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Kerala
MoU for Kottayam-Kumarakom eco-city project
By Our Special Correspondent
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JAN. 24. The State Government and Kottayam municipality are set to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Eco-smart, an agency of the Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services - owned by the Central Bank of India - for the Kottayam-Kumarakom (KK) eco-city project.
Addressing a press conference here today, the Local Self Government Minister, Cherkalam Abdulla, said that the Rs. 500-crore project would be implemented under the BOO (build, own and operate) or BOT (build, operate and transfer) arrangement. The project area would cover Kottayam municipality, the panchayats of Kumarakom, Thiruvarppu, Ayamanem, Arppukara, Natakkom, Manarkkad, Vijayapuram and Kumaranellore. These panchayats, under the leadership of the Kottayam municipality, had formed the Kottayam-Kumarakom Eco-city Association.
The Minister said that international funding agencies like the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank had expressed their keenness to extend assistance. The MoU will be signed on January 29 by the agencies concerned. The Union Ministry for Environment and Forests is also associated with the project, he added. The Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, will inaugurate the function being held in this connection in the presence of the Union Minister for Environment and Forests, T.R. Balu.
The KK eco-city project would tap the tourism potential of its designated area, by ensuring proper utilisation of land without disrupting the ecological balance. The Minister said it had been proposed to formulate a major industrial development plan which would take care of the social and economic development of the Kottayam-Kumarakom area even while protecting the environment.
He said that the Union Forest Ministry and the Central Pollution Control Board would oversee the utilisation of funds made available by them. The State Government will appoint a steering committee to monitor the project, while the Centre for Earth Science Studies would be a participant in the implementation of the project.
Mr. Abdulla said the Environment Capacity Building Project, which receives funds from the World Bank, would extend financial support through its subsidiary, Zoning Atlas. The Eco-smart Ltd. would bring in funds through its channels. This company would be involved in the project as consultants during the first and second stage of implementation, subject to the approval of the World Bank and a formal agreement. The first stage consultancy charges would be met from the funds made available through the Zoning Atlas, while the second stage consultancy would be met from the capital investments raised for its implementation, he said.
He said that the land for the project would be made available by the State Government and the local body concerned. The local Plan initiatives implemented by the local bodies under the People's Plan Campaign would also be included in the project, he added.
The Minister also released a temporary list of 17 sub-projects to be taken up as part of the KK project. These sub-projects include construction of connection and inter-linking roads, waste disposal, pollution control, flood control, improvement of water and power supply, etc.
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