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“When anybody asks me, I always mention Kolkata as a credible destination.” This sentiment by Mr. Harris Miller, President of the IT Association of America has been accepted by the IT community in India with due deference.
The once capital city of India under the British Raj till 1911, Kolkata lies on the eastern banks of the river Ganga in the state of West Bengal. The city has a population of almost 4.5 million, with an extended metropolitan population of over 14 million, making it the third-largest urban agglomeration and the fourth-largest city in India.
Though a late starter, Kolkata is now a major destination for IT investments. This has been possible due to its large pool of skilled resources, enhanced infrastructure, low operational cost and supportive Government, almost all the big names in the IT sector are in Kolkata today. The low cost of living and saving potential, wide choice of
education facilities, best-in-class medical facilities together with outstanding art galleries, spas, pubs and multi-cuisine food joints make Kolkata the latest IT destination in India.
Once a not-so-happening city, Kolkata is getting more upwardly mobile by the day. Vibrant signs of change and progress are visible everywhere. The city now boasts an underground transport system, and a well-laid out circular railway transit system that connects the airport to the Metro stations of the city. A network of new flyovers and clean broad roads has made commuting a pleasure. From an uneasy but grandiose imperial past to a more liberal, streamlined, modern present, Kolkata is now a city in transition. The City of Palaces has made way for high-rises and a fast-paced life. Today, Kolkata boasts of international standard shopping malls, multiplexes, pubs and various fine dining restaurants. Outsized hoardings of swank residential projects, glitzy arcades, bowling alleys
and amusement parks dot the city liberally. Kolkata has never looked so good. The youth brigade in Kolkata is far more exposed to Western culture and "Work hard, party harder" is the new mantra.
Today, Kolkata is also the most happening city in the IT front.
55,000 skilled professionals are engaged in the State’s IT sector comprising 500+ IT companies.
The State is firmly progressing towards its ‘Vision 2010’. Its is expected that Bengal will emerge among the top-three IT destinations in the country and account for 15 per cent of the country’s IT revenue and 20 per cent of its ITES revenue. The state's IT department held roadshows across Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi, Sweden, Germany and London for IT investments in the state. With companies responding to West Bengal's invitation, Sector V in Salt Lake (the sole IT hub in the city) in Kolkata is already bursting at the seams.
The state government's search for more space ended at Rajarhat as the next IT hub where West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation was sitting pretty on 7,000 hectares of land for allotment in the residential/commercial and industrial space.
The State is firmly progressing towards its ‘Vision 2010’. Its is expected that Bengal will emerge among the top-three IT destinations in the country and account for 15 per cent of the country’s IT revenue and 20 per cent of its ITES revenue. The state's IT department held roadshows across Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi, Sweden, Germany and London for IT investments in the state. With companies responding to West Bengal's invitation, Sector V in Salt Lake (the sole IT hub in the city) in Kolkata is already bursting at the seams.
The government ia also setting up a Special Econnomic Zone (SEZ) for the IT and ITeS industry. Around 130 acres of land has been alloted at Bantala, 24 Parganas with Special Economic Zone (SEZ) status. Plans have been drawn up to build similar SEZs for the IT sector at Kalyani, Siliguri, Shantiniketan, Panagarh and Durgapur.
The city expects to employ 1,75,000 people in IT sector and another 2,30,000 in the ITES sector by 2010.
With the IT sector pumping money into the state, the economy is upbeat. In the last five years, the state has been growing at 7.2 per cent a year.
Kolkata is witnessing its highest compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 119 per cent in the IT sector in the country, compared to Bangalore's CAGR of 29 per cent.
The employability of people having IT skills in West Bengal is 40-45 per cent, way above the national average of 25 per cent.
The attrition rate of 10 per cent in West Bengal is the lowest among the metro cities.
Engineering colleges and other institutions of excellence in the State have helped generate appropriately skilled person power required by IT companies. Kolkata has nine universities.
The University of Kolkata has more than 200 affiliated colleges. Bengal Engineering & Science University, and Shibpur, which is a Deemed University) West Bengal University of Technology and Jadavpur University are notable engineering universities. Other notable institutions are Presidency College and St. Xavier's College.
Kolkata's Power Infrastructure is one of the best in the country. According to the NASSCOM - Gartner report, West Bengal is the only state to offer 40% power tariff concession in an ordered scale up to the sixth year of production.
Kolkata evokes the strongest and the strangest responses from its citizens and visitors. Those who love Kolkata love it warts and all. Asking a loyal resident of the city to explain the attachment to their city, the inevitable response will be ‘There is something about the place’. The vagueness of the response is perhaps permissible because, after all, how does one define and pinpoint the joy and attraction we have towards life, itself?
