The 2-day talks on Smart City by not giving a final decision or result

Thiruvananthapuram: The 2-day talks between the Kerala government and Smart-City Dubai to take forward the proposed Smart-City Kochi software town-ship project turned out to be without results, but both parties were confident that the deadlock would be broken. After the meeting, Chief Secretary Neela Gangadharan,  said discussions were yet to be concluded and would continue. The proposed project, to be jointly launched by the state government and Smart City Dubai, is scheduled to come up on a 246-acre plot with 8.8 million square feet of built-up space,of which 70 % is ear-marked for IT & IT-enabled services. 

The government has given  special economic zone status for 136 acres of the project. But it has neither completed the registration of the land nor settled a contentious stamp duty issue. The Smart City Dubai chief executive Fareed-Abdul-Rehman said, the next round of discussions would take place at the director board meeting scheduled for September 30 and said -Nothing has been concluded because there are a few issues has to be sorted out.

The Chief minister, V.S. Achuthanandan had laid the foundation stone of the Rs.1,500 - crore  (316-million$) IT township project November 16- 2007, but there has been no progress till now. The project has fall a road block with over the main issue of giving 12 %  free-hold land to the Dubai firm.