GIDC allots three plots for ambitious IT park project, govt expects 20,000 jobs to be created

Panaji: Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) has allotted three of the six large plots at the Hello World Innovation & Research Park coming up at the Verna industrial estate.The facility, which is spread across approximately 4 lakh sqm at the tail-end of Phase IV of Verna Industrial Estate, is expected to generate 20,000 to 30,000 jobs, said industries minister Mauvin Godinho.“Hello World is one of the prestigious project launched by GIDC at Verna. We call it the Innovation Hub. We call it the R&D hub, we call it the IT Hub. And out of the six large plots that are there, three of them have already been taken by a large industry,” said Godinho.“Other three plots, when they are taken, that singular place is going to generate employment at least more than 20,000 to 30,000 people,” the minister said.GIDC issued a provisional allotment letter in May to Aurum Real Estate Developers Limited, a Mumbai-based firm that has built an IT- special economic zone and integrated township in Navi Mumbai.Aurum Real Estate Developers has requested clarifications regarding timelines for infrastructure facilities such as roads, power, water supply and connectivity as well as clarity and approvals for built-up area obligations across all three plots.

The firm has also asked GIDC if the deadlines will be extended in case GIDC fails to provide the required infrastructure on time.Goa has a bleak record in setting up and running dedicated IT parks. In 2006, govt moved to set up the Rajiv Gandhi IT Habitat on 90 acres at Dona Paula. The project remained in limbo for 18 years and never took off. In 2015, govt laid the foundation stone for an electronics system design and manufacturing (ESDM) park at Tuem, and the project has been grinding on since then with manufacturing activity yet to start.

A few years later, a plan was drawn up to set up an IT Park at Chimbel on 4.5 lakh sqm of govt land on the Kadamba Plateau.Godinho said that the Hello World Innovation & Research Park will bring white collar jobs and could attract highly skilled Goans back to the state.“You will have people who are working elsewhere outside Goa, you’ll see some of them coming back, so you’ll get people with experience. I’m sure the other big investors are just watching. Once they see that these three have gone because it has still not gone public in a big way, then others will come. It will be a win-win situation for everyone,” said Godinho.