DUBAI, 28 September 2006 — Talks between TECOM Investments and the south Indian state government of Kerala on all issues related to the SmartCity Kochi project have been termed as positive.
Following the discussion, TECOM Investments has outlined its position on various issues in a letter to the Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, in an effort to accelerate the project, which has been under discussion for two years.
Fareed Abdulrahman, executive director of TECOM International, part of TECOM Investments, said: “We had a very positive round of talks during which, we discussed the entire range of issues related to the SmartCity project. We have conveyed our position on key aspects of the project to the Kerala government and hope that we’ll be able to reach a clear understanding on taking the SmartCity project forward.”
TECOM Investments’ officials said they are now looking forward to an official reply from the chief minister.
Talks on the SmartCity project started in 2004 after TECOM Investments submitted a proposal to the Government of Kerala on setting up a business campus for knowledge-based industries in the city of Cochin. The business campus was aimed at tapping Cochin’s potential to develop into a hub for knowledge-related industries like IT, media and biotechnology.
Abdullatif Al-Mulla, CEO of TECOM Investments received a Kerala government delegation in Dubai Internet City. The delegation was headed by Sheela Thomas, chief secretary to the chief minister and included PG Tensing, secretary of IT, and K Suresh, additional secretary to the chief minister. In addition to Abdulrahman, TECOM Investments’ Business Development Officer Deepak Padmanabhan also took part in the discussion.
As part of its strategic international expansion, TECOM Investments is seeking to create a global network of knowledge-industry business campuses. The SmartCity in Cochin will be a key part of this network.