Kochi Corporation’s new office may need another ₹4 crore to complete pending works
The Kochi Corporation may have to spend another ₹4 crore to complete the pending works on its new headquarters near High Court Junction, Mayor V.K
The Kochi Corporation may have to spend another ₹4 crore to complete the pending works on its new headquarters near High Court Junction, Mayor V.K. Minimol has said. The structure has already incurred ₹61 crore after more than 200% cost escalation over the original estimate of ₹18.83 crore since technical sanction was granted in 2006. Though it was supposed to be completed within 20 months, the project was delayed by nearly two decades before being inaugurated on October 21, 2025, during the fag end of the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) council led by M. Anilkumar. “The sixth floor of the building, where an auditorium has been proposed, remains unfinished.
It may require at least a couple of crores. Landscaping in front of the building and works at the rear may take another ₹2 crore, taking the total cost to ₹65 crore,” Ms. Minimol said. Repeated price escalations She noted that the project, initiated during the tenure of LDF’s Dinesh Mani as Mayor, was plagued by repeated price escalations due to delays, including in obtaining sanctions. It was revived during Mr. Anilkumar’s term with an infusion of ₹40 crore. Bills to the tune of ₹10 crore, including for the rectification of basement flooding, were cleared by the United Democratic Front (UDF) council, Ms. Minimol added. Anilkumar said the delay was primarily due to deficiencies in the basement structure.
“The work was revived when I was standing committee chairman in 2014-15, but the excess tender was opposed by the UDF. Then there was a gap of nine years before our council revived it. Till then, works to the tune of ₹15 crore had been completed. We initially allotted ₹5 crore, taking the total investment to ₹20 crore, though this accounted only for the bare structure and flooring without electrification, electronics, plumbing, and other related works. We also had to pull down the council hall and rebuild it,” he said. Flagged in CAG report The prolonged delay in constructing the new headquarters, along with the accompanying cost escalations, has drawn sharp criticism in the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) report on local bodies for the period 2020-21 to 2022-23.
The audit observed that frequent estimate revisions, slow pace of work, and insufficient Own funds had resulted in cost overruns and non-completion of the project. The government stated in November 2024 that the building was in its final stage of construction and would be completed in January 2025. However, the report noted that no specific remarks were offered by the government for the non-completion of the building even after 17 years of commencing work.
The BriefWire