Information Technology (IT) major Wipro has agreed to make the existing building here ready by the end of this month where facilities for 1,800 seats would be available. It has also agreed to increase engaging technical associates from the existing 240 to 1,800 in next 18 months.Global Head of IT Operations of Wipro Hari Prasad Hegde visited Odisha on Wednesday and met IT Minister Pranab Prakash Das and made these promises.
IT Principal Secretary Gudey Srinivas, who was present, said the State Government would review the progress on a quarterly basis and asked the Wipro head to take stock regularly.Hegde said the Wipro would make the next phase of expansion for another 4,000 technical associates by constructing two more towers (G+8). The building plan for the proposed towers would be given by the company very shortly for operationalising the Bhubaneswar Development Centre.
Miffed over the tardy progress of the Wipro’s development centre over the last 8 years, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had written a letter to the company’s Chairman Azim Premji in July 2013.Even though the Wipro’s original plan was to construct five (G+10) towers which would house 11,000 technical associates, it has built only one up to G+6 with 230 associates.
The Wipro had signed an MoU in 2004 with the State Government for setting up a software development and BPO service centre in Bhubaneswar. Twenty-six acres of land was allotted to it in 2005 where it had started constructions in 2007.The Bhubaneswar Development Centre at the Infocity SEZ was put to operation in September 2012.