Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 18 (IANS) The Kerala government has cleared a major industrial investment proposal under which 18 acres in Kochi will be leased to Central PSU Cochin Shipyard Ltd for ship-block construction, Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan said on Tuesday.
Briefing the media after the weekly post-Cabinet meeting, Satheesan said the project envisages an investment of around Rs 5,000 crore and is expected to generate nearly 2,000 new jobs.
The land will be provided to Cochin Shipyard on lease, with the state expected to receive an annual lease amount of Rs 1.45 crore, which will work out to around Rs 1.70 crore including GST, the Chief Minister said.
The proposal, which has been under consideration for some time, has now received the government’s approval, paving the way for the Central PSU to proceed with the ship-block building facility.
The project is expected to provide a major boost to Kochi’s position as a shipbuilding and maritime hub and could also generate opportunities for ancillary industries and employment in the sector.
The Chief Minister also said the government had taken a decision on the next course of action regarding the footballer Lionel Messi episode and that the details would be announced shortly.
On the GST issue related to the Messi event, Satheesan said a Special Investigation Team of the GST Department was examining the circumstances under which a GST liability of around Rs 22 crore, identified by the previous Pinarayi Vijayan government, was subsequently frozen.
The SIT is looking into why the amount identified as payable was frozen and the circumstances surrounding the decision, he said.
Satheesan also sent out a strong message that his government would not yield to pressure from community or religious organisations while taking administrative decisions.
“Our government will not succumb to pressure from any caste or religious groups. We will move forward strongly,” he said.
The Chief Minister’s remarks came amid several politically sensitive issues confronting the new administration.
He sought to underline that the government would proceed with decisions based on governance, development and accountability rather than external pressures.
–IANS
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