The new face of Kochi’s development
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The land reclaimed by the Goshree Islands Development Authority will open up yet another development front for Kochi.
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– Photo: H. Vibhu
Ready for take-off: The reclaimed land.
The 53.54 acres of land reclaimed from the Vembanad Lake by Goshree Islands Development Authority (GIDA) in one of Kerala’s first example of a project being financed by sale of land owned by a Government agency, is set to witness changes that will give a new face to Kochi and will one day be the showcase of Kerala’s capabilities.
An amount of Rs.340 crore realised from the sale of the land went into building the trio of Goshree bridges that link the Vypeen and Mulavaukadu Island to the Ernakulam mainland. A portion of the money also went into infrastructure development on the islands neighbouring Ernakulam that were a picture of neglect in the past.
Vital link
The three Goshree bridges will be the mainstay of land link between the Vypeen and Mulavukadu Islands to Ernakulam. These islands and their neighbouring areas like Puthyvype will see investments to the tune of Rs.10,00 crore over the next five years.
The establishment of the International Container Transshipment Terminal project on Vallarpadam will be the single most important project that will alter the land use pattern on the Goshree land. The land was acquired by Puravankara property developers, Hotel Venus International, Venugopalan Nair, Ansu Enterprises and Prestige Properties.
Great impact
While these groups are finalising plans for their waterfront property, the speed with which several new projects are being implemented close to the property will have a definite impact on the developments on Goshree land.
The transshipment terminal project is India’s first grassroots hub terminal and will host India’s maritime business once it is commissioned.
The road and rail link to the project site are already being taken up with the District Administration already having initiated the process of land acquisition for the rail and road links.
A major project
The LNG terminal being planned by Petronet LNG Limited (PLL) is another major project that will have an impact on the land development of the area. The project is coming up on land leased out by Cochin Port Trust.
A bunkering terminal, India’ s first port-based special economic zone and a ship repair facility along with a world-class marina will be the other major projects that will change the face of Kochi. Just more than four years, the land north of Marine Drive was considered unimportant. The announcement of the new projects, beginning with the ICTT project turned the scene around to bring the Goshree land to its rightful place.
Developmental activities have had a headstart with Bharat Petroleum-Kochi Refinery on the verge of completing its single point mooring facility for servicing very large crude carriers off the Kochi coast.
GIDA has taken up the work of developing infrastructure on the islands which will benefit at least six grama panchayats that come under the purview of the projects being planned by the authority.
K.A. MARTIN
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