The Qatar Government, which had sent a delegation
to Kerala in June 2005 to explore investment opportunities, has zeroed in on
seven project proposals out of 20 showcased by the Kerala government.
Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC)
is now set to sign an MoU with Ashok Leyland Projects Services Ltd. (ALPS) for
conducting feasibility studies on the projects, it is learnt.
One of the projects in which the Qatar Government
would like to participate is the petrochemicals complex in Kochi proposed by Gas
Authority of India Ltd. (GAIL).
A special economic zone for plastics in Kasargod;
the third phase expansion of Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram; a holistic health
village in Kozhikode; a healthcare technology park either in Thiruvananthapuram
or in Kochi; an international convention centre at Aakulam in
Thiruvananthapuram; and a BPO facility at Infopark in Kochi are the other
projects that evoked interest.
The special economic zone for plastics, estimated
to cost Rs.900 crore, is proposed to be established on a state government-owned
1,000 acre plot in Kasargod.
The proposal is to import basic petrochemical raw
materials from Qatar to manufacture items ranging from domestic products,
furniture, and automobile ancillaries to disposable medical equipment.
The holistic health village is planned to be set
up at Kinalur near Kozhikode on a 270-acre plot and it will offer at least 25
popular systems of treatment such as ayurveda; homoeopathy; juice therapy;
nutritional therapy; unani; yoga; Chinese medicines; acupuncture; and Tibetan
medicines.
The village will feature a 1,500-bed health
centre capable of handling 2,500 patients. The estimated cost of the project is
Rs.200 crore.
The healthcare technology park will be on the
lines of a special economic zone for the manufacture of medical devices. A
feasibility study on the project has already been done by A.F. Ferguson.
The Aakulam convention centre is planned on a
46-acre plot at a cost of Rs 140 crore. The Qatar team has also evinced interest
in participating in the third phase expansion of the Technopark covering 100
acres.