Thiruvananthapuram: The proposed outer area growth corridor (OAGC), conceived as a major growth engine around the Vizhinjam port-led development, has received a fresh push from the state govt with the empowered committee headed by the chief secretary directing local self-govt department (LSGD) to bring the project before the cabinet for approval within 30 days.The directive was issued at a meeting of the empowered committee held in the first week of Sept, nearly four years after the project was initially proposed in its present form. The move is expected to accelerate the long-pending project, which envisages planned urban and industrial development along the proposed Outer Ring Road (ORR).Additional chief secretary, industries department, A P M Mohammed Hanish told TOI that the OAGC proposal was at an advanced stage and the state expected to secure the required approval soon. “Govt has asked LSGD to complete the remaining procedures and move the proposal for cabinet approval within the stipulated 30 days. The project master plan is currently under LSGD’s review,” he said.All proposals, including the land pooling method, will be considered, Hanish said. The Union Cabinet clearance for the associated ORR project is understood to be in the final stage, and the state expects the approval this month, he added.Officials believe simultaneous progress on the ORR and OAGC could give a major boost to Vizhinjam-linked industrialisation and trigger a new phase of organised growth across the capital region. The emphasis will be on proceeding with the already-approved OAGC framework, with the eight-cluster model forming the basis for subsequent planning and development.Govt is preparing to undertake zoning-related groundwork for the corridor. A drone-based survey of the identified areas is expected to begin shortly to map and demarcate the zones and provide updated spatial data for further planning.The project has been stuck for years amid inter-departmental discussions over the master plan, land pooling and the proposed special investment region framework.OAGC was conceived as a key component of capital region development programme-II (CRDP-II), to leverage Vizhinjam international seaport and ORR to promote investment, employment and planned development in the city’s outer areas. The master development plan envisages land pooling as the principal mechanism for assembling land for the economic nodes, instead of conventional land acquisition.OAGC is planned as a master development corridor covering an influence zone extending 2.5km on either side of the ORR. The proposed ORR will connect Vizhinjam with Navaikulam and is expected to provide the backbone for the planned development of the capital region’s peripheral areas. The state govt has envisaged OAGC as a series of planned economic nodes rather than allowing unregulated urbanisation along the new road.The project retains its earlier structure of eight economic clusters, and there is no proposal presently to restructure or redraw the clusters before implementation. The eight proposed clusters are located at Vizhinjam, Kovalam, Kattakada, Nedumangad, Vembayam, Mangalapuram, Kilimanoor and Kallambalam. Earlier plans had envisaged a logistics and industrial hub at Vizhinjam, a health tourism hub at Kovalam, a green and smart industry cluster at Kattakada and business, industrial, pharma, food-processing, life-science and IT-related clusters at other locations.
