With development not kicking in as expected in the thickly-populated Goshree islands, demand is gaining ground to either give teeth to Goshree Islands Development Authority (GIDA) or to merge it with the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) in order to hasten long-pending infrastructure projects in the isles.
GIDA has never been proactive, although it has obtained around ₹300 crore from the sale of land reclaimed from the backwaters. The situation is such that it is not even able to maintain roads and bridges under its jurisdiction, said Ebenzer Chullikkat, member, Greater Cochin Development Watch (GCDW), an NGO that has been spearheading the development needs of the region. “GIDA needs a full-time working chairman who knows the area well, since its chairman, the Chief Minister, hardly gets time to chair its meetings and to look at the development needs of the region. The situation is such that the agency’s council does not meet even once a year. Subsequently, it has become ineffective. Steps must be taken to source 2% of revenue that the local bodies in the region get from stamp duty and other income sources, in the form of cess to GIDA. The agency cannot execute any project worth its name from the interest amount of ₹300 crore it has,” he said.
On the flip side, it has invested in water transport, placing orders to build a ferry, although there are other players like the State Water Transport Department (SWTD) and Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) in Kochi’s water transport sector. Even worse, the ferry has not seen the light of the day, Mr. Chullikkat said.
Similar view was echoed by Francis Dianish, vice chairman of Pizhala Karamuttikal Samara Samiti. “GIDA can function effectively if it explores alternative revenue sources, including CSR funds, which could be sought from companies that operate the container transshipment terminal at Vallarpadam, the LNG terminal, and firms like Cochin Port Trust and Cochin Shipyard. Attention must also be given to ready project reports and avail funds from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). GIDA can implement projects only if its corpus increases from ₹300 crore to say ₹1,000 crore,” he said.
Meanwhile, official sources said GIDA was ineffective, since it had not readied a comprehensive and sustainable development plan. It also needs a team of experts who can conceive and implement projects, they added.
