KOCHI: In a major boost to the state’s manufacturing sector, the Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to establish an Industrial Smart City at Pudussery in Palakkad district. It will come up on a 1,710-acre site at an investment of Rs 3,806 crore. The Industrial Smart City will have an investment potential of Rs 8,729 crore and will provide employment to 51,000 people, said the project document released by the Centre.
The project site is located close to the Kochi-Salem National Highway and will be the only industrial area to promote medicinal chemicals and botanical products. The other focus sectors for the Palakkad Industrial Smart City are non-metallic mineral products, rubber and plastic products, hitech industry, fabricated metal products and machinery and equipment.
Industries Minister P Rajeeve said the project will bring development to the state and help generate more job opportunities. “This is the first node of the Kochi-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor. The state and its people are grateful for the Union government’s support to this project. The state government has spent Rs 1,789 crore and acquired 1,710 acres for the project at a record speed. The land acquisition was completed within 10 months. The Centre appreciated the state government for the speedy land acquisition process,” Rajeeve told reporters in Alappuzha after launching a project of the Coir Corporation on Wednesday.
He said the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP) had approved the project, with a total cost of Rs 3,515 crore, on December 14, 2022.
“The detailed project report (DPR) and master plan have been approved, and the Union government has also given environmental clearance to the project. The tender papers are ready and the state government expects to call for tenders in a month’s time,” Rajeeve said.
He said Kerala will become a hub of high-tech manufacturing with the implementation of the project.
We expect nod for GIFT City project soon: Min
“The state government has also demanded the implementation of another pending project, the GIFT City. The NICDP has prepared a project report for the same. Though the state government appointed a consultant for the project, the Centre directed them to pause the plan. We expect the Centre to approve it soon,” said Rajeeve.
“Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan discussed the project with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to New Delhi on Tuesday. These projects are expected to bring development to Palakkad and the state as a whole, and the state government has taken all preliminary steps for its execution,” Rajeeve said.
