Mumbai: Move over Bangalore and Hyderabad, Navi Mumbai is here. Eager to catch up with the booming new economy, the Maharashtra government is offering an entire city to the information technology (IT) industry. On offer is land at throw away prices, well-planned roads and residential areas in close proximity to work places - all less than an hour's drive from the heart of Mumbai. A few big names in the IT and entertainment sectors have already set up shop here and are expected to attract others."Today, 60,000 people employed directly and indirectly in IT industries live and work in Navi Mumbai," said Anil Kumar Lakhina, vice-chairman and managing director of City Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), which is developing Navi Mumbai. Of these, 6,000 work in the International Infotech Park at Vashi alone. The park, imaginatively built above the Vashi railway station, has a built up area of more than 700,000 sq. feet.Priced at Rs. 2,800 per sq. foot, the premises have already been sold out. "Forget Mumbai, it is cheaper than even Bangalore and Hyderabad," a CIDCO official said.
The corporation is now offering the technology centre, built above the Belapur central business district railway station to the IT industry. This will be priced even cheaper at Rs. 1,500 per square foot to compensate for its distance from Mumbai. Lakhina said the technology centre had a total built-up area of one million sq feet. Some floors on these premises have floor space of 100,000 sq ft.
"These buildings have been constructed as intelligent buildings with computerised integrated building management systems to manage its services," said Suhas Thakar, general manager (marketing-special projects), CIDCO. IANS
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