Hardly a fortnight after a meeting of its board of directors decided to inaugurate the first phase of SmartCity Kochi in December, the project seems to have run into fresh trouble with its Dubai-based promoters Tecom reportedly complaining about lack of support from the State government’s IT department headed by Principal Secretary P.H. Kurian.
However, Chief Minister Oomen Chandy told The Hindu that the reports about Tecom’s complaint against Mr. Kurian was baseless.
Mr. Kurian was not available for comments.
It is reliably learnt that the promoters raised the issue with the Middle East-based industrialist M.A. Yusuf Ali, who also attends the SmartCity Kochi director board meetings as special invitee. Following this, a conciliatory meeting of sorts was held in Industry Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty’s chamber in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.
Jabir bin Hafez, Vice-Chairman of SmartCity Kochi; Baju George, managing director SmartCity (India); Mr. Ali; and Mr. Kurian attended the meeting. Later, the Chief Minister also joined the talks.
According to sources, the promoters were neither happy about the alleged inaction on the part of the IT department in ironing out issues pointed out by them to speed up the project nor about the IT secretary’s stance on actions of SmartCity Kochi former CEO, who left the company earlier this year unceremoniously.
However, SmartCity Kochi sources didn’t deny the report. However, they declined to confirm it stating that only Mr. Kunhalikutty, SmartCity Kochi chairman, was authorised to respond on the issue.
