Smart City project to be completed by 2020

Thiruvananthapuram: The Smart City Project, Kochi, will be completed by 2020.

Chief Minister Pinarai Vijayan said on Thursday that the he had received an assurance from the promoters in this respect.

The Chief Minister, who held discussions with the promoters here, that works would not go beyond 2020 in any case. The development would be carried out in such a way as to generate one lakh jobs.

As per agreement with the promoters, buildings with total floor area of 88 lakh square feet were to be built. Of that, 67 lakh square feet was to be used for housing information technology companies and the balance for other purposes. So far, only buildings with area of 6.5 lakh square feet had been constructed.

Mr. Vijayan said that construction of 55.5 lakh square feet would be completed before 2020 and this would be used entirely for IT companies. The rest of the works would be for providing amenities to the employees.

He said that the next meeting of the Director Board of the Smart City would be held in Kochi on August 6.

Vice Chairman of Smart City, Kochi, Jaber Bin Hafez, chairman of Lulu group M. A.  Yusuffali, Smart City Chief Executive Office Baju George, Additional Chief Secretary Nalini Netto and Secretary (IT) M. Sivasankar attended.

The first phase of the project had taken more than a decade to complete. When it was finally inaugurated in February after much delay, it was announced that the project would be completed by 2019.