Mumbai: The companies based in the Technopark at Thiruvananathapuram have joined hands and launched a forum of their own. The forum, Group of Technopark Companies, is to be known as GTECH in short. This is to coordinate the activities of individual firms and take up any relevant matter with the appropriate agencies whenever required.

Ajith Nambissan of Case Consult is the founder president of the organisation and Rama Rao of Gemini Software the secretary. The tasks assigned to GTECH are improving interaction among the companies of Technopark; articulating the consensual views of its members to Central or state governments, regulatory agencies, media, general public and foreign community; and partnering with the government and its agencies to promote Technopark and Kerala as a preferred IT destination to the companies round the world. Says Nambissan: We hope to grow into a powerful regional forum, comparable in terms of the scope of the activities to Nasscom. In the process, GTECH proposes to add value to the development of the IT industry in Kerala.

Lauding the Technopark administration for the efforts taken by them for the smooth functioning of the companies in the parkm Rao said: "There might come up some instances when it will be better for a forum to represent all companies than the individual companies taking up issues on a one-to-one basis. It is for this that we have launched the GTECH.

Nambeesan said the companies in the Technopark did not face serious problems due to the US slowdown. This is because the companies here cater mainly to the markets in European, and not those in US.