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| Wipro not leaving Bengal, to negotiate SEZ status |
| Swati Garg / Kolkata Feb 23, 2012, 00:01 IST |
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 There is finally some good news for the beleaguered West Bengal Information Technology (IT) Minister Partha Chatterjee.
Even as it has become obvious that the Infosys project might go the Singur-Nano way and quit Bengal, the country’s fourth-largest IT service provider, Wipro told Business Standard the deadline of application for the special economic zone (SEZ) status could be extended.
“We can negotiate the SEZ sun down with an application. What this will mean is that we will not get the full 10 years’ benefit, the time will be deducted. We are fine with that,” said a senior Wipro official.
According to the sun-down clause of the central government’s SEZ policy, areas notified after March 31, 2012, would have to pay a 20 per cent improvement tax.
This is the first time Wipro has made a comment on the proposed 50-acre Rajarhat campus, which is to be the second Wipro campus in the state. However, even as Wipro still intends to set up the campus, the official said, the company would not start work on the campus without an SEZ status.
“Without SEZ help, the campus would just not be financially viable. But we are in no hurry. We have the land in any case. Also, since we still have some space in the first campus, we can take our time on the second one,” the official said.
Interestingly, in December last year, Wipro founder Azim Premji met West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee. Although Premji remained tightlipped, refusing to speak to the media after the meeting, state Finance Minister Amit Mitra said Wipro would be investing Rs 700 crore in the state. The second campus was expected to generate 15,000 jobs, he added.
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