Kochi SmartCity office to be opened this weekend

Of the total project area, 236 acres would be declared as a Special Economic Zone

PTI | October 5, 2011



The office headquarters of the Kochi SmartCity IT park will be opened on October 8, giving impetus to this dream project of the Kerala government.

Opening of the office would end uncertainty about the fate of this joint venture project between the state government and Dubai-based TECOM, which has been hanging fire since it was originally conceptualised in 2004.

Disclosing this in the Kerala Assembly during Question Hour, Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty said the office complex would cover 1.5 lakh square feet of area. Of the total project area, 236 acres would be declared as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ), the minister said.

The Mega IT park project envisages the development of 8.8 million square feet of built-up area for a string of IT and ITES units, with all required connectivity and allied facilities.

The project was originally mooted in 2004 when the Congress-led UDF Ministry was in power. Right from the start, it faced trouble, with the then-Opposition LDF picking holes in the agreement between the state and TECOM.

When the LDF came to power in 2006, the project was renegotiated, but a consensus could not be on the issue of freehold right over the portion of land acquired by the government for the scheme.

With the UDF returning to power in May this year, SmartCity was resumed as a priority project and the differences between the two sides were ironed out, paving the way for its implementation.

The project is expected to generate thousands of direct jobs in software and allied professions.
 

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