Smart City Kochi: stone to be laid this month

The foundation stone for the Smart City Kochi project will be laid this month, District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish said.

He told presspersons at the Collectorate that a search was on for a venue for the function.

He said the State government was in a position to hand over the entire 246 acres (one acre = 0.4 hectare) of land needed for the project to Tecom, its promoters, the moment the lease agreement was signed. Tecom had been informed about this.

He said the doubt if the entire land could be handed over owing to agitations had been proved wrong.

Evictees from 13 acres of land at Edachira had agreed to accept the rehabilitation package, and alternative land would be provided to them through a draw of lots, he said.

Another 10 acres, entangled in legal issues, was acquired last week after the State government, on the instructions of the court, considered the complaints raised by the inhabitants and dismissed them as baseless, he said.

Of the total land, 136 acres belonged to private parties, 100 acres to the Kerala State Electricity Board at Brahmapuram and 10 acres to Kinfra.

The State government was expected to provide a four-lane highway between the Brahmapuram land and the rest.

He said the 16 acres identified for the second phase of Infopark would have to be acquired for laying the road. The draft notification of this land had been issued.

Under the rehabilitation package for Smart City evictees, six cents of land will be given free of cost to all families giving up their land for the project, while another five cents will be given to those who part with 15 cents or more.

Steps were also taken to divide the land identified for rehabilitation into plots for distribution.

Source:The Hindu