Webel chairman N.R. Banerjea (left) with managing director Tamal Dasgupta in Calcutta on Wednesday. A Telegraph picture

Calcutta, April 1: The Bengal plan to set up an infotech park at Kalyani is gaining momentum. The proposed park, which will be an SEZ, will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 4,000-5000 crore and spread over 100 acres.

In September last year, Webel (West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corporation) had floated a tender inviting expressions of interest (EoIs) for the proposed SEZ to be developed in a public-private-partnership model.

“We received several bids and have shortlisted three firms and hope to finalise the matter by May end,” Webel chairman N. R. Banerjea said. The SEZ will be operational in five years.

Banerjea, however, admitted that Webel was yet to get land. “But, we have been assured by the land department in this regard.”

The three shortlisted bidders are, Mahindra Lifespace, a Mahindra & Mahindra group company, Paharpur Cooling Towers and the Raheja Group.

Last year, the Mahindras had expressed their desire to set up an infotech SEZ spread over 100 acres in the state. The company was shown land at Kalyani.

“For an unknown reason, the project got shelved,” a source close to the development said. The project report was made by city-based Srei.

According to the EoI document available with The Telegraph, of the total 99.98 acres, Webel would retain 50 per cent and the remaining 50 per cent would be given to industries and developers to construct housing, a commercial complex, institutional areas and common facilities. The land will be given on long-term lease basis with certain conditions attached.

The document also mentioned that the bidders, either solely or in a consortium, should have been engaged in IT infrastructure development for at least five years and have a minimum net worth of Rs 250 crore at the end of 2007-08.

In case of a consortium, one of the firms must have a minimum net worth of Rs 100 crore.

New MD

Webel’s newly appointed managing director Tamal Dasgupta officially took charge today. The post was vacant since January 31 after Dasgupta’s predecessor Debanjan Datta resigned.