Tamil Nadu Industries Minister S P Velumani on Thursday invited private companies to invest in Information Technology and IT Enabled Services sector in Coimbatore as the city was taking a lead in IT.

Over two lakh employees of 700 companies are employed in Tamil Nadu and last year over 500 companies contributed Rs 710 crore to the State's IT exports, he said.

Velumani,who hails from Coimbatore, was participating in a roadshow on 'Tidel Park, Coimbatore', organised by National Association for Software and Service Companies.

Industries Secretary Sundaradevan said Coimbatore was taking the lead in terms of IT. The city was providing a trade friendly environment and about 5500 engineering students pass out from Coimbatore every year.

He said 60 per cent of water pumps and 40 per cent of motors used in India were manufactured from Coimbatore.
 
TIDEL Park Coimbatore and Additional Chief Secretary to the Government, Susan Mathew said since May, a IT company was operating in 20,000 square foot space in TIDEL Park Coimbatore and two more companies were currently doing 'fit-outs'.

Inviting private companies, she said IT Space was available for 15 years lease at one time payment of Rs 3,000 per square foot. The O&M charge is fixed at Rs five per square foot per month while the total tenancy charges for rent, O&M, AC and electrical work out to Rs 42 to Rs 44 per square foot.

Merrill Technology Services, a 100 per cent subsidiary of US based Merrill Corporation, recently entered Tidel Park Coimbatore.According to its MD, Bhamathi Prakash, the company recently took a 18,000 square foot space.

The company intends to recruit 300 employees in this year at the facility."We are expecting it to commence operations in November," she said. The unit was their second after the one in Chennai.