The West Bengal government will be putting up a proposal before the Cabinet on September 8 to ratify the Infosys project, which will mark this firm’s maiden entry into the state.
One of the crucial clauses that will be put up for ratification is the “mixed development” clause which states that an IT firm that has been allotted land for a specific use can use upto 49 per cent of the land for purposes other than IT.
The state’s chief minister, on August 29 had said that Infosys has agreed to start construction of its development centre in Kolkata, which will have a capacity to seat around 1,000 people and invest Rs 100 crore for the project.
Initially, during the former Left Front regime, Infosys had committed Rs 500 crore to set up an IT facility in the state that would create 5,000 jobs.
Sources said a similar proposal has also been given to Wipro for a 50-acre plot to open its second campus in Rajarhat, on the fringes of the state’s capital.
An official in Wipro said that currently the proposal is in the discussion stage with “higher authorities in the company”.
However, the official couldn’t state how Wipro intends on using a maximum 49 per cent of the land for non-IT use.
“Those decisions will be taken at a later date. But first, the proposal has to be approved by the authorities”, the official said.
Rishad Premji, chief strategy officer at Wipro, during his visit to Kolkata to attend a NASSCOM event, had earlier said that the company was in talks with the state government to come up with newer opportunities and proposals.
At the same event, the state’s chief minister, Mamata Banerjee had said that the state would assist IT firms, including Wipro and Infosys to set up campuses in the state.
Both Infosys and Wipro have been demanding SEZ status for the new projects in the state which Banerjee’s government did not consent to. The chief minister, later clarified that since April 1, 2017, onwards, no new SEZ licenses can be granted by the government, it is no longer relevant and thereafter fresh rounds of talks with these two IT companies over “alternate proposals” took place.
An Infosys spokesperson didn't wish to comment.