An agreement in this regard will be signed by the organisation and the civic body this month.

“We are planning to rope in one of the leading consultancies for conducting the feasibility study. The study will focus on measures to improve the living conditions of the urban poor, to limit the negative environmental consequences of urban growth, and to make use of the city’s potential for national development,” said Balakrishnan Elangovan, Senior Programme Specialist, CDIA, India.

“Once the consultancy submits the detailed study report, based on the recommendations, CDIA will act as a mediator to attract potential investments of up to Rs 500 crore in various projects in Kochi. These projects will be based on sanitation, urban transport, waste management and other urban infrastructure,” he added.

Elangovan said that even though the initial investment target was fixed at Rs 500 cr, this would be changed according to the recommendations and suggestions made by the consultancy.

“The idea of this initiative is broader to facilitate investments,” he said.

CDIA will focus on supporting Kochi for better urban management with the help of national urban strategies, fostering sustainable development, assisting in the implementation of city development strategies, structuring and preparing investment projects and building local capacity for more effective implementation.

The initiative will also cooperate with existing networks like JNNURM and KSUDP for sharing and adopting best practices.

The CDIA is also sponsored by the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (SIDA), German Technical Co-operation and KFW Bank.