TRIVANDRUM, 18 December 2004 — Kerala government will prepare a master plan to develop basic infrastructure for the port city of Cochin where investments worth more than Rs. 100 billion are planned for the next five years.
Quality power and drinking water supply will get top priority. An industrial water supply scheme with private participation is under consideration, officials said. “We will soon submit a detailed report to the government,” City mayor C. M. Dinesh Moni said.
Cochin is set to become a gateway to the huge Indian market with its port being developed into a master port capable of handling large containers. However, the city roads remains to be of poor quality and traffic snarls are a regular feature. Uninterrupted power and drinking water supply and effective solid waste management also remain a dream for the city dwellers.
Dubai Port International has bagged a 38-year contract to build and operate Cochin’s International Container Transport Terminal while Dubai Internet City would develop a 1000-acre exclusive zone for information and communication technology called Smart City.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will kick off some of the major projects during his visit next month. The projects waiting for formal start include an LNG terminal, southern grid gas pipeline network, single-point mooring terminal for refinery, ship repairing centre, bunkering terminal, international cruise terminal, port-related special economic zone and strengthening of road and rail connectivity.
German carmaker BMW, which is seriously considering Cochin for its third Asian production base, is expected to finalise its plans next month.
The port and Smart city projects alone are expected to create 200,000 jobs, creating huge demand for housing and basic infrastructure.
Going by the current trend, construction laborers from the neighboring states are expected to swarm the city.
According to Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) chairperson Antony Isac, five million jobs at different levels will be available in Cochin and its surroundings over the next decade. Land prices, already going through the roof, are expected to increase further.
A Cochin metro rail project and a sky city project, building an elevated structure over the existing roads and buildings to link different parts of the city, are also under consideration.
