With Infosys likely to inaugurate its 50-acre campus in Kolkata next year, the West Bengal government is looking forward to a significant presence of the software behemoth in the state.
While construction of the sprawling campus is expected to be completed in a year and a half, Infosys is currently looking to start operations in the city at a rented, makeshift facility soon, a government source told FE.
In a recent Facebook post, Infosys had said: “Kolkata, here we come! Infosys now in your very own city. Looking forward to welcoming you to our office soon. Stay tuned for the latest updates and job openings!”
“In Kolkata, TCS had crossed 50,000 employees in November 2022, which is a feather in the city’s cap. Similarly, Cognizant has already crossed 22,000 employees in the city. Wipro is employing 10,000-12,000 people and expected to expand their operations on a 50-acre prime plot belonging to them now in the city. In addition, international companies are creating back offices here, employing thousand of IT professionals in the city. If others are moving forward with such speed, it is most natural that Infosys cannot be far behind,” Amit Mitra, principal chief adviser to the West Bengal chief minister, told FE.
“Infosys has a 50-acre prime land, which it took over ceremonially just before Covid-19. The company shared the plans of the building which has been designed by famous architect Hafeez Contractor. Mr Contractor came personally to the event and shared the campus design. After that, unfortunately, Covid-19 hit and deterred the progress,” Mitra said.
“It is very encouraging to know that probably Infosys is now looking to implement their plans in Kolkata. Once the company’s board meeting is held and their future plans defined, I am looking forward to a significant presence of Infosys in Kolkata,” he added.
Infosys, in a stock exchange filing, said a meeting of its board of directors will be held on April 12 and 13 inter alia to approve and take on record the financial results of the company for the fourth quarter and year ended March 31, and recommend a final dividend, among others.
“The construction of the campus on 50-acre of land is expected to be completed in 2024, and the company is looking to start its full-fledged operation at the same time. For the time being, it has taken a space nearby where it can accommodate around 400 IT professionals. This is a makeshift facility which will start operations soon,” the government source said.When contacted, an Infosys spokesperson said the company is in the ‘silent period’ ahead of the board meet and refused to comment.
The IT major’s plan to open a software development centre in Kolkata is part of its localisation programme to have centres closer to the available talent pool in different cities in India so that employees don’t have to travel to other cities for their work, allowing them greater flexibility.
As many young employees of different IT companies have gone back to their hometowns after the coronavirus outbreak, leading software firms are opening offices there to ensure that the employees have opportunities to work closer to home. In 2018, Infosys had said the software development centre in Kolkata, with an investment of about Rs 100 crore, would be able to accommodate around 1,000 employees in the early stages.