Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 22 (PTI) A total of 2,242 acres have been identified as part of land acquisition process for the Kochi-Bangalore Industrial Corridor, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday.

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Vijayan said 87 per cent of the land acquisition for the project, which aims to give a boom to the industrial sector in Kerala, is expected to be completed by May this year.

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"A total of 2,242 acres of land has been identified including 298 acres in Kannampra village in Palakkad district, 653 acres in Puthussery Central-I village, 558 acres in Puthussery Central-II village, 375 acres in Puthussery Central-III village and 358 acres for setting up GIFT CITY in Ayyampuzha has been identified," Vijayan said in a Facebook post.

He said the state government has formed a separate company, the Kerala Industrial Corridor Development Corporation as the Union Ministry of Commerce had approved the extension of the Bangalore Industrial Corridor to Coimbatore and Kochi.

"The project is being funded through KIFFB. The KINFRA, under the Industries Department, is the nodal agency of the State Government for implementation of the Kochi-Bangalore Industrial Corridor," Vijayan said.

He said the progress of the project was being reviewed at the ministerial level and a system has also been set up to closely monitor the land acquisition and follow-up activities of the industrial corridor.

Government expects the mega project to create 22,000 direct and 80,000 indirect jobs in five years, making a significant contribution to the development of Kerala.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)