Dubai businessman swings Smart City project towards
Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 7 (IANS) Talks on the proposed
Rs.15 billion ($340 million) Smart City project at Kochi
has reached final stages after a team from Dubai met
Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan Wednesday along with
a Dubai-based Keralite businessman.
Speaking to reporters here, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan
said a two-member DIC (Dubai Internet City) team had
called on him Wednesday along with M.A. Yusuf Ali, the
Dubai-based businessman to invest in IT infrastructure
at Kakkanad in in Kochi.
Ali is said to have single-handedly revived the mega IT
project on account of his proximity with the ruling family
in the United Arab Emirates. The businessman, who is playing
the role of a mediator, has been in Kerala thrice in the
past two weeks to revive the project, which the DIC had
almost left out.
The talks between the government and DIC have been deadlocked
since a four-member team led by then IT secretary P.G.
Tenzing visited Dubai in September 2006. Earlier, a DIC
team had come here in August 2006 to revive the proposed
project after inking a memorandum of understanding (MoU)
with the Oommen Chandy government in October 2005.
As leader of opposition during 2001-06, Achuthanandan
had steadfastly opposed the transfer of the already developed
Infopark campus at Kochi to DIC, as agreed by Chandy.
According to the new proposal, Kerala would lease around
210 acres of land to DIC for around Rs.800 million ($17.2
million) and there would be no free land given to it.
Speaking to IANS, Ali said: My only interest was that
this was one project which would provide employment to
thousands of Keralas IT professionals, especially women.
Denying that he would not have any stake in the project,
Ali said the discussions would now centre on a few more
things. It is sad that sincere efforts are often not recognised
and only the state government would have stake in the
project.
Courtesy : Indo Asian News Service
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