Chandigarh staked its claim to be the next major IT destination in India, with one of the biggest conclaves in the field - E-revolution 2005 - getting underway here Friday.

Chandigarh and Punjab - which already have a strong presence of software giants in Mohali town adjoining this city - highlighted their offers to IT and software majors who had converged here for the conclave.

Even though the rush - over 300 IT delegates - gave organisers something to cheer about, a power breakdown during the speech of Punjab Governor S.F. Rodrigues for a couple of minutes embarrassed them.

Haryana, the other partner state in the conclave, was conspicuous by its absence at the inaugural ceremony where Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh was present.

Though Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was to be present at the function, he did not come. There was no representative from the state sharing the dais with other dignitaries.

Rodrigues said Chandigarh had the potential to be at the centre stage of the region's IT hub.

"We are offering you the best planned city in the country with its infrastructure already in place to make it a happening IT destination," Rodrigues said.

He said Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana need not compete but could offer the region as a hub for IT investment as there was ample scope for investment. Chandigarh is the twin capital of Punjab and Haryana.

Amarinder Singh, who sought to dispel the notion that he and Punjab wanted to hijack the conclave, said his state had everything to offer for the IT industry to invest in the region.

"Chandigarh is my state's capital. We will have it one day," Amarinder Singh joked at the function.

He said his government had a vision for the future and was implementing plans - running into billions of rupees - for the future requirements of roads, power, water and housing.

"We went through a bad batch of terrorism and investment did not come to Punjab. We are now the most progressive state in the country," he claimed.

Singh said Quark had two projects in Mohali while Dell and Infosys were already there along with several other software companies.

Infosys vice president H.R. Binod said Chandigarh needed to keep the experience of Bangalore in mind while planning future infrastructure.

"This is the right time to plan for it so that there are no traffic snarls and other problems once the IT companies arrive here," he said.

Binod assured that Infosys - that is investing nearly Rs.1 billion in its new campus at the upcoming Chandigarh Technology Park (CTP) - would partner any growth in the region.

National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) chief Kiran Karnik said that air and railway connectivity of the city with New Delhi and other metros needed to be worked out along with an international airport to bring Chandigarh on the world's IT map.