‘SmartCity in 18 months’

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The first phase of the Kochi SmartCity project will be completed in 18 months at an estimated cost of Rs 2,000 crore which is Rs 500 crore more than expected, chief minister Oommen Chandy said here on Saturday.

The CM was inaugurating the SmartCity Experience Pavilion, which will function as its marketing office.

According to the CM the delay caused in setting up the project has resulted in a cost escalation of Rs 500 crore, earlier the estimate was Rs 1,500 crore.

The official recognition to accord the project with a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) status will be decided in seven days time at a high level meeting in Delhi, the CM asserted. The SmartCity project was coming up in 246 acres of land in Kunnathunad and Puthencruz villages.

At present the rules do not permit SEZ recognition as there is a bridge between the SmartCity and Infopark.

A report has been sent to the union commerce and industries minister Anand Sharma and he agreed to alter the rules for the benefit of SmartCity, he added.

The CM added that the issues relating to the shifting of the KSEB line, GAIL pipe line and approach roads have been solved which will help to finish the project within a short timeframe.

Tecom Investments vice chairman Abdullatif Almulla, the promoters of the project, has said that Tecom is getting a lot of enquiries from IT companies to locate in Kochi.

The project has the capacity to assure more than two lakh job opportunities to the people said finance minister K.M. Mani in his felicitation speech.

IT minister P.K. Kunhalikutty, Union minister K.V. Thomas, excise minister K. Babu, public works minister V.K. Ibrahimkunju, district collector P.I. Shaik Pareeth MP, K.P. Dhanapalan MLA and former chairman SmartCity S. Sharma, SmartCity MD Baiju George, industrialist M.A. Yousuf Ali, and Thrikkakara municipal chairman P.A. Muhammad Ali were also present.