THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Capital Regional Development Project-II, the State consultant for the implementation of the proposed Outer Area Growth Corridor (OAGC) on either side of the proposed Outer Ring Road (ORR) in Thiruvananthapuram, has suggested eight economic clusters in the district as part of the OAGC initiative. Since the 78-km ORR will be from Vizhinjam to Navaikulam, the CRDP proposed the economic zones at Vizhinjam, Kovalam, Kattakada, Nedumanagad, Vembayam, Mangalapuram, Kilimanoor, and Kallambalam. The State is expected to give the final approval for the proposal soon.
As per the proposal, a logistics and industrial hub will come up on 6.3 sq km of area at Vizhinjam, while a health tourism hub will be built on 4.01 sq km of area at Kovalam.
A green and smart industry cluster is proposed at a 7.37 sq km area in Kattakada, and a regional business and industrial hub at an area of 5.58 sq km in Nedumangad. At Vembayam, an area of 7.47 sq km is allocated for the pharma and food processing cluster. A life science and IT cluster is proposed for a 6.37 sq km area at Mangalapuram. Meanwhile, an agro-food processing equipment cluster is proposed at Kilimanoor (5.28 sq km) and Kallambalam (8.28 sq km).
The proposal also pointed out that two out of eight clusters have been chosen for the Seed Development Area (SDA). The first SDA is proposed at Vizhinjam, where a detailed town planning scheme will be implemented, while the second is proposed at Mangalapuram. The proposed Neopolis, an integrated mixed-use township, will be implemented there.
A CRDP official told TNIE that the construction of the OAGC is expected to start next year, and the proposal is currently under review by the state planning department.
“The review of the planning department is nearing completion, and it is expected to be submitted to the CRDP within two weeks. Once the proposal is submitted, we will review the modifications or suggestions made in the proposal and recommend that the State make CRDP the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the project under the Special Investment Region Act. Later, we need to get the final nod from the local self-government department to get the project started. The Neopolics project will be implemented with the help of the Centre’s support,” the official said.
The CRDP submitted the DPR of the OAGC project to the State in March this year. The corridor is expected to spur economic growth on the outer fringes of the city and create employment. Earlier, only four economic areas were proposed as part of the project. Now, the scope of the project has changed.
The official said that land acquisition would be done through land pooling. Under this, a group of landowners pool their land and hand it over to a government agency for carrying out development projects. After its development, the agency redistributes the land after deducting some portion as compensation for infrastructure costs. Generally, people who part with their land parcels get 60-70% of their holdings back after the infrastructure is developed on them. This is done to develop potential infrastructure to reduce the load on the existing congested and saturated areas.