600 crore hotel to come up in Kerala

Abu Dhabi-based Emke group will invest Rs 600 crore (Rs 6 billion) in Kerala to set up India's biggest convention centre and hotel, said Chairman and NIR businessman M.A. Yusuf Ali on Thursday.

 The convention centre and hotel complex will come up on 26 acre of land in Bolghatty.

Talks are on with 3 Internationl hotel chains – Ritz Carlton, Hyatt and Hilton group - for the 7,000 room hotel complex coming up along with the convention centre, said Yusuf Ali in Kochi.

"Within a month, we will finalize it and work will start by April," he siad.

About 4,000 people will get direct employment once the hotel-cum-convention centre is completed.

He said besides the Rs 600 crore (Rs 6 billion) project, work on Rs 1,500 crore (Rs 15 billion) Kochi shopping mall, said to be the biggest in the country, will soon start.

Eighty per cent of the work on the mall has been completed and by January it is expected to start in full swing, he said. "I had no problem with investing in the state," he said. Yusuf Ali described Kerala as an investment-friendly state.

Yusuf Ali, who has been appointed by Kerala Government to iron out differences with Dubai-based Tecom, promoters of the Kochi Smart city project, said he was happy that he could convince the Dubai Government about the feasibility of the Rs 1,500 crore (Rs 15 billion) IT infrastructure project.

Yusuf Ali said his hyper mall in Egypt and its 41 staff were safe.