The First phase of Kerala's dream SmartCity project, including a 6.5 lakh sq ft IT tower, will be inaugurated tomorrow.
The launch of the 4.7 million sq ft Phase II will also take place simultaneously, officials said here today.
Kerala's dream project will be dedicated to the nation in the presence of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy,Minister for Industries and IT and Chairman, SmartCity Kochi, P KKunhalikutty,state opposition leader V S Achuthanandan, UAE and Chairman of Dubai Holding, Mohammed Al Gargawi besides top industrialists and officials.
As many as 27 IT companies have already been leased out 75 per cent of the leasable space in the first IT tower and many of them have already started their 'fit-out jobs.'
The names of the companies will be announced at the inaugural function, said Vice Chairman, SCK, Jaber Bin Hafez, at a media conference held at the SmartCity Pavilion office.
The companies are expected to be fully functional within the next 3 to 4 months. Once fully operational, Phase 1 can generate a minimum of 5000 job opportunities in one shift.
Interim CEO and Board Member, SmartCity Kochi, Baju George said a firm in SmartCity Kochi can have virtual presence or physical presence in SmartCity in Dubai or Malta.
The delay in Phase 1 was due to the uniqueness of the project and there was no benchmark to carry out the operations, Jaber Bin Hafez said. "Moreover, developing the infrastructure facilities like roads, bridges and power supply had to be done before the commencement of the construction process," he said.
The 4.7 million sq ft Phase 2 to be launched will have seven towers in it including the tallest IT tower in India in the 1.8 million sq ft project by Sands Infrabuild, the IT division of Lulu Group.
The projects of UAE based Holiday Group; GEMS International School; Bengaluru based Maratt Projects Pvt Ltd; Prestige Group and Kochi based Elton Technologies apart from SmartCity's own tower are to feature in Phase 2.
The second phase, which will generate about 60,000 jobs, would also feature non-IT buildings as well.
Phase 2 is expected to be completed within 30 to 36 months, the Vice Chairman said.
Verma also emphasised upon need to focus on local
solutions and careful planning through means like community engagement and collaboration, continue implementation of advanced technologies and apply innovative financial solutions.
British High Commissioner Sir Dominic Asquith said India's estimated smart cities market is the 12th largest globally.
He promised to support Smart City Mission through the UK's expertise in urban design; planning and architecture; infrastructure engineering and construction; data, software and analytics; project management; financing and real estate; and public engagement and customised user-centric solutions, among other areas.
All these themes would be displayed in the three cities chosen by the UK - Pune, Indore and Amravati.
Ambassador of Japan Kenji Hiramatsu highlighted some of the key areas of collaboration with India, including sewerage and water supply systems, energy efficiency and conservation, maximising the use of energy through stable Smart Grid systems, solar technology, and urban transportation systems.
Hiramatsu shared that Japan would be also provide technical assistance to India to make the cities and urban infrastructure resilient to natural disasters like floods and earthquakes.
He also highlighted the financial commitments made by Japanese companies to the Indian economy, like Softbank's USD 20 billion commitment to India's renewable energy sector in the next 10 years.
Ambassador of Korea Cho Hyun suggested that while transforming cities, the focus should be on the use of technologies and meticulous planning involving local communities and stakeholders.
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Verma said the bilateral trade between the US and India was highest in 2015, crossing over USD 107 billion.
He said American companies have invested USD 15 billion in the past 2 years, and will sign deals worth some USD 27 billion in the next two years.
On the other hand, the Indian companies' investments in the US was over USD 15 billion with 100 companies spread across 35 states and employing nearly 100,000 Americans.
Verma said about 300 million people are expected to move to India's rapidly expanding cities over the next 20 years - roughly the entire population of the US.
"India's urban population will grow more rapidly than in China, South America, or the West. India will soon lead the world in the growth of megacities (cities with more than 10 million people) by 2030," he said.
Quting a recent industry study, he said the combined market potential for smart infrastructure in segments of energy, transportation, water, healthcare, and governance is enormous in upwards of USD 1.5 trillion dollars over the next five years.
