IT PARKS - Kozhikode | Cyber Park | UL Cyber park | Knowledge Park

Calicut the next IT destination

The next IT destination in the state will be Kozhikode after Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. The core group working towards a cyber park in Kozhikode consists of the Malabar Chamber of Commerce (MCC), Indian Institute of Management-Kozhikode (IIM-K), National Institute of Technology (formerly Regional Engineering College-Kozhikode), Kerala Builders Forum, the IT Forum of Kozhikode and the Calicut Management Association. Six high profile institutions have come up to make north Kerala the next IT hub. Kozhikode has the potential to become Kerala’s latest IT destination. The Cyberpark project is supported by the State government and so when it becomes a reality, IBS, US Technology and NeST would be the first to set up operations here. Considering other IT hubs in India, IT hub in Kozhikode would be a reliable one due to the amiable atmosphere and also expense will be much less. Lets hope the project would have a speedy take off.

Kerala`s hub-and-spoke model turns focus on IT, ITeS

In line with its plans to develop Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi as the foremost IT locations in the region, the Kerala government has commenced work on integrated townships, specifically for IT and ITeS industry.

Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan said the Technocity project in the state capital and the Smart City project at Kochi would be of global standards with modern infrastructure.

Pointing out that various internationally reputed companies have made Technopark their home, he added, “We are on the threshold of many new initiatives in this sector and within the next few years Kerala will be one of the leading states in India in IT and ITeS sectors. The Kerala State IT Policy provides attractive incentives for IT industry, enhances infrastructure capacities at our IT parks and offers single window clearance among others.”

Speaking to the media after inaugurating Kerala IT.Com at Technopark, the chief minister said Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi had been ranked as the most attractive IT and ITeS destinations in India.

“We are developing parks in all districts of Kerala through a hub-and-spoke model with the hubs in Thiruvanathapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode, and spokes in all the remaining districts,” he said.

CYBER PARK - DETAILS

Government of Kerala IT department is setting up its 3rd Hub in Kozikhode and will be called Cyberpark. Cyberpark is in the process of setting up IT parks at Kozhikode, at the SEZs approved at Kannur and Kasargode and may set up other such parks planned in future.

Around 28 hectares of land in Nellikkode and Pantheeran kavu villages of Kozhikode Taluk,near to Medical college at Chevayur is being purchased for setting up IT park with SEZ status.

Distance from Calicut Airport:-25 Km
Distance from Calicut Seaport:-10 Km
Negotiated purchase of land initiated under FTP.

Cyber Park, a Government of Kerala organization planned in the lines of Technopark at Thiruvananthapuram and Infopark in Kochi to build, operate and manage ITparks for the promotion and development of investment in IT and ITES industries in Malabar region of Kerala has been registered under the Societies Act 1860 on 28-01-09. Cyber Park is in the process of setting up IT parks at Kozhikode, at the SEZs approved at Kannur and Kasargode and may set up other such parks planned in future.

Location of the Cyber park

http://picasaweb.google.com/ranjithabra/CyberParkCalicut#5396619722780835346

A Good start ranjith!!! So here is the logo & perspectives for UL Cyber parkby ULCCS!!




Logo & Render for Kerala IT mission Cyber Park.

Logos

Government Cyberpark



UL cyberpark

Binu Pazhoor - The new CEO of Cyberpark


The new IT park and center of excellence being developed by the Government of Kerala has appointed Binu Pazhoor as CEO of Cyberpark. As Chief Operating Officer of Cyberpark, Pazhoor will lead initiatives towards the development of the ‘cyberparks’ planned to be built in the Malabar region — namely, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargode. He will be responsible for the development of infrastructure, marketing and promotion of the three parks and the development of other initiatives supporting the implementation and functions of the parks.

Pazhoor comes with experience as director in board for the Academy for Excellence, which is a non-profit organization geared towards building an education system that connects children from around the world. Commenting on his role at Cyberpark, Binu Pazhoor said, “…coming from this background, I am looking forward to this challenging task. Also being quite an environmentally conscious person, I intend to bring an eco-friendly state-of-the-art facility with all the modern amenities promoting a greener Kerala preserving the traditions and purity of the state.”

The new IT park and center of excellence being developed by the Government of Kerala has appointed Binu Pazhoor as CEO of Cyberpark. As Chief Operating Officer of Cyberpark, Pazhoor will lead initiatives towards the development of the ‘cyberparks’ planned to be built in the Malabar region — namely, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargode. He will be responsible for the development of infrastructure, marketing and promotion of the three parks and the development of other initiatives supporting the implementation and functions of the parks.

Before joining CyberPark, Mr. Pazhoor was in USA for the last 12 years where he held the role of Director of Strategic planning at Fiserv (FSV), a major financal services firm in Houston, Texas, USA. He has also worked as a founder and CEO of a management consulting firm in the U.S.

To promote IT parks in Kerala, the government has adopted a ‘hub and spokes’ model. Two hubs — Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram and Infopark in Kochi — have already been developed. The third hub is Cyberpark, Kozhikode. These three hubs will cater to the respective nearby areas. Cyberpark is in the process of setting up IT parks at Kozhikode, at the SEZs approved at Kannur and Kasargode. There may also be plans to set up other such parks in the future.

Malabar seeks IT glory as Cyberpark gets going

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Nearly two decades after ideating India’s first technology park concept in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala is poised to complete its
third and final hub in a proposed network of IT infrastructure, with the Cyberpark for the Malabar region.

The Cyberpark completes the trio that includes the Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram and the Kochi-based Infopark that will together offer IT infrastructure to small and big players in the tech sector through a sub-network of mini parks under each of them.
The Cyberpark is projected to be a serious player in the tech sweepstakes, considering its proximity to Bangalore, Mysore and Mangalore, and its promise to offer IT space at considerably lower costs.

“We believe the cost advantage is significant, and that tech sector employees would consider relocating to Kozhikode, Kannur or Kasaragod where the Cyberpark will have technology parks. An IT professional earning Rs 2 lakh per month in Bangalore may prefer to move to Kozhikode for half that pay, considering other benefits”, Cyberpark CEO Binu Pazhoor told ET.

“We are going ahead with developmental plans for parks at Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod simultaneously. The land acquisition is expected to be over by the end of the year, and construction of buildings is expected to commence latest by January 2010”, Mr Pazhoor said.

He said companies would have the option of either leasing out land at the parks and constructing their own facility, or move into ready-built infrastructure offered by Cyberpark, adding that initial interaction with tech companies in the region had indicated a keen interest among them to move into the Cyberpark facility when it was ready.

Cyberpark has a budget of Rs 10 crore for the first year, and is expected to leverage that with borrowed funds as well as attract private investment. Mr Pazhoor said a final call on the matter would be taken based on the market conditions and the clients’ requirements.

The Cyberpark facility at Kozhikode will be set up over a 43-acre campus while the parks at Kannur and Kasaragod will have an area of roughly 100 acres each.

Cyber Park - Current status

Cyber Park Calicut, going to be one of the three hubs, govt of Kerala going to develop in Calicut.Cyber Park will be headquarted in Calicut,an autonomous body, to control the "hub and spoke" model of development for the region of Malabar.

Basically, Cyber Park Calicut, development will be pursued by two different entities.

I)ULCCS Ltd society would be developing the 27 acres of land of the total 70 acres, that forms the Cyber Park.Their plans are afoot to develop the 27 acres independently, the total square foot area, they are going to develop would be 22 lakh sq.foot, providing a total employment of 22000 jobs, with in a time span of 6-8 years.

Details about the ULCCS Ltd
http://ulccsltd.com/

ULCCS Ltd society,had named their IT park as UL- Cyber Park,and started ground work for its materialization. The CEO for the UL - Cyber Park is, K.G Girish Babu, former CEO of InfoPark, who was also one of the master minds behind the SmartCity Project.

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kg-girish-babu/4/408/a80

Architects design of UL-Cyber Park






II)Govt of Kerala would be developing rest of the land, that would be around 42 acres of land,purchase negotiations for the land are in the final stages.The CEO for the Cyber Park Binu Pazhoor, had made clear that, they would be commencing the construction activities on the land by January 2010.

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/binu-pazhoor-pmp-mba/8/2b5/ab6

These developments are going to change the face of Calicut.

Developments coming up in the Cyber Park surroundings

Govt's announcement to set up the Cyber Park in Palazhi along the Thondayad-Ramanattukara bye-pass, thrown open a huge scope for real estate development along the bye-pass stretch.

Some of the Major projects that are in the various stages of implementation and future projects are summarized, see below.

1)Hi-lite Hills

Near NH By-Pass in Calicut is your tomorrow. Aesthetically designed. hi-lite Hills rests on acres of greenery on hilltop. Located close NH By-Pass, soon expected to be one of the most happening suburbs of the city.
hi-lite Hills comprises two massive, premium project - hi-lite Residency, ultra-luxe living space and hi-lite Plaza, top-notch office spaces. The ultimate in opulence. And investment too. hi-lite Hills, being situated opposite to the IT Park Calicut, is certain to grant hi returns. Whether it be an apartment space or a corporate space, hi - lite Hills is the ideal and smart choice for the intelligent investor.

Total office space Hi-lite Plaza provides - 10 Lakh Square foot.
Residential Area - 400 Apartments




2)Metro International Cardiac Centre - Palazhi

Metro International Cardiac Centre is a new super specialty hospital coming up at Kozhikode and is going to be the first and largest exclusive cardiac specialty hospital in Kerala. The project is underway and is expected to get inaugurated in near future. Dedicated entirely for cardiac care, Metro International Cardiac Centre, after completion, will be functioning in a 12 storied building with more than one lakh sq.ft area. This centre is not just another hospital, but a centre which wants to provide heart care on par with international standards. Two most advanced flat panel Cathlabs - one dedicated for Electrophysiology work, facility to perform all vascular interventions including Cardiovascular, Peripheral and Cerebrovascular, operation theatre complex with facility to perform more than ten open heart surgeries a day, facility to perform all cardiac surgeries including cardiac transplantation etc are a few to mention. Air ambulance is yet another specialty of this hospital. To enable the same, there will be helipad facility at the top of the hospital to shift patients from any part of Kerala within a short span of time. This project is being envisaged under the able leadership of renowned Interventional Cardiologist Dr.P.P.Mohammed Musthafa, who is the Managing Director and P.P. Mohamed Kutty as its Chairman.

3) Apollo Cradle Opens Its Third Facility in Kozhikode

The Apollo Health and Lifestyle Limited (AHLL) recently announced that it broke ground for its third state -of-the-art birthing centre 'The Cradle' at Kozhikode in Kerala.

http://www.expresshealthcare.in/200811/market19.shtml

4)Serviced Apartments - Nath Residency

Nath Residency has a built up area of over 3,25000 sq.ft and has 3 suits and 6 rooms with areas ranging from 2500 sq.ft. to 2700 sq.ft.The apartment rooms and suits will match the best in the world with superior quality minimalistic and contemporary interiors that use best of the class wood, glass and stainless steel for its finishes. The fittings will be the classy Toto, Grohe or equivalent fittings. For the fast moving technocrats and IT savvy professionals, the rooms will be equipped with broadband internet facility to always remain in touch.

http://nathresidency.com

5)Gokulam International Convention Center - Calicut bye-pass

Yet another landmark going to come up on NH-17 bypass along with many others, either under construction or in various stages of approval, guys, just imagine how our bypass will look in the coming years with all those projects planned gets completed.

The International Convention center planned is from Gokulam group and they are really serious about this project. The architect behind this project is none other than Ar. N. M. Salim. If this gets built will be the most modern building in the whole of kerala.

http://www.nmsalimarchitects.com/



6)Hi-lite MetroMax

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The hi-lite Builders has launched a new project, hi-lite Metromax, on the new Bypass Road, 1.5 kms south of Thondayad Junction in the city in January.

The Rs.80 crore- project will be a premium, multi-storeyed lifestyle apartment aesthetically designed, beautifully landscaped and comprising a gamut of modern amenities. It will have 2 floors, four towers and 272 apartments.

Metromax will have a jogging track, four well-furnished guest suites, centralised cooking gas system and indoor and outdoor party halls.

Other features include health club, swimming pool, crush, Ayurvedic treatment centre, beauty parlour, hair saloon, food plaza, business centre, cyber café and vehicle access controlled security system.




7)Trasset IT software company - Near Kadavu Resorts

TRASSET – AN INNOVATIVE BFSI SOLUTION PROVIDER COMPANY

"TRASSET Services Group delivers banking system lifecycle expertise from pre to post implementation. TRASSET Services Group is active in the areas of

End to End Systems Implementation
Post Implementation Support
Business Intelligence & Data Warehousing
Business Process Consulting
Software Development & Process outsourcing
Software Process Improvement

Trasset Campus - 2009 -2010 , Expansion plans

State-of-the-Art campus in India, spanning across 2 acres with 75,000 square feet of office space will be operational. It will be the platform for empowering 1000+ ignited minds.

http://www.trasset.in/

These are some of the developments going in the Cyber Park surroundings, even during the recession times.If the IT park materializes, and these developments complement that, then we can see the new face of Calicut.

Organizations supporting the IT development initiative in Calicut

As the announcement by Kerala Govt,to make Calicut as the third hub of IT development in Kerala, made many organizations to come forward wholeheartedly to support the initiative.

1)Calicut Forum for IT
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CafIT - Calicut forum for IT is a non profit organisation formed by the IT professionals of Calicut to bring the companies under a single umbrella and to promote the city as a viable destination for IT and IT enabled services. The members consists of established software houses from the city, Kinfra IT park and Technology Business Incubator (NITC).

Members of CafIT have been involved in IT services from the early 90's and caters to a global clientele. CafIT is proud of the "made in Calicut" products and services being used by global companies such as Oman Air, ONGC, O2, Espirit, Duke's etc.

CafIT is a member of cITi, Calicut IT initiatives group.

For more details please visit their website
http://cafit.org.in/index.html

2)Calicut IT initiative
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Calicut IT Initiative (CITI ) is a Professional Citizens' Initiative formed with the objective of placing Calicut in the radars of IT Companies when they are looking for potential Tier II and Tier III Cities.

In addition to marketing Calicut as a potential IT destination CITI is actively interacting with infrastructure providers in Calicut to remove bottlenecks in development of the Industry in this region.

A lot of points cater to the fact that Calicut has to be the best bet for the promotion of IT. Based on all three – quality, potential and cost, Calicut is sure to be a first option in the field of IT.

http://www.calicutit.in/

Kerala govt's portal for Cyberpark and tenders invited

Details about Cyberpark

http://www.keralait.org/search_result.php?project_id=3&location_id=8&start=1

Tenders invited for Cyberpark work

http://www.keralait.org/tenders.php

SEZ status accorded to UL-Cyber Park

BoA grants 6 Formal and 2 In-Principle Approvals
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18:36 IST

The Board of Approval of the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) met here today to consider proposals for setting up of SEZs and also to approve other miscellaneous requests pertaining to SEZs.



Addressing the Board of Approval members, the Chairman informed that so far 570 formal approvals have been granted for setting up of SEZs out of which 346 have been notified. He further informed that over Rs. 1,30,341 crore have been invested in the Special Economic Zones during this short span of time and direct employment of the order of 4,18,129 persons has been generated in the Special Economic Zones. During the first half of current financial year, total export of Rs. 89,750.75 crore has been made from SEZs.



In this meeting, 10 proposals for setting up of SEZ were considered. The Board recommended grant of 6 Formal Approvals and 2 In-Principle Approvals.



· Formal Approvals:

Ø IT SEZ - Delhi State Industrial & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. at Baprola Village, New Delhi

Ø Gems & Jewellery SEZ - Delhi State Industrial & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. at Baprola village, Delhi

Ø IT/ITES SEZ – Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society Limited (ULCCS Ltd.) at Nellikode village, Kozhikode, Kerala

Ø IT/ITES & Hardware SEZ – Empire Industries Limited (EIL) at Ambernath, Thane District, Maharashtra

Ø Solar PV SEZ - M/s. Lanco Solar Pvt. Ltd. at Ramdaspur, Cuttak District, Orissa

Ø Bio-tech SEZ - Veritas Infrastructure Development Limited at Village Shahbaez, Taluka-Alibaug, District Raigad, Maharashtra



· In-principle Approval:

Ø FTWZ - Redi Port Ltd. at Post Redi, District Sindhudurg, Maharashtra

Ø Copper SEZ - Sterlite Industries (India) Ltd. at TV Puram, Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu



Among other items, 3 proposals for grant of co-developer status were approved.

Ø M/s. Indiabulls Industrial Infrastructure Ltd. Multi product SEZ, Nasik, Maharashtra : M/s. Indiabulls Realtech Limited approved as co-developer.

Ø M/s. Gopalan Enterprises (India) Pvt. Ltd. IT/ITES SEZ Bangalore, Karnataka – M/s. Mind Tree Ltd. approved as co-developer.

Ø M/s. Electronics Technology Parks IT/ITES SEZ, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: M/s. UST Global India SEZ approved as Co-developer.

SEZ status to benefit cyber park project

KOZHIKODE: The Central government decision to confer the status of Special Economic Zone (SEZ) on the 27 acres that is already available for the development of a cyber park in the district has brought cheer to agencies which have been trying to establish the IT facility here.

Speaking to The Hindu on Tuesday, A. Pradeep Kumar, MLA, who has been pursuing the proposal vigorously at the government-level, said the conferment of SEZ status would be a fillip to the efforts to set up the IT facility. The Kozhikode Cyber Park would need 70 acres. It has already been decided to use the 27 acres that is available with the Uralungal Labour Contractors Cooperative Society (ULCCS) for the first phase of the IT project. The SEZ status has been given to this piece of land. The ULCCS had applied for SEZ status through the State government.

The MLA pointed out that it was the first case of SEZ status being granted for IT development in North Kerala. He was confident it would now be possible to start work on IT facility on the 27 acres within two months. Meanwhile, action for acquisition of the remaining area of land needed for the 70-acre cyber park is under way. Negotiated purchase of the land is expected to start by the end of January since the rate of acquiring the land has been fina lised. Once land acquisition proceedings are completed, an application for SEZ status for that portion of the cyber park would be forwarded to the Central government thro ugh the State government, Mr. Pradeep Kumar said.

UL Cyberpark proposes Rs 600-cr investment

Kozhikode, Dec. 16

The Cyberpark being developed by Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS) in Kozhikode, which has been accorded special economic (SEZ) by the Board of Approvals of the Union Ministry of Commerce, will see a total investment of Rs 600 crore.

The company formed by the society, namely, UL Cyberpark, will implement the project in three phases and the first phase, expected to cost around Rs. 200 crore, will be completed within three years, according to Mr P.Ramesh, President, ULCCS.

He said that the society, floated in 1925, was probably the first of its kind in the country to take up the development of a technology park of this magnitude and also receive SEZ status.

While a part of the development cost will be borne by the society from its internal resources, the balance will be raised as loan from the banks.

The park will come up on 26 acres of land and when fully completed, it will feature more than three million square feet of built-up space. In the first phase, as much as 1.4 million square feet will be kept ready for occupation by aspiring IT companies.

The park will be developed based on green building concept and the company has already initiated steps to identify an architect for the purpose.

A total of 24 companies had responded to an expression of interest invited, of which two have been shortlisted and the final selection will be done in the coming days.

The first phase will generate direct employment for more than 2,000 people and indirect employment to as many people. It is estimated that when fully completed, the park will have an employment potential of around15,000.

The work on the first phase will begin after obtaining the environmental clearance from the Union Ministry concerned.

The Government has planned another cyberpark in the same locality over 43 acres of land. The land acquisition is progressing well and once it is completed, the project will be submitted to the Centre for SEZ approval.

Courtesy: The Hindu Business Line

A labour co-op society in Kerala dreams up cyber park

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For over eight decades, members of the Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society (ULCCS) near Vadakara in Kozhikode
district have excelled themselves in rural jobs ranging from road laying to flyover construction. The 2,000 member-strong society now feels it is time to take a plunge into – what else in these times – developing a cyber park.

The park has an investment outlay of roughly Rs 600 crore, of which Rs 200 crore will come by way of equity and the rest to be raised as debt, and the members have gone that extra mile to ensure that they have got a special economic zone status from the ministry of commerce for the project. The society has also roped in a former CEO of the Kochi-based Infopark to head the venture.

Christened the UL CyberPark, the proposed IT park will be established over 25 acres of land in Nellikode in Kozhikode district and have a total built up area of 3.1 million sq ft, and will be developed in two phases.

Says KG Girish Babu, CEO of what could be the country’s first technopark of its size in the co-operative sector: “The first phase of the park has an estimated outlay of Rs 386 crore and the equity is ready. We will finalize the debt part over the next month or so, and there are different options ahead of us for raising funds, considering that we are a co-operative venture”.

When the park is completed, it will have the infrastructure to provide direct employment to 20,000 IT/ITeS professionals.

Mr Babu says the park will also stand out for its green certification. “The Uralungal society insists that the construction should meet the latest green standards of international
levels, and it does not mind spending that extra bit on the buildings”, he says. When completed, the park is expected to be India’s first fully green-certified IT Park with the certification from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEEDS), an internationally recognized green building certification organization.

The master planning and building designs are expected soon and construction work will begin once the environment clearance is obtained.

ULCCS has been executing contract works for the Public Works Department, National Highways, Water Authority, Harbour Engineering and district and block gram panchayats, among others. The CyberPark the society is setting up, will be in competition to the state government-sponsored CyberPark in Kozhikode, which is also in the making. ULCCS feels the competition will just get the better out of it. For the children of the Uralungal co-operative society members, the project would provide the ideal opportunity to break away from what their parents have been doing, and enter a career in the cyber space.

Courtesy:Economic times

IT-led development gaining traction in Kozhikode

The property sector is set to boom in Kozhikode city with investments expected from the information technology (IT) industry. The hopes have increased with the Union Ministry of Commerce announcing the special economic zone (SEZ) status for a cyber park being developed by the Vadakara-based Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS) at Nellikode early this week.

The UL CyberPark will be in addition to the proposed cyber park of the State government in the same area. Both these parks, aimed at attracting established and upcoming software companies across the globe, will usher in growth in Kozhikode.

The UL CyberPark will come up on 10 hectares of land, while the government cyber park will be on 17 hectares. The society has acquired the land and the acquisition of land for the government cyber park is apace. The government plans to get the SEZ status for its cyber park as well after the land acquisition process is over in January.

Ramesh Paleri, president of the ULCCS, say that the UL CyberPark is a Rs.600-crore investment project that is expected to provide employment to 20,000 people. Till now, the society had focussed only on the construction sector and it employed 2,000 people.

“Today, the young generation is not interested in taking up employment in the construction sector. Many have big dreams in the IT industry or leading a management team. That is why the cyber park idea struck us,” he says.

Initially, the ULCCS had in its possession 5.6 hectares of land when the State government offered to develop an IT centre for the city in 2007. However, the society felt that 14 acres were inadequate to meet the requirements of a cyber park. Then, the government decided to acquire land for the ULCCS, a reputable society since 1925 working on mega projects in and around Kozhikode. But the delay made the society take to other plans and started acquiring land on its own.

Mr. Paleri says that all the nine families displaced from the acquired land have been given a good package and rehabilitated. They did not want to be an impediment to an IT park project getting the SEZ status in the Malabar region. Besides, it is being developed by a cooperative society.

The cost of the cyber park will be raised from internal resources and bank loans. The total area of the buildings in the first phase of the project will be 14 lakh sq ft. The total built-up area will be 30 lakh sq ft.

The work will be started in a couple of months after securing the environmental clearance from the Centre, he says.

The park will also be the first IT space being developed on the green building concept. Modalities have been worked out for the project. “We have short-listed two architects out of the 24 applicants,” Mr. Paleri says.

More than 2,000 people will get employment directly after the completion of the first phase. The buildings are expected to be ready for occupancy within a year and a half. Leading software companies have evinced keen interest in the project. “Obviously, the UL CyberPark will face competition from the government cyber park, but it should be healthy,” he says.

According to the proposal worked out, 70 per cent of the space will be used for IT industries and the remaining for support services, including apartments and recreational activities. The companies will also get several tax benefits under the SEZ norms.

The creation of a SEZ gives unbridled opportunities for generation of additional economic activity and generation of employment. It is also expected to promote exports of services, secure foreign and domestic investments and develop infrastructure.

Kozhikode is yet to figure on the IT map of the country despite a huge number of youngsters from north Kerala working in other metros in the industry.

Software companies such as TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Sathyam, HCL Technologies and Cognizant together employ about 4.5 lakh people. These firms are recruiting more people and expanding their activities beyond the top seven IT cities in the country.

“The facilities coming up in Kozhikode should have come at least a decade ago,” Mr. Paleri says. Now, there is a glimmer of hope that Kozhikode, a tier-3 city, will evolve a road map to attract IT and ITeS companies.

http://www.hindu.com/pp/2009/12/19/stories/2009121950170100.htm