Industries Minister P. Rajeeve has said that land takeover for the proposed Global Industrial Finance and Trade (GIFT) City in Ayyampuzha panchayat will be speeded up, and that the process can be completed by December this year.
He was speaking at a review meeting on the project which was attended by Benny Behanan, MP, and Roji M. John, MLA, among others. He said fears of local residents would be addressed, and that efforts would be made to avoid hardship for people in the area earmarked to be taken over. It was estimated that around 300 families would be affected, but efforts are on to reduce the number of families that will be affected by the project.
The Minister also said that public hearings on the project would be held on July 8, 9, and 10, and people’s representatives would attend it. GIFT city is proposed as part of the Kochi-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor project. There will be no polluting industry in GIFT city, and the residents of Ayyampuzha have nothing to worry on the matter, he said.
A meeting of officials on land takeover will be held online on Monday, Mr. Rajeeve said, adding that the project would pave the way for the speedy development of Angamaly.
Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Kinfra) Managing Director Santhosh Koshi Thomas said work on the project was expected to begin by 2022, and it would be completed by 2025.
He said the revival package announced by the government for MSMEs had received good response from the industry. The State government had announced a package worth ₹1,416 crore for SMEs ravaged by the pandemic. He added that work on the ₹30-crore exhibition centre coming up in Kakkanad would be speeded up.
Meanwhile, Mr. Rajeeve reviewed a complaint on a bund built as part of the Vallarpadam rail connectivity project in 2011. The structure and subsequent accumulation of sediments were disrupting the natural flow of the Periyar. The issue has been examined closely by the District Collector and officials of the Department of Irrigation.