The Kerala Chief Minister, Mr Oommen Chandy on Saturday said the first phase of the much delayed Rs 2,000 crore SmartCity Kochi project would be completed in 18 months.
“There will be no further delays in completion of the first phase of the project,” he told reporters.
Mr Chandy, also the project chairman, said the foundation stone has been laid for the first phase of the 3.5 lakh sq ft project and work would be completed in 18 months after all necessary approvals are received.
“No delays are expected from Tecom, the project promoters and the state government,” he said.
The Centre has given all approvals except one. The Union Commerce Minister, Mr Anand Sharma had said the policy decision was taken by the Centre on the single SEZ status.
“The concerned meeting is in Delhi today after which the government will receive the official approval,” he said.
Mr Abdul Latif AlMulla, Group CEO, Tecom Investments and Vice— Chairman of SmartCity Kochi, however, said efforts would be taken to ensure that the first phase is completed in 24 months.
He said Tecom has received a lot of enquiries from partners who have invested in the project, “not just locally, but also nationally and globally“.
Mr Chandy also inaugurated a state—of—the—art pavilion cum marketing facility of SmartCity.
The project is being developed by Dubai—based SmartCity, a joint venture company promoted by TECOM Investments and Sama Dubai and Government of Kerala. SmartCity Kochi is expected to be one of the country’s largest business parks.