Source: OHeraldo January 6, 2015
Govt to now house info tech habitat at Kadamba plateau
Moots setting up electronic city in Pernem; envisages generating 40,000 jobs
TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: In a major decision, the state government has announced that it would shift the controversial IT habitat from Dona Paula, to an area spread across 4.5 lakh square metres, at the fast developing Kadamba plateau. The government has also proposed setting up of an electronic city at Tuem industrial estate in Pernem taluka, to generate 40,000 jobs through both the projects.
Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said that the IT habitat at Dona Paula will be shifted to Alto Chimbel behind the Electricity Department office at Kadamba plateau. “We have an area of around 4.5 lakh square metres there. The same would be used for setting up of IT habitat,” Parsekar said adding that the purpose of the project is to set up state-of-the art hi- tech facilities to promote software development and IT enabled services.
The chief minister was speaking to media persons on the sidelines of the inauguration of the two-day long e-governance leadership meet organized by the National Institute for Smart Government in collaboration with Goa Info-Tech Corporation and Department of Information and Technology.
The Rajiv Gandhi IT Habitat, which had been ridden with controversies since its inception was stalled in December 2007, due to violent protests by locals led by the Taleigao legislator Atanasio Monserrate and later abandoned even as the government has spent crores of taxpayers money on infrastructure development.
The present government had cancelled all land allotments after coming to power in March 2012 assembly elections. The government has spent around Rs 150 crore in taking possession of the plots that were allotted to companies by the previous government.
In 2006, the Congress government had created 18 plots varying between 4,000 and 40,000 square metres for setting up the IT and IT enabled service industries at the habitat.
Parsekar also announced that his government would set up an electronic city at Tuem industrial estate. “Both the projects – IT habitat and electronic city will create a total of 40,000 jobs. In the first phase 10,000 jobs for locals would be created in Tuem,” he said.
Parsekar’s top priority as chief minister as stated by him would be creation of jobs for locals.
