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Kerala / The New Indian Express

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KSEB demand to return land may delay TECOMs SmartCity Kochi exit

KOCHI: A year after Dubai Holding-owned TECOM Investments formally conveyed its intention to exit the SmartCity Kochi (SCK) project, a long-standing dispute threatens to complicate the process: the Kerala State Electricity Board Ltd (KSEBL) is seeking the return of more than 100 acres it had contributed to the project. KSEBL says it acquired the land for Rs 83.2 crore between 1991 and 1997, but the state government only paid Rs 7.57 crore when it was acquired for the SmartCity IT park. With the government now exploring options for TECOMs exit, KSEBLs demand has come as a major hurdle. An expert committee, comprising the director of the Kerala State IT Mission, CEO of Infopark, and Dr Baju George, managing director of Overseas Keralites Investment & Holding Ltd (OKIH), had been tasked with recommending an exit formula. But officials admit that multiple unresolved issues, including KSEBLs stipulation, continue to stall progress. A letter dated December 12, 2024, accessed by TNIE, shows KSEBL reminding the government that the disputed 100.65 acres were part of the 194.95 acres it owned in Brahmapuram. After the land was transferred to the revenue department through a government order, the state valued it at Rs 7.57 crore, a figure KSEBL protested through missives in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Appeals to the Ernakulam district collector to revise the valuation also went unheeded, the letter states. Nothing has changed, even now, said a former senior KSEB official involved in the matter. He noted that despite citing genuine operational needs, the utility has not been able to reclaim the land. KSEBL says the 100.65 acres, part of SCKs total land parcel of 246 acres, is essential for developing large battery energy storage system (BESS) substations to meet Ernakulams rising power demand. We plan to set up around 3,000 MW/12,000 MWh of storage capacity over the next five years. Even after using all available land near substations, the requirement remains unmet, the letter said. The IT department, however, disputes KSEBLs claim. SmartCity is up and running, and the land belongs to the IT department. It was handed over on a 99-year lease, an official said. State IT special secretary Seeram Sambasiva Rao said the disagreement was only over land valuation, which he added has been resolved. But the former KSEB official insists the core demand was for the land to be returned, not merely revalued, a matter he says remains unresolved. The dispute, officials admit, could delay TECOMs exit.

2 Dec 2025 8:20 am