Kochi Corporation to relaunch office complex work.

After a hiatus of over eight years, the Kochi Corporation is attempting to complete the construction of its office complex at Marine Drive.

Recently, structural stability experts from the Cochin University of Science and Technology had inspected the building and suggested remedial measures for reconstructing the building. They suggested that the basement floor, column and walls shall be re-plastered after removing the existing plaster using water jet.

The building had been lying abandoned for years together after the contractor, who won the bid for constructing the office, stopped the work citing the cost escalation and additional expenses he incurred for the work.

It was in 2005 that the local body embarked on the project to set up a modern office complex of 1.70 lakh sq.ft. area at Marine Drive. The government had also issued technical and administrative sanction for the project worth Rs. 18.83 crore. The proposal was approved considering the space constraints of the existing building that was constructed when Kochi was a municipality.

However, the project didn’t progress much as it ran into a series of legal and technical disputes. The civic authorities ended the deadlock and obtained the government clearance for resuming the job.

The local body had also included the project in its fast-track campaign, Mission Kochi, said a communication issued by Kochi Mayor Tony Chammany.

K. Babu, State Fisheries Minister, will re-launch the project at a function to be held soon.


THE HINDU