Pearl City Goes HITEC

Best known for its biryanis and pearls, Hyderabad has firmly

established itself on India’s IT map in recent years. One of the aims of

Andhra Pradesh's IT policy was to provide the requisite infrastructure and thus

begun operation HITEC — the Hyderabad information technology engineering

consultancy city.

At first glance, the HITEC city looks like a university

campus, its wide roads dotted with groups of 20-somethings. But as you turn a

corner, you encounter an impressive multi-storey complex - Cyber Towers–the

first rung of the project. Security checks are being conducted for visitors and

employees sporting identity cards. Strains of piped music waft across. You take

in the ATMs, cafeterias and fountains…looks good!

The genesis

In 1996, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) signed a MoU with the AP government to

create L&T Infocity. L & T has 89% stake and the Andhra Pradesh

Industrial Infrastructure (APIIC) holds the rest.

The first building was constructed in a record of eight months. It was

inaugurated in November 1998. Cyber Towers now has the offices of 30 companies

like GE Capital, Oracle, Microsoft, Infosys Technologies, Tata Teleservices,

Signal Tree Solutions and SPTI apart from VSNL and other service providers.

Almost Rs 125 crore has been invested here. The second phase will see another

building named Cyber Gateway at an investment of Rs 295 crore.

HITEC today

The complex provides uninterrupted power supply. There is a

dedicated 132 KV substation for the entire project and a diesel generator in all

multi-tenanted buildings for 100% backup. The complex will be networked through

underground power cables. There will be 24-hour maintenance services. There will

be an optic fiber backbone running throughout the complex.

Says R Sridaran, deputy general manager, marketing, L&T

Infocity, "We had the manpower, but lacked the infrastructure. The entire

HITEC city when completed is expected to provide employment to 50,000

people."

Says Sridaran, "The cost of leasing land in ITPL

Bangalore is Rs 50 per square feet, while in Chennai it is about Rs 45 per

square feet. Compare this to Hyderabad atRs 30 per square feet. "

The plan includes separate plots for customized developments,

setting up a hotel and a convention center, a golf course, clubhouse, medical

center and a gas station. The expenditure for the whole project is expected to

be a whopping Rs 1,500-1,600 crore. The project is expected to be ready by

2005-6.

Shilpa Srivastava In

Hyderabad