Kochi: The first phase of the Rs 600-crore Koratty Information Technology park in Kerala, being set up as part of the state government's plan to open IT parks in all districts, will be opened on October 10.

The project, coming up on 42 acres in Koratty in Thrissur district, is one of the fastest developed IT parks in the state, said Chief Executive of Infopark Kochi, which is developing the project, Siddhartha Bhattacharya.

"The 42-acre plot that was given to set up the park earlier housed the Madura Coats factory. In just seven months of taking over the land, we refurbished the 14 villas that existed over there. There is also an old club house, which has been modernised," said Bhattacharya.

Eight villas and the club house are ready now and 10 companies which would employ 400 professionals who are all set to function from the Kochi, he added.

The remaining six villas would be ready in the next few months.

"The rates here are so cheap that we offer plug and play facility at Rs 30 per square feet. Those who want semi-furnished facilities, the rate per square feet is just Rs 15," Bhattacharya said.

The prevailing rates at the Infopark and the Thiruvananthapuram-based Technopark are around Rs 45 per square feet and upwards.

In the second phase development, the government plans to set up a 200,000-square feet IT building, incorporating the green building concept.

"This new signature IT building will be designed to provide a beautiful and inspiring atmosphere and once complete there would be more than 6,000 professionals working at the Koratty IT park," Bhattacharya said.

In May last year, the state government announced that IT level parks would be developed under private-public partnership model in all 14 districts.

In the first phase, IT parks would come up in Kollam, Alappuzha, Thrissur, Kannur and Kasaragod districts.

Currently, IT companies operating in the state are based either at the Technopark or Infopark.

Nearly 150 companies are operating in the Technopark. They employ close to 20,000 people, while around 40 companies that employ nearly 8,000 people are in the Infopark.