Smart-er city: IT tower, ring road to come up

Bhubaneswar: With the capital city emerging as a major technology hub in eastern India, state govt is mulling an ambitious plan to construct an iconic IT tower at Satya Nagar here. The proposed facility will provide a state-of-the-art office space to major national and international IT and ITeS companies.

Proposed to be developed over an area of around six acres in the heart of the city, the building is envisioned to have a total of 34 floors with three basements for vehicle parking and an observation deck on the top floor.

Odisha Bridge Construction Corporation (OBCC) Ltd has been assigned the task of executing the mega project, for which it has already initiated the tender process. Sources said the tower will be built on a turnkey basis, where a single contractor will oversee the entire process.

"There are several companies wanting to set up shop in Odisha that require state-of-the-art, furnished and functional office spaces. The demand has doubled considering the growth of entrepreneurship and startup culture," managing director of OBCC, Sameer Hota, said.

A senior official said that location is one of the major requirements for setting up an office complex by any private company. "Considering this fact, the most sought-after locations in Bhubaneswar are Patia, Saheed Nagar, Satya Nagar, Nayapalli, Rasulgarh, Khandagiri and Pahala," he said.

The site identified by OBCC for the mega project is a primary location, with the Smart Janpath on one side and the Cuttack-Puri road on the other side. The site is located adjacent to St Mother Teresa Road, a 26-metre-wide major arterial road.

According to initial specifications provided by OBCC, the iconic IT tower will have a total built-up area of 1.90 lakh square m, including three basements of 53,120 sq m each and 34 stories above the ground. There will also be a service basement and 4-storey building in the compound.

"The plan has been prepared with the aim of creating an office building that adapts to current and future demand. The campus will have functionality, flexibility and sustainability," said an OBCC official, adding that the tower will have a minimum capacity to accommodate at least 8,000 staff members.

As per the plan, the first two basements will accommodate 500 cars each, while the third one will house 1,000 cars. On the ground and first floors, there will be a reception, lobby, club, library and more facilities, while the other floors will have office spaces.

"The project sounds truly amazing. Such a massive tower in the heart of the city will be magnificent. The city is expanding in every term, and such infrastructure is the need of the hour to maintain and improve its image as an IT hub," Pratik Acharya, a software engineer based in the city, said.