Shoma Patnaik
Panaji
Goa’s delayed electronic city project at Tuem has now got March 2026 as the new date for completion, with the state government starting to push companies having plots to commence production in the next three months.
“Units with allotted plots have been told to start functioning soon or else return the plots,” said Department of IT, Electronics & Communication (DITE&C) director Kabir Shirgaonkar on Monday. He said that one of the conditions during the allotment was that units have to start production in two years.
“At least two units are expected to start,” he said.
The electronic city covering an area of 5.97 lakh square metres is designed with a capability to generate around 2,000 to 3,000 jobs over a period of three-five years.
However, the project has missed several deadlines for completion. The present project cost as disclosed in the assembly is around Rs 200 crore.
The project is funded by the Centre-state, with the contribution of the ministry of electronics & IT being Rs 73.8 crore, and state providing Rs 87.5 crore, towards the project cost, which had been put at Rs 161.3 crore.
Of the funding, an amount of Rs 22 crore, which is the last and final tranche from the Centre, is yet to be released as the money is tied to specific conditions and also includes maintaining completion timelines.
“There is no cost overrun in the project. The present cost of the EMC is higher than what was earlier envisaged as the project scope has increased,” explained the IT director.
The facilities that were not foreseen previously now include a skilling centre, a data centre, an e-waste handling facility, a warehouse, among others.
The EMC still does not have the connecting, access road, viz. a four-lane road that will link it to the national highway-66.
“Three access roads have been developed for units to commence production.”
“Work on the utilities as well as a police station, fire station, and road infrastructure is complete,” Shirgaonkar said.
The EMC comprises 50 plots, of which 17 are industrial plots and 33 micro-plots for small units. About 50 per cent of the plot allotment is complete, according to DITE&C officials who are in the process of getting large companies to act as the anchor industry for the project.
Talks are on with an aerospace and an airport access control company as potential investors.
