Kerala - Kochi

SmartCity firm on not bearing cost of relocation of structure

KOCHI: SmartCity has reiterated its decision not to bear the cost of relocating a portion of installations of the electricity department located on 100 acres of its proposed Kochi project land.

The decision was conveyed on Tuesday during the second meeting of a core committee appointed to recommend ways to overcome the hurdles in the progress of the project.

SmartCity officials said they will not bear the cost of the relocation of a sedimentation tank and pump house.

A legal opinion the company received said that it was untenable as the installations were located on the land that had already been transferred to it, said District Collector M. Beena while briefing reporters after the meeting held at the collectorate.

It now seems that the estimated cost of Rs. 48 lakh for the process would now most likely have to be borne by the State government.

However, the company agreed to share the cost of relocating the dormitory complex and air quality monitoring station of the electricity department though it could not undertake their construction.

A decision on sharing the estimated cost of Rs. 98 lakh between stakeholders on this count would be evolved at Wednesday’s meeting, Dr. Beena said.

SmartCity officials also insisted on an acceptable time-limit for the completion of the shifting.

The electricity department has asked for an 18-month period, which is acceptable to the promoters as well, the Collector said.

A high-level meeting to discuss and finalise the proposals of the core committee will be held in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.

“The meeting will most probably be at the Chief Secretary level and would be attended by the Secretaries of the departments concerned,” Dr. Beena, who is also the chairperson of the core committee, said.

Tuesday’s meeting, she said, was aimed at discussing the finer points to be presented at this meeting.

The committee was formed to recommend solutions to the twin problems - the relocation of a Public Works Department (PWD) road and that of the installations of the electricity department – on the 100 acres of the project area. SmartCity officials informed the meeting their acceptance of a proposal to relocate the PWD road on its own. “This is with the concurrence of the director board of the company though the former approval would come at the board meeting slated for December,” Dr. Beena said.

At its first meeting held last month, the core committee had urged SmartCity to relocate the road on its own without waiting for government participation to avoid procedural delay.

The committee had also approved the estimate of Rs. 2 crore placed before it by the PWD for the relocation.

Mithun Beeru, business development manager of SmartCity Kochi, Saji Unnikrishnan, director, project management, officials of the electricity department, PWD and Infopark attended the meeting.

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