The Hindu Business Line : Kerala will seek Central aid for new projects

Seeking help
The Central assistance is being sought to take up developmental work, which is estimated to cost Rs 46.47 crore.
The proposals will be routed through the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation.

Thiruvananthapuram May 20 The Kerala Government has decided to seek Central assistance for the implementation of a host of projects in the State, the detailed blueprints of which have already been prepared and preliminary work initiated on some of them.

The projects include an electronic hub in Kochi; integrated healthcare services park in Thiruvananthapuram; IT park at Kasaragod; and growth centres at Alappuzha, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kannur districts.

The proposals will be routed through the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion of the Union Government.

Electronic hub

The electronic hub in Kochi is envisaged to be established in 250 acres of land and will focus on original equipment manufacturers, design and development companies, research and development institutions, semi-conductor manufacturing and fabrication.

The hub will also feature non-processing areas comprising hotels, commercial and residential complexes and service facilities. The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs 500 crore.

The integrated healthcare services park in Thiruvananthapuram has been planned as part of the Government's efforts to make the State a major destination of health tourism. The park, to be spread over 100 acres, will provide services in modern medicine, ayurveda, sidha, unani, homoeopathy, yoga and naturopathy.

A Healthcare Management Board will be set up within the park to integrate the various systems of medicine and to ensure the quality of the services offered. The board will also evaluate the credibility of the institutions operating in the park. The cost of the project is estimated at Rs 200 crore.

Reaching smaller towns

The IT park at Kasaragod is proposed to be set up at the site of the Astral Watches Ltd, a public sector company now lying defunct. The project has been conceived in line with the Government thinking that the activities in the IT sector, which are at currently confined to the major cities of Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, should reach the smaller towns in the State as well.

The proposal is to create three-lakh sq ft of built-up area for IT, IT-enabled services and business process outsourcing companies at a projected cost of Rs 45 crore. The park will accommodate 40 units providing direct employment to around 4,000 people. The growth centres at Alappuzha, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kannur are already under implementation under the Industrial Growth Centre scheme of the Union Government. A total of Rs 73.27 crore has, so far, been invested in the project with the Centre contributing Rs 20 crore and the State Government Rs 53.27 crore.

The Government has acquired 278.8 acres at Alappuzha, 258 acres at Malappuram, 308 acres at Kozhikode and 251 acres at Kannur and also created built-up space and provided basic facilities such as water supply at the centres. The Central assistance is being sought to take up the remaining developmental works, which is estimated to cost Rs 46.47 crore.

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