Pune earth station for software park inaugurated

Pune earth station for software park inaugurated
UNITED NEWS OF INDIA

PUNE, MAY 1: Union Minister for Information Technology Pramod Mahajan today inaugurated the Rs 4.5 crore 80 MBPS capacity earth station of Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) at Hinjawadi, Pune, which will prove to be a gateway for the software industries coming up at Pune infotech park.

Speaking on the occasion, Mahajan, responding to Maharashtra Industries Minister Patangrao Kadam, said the IT Ministry would ensure that similar earth stations would come up at Nagpur, Aurangabad, Nashik and even at Kolhapur before the next Maharashtra Day, if the State Government provided land for the same. The STPIs in Nagpur, Aurangabad and Nashik would provide connectivity from Pune with the inauguration of the earth station.

Mahajan said the connectivity, power situation and human resources are three major factors on which would depend the success of the Information Technology industry. The Department Of Telecommunication (DOT) should speed up so that connectivity for the IT industry and its power situation improved, he said.

Referring to the issues concerning the software industry, Mahajan said he has taken up with the Finance Minister the issue of levying of taxes under the ESOPS (Employees Stock Option Scheme) on the tax holiday for those who have registered before March 31, 2000. He felt they should be charged when the employees sell or transfer his shares along with the issue of taxing the venture capital funds at this stage.

Referring to a demand for a second airport in Pune in the civilian sector and the Karjat-Panvel rail link to reduce the distance to Mumbai, Mahajan said the second airport for Pune was not possible as it required at least Rs 5,000 crore which could only come from the private sector.