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chandigarh - the next IT hub

Sandeep Sood - April 30, 2007

bcm has been operating out of Chandigarh for over 4 years.  It looks like people are starting to catch on (CNN):

"The IT industry is excited about Chandigarh's potential as an emerging IT destination," said Kiran Karnik, president of the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), India's top trade body for the IT industry. "Already, many IT companies have begun operations there or have plans of doing so, making it one of the new 'hot spots' for the IT industry," he told Reuters by email.

Current investment in the park, located on the outskirts of the city, is 7 billion rupees ($165 million) and in two years it is expected to touch 30 billion rupees ($711 million), Brar said.

"There is no doubt that a lot of people are trying hard to sell Chandigarh as the next Silicon Valley in India," said Simran Aujla, an IT professional.

Chandigarh is one of India's most well-planned cities.  Unfortunately, that plan maxes out at around 500,000 people.   Wikipedia on the the architect's initial vision:

Le Corbusier divided the city into units called 'sectors', each representing a theoretically self-sufficient entity with space for living, working and leisure. The sectors were linked to each other by a road and path network developed along the line of the 7 Vs, or a hierarchy of seven types of circulation patterns.
Because of this well-executed plan, Chandigarh has always been my favorite city in India.  After having worked with a few firms in helter-skelter Bangalore, moving our main office to Chandigarh felt like relocating to a day spa.

For better or worse, this is all about to change.  Over the next two years, a massive influx of large companies, employees, and Marutis with custom horn sounds is going to begin a fast, loud transition.  I am happy for Chandigarh.  But, it makes me think.  Time to relocate to Goa?

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Posted by Sandeep Sood at April 30, 2007 11:07 PM

Comments

Dear Sandeep

Very valuable insight. Thank you. Our offices will be in touch.

Best wishes


DK

DK Matai

The Philanthropia, ATCA, mi2g.net
Holistic Quantum Relativity Group

1. Posted by DK Matai [TypeKey Profile Page] on April 30, 2007 11:49 PM

Looks nice to read something about 'our' Chandigarh!

Thank you, Sandeep, Hi DK

2. Posted by Harb [TypeKey Profile Page] on May 1, 2007 02:28 AM

Chandgarh may well be the next IT hub because it is very modern, and it is in Northern India (not so hot). I think IT people will feel very at home in the Punjab. Bombay and Delhi are close too.

Chandigarh had the luxury of being planned before a huge growth spurt hit. If IT blossoms there, it will be a challenge to continue to manage growth.

We have seen what has happened to the "Eastside" part of the Seattle Metropolitan area in the wake of Microsoft and subsequent expansion from the 1980s until now.

It wasn't managed very well. Traffic is a huge headache and lately the housing market has become bloated to the point of absurdity. In some neighborhoods "fixer-uppers" coast half a million USD. The campus itself is more or less a continuous construction site - adding its own headaches.

Microsoft has instituted an extensive shuttle service, because employees cannot waste a half hour of their time just finding a parking place whenever they have to go to a different building for a meeting (and there are nearly 80 buildings on different sections of the campus).
Plus many of the foreign people there on contract don't have cars anyway.

There are valet and overflow parking services in addition to the shuttle service (currently running nearly 150 vehicles).

So that's what they have to look forward to. Google simply purchased an entire transit system for their employees, but needless to say, this will not be an option for thousands of other IT companies.

Big growth is a double-edged sword. Planning is crucial, but often not properly undertaken. Everyone wants to sign off on their contracts and get going ASAP. Planning, being a time-consuming process of negotiation between the city, business, the government, and public interest groups, too often gets stalled.

The results are that all the businesses and homes spring up before the infrastructure to support all of them is figured out.

Then the people start looking again for greener pastures....and on it goes...

3. Posted by yogi-one [TypeKey Profile Page] on May 1, 2007 10:16 PM

I'm from Chandigarh, LOVE the place and usually, I'm the only one, at least in the Pacific Northwest, to toot its horn in the media. So, it's SO good to see this!

I also wanted to share this hilarious video made by Aditi - IT firm in Seattle-Bangalore - on investing in their employees, Aditi Style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GpPcMVbmtw

QJ

4. Posted by QuantumJ [TypeKey Profile Page] on May 31, 2007 12:54 PM

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