TCS to invest Rs 1,350 cr in new campus at Rajarhat

Mumbai/Pune: Mumbai/Pune, Dec 20 Tata Consultancy Services is setting up a new development campus at Rajarhat near Kolkata with an investment of about Rs 1,350 crore

The campus, spread over 40 acres, will house over 16,500 seats on completion. It would become operational by the end of financial year 2014-15, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) said in a statement today.

“Our growing presence in Kolkata continues to be of strategic importance for our overall business growth. We remain committed to working in close collaboration with all stakeholders in the state to help in the development of local talent and provide our customers with world-class IT solutions from this location,” TCS Chief Financial officer and Executive Director S. Mahalingam said.

The campus would be built in two phases, with the first phase to be completed in the first quarter of 2014 and the second phase by the fourth quarter of the year. In the first phase, 7,000 seats will be ready and the remaining 9,500 seats would be completed under the second phase.

“The Rajarhat facility will drive the next phase of our growth in the eastern region and help us access skilled professionals and students from in and around Kolkata. Our investment will also help catalyse further development of the talent and IT ecosystem in the area,” TCS Executive Vice-President and Global Head (Human Resources) Ajoy Mukherjee said.

Skills upgradation
Separately, the country’s largest software exporter has introduced a scheme to upgrade the skills of workers in construction and related sectors such as metalwork across the country.

“TCS has always taken the lead in developing IT and engineering talent in India. Now we are looking at how we can help also build the base of other important skills that are important for sustaining economic growth. West Bengal has a significant, scalable pool of people who can contribute to the construction industry nationally as tradesmen,” Mahalingam said.

The programme will be carried out during the construction phase while building new campuses in Kolkata, Indore and Nagpur. TCS has already launched a pilot programme at Rajarhat, where it is constructing a software development campus.

Over the course of the construction period, as many as 2,000 workers will be trained at the on-site Construction Skill Training Centre (CTSC).

Trained workers from the CTSC will be employed by building contractors at the site during the construction phase. This skill development programme will also enhance awareness towards safety-at-site and increase productivity in the industry.

LEED certification
Using sustainable, local materials for construction as well as by deploying green technologies effectively across the campus, TCS will aim to get the highest LEED certification to demonstrate its effectiveness in considerably reduce the environmental footprint of the campus.

The salient features include generation of 850 kilowatts of solar power for campus use, zero waste discharge facility with bio digester which will turn waste into gas for cooking and a sewerage treatment plant which will recycle water for use in landscaping and air conditioning.

The Rajarhat campus has facilities like amphitheatre, auditorium, cafeterias, libraries and large green open spaces, and house fitness facilities like tennis courts, basketball court, gymnasium as well as temporary accommodation for employees.