KOCHI: Seven new projects under the Cochin Smart City Mission Ltd (CSML), which are now in different stages of completion, will be dedicated to Kochiites as a New Year gift. Currently placed 10th, Kochi is set to better its rank among the 100 cities identified for the Smart City Mission projects announced by the Union government in 2015.
The new projects include the Rs 7.85-crore work at Marine Drive between the Tata canal and the Kettuvallam bridge, the Rs 1.2-crore work carried out at the entry to the Dutch Palace in Mattanchery and the Rs 1.06-crore open-air theatre at Fort Kochi.
“Though March 2020 was the deadline for the projects, it was extended to March 2021 in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak. As the pandemic has hit many lives hard, the deadline of Smart City Mission projects are likely to be extended further. But we are moving ahead according to schedule and are optimistic of completing the second phase of the Mission projects by March 2021,” said CSML CEO Jafar Malik.
Under the Smart City project, the local body selected can devise projects worth Rs 1,000 crore, which should be implemented within five years. Of the total cost, the Central government will bear up to 50 per cent, while the respective local body and the state government will have to pump in the rest.
Regarding the development of the Ernakulam market, Malik said CSML is planning to start the shifting of existing vendors to a temporary facility by February as the Supreme Court had recently dismissed the petition filed by landowners of the proposed site for rehabilitating traders.
“The total cost for renovation of the Ernakulam market is Rs 68 crore while another Rs 4.9 crore has been earmarked for setting up the facility to rehabilitate vendors. We are optimistic of launching the project by the middle of 2021. The development is expected to be completed in two years,” he added.
As per the plan, a market complex to accommodate existing stalls will be constructed along with infrastructure development in the market area. The CEO is also hopeful of launching the much-awaited sewage treatment plant mooted for the five divisions in West Kochi.
“We have identified an area at Kunnumpuram, near the Fort Kochi Taluk Hospital, for the Rs 165-crore sewage plant. Several complaints are coming in about the dumping of sewage from households into canals and drains, thereby polluting the backwaters. But we are facing some opposition from local people over the construction of the facility there,” he said.
People should realise that the plant is a necessity, Malik said. “We are looking to convince them with the help of the people’s representatives in the area. Otherwise, the fund will lapse and West Kochi’s sewage issue will remain,” he said.
The Kochi Metropolitan Transport Authority (KMTA) is focusing on proposals to improve parking facilities, said Malik, who is also the CEO of the newly-launched agency. An umbrella body coordinating the entire transport activities of the city, KMTA will take the initiative to set up Pay and Park facilities.
“The plan is to encourage persons who have vacant plots of land to convert it into parking lots. A Mobile App will be launched and the owner of the parking lot can pay a certain amount to KMTA for its services. The plan will also help them generate income form the vacant plot,” he said.