Kerala and Dubai formally launch Smart City project

Kerala and Dubai formally launch Smart City project
By Akhel Mathew, Correspondent GULF NEWS
Published: November 16, 2007, 18:14

Kochi: Smart City Kochi, the Kerala government's most ambitious IT venture, was formally launched by the Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and Dubai-based Tecom Executive Director Fareed Abdul Rahman.

Achuthanandan and Rahman laid the foundation stone for the project. Tecom Executive chairman Ahmad Bin Byat, however, could not attend the function.

Estimated outlay

The project, which involves an estimated outlay of Rs16 billion (Dh1.5 billion) and is being established on about 246 acres at Kakkanad in Kochi city, is expected to provide about 90,000 direct jobs and have a built-up space of 8.8 million square feet within a decade.

The entire project is being visualised on the lines of Dubai Internet City and the Dubai Media City, officials said.

Achuthanandan said this was the first major IT infrastructure project being developed by a public-private partnership in Kerala after two successful IT parks set up in the public sector - the Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram and the Infopark in Kochi.

Achuthanandan said the project would provide jobs to the local youth.

He added there were several enquiries from investors following the signing of the agreement with the Smart-City Dubai authorities.

Rahman said SmartCity Kochi was expected to be "a significant hub of excellence in the knowledge-based industry". He added the SmartCity in Kerala and another being set up in Malta would be key hubs of the global SmartCity concept.

He praised Kerala's vast talent pool and appreciated the state government's support for IT projects.