More IT employment opportunities on the anvil in delta districts of TN

TIRUCHY: Cauvery Delta, the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu, will soon transform itself to be a viable contributor to the State’s IT sector beyond the urban cities.

This will help in harvesting employment opportunities for the youth, particularly from the Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, and would provide an affordable platform for IT ventures and startups from across the State.

While the software firms were functioning in urban areas like Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Pune for various reasons and facilities available there, it was like a dream come true for the Tier 2 and 3 cities when the State government created platforms for the new ventures, especially by establishing IT parks.

Though the concept of introducing IT ventures into Tier 2 cities like Tiruchy began around 15 years back, the growth was felt too slow due to various reasons including the global recession.

But now, the situation has become favourable for the software firms and the companies have started moving to Tier 2 and 3 cities for its affordability and optimistic infrastructural facilities.

Anticipating the software exports would manifold through the concept of allocating adequate spaces to the IT firms and increasing employment opportunities for youth residing in the rural areas, the late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi sanctioned an IT Park of ELCOT at Navalpattu in Tiruchy in 2010.

Immediately, software firms occupied almost all the spaces available in the IT park. Though the initial plan was to construct the IT park in an area of 50,000 sq feet out of a total available area of 147 acres, the requirement increased as the firms were ready to move to Tiruchy for its favourable proximity to the airport and other basic facilities.

Currently, the Navalpattu IT Park has 1.8 lakh sq ft in two phases and it provides around 10,000 direct and 20,000 indirect employment.

New infra to augment Tiruchy’s face in 2 years

As the growing need for space requirement was felt after several software firms had expressed willingness to move to Tier 2 cities like Tiruchy, Tidel Park Limited, a joint venture between Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) and Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT), has decided to construct a new Tidel Park in Tiruchy adjacent to the upcoming Integrated Bus Terminus (IBT) at Panjapur in Tiruchy-Madurai bypass and a tender for the same has been floated for an amount of Rs 315.2 crore for 5.5 lakh sq ft office spaces for IT and ITES.

Officials said that the construction of the Tidel Park will commence in January 2025 and will be completed within 18 months.

“With these 5.5 lakh sq ft spaces will be made available at the new Tidel park, in addition to 7.3 lakh sq ft including 1.8 lakh sq ft in IT park at Navalpattu,” an official said.

Officials said that enquiries for new office space are increasing because of the favourable conditions and the inauguration of Tidel Park would augment the face of Tiruchy.