Kerala - Kochi   

GCDA to present the city an Onam gift

Staff Reporter

Plans to complete Edathala housing project before August

KOCHI: The Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) is planning to make an Onam gift to the city by handing over Edathala housing scheme to beneficiaries.

"We are trying to get administrative sanction from the State Government for completing allied infrastructure at the housing colony. This includes lanes inside the colony and levelling the uneven ground," said M.C. Josephine, chairperson of the GCDA.

The authority completed 96 units at the colony and 10 more remained to be done. Steps were initiated for the construction of water tanks and power supply.

This, along with the Ring Road project, was being given top priority by the GCDA officials.

The budget for 2007-2008, approved by the State Government, because of the delay in appointing chairperson and constitution of general and executive councils had mentioned that Rs.2,300 lakh would be needed for the completion of the first phase of the ring road from Chathiath to Vaduthala and another Rs.1,150 lakh for completing the stretch from Thundathukadavu to the Varappuzha S.N. Junction.

There was a proposal for working out the second phase as a self-supporting one bringing in public-private partnership. The scheme was to convince the landowners along whose properties the ring road crossed to hand over the land to the authority. The GCDA would in turn develop the land and return half of the original volume of land back to the owner.

But now the authority seemed to have second thoughts. "We are in the preliminary phase of discussions with the corporation to include ring road project in the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM)," said Ms. Josephine.

The budget was not taken up for discussion at the first general and executive council meeting held at the GCDA office on Thursday. Details of the budget were given to the members and would be taken up at the next meeting, Ms. Josephine said.

Mayor Mercy Williams; P.S. Shyla, district panchayat president; and MLAs K. Babu, V.K. Ebrahim Kunju, A.M. Yousuf, M.J. Jacob, M.M. Monayi and V.D. Satheesan, attended the meeting.

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