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RealityRider

Lack of amenities puts software industries in a fix

Santosh Patnaik

VISAKHAPATNAM: Software units, which launched their operations at Rushikonda IT Park, are in a quandary for want of basic amenities like quality power, roads and bus service. Brimming with confidence, they were the first to take the initiative to kick off their operations while a few others occupied the site allotted to them with an eye on real estate boom to appreciate further. “In the process, we are paying a heavy price despite the fact small teething problems are inevitable,” Managing Director of Symbiosys Technologies, Naresh Kumar, told The Hindu.

The IT Park was developed on Hill No. 2 and 3 where Mahati Software, Sankya, Colour Chip, Navayuga, Asian Info, Infotech and others are setting up their units. On Hill No. 1, Miracle and Rama Naidu Film City are coming up.

Kennexa Corp. of the US was the first to start its operations. Later, Symbiosys followed suit. Right now, reaching to these units has emerged as a big problem, as APSRTC is yet to introduce IT-specific bus service despite a promise by the units to give committed clientele. The regular buses stop at Gitam or the road point leading to their units – a distance of one and half kilometres to reach the hills overlooking the sea. The managements are making their own arrangement to transport the their staff.

Distant dream

Quality power is a distant dream. Frequent voltage fluctuation led to burning out a 50-tonne AC in one of the units recently. The VUDA which developed the layout, is being accused of not planning properly as EPDCL is insisting on payment by all the 12 companies, which were allotted land. As of now, one of the companies has gone for Reliance bandwidth and managing the show with a 200 kv generator. “Unless there is a pro-active initiative, how will it be possible to showcase Visakhapatnam as a tier-II destination for software development and IT-enabled services,” asked a software engineer. Fifty small and medium units in around the city had a turnover of Rs.150 crores during 2007-08, which went up from Rs.109 crores in 2006-07 and Rs.70 crores in the previous year.

source : http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/31/stories/2008073151820300.htm

The Hindu - 31/07/08 - vizag news

RealityRider

Is IT really booming in AP’s next big city?

In 2005, three hills overlooking the picturesque Rushikonda Beach were allotted to various IT companies. About 300 acres were assigned to 23 companies, covering the three hills. The idea was to create a replica of the Silicon Valley. The thought was noble but what’s the outcome? After five years, only two companies have started their operations in a scaled-down level. “Had it been China, the hills would have been booming with activity with full-scale operations. There are more bottlenecks than facilities,” says Chief Executive Officer of Sankhya Technologies B. Gopi Kumar. Government’s attitude seems to be the main bottleneck.

“The city is being given a step-motherly treatment by the government. There are hardly any senior officers, politicians or bureaucrats posted here to take up the cause on a war- footing,” says Bulusu Murali Manohar Rao, president of Visakhapatnam Information Technology Association and director of Sankhya. Naresh, chief executive officer of Symbiosys Technologies, points out that in the present scenario where the economy is being tightened and there is a cut down in the billing, two-tier cities like Visakhapatnam should be the right choice for big IT entrepreneurs. “The authorities concerned should take proactive steps to make best use of the scenario,” he says.

The entrepreneurs allege that instead of being proactive, the authorities are bent on creating problems for the IT firms. They claim that the land on hill No. 2 was allotted to them on an ownership basis. It was sold to them at the rate of Rs.10 lakhs to Rs.40 lakhs (depending on the location) per acre in 2005. A sale agreement to that effect was executed between the companies and the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (APIIDC). The IT firms had also paid a registration fee of 7 per cent on the value.

Subsequently, APIIDC has asked them to cancel the agreement and execute a new lease agreement, as the land has been converted into SEZ (special economic zone). The companies now have to pay a lease rent for the space allotted. Lack of office space and basic infrastructure are holding back many of the top companies. “A couple of big players like Oracle are in dilemma now. While the city’s new look airport is yet to be fully operational, Hyderabad has got a new airport, within the same time. This indicates the government’s intentions,” says Sastry Pullela of Xinthe Technologies.

source : http://www.telugudreams.com/News/NewsDetails.aspx?nId=1447&cId=7

sashi.jana · Joined: 21 Jul 2008 Posts: 53 Location: San Jose

Photo: K.R. Deepak

New facility: The campus of Wipro in Visakhapatnam. -

VISAKHAPATNAM: Wipro Limited is set to enhance the brand value of Visakhapatnam by launching its operations here in six months.

Wipro is developing its campus on seven acres of prime land sold to it by State government opposite Satyam Centre in the city. The company has plans to have 6,000-seater with a total investment of Rs.200 crore.

HSBC and Satyam were the first to kick off operations in the city.

Wipro is also getting ready to launch operations in Greater Noida and Kochi. The new centres will provide employment opportunities primarily in customer service, technical support and all in voice areas of business.

As per roadmap prepared by the IT giant, Vizag is emerging as IT and ITES hub in Andhra Pradesh – the second after Hyderabad. While the new centre at Greater Noida is ready for operations with 1,000-seater in the first phase, the Vizag unit will be operational in six months. The Kochi centre will be ready with BPO operation in a year.

Senior vice-president of Wipro BPO Praveen Kamath told The Hindu that the Vizag centre was in advance stage of construction and it would have a 1,200-seater in the first phase.

Wipro has 84,000 employees all over the world of which 20,000 are in BPO. It has seven centres in India and five abroad. The Hyderabad centre has 1,000 employees giving voice and technical support to large computer manufacturing companies.

Mr. Kamath said the company was hiring 15,000 people during the year out of whom 7,000 to 8,000 were from southern States particularly from cities like Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore. Now the focus is on Vizag. The staff size in these three centres will be raised from approximately 8,000 to 12,000 by March 31.

To a question, he said Wipro BPO in specific had not felt any slowdown in the industry and it was all set to ramp up big time in Kolkata and youngsters were being hired from State to meet the requirement.

sashi.jana · Joined: 21 Jul 2008 Posts: 53 Location: San Jose

VISAKHAPATNAM: The IT giant Wipro, which is all set to open its multi-storied building in the city during December, would start operations as soon as it gets clients.

This was stated by its BPO Associate Vice-president Praveen Kamath.

Talking to The Hindu on the sidelines of the Andhra University-Wipro BPO Job Fest held over last weekend, Mr. Kamath said the clients were choosing the city from where operations should be done and Wipro, like other companies, had to oblige them.

He was confident that the Visakhapatnam centre would be able to attract strong clients in a very short time. “Four or five strong clients are enough to start operations”, he said.

Orientation programme

Earlier, Mr. Kamath held an interesting orientation programme for the candidates who turned up for the Job Fest.

In the Wipro’s IT global business, the US market enjoyed a share of 63 per cent and every one should take this into account and be prepared to serve this market, he said.

Mr. Kamat also stressed that one should aim to work for a global client.

To stress the point that competition was global and hard work would certainly pay, he cited the examples of famous sportspersons like sprinter Usain Bolt of Jamaica, pole-vaulters Yelena Isinbayeva and Sergei Bubka of Russia, Nadia Comaneci of Romania and others who carved a niche for themselves.

He advised the job aspirants to have the right mindset, attitude, behavioural skills and ability to convince people.

The mind block about night shifts must be removed, he said, and wanted people to have the mindset for global placements. Once a person was employed and proves himself or herself in the job, he or she would get an elevation and then the place of work would be his or her choice. But one must have patience till then, he said.

There was a big demand for qualified people but the supply was poor. “Job is not a problem but employability is”, Mr. Kamath stressed.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/09/stories/2008090959660300.htm