VIJAYAWADA: Clearing the nagging doubts of local industrialists about the IT project at Gannavaram, Secretary to the Government for Information Technology and Communications S.K. Joshi on Saturday asserted that the IT Park coming up near Gannavaram Airport would be completed by December next year.

Mr. Joshi told The Hindu that he was confident of meeting the latest deadline for the completion of the long-awaited IT project in the region, which would be executed by the L&T. “All hurdles have been cleared in this regard. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has also given its permission to go head with the construction of the tower,” he disclosed.

To a question, Mr. Joshi said that the IT Tower would be of a height of 21.5 metres with a basement and four floors. The AAI had not objected to this, and there was no further complication in the execution of the project. In all probability, nearly four towers would come up in the IT Park and there was a scope for the development of eight residential areas, he explained.

Earlier, addressing the launch function of the Vijayawada chapter of the Hyderabad Software Exporters’ Association (HYSEA ), Mr. Joshi asked the Andhra Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which organised the function, to show industrialists ready to invest and hire space in the incubation facility proposed in a two-acre site on Ring Road. “It is now for you to act. The ball is in your court. You show results and we will give more support to all your future endeavours,” he told them.

Responding to chamber president M. Rajaiah’s observation that there was a need to allot the 18-acre land belonging to the Government Polytechnic College for development of a software park, Mr. Joshi said such a proposal would certainly be entertained if the software industry showed its commitment to the existing incubation facility. Recalling his earlier stint as Joint Collector of Krishna district, Mr. Joshi agreed with the general feeling of some speakers that though the city showed some improvement in the last 10 years, it was apparent that it still lacked competitive development as growth engines were missing. Y.S. Prasad, Vice-Chairman of the Vijayawada Guntur Tenali Mangalagiri Urban Development Authority, explained the progress in the IT project proposed at the Amaravathi Township at Mangalagiri, which was being taken up as a special economic zone. HYSEA executive director Brigadier Harikumar and Efftronics managing director D. Ramakrishna spoke.