CM to lay foundation for international convention centre

Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 2(UNI) Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan will lay the foundation stone for an International Convention Centre Complex at Akkulam, near here, on June four.

Informing this at a news conference, State Law Minister M Vijayakumar expressed the hope the centre of international standards would help in organising a number of international conferences in the capital city.

The Convention Centre, to be constructed jointly with private sector, would be built on Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOO) basis and the state government would have 26 per cent stake. It would have at least 249 rooms and can accomodate 2,500 people.

The total cost for the first phase would be Rs 205 crore and was expected to be completed in two years.The total investment in the second phase would be Rs 600 crore.

The total land required for the Centre would be 46 acre and the tenure of the lease would be 90 years, he added.

In the first phase, the project would have a 41,720 sq feet convention centre,a banquet hall with a seating capacity of 1,110 seats, 11 small meeting halls with a seating capacity for between 30 and 75 persons and VIP rooms.

There would be a five star hotel with 249 rooms and 25 poolside luxurious cottages, marina, jetties and water sports facilities, besides parking space.

In the second phase, to be completed according to the progress and demand of the first phase, the centre would be expanded by another 32,300 sq ft.

It would also have 100 service apartments, 15 villas, 1.50 lakh sq ft retail place, 5.75 lakh sq ft commercial offices and a parking area of 1.90 lakh sq ft,he said. The Raheja Group would be the partner in the project.

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