Kerala govt. gives administrative sanction to non-SEZ IT building in Infopark first phase

KOCHI

The State government has granted administrative sanction for setting up a non-Special Economic Zone (SEZ) IT building on 88 cents of land in Infopark Kochi’s first phase.

The 1.90-lakh-sq ft building will be constructed for ₹118.33 crore, funded through Infopark’s own resources and a bank term loan, according to a communication from the Chief Minister’s Office.

The decision is expected to give a fillip to the premier IT organisation, which has for long been starved of space. Over a 100 companies are on the waiting list.

AI township

Recently, the Infopark and the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Infopark Phase 3, which is set to become Kerala’s first Integrated AI Township. The project will span more than 300 acres, including 100 acres earmarked for IT development, in Ernakulam district.

The land will be sourced through a land pooling initiative led by the GCDA. The project aims to attract global tech giants and Global Capability Centres (GCCs) of leading companies. It is expected to bring in investments of around ₹25,000 crore and generate nearly two lakh direct jobs, along with twice that number of indirect jobs.

Land pooling of 300 acres

“A new office for land pooling will be opened at Infopark on October 17. The office will be operated jointly by our staff and Infopark’s personnel. This will be followed by a notification for land pooling of 300 acres, which is yet to be finalised,” said GCDA sources.

The government order dated October 18, 2024, designated the GCDA as the appropriate authority for the proposed land pooling under Section 56 of the Kerala Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Act, into which land pooling rules were incorporated through an extraordinary government gazette dated March 16, 2024. The GCDA has thus become the first local body to act as an ‘appropriate authority’ to make land available for a major project in the State under the land pooling rules.

Landowners’ consent

Once at least 75% of landowners in the proposed land pooling scheme area give their consent, the appropriate authority may issue the final notification for drafting the scheme. However, it is mandatory to include landowners who do not provide consent in the scheme. Even if consent is not forthcoming, the appropriate authority may, with government approval, take a suitable decision regarding the scheme. Landowners with plots of not less than five hectares in Corporations, seven hectares in municipalities, and 10 hectares in panchayats can apply to the appropriate authority for inclusion of their plots in a land pooling scheme in their respective areas.