MindTree Consulting branches into Chennai
19 Oct 2006
Chennai: The Bangalore-based MindTree Consulting Private Ltd has set up a software development and research centre in Chennai. The company''s first development centre outside Bangalore, MindTree Consulting has acquired 30,000 sq. ft. at the Olympia Tech Park. The company will have around 300 employees in the new centre.
The union minister of communications and information technology, Dayanidhi Maran inaugurated the centre on 18 October, 2006.
According to Subroto Bagchi, COO, and the company co-founder, the entry into Chennai signals the company''s second phase of growth. In Chennai the company has signed up 2.85-lakh sq.ft at the Ascendas IT Park in Mahindra World City that is expected to be ready in 2008-08.
"We will have three major operational centres in Bangalore, Chennai and Bhubaneswar," Bagchi said. Earlier this year MindTree Consulting entered into a 90-year lease agreement for 20 acres of land with the government of Orissa, for setting up a development centre in Bhubaneswar.
In his inaugural address Maran said, there are around 450 million children below 15 years of age in India. "In another 15 years they will be ready for a job. We should have many more TCS, Wipros and MindTrees to employ them." He also warned the young IT employees to avoid the concept of double income and no kids (colloquially abbreviated to "dinks").
According to him, Tamil Nadu is the only state in the country to consciously develop tier two cities so that IT companies can set up their base there. The state is promoting Madurai, Coimbatore and Trichi for this purpose. "An IT park on the lines of Tidel Park in Chennai will be built in Coimbatore. The foundation stone will be laid soon there. Similarly the government will set up Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) in Tirunelvelli and Salem in Tamil Nadu.
He said IT companies are moving away from Bangalore due to the fear of high attrition. "In small cities, the attrition rates are lower. It is my wish that people work near their native place so that there is not much of disturbance for the family."
