Infrastructure: Punjab's Promised Land Pg [2]

[Contn.]
Punjab's Promised Land

People, Roads, and Fibre - No Problem Paaji

In this land of wheat and combined harvesters, you might think it would be a problem getting someone who knows C++ or Unix.

BAL SEHGAL,
Executive Director, Quark
"There's no water problem in Mohali. The water table is as high as 10-12 ft."

Not in Mohali, which is really a catchment area for intellectual labour, the most vital ingredient in software. Techies are being churned out by the neighbouring Punjab Engineering College, Thapar Institute, Kurukshetra Engineering College and a host of other tech institutes. And it all comes at a cost far cheaper than hubs like Bangalore and Hyderabad.

''The it industries have so far grown only in and around big cities, but they were losing out in terms of cost advantages and manpower sourcing,'' reasons STPI's Tyagi. ''Moreover, in order to promote it culture in Punjab, this industry has been given special incentives, besides that an international gateway providing unlimited bandwidth to the software sultans.'' It's no surprise then that Satyam Computers and HCL Perot have already taken approval from STPI to set up shop in Mohali.

For Tata Interactive's Saluja too manpower is the key. His company is a solutions provider and requires a lot of graphics/ design people; today's workforce is 70, but the 14,000 sq ft facility can accommodate 200. ''The College of Art at Chandigarh is an excellent place for tapping such talent,'' says Saluja. ''And since the standard of education out here is generally high, there is an above-average crowd.''

If any of these achievers ever fall ill in Mohali, there's the state-of-the-art Fortis Heart Institute. With a project estimate of Rs 155 crore, Fortis, a Ranbaxy-promoted company, has tied up with Partners Healthcare Systems of USA, one of the leading hospitals of the world, for its venture at Mohali. The hospital now operates with 93 beds and has a capacity of 200.

RAJIV KUCHHAL,
V-P, Infosys Technologies
"The commute is easy, it's less polluted and housing isn't a problem."

A whole lot of infrastructure isn't a problem. About three months ago, a web of fibre was laid down in Mohali. The result is Net access speeds are pretty zappy.

The road network is patterned on the grid system and most of the 76 developed sectors make room for easy traffic. But while commuting isn't a problem, reaching the world outside is a problem for many companies. ''Chandigarh airport is a property of the Indian Air Force, and so talks of an international airport and cargo centre have been shot down owing to security pitfalls,'' rues S.K. Bijlani of the Confederation of Indian Industry's northern region.

The sops provided to the IT industry seem to fall flat without adequate air infrastructure. Jet-setting it professionals who have already enrolled to buy land are stalling, watching how majors such as Infosys and Quark perform in this new land.

Land, Stable Power, and Babus-Sorry Braather

If you want to rent land in Mohali, like we said, no problem. But you want to buy land? Hmmm, think again.

''Developed land costs an astronomical Rs 60 lakh an acre in Mohali; this is much more than the cost prevailing at Gurgaon, or even Noida,'' says Chandra Mohan, former chairman, Punjab Tractors Ltd. Dipinder Singh, Additional Chief Administrator, Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA), chooses to peg the going rate of land at Rs 89 lakh an acre. Even the proposed Mahindra Knowledge Park, which received prime land ''at a huge subsidy'' in Sector 67, had to fork out Rs 35 lakh an acre for its 31-acre it project. When completed next April, it promises nearly 1.5 million square feet of office space.

The strict bylaws are both a blessing and a serious hindrance. For instance, the height of a building can at most measure 45 metres in Mohali. Though this betters the strict Chandigarh mark of 40 metres, it hinders future growth. Agricultural land is limited and far too precious for acquisition. ''Besides, kickbacks to sales tax and excise inspectors ensure that the ground reality has not changed. The entire system remains mired in red tape,'' says an entrepreneur, on condition of anonymity.

Your Night Out In Mohali Town

What does a busy exec do for fun in Mohali? well, you could cruise its manicured streets and admire neon-lit acacias. Maybe even a jamun tree.

In other words, nothing; a nightlife simply doesn't exist in Mohali.

If you want to shake a leg, shoot some pool, see the soni kudis, then take the 10-minute drive to Chandigarh, which is no Copacabana, not even Mumbai. But it does have Mehfil, located in the hippest SCO (that's shopping-cum-office complex: this is, after all, a city planned by babus) in town. Ever since Mehfil opened in late 1999 in the heart of Sector 17, Mohali's it-types have provided adequate clientele.

Mehfil has one big attraction. ''You see, on the weekends there is a sprinkling of the fair sex,'' confides a moderately buzzed 30-something executive. DJ ''Sunny'' says Mehfil is the place ''coz the kind of music we play is different.'' It's the only place for rock, in a town where Jassi's Dil le gayi kudi Gujarat di and others of the genre drown out all else.

The only other places in Chandigarh where you will see the sexes mingling are the discos, Las Vegas and Cloud 9. Otherwise, booze dens like Hot Millions and Khyber's Wild West Pub are, after sundown, places where men come to be men. You could also join Chandigarh's eminently affordable clubs.

In the day time, you kill time in Mohali itself by taking in a fashion show, a regular feature now. Mohali is also the centre of the Punjabi music video: tens of cheap pop bhangra videos are churned out here. Gyms abound in muscle-bound Chandigarh, and Mohali is rapidly catching up. It isn't just wannabe models pumping iron, it's increasingly the executives and techies taking a break from their high-stress jobs.

For Spice's Sawhney, power is the key to growth. Like many, he criticises Punjab's free-power-for-farmers policy. ''We're past the green revolution,'' complains Sawhney. ''Now it's time to build industry... and the government simply can't afford any more free distribution of power.''

At the state-owned, Semiconductor Complex Limited, the back-up generator doesn't need to be switched on. ''There have been no power cuts for us since we enjoy a special status,'' boasts Dr M.J. Zarabi, Chairman of the Rs 66-crore microelectronics company. Others, clearly, are not as lucky.

''The supply of power is better, but its quality needs to be checked due to voltage fluctuations and rampant trippings,'' explains CII's Bijlani. For power-intensive companies like ICI India, which has set up a mammoth plant on over 35 acres of land in 1998, the back-up DG set with 625 kva capacity is a must.

Overall, the power situation so far appears to be good. The government promises a daily dose of 50 kw of power-but with a three-hour restriction. Jit Kumar Gupta, Senior Town Planner, Punjab Urban Development Authority says the moment the nearby Ropar Thermal Plant is fully upgraded, ''90 per cent of power woes will disappear.''

Gupta, a robust Punjabi, says the 2021 master plan for Mohali is underway. Under the plan, altogether 100 sectors have been chalked out for development. But growth, he warns, faces the same Indian disease: babudom.

''There are three nodal agencies-the ECP, the Industries Department, the Punjab State Small Industries and Export Corporation-who look after their own fiefdom with little or no coordination among them,'' admits Gupta. Then there is the PUDA, which administers all residential, institutional and commercial complexes within the city.

Yes, even Mohali can't escape the babus. But give them credit. It is they who planned this little slice of order and industry. If they keep their wits, and sort out their jurisdictional problems, Mohali could become a little slice of India that's like nowhere in India.

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