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Chandigarh: A popular destination for IT majors

Satinder Bains in Chandigarh

Chandigarh is emerging as one of the six best secondary destinations for information technology investment in India, says a survey.

The survey, conducted by Jone Lang LaSalle, a leading global player in advisory investment services, says, "The attractiveness of the city can be judged from the fact that it is being evaluated almost on par with the established IT cities."

A secure environment, easy manpower availability and reliable infrastructure are cited as other major factors that are drawing IT bigwigs to Chandigarh. The report says with its concerted effort to garner investments, the city is finally shedding its slack image in attracting IT investments and is catching up fast with established destinations.

The survey has focused on IT destinations like Pune and Bhubaneswar, besides Chandigarh.

Jones Lang LaSalle is also the consultant for the IT Park coming up at Kishangarh, close to Chandigarh.

The Lasalle report states, "The Kishangarh IT Park is perhaps the most appropriately located IT park in the country, with Sukhna Lake and a golf course in the vicinity and Kasauli Hills that is only a stone's throw away."

The agency report reads: "Voted as one of the best sources of fresh manpower, Chandigarh is the employment node for the entire northern region that is known for its entrepreneurial skills and perseverance, qualities that are targeted by companies of the new economy."

The report notes that with a revenue growth of more than 80 per cent and per capita revenue growth of more than 300 per cent over the last five years, the city is adequately positioned to capitalise on its inherent potential.

A network of more than 60 km of optical fiber cable being laid by four private service providers, in addition to government initiatives, has further added to investment appeal.

Anurag Munshi, senior research manager who heads the consultancy major's Indian subsidiary LaSalle Partners India Limited, says, "The fundamentals of the city are definitely comparable with the best but there's need to pump up the promotion campaign and build a strong brand image among corporates in India and abroad."

A senior city official told IANS that in order to woo IT companies to set up their units in Chandigarh, the administration is considering offering land on concession.

This would be a major deviation for the administration as it has a uniform land policy for commercial purposes. Low prices that the federally administered territory is considering would be applicable to the Kishangarh IT Park only, the official said.

Official sources said that for the IT industry the Union territory has identified about 100 acres of land that had earlier been earmarked for a captive power project That project was scrapped following federal disapproval.

Indo-Asian News Service

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