Wipro to build BPO hub in Coimbatore

Wipro Ltd will be allotted 10-12 acres of land in Coimbatore for setting up a centre for its business process outsourcing division.

"We are developing about 30 acres of land for IT and ITeS industries in Coimbatore. Wipro will be given 10 to 12 acres of land there," an official of Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (Elcot), the nodal agency under the State Information Technology, said.

Wipro Ltd's entry into Coimbatore would be a big boost for Tamil Nadu in its efforts to develop second tier cities such as Coimbatore, Hosur, Trichy and Madurai for attracting IT and ITeS companies, he said.

"We are informed that Wipro is keen to set up its BPO facility in Coimbatore," he said.

Wipro Chairman Azim Premji had recently met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitaa to seek more land for expanding the company's operations in the State.

Officials said Wipro Technologies, the IT division of Wipro Ltd, which was operating on a 15-acre campus, was given the go-ahead for the expansion in Chennai. It is learnt that Wipro Technologies would expand the Chennai facility to a 100-acre campus.

"The expansion in Chennai has already begun," the Elcot official said, adding that the Tamil Nadu IT Department was now keen to attract fresh IT and ITeS investments to smaller cities such as Coimbatore, Hosur, Madurai and Trichy.

By focusing on second-tier cities, the state government would ensure Chennai does not get "over-crowded" and face infrastructure problems in the future.

The Elcot official said the Corporation was also keen that the second-tier cities get a significant share of the software exports from the State in the coming years.

The software exports from Tamil Nadu, which touched about Rs 8,000 crore (Rs 80 billion) last year, is expected to cross Rs 10,000 crore  (Rs 100 billion) during the current fiscal.

However, almost all the software exports were from Chennai, he said, adding that this would change in the coming years.

Madurai, which is close to the publishing and printing centre Sivakasi, is an ideal location for e-publishing ventures while Coimbatore and Hosur have good potential for BPO in engineering services, the Elcot official added.