KOCHI: Though the District Collector feels that congestion in the city is caused by the increasing number of high rises within the city limits, builders in Kochi have a different view of the situation. “With space becoming such a rarity, vertical expansion is the only feasible way to ensure that the ever-increasing population of Kochi can be accommodated,” said M V Antony, president, CREDAI Kochi. “Kochi does not have enough land to allow further horizontal expansion without causing more congestion. Horizontal expansion means less space for landscaping and greenery. Moreover, limiting the vertical expansion to the suburbs will be feasible only if the infrastructure of Kochi is improved. There needs to be good connectivity and service available in the suburbs for people to move out of the city,” he added. “After the Kochi Metro rail project is finished, the city's growth must be centred round it so that people need not rely much on other means of transportation,” said Antony. Kerala Builders Association president M D Jairaj said that in the developed cities across the world, vertical growth has been the only solution when it came to the problem of increasing congestion. “Lack of space is an issue that is only going to become worse in the future as there will be a steep increase in demand. To meet it, the only amicable solution is to build more high rises. Moving the growth to the city's outskirts would mean that people too should live in the suburbs. For this to happen, the commercial circles too should move outwards,” he added.
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