Government declines plea for fear of controversies
No free space for Microsoft in IT park
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the IT sector eagerly awaits the arrival of IT giant Microsoft to the State, it is learnt that the Kerala Government has declined Microsoft's request for free space in Technopark.
Microsoft had sought about 2,000 sq ft space to start a training and cloud computing facility, an IT dept official said. However, the State Government had rejected the proposal as it would be setting a bad precedence and in all likelihood would set off a controversy.
“Though Microsoft’ s presence in the State would be a boost to its IT sector, we cannot give space free of cost as it could rake up a controversy. It could set a bad precedence as other leading companies may also raise similar demands.
Already many leading firms like Oracle have acquired space in Technopark at the prescribed rates,” said the official.
After the State Government declined the request for free space, there had been no response from Microsoft. The proposal from the IT giant came more than a year back and some preliminary discussions had taken place.
With Hyderabad-born Satya Nadella taking over as Microsoft chief executive officer earlier this year, IT leaders of the State were expecting a better focus on South India. At present, Microsoft has a business communication centre in Kochi. It has development centres in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Gurgaon.
( Source : dc )
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