KOCHI: With the state government issuing an order instructing the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) to pool 300 acres of land in Kizhakkambalam for Infopark’s Phase III expansion, the space-starved IT park can now breathe easy. According to Chandran Pillai, GCDA chairman, decks have been cleared with regard to land pooling.
“Earlier, we didn’t get the go-ahead from the chief minister’s office. Then there was the problem associated with the approval from Kizhakkambalam panchayat. We got that too,” he said, adding that the GCDA team associated with the land pooling will now study similar cases, like the Amaravati model.
“This is a first-of-its-kind step in the state. We don’t have a precedent. We are studying the Amaravati model and others. Careful study needs to be done before we begin the process,” Chandran said.
Discussions will also have to be held with the IT and revenue departments, as well as the district collector to hammer out the nitty-gritties of the procedure, he said. “However, the fact we have got the green signal is a big step forward in terms of the Infopark Phase III project. Envisaged as a township it is a prestigious project for the city and also much-needed, since we have a queue of companies wanting to set up offices at the IT park,” Chandran said.
In the 10 years encompassing two tenures of Pinarayi Vijayan government, 352 new firms launched their offices in Phases I and II, creating over 73,500 jobs, said an Infopark official.
The city’s IT sector has seen a steady growth since the inception of Infopark, from 100 acres with four companies in 2004 to 583 companies in 2025 -- tech giant IBM Software’s Ecosystem Incubation Centre (EIC) being the latest entry. Started as a small unit providing employment to close to 100 people, IBM has grown exponentially in the last three years to grant jobs to over 35,000 IT professionals.
SmartCity Kochi too added a state-of the-art IT park, Lulu Twin Towers, to its ever-expanding landscape this June. Sprawled over 12.74 acres, the towers can accommodate a workforce of over 30,000 employees.
“Kochi has a number of favourable conditions to become a sought-after destination for IT firms. The rent is almost half when compared to cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The staff attrition rate in Kochi is the lowest in the country. The city is also well-connected with water metro, metro and the airport, besides having some of the best hospitals and schools in India,” says Abhilash Valiyavalappil, director and CEO of Lulu IT Parks.
Meanwhile, the Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) authorities have proposed an IT and ITeS park on the airport’s premises; it will be set up on 20 acres and is expected to increase CIAL’s non-aero revenue from 50:50 to 40:60 (aero and non-aero revenue). CIAL has invited expressions of interest from consultancies to do a feasibility study, and the master plan will be ready within three months.
What is land pooling?
Land pooling is a process where multiple land parcels owned by different individuals are consolidated and redeveloped, with the owners then receiving either a portion of the developed land or compensation, often as part of an urban development plan. It’s a collaborative approach where the landowners participate voluntarily, avoiding forced land acquisition.
By the time the plot is developed, its market value would have increased multi-fold. In India, land pooling schemes were introduced by the Bombay Town Planning Act of 1915. Various state governments have implemented land pooling policies to encourage urban development. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) also utilises the scheme for developing urban extensions.