Gujarat initiates steps to lure BPO companies

Monday, 28 June 2004, 19:30 IST
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AHMEDABAD: Long known as the hub for traditional industries such as oil and gas and textiles, Gujarat now wants to attract business process outsourcing (BPO) companies by creating robust infrastructure. Towards this end, work will soon commence work on the second IT tower of Infocity, an IT park located in the capital city of Gandhinagar. "With the first tower nearly sold and most of the occupants having already set up their shops, we have decided to commence work on the second IT tower now," said Dilip Barot, chief executive officer of Infocity. The US-based NRI added that the project was now offering affordable space to domestic entrepreneurs in the BPO and IT-enabled services (ITES) segments. Infocity, an IT infrastructure project that was launched in October 2000, is based on a concept of city-within-city and is being developed on a prime area of 116 acres. It provides built-up space with residential units, clubhouse, educational facilities and lifestyle facilities to support the 24x7 work culture of the BPO industry. "We have focussed on inviting the multinational ITES and BPO companies to set up their operations in the campus. The infrastructure we offer has made the foreign firms think of Gujarat as an alternative to Bangalore and Mumbai," Barot said. He admitted that marketing Gujarat was not easy. "Firms we approach ask us to name some success stories in the IT sector from the state. There is an impression that Gujarat is not the place for IT. But we have now started receiving good response," he said. Barot, who migrated to the US in the 1980s, said that it was challenging to do business in his home state. "But I see a lot of potential in the state. The BPO sector stands today where the textile industry stood half a century ago. "It was the customer-centric approach of Gujaratis that made us succeed in the textile sector here or in the hospitality industry in the US. I believe the same approach would help Gujarat succeed in the BPO service."
Source: IANS
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