Palakkad Smart City: Kerala completes tender procedures

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 24 (PTI) Kerala has completed the tender process for infrastructure development at the Palakkad Smart City, the first node of the Kochi-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor.

The construction contract is awarded to a joint venture between Dileep Buildcon Limited (DBL) and PSP Projects Limited, a CMO statement said here.

With this, Kerala has become the first state to complete the procedures for infrastructure development among the 12 industrial corridor-smart city projects sanctioned in the country last year, it said.

The contract, valued at Rs 1,316.13 crore (including GST), was signed after a competitive national tender process in which four companies participated, a KINFRA (Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation) statement said.

The EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) bid was originally invited at Rs 1,324 crore. The project must be completed within 42 months from the date of signing, it said.

Bhopal-headquartered Dilip Buildcon is a leading infrastructure company engaged in the construction of airports, tunnels, metro rails, bridges, and highways across India.

The company has also been awarded the Wayanad Tunnel Road project.

Ahmedabad-based PSP Projects is an established firm executing infrastructure projects in both government and private sectors across the country, it added.

The Palakkad Smart City project, with a total estimated investment of around Rs 3,600 crore, marks a significant milestone in Kerala’s industrial growth journey.

Earlier, the state government had spent Rs 1,489 crore through the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) for land acquisition, securing 1,450 acres for the project.

The acquired land, currently held by KINFRA, is being transferred in phases to the Kerala Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Limited (KICDC).

In December last year, 110 acres were transferred, followed by another 220 acres in March this year. The central government subsequently released Rs 313.5 crore in two phases.

The Kochi–Bengaluru Industrial Corridor was conceived in August 2019 as an extension of the Chennai–Bengaluru Industrial Corridor.

Kerala began implementing the project in September 2020 with equal partnership from the central and state governments. By July 2022, Kerala had completed 85 per cent of land acquisition, with 1,152 acres acquired in just 14 months, it said.

Industries Minister P Rajeev highlighted that in June last year, he had met Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal to secure final approvals for the project and to present the state’s progress in completing preliminary procedures.

The Palakkad Smart City project is being coordinated by Kerala Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Limited (KICDC), a special purpose vehicle jointly promoted by KINFRA (under the Government of Kerala) and the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) under the Government of India.

The EPC contract covers the design, construction, and maintenance of key infrastructure, including roads, bridges, drainage networks, water supply systems, and firefighting infrastructure.

It also covers water recycling facilities, sewerage lines, power distribution systems, sewage treatment plants, industrial effluent collection and treatment systems, among others, the statement added. PTI LGK ROH