Kerala CM: Talks will go on with Tecom for SmartCity Kochi project

Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan today said the government has not terminated negotiations with Dubai-based Tecom for developing SmartCity IT park at Kochi and it will consider alternative partnership only as the last resort.

His statement, made in the state Assembly, came close on the heels of Tecom officials' announcement during SmartCity board meeting at Kochi yesterday that the company would not shy away from a legal battle if the government went to court for arbitration.
Replying to questions on the long-dragging project, Achuthanandan said negotiations with Tecom were still on and the question of going for an alternative partner would arise only as a last option.

However, he added that there was no question of yielding to the Dubai company's demands such as "free-hold" right for part of the land since they were outside the original agreement.

Since the LDF Government came to power, projects worth Rs 10,000 crore have been initiated out of which Rs 2000 crore was direct government investment, he said.

In the last four years, the IT sector boom in Kerala has been three times higher than the national average. The state maintained the growth trend even during the global recession, he added.