Kochi: Seven years after the SmartCity Kochi project was initiated and almost four years after the foundation stone was laid, the construction work of the Rs.2,000 crore project was finally flagged off today by the Chief Minister Shri Oommen Chandy. The office will be completed in four months. The work on SmartCity Pavilion - the offices for the Administrative and Project Management team, was to begin on September 29, 2011 as per the deadline set by Tecom with the Kerala Government.
At the ground breaking ceremony for the 6,000 sq. ft. administrative office complex, the CM said that the first phase of SmartCity Kochi will begin soon and will be completed in two years. Around 3,000 jobs are expected to be created from the first phase of 3.5 lakh sq. ft. He also added that 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 next level of growth. This should send an important message that Kerala is highly investor friendly and major projects can happen in Kerala. SmartCity Kochi will be followed by many such mega projects.
Abdul Latheef Al Mulla, Vice Chairman, SmartCity & Group CEO, Tecom said that Tecom was committed to the project and there would be no financial constrains. The complete project will be completed in half the time projected initially. The vision of SmartCity and the Government of Kerala is now a reality.
Minister for IT & Industries, Shri P K Kunhalikutty said, "The SmartCity Kochi project was originally initiated by me during 2004. Today I am very happy to be here to witness the beginning of the construction". He also added that notification granting Special Economic Zone (SEZ) status for the entire 246 acres of project land would be issued soon. The company's application seeking SEZ status which submitted on September 19 has been cleared by the Central SEZ Board of Approval.
Earlier today, the Board of Directors of SmartCity Kochi met to discuss the current status and subsequent steps required for the project following the Special Economic Zone status approval for the entire project site as a single SEZ, obtained from the Board of Approval under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India. The main agenda of the board meeting was to discuss and set the timeline of project development including the first building and to finalise, and appoint, the Master Planner and Cost Consultant, who will play a critical role in shaping the self-sustained business township and making it a reality after the long wait.
Minister for Excise & Ports, Shri K Babu and Dr. Baju George, MD, SmartCity Kochi were among those present.
Kerala IT News
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