Following are excerpts from a report in Business Standard.

While MindTree expects to kick off construction work on its Rs 200-crore development centre in the city by June this year, ICICI Bank, which had sought an extension of two years for its Rs 600-crore eastern regional hub, has been asked by the state IT department to start construction work by April.

… MindTree, a global IT and R&D services company, co-headquartered in Bangalore and Somerset in New Jersey (US), had entered into an MoU with the Orissa government in March 2006 for setting up its software development centre spread over 30 acres.

…  MindTree would initially recruit about 1,000 software professionals and eventually ramp up its headcount to 6000. Its development centre in Bhubaneswar will focus on R&D, consultancy and software development.

ICICI bank’s eastern regional hub would have a built-up area of 1.5 million sq ft and it will have a pool of 15,000 employees in the long-run. The project is to be developed in phases over a period of six to seven years.

Genpact Limited, the BPO (business process outsourcing) arm of the US-based General Electric which had announced a Global Delivery Centre in the city has submitted a fresh building plan to the Bhubanewar Development Authority (BDA).

“We are pursuing Genpact’s case with the BDA to expedite the company’s project”, the official said.

Genpact’s centre in the city will have a total built-up area of 7 lakh sq ft. Initially, Genpact would hire 500 people for running its operations and eventually, the headcount will be scaled up to 3,000.

On Raheja Corporation’s IT park, he said, land has been alloted but the company is yet to take physical possession of it. Mumbai-based K Raheja Corporation proposed to set up an IT park in the city over an area of 30 acres at an investment of about Rs 250 crore. This IT park would have a total built-up area of 10 lakh sq ft and it was scheduled to be commissioned within three years. The project would generate employment for nearly 20,000 people.

K Raheja Corporation had signed a MoU (memorandum of understanding) with the Orissa government in May 2008 and the IT park was scheduled to be commissioned within three years.

Following is an excerpt from a Business Standard report in sify.com.

"We had a recent review meeting on the status of DLF’s Infopark project with the company’s executive director. The real estate player is committed to kick off work on its Infopark project by April 1 this year", said Pradipta K Mohapatra, the state IT secretary.

DLF has sought some changes in the contour of the project to be developed over 54 acres near Infocity region of the city. It is keen on setting aside a greater area for non-processing facilities like shopping malls and multiplexes.

… DLF is understood to have resumed negotiations with a host of IT players- both large as well as the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for offering its IT workspace to them.

… The DLF Infopark project will be developed in three phases and it comprises an IT block, a luxury hotel, a retail chain, service apartments and recreational facilities with a total built-up space of about 5.5 million sq ft.

For setting up the luxury hotel, DLF had tied up with Hilton, an international hotel chain.

In the first phase, DLF had committed an investment of Rs 300 crore for developing an IT workspace of international standards with a built-up area of 5.7 lakh sq ft.

The first phase was scheduled to be operational within eighteen months to two years after commencement of construction work.

The Infopark project was to generate direct and indirect employment opportunities for over 40,000 people in sectors like IT and ITes (IT enabled services), retail and hospitality.

Following is an excerpt from an IANS report.

Orissa got its first private software technology park Tuesday. Built on the outskirts of state capital Bhubaneswar by city-based JSS Group, the venture was inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The JSS Software Technology Park has a built-up area of about 55,000 square feet and can accommodate about 1,000 IT (Information Technology) professionals, Bijoy K. Sahoo, Chairman of the JSS group told IANS.

The eight-floor building constructed with an investment of Rs.10 crore in the first phase has ready-to-move-in facilities, Sahoo said, adding that two companies have already allotted space and they have begun their operations from today (Tuesday).

JSS has planned to invest Rs.70 crore (Rs.700 million) in the second phase that is scheduled to complete in the next 24 months. The total built up area of the project after second phase expansion would be two lakh square feet, he said.

Following is from JSS’s web page.

Keeping to long standing demands from the Information Techenology (IT)
Companies in the Small and Medium Enterprise (ITSME) Sector, the InterMinisterial standing Committee (IMSC) of Goverment of India has approved the First Private Software Technology Park (STP) of Orissa.The IMSC felt it imprerative to setup a micro,small and madium enterprise(MSME) software park to broaden the export base of the state. The park will enble IT professionals to walk in and to state their business instantly.
The news STP has been christened as JSS software Technology park.The private STP is locted at Infocity in Chandaka ,Bhubaneswar with a view to provide incubation and infrastructure faclities to new ans young entrepreneurs in the MSME sector .Infocity is considered as the biggestITpark in estern India spread over an area of 350 acres, currently housing IT giants like Infosy, Wipro, TCS, Mind Tree ect.

The intelligent building of the JSS STP is spread in sprawing three acre campus and housses state-of-art technology to fulfil the growing demands of highly competent IT professionals.

Following is an excerpt from a report in expressbuzz.com.

The Nandankanan Zoological Park here will have the largest Orchid House of Orissa soon.

Spread over 5,000 sq ft, the garden will be home to some exotic species which are found in Orissa as well as outside.

… The Nanadankanan Zoo authorities have collected over 156 varieties of orchids belonging to 35 species for the Orchid House which is now awaiting to be thrown open. Altogether, the specially-designed garden will be home to 1,000 plants, Director of Nandankanan Zoological Park Sudarshan Panda said. All the three different types of orchidaceae – epiphytic, subaerial and those growing on the soil are part of the collection.

Following is an excerpt from a report in expressbuzz.com.

National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation is all set to open its Regional Office (East) and launch the Orissa chapter of the Council in Bhubaneswar on Saturday. It would be the fifth regional office in the country after Mumbai, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Delhi.

As the nodal agency for housing and real estate sector in India, Naredco’s activities range from legislative, legal and regulation issues to commercial ones.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.

Gurgaon-based real estate firm Vipul Limited, one of the leading real estate developers in the country, plans to invest Rs 80-100 crore in setting up a four-star business hotel in Bhubaneswar .

Vipul Limited had identified Bhubaneswar as one of the 5-6 strategic locations in the country where it intends to set up three-star and four-star business hotels.

Apart from Bhubaneswar, these business hotels are set to come up in the states of Punjab, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. Each of these business hotels would cost Rs 80-100 crore.

“We have identified two to three plots of land in Bhubaneswar, including one close to the airport for setting up a four-star business hotel. "

The proposed hotel would come up on an area of 2-3 acres”, Punit Beriwala, managing director, Vipul Limited told Business Standard.

He declined to comment on the time-frame of setting up of the business hotel as the details were yet to be worked out.

The following is from http://www.vipulgroup.in/bhubanerwar.html.

Vipul Gardens Bhubaneswar a luxury Group Housing offers all the luxuries and amenities of contemporary living. Every home in Vipul Gardens will be seamlessly connected to futuristic facilities and services that are at par with the best in the world. From leisure to entertainment to daily activities it will bring you a splendid array of services. Be it the convenience of ample surface and basement parking power back-up or the professional management of the entire property at Vipul Gardens Bhubaneswar every moment will become extraordinary.

Total Built Up Area – 10 acre (approx).

Choice of living – 4 BR,3BR & 2BR+study.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Economic Times by Nageshwar Patnaik.

… With the state attracting around Rs 6,00,000-crore investments, including two biggest FDI proposals from ArcelorMittal and Posco, property prices in the city have jumped 4-8 times in five years.

Rapid urbanisation coupled with positive developments in sectors like information technology, biotechnology and mega investments in airport, steel, aluminium, mining, power, railways, road, port, hospitality and manufacturing has given a boost to realty in the state capital. A 1,200 square feet apartment in an up market area such as Kharabela Nagar, Forest Park and Saheed Nagar now costs between Rs 30 lakh and Rs 40 lakh.

“There is a mismatch between demand and supply, leading to steep hike in property prices in Bhubaneswar. Against a demand of 2,0000 houses in the medium and upper housing categories, the supply is mere 1,000 houses only. …

In the last five years, the city has witnessed tremendous growth in all segments,IT park, BPO, call centres, hotels, technical institutes, medical colleges and hospitals. In fact, the rise in number of world-class educational institutes has put the pressure on the city. This also has attracted many leading real estate companies in the country, which have taken the land for different projects.

But confusion is writ large among both the developers and customers with the government owning around 80% of land. “The state government is yet to come out with a clear policy on real estate for the capital city. Besides, land consolidation policy is conspicuous by its absence. …

The state government owns about 80% of the land in the state capital while 10% of private land is under legal dispute and the rest 10% is in the hands of landlords. The leading real estate companies from the country have taken land from the government to put up huge properties.

DLF has taken 54 acres of land from the state government owned IDCO near Infocity at Chandrasekharpur where it is coming up with 40 lakh square feet floor space to accommodate an IT Park, shopping, hotels, retail and residential apartments. Similarly, Unitech emerged as a successful bidder for 11 acres of land leased out by the Bhubaneswar Development Authority to develop commercial properties like multiplexes, retail and office space.

Vipul Group is developing a 19-acre township in a public private partnership mode with Orissa State Housing Board (OSHB). Similarly, Mumbai-based K Raheja Corp proposes to set-up a Mindspace IT Park here through a joint venture with the government or any of its agencies over 30 acres in three years at an investment of Rs 250 crore.

Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation of Orissa (IIDCO) will acquire land for the project. FIRE (First Indian Real Estate) Capital Fund, a global PE Fund, is eyeing major investments in Bhubaneswar. …

Following is  from a report in New Indian Express.

The State Government will lease out unused land of Orissa State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) at Cuttack, Baripada and here to the Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) for commercial purpose.

The OSRTC has prime land at Master Canteen, Pala Mandap in Cuttack and Baripada town. The corporation will lease out the Master Canteen land to RIL for 33 years for Rs 20 crore. Reliance has proposed to open retail outlets and has agreed to pay a monthly rental of Rs 15 lakh.

The company has reportedly deposited Rs 6 crore with the Government for the OSRTC land at Baripada town. However, OSRTC will collect monthly rent from RIL for all the leased out plots. Rent will be revised every five years.

The proceeds from leased out land will be invested for procurement of more buses and modernisation of the Government bus stands.

In the first phase, five bus stands at Angul, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Dhenkanal and Sambalpur will be modernised under the public-private partnership.

While the bus stands of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Sambalpur will be renovated, two new bus stands will be developed at Angul and Dhenkanal.

The public utility has 230 on road buses and plans are afoot to add another 50 to its fleet. The corporation has submitted a proposal to the Government for pay revision of the employees, official sources said.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.

The Orissa government today entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the K Raheja Corporation for setting up a IT park in Bhubaneswar with ‘Mindspace‘ branding. …

The proposed IT park will be implemented through a joint venture company to be formed between the state owned Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) and K Raheja group. It is expected to be completed in about 3 years and an estimated Rs 250 crore will be invested in the first phase.

Three possible locations at Infocity-I, Infocity-II and Mancheswar Industrial Estate have been identified but the final location will be decided in consultation with the Raheja group.

Proposed to be built over 30 acres of land, the IT park is expected to generate employment opportunities for more than 12,000 persons in next 3-4 years. K Raheja group , which is engaged in the business of infrastructure development, has the experience of developing similar IT parks in places like Hyderabad and Mumbai. …

the park will be developed in public-private-partnership (PPP) mode. It will have about 10 lakh square feet of space to be used by different IT and ITeS companies coming to Orissa. As this project is highly employment intensive, it will be beneficial for the state.

Stating that about 3-4 lakh jobs are likely to be created in the IT and ITeS sector of the state, the minister said, the government is trying to achieve Rs 5000 crore software export target set by chief minister Naveen Patnaik well before 2012.

Ravi C Raheja said, that every ‘Mindspace’ IT park developed by the company is green certified.Citing the example of the IT park developed by the group in Hyderabad, Raheja said, the state government expected to generate about 15,000 jobs in 10 years.Within 4 years of starting the park about 50,000 jobs have already been created.The company is targeting to increase it to 1 lakh there. Bhubaneswar IT park will also generate vast employment opportunity for the people.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.

The Planning Commission today suggested the Orissa government to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for three projects for availing of assistance under the viability gap funding (VGF) of the Centre.

These three projects are Rs 3200 crore Samuka Special Tourism Project, Rs 1500 crore Sambalpur-Rourkela road project and the Rs 1500 crore worth Bhubaneswar Solid Waste Management Project.These projects worth about Rs 6200 crore will be implemented on a pilot basis.

"A new format has been developed for availing of the assistance from VGF and the Orissa government will have to prepare a DPR keeping in view the new format and submit it to the Planning Commission", Subash Pani, secretary, Planning Commission said.

After reviewing the projects taken up in the Public-Private-Partnership ( PPP) mode by the Orissa government, Pani told media persons that the Centre can provide upto 20 percent of the project cost under the VGF. So the state government can take advantage of it.

He said, the Centre introduced the VGF last fiscal and no state has availed of the assistance from this fund created with the objective of bridging the gap in funding viable projects taken up in PPP mode.

Pani said, the Orissa government plans to execute 35 important infrastructure projects in PPP mode. While 25 projects are in the pipeline, 10 projects are on going.

The on-going projects include Rs 68 crore Palasapanga- Bamberi road, Gopalpur port, Dhamra Port, Rs 480 crore international convention centre, Rs 146 crore IT and Corporate Tower (Bhubaneswar), Rs 500 crore Info Park(Bhubaneswar), Rs 35.67 crore Knowledge park, Rs 352 crore SEZ-BPO at Mancheswar, Rs 76 crore Commercial and IT Complex at Rourkela.

Following is an excerpt from a report in expresshospitality.com.

Orissa Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) has planned to set up an international convention centre through a public-private partnership model. BK Patel, head (SEZ & Infrastructure Projects) at IDCO, said, "The convention centre will be spread over 25 acres in tie-up with private developers. We have started inviting tenders for the project and expect to reach a decision to begin the project in the coming months."

The convention centre is to be built at a whopping Rs 500 crore and expected to be completed in the next three years. 

See http://oceanworldwaterpark.com.

They are located between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar and their Physical address is:

Following is extracted from a report in sify.com.

Maytas Infra Ltd (MIL) is an infrastructure development, construction and project management company with more than two decades of experience in execution of complex & challenging landmark projects across the country. The company recently forayed into segments such as airports, seaports, oil and gas pipelines. MIL plans to diversify into new verticals like mining and related activities, manufacture of construction material and providing advisory & consultancy services.

… MIL’s new projects include railway siding project for Vedanta Industries in Orissa, Chennai MT Project & Hyderabad MRTS project.

… Its current projects include Vedanta Aluminium’s, Residential Township in Orissa worth Rs. 232.7 crore …

… MIL in JV with other firms is currently working on setting up 464MW Gas based Gautami Power project in AP, 100MW Sorang Hydro Power Project in Himachal Pradesh, 300MW KVK Nilachal thermal power project in Orissa and 56MW coal washery reject based SV Power project.

 

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard. (See also the report in Financial Express.)

Mumbai-based realty major Raheja group will be investing around Rs 3000 1000 crore for the development of the first information technology (IT) park in Orissa.

Alongside, a 50 Mw power plant, cold storage in the public-private-partnership (PPP) mode and a hotel would also be set up by the group. The group also plans to enter the retail space and set up an IT development centre after surveying the potential.

The park would be christened Mindspace cum Techno-campus Park. The group already has such Mindspace cum techno-campus parks in Hyderabad, Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

… As per the presentation, in the first phase an incubation centre on 30-40 acres would be developed. The entire IT park would come up over 100 acres.

The plan envisages development of the park within the next 8-10 months, provided land is made available by the Orissa government in the next couple of months.

Following is from Samaja.

Following are extracted from a report in the Pioneer.

• the State Commerce and Transport Department, in its sanction order-29753, dated May 30, 1970, had allotted 3, 793.21 acres in the first phase and 2285.23 acres in the second phase to the Paradip Port Project. Most of the lands were obtained from Sandhakuda, Bijayachandrapur, Balijhari and Bhitaragara villages, under Kujang Tehsil. According to the official sources, about 6,889 acres of land were supplied to the Paradip Port Trust.
• The State Government had provided 62.19 acres of land to the Paradeep Phosphate Ltd, which is a fertiliser plant that started its project in 1982. The PPL had acquired 405 acres of private lands from Bhitaragada village on its own.
• … in Paradeep-Cuttack railway line 137 acres of land were acquired from the Bhitaragada village.
• Kujang Tehsil had about 1,500 acres of Government land in the Musadiha area that was provided to the Oswal Fertiliser Plant in the year 1995-96. The plant had also purchased about 500 acres of private land from the local people.
• … in 2000 Indian Oil Corporation had purchased 3,300 acres of private land from the local people of 17 villages for its refinery project, which was to be set up on the outskirts of Paradip but the project is yet to come.
• for much-hyped Haridaspur-Paradip Railway Project, widening of the NH-5 and recent expansion of Cuttack-Paradip State Highway, thousands of acres of both Government and private lands have been acquired from Kujang Tehsil.
• Essar, the 6 million tonnes steel plant project, moves for the land acquisition in Paradip and the project needs about 1,950 acres of land. The State Government has already given 350 acres of land to the plant. It will procure the remaining required land from private land.
• Posco has shown a demand of about 4,004 acres of land in Dhinkia, Gadakujang and Nuagaon villages for its steel plant and port project. The State Government has given assurance and has provided Posco most of the encroached Government and forestlands. The rest of the required land would be purchased from private landowners.

Following is an excerpt from a New Indian Express report on this.

Expanding its business portfolio, the Kolkata-based Saraf Group, promoters of Forum Mart shopping malls, has now decided to set up a titanium plant at Chhatrapur in Ganjam district.

The plant will be set up over 600 acres of land at an investment of Rs 2,000 crore in collaboration with the Russian Government. Production is likely to start by 2009- end.

This was disclosed by Saraf Group chairman S M Shroff while talking to mediapersons here on Tuesday. He said the project had received approval of the State Government and an MoU would be signed soon. The company had already acquired 200 acres.

He also announced setting up of two more shopping malls in the State, buoyed by the success of Forum Mart here. Both the malls – to come up in the Capital city and in Berhampur, would also have four-screen multiplex. The projects are likely to be completed by 2009-end.

The following invitation for bids is for

• the construction of a Garden of peace at Dhauli which will include an amphitheater, and
• group housing scheme at Gadkana.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Telegraph.

… Forum Projects, which now has a land bank worth over Rs 3,500 crore, is also investing big beyond Bengal. …

A mixed-use city-centre development in Adityapur across 22.5 acres with hospitals, club, cineplex, retail, residential and conferencing facilities, and a 550,000-sq ft lifestyle mall in Bhubaneswar with 1,200 car parks are the other large-format projects on the group’s 5.5 million-sq ft retail roadmap.

Following are excerpts from a Business Standard report.

Berhampur Development Authority (BDA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Kolkata based real estate company, Forum Private Limited, for construction of a Rs 95.78 crore integrated commercial-cum-residential complex here.

The complex, which will come up under the banner of Gajapati Plaza on a 5 acre plot, will be built on the model of Public Private Partnership (PPP).

Facilities like shopping malls, hotel and entertainment arcade will be provided in the complex, said Sarat Ranjan Patnaik, chairman of BDA.

The executive committee of BDA approved the project on Wednesday and decided to send the proposal to the government for final approval.

According to the proposal, BDA will provide the land to the real estate company on 75 years lease for construction of the complex and will manage it after completion.

… Forum was selected to construct Gajapati Plaza through competitive bidding. BDA had floated tender inviting applications from the companies for construction of the proposed project. While 14 applications were received, only four were selected for pre-qualification bid. Of them only two were in the final bid and Forum was awarded the tender.

Forum, promoted by the Sarafs of Kolkata, had earlier constructed the Forum Mart in Bhubaneswar.

Sarafs were working on a project to set up a titanium dioxide plant near Chhatrapur in Ganjam district.

“The face of the Berhampur will change when the Gajapati Plaza constructed at the Corporation Road, on the side of National Highway 217 in the heart of the city comes up”, he said.

BDA has approved a proposal for construction of Vivek Vihar Phase II, residential housing project and a bypass from Gokarneswar temple to All India Radio office in Berhampur.

According to Patnaik, the housing project would cost about Rs 7.50 crore and would come up over 29 acres at Ambapua at the outskirt of the city. About 100 houses of different categories would be constructed.

The price of the houses would range between Rs 2.81 lakh and Rs 16.34 lakh depending on type.

“We decided to construct the housing project from our own fund”, he said.

BDA has decided to construct 600m by-pass from Gokarneswar temple to AIR office at a cost of Rs 1.69 crore to solve the acute traffic problem in Gate Bazar area here.

(Thanks to Deba Nayak for the pointer to this.)