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IIT Roorkee to develop IT park

September 06, 2006 14:56 IST

IIT Roorkee will build an IT park for Uttaranchal government. The park will come up on 300 acre land given to IIT for campus expansion.

The Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, will be developing an IT park for the Uttaranchal government by next year. The institute mooted the idea of an IT park to the Uttaranchal government and the chief minister, Narayan Datt Tiwari, has reportedly given a nod to the plan. The proposed IT park will come up near IIT Roorkee.

"Setting up of the IT park is a state-level planning to provide employment to the residents of Uttaranchal with in the state. IT is a pollution free industry and the IT savvy students of the state will not migrate to other states for employment opportunities. Software giants like Wipro and Infosys are said to be a part of the IT park," informed a source.

IIT Roorkee, had sought land from the Uttaranchal government for campus expansion to facilitate the implementation of 27 per cent quota next year.

The institute is said to receive 300 acre of land from the government of which 100 acre would be utilised for the IT park and 200 acre will remain with IIT Roorkee for campus expansion.

The institute already has a 25-acre extended campus at Saharanpur, Uttaranchal and 10 acre land in Greater Noida where it has set up its research and development centre.

"The park will be built on industry-academia partnership for IT and academic synergy. The companies at the IT park will draw strength from the trained manpower available at the institute and vice-versa," informed a senior professor at IIT Roorkee.

The institute is in talks with the state government to work out the modalities of the proposal. "We have suggested the concept. Now it is the hands of the state government how fast they want to move," said the professor.

The institute will not partner with any one else in the development of the park. Uttaranchal already has one IT park in Dehradun and another IT park is under construction at Pantnagar in the state. This park, which would be the third park for the state, would be first such venture by an IIT ever.
Kalpana Pathak in Mumbai
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