Speaking at the inauguration of a new international infotech park in Vashi on Sunday morning, Joshi said a decision on permitting IT industries into Mumbai would be taken shortly.

While Maharashtra had been leading the pack in terms of industrial development, it had been lagging behind other states in software technology, the Chief Minister stated. This was because software technology firms were being kept out of Mumbai, whereas in other states, these firms flourished in the capitals.

The infotech park has been jointly developed by the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO) and the Department of Electronics' Software Technology Parks of India (STPI).

Also present at the inauguration were Trade and Commerce minister Pramod Navalkar, and top bosses of CIDCO, NASSCOM, Hughes Ispat and VSNL.

Theinfotech park is seen as an attempt to catch up with the rest of the country in wooing information technology companies. It could also help prop up CIDCO's spiel of Navi Mumbai being the city of the 21st century.

The park is spread over an area of 80 hectares with 6 lakh square feet of built up area over the ultra-modern Vashi station at its centre. The park provides state of the art data communication facilities and uninterrupted power supply. The park also has a helipad which was used by the Chief Minister to make a grand entry into today's function.

The Rs 120 crore Vashi station building is touted as amongst the best state of the art buildings in the country having received an ISO 9002 certification. It has a computerised integrated building management system which controls security, water, and high speed elevators.

To make single window clearance a reality, the offices of the Director, Software Technology Parks of India under the department of electronics, are located in the building itself. Thepark is expected to generate 16,000 direct jobs with around 30,000 ancillary jobs.

Also planned in the vicinity are a multiplex theatre complex, golf course and an amusement park.

``It's a non-polluting industry which consumes minimal power for the value it adds to the economy. It will put Maharashtra on the global map,'' explained CIDCO's MD Vishwas Dhumal.

Joshi later distributed awards to top officials from VSNL, STPI, NCST and MTNL for their contribution in making the park a success.