The State of Business 2013

A marshy tale

Lack of adequately experienced talent and cramped facilities are pushing companies away from Salt Lake City

Sandipan Chatterjee

At first glance, Sector V (five) in Salt Lake, the hub of Kolkata’s IT and ITES industry, comes across as a beehive of activity. Men and women from nearby offices crowd around hawkers lining its narrow streets. They’re out for lunch, tea, or just a short break from work. Cars and buses honk incessantly, somehow squeezing past those walking on the streets. Large office complexes of IT giants like TCS, Wipro and Cognizant jostle for space in buildings with imposing glass facades. At almost every turn, construction is on in semi-finished buildings, and there hardly appears to be any free space left to build upon.