IT Professionals' Dreams Shattered in Nizamabad IT Hub

 Nizamabad: Dreams of unemployed techies were shattered as the IT Hub in Nizamabad has majorly failed to provide them jobs. Infrastructure for 600 employees had been readied at the centre, but fewer employers took an interest to come forward and begin their operations'

It was ahead of the Assembly elections last year that the BRS government inaugurated the IT Hub in Nizamabad — on August 9, 2023, at the hands of then former IT minister K.T. Rama Rao. Some nine companies are operational there with nominal strength of employees — 100 youths — for the last 10 months.

Aiming to improve the IT sector in tier-II cities in Telangana state, the BRS government set up the Hub at the Bypass Road here. Lack of coordination between the state government and IT companies remained a serious handicap in its forward march.

The building has not been handed over to the state government.

The Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation, monitoring the construction of the IT Hub, is rather looking after the maintenance of what is in place. There is no timely payment of salaries to the house keeping staff and others. The staff are largely demoralised.

Initially, some international companies evinced interest to set up their units in tier-II cities like Nizamabad in Telangana, but later dropped their plans.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Kavya, software employee hailing from Nizamabad, said she wanted to work in her native place, but in vain. “I worked in the hybrid mode (part home, part office), but now the IT company directed us to work only from office.”

“After setting up an IT Hub in Nizamabad, local IT professionals hoped that they would get employment locally, but this remains a dream,” she said.

Meanwhile, a few companies shut down their operations in Nizamabad and have reduced their working space in the IT Hub. A company representative said their seating capacity at the Nizamabad IT Hub was drastically reduced due to unfavourable conditions.

A fee of Rs 2500 per chair was charged in the first year of the IT Hub and it would be increased to Rs 3500 from the second year, ie from August 10 this year, he pointed out.