PPP cell to speed up urban projects: Chandy

Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy said the department of Urban Affairs would make arrangements to strengthen the public private partnership (PPP) cell under the guidance of urban minister, Manjalam Kuzhi Ali, to expedite the process of launching projects at the Partner Kerala Meet.

Speaking to investors here today, Chandy said the projects would be given a single-window clearance by the respective local bodies to ensure they are completed on time.

He said the state was awaiting the Centre's nod for the Kochi-Coimbatore industrial corridor.

The government had reached a political consensus to build an electronic city in Amballur near here, but some concerns regarding its impact on the environment needs to addressed, the chief minister said.

According to him, the state would soon resolve issues relating to certain regions being included in zone 3 under the Coastal Regulatory Zone Act. "There is some confusion with regard to the Act as many of the panchayats have recently been converted into municipalities. The government was looking into the issue and would resolve it soon," said the chief minister.

Minister for Public Works PK Ibrahim Kunju said the PPP model envisaged in the Partner Kerala meet was slightly different from the traditional PPP mode of project implementation.