Of deadlines violated without fail
7 years, 6 months ago

Of deadlines violated without fail

The Hindu  

The next meeting of the board of directors may prove crucial for SmartCity Kochi, the much-touted IT project of the State, in the wake of a major organisational restructuring at Dubai Holding, which has taken direct control of the project. SmartCity Kochi, a joint venture of the State government and Tecom Group, a subsidiary of Dubai Holding, has been envisaged as an IT / ITES Special Economic Zone spread over 246 acres. The organisational shake-up also resulted in sweeping changes in the SmartCity Kochi management, with interim Chief Executive Officer Baju George and Vice Chairman Jaber Bin Hafez being eased out of their positions. Khalid Almalik, the Chief Real Estate Officer of Dubai Holding, was appointed as the interim CEO of SmartCity Kochi, a change that may now have to be ratified by the SmartCity Kochi Board. Even as the renewed deadline fell by the wayside, a meeting of the board of directors of SmartCity Kochi decided to remove then CEO Gigo Joseph and appointed Mr. George as interim CEO.

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History of this topic

Kochi, smarting from a lost opportunity
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Kochi, smarting from a lost opportunity

The Hindu  

Khadar P.B., 51, a textile shop owner, should by now have had a sprawling IT township with skyscrapers surrounding the waters of the Kadambrayar in his immediate neighbourhood at Edachira in Kakkanad, the IT hub of Kochi. Their land was part of a parcel of 246 acres leased out to SmartCity Infrastructure Private Limited, a special purpose vehicle jointly formed …

Why Pinarayi govt called off SmartCity Kochi deal, and what happens next
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Why Pinarayi govt called off SmartCity Kochi deal, and what happens next

India Today  

An urban initiative that caught Kerala’s imagination but remained mired in political slugfests has bitten the dust with the Pinarayi Vijayan government scrapping the SmartCity Kochi project. TECOM Investments, a subsidiary of Dubai Holding, has 84 per cent stake in SmartCity Kochi, the remaining 16 per cent being with the state government. “There is no need to provide compensation to …

TECOM payment for SmartCity exit share buyback, not compensation: Pinarayi Vijayan
3 months, 3 weeks ago

TECOM payment for SmartCity exit share buyback, not compensation: Pinarayi Vijayan

India Today  

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday addressed concerns over the government's decision to repay Dubai-based TECOM for its exit from the SmartCity project in Kochi, clarifying that the payment is not compensation but the cost of TECOM’s shares in the venture. The Chief Minister also assured that the SmartCity Kochi project would remain under full government control moving forward, …

Probe Smart-City Kochi exit, put land to better use
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Probe Smart-City Kochi exit, put land to better use

New Indian Express  

A big foreign investor’s entry or exit is a big deal for the investment-starved Kerala. So, when the state cabinet announced that it has allowed Dubai-based Tecom Investments to exit its 84 percent stake in SmartCity Kochi, a 246-acre IT park in which the state government owns the rest, questions were naturally asked about the cost of the pullout. The …

Kerala ends SmartCity Kochi deal with TECOM, faces backlash over compensation move
3 months, 4 weeks ago

Kerala ends SmartCity Kochi deal with TECOM, faces backlash over compensation move

India Today  

The SmartCity Kochi IT project, once hailed as a transformative initiative for Kerala’s technology sector, has landed in controversy again after the state cabinet approved a plan for the exit of Dubai-based TECOM Investments Group. The minister also confirmed that a government-appointed committee would decide the specifics of TECOM’s withdrawal, including the compensation to be provided to the company. “During …

Cabinet approves recommendations for exit of promoter from SmartCity Kochi project
3 months, 4 weeks ago

Cabinet approves recommendations for exit of promoter from SmartCity Kochi project

The Hindu  

The Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday approved a plan for the exit of Dubai-based Tecom Investments Group from the SmartCity Kochi IT project. The government approved the recommendations submitted by a committee led by Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan, which included a mutually-worked out exit proposal between the Kerala government and the promoters. A committee comprising the Director of the Kerala …

Smart City programme a big failure in Kochi
5 years, 8 months ago

Smart City programme a big failure in Kochi

Deccan Chronicle  

Kochi: While other cities selected for Smart City Miss’ion across the country have implemented a series of projects, Kochi city could spend only less than five per cent of the Rs 2075 crore programme. The Centre has already given `196 crore for implementing projects in Kochi and the deadline for Smart City Mission programmes, started in 2016, is March 2020. …

SmartCity plans three more project phases
7 years ago

SmartCity plans three more project phases

The Hindu  

Amid speculation regarding the future of SmartCity Kochi, a flagship IT township project originally conceived as a joint venture between the State government and the Dubai-based Tecom Investments, its new chief executive officer Manoj Nair has said that planning was already afoot for an additional three phases for the project. Talking to The Hindu at the SmartCity Kochi project office …

Changes in SmartCity Kochi management took place in July?
7 years, 6 months ago

Changes in SmartCity Kochi management took place in July?

The Hindu  

KOCHI: The organisational restructuring at Dubai Holding and the resultant changes in the SmartCity Kochi management may have taken place as early as July this year though news of it emerged only recently. A mail sent out by Khalid Almalik, the Chief Real Estate Officer of Dubai Holding, after he was appointed as the interim CEO of SmartCity Kochi, to …

Kochi Smart City plan loses steam
7 years, 9 months ago

Kochi Smart City plan loses steam

Deccan Chronicle  

KOCHI: Even as Thiruvananthapuram has just been selected for the Union government’s Rs 1,000 crore Smart City Mission programme, Kochi which was announced as a Smart City two years ago in 2015 lags way behind in planning and implementation. Despite the formation of the special purpose vehicle, Cochin Smart Mission Limited with Kochi Metro Rail Limited managing director Elias George …

Kochi sluggish on Smart City
8 years, 6 months ago

Kochi sluggish on Smart City

Deccan Chronicle  

Kochi: The cities selected for the Rs 1,000-crore Smart City programme have already started implementing the projects identified under the initiative but Kochi Corporation is yet to complete even the preliminary steps. Kochi Metro Rail Limited managing director Elias George has been appointed as the full time CEO of the Cochin Smart Mission Limited but the special purpose vehicle is …

Kochi Smart City gets a leg up
8 years, 9 months ago

Kochi Smart City gets a leg up

Deccan Chronicle  

KOCHI: The Cochin Smart Mission Limited has floated the Request for Proposal to select a project management consultant to design, develop, manage and implement the Rs 1,000-crore Smart City programme. The consultant will specifically focus on area-based development, and given the wide range of technical and sector specific expertise required for implementing the projects, CSML will also be supported by …

With Big IT Firms Missing, Will Kochi Smart City Project Score?
9 years, 1 month ago

With Big IT Firms Missing, Will Kochi Smart City Project Score?

The Quint  

The first phase of the Kochi Smart City project was inaugurated on Saturday amid much fanfare, but names of major IT companies that were expected to have been part of the final list are conspicuously missing. The project spread across 246 acres, was announced as an IT Special Economic Zone intended to attract international IT firms to Kerala and offered …

Displaced for SmartCity project feel let down
12 years, 9 months ago

Displaced for SmartCity project feel let down

The Hindu  

They were moved out of their homes where many of them had lived for generations. Fifty eight families, including 18 nuclear families, were displaced from their property and home at Edachira for the ambitious SmartCity Kochi project. Though the authorities hailed the package given to the displaced families as a model one setting a benchmark for future land acquisitions not …

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