Delta region gets its first mini TIDEL park

Tamil Nadu is set to open two more mini TIDEL parks — one in Thanjavur and another in Salem. They would be inaugurated by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.

The mini TIDEL park in Thanjavur (in the delta region), set up at a cost of ₹30.50 crore, spans 55,000 square feet across three floors. The park in Salem was constructed at a cost of around ₹29.50 crore.

Each of these parks has the capacity to accommodate 500 Information Technology (IT) professionals.

They are equipped with air-conditioned facilities, high-speed Internet, uninterrupted power supply with backup generators, elevators, fire safety systems, well-lit interiors, dining spaces, training rooms, and 24x7 security, besides drinking water and sanitation facilities.

“The mini TIDEL parks in Thanjavur and Salem are part of Chief Minister M.K Stalin’s ambition to have distributed growth across the State, by extending the IT infrastructure to second- and third-tier cities,” T.R.B. Rajaa, Minister for Industries, Investment Promotions and Commerce, said.

“As an MLA from the delta region, I am particularly thankful to the Chief Minister for giving Thanjavur its first major IT Infrastructure through this park,” Mr. Rajaa said, adding that this project was completed in just 15 months and a major chunk of the space had already been booked. “We may soon start Phase II [of the project] after approval,” he noted.

The Minister further said that TIDEL and mini TIDEL parks were key aspects for achieving the goal of $1-trillion economy.

Sandeep Nanduri, Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited (TIDCO), said the proposed mini TIDEL park at Thoothukudi was ready, and would be inaugurated next month. “The one at Vellore will be ready in a couple of months, and the facility at Tiruppur by the end of this year,” he added.

When asked why companies would opt for mini TIDEL parks when co-working spaces were mushrooming, Mr. Nanduri said: “Bigger developers do not go to smaller towns.”

Interestingly, a co-working firm, Namma Office, has availed of space at the Salem mini TIDEL park.

First such park

Tamil Nadu’s first mini TIDEL park was opened in Villupuram in February this year. It was constructed at a cost of ₹31 crore on a built-up area of 63,000 sq. ft, spread across five acres.

The seeds for the mini TIDEL parks were sown in the Tamil Nadu Budget 2023-2024. “In 2000, Muthamizharignar Kalaignar [former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi] ushered in the IT revolution in the State by setting up the first TIDEL Park. To promote the growth of IT and Information Technology-Enabled Services (ITeS) sectors in tier II cities, the State government is setting up seven neo TIDEL parks across the State,” the Budget had mentioned.

The plan to set up TIDEL parks in Tamil Nadu began in the 1990s during the IT sector boom. The first TIDEL Park was established in Chennai under the government of Karunanidhi. It was inaugurated on July 4, 2000, by Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee.

Published - September 23, 2024 12:51 am IST