Hope Springs Anew at Goa's IT Harbor

In what could be the turning point for Goa's sagging IT industry, soft ware
giant Wipro has shown in terest in setting up a campus facility in Goa. This
could be the first major IT investment this state has seen in the last several
years. The other major IT companies operating in the state are Tata Infotech,
D-Link, Zenith and ControlNet. IT minister Francisco D'Souza said that a
50-acre plot of land, earmarked for the non-happening Hi-Tech Habitat project at
Dona Paula Plateau, has been taken over for this purpose by the government from
the Goa-based Infotech Corporation. It is learnt that the government has offered
a major chunk of this land to Wipro, while a three-acre plot would be handed
over to the Software Technology Park of India (STPI) to set up infrastructure
facilities for IT firms. Conceived a few years ago, the Hi-Tech habitat project
could not get off the ground due to lack of takers from the private sector
though bids were invited a numbers of times in the past for the development of
this land into an IT Park.

A JV was signed between a Gujarat-based company, Creative IT Inc, and the Goa
government for the implementation of the Hi-Tech Habitat project. However, it
was cancelled as the party "did not fulfill the terms and condition of the
Letter of Intent."

NO TAKERS: This 50-acre plot of prime land at Dona Paula plateau in Panaji, earmarked for the Hi-Tech Habitat project, is now being used as a pre-fabrication site for the ongoing construction work for the International Film Festival of IndiaÂ

The InfoTech Corporation of Goa had, in its latest move, initiated moves to
appoint an experienced consultant for handling the proposal "in a
professional manner". The land had been neglected so much that a number of
encroachments had already taken place on this piece of prime property, which
faces the Arabian Sea.

The proposed STP promises are to be home to national and international
companies that want the best of both worlds-Goa's promise of fun-filled life
and Mumbai's business potential. "We are in talks with Infosys and Wirpo
about hosting their BPO operations," said Manohar Parrikar, Chief Minister
of Goa. Parrikar further said that the state's IT policy was almost in its
final stages and would be released within three months. According to him, the
government has also set up an Information Technology Corporation for the
development of IT-related infrastructure, IT enabled services, and the
implementation of e-governance objectives in Goa.