Chandigarh to expand IT-based industry in Industrial Area

Dushyant Singh Pundir

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 17

After the quashing of acquisition of land for Phase III of Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park, the UT Administration has decided to expand the IT industry in the Industrial Area.

According to the Chandigarh Export Promotion Plan, the UT would allow IT-based industry, including software and electronics hardware, to set up their units, but any activity entailing direct customer interface would not be allowed.

With regard to IT hardware units, activities such as manufacturing of computer devices, printer, scanners and related devices, networking products and telecommunication units will be allowed.

In respect of software units, entrepreneurs can opt for telecommunication and mobile communication software and application software operating system.

The Administration also permitted opening of outsourcing units, including call centres, audio visual or gaming production studios as well as web designing and web content development services.

The export plan observes that ecosystem development is very crucial for boosting IT exports from Chandigarh.

The UT Administration conceived the Entrepreneur Development Centre in the prospering IT Park to enhance the export of the software export from the city and to assist young professionals in setting up their ventures by providing shell space or space with plug and play facilities.

At present, five start-up companies are operating from the SPIC (Society for Promotion of IT in Chandigarh) IT incubation centre.

The Administration has chosen IT and ITeS as one of the export products from Chandigarh, as these are showing emerging trends and skyrocketing demand in the world markets.

No aggressive marketing

Though Chandigarh as preferred information technology destination ranks high among the tier-2 cities in the country, it lacks aggressive marketing. Elaborating various aspects of the key findings of a location assessment report of the city, experts opined that the complexion of the IT sector would have been different had it been aggressively marketed outside by the decision makers.

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