‘Smart City Kochi delay sending wrong signals’

The inordinate delay in the Smart City Kochi project is sending wrong signals about the state’s IT industry across the world, Group of Technology Companies (GTECH) president V.K.Mathews said.

"It is nearly 10 years that discussions on the Smart City project began in the state. The state was missing a big opportunity in the IT sector by delaying the project. Tecom has a better international marketing strategy and most of the major IT companies in the world has their presence in the Dubai Internet City," he said adding that GTECH would take up the matter with the State Government.

Mathews, who is also the Chairman and CEO of IBS Group, was addressing a press conference here on Tuesday.

GTECH would also urge the political leadership to exempt the IT sector from frequent hartals and strikes, at least for the next three years, as the IT sector in the state is yet to become stable. A presentation highlighting the importance of the IT sector would be made before the LDF and the UDF leaders in this connection, Mathews said.

He pointed out that the hartals and strikes had not yet affected the functioning of the IT companies in the state as the Government had been arranging adequate security.

The GTECH leaders are against trade unionism in the IT sector as they felt that it would be detrimental to the development of the sector.

GTECH is, however, planning to constitute a forum of IT company employees as well as a women’s forum to take up the problems of the employees.

Mathews, who leads the new team of GTECH office-bearers said that GTECH would join hands with the State Government to initiate various measures for the development of the state’s IT sector, including consultation on policy matters. The IT companies in the state would also take part in the e-governance initiative of the State Government, he said.

In the wake of the growing threats faced by the IT Parks, GTECH would initiate steps to ensure the security of the Infopark and Technopark. Steps to reduce the cost of IT operations in the state and to support small and medium IT companies would also be initiated, Mathews said.

BAN ON JOB HOPPING AND POACHING LIFTED

A strategic ban imposed by the major IT companies in the state not to poach employees from among themselves as well as job hopping by employees has been lifted.

Around 10 years ago, when the IT sector in the state was just catching up, there were restrictions on employees of one IT company joining another.

The objective of such a ban was to stabilise the state’s IT sector. Now the situation has changed and employees of one company can join another subject to the condition that he should obtain a relieving letter from the former employer, Mathews said.

GTECH, which was earlier known as Group of Technopark Companies, has been rechristened as Group of Technology Companies as many companies outside the Technopark campus, including those in the Infopark, are also part of GTECH.
GTECH vice-president and CEO of SunTech Business Solutions K.Nandakumar and GTECH secretary Anoop P.Ambika were also present at the press conference.

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