Marine Eco City: KSHB anxious despite Budget projections 

The State Budget 2025-26 stated that the Kerala State Housing Board (KSHB) expects an income of around ₹3,650 crore from the proposed Marine Eco City venture on Marine Drive in the heart of Kochi. However, concerns persist about the Housing Board’s future.

“Expectations of income do not put bread on the table,” said P. S. Manoj, convenor of the KSHB Retirees’ Forum, on the ambitious project’s Budget announcement, which has been long in the making. He said that retirees received their pension this month only after protests and threats, and for the coming months, both employees and retirees are keeping their fingers crossed.

The Marine Eco City project is being implemented by the National Building Construction Corporation and involves an expenditure of around ₹2,400 crore. The project includes residential and commercial complexes on 17.9 acres of land on Marine Drive in Kochi, owned by the Housing Board.

The project will feature 3BHK and 4BHK residential units, commercial and office spaces, ample car parking facilities, a convention centre, and hotels with a green belt.

Mr. Manoj also said that the Budget announcement on the Griha Shree housing programme offers nothing new. In previous years, the scheme has seen few takers. According to the Budget, the project involves providing a subsidy of up to ₹3 lakh for financially weaker groups to build their own houses.