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Ech Kay
at
12:30 PM
Within a relatively short span of around fifteen years, we have seen if not thousands, hundreds of IT-sector companies mushrooming up in cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune. Rightly so, Bangalore is called the IT-hub, or the Silicon Valley of India. Chennai and Mangalore have played "fringe-players" to Bangalore, in the sense that over the years, the IT industries spilled over to these cities, owing to their proximity to Bangalore.
The perpetual infrastructure crunch has meant that, cities like Hyderabad and Bangalore have developed vertically and horizontally. Real estate prices in these cities have already gone through the roof. Acquiring a piece of land within the city is next to impossible. For people staying in these cities, long distances, traffic hold-ups, long hours of conveyance by road et al have become a common feature of their daily routines. People work in a certain area of the city and stay in another part of the city that is 15 to 20 kilometres away. They spend on an average 2 hours daily in commuting.
In fact, the airport at Hyderabad is 25 kilometres from the city centre at Begumpet. The new airport built at Devanahalli is 40 kilometres away from Bangalore city! Incidentally, a cousin of mine flew from Nagpur to Bangalore a couple of days ago. Her flight duration was 90 minutes and it took her 120 minutes to reach her home from the airport by taxi! So much for staying in a large metropolis!
Owing to over-crowding in tier-1 cities, which led to an infrastructure bottleneck, IT companies started seeking space in tier-2 cities, for opening new offices. Cities like Chandigarh, Noida, Gurgaon, Bhubaneshwar, Vishakhapatnam, Mysore, Jaipur, Nagpur etc. have been on their radar since quite a while. Over the last decade, major IT giants including Infosys, Wipro, TCS, IBM and Satyam have established their presence in most of these cities. Moreover, Bhubaneshwar has been portrayed as the next big IT destination. The city has definitely leap-frogged others in terms of growth and development!
Amidst this mad rush, one thing that makes me wonder is WHY hasn't the software industry flourished in Nagpur? Why does Nagpur still not boast of housing offices of any of the major IT giants? These questions have been nagging me since quite some months now. After all, What is it that Nagpur lacks?
One thing worth pondering is that, is the infrastructure in Nagpur really up to the mark? Are the public utilities in Nagpur, in place and functioning efficiently? The city has been witnessing unprecedented shortage of power since the last few years. Can any industry survive without an uninterrupted supply of power? Of late, supply of industrial and vehicle fuel too has dipped sharply. Security throughout the country is a joke. (A joke on the common man, mind you.) Local policing is weak, and petty crimes and crimes against women and the old are rampant. There are no places of interest in the city to keep the youth hooked; and in my humble opinion, Telangkhedi lake-side and Walkers' Street do NOT qualify as places of interest.
Fortunately, at the turn of the century, we had a visionary and efficient public servant, Dr. T. Chandrashekhar as the Municipal Commissioner of Nagpur. Through meticulous planning, Dr. Chandrashekhar effected a complete makeover for the city, within a short span of five years. He overcome financial obstacles, and worked hard to provide the city with futuristic state-of-the-art infrastructure. Thanks to Dr Chandrashekhar, Nagpur today boasts of beautiful, wide roads; improved water supply and sewage disposal system and a lavish cover of green all over the city.
So to say, Nagpur boasts of having the best possible infrastructure needed to woo industrialists to come and set up base. Being situated in the centre of the country, Nagpur is well connected by air, railway and roads with all major cities in India. Of late, quite a few International sector flights are also being operated from Nagpur. Bi-weekly flights connect Nagpur to Bangkok, Doha, Dubai and Sharjah.
Moreover, the international airport is situated within the city. The development of a Multimodal International Hub Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN) promises to open the floodgates for business opportunists throughout the country and beyond. A proposed SEZ that is being developed adjacent to the airport, shall boast of world-class infrastructure, once completed. The Special Economic Zone shall provide top-notch facilities for business houses to set up manufacturing units in various sectors including food processing, health care, textiles, engineering, IT, pharmaceuticals, etc.
If the scenario appears to be so rosy, then what is it that stops Nagpur from making a mark in India's IT circles? It would be unfair to say that Nagpur does not have a presence of IT companies. Nagpurpulse.com enlists 74 IT start-ups operating from the city. These companies collectively provide employment to a few thousand professionals from the city and adjoining areas. But why is it that young graduates don't find working in Nagpur lucrative enough?
It is indeed hypocritical of me to rant on this aspect. I am a Computer Science Engineering fresher by education. I was recruited by Tech Mahindra in an on-campus interview in Jan '07. I will be joining Tech Mahindra at Pune sometime next month. Personally, I would not prefer to begin my career in Nagpur. The reasons are plenty. Firstly, the pay packages in Nagpur are far less (almost 15 to 20%) than pay packages offered to freshers in Pune/ Bangalore. Secondly, growth opportunities in the IT sector in Nagpur are very less. Over a span of 3-4 years, a young IT professional cannot expect a radical shift in his professional role. This is primarily because companies in Nagpur are still in their infancy. Thirdly, availability of senior managers has been a major challenge, since people who have worked for 4-5 years in a large city, don't prefer shifting to Nagpur. Thus these companies aim at developing their own experienced loyal associates over a period of time. Moreover, the current industry scenario in Nagpur doesn't provide enough opportunities for professionals to switch jobs in search of better pays or more challenging roles. All in all, Nagpur city doesn't go down too well with young graduates (including yours truly) as a suitable place to settle in and build a career. Maybe the scenario could change (for the better) if a few big names from the IT sector decide to set up base in Nagpur.
What we are observing today is a vicious cycle. The industries would get interested in this city, if they are promised proper amenities by the civic authorities; and if they discover appropriate local talent to recruit. Local graduates, on the other hand, would get interested, if they are assured of a healthy job scenario. Now what exactly happens earlier, and when; is left to be seen.
-HK
12:30 pm; 20th August '08
Also read:
All that you need to know about MIHAN
Nagpur: Next IT destination?
Permalink
The perpetual infrastructure crunch has meant that, cities like Hyderabad and Bangalore have developed vertically and horizontally. Real estate prices in these cities have already gone through the roof. Acquiring a piece of land within the city is next to impossible. For people staying in these cities, long distances, traffic hold-ups, long hours of conveyance by road et al have become a common feature of their daily routines. People work in a certain area of the city and stay in another part of the city that is 15 to 20 kilometres away. They spend on an average 2 hours daily in commuting.
In fact, the airport at Hyderabad is 25 kilometres from the city centre at Begumpet. The new airport built at Devanahalli is 40 kilometres away from Bangalore city! Incidentally, a cousin of mine flew from Nagpur to Bangalore a couple of days ago. Her flight duration was 90 minutes and it took her 120 minutes to reach her home from the airport by taxi! So much for staying in a large metropolis!
Owing to over-crowding in tier-1 cities, which led to an infrastructure bottleneck, IT companies started seeking space in tier-2 cities, for opening new offices. Cities like Chandigarh, Noida, Gurgaon, Bhubaneshwar, Vishakhapatnam, Mysore, Jaipur, Nagpur etc. have been on their radar since quite a while. Over the last decade, major IT giants including Infosys, Wipro, TCS, IBM and Satyam have established their presence in most of these cities. Moreover, Bhubaneshwar has been portrayed as the next big IT destination. The city has definitely leap-frogged others in terms of growth and development!
Amidst this mad rush, one thing that makes me wonder is WHY hasn't the software industry flourished in Nagpur? Why does Nagpur still not boast of housing offices of any of the major IT giants? These questions have been nagging me since quite some months now. After all, What is it that Nagpur lacks?
One thing worth pondering is that, is the infrastructure in Nagpur really up to the mark? Are the public utilities in Nagpur, in place and functioning efficiently? The city has been witnessing unprecedented shortage of power since the last few years. Can any industry survive without an uninterrupted supply of power? Of late, supply of industrial and vehicle fuel too has dipped sharply. Security throughout the country is a joke. (A joke on the common man, mind you.) Local policing is weak, and petty crimes and crimes against women and the old are rampant. There are no places of interest in the city to keep the youth hooked; and in my humble opinion, Telangkhedi lake-side and Walkers' Street do NOT qualify as places of interest.
Fortunately, at the turn of the century, we had a visionary and efficient public servant, Dr. T. Chandrashekhar as the Municipal Commissioner of Nagpur. Through meticulous planning, Dr. Chandrashekhar effected a complete makeover for the city, within a short span of five years. He overcome financial obstacles, and worked hard to provide the city with futuristic state-of-the-art infrastructure. Thanks to Dr Chandrashekhar, Nagpur today boasts of beautiful, wide roads; improved water supply and sewage disposal system and a lavish cover of green all over the city.
So to say, Nagpur boasts of having the best possible infrastructure needed to woo industrialists to come and set up base. Being situated in the centre of the country, Nagpur is well connected by air, railway and roads with all major cities in India. Of late, quite a few International sector flights are also being operated from Nagpur. Bi-weekly flights connect Nagpur to Bangkok, Doha, Dubai and Sharjah.
Moreover, the international airport is situated within the city. The development of a Multimodal International Hub Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN) promises to open the floodgates for business opportunists throughout the country and beyond. A proposed SEZ that is being developed adjacent to the airport, shall boast of world-class infrastructure, once completed. The Special Economic Zone shall provide top-notch facilities for business houses to set up manufacturing units in various sectors including food processing, health care, textiles, engineering, IT, pharmaceuticals, etc.
MIHAN - Changing the face of Nagpur!
If the scenario appears to be so rosy, then what is it that stops Nagpur from making a mark in India's IT circles? It would be unfair to say that Nagpur does not have a presence of IT companies. Nagpurpulse.com enlists 74 IT start-ups operating from the city. These companies collectively provide employment to a few thousand professionals from the city and adjoining areas. But why is it that young graduates don't find working in Nagpur lucrative enough?
It is indeed hypocritical of me to rant on this aspect. I am a Computer Science Engineering fresher by education. I was recruited by Tech Mahindra in an on-campus interview in Jan '07. I will be joining Tech Mahindra at Pune sometime next month. Personally, I would not prefer to begin my career in Nagpur. The reasons are plenty. Firstly, the pay packages in Nagpur are far less (almost 15 to 20%) than pay packages offered to freshers in Pune/ Bangalore. Secondly, growth opportunities in the IT sector in Nagpur are very less. Over a span of 3-4 years, a young IT professional cannot expect a radical shift in his professional role. This is primarily because companies in Nagpur are still in their infancy. Thirdly, availability of senior managers has been a major challenge, since people who have worked for 4-5 years in a large city, don't prefer shifting to Nagpur. Thus these companies aim at developing their own experienced loyal associates over a period of time. Moreover, the current industry scenario in Nagpur doesn't provide enough opportunities for professionals to switch jobs in search of better pays or more challenging roles. All in all, Nagpur city doesn't go down too well with young graduates (including yours truly) as a suitable place to settle in and build a career. Maybe the scenario could change (for the better) if a few big names from the IT sector decide to set up base in Nagpur.
What we are observing today is a vicious cycle. The industries would get interested in this city, if they are promised proper amenities by the civic authorities; and if they discover appropriate local talent to recruit. Local graduates, on the other hand, would get interested, if they are assured of a healthy job scenario. Now what exactly happens earlier, and when; is left to be seen.
-HK
12:30 pm; 20th August '08
Also read:
All that you need to know about MIHAN
Nagpur: Next IT destination?
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10 comments:
Situation in Nagpur is not all that bad, although I agree that Nagpur lags behind in basic amenities such a public transport, electricity and water. I'm sure in a couple of years to come, we will leap frog other destinations and become one of the leading industrial cities in India
HK -
If I could, I'd give shortest answer to the title of your post. It would be simply - the love for Nagpur.
No city got developed without its own lovers working to make it a better city. You and I are the part of the problem - if we accept there's a problem, to begin with. Hoping someday, someone will appear from the sky and transform the city is just a sign of stupidity. I do not get the logic behind rejecting salary that is mere 20% less. In a bigger city, you'd end up spending much more than you'd spend in Nagpur. This thought is hard to imbibe, for a fresh graduate. But that's how it is.
What Nagpur lacks is few mavericks who are willing to bring a change to the city.
@Big K: Nice one
@HK: Dont mind biggie, he is one of the mavericks and a thorough patriot who can turn the tide for Nagpur. In fact, we are a team.
PS: Since you are RKNEC CS, you would be 1 year senior to my sister. ANyway, The Big K is an RKNEC alumni too :-)
@ maxmayur..
I agree that the situation in Ngp isn't as bad, and that a few years later, this city might flourish too...
But when you say that this city lags the basic amenities, there's little that has changed over the last so many years.. Public transport is a farce... The lesser I speak about power supply, the better. *I was interrupted thrice while I attempted to reply to your comments, because of power outages. *
Here's wishing that in the years to come, public utilities in Ngp will improve so as to make this city more presentable to India Inc.
Since you are Mayur Pathak, I assume you are Hirkani's elder brother..
@ the big k..
I don't deny the fact that we are a part of the problem too. I love this city as much as anyone else does, and I owe a lot to it.
It isn't only about hoping that someone will come and transform this city. It is more about invoking public realization that it is we who can collectively make a difference to the future of this city. We really need visionaries who can change the city's fortunes, but more than anything else, we need strong policy makers and and a stronger individual in-charge of the city's affairs.
And as far as my opinion about freshers rejecting jobs in Nagpur due to a pay packet that is 20% lower is concerned; I would reiterate that, it is not the only reason for doing so. I agree that expenses in Nagpur city would work out to far lesser than any other city. However, individual growth in terms of the profession one is working in, isn't as rapid in Ngp, as one would get in a city like Mumbai or Pune.
And one last remark.. That fact that both - you and Mayur, are ex-Ramians, makes my chest swell with pride! Cheers to the spirit of SRKNEC. The great institution has definitely succeeded in churning out like-minded people!
{Since you are Mayur Pathak, I assume you are Hirkani's elder brother..}
Yes!
I dont know if i should be commenting on this or not taking into consideration i hav been in Bangalore for the last four years of my life...but according to me what really lacks in nagpur is not the infrastructure (as per a recent article in The Mint, Nagpur is second to Chandigarh) but its the whole re-investment cycle that this city lacks...from being a city of having the largest number of crorepatis in a small city...(Rediff.com article dt 2007) what i mean is that the people arent reinvesting in the city that has made them all the money, they arent taking the "risk"...the second biggest road-block is the political scenario that we are facing wherein the Marathwada region has been given more importance than the Vidharba region...
@ Naveen...
Long time big man! It felt really great to receive your comment here..! Hope life has been treating you well..
I do agree with you that people here are averse to risk-taking.. But more than anything else, what's hurting Nagpur the most is the step-motherly treatment that is being meted out by the people in power... Hope this situation changes for the better.. What this city needs, is a voice.. And a loud one, at that.
Dear Harsh
Read through your blog. Well I confess I never read through blogs, but when you asked me about my opinion about something that you wrote, I decided I can change my habit for at least one day.
Read through the "What Nagpur Lacks?" article. Pretty good insight. Rather though it seems you wrote in August 2008, you can take it from me that nothing much has changed from December 2006.
After going through the article, I felt, there is one more thing you haven't looked into. A point far more important than the apathy of infrastructure and the availability of resources.
Its the complacency of the inhabitants. The sarcastic "on it goes" attitude of the people who live within the fortified confines of their dwellings.
Everyone was very happy with the advent of Chandrashekhar's rule. But no one tried to make the other rulers as competent as that one. People forget that the ruler need not be strong always. Sometimes the ruled have to strengthen themselves so that the ruler can rule them properly.
I am not of the opinion that people haven't realised their mistake or they haven't done anything. But my opinion is, they haven't done much. There's lots to be done even before we say we have started something.
I lived in Nagpur for a decade. I have seen the changes, the makeovers, the regime changes and the personal changes. But one thing that I haven't seen changing is the attitude and the aptitude.
Its not enough to have Technical Institutes around. Its necessary to have the right aptitude of the graduates.
Creating job opportunities shouldn't be the only concern. Creating the right opportunity at the right time is the necessity.
My personal experience has not been very rosy too. In the whole lot of my friends circle, other than the purpose of marriage for my lady friends and the reason of family business for my 3 guy friends, none have stayed back, for that extent looked back into the city.
I myself am a culprit for thinking of a different goal for myself.
But only if we can harness the prowess of the brains and the strength of the minds of those who still live on and those who still want to live on; we can promise a better future not only to ourselves, but if possible to the coming generations as well.
Though a drop may not be anything compared to the ocean. But without it, the ocean is incomplete.
The cliche might be old, but remember, a single drop of Potassium Permanganate can redden the whole overhead tank of the Lokmat Building.
If only Nagpur realises not what it lacks but what it lags!
Check out latest MIHAN Nagpur Photos here - http://www.mh-31.com
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