Mall to sprout on seminary as church brokers land deal

KOCHI: In the first of its kind in Kerala’s church history, an ancient seminary will lease out part of its prime property for commercial development.
Under a transferable development rights partnership, Mumbai-based Leo Builders and Developers has been given rights to a 1.8-acre water-front plot on the banks of the river Periyar in Aluva, owned by Carmelgiri seminary of the Latin Catholic church, to build a resort and shopping mall.In exchange, the builders will construct a multi-storeyed building at an estimated cost of Rs 25 crore that will serve as the Latin church’s secretariat.
Church officials have come to an agreement with the builder which is run by a member of the congregation, and the complex will be completed within three years. While the secretariat will come up on the Carmelgiri campus, the residential-cum-commercial complex will be built near it. The church will have a stake in the commercial building.
“Since we cannot meet the expense, we decided to go for a joint venture. Instead of selling the land we agreed for a share in the building so that the revenue we get from the commercial complex can be used for our various activities,” said Archbishop Soosa Pakiam. “The builders will invest a certain amount, but it is more like a contribution to the church’s development than any business interests.”
It was the wish of the Kerala Region Latin Catholic Council (KRLCC) to have a secretariat like the headquarters of Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malanakara churches, the other two denominations of the Catholic church in Kerala. While the Syro-Malabar church has the sprawling St Thomas Mount in Kakkanad as its centre, the Malankara faction has its Catholicate in Thiruvananthapuram. The new complex at Carmelgiri, with a history dating back to 1682, would coordinate the work of all its 11 dioceses and various committees as well as conducting Bible classes and courses. “The complex will not come up on the campus, and there will be residential facilities also. We are working on the details,” said Fr Francis Xavier Thannikkaparambil, KRLCC’s general secretary.