Palakkad Smart City: Promotional campaigns to begin in December

The Kerala Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (KICDC) is gearing up to launch promotional campaigns for the Palakkad Smart City—part of the Kochi-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor—by December.

The corporation also aims to start allocating land to large-scale industries early next year. Industries requiring more than 50 acres of land will be considered in the first phase of allotment.

The infrastructure development work, which commenced in October last year, is expected to be completed by April 2029 as targeted. Alongside this, the government aims to complete the land allotment to ensure the Smart City becomes fully operational. The project is progressing under the leadership of Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty.

A team, including Industries Department Additional Chief Secretary A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish, the District Collector, and NICDC officials, reviews the construction progress every month. Technical inputs from IIT Palakkad and NIT Tiruchirappalli are being fully utilised in designing the infrastructure development.

Out of the 1,450 acres of land acquired by the Kerala Government for the project at a cost of ₹1,489 crore, 889 acres have already been handed over to KICDC. Proportionate to this land transfer, the corporation has received ₹934.46 crore from the Central Government for infrastructure development.

The Kerala Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Limited (KICDC) is a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) formed with equal equity participation by KINFRA (under the Government of Kerala) and the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT, under the Central Government) to coordinate the development activities of the Smart City.

Kerala is the first state in the country to complete the tendering process and commence infrastructure development among the 12 industrial smart cities being implemented nationwide. An EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) contract has been awarded for the comprehensive development of the Smart City, covering everything from design to construction and maintenance. Based on the design details submitted by the contracting company, prompt inspections are being conducted, and works for components receiving approval are progressing rapidly. Subgrade works for about 20 km of roads have already been completed in the project area.

Published on July 17, 2026