SRINAGAR: Much hype was created over the twin IT towers that were to be established at Jammu and Srinagar. It has been nearly eight months, the deadline fixed by the J&K LG, but let alone anything happening, no IT company has even shown interest in the projects.

In the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the National Building Construction Company (NBCC) with J&K IT Infrastructure Development Company, the work was slated to be started immediately. The government was supposed to spend over Rs 100 crore on building both the towers.

Sources in the NBCC said that approvals from the JKITDC are awaited for a long period, despite required documents having been submitted to them. They also said that no IT infrastructure company has come forward to help in designing or developing the towers.

The recently approved J&K’s IT Policy 2020 had stated that the government shall endeavour to establish a mega IT hub through an initial effort of developing an IT township with a built-up space of 2 million square feet. “A signature tower of 1 million square feet shall form the nucleus of the Mega IT hub,” it said.

It added, “Integrated townships and IT parks shall also likely be taken up in addition to the above proposed IT infrastructure/built up space within the project comprising residential facilities along with the commercial, retail and office space, appropriately supported by other requisite infrastructure like power/water linkage, sewerage/ drainage system, street lighting, etc.”

The IT towers, parks and zones were to be developed in a transparent PPP (public-private partnership) policy. The proposed amenities in the IT Towers included Raw Incubation Space; Raw Office Space; Plug and Play; Data Room; Conference Hall; Finishing School; Work-Station; Cafeteria; Gymnasium/Yoga Room; Electrical Room; HVAC, BMS,CCTV, Fire-fighting; Parking, STP, Sub-station; Landscaping and Horticulture.

For two weeks now there has been fanfare about the visits of central ministers to J&K, with the ministers listening to people directly and resolving their grievances immediately. The held-up IT projects show that no minister is interested in talking about them anymore.

Junaid Nabi Bazaz