The Board of Investment of Sri Lanka has advertised for Investors to set up an IT Park titled as above at Dompe. In so far as the idea of setting up an IT Park is concerned, there is no doubt that it is an excellent proposal. But the success of an IT Park depends on its location, which must be closer to a city where the IT is abundantly practised. If such a park is set up in Dompe where 75 acres of land are to be given by the government to put up buildings for a proposed floor area of 325,000 sq.ft., obviously the BOI is expecting the par to be used by those who "follow Information Technology Education and Industry given training, including training for software developers" it should be situated in a city like Colombo where currently IT Companies are being set up.

In this day and age with the current levels of electronic capabilities it is of very little consequence where the hardware is located. But the important thing is that the people who use the hardware and design the software must be able to live in the area and also have easy access to IT practitioners. Similarly, IT practitioners should also have easy access to the training facilities.

IT is not an industry that pollutes the environment. The 325,000 sq.ft. can be either rented or accommodated in a new building where the IT trainees can learn their skills. The trainees will have a lot of facilities and mobility for example if the centre was placed in Kelaniya, Nugegoda or Ratmalana. Most importantly, the staff would also be readily available within say a ten-mile radius of Colombo.

Therefore we suggest that serious consideration is given to the location of this project in a city, as it seems that no adequate thought has been given except the fact of course of regional development if it is located in Dompe, of all places.
P. S. D. Peiris
Nugegoda