Mattannur: Years after it was set up to drive industrial growth around the Kannur International Airport, the Kinfra Industrial Park at Velliyamparambil remains largely a non-starter, with nearly 87 acres lying idle and major investment proposals failing to take off despite crores of rupees being spent on infrastructure.

Located in Keezhallur panchayat, the park was envisioned as a catalyst for industrial growth and job creation, riding on the development of the Kannur International Airport. But barring a few small-scale units, little industrial activity has taken off, leaving large tracts of land and much of the infrastructure lying unused.

During the previous government's tenure, entrepreneurs were invited to set up units at the park and letters of intent were collected from those who expressed interest. However, even those entrepreneurs who received letters of intent from the Minister have failed to follow through with their proposals, leaving a gap between official announcements and investments on the ground.

The standard design factory building, constructed at a cost of several lakhs of rupees to accommodate industrial units, also remains largely vacant. Despite the infrastructure being in place, there is little clarity on why the park has failed to attract investors.

Before the last Assembly election, a proposed investment plan by Goldsikka Ltd, a global gold-tech company, had raised hopes of major projects coming up at the park. Those hopes have since faded, with vacant plots and unused buildings standing as reminders of investments that never materialised. The prolonged stagnation has led to calls for a review of the project and urgent measures to make the park attractive to investors.

The proposed acquisition of additional land had earlier come under a cloud following allegations of large-scale irregularities. An expert committee that examined the matter reportedly found irregularities, raising further questions over the move to acquire more land. A detailed government-level review is now seen as necessary before the acquisition process proceeds.

With substantial public money already sunk into the park, the question remains whether flawed planning or the failure to attract investors has derailed its core objective of driving industrial growth and generating employment.