A total of 41 Expressions of Interest (EoIs), worth more than Rs 1,863 crore, were signed between private players and the state government on Monday, the first day of ‘Partner Kerala’ meet. The EoIs were signed for developing various infrastructure projects under the PPP model in urban centres.
Minister for Urban Affairs Manjalamkuzhi Ali said: “Many local investors have come forward to contribute to the development of their respective areas. We will form a state-wide expert committee to expedite the process of finalising the projects.” “The government will opt for either the Swiss challenge process or open tender process for selecting the private investor. We want to complete the entire process in a transparent manner,” he said.
EoIs were signed on Thrissur Corporation’s Sakthan Nagar Development (Rs 700 crore), Thiruvananthapuram Corporation’s Chalai waste treatment plant (Rs 30 crore), Kochi Corporation’s shopping complex projects at Edappally and Kacheripady (Rs 55 crore each), GCDA’s Mundamvelli regional sports complex (Rs 50.19 crore), shopping mall at Dr Ambedkar Stadium (Rs 126 crore), Palakkad Municipality’s Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium (Rs 60 crore) and an indoor stadium (Rs 150 crore).
The meet discussed multi-crore projects unveiled by urban local bodies of Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Thrissur and Kozhikode.
More than 500 delegates interacted with representatives of local bodies aimed at learning more about the commercial prospects of the projects. The Calicut Development Authority presented its Palayam Area Re-develoment Project worth about Rs 865 crore. Thiruvananthapuram Corporation’s proposals worth Rs 68.5 crore attracted investor attention at the meet.
Some of the major proposals discussed at the inaugural day included multi-level parking plaza at Thampanoor (Rs 30 crore), modernisation of slaughter house at Kunnukuzhy (Rs 4.5 crore) and sludge management and captive power projects at Muttathara (Rs 2 crore each).
Kollam Corporation unveiled its plan to construct a commercial complex-cum-convention centre and multilevel car parking at Thamarakulam at a total cost of Rs 178.53 crore. Another key venture conceived by the corporation included Rs 84.24 crore-commercial, multilevel corporations multiplex/convention centre.
The Kollam Development Authority’s proposals included a mobility hub (Rs 40 crore), oceanarium at Kollam beach (Rs 16 crore), a shopping mall, office complex and exhibition-cum-trading centre for micro, small and medium enterprises at Thamarakkulam (Rs 80 crore).