Kochi Smart city IT promoters threatens govt

The framework agreement very clearly states that 12 per cent of the land is freehold,which is outside the Special Economic Zone (SEZ),Smartcity CEO Fareed Abdul Rehaman,said.

‘We are prepared to wait for only two more months till February 28,2011 and a solution to the vexed issues including the 12 per cent freehold land of the project should be taken by the government failing which we would be forced to take a legal route or go for arbitration as a last resort, Fareed Abdul Rehman told reporters.

Making the government stand clear,Kerala fisheries minister,S Sharma,who is also the Smart City Chairman,told reporters after the board meeting there was no question of giving Tecom the right of freehold over the land. That is the government’s policy. As a last resort,the government had appointed NRI business man M A Yusuf Ali,NoRKA Roots vice chairman and director Abu Dhabi Chamber of commerce and Industry to mediate with the UAE authorities.

A report is expected from him in 10 days and there were ‘positive’ feelings about the project,he said.

Fareed,who met reporters at 0830 AM,shortly before the board meeting,said they were keen on the project. ‘We do not want to ruin the relationship with any parties. There has to be a solution. It is clear in the framework agreement that if there is a dispute how to go about it. We would like to keep the legal route and arbitration only as a last resort’,he said adding the project was about Foreign Direct Investment,creating jobs and development.

He said Yusuf Ali was not a mediator,but a representative of the Kerala government. The government has appointed a representative to explain the stand of the government.

Fareed said they were getting enquries on various projects from other states and from outside the country,but he did not elaborate.

Meanwhile,Yusuf Ali told reporters at Thrissur that as per instructions from the chief minister,V S Achutanandan,he had held talks with with Tecom chairman and other officials. ‘The chief minister had given me a mandate to discuss certain issues which were discussed’,he said.

The foundation stone of the project was laid in 2007 and work had not started due to the issues troubling the project.

The Tecom has been demanding 12 per cent free hold land out of the 256 acres acquired for the project at nearby Kakkanad. The government has not accepted this demand due to which the construction work on the project was getting delayed.