The consulate of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Kerala, the second to be set up in the country after Mumbai, will function from a five-storey rented building near the Manacaud junction here.
The UAE authorities zeroed in on the 25,000-sq ft building after checking over 40 buildings and assessing facilities and access, as people from all over the State would arrive for visa and attestation.
The agreement has been signed and the building, M.C. Tower, has been leased for six years, says its owner Mohanachandran.
The government is in receipt of the letter from the UAE Ambassador in India, seeking security for the building, a senior government official says.
The request has been forwarded to the Home Department.
The UAE had sought free land in the capital to set up a consulate and such a decision can be taken only after consulting the Union Ministry of External Affairs, the official says.
Yet to identify
The government is yet to identify suitable land for consulate in the city, she said.
The consulate is expected to boost investment from West Asia, cement relations between the countries, and make attesting of certificates hassle-free for those seeking employment in the UAE.
An increase in tourist arrivals, especially for medical care, to the State is expected.
The consulate in Kerala was announced in June 2011 on a request made to the visiting UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan by the then Union Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed.
The consulate will be a relief for over half-a-million Keralites working in the UAE as they need not have to go to Delhi or Mumbai for visa and attestation.
The UAE consulate is the fourth to be set up in the State by a foreign country.
The consulate of the Maldives has been functioning in the capital since July 12, 2005, followed by Russia and Sri Lanka.
