Kochi: The Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) has announced a project to build rental houses for middle income group. The announcement was made in the GCDA’s Budget-2024, presented on Monday.

As part of the project, 90 residential units will be built in six plots owned by the GCDA at Kadavanthra, Panampilly Nagar, Kathrukadav and Kakkanad. The units will be in one room and kitchen as well as 1&2 BHK categories. An amount of Rs 7 crore has been allocated for the project.

The building units will be rented out as affordable houses, office spaces and co-working spaces.

GCDA chairman K Chandran Pillai said the project will be implemented in a manner wherein handing over a property without GCDA’s permission will be prevented. He was responding to a query regarding the GCDA finding it difficult to get back commercial buildings rented out earlier.

Thurst to sports sector
The GCDA budget has given huge thrust to sports sector. The financial document said GCDA has joined hands with Chengamanadu panchayat to prepare a detailed town planning scheme to make the local body fit for the international cricket stadium and a sports city the Kerala Cricket Association is building there with the assistance of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The stadium and the sports city are coming up on a plot found by the GCDA through land pooling.

Another major proposal in the budget is to construct a sports city phase 1 on the eight-acre land near KSRTC bus stand where the now dysfunctional Ambedkar stadium is situated. The sports city will have courts for football, volleyball, basketball, tennis and badminton, archery centre, cricket nets, 200-metre athletic track, swimming pool and gymnasium. A sum of Rs 2 crore has been allocated for the preliminary works on the project.

GCDA is the statutory body overseeing the development of Kochi city and its suburbs. It covers Kochi Municipal Corporation, nine surrounding municipalities and 21 panchayats.