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IT Park, a promise yet to get off the blocks
It’s been more than a decade since the State government has announced an IT Park in Karimnagar; however, the project remained an elusive dream for the locals. While the IT Incubation Centres in Warangal and Khammam, proposed much later than Karimnagar, have been making strides, the project still remains on paper only.
Karimnagar: It’s been more than a decade since the State government has announced an IT Park in Karimnagar; however, the project remained an elusive dream for the locals. While the IT Incubation Centres in Warangal and Khammam, proposed much later than Karimnagar, have been making strides, the project still remains on paper only.
However, the proposal to set up of an IT Park in Karimnagar sprouted by the then Congress government in 2006, there was an inordinate delay. Finally, when the government expedited the process in 2013 by allocating 10 acres belonging to Markfed, firstly the local body elections and subsequently the State bifurcation have come in the way of the IT Park.
Later, the Telangana government in a bid to turn cities like Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam and Nizamabad into IT destinations rolled out Rural Technology Centres Policy-2016 that extends several fiscal and non-fiscal benefits to start up companies.
Meanwhile, the IT Incubation Centre in Warangal has already got underway. Adding more to it, the Cyient, a global engineering and digital solutions provider, opened a facility. The works of other proposed IT Tower in Khammam have also got underway recently. At least seven IT companies have already expressed their intent to establish their centres in Khammam.
However, there was no movement in the proposed park in Karimnagar, despite being the third biggest city in the State, this in spite of government’s announcement to construct an IT Tower with 50,000-square feet plug and play area besides sanctioning Rs 12.5 crore each to Karimnagar and Khammam in 2016.
Against this backdrop, it’s learnt that the Markfed is not ready to give its land for the proposed IT Park as it has plans to construct a warehouse.
Talking to The Hans India, the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC) Zonal Manager A Swamy said: “The proposed land belonging to the Markfed was not handed over to us. As of now, the Markfed which has other plans is not willing to give the land to IT Park, thus forcing the district administration to search again for a suitable land.”
Karimnagar former MP Ponnam Prabhakar said: “The then Congress government had issued a circular to Markfed to hand over 10.04 acres to APIIC in a bid to promote IT industry in Tier-III cities. Thereafter, the TRS, which came to power, has neglected the development of Karimnagar.”
Be it Textile Park, Leather Park or Sainik School all proposed to come up in Karimnagar were taken away to other districts, Prabhakar said, criticising the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for neglecting the district which played a critical role in TRS’ succession to power. This is what KCR is doing for Karimnagar which sent him twice to Lok Sabha and his son KTR to Assembly (Sircilla was part of Karimnagar then), he added.
