The draft industrial perspective plan for 2030, formulated as part of a comprehensive futuristic development plan for Kerala, has much in store for Kochi. The plan, with a mission of achieving sustainable industrial prosperity, aims at increasing the share of manufacturing from 8 per cent to 10 per cent of Gross State Domestic Production.
The State government has initiated several mega projects which could lay the foundations for taking a leap in the industrial sector in the coming years. The projects include Integrated Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemical Investment Regions (PCPIRs) spread over an area of 10,000 acres, and Kochi-Palakkad National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) worth Rs. 53,825 crore, spanning over areas covering Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram, and Palakkad districts, which plans establishment of industrial and commercial establishments across 20 identified nodes. Electronic Park, with a cost of Rs. 336 crore and land cost of Rs. 750crore over 334 acres of land at Amballur in Ernakulam, is another mega project.
The Rs. 2,000 crore Supplementary Gas Infrastructure Project by Kerala Gail Gas Limited (KGGL), which is planning to take up initiatives such as city gas distribution, CNG stations for KSRTC buses, establishment of a gas training institute, laying of spur lines from GAIL’s main pipeline, and setting up of gas-based small power generating plants, is yet another project.
Kochi Metro Rail is an ongoing mega project.
The report said the State has a severe problem of solid waste management. Industrial firms have been one of the major sources of waste generation. The Greater Kochi Area (GKA) is ranked 24 among the critically polluted areas (CPA) in the country. The main pollution sources of concern are industries, municipal solid waste, biomedical waste, e-waste, and domestic waste.
The perspective plan also takes into consideration projects such as the Vizhinjam International Deep Water Multipurpose Seaport, the Monorail Project in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikhode, the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Kottayam, Sea Plane Services in Kerala, and Gas-Based Power Project at Cheemeni and Suburban Railway Corridor Project.
Kerala has been lagging behind other States in terms of industrial development despite having considerable material and human resources. The State formulated first industrial policy in 1967. The policy was revised several times in the following years.
