Top representatives from the field of Information Technology (IT) in the country would gather at the State Government’s dedicated IT Summit in Ahmedabad on Friday, to brainstorm on Gujarat’s position on the nation’s IT map.

Being organised by the Science and Technology Department, the investors’ summit is likely to put the State on the IT highway, Science and Technology Secretary Raj Kumar said at a press conference here on Wednesday. ‘‘We are hoping to make the State the Silicon Valley of Western India. Coupled with the recently announced IT-policy, the summit would give a major thrust to IT business in the State,’’ he added.

The new policy aims to generate investments worth Rs 5,000 crore and two lakh jobs in the next five years. It industry CEOs S Ramadorai (TCS), B Ramalinga Raju (Satyam Computers), Kiran Karnik (President, NASSCOM), Pavan Vaish (COO, IBM Daksh), Bharat Desai (Syntel Inc.), Rajiv Modi (Sasken Communication Technologies), and Harish Mehta (Onward Technologies) would be the speakers among others. Among the top names of industry, Microsoft, Oracle, IBM and Wipro are participating in the summit.

Ramadorai, Raju and Karnik are the key speakers at the seminar that would precede the MoU signing ceremonies between various IT companies and the Government. In the recent past, the State Government has initiated measures to plug the loopholes in the State’s IT sector and make it a leading investment destination in the western region.

The Central Government has already cleared three IT SEZs in the State with another three in the pipeline. Of the three, two (Raheja’s Mindspace, 90 acres; Cadica, 40 acres) would come up at Gandhinagar, while the third one by Ganesh Housing (100 acres) is to come up at Ahmedabad. The State’s share in the IT sector exports as of now stands at a paltry Rs 500 crore, which is only one per cent of the national figure, though the Government shows it as proof of massive growth and employment opportunities.

Source : Expressindia.com

Come April 2007 and commercial flights can take off from the Surat airport, AAI officials said. Notwithstanding recent demonstrations against the delay in construction of the airport, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) officials overseeing the work told mediapersons on Wednesday that the airport is ready for use already, and can run commercial flights from April 2007 onwards.

Giving an overview of the construction work completed in the airport area, airport manager Ranvir Singh said, ‘‘The fire station, parking area for visitors and the Air Traffic Control tower are nearing completion. The work on runway and night approach systems is yet to be finished, while the passenger terminal is partly completed.’’

So far, the runway and the night approach system were said to be the reason behind the holdup. ‘‘Surat’s climatic condition is such that its proximity to the industrial area leaves a smog. So, the runway approach system is needed to guide pilots for landings during night,’’ said Singh.

Work on passenger terminal was hindered for a short duration owing to some payment-related issues with contractor, but the problem has been sorted out, said airport authorities, adding that in wake of demonstrations against the snail-paced progress of the airport, the contract with B K Patel and Company, who were entrusted with the job of completing the 2,250 m runway and lighting system, has been terminated. By December 29, AAI will issue tender for a new contractor since the earlier one was working behind schedule, they said.

Source : Expressindia.com