The first phase of Kerala's much delayed signature IT project - Smart City Kochi - is most likely to be inaugurated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum next month, said a top official on Monday.
State Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson said here that once a confirmation is received on the visit of Sheikh Mohammed, who is also the ruler of Dubai, the date will be announced.
"We are working out on protocol to facilitate his visit directly to Kochi instead of coming via New Delhi," he said after the meeting of top officials of the project here.
Inauguration of the first phase including the 6.5 lakh square feet first IT tower and the launching of the 47 lakh square feet second phase will be held simultaneously.
Coming up on 246 acres near here, the prestigious project, which is a joint venture between Dubai Holdings and the Kerala government first came on the drawing board way back in 2004 but since then faced numerous road blocks. It was only last year that the construction of the first phase began.