Chandigarh: Bureaucratic hurdles have come in the way of registration of units in Phase II of Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park. Work on the park projects has been delayed by more than a year.The area under the special economic zone(SEZ) has not been formally notified by the Centre yet.
Airtel and Esys have already been sidelined. At least a dozen companies have written to the administration that they be kept out of the area under the SEZ, which in turn has written to the ministry of commerce. Officials, on the other hand, said the projects had been approved and a formal notification was expected any time now.
Vineet Nayyar, managing director of Tech Mahindra, talking to the Tribune on the sidelines of the E-Revolution 2007 conclave, spoke about the “bureaucratic hurdles” that had delayed the project. “We have the work force, but the project cannot take off without formal approval,” he said. Nayyar said certain “persons” who did not qualify for SEZ rules had been left out.
Tech Mahindra and Infosys are the two major players in Phase II of the IT park covered under the SEZ. Nayyar said Mahindra envisaged an investment of Rs 100 crore.This would mean saving Rs 16 crore on account of non-payment of VAT, excise and customs by the company under SEZ rules.
Nayyar underlined the need for training manpower for the IT industry according to changed needs. “Manpower shortage is one of the biggest hurdles facing the IT sector in the country.We don’t need only engineering graduates.The knowledge bank of professionals also needs to be supplemented with inputs from philosophy, politics and current events,” he said.
“ We are attempting a modification in the education system to suit our needs.The company is opening a school at Education City.”
Source: TNS