His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who is acclaimed for his vision and leadership, on Thursday commended the Kerala leader for his popular mass contact programmes.
“I have heard about your great popularity and know that you work very close with your people. We also do the same here. We get to learn a lot from them and can gather plenty of information from such frequent interactions with the people,” Shaikh Mohammed said during his 40-minute meeting with Chandy.
Shaikh Mohammed enquired about the way in which the acclaimed mass contact programmes are being conducted in Kerala through which Chandy seeks to hear and address the grievances and issues of tens of thousands of citizens.
Hailing the historic relations between the two friendly peoples and highlighting the role the Indian community and workforce play in the building and development process being witnessed by the UAE, Shaikh Mohammed praised Kerala expatriates in the country as a “hardworking, enterprising and trustworthy” community.
“They are welcome here,” he added.
Shaikh Mohammed outlined Dubai’s tradition of encouraging entrepreneurship, and said only if businesses are allowed to make profit, they would continue to invest.
When Shaikh Mohammed learnt that there were around one million Keralites in the UAE, he said: “let them use all the opportunities in our country.”
Kerala wins Dubai assurance
DUBAI - The Government of Dubai will extend all support to expedite the successful completion of the $1 billion Smart City project that Tecom Investment has initiated in the South Indian state of Kerala, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said on Thursday.
Shaikh Mohammed, who received Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at the headquarters of the Dubai Executive Council at Emirates Towers on Thursday, also promised to visit the state to explore its alluring natural beauty.
He said he had learnt about Kerala’s abundant natural beauty: its mountains, forests, rivers and lagoons. Shaikh Mohammed said he would like to spend two days quietly exploring the state’s rich and diverse flora and fauna before attending the opening ceremony of the first phase of Smart City, which is expected to be completed in the next 20 months.
Earlier on Thursday, the Smart City Board at a meeting cleared the master plan for the project, and said work on the first phase would commence by July 1.
Shaikh Mohammed also pledged Kerala’s “24/7 functioning” chief minister all support to DP World’s Vallarpadam International Container Transshipment Terminal in Cochin. Last month, the terminal received its first mainline service to become India’s first transhipment hub. The Kerala chief minister, who was heading a delegation comprising ministers and high-ranking officials, was also met by Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council during the meeting.
The two sides discussed the bonds of friendship between the UAE and India, and ways of boosting economic, investment and trade cooperation in the best interest of the two countries.
The talks also tackled existing cooperation between Dubai and Kerala in all fields, particularly in the sectors of ports and information.
Chandy appreciated the expertise that Dubai presents to his state with a population of about 32 million people, in the two vital sectors.
Among those who attended the meeting were Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Aviation Authority and Chairman of Emirates airline and Group; Mohammed Al Gargawi, Minister for Cabinet Affairs; Kerala Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty; Kerala Minister of Diaspora K.C. Joseph; Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shaibani, Director-General of the Dubai Ruler’s Court; Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of the Ports, Customs & Free Zone Corporation; Indian Ambassador M.K. Lokesh; Yousuf Ali MA, managing director of Emke Group-Lulu; and Shamsudeen bin Mohideen, chairman of Regency Group.
The Indian ambassador told Khaleej Times that Shaikh Mohammed also expressed his keenness to bolster civil aviation ties with Kerala by boosting services in the sector, which Shaikh Ahmed described as one of the most profitable for Emirates.
Lokesh said an Indian civil aviation delegation is due to visit the UAE to hold talks on boosting sectoral ties with additional frequencies.
The Indian envoy apprised Shaikh Mohammed about Indian Prime Minister’s long awaited visit.
At a separate meeting, the board of Smart City cleared the master plan of the prestigious IT project. The meeting was attended by Chandy, Kunhalikutty, Joseph, Principal IT Secretary PH Kurian, Dr Baiju George and the management team of Smart City Dubai, the partner for the project.
The project conceived in 2005 is to generate about 90,000 jobs and attract investments of more than $500 million.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Chandy said he was happy that Shaikh Mohammed has accepted his invitation to be present at the opening of the first phase of Smart City.
The board has given the go-ahead for the construction of 1.5 million square foot of building in two phases, said the Kerala leader.
“The project will be completed in two phases. The first phase consists of two buildings with a 400,000 square feet area. The completion time is 18 months,” he said.
The project will come up under a single special economic zone. The ground-breaking ceremony for it was held in October 2011. The project is coming up on 250 acres near a lake.
Smart City Kochi was first conceived when Chandy was the chief minister in 2004, but the project got delayed and was given clearance by the then chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan at the fag-end of his term. The Chandy government began the project last June by inaugurating a state-of-the-art 10,000 sq feet sales pavilion.
A row video is also available in youtube....
Source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com
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