Kochi Smart City: Press conference of Tecom

Amid the controversy over the Smart City project, its chief executive officer Farid Abdul Rahman said that the Smart City project will move if the govt tries to solve the freeland issue. The CEO arrived in Kochi here on Monday. It is not known if the team will have a detailed discussions with officials of the state department.

TECOM is particularly miffed with the State Government's reluctance to accept the provision of 12 per cent freehold land. The company wants a free hold right on the 12 percent of total land.

Abdul Rahman said that the focus is mainly on the freehold land issue and expects the Govt assurance on this. 'As long as the govt assures it, we are ready but we are not asking for it now,' he said. He also ruled out that the financial crisis has affected Tecom and termed it as baseless. Once the project is in place the company will create more jobs and bring business to the city to boost the economy, he said.

Tecom, the Dubai-based promoters of the project, which had suspended works over some difference of opinion, is trying to resolve the issue. This is for the first time that a top level team from Tecom was visiting Kerala after the fifth meeting of the board of directors held here in December last year. The sixth director board meeting scheduled for March was called off by Tecom.

The project had been suspended after difference of opinion regarding the 12 per cent freehold land cropped up between Tecom and the State government. The Smart City Kochi office remains closed too.

Source