Second phase IT Hub construction works in Khammam delayed

Five years after its foundation stone was laid, Khammam's second IT Hub remains incomplete, raising concerns over delayed employment opportunities for local youth. Opposition leaders have alleged government negligence and urged officials and ministers to expedite construction of the long-pending project

Khammam: Even five years after the foundation stone was laid for the construction of the second-phase IT Hub in Khammam, the building work remains incomplete.

The Congress government’s alleged negligence has delayed the construction, much to the chagrin of local unemployed youth, who had hoped to find employment if IT Hub-II was established.

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It may be recalled that former IT and Industries Minister K T Rama Rao laid the foundation stone for IT Hub-II on April 2, 2021, following the success of IT Hub-I, which was established in December 2020 at Yellandu Circle in Khammam city to promote the information technology (IT) industry in tier-II cities.

Rs 36 crore was sanctioned by the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) for the construction of IT Tower-II, with a built-up area of 55,000 square feet and a seating capacity of 570.

Speaking to Telangana Today, educationist and senior BRS leader Gundala Krishna noted that although the contractor was given a one-year deadline to complete the construction, the project remains unfinished.

As a result, local engineering graduates are missing out on a valuable opportunity to secure employment within the district itself. IT Hub-II is expected to provide employment to more than 1,500 people across three shifts, with 550 people working at a time, he said.

“There are three ministers — Bhatti Vikramarka, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Tummala Nageswara Rao — in the district, but none of them seems to be taking measures to ensure the completion of the second-phase IT Hub,” said former SUDA chairman Bachu Vijay Kumar.

It is learnt that delays in the release of bills have been holding up the construction work. TGIIC officials and the district ministers should take the initiative to ensure that the facility is completed at the earliest so that educated youth from Khammam can find employment locally, he said.

Meanwhile, the State government, which has failed to ensure the completion of the second-phase IT Hub works in Khammam, has proposed setting up an IT hub at Madhira, in Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka’s constituency, to provide IT sector jobs to local youth.