The Kochi Smart City project is finally becoming a reality. The project was kicked off with the ground breaking ceremony undertaken here on Saturday in the presence of the State Chief Minister, Mr Oommen Chandy.
Launching the work of the pavilion at the project site at Edachira near here, the Chief Minister said that the first phase of the Smart City project will be operational within two years and the work of the pavilion will be completed within 14 weeks.
Work on the first phase of the project will start soon after the completion of the pavilion and it is expected to be complete within 20 months.
Assuring all the support from the Government to the promoters of the project, Mr Chandy stressed the need to complete the project in a time-bound manner.
SmartCity Kochi is not merely an IT project, but a major initiative with unique features that can create substantial employment and nurture Kerala’s economy to the next level of growth.
This should send an important message that Kerala is highly investor friendly and major projects can happen in the State. SmartCity Kochi will be followed by many such mega projects, the Chief Minister said.
Mr P.K. Kunhalikutty, State IT Minister and Chairman of SmartCity Kochi, said that the project will enable the educated youth from the State to return to home and find constructive employment opportunities.
He said that different phases have been set for the completion of the project and assured that they will be complied with.
During the meeting of the board of directors held ahead of the ground breaking ceremony, the promoters had assured that they had set apart enough funds for the project. Completion of the project in a time-bound manner is what’s important, he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Abdullatif Almulla, Group CEO of Tecom Investments, said that SmartCity Kochi was a strategic project for Kerala.
“We are committed to create 90,000 jobs as per the framework agreement. It will attract Foreign Direct Investments and talented people to the State. And it will create the right opportunities for many start-ups to grow,” he said.
Partnership with the State Government was extremely important to his company, he said, adding that the company won’t do anything with the full support of the government.
Thanking both the UAE and the State governments as also the previous LDF government, Mr Almulla said that Tecom had taken the project very seriously from day one. “We are committed to work with the State Government continuously to ensure that the project moves forward and is delivered,” he said.
The Rs 2,000-crore project, a joint venture between the Kerala Government and the Dubai based Tecom, was conceived by the previous UDF Government in 2005.
The project however suffered some delays at various stages and ran into rough weather during the previous LDF Government on 12 per cent free hold issue, which was resolved in February this year.