The Hindu Business Line : Kerala Chamber to host Gulf investors meet in March

THE Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in association with the Indigo Ocean of South Korea, is organising a Gulf Investors Meet in Kochi in March to attract investments to the State.

The meet to be conducted on the model of B2B will involve foreign investors, especially from West Asia and South Korea. It will provide opportunities for the foreign investors to get an idea about the infrastructure and potential in the State.

The Chamber President, Mr John K. Paul, and Indigo Group Chairman, Mr Jai Bon Kim, signed an agreement in this regard here on Monday. According to the Chamber President, about 20 companies from West Asia and seven from South Korea will participate for the meet.

He said that market assessment for investors' projects, interaction with the various Government agencies, presentation and demonstrations for investors and one-to-one meetings would be organised as part of the meet.

He pointed out that real estate, IT, health, education, seafood, food processing, tourism, ayurveda and port-related projects would likely to be the key areas of investments.

Considering the growth in the work related to infrastructure and property development, Mr Paul said that it had decided to project the emerging opportunities in the State by conducting an international meet. The meet will be arranged in April and the subjects for discussions would be trends in the construction sector.

Mr Paul, who assumed charge as the new President of the Chamber, said that the recent decision of the Kerala High Court holding that the Government has no power to give individual exemptions to the provisions in the Town Planning Act had come as a stumbling block to the construction industry, which is at its peak. The verdict, he said will adversely affect the construction activity in the State.

He urged the Government to take appropriate remedial action to prevent stagnation in the construction industry. He said that changes in the town planning rules in accordance with the changing demands are the need of the hour.

The Chamber President also urged the Income Tax authorities to desist from unnecessary harassment on the business community to achieve the tax collection target.