Thiruvananthapuram: The state-of-the-art twin tower of one million sq. ft built-up area, the third phase of Technopark, is nearly ready for inauguration.

The twin towers have been named Aanamudi and Ponmudi, after two mountain peaks in the state.

Allotment of space has begun, and 40 companies have taken up space in the new facility.

Some of the prominent firms that will be operating from the new tower are HCL, Oracle and CapGemini.

One floor in the two towers, which are spread across 92 acres within the Special Economic Zone, is being readied as a Smart Business Centre, at a cost of 3 crore. It would be equipped with ready-to-use office facilities.

The new facility also has an exclusive bowling alley, an incubation centre, a conference hall, a bank, an ATM, a cafeteria, a gym, a swimming pool, shopping malls and food courts.

"Technopark phase III was undertaken with an investment of 292 crore and is expected to create about 40,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities. The new buildings are also considered to be Asia's largest buildings to get Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold rating from the Indian Green Building Council for energy efficiency," said Technopark CEO K.G. Girish Babu.

Technopark senior business development manager M. Vasudevan said that enquiries have been flowing in from ITES firms, and there is overwhelming demand for office space in the area.

"With the commissioning of the third phase, the total area of Technopark will be 333 acres, with a total built-up area 7.1 million square feet," Vasudevan said.

Technopark has more than 270 companies providing direct employment to more than 37,000 IT/ITES professionals and 150,000 people indirectly.