KSEB, SmartCity at loggerheads over ‘land’ again
The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and SmartCity authorities are at loggerheads again; the point of contention this time round also being ‘land.’
The dispute between KSEB and SmartCity roots in the fact that SmartCity has demanded nearly one acre of KSEB’s land at Brahmapuram; but the KSEB is not willing to part with the land it is given “alternative land.”
The latest, land-related controversy involving the KSEB and SmartCity has cropped up at a time when the delays-hit first phase of the SmartCity project is nearing completion.
With the inauguration of the first phase of the SmartCity project scheduled to take place in March 2015, KSEB has also demanded an immediate, Rs 7.5-crore payment from SmartCity authorities for the 100-acre land it had handed over for the project.
A few years back, a dispute between KSEB and SmartCity revolved around electricity transmission towers passing through the project land.
Meanwhile, to resolve the latest KSEB-SmartCity land row, a high-level meeting was held in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. Revealing that the meeting was attended by Power and IT ministers, top officials and SmartCity’s representatives, Power Minister Aryadan Mohammed said: “We discussed the issue. But we have not reached a consensus. We will sort it out in a few days.”
Source – The Times of India
Kerala State Electricity Board, KSEB, land at Brahmapuram, SmartCity, SmartCity project, Thiruvananthapuram
