Kochi Corporation All Geared For Metro Status

Kochi, The Queen of Arabian Sea has turned grander and glorious over the last century. As Kochi Corporation celebrates its Golden Jubilee this year, the city has a lot to narrate about its evolution from a very small princely state in India to one of the fastest growing cities in the country today.

The history of Kochi is quite intriguing. For centuries now, Kochi has served as a seat for many foreign rulers who have contributed in shaping the city. The King of Kochi always remained as a title head only, as the city persisted under foreign invasion for several years. Prior to independence and joining the Indian Union, the city was being colonized by Portuguese, Dutch as well as English. Fort Kochi and Mattancherry still cherish the reminiscence of its eventful past by preserving its antique essence even today.

The progress of the city post-independence is indeed envious to many a tier II city of the country. In the recent days, Kochi has marked its place in global sports map by being the venue of Under 17 World Cup of 2017 and the most electrifying ground of ISL seasons. The city’s annual tourism influx equals about four times its population. The International Container Trans-shipment Terminal (ICTT) at Vallarpadam, makes Kochi the premier port gateway to South India. Greater connectivity, first Indian tier II city to propose metro rail, venue of two submarine cables landing in India etc; the chart of credits goes on. CBRE has termed Kochi as the next real estate hub of the country scrutinizing the fact that the city has outstanding facilities and it the favorite tier II destination of International IT Corporates.

Kochi which is a cocktail of modernity as well as ethnicity, still has a lot more to achieve; especially when it comes to some basic facilities like housing, waste management, water supply and roads. Other projects like Kochi-Mattancherry-Central City, Inland Waterway Development, Integrated Public Transport Mode, Smart City (Second phase) which are in pipeline is expected to add pride to the Queen, who over the years and still continue spreading her splendor, bestowing wealth and welfare to her folks.

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