The Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) has assuaged fears expressed by Kerala State Housing Board (KSHB) employees over a resource recovery facility (RRF) proposed by the Authority at Marine Drive, close to the Board’s prestigious and long-pending Marine Eco City project, the work on which is scheduled to start later this year.
KSHB sources described the facility proposed by the GCDA as a possible recycling centre. But when his attention was drawn to the KSHB employees’ concern over such a facility coming up close to the Marine Eco City project, GCDA Chairman K. Chandran Pillai said: “We can work out a win-win solution” once the KSHB approached the GCDA. Mr. Pillai also said that the GCDA had drawn up some novel plans for the future.
The KSHB employees’ union claimed that the GCDA had proposed the RRF on a plot of land in the heart of Kochi, which is under land use restrictions. The union claimed that under the Cochin Corporation Masterplan Land Use Zones, the GCDA land can be used only for erecting public or semi-public buildings.
Meanwhile, Minister for Housing K. Rajan, who convened a review meeting on the Marine Eco City project in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday, said clearances were being obtained for the project, and that works would begin later this year. The meeting was informed that steps had been taken to speedily obtain clearances due from the Union government. Coastal Regulation Zone clearance, pre-certification, three-star certification, No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the airport, and Fire Force NOC and environmental clearance have been obtained.
The first phase of the Marine Eco City project is estimated to cost ₹486.38 crore. The empowered committee, headed by the Chief Secretary, will take forward the procedures for awarding the first phase work to a Raipur-based construction company. The total cost of the project is an estimated ₹2,399 crore. In the first phase, 152 flats will be built over 25 storeys. Three floors will be dedicated fully to parking. There will also be clubhouse, swimming pool, and offices.
Published – March 28, 2025 02:08 am IST
