Fresh bid to auction idle IT Park

NASHIK: The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) has decided to make a fresh attempt to auction the Information Technology (IT) Park building located in the Ambad industrial estate. The building has been lying vacant since its inauguration in 2002 for want of entrepreneurs.
The head office of MIDC has already given its approval for re-auctioning of the IT Park building.The tender will be floated within a week.
"We have decided to re-auction the IT Park building and are in the process of inviting tender for the purpose," Ramdas Khedkar, regional MIDC officer (Nashik division), said.
With an aim to boost IT growth in the state, the state government had set up several state-of-the-art IT Parks in some select cities across Maharashtra, including one in Nashik around a decade ago. The IT Park building, which was built by MDIC at an investment of Rs. 2.23 crore, was inaugurated in 2002. The IT Park building has been lying idle since then due to poor response from industries.
In March last year, the MIDC had invited bids to distribute office space to IT companies. The MIDC had quoted a minimum rate of Rs. 24,530 per sq mtrs for the bid. Only three bids applications were sold, but not a single company filed a bid. Thereafter, the regional office of MIDC had sent a proposal to the head office for its approval to the reacutioning of the IT Park building. Accordingly, the head office has given its approval to the proposal for the purpose.
Another official, who did not want to be identified said, "We are in the process of inviting a tender and would be floated in a week. Last year, we did not receive a response as not a single company had filed a bid during a stipulated time. There had been demand from the industries to reduce the cost of the IT park galas (shops). Hence, we have decided re-auction of the IT Park building and have revised the rates." He avoided divulging information pertaining to the rates revised.
The IT Park has been developed 7.52 hectares of land with as many as 28 open plots of different dimensions ranging from 500 sq metres to 5,500 sq metrs. Three-storeyed IT park building, which includes 15 galas, was built on a 0.64 hectares of land, with a total construction area of 3,075 sq metres. The carpet areas of shops in IT Park building were in the range of 183 sq mtrs to 278 sq mtrs.
Speaking to TOI, Suresh Mali, former president of Ambad Industries & Manufacturers' Association (AIMA), said, Last year, the rates quoted by the MIDC for the IT Park galas were very high and that is the reason not a single company came forward. Actually, the rates of IT galas are needed to be reduced. The MIDC has already delayed to the reacutioning of the IT Park and we hope, this time the MIDC would reduce the rates."
In 2007, a Mumbai-based construction company had entered into agreement with MIDC to buy off the building, but the company later cited a lack of potential here and cancelled the deal. Thereafter, two more Mumbai-based IT related companies had also shown interest in buying off the park, and had also submitted bids in 2012. This time too, the bids did not work out as well.