KOCHI: After a seven-year wait, the Rs. 2,000 crore Smart City project has finally taken off. Inaugurating the construction of the much-awaited IT gateway, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy performed the groundbreaking ceremony at the project site at Kunnathunad, near Kakkanad, on Saturday.“The work of the 6,000-square-feet pavilion will be completed within 14 weeks,” Chandy said. It will house the administrative office of the IT project. “The first stage of other buildings will be completed in 20 months,” the Chief Minister said. Expected to generate 95,000 jobs, the joint-venture project is being realised in association with the Dubai-based Tecom. “Smart City Kochi is not merely an IT project but a major initiative that can create substantial employment and nurture Kerala’s economy to the next level of growth. This will send an important message that the state is an investor-friendly destination,” he said. The Chief Minister further said that Smart City Kochi would be followed by many mega projects of this kind. He added that the project is expected to be completed in five years’ time. Industries Minister and Smart City Kochi Chairman, P K Kunhalikutty said that the road shows to attract various MNCs would start from December. “The campaign would start from Bangalore,” he said.Group CEO of Tecom Investments, Abdullatif AlMulla said that it is a strategic project for the state and will attract Foreign Direct Investments.“This project will also create plenty of opportunities for start- ups to grow,” he said. Abdullatif AlMulla also said that a monitoring committee has been set up in Dubai to supervise the project. MLA and Smart City former chairman S Sarma, without naming Tecom, said that those concerned with the projects should reveal the real reason for the delay in commencing the work.Excise Minister K Babu, Public Works Minister V K Ibrahim Kunju, Mayor Tony Chammany, Smart City Managing Director Baju George, Member of the project monitoring committee M A Yousuf Ali, MPs P Rajeev, K P Dhanapalan, MLAs Benny Behanan, S Sarma, Hibi Eden, Anwar Sadat, Ludy Luis and District Collector P I Sheik Pareeth were among those also present on the occasion.
Comments
0 comment