Kerala expedites steps to realise industrial corridor

With the Centre's nod to extend the Bengaluru-Chennai Industrial corridor to Kochi from Coimbatore, the Kerala government has expedited measures to acquire land, which is often a major challenge in Kerala.

Government sources said that roughly 1,000 acres of land along Kochi - Coimbatore stretch were already available with various government agencies like the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA), while about 850 acres more would have to be acquired afresh.

A meeting of senior government officials convened by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday decided to prepare a report on the land to be acquired for the project, especially in Thrissur and Palakkad districts.

Kerala Industries Department principal secretary K Elangovan told DH that the Chief Minister wanted to expedite the steps for developing the industrial corridor, which is expected to generate 10,000 direct jobs and attract Rs 10,000 crore in investments.

The initial steps of identifying the land to be acquired were expected to be completed in a week's time.

Sources said that the government was prioritising traditional and modern industries with reduced impact on environment so that public resistance could be avoided or minimised. Electronics, IT, food processing, agriculture and traditional industries would be the possible sectors to be promoted along the corridor.

An integrated manufacturing cluster stretching up to 100 kms along the sides of the National highway would be the highlight of the corridor, which has been a long-pending demand from Kerala.

The National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust and Kerala government would form a SPV for developing the industrial corridor, which would offer state of the art infrastructure for attracting private investors. The Centre's investment would be around Rs 870 crore, while the state government's investment would in the form of the land to be provided.