Business | Technology
DIC team in Kerala for Smart City talks
Officials of Dubai Internet City (DIC) will hold extensive talks with counterparts in the south Indian state of Kerala on reviving the stalled SmartCity project in Kochi.
- Staff Report
- Published: 00:00 August 4, 2006
Dubai: Officials of Dubai Internet City (DIC) will hold extensive talks with counterparts in the south Indian state of Kerala on reviving the stalled SmartCity project in Kochi.
The project, which is to help Kerala benefit from Dubai's expertise by bringing in investment and boost employment in India's most literate state, was stalled by the new government, led by V.S. Achuthanandan.
Following an invitation from the Government of Kerala, a DIC team yesterday left for the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram to hold discussions on the SmartCity Kochi project.
DIC, the Gulf's answer to the Silicon Valley, has created the region's largest IT park in Dubai, as part of the government's strategy to transform the area into a knowledge-based economy
The DIC team, comprised of Fareed Abdul Rahman, Deepak Padmanabhan, Dr Baju George and Deepti Khosla, will hold extensive talks on the project to be established jointly by the Kerala Government and Dubai Internet City.
"We are extremely excited by the potential of the project in Kochi," Abdul Rahman said. "The state has a large pool of skilled human resources, a key factor in the success of such a project. We have been encouraged by the fact that the Government of India has granted Special Economic Zone (SEZ) status to the project."
The DIC is expanding its expertise by setting up similar parks in other countries, including Malta. As part of its strategic international expansion, it is seeking to create a global network of industry business campuses. SmartCity Kochi is planned to be a key part of this network.
In March, the DIC signed an agreement with the Government of Malta to establish SmartCity Malta, a $308 million business park for knowledge-based companies.
The DIC is also in discussions with various other cities in India to establish business campuses that will be part of its global network.
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