India’s fourth largest IT services firm Wipro Ltd may have to redraw its plans to open a 8000-person IT centre in Kolkata due to delays from the state government.
Wipro had applied for setting up a special economic zone (SEZ) on January 20.
However, the state government, headed by Mamata Bannerjee is against the policy of ‘special economic zones’ as Mamata’s party came to power largely by campaigning against land-acquisitions for SEZs.
As such, the state government has failed to respond to the Central government’s question about whether it supports Wipro’s SEZ proposal. Another similar project by Infosys Ltd in Kolkata is also on hold due state government policy.
The Centre had asked West Bengal government’s opinion on Wipro proposal soon after getting Wipro’s application early this year.
The proposal is to invest Rs 325 crore in the Rajarhat area of Kolkata, giving employment to about 8,000 IT workers.
SEZs, besides leading to land acquisition, also involve tax benefits that reduce the tax income of the state government from the project.
