Kochi - The coolest city among the five major cities in south

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Chennai-low-on-comfort-due-to-humidity-levels/articleshow/13280855.cms

Kochi, which is close to the Western Ghats and is located on the windward side of the south-west winds, was among the coolest in the same period. The maximum temperature there has not crossed 33 degrees in the last one week.

But Bangalore had the best weather. Rains have cooled the city and maximum temperatures were around 32 degrees C last week. "The mornings remained slightly chill", said Aneesha Bangera, a resident of the city.


Though normally temperatures in any Kerala Cities donot cross beyond 36-37, still its really uncomfortable during Summer period as humidity is pretty high.... Especially in evenings, its too tough, with heavy sweating due to very high humidity.....

Kochi is far better than any other city in South India, in my experience.... Ofcourse Bangalore was an exception untill few years back. But rising population and industrialization has reduced the charm of Garden city.... I remember those days when we spend our summer vacations in Bangalore in mid 90s, as it was pretty cooler... Now nothing like that.....

Cyber Police Station to be setup at Kakkanad

http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/4851/39821142561144412536910.jpg
cc: Madhyamam

Red Killers again in Kochi

http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/9352/img4331v.jpg

Dental Expo in Kochi

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/9352/img4331v.jpg
cc: Manorama

@Malayaali: Your news images hosted all got deleted. seems like somebody reported it to the site admin. :D

Kanayannur Taluk office under renovation

The 125 years old building, built by then Kochi King Ramavarma Thamburan, is refurbished at a cost of Rs 25 lakhs. The structure will be notified as Heritage Structure soon, said District Collector.

http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/510/41341312.jpg
cc: Mathrubhumi

^^^^^^

Thank god, Atleast now they are doing something.... Its really ridiculous that Govt is keeping Kochi's Royal Secretariat (Huzur Cutchery as known in those days) as a mere Taluk Office.

This complex is South India's first Earthquake resistant bldg, designed by Dutch Engineers in Kerala-Dutch Architecture. The entire interiors was once designed in premium rosewood and Diwan's chamber used to have 2 Sandalwood Pillars. The Glass were specially designed in Belgium at a cost of 40,000 INR that time.....

And we see how carelessly our modern babus maintain this splendid complex.... Dust and piles of files and garbages in one side, Handcuffed criminals and policemen walking on other side being part of court, makes this complex really downgraded....

It high time, the bldg should be declared a protected heritage structure and converted into a City museum.... The govt has constructed massive and impressive Revenue Tower near to this, which is still half unoccupied.... Its high time to move taluk office outside this facility and make it into a city museum......

JNU students to meet at Kochi on May 26 (http://www.business-standard.com/generalnews/news/jnu-students-to-meet-at-kochimay-26/11844/)

Present and former students of New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University will be meeting here on a common platform on May 26 to build a network of the JNU community.

Barring some small group alumni activities earlier, this is the first time that the JNU students from the 1970s till the present day JNUites are coming together on a common platform, a press release said.

This is the first time wherein the alumni and the present day JNU students have been brought together to build a strong network of the JNU community.

Eminent historian and chairman of the Kerala Council for Historical Research, Prof K N Panikkar, will be the chief guest at the function.
The organising team head Swapna Patronis said the "JNU as a university has enabled students to progress not on academic terms alone, but also to evolve as human beings. This first ever JNU meet in Kerala would enable to reassert the vision of the university".

All JNU students, irrespective of their year of study, course, region are joining in this meet, the release said.

Infopark CEO: Judgement deferred on petition against VS

http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/4851/39821142561144412536910.jpg
cc: Metrovartha

Seminar on security system in the city (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/seminar-on-security-system-in-the-city/260738-60-122.html)
As Kochi city is one of the prime industrial cities of the country with several sensitive installations, the police force is all set to intensify the security system in the city. As part of it, a seminar named ‘Kochi Security Review 2012’ will be held at IMA hall on May 25 to discuss the security systems and other possible measures to be adopted for making the city safe.

The meet will be inaugurated by Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan at 10.30 am. A new programme named ‘Citizens for Security’ will be inaugurated by Excise Minister K Babu. Kochi Corporation Mayor, Tony Chammany will be present for the inaugural function. At the valedictory function, Central Minister K V Thomas will be the chief guest. In the evening, another new programme called ‘Integrated Digital Security Scheme’ will be inaugurated by Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan.

During the function, PWD Minister V K Ibrahim Kunju will release the logo of a campaign called ‘Safe Kochi Secure Kochi’. Representatives of Navy, Port trust, IT sector, Coast Guard, Industrial sector and Customs will also take part in the function.

There are four sessions about security of the commercial sector, Metro Rail project, coastal petroleum and gas pipe line, tourism security will also be discussed. Of this, Metro and gas pipeline security system will be closed-door meeting.

Seminar on security system in the city (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/seminar-on-security-system-in-the-city/260738-60-122.html)
http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/1617/img4298ok.jpg

Thrikkakara to be upgraded as A-Grade Municipality

http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/2046/31833984.jpg
cc: Deepika

Instead of upgrading Thrikkakara to A Grade Municipality it should be added to the Cochin Corporation. Atleast Thrikkakara, Maradu, Thripoonithura, Eloor and Kalamassery Municipality as well as thoses panchayats near cochin is to be added to Cochin Corporation. There is no use or benifit in creating another Corporation near to Cochin Corporation.


Thrikkakara to be upgraded as A-Grade Municipality

http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/2046/31833984.jpg
cc: Deepika

KOCHI: Reviving city's hopes of uninterrupted power supply, the electricity board has decided to invite tenders for the Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (RAPDRP).

The board has completed the tendering procedures, which include replacing the existing overhead transmission lines with underground cables and augmenting the 11 KV networks, and is expected to float the tenders by next week.

The Rs 210-crore project is expected to bring down transmission loss as well as ensure uninterrupted power supply.

The ring main project, one of the components of RAPDRP, has been designed in such a fashion that a nearby transformer will take care of the power supply in case one transformer becomes defunct.

"Once the ring main unit becomes functional, power disruption will be a thing of the past. All the transformers will be connected to the ring main unit, and whenever there is power failure due to technical snarls in one of the transformers, it will automatically be isolated and another ring will take care of the supply for the time being," said V Sathyarajan, chief engineer, distribution, KSEB. Earlier, RAPDRP had got entangled in legal hooks forcing the government to put the project on hold. Last month, the high court gave it the go ahead.

Opposition from PWD and NHAI was another hurdle before the project. These two departments were reluctant to give KSEB the sanction to dig up roads for laying UG cables for the project.

Interestingly, the state government has still not secured permission from these agencies for digging up various roads. A 33 KV sub-station will be set up in the Steel Industries of India Limited (SILK) land at Kadavanthra. SILK owes KSEB a handsome amount, and the plan is to handover the land to the board in lieu of the money.

Insulated Aerial Benched Cables in areas overcrowded with trees is another component in RAPDRP. There are also plans to cover faucets of the transformers and fence them.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/City-residents-may-soon-have-uninterrupted-power-supply/articleshow/13549120.cms

Toldja!! We are going to have a cluster of six or seven "corporations" here soon!! Vyapari/Vyavasayi zindabad!!

Saudi Arabia to recruit nurses from Kochi (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Saudi-Arabia-to-recruit-nurses-from-Kochi/articleshow/13580234.cms)
The Saudi Arabian health ministry is on a recruitment spree for nurses in Kerala. A 13-member team of officials, including interviewers and admin staff, headed by the director-general of Saudi health ministry, will recruit in Kochi from June 7 to 10.

The Saudi Arabian team is headed by Delhi-based Saudi medical recruitment attache Mohammed Saeed Al Ham Hum. The group will also have recruiting sessions at Delhi and Hyderabad prior to that of Kochi. "We have invited roughly 3,000 nurses for a written test and those who qualify will be interviewed at the venue. After selection, they will get the salary contracts, and within 35 days they will be able to start working in Saudi Arabia," said G L Muraleedharan, managing director the Overseas Development and Employment Promotion Council, the recruitment agency under the Kerala labour ministry, which helps conduct recruitments in the country along with a few other agencies.

"The Saudi health ministry is looking for ICU-paediatrics nurses, ER nurses, CCU nurses, OT nurses, nephrology nurses and general nurses with BSc degree and an experience of two years.

Kochi police to quicken response time (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Kochi-police-to-quicken-response-time/articleshow/13579917.cms)
The city police will soon initiate various measures to quicken their response time to a crime or law and order incident within city limits.

Efforts will be made to attain a response time of five minutes from the current response time of 15 to 20 minutes, usually taken by the police to reach a crime spot.

The decision was taken after evaluating the time taken by the police at present to reach the crime scene after it gets information about an incident. "We will be striving to attain a response time which will be less than ten minutes. A set of measures will be initiated to achieve this response time," a senior police official said.

As part of implementing the project, the city police will go for major augmentation of its communication system and draft an action plan wherein the positions of the control room vehicles will be changed to ensure that they can reach any spot in the city within the stipulated time.

City control room assistant commissioner T Joseph said the control room used to record the time taken by the vehicle patrolling team to reach a crime scene on receipt of distress call, at the control room. At present, there are 15 control room vehicles in the city which go around covering areas coming under 23 police stations in the city limits including two traffic police stations. When a call is received in the control room, the telephone operator records the information and passes it on to the control room vehicle which is closest to the spot. Simultaneously, the information is also passed on to the nearest police station.

Police are also contemplating to train a batch of personnel at each police station to quickly react in the wake of an incident.

Anonymous calls for ‘Occupy movement' in several Indian cities (http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/internet/article3466346.ece)
http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01096/HY29ANONYMOUS_INDI_1096954e.jpg

We have read about the ‘Occupy protests' taking place across the world. Now several cities in India, including Hyderabad, are likely to witness Occupy protests, albeit on a smaller scale, on June 9 where protesters wearing Guy Fawkes masks will assemble at a place. They will register their opposition to the moves of the Centre to curtail Internet freedom and oppose blocking of websites or social media accounts. The protests are called by Anonymous, a group of ‘hacktivists'.

Facebook, twitter and other social media sites were abuzz with activity on Monday, with the Anonymous calling for occupy protests in Hyderabad and several other cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarh, Indore, Kolkata, Bangalore, Kochi and Calicut on June 9. Tweets by Anonymous India (@AnonDDos) and Operation India (@opindia_back) have been eliciting a good response from tweeple from these cities, who pledged their support to the protests.

EVENTS PAGE

While asking Tweeple to use hashtag ‘#opIndia' to express their opinions and support, the group started an events page on Facebook apart from a webpage to explain why the opIndia movement was being launched. The group alleged that the Department of Telecommunications was laying down stringent rules to curb internet freedom. “…we are protesting against the government's rampant behaviour. We will not tolerate this,” the group declared on its website.

The recent activity of disabling of websites of government, corporate and political parties was to protest against the blocking of several websites, blogs and social media accounts, it explained.

The group has also listed certain directives for organising the protests. The protesters should wear Guy Fawkes masks, and the protest must be non-violent and in no circumstances should they confront the police. Those indulging in any violent act must be handed over to the police.

KOCHI: The willingness of Kochiites to pay huge amounts to acquire fancy numbers for their vehicles is becoming a major source of revenue for the Ernakulam Regional Transport Office. In the first five months this year, registration of fancy numbers has fetched the department about Rs 69.57 lakh.

It is more than half the total amount of Rs 110.89 lakh collected last year.

Officials in the department said it was only in the last couple of years that such an increase in revenue was noticed. "One of the reasons for this trend is that most vehicle owners consider it a status symbol. It make their vehicles stand apart in the crowd. There are some applicants who choose fancy numbers as they believe in numerology," said an official in-charge of fancy number registration.

Regional Transport Officer ( RTO) T J Thomas said the revenue collected from this had been going up over the last four years. "In 2009, the department earned Rs 71.07 lakh; the figure went up to Rs 1.10 crore in 2011. In the last five months, we have collected Rs 69.57 lakh from fancy number registration alone, and expect the figure to go above Rs 1.50 crore by year end," he said.

Thomas also said the increase in revenue was being noticed after making the rules to register fancy numbers stricter. "Earlier, there were many mediators, including vehicle dealers and agents, who used to register fancy numbers in advance. From 2010, we changed the rule, and now for someone to get a fancy number, he has to come in person and register paying the registration amount," Thomas said.

"If there is more than one contestant for a number, it will be allotted to the highest bidder in the auction," he added.

The most sought after numbers are the ones like 1, 9, 7, 77, 555 and 7777.

Officials also said that along with these numbers, people also demand sequences like 1234, 7117 or 7171. To get the digit '1' as vehicle registration number, a vehicle owner will have to shell out a minimum of Rs 1 lakh, and for numbers like 777 and 7777, one has to spend a minimum of Rs 50,000.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Fancy-numbers-keep-cash-registers-ringing-at-RTO/articleshow/13623127.cms

Asia/Pacific’s Leading Travel Metasearch Site Launches Wego.co.in in India (http://www.itnewsonline.com/showbwstory.php?storyid=7434)
Wego, the region’s leading travel metasearch site has today announced the official launch of Wego India (www.wego.co.in), promising to revolutionise the way Indians travel.

The site enables Indians travelling both domestically and overseas to compare the price and availability of flights and hotels across hundreds of different travel sites simultaneously, so they save time and pay less. It ranks hotels in order of their popularity with users locally and provides aggregate reviews, making it easy to choose from the 350,000 accommodation options on offer. India’s favourite resorts are all included. Wego.co.in also compares over 600 full service and low cost carriers and illustrates graphically the cheapest days to fly on the most important routes.

Ensuring the site is accessible to everyone, Wego has integrated multiple language options, including Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil and Bengali. It is part of a strategy to localise content and its delivery, resulting in some remarkable growth. Wego India is already generating around US$17 million [Rupees 95 crore] a month in the total value of booking leads passed to travel partners.

“Wego has seen very strong growth in the last year as India’s travellers have looked for better hotel rates and airfares online, particulary for their domestic travel. This has helped us to secure the widest range of travel partners needed to deliver intensely competitive search results. The conditions all favour the launch of this dedicated travel comparison site,” explained Jackson Fernandez, Wego India General Manager.

His team has secured all the major online travel agencies and many other travel sites including those less familiar to travellers, but with interesting inventory and exceptional deals.

Recent observations of trends from Wego.co.in include:

-Robust growth with flight clicks quadrupling year-on-year on domestic routes and growing at 58 per cent on international.

-Most popular domestic destinations are Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Bagdogra, Goa, Pune, Srinagar and Kochi.

-Most popular international destinations are Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Bali, Hong Kong, London, Phuket, Dubai, Sydney and Manila.

Fernandez added: “This is a significant and timely development for India as it gives travellers their own platform to compare all the available travel options. Wego.co.in is where everyone should start planning their business and leisure trips. They will save time and importantly, money.”

Wego India is based in Bangalore and the company headquartered in Singapore. For more information, visit: www.wego.co.in.

The old air india office has given way for a new tanishq showroom

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/2031/4386812.jpg
cc: Mathrubhumi

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/2100/63048850.jpg
cc: Mathrubhumi

^^^^
had a horrendous exp on 30th.my usual tactics of using Container road to avoid city traffic backfired.These people were coming in waves from the marine drive ground and held up traffic close to 2 hours.Police stood helpless and didnot even try to provide a gap for vehs to move after a certain interval.Most of the people parked their vehs at the avail space and started walking.IT WAS A HORRIBLE DAY.

EKSAT leads women on the path of self-sustenance (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/pain--net-gain/263097-60-122.html)
Liberating women from the confines of four walls has always been considered as a strenuous task. However, EKSAT (Empowerment through Knowledge, Skill, Attitudinal change and Traits), an institution at Aluva has come a long way in this regard. Run by Kudumbashree, this institution trains women, especially the ones belonging to the lower strata of society, to undertake business ventures.

“This month itself, EKSAT has trained about 2000 women in Ernakulam, Palakkad and Thrissur,” said Shibi Jose, chairperson, EKSAT. There are three EKSAT institutions in the state - one at Kozhikode, Alappuzha and Ernakulam each. Among the three, Ernakulam trains maximum number of women. EKSAT has designed special modules to train the women. “To start with we have many counselling classes. Since, they come from poor economic background, they need to be taught from the scratch. Most of these women are uneducated. They do not have any idea about effective communication, business enterprises, leadership etc. These women would have experienced a lot of inhibitions. To do away with such bottlenecks, we asses the needs of these women, based on which, we prepare a module,” said Beena Mahesh, trainer and the module designer.

EKSAT offers day-long programmes as well as residential programmes.
Beena said that they make an effort to make these women understand that their poor educational or financial background cannot cripple their future.
“Though they lack education, most women possess practical experience.
We teach them how to use their experience effectively for daily business transactions,” she said.

According to the officials, lakhs of women have benefited from this venture which started in 2005. “Though many of them began with small business ventures, there are many who even got into the field of politics after gaining confidence. Through this venture, we have produced many panchayat and block-level presidents,” they said.“Besides training programmes, the women are also provided with information regarding the laws of Kudumbashree so that they can lead this institution some day,” they added.

IIM-K holds alumni meet (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/article3480477.ece?ref=wl_opinion)
Sangam 2012, the Kochi leg of the international annual alumni meet of IIM-Kozhikode, was held here the other day.

The event was organised worldwide concurrently on the same day, same time in Bangalore, Chennai, Dallas, Dubai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, London, Mumbai, New Delhi (Gurgaon), New Jersey, Singapore and other centres.

Inaugurating the event, Prof Joshy Joseph, chairperson of alumni relations and activity committee of the IIM-K Alumni Association, stressed the role played by the alumni in securing the best placement of students, providing opportunities for students on live projects, and facilitating academia industry relations.

The institute will also support social development projects initiated by the alumni association chapters, he said.

Mr K. Santosh, AGM, Central Bank of India, said the bank will support students' education and have also started recruiting IIM graduates for corporate-level responsibilities.

Mr Bhupesh, Manager PVS Memorial Hospital ltd, chapter head of IIM-K Alumni Association, Cochin Chapter, made a presentation on the activities and vision of the chapter.

Mr Balakrishnan, Chief Technology Officer of Geojit BNP Paribas and educationalist, Mr Krishnaswami, moderated the open house and technical sessions.

list of cities by number of highrises...
Rank City Country Buildings Population
1 Hong Kong Hong Kong 7,896 7,061,200
2 New York City United States 6,504 8,310,212
3 Sao Paulo Brazil 6,467 11,316,149
4 Singapore Singapore 4,764 4,839,400
5 Moscow Russia 3,754 10,452,000
6 Seoul South Korea 2,955 10,421,782
7 Rio de Janeiro Brazil 2,947 6,161,047
8 Tokyo Japan 2,779 13,001,279
9 Toronto Canada 2,506 2,615,060
10 Istanbul Turkey 2,439 11,372,613
11 St. Petersburg Russia 1,770 4,568,000
12 Buenos Aires Argentina 1,709 3,050,728
13 Mumbai India 1,614 16,368,084
14 Kiev Ukraine 1,531 2,819,566
15 London United Kingdom 1,478 7,556,900
16 Osaka Japan 1,463 2,643,805
17 Mexico City Mexico 1,364 8,836,045
18 Madrid Spain 1,127 3,213,271
19 Chicago United States 1,125 2,836,658
20 Caracas Venezuela 1,109 5,962,259
21 Bangkok Thailand 1,106 9,653,987
22 Recife Brazil 1,103 1,549,980
23 Santiago Chile 1,094 4,985,893
24 Shanghai China 1,057 9,145,711
25 Campinas Brazil 931 1,056,644
26 Beijing China 899 12,746,519
27 Sydney Australia 845 4,399,722
28 Curitiba Brazil 815 1,797,408
29 Minsk Belarus 808 1,830,700
30 Yekaterinburg Russia 792 1,323,000
31 Gurgaon India 770 173,542
32 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia 725 1,887,674
33 Manila Philippines 702 11,553,427
34 Paris France 682 2,167,994
35 Porto Alegre Brazil 674 1,420,667
36 Jakarta Indonesia 671 9,898,978
37 Milan Italy 666 1,294,797
38 Vancouver Canada 631 578,041
39 Sofia Bulgaria 631 1,404,458
40 Rosario Argentina 627 1,157,372
41 Kolkata India 594 13,216,546
42 Dubai United Arab Emirates 568 2,262,000
43 Macau Macau 564 546,200
44 Melbourne Australia 555 4,200,000
45 Chongging China 539 6,300,000
46 Kharkiv Ukraine 522 1,461,000
47 Pune India 510 2,540,069
48 Los Angeles United States 504 4,234,340
49 Guangzhou China 503 7,607,200
50 Wuhan China 479 4,550,000
51 Montreal Canada 475 1,620,693
52 Cochin India 466 564,589
53 Barcelona Spain 463 1,615,908
54 Bangalore India 460 4,292,223
55 Honolulu United States 439 953,207
56 San Francisco United States 417 799,185
57 Ankara Turkey 416 4,751,360
58 Benidorm Spain 390 67,627
59 Houston United States 360 2,208,180
60 Shenzhen China 357 1,245,000
61 Ottawa Canada 351 812,129
62 Thane India 348 1,261,517
63 Novosibirsk Russia 348 1,425,508
64 Bogotá Colombia 346 6,776,009
65 Philadelphia United States 330 1,449,634
66 Washington United States 330 588,292
67 Berlin Germany 326 3,429,300
68 Navi Mumbai India 323 703,947
69 Ghaziabad India 321 12,791,458
70 Rotterdam Netherlands 303 584,046
71 Bilbao Spain 302 354,145
72 Santo Domingo Dominican Republic 300 2,552,398
73 Malaga Spain 298 576,725
74 Miami United States 295 424,662
75 Valencia Spain 292 810,064
76 Tianjin China 289 11,760,000
77 Frankfurt Germany 285 670,095
78 Gold Coast City Australia 281 469,214
79 Calgary Canada 260 988,193
80 Brisbane Australia 252 1,945,639
81 San Juan Puerto Rico 252 434,374
82 Dallas United States 246 1,266,372
83 Edmonton Canada 244 730,372
84 Boston United States 237 608,352
85 Arlington United States 232 204,568
86 Atlanta United States 231 420,003
87 Mississauga Canada 228 668,549
88 Hyderabad India 223 3,449,878
89 Seattle United States 222 594,210
90 Brussels Belgium 208 1,134,638
91 Greater Noida India 206 150,000
92 Auckland New Zealand 205 404,658
93 Denver United States 204 588,349
94 Chennai India 193 4,216,268
95 Glasgow United Kingdom 192 662 954
96 Minneapolis United States 192 377,392
98 Dhaka Bangladesh 190 7,000,940
97 Faridabad India 190 12,791,458
99 Noida India 178 293,908
100 Detroit United States 170 916,952
101 Birmingham United Kingdom 166 965 928
102 Baltimore United States 159 640,150
103 Pittsburgh United States 151 311,218
105 St. Louis United States 150 355,663
104 Miami Beach United States 150 87,925
106 San Diego United States 149 1,266,731
107 Perth Australia 145 1,602,559
108 Manchester United Kingdom 139 432 474
109 Fort Lauderdale United States 136 183,606
110 Adelaide Australia 136 1,172,105
111 Las Vegas United States 135 558,880
112 Thiruvananthapuram India 133 744,739
114 Winnipeg Canada 132 619,544
113 Burnaby Canada 132 193,954
115 Portland United States 129 550,396
116 Cincinnati United States 126 332,458
117 Austin United States 119 743,074
119 Leeds United Kingdom 118 715,000
118 Cleveland United States 118 438,042
121 Wellington New Zealand 116 163,824
120 London Canada 116 470,000
122 Hamilton Canada 115 504,559
123 Milwaukee United States 114 604,477
124 Nashville United States 114 590,807
125 Kansas City United States 112 475,830
126 New Orleans United States 107 288,113
127 North Sydney Australia 107 61,802
129 New Delhi India 100 12,791,458
128 Newark United States 100 278,980
wikipediakarude kanakkil cochi chenniyekalum bangluruvinekalum mukalilan... ithokke shariyano enth...!!

^^

That might be true. I'm surprised to see Pune over Kochi. Can you post the source here?

from wipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_with_the_most_high-rise_buildings

list of cities by number of highrises...

Absolute crap :bash: go thru the list once more and just check the reality. post it somewhere else, you will get lot of accolades and praise. not here....

Sorry No offense meant. Lets live in a real world not in utopia.

list of cities by number of highrises...
Rank City Country Buildings Population

42 Dubai United Arab Emirates 568 2,262,000
52 Cochin India 466 564,589

wikipediakarude kanakkil cochi chenniyekalum bangluruvinekalum mukalilan... ithokke shariyano enth...!!


Dubai at number 42 with 568 highrises only and Cochin at 52nd position with 466 highrises ?????????? Absolutely wrong :ohno:

^^

The population of Cochin also wrong ;)

Not don't know whether this is relevant considering the no of such shops opening up in city everyday, but here it is anyway..

Spotted this building "KK Arcade" along the road towards Vytilla from Kadvanthra near the bridge which was opened recently..

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/1600/02062012070.jpg

Levi's and Nike have hoardings put up.. Looks like a posh place.. Any idea about other shops which might open here ?

There are tens of such places here, 20-50Ksqft that some are calling Malls elsewhere. Can't really follow them on a forum like this.

I think Levis and Nike are there at a lot of places. they are no longer a premium affair here.

But the Levis website do not show a Kochi store. Dunno why. Maybe the stores here are "Authorized Dists", like the 80s Bombay Dyeing scheme.

The w store at pallimukku is expanding too.
They're adding a multi brand store above the existing store.
I haven't seen any other w stores in kerala

Rising sea level threatens Kochi (http://english.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/contentView.do?contentId=11717278&tabId=1&programId=11565535)
Story Dated: Monday, June 4, 2012 8:1 hrs IST
http://static.manoramaonline.com/ranked/online/MM/English/News/Kerala/3516231827_kochi33.jpg

New Delhi: Kerala's tranquil stretches of emerald green backwaters and Mumbai are among several locales on the western and eastern coasts facing threat from the rising sea level due to climate change.

Deltas of the Ganga, Krishna, Godavari, Cauvery and Mahanadi on the east coast may also be threatened along with irrigated land and adjoining settlements, according to a Government report.

"It is estimated that sea level rise by 3.5 to 34.6 inches between 1990 and 2100 would result in saline coastal groundwater, endangering wetlands and inundating valuable land and coastal communities. The most vulnerable stretches along the western Indian coast are Khambat and Kutch in Gujarat, Mumbai and parts of the Konkan coast and south Kerala," says the report submitted to the UN.

The report -- India's Second National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change-- was prepared by multi-disciplinary teams and other stakeholders comprising more than 220 scientists belonging to over 120 institutions.

"The loss of these important economic and cultural regions could have a considerable impact in some states," it says.

The experts who prepared the report visited some vulnerable areas, including the 2004 tsunami-hit Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu, backwaters surrounding Kochi in Kerala and Paradip in Odisha, in order to make a detailed impact study of the rise in sea level.

The study, using digital elevation model data (90m resolution), digital image processing and GIS software, showed that estimated inundation areas are 4.2 sq km and 42.5 sq km in case where the sea level rise is 1.0 m and 2.0 m respectively in the region surrounding Nagapattinam.

"But for the same sea level conditions, 169 sq km and 599 sq km will be inundated in the coastal region surrounding Kochi," says the report.

There are tens of such places here, 20-50Ksqft that some are calling Malls elsewhere. Can't really follow them on a forum like this.

agreed.. there is no point in tracking such buildings here.. lets leave that to those folks.. :)

Green mantra (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloid/kochi/green-mantra-596)
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/article_horizontal/article-images/WALK1.jpg.crop_display.jpg
A walkathon for the green cause was attended by many celebrities from Mollywood.

World Environment Day is upon us once again and like every year various organisations and groups are coming forward to identify issues related to environment and trying to create awareness amongst people for a better and cleaner living.

This year, a Kerala-based production company called Vaya Films called for a “Clean Kochi Green Kochi” campaign in association with the city-based youth community — Change Our World.

A morning walk starting from Durbar Hall ground to Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary – the green lung of Kochi formed part of the campaign.

Sporting a white T-shirt and blue jeans was M'town actor Jishnu Raghavan who was in Kochi city for the walkathon on Monday along with the cast of Annum Innum Ennum to spread awareness about environmental issues.

Jishnu who has been part of such welfare activities since his school days says, “First, we should try to change ourselves and then try to bring about a change amongst others.

For a cleaner and greener city, people should own their city, a feeling of ownership should be created, and only then will each one of us come forward and support a better living.

People litter the city because they don't consider it as their own possession, so if we don't maintain the city, it would be difficult to live in it as well.”

Talking about the major developments happening in Kerala in terms of urbanisation, the actor pointed out that development was inevitable but it should be responsible development.

Clean City Green City and Save Mother Earth are some common punch lines that we have come across since our childhood. It is now time for a reality check.

Director Shivaprasad whose soon-to-be released film, Sthalam that deals with safeguarding our mangrove forests says, “All these seminars and symposiums that take place to protect the environment are just a waste of time — people have no vision.

There is an ecological imbalance that is happening in Kerala; nobody is bothered about sustainable development, it is environmental manipulation that is taking place.”

The director also plans to take up another environment-based Malayalam film Pukayilakallan for which the shoot will begin in August.

Filmmakers are trying their best to come up with socially relevant themes and show their concern for the environment through movies. National award winning director TK Rajeev Pillai regrets that his film Jalamarmaram a feature film on an environmental subject couldn’t hit the silver screens.

The director says, “My movie Kannezhuthi Pottum Thottu was filmed in 2001 and the entire movie was shot in Kuttanad. But that beauty of Kuttanad no longer exists now --- people are not conscious about the changes happening around them.”

The director was in search of a suitable location for one of his movies and was disturbed to see the pitiful situation of the backwaters in Kerala.

He narrates, “Some of these water bodies that helped people eke out a living are now turning out to be useless. New roads have come up in many of these waterlogged areas, and water bodies lie stagnant.

As a filmmaker, I can just bring out the concern for the environment and portray it through my movies, the rest is up to the people. They must react as nature is being ignored but a casual approach is shown by people here.”

Next, the director plans to take up a project based on the rivers in Kerala.

A rally for total road awareness (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloid/others/rally-total-road-awareness-957)
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/article_horizontal/article-images/THE-TUNERS-EDGE-AUTO-CLUB-D.jpg.crop_display.jpg
Members of Turners Edge Auto Club, who organised the road rally.

Tuners Edge Auto Club, Kochi, an organisation formed by young college students is a car loving community.

However, recently they have been disturbed by the number of accident cases occurring in the city. This is what encouraged them to conduct a Drive Safe rally in the city to promote safe, responsible driving and a good road culture.

The endeavour was taken up by Abishek P.V., Jose Jacob, Alen Thomas and Binu George, all college students and also founders of Tuners Edge Auto Club. The rally was conducted as a convoy of 13 cars and was flagged off by the Deputy Transport Commissioner, P.A. Sainudeen near the Collectorate, Kakkanad.

“Each car carried two slogans on either side and we made stops at major junctions to attract more attention,” says Abishek P.V., President of Turners Edge Auto Club and final-year BBA student of Symbiosis, Pune.

Abishek feels that most road safety awareness programmes focus on simple concepts like ‘Don’t Drink And Drive.’ “Our focus is on making the public aware about the lesser known concepts that are related to various Acts and laws,” he says.

Abishek says, “Usually when we take a left turn at a junction, we assume that the road is safe because we have the green signal and don’t bother to check. In reality, this is the most common type of accident that happens on our roads. A little extra attention can easily help avoid such accidents.”

The British Council is organising an informal meeting of U.K. alumni, residing in and around Kochi, with Paul Sellers, British Council's Director for South India, here on June 14. “British Council aims to keep in touch with all UK alumni. All those who provide their contact details on or before Thursday will be separately invited for the meeting. The venue and timings of the meeting will be intimated individually,” said Prof. Jacob Chacko, president of the Kochi chapter of the Association of British Scholars (ABS). All those who have undergone any form of academic pursuit in the UK, from the year 2000 onwards, have to provide their contact details at:abskochi@gmail.com.

The Association of British Scholars is a forum established for the networking of UK alumni throughout India by the British Council. The ABS has 25 chapters across the country. “The programmes and activities of the ABS, which works closely with the British Council, are aimed at development of society through socially relevant educational and cultural programmes for different target audiences from time to time. Through their activities and programmes, the ABS (www.britishcouncil.org/india-abs-all-india) contributes towards the larger India-UK relationship,” he said.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article3492748.ece

The Ernakulam branch of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India has organised an investor awareness programme in association with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Inaugurating the programme, K.G.Joseph Jackson, Registrar of Companies, Kerala and Lakshadweep, said investor education would enable the general public to take better decisions on savings.

He cautioned investors against false claims being made by unscrupulous elements. P.K. Kuriachan and Saji Cherian, experts in investment matters; P.P.Mathukutty, chairman, Ernakulam branch of south India regional council of ICAI; M.O.poulose, secretary of Ernakulam branch, spoke.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article3489420.ece

Folks,

KUDS, CPPR and other groups together are working on a proposal to suggest a mobility hub close to CIAL. This is to integrate the air, rail, road, metro, and water transportation together. A suitable location is identified, close to the upcoming junction station for the new Sabari rail line.

Please post your valuable ideas and suggestions here. You can also PM me or Abraham.

State may miss the no-frills AIE flight (http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/kerala/article3508319.ece)
http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01108/09TVAIR_INDIA_EXPR_1108542f.jpg
The corporate headquarters of Air India Express in Kochi

The failure of authorities to make operational the headquarters of the Air India Express (AIE), shifted from Mumbai to Kochi in February, is likely to end up in the State losing the office. (AIE is the no-frills airline of Air India).

Union Minister for Civil Aviation Vayalar Ravi had inaugurated the AIE headquarters on February 27 but the authorities had not been able to shift the staff from Mumbai (to Kochi) till date.

The Kochi office was being managed by a senior manager and a deputy manager, both retired employees, as the staff had shown reluctance to move to Kochi. Both the officers had not been assigned any duties, sources told The Hindu on Friday.

Several lakhs of rupees were spent to spruce up and furnish the first floor of the 4,000-odd sq ft office of the erstwhile Indian Airlines at DH Road to accommodate the corporate office. The ground floor housed the AI office. Even chief operating officer (COO) S. Chandrakumar, a native of Punalur in Kollam district, who was handpicked and given the task of turning around the low-cost carrier, had been working from New Delhi.

Besides housing the office of the COO, the corporate office was to have the offices of the heads of the commercial wing and finance wings. It was also decided to house the work schedule, cockpit crew schedule, flight networking schedule, cockpit training and licensing, human resource, legal, security, procedures, finance, and administration wings in the Kochi office.

GROUND REALITIES

The AIE's move to prepare flight schedules by taking into account the ground realities and needs of the people here also failed to take off, sources said.

The only solace was that the Crew Training Division was set up and 24 cabin crew recruited by the airline were trained here.

The decision to shift the headquarters to Kochi was taken to give more operational freedom to the airline that operated 70 per cent of the flights from the Kerala sector. Further, the shifting was to enable realistic decision-making and address region-specific travel needs.

Sources said the first low-cost carrier from the AI stable still enjoyed a 90 per cent load as it was the preferred airline of the working class. Sources said it offered convenient late-evening departures and early arrivals.

The first flight of the AIE was from Thiruvananthapuram to Abu Dhabi on March 19, 2005, when V. Thulasidas was the Chairman and Managing Director of the national carrier.

Of the 400-odd employees on the payroll of the AIE, nearly 200 were cabin crew and 70 cockpit crew.

The carrier had 21 aircraft, all new-generation Boeing 737-800 in its fleet at present.

Folks,

KUDS, CPPR and other groups together are working on a proposal to suggest a mobility hub close to CIAL. This is to integrate the air, rail, road, metro, and water transportation together. A suitable location is identified, close to the upcoming junction station for the new Sabari rail line.

Please post your valuable ideas and suggestions here. You can also PM me or Abraham.

Valid proposal.

The idea to integrate almost all types of transport systems is unique and might be the first of it's kind in the world. Even though it may take some amount of time before anything concrete come up, like a new Rail halt, Metro Rail extension, Water transport connectivity etc. i foresee the requirement in at least 10 years from now. Kudos to the brains behind the proposal.

KOCHI: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has plans to spend about 2 billion dollars in the next five years to support setting up of solid and liquid waste management plants across India.

This was stated by Juan Miranda, director general of South Asia Department at the ADB, during an informal conversation with the TOI here on the sidelines of the seminar on 'Municipal waste management -Way forward for Kerala'.

"This is what we envisage as potential direct funding by ADB. But we facilitate flow of much more funds from other institutions to support waste management schemes. It is for the state government to estimate what would be the quantum of investment required for setting up waste management facilities in Kerala, but ADB will be ready to support them in whatever manner possible," he said.

Emphasizing that ADB viewed waste management as a major area of investment in India in the coming years, Juan Miranda said those investments were meant to protect the environment as well as improve health and quality of lives of people.

Hun Kim, country director at the India Resident Mission of ADB, said the multilateral funding institutions like the ADB and World Bank can support Kerala in launching programmes for capacity building in waste management as well as for ushering in attitude changes among the people.

The ADB and the World Bank can also support programmes for institutional reforms in the urban local bodies to enable them to scientifically structure and execute waste management projects, he said.

Hun Kim also disclosed that nearly about Rs 225 million was lying unutilized with the state government from an earlier loan allocated by the ADB to the state. ADB will not have any objection in utilizing this amount, which is known as Kerala local bodies' development fund.

When contacted James Varghese, principal secretary of the local self government department (LSGD) said the state would soon be framing rules for utilization of this fund.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Asian-Development-Bank-to-support-waste-management-schemes/articleshow/13984029.cms

KOCHI: If you thought Kochi owes its tourism potential mainly to its beaches, you may be totally wrong. For, if the revenue of District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) is anything to go by, some of the beaches in the district have hardly any takers.

There are four DTPC-maintained beaches in the district - Fort Kochi, Cherai, Kuzhuppilly and Munambam. The council has set up food-stalls and toilet facilities on those beaches. "But other than Fort Kochi, which has little seashore to its credit, most of the other beaches do not help earn any revenue, as far as DTPC and the tourism department are concerned," said a senior official.

"A total of Rs 3 crore has been invested in Cherai, Kuzhuppilly and Munambam beaches. But the revenue from these beaches is hardly 2/5th of the total investment. This is clearly a bad situation for DTPC," said an official.

Gravel walkways and bio-toilets are under construction at Kuzhupilly beach now.

K Raghuraman, the landscape architect who is entrusted with the task of beach landscaping in Kuzhuppilly and Munambam, said that these two were some of the best beaches in Kerala. But when it comes to attracting tourists, these beaches lag behind others. "It could be because of the absence of cooperation between residents and officials," he said. "As an architect, we can only ensure completion of projects. But I wish there were more promotional campaigns focusing on these beautiful beaches. We heard there are some issues between the local fisherman community and officials, which may be hindering the beaches' tourism potential," said the architect.

DTPC secretary T N Jayashanker also said that there were some misunderstanding among local people. "It is not easy to promote change. We have done our best to promote the two major beaches like Fort Kochi and Cherai. We need support from local people, with which we can do wonders," he said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Beaches-in-the-district-fail-to-attract-tourists/articleshow/14010300.cms

Kalam to inaugurate management meet in Kochi (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article3514674.ece)
Former President of India A. P. J. Abdul Kalam will inaugurate the 31st national meet of the National Institute of Personnel Management here at hotel Le Meridien on September 6, said a press release.

‘Aligning HR for the triple bottom line' is the theme for the three-day meet.

Employees from Taj Hotel, Mumbai, will narrate their harrowing experiences and recount how they saved their guests, risking their own lives during the 26/11 terrorist attack on the hotel.

There will also be a session on how the Kanan Devan Hills Plantations Company Private Limited, Munnar, turned into a success story with the participation of its employees.

Industrialists, management and educational experts from India and abroad will participate in the meet.

They will present papers and also lead sessions.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is scheduled to inaugurate the valedictory session on September 8.

Chief Executive Officer of Wipro T. K. Kurien; Director of the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode, Debashish Chatterjee; and Chairman of Petronet LNG Limited A. K. Balyan will be the guests of honour at the concluding session.

The NIPM, Kochi branch can be contacted at Tel: 0484-2393489.

The last chapter of NIPM is located at NIPM House, B-Block, Mather Square, Opposite Town Railway Station, Kochi – 18.

Kochi continues to lead the hiring market (http://zeenews.india.com/business/news/economy/hiring-activities-slow-down-in-may_53481.html)
Hiring activities slowed down marginally in many sectors during the last month amid challenging economic conditions, according to job portal Monster.Com.

The Monster Employment Index India, a montly gauge of hiring trends online, slipped to 128 last month compared to 129 in April.

On a monthly basis, the index went up in February, March and April.

"The pace of growth in online recruitment activity continues to be moderate," Monster.Com (India/ Middle- East/ South East Asia) Managing Director Sanjay Modi said in a statement today.

BPO/ITES and government/PSU" sectors recorded significant fall in recruitment trends.

"Government/PSU/Defence (down 18 percent) showed steepest annual decline," Monster.Com said.

Notwithstanding tough economic conditions, many sectors managed positive growth momentum on an annual basis.

"Shipping/marine (up 12 percent) continued to exhibit the highest annual growth among sectors," the statement noted.

Sectors such as retail, automotive/ancillaries/tyres; telecom/ISP; health care, bio-technology and life sciences exhibited positive growth momentum last month, Modi said.

In terms of cities, Kochi registered the strongest annual growth for the fourth straight month. "Bangalore is the strongest annual gainer among major metro-markets," the statement said.

Now that's anybody's dream fleet!

A Ferrari F430, An Audi R8, A Porsche 911 :nuts:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/600650_10150945535834929_913414047_n.jpg
courtesy: Deepak Narendran

Interview with Roy Mathew - Chairman, Mini Muthottu

Banyan Tree Resort near Kochi will open this year end.

Mini Muthoot Tech-Tower has got favorable verdict from court. IT Co's has requested space in the tower.

ഗ്രൂപ്പ് കമ്പനികളുടെ ഭാവി പദ്ധതികളെന്തൊക്കെയാണ് ?

ബാന്യന് ട്രീ ഹോട്ടല്സുമായി ചേര്ന്ന് കൊച്ചിയില് പെരുമ്പളം ദ്വീപില് നിര്മിക്കുന്ന റിസോര്ട്ട് ഈ വര്ഷാവസാനം പ്രവര്ത്തനസജ്ജമാകും. 20 ഏക്കറിന്റെ വിശാലതയില് മുത്തൂറ്റ് മിനി നിര്മിക്കുന്ന ഈ റിസോര്ട്ടിന്റെ പ്രധാന സവിശേഷത തായ്ലന്റിലെ ഫുക്കെറ്റ് ശൈലിയിലുള്ള കോട്ടേജുകളാണ് എന്നതാണ്. കേരളത്തിന്റെ സൗന്ദര്യം ആസ്വദിക്കാനെത്തുന്ന ഉന്നതശ്രേണിയിലുള്ള സഞ്ചാരികളെ ലക്ഷ്യമിടുന്ന ഈ പദ്ധതിയില് 80 കോട്ടേജുകളുണ്ട്.

കലൂരിലെ മുത്തൂറ്റ് ടെക് ടവറില് നാലര വര്ഷമായിട്ടും വൈദ്യുതി ലഭിച്ചിട്ടില്ല. കോടതിയില് നിന്ന് ഞങ്ങള്ക്ക് അനുകൂലമായി വിധി ലഭിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്. ഐ.റ്റി കമ്പനികള്ക്ക് അത്യാധുനികമായ എല്ലാ സൗകര്യങ്ങളും ലഭ്യമാക്കാന് അനുയോജ്യമായ വിധത്തിലാണ് ടെക് ടവര് നിര്മിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നത്. ഇവിടെ സ്പേസ് ചോദിച്ച് കമ്പനികള് സമീപിക്കുന്നുണ്ട്. വൈദ്യുതി ലഭിച്ചതിനു ശേഷമേ ഇക്കാര്യത്തില് അന്തിമതീരുമാനം കൈകൊളളൂ.
cc: Dhanam Magazine

The Tagore Awards Ceremony in Kochi (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/regional/malayalam/parties/The-Tagore-Awards-Ceremony-in-Kochi/articleshow/14025931.cms)
The Tagore Awards Ceremony, scheduled to be held at the AJ Hall in Kaloor today, will have the city's elite join in to felicitate leading luminaries from the field of literature. The glittering awards function will see literary works in Malayalam, English, Konkani, Maithili, Manipuri, Nepali and Sindhi being awarded.

The winning authors are flying in from all parts of the country to receive the honour. Named after the legendary poet, Sri Rabindranth Tagore, the Tagore Literature Awards, instituted by Samsung India and the Sahitya Akademi in 2009, seek to recognise the best literary contributions by writers in eight Indian languages every year, with 24 Indian languages being covered by the end of the third year.

This is the third edition of the Tagore Literature Awards. The Award function will be graced by Dr M Veerappa Moily, Honourable Minister for Corporate Affairs, Government of India as chief guest; while O NV Kurup and M P Veerendra Kumar, eminent writers and leading luminaries of Indian literature, will join the event as guests of honour.

The other dignitaries at the event will include Agrahara Krishna Murthy, Secretary, Sahitya Akademi and B D Park, President and CEO, South West Asia HQ, Samsung Electronics. "The rich literary culture in Kerala and the beautiful city of Kochi provide the perfect setting for the Tagore Literature Awards. I am confident that the entire city will come together to felicitate the award winning authors," says Park.

The awards function will be hosted by renowned TV anchor, model and recent film debutant Ranjini Haridas. The evening will have a fitting finale with the rendition of a collection of classical and fusion compositions by expert Bharatanatyam danseuse and a leading actress of South Indian motion pictures, Padmashri Shobana Chandrakumar.

"I am very pleased to be associated with Tagore Literature Awards , a platform for bringing together leading luminaries from the field of literature and arts," says Shobana.

A classic fusion of arts and literature... that's Tagore Literature Awards for you!

Shipping sector register highest annual growth in recruitment activity: Monster Employment Index (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/jobs/shipping/marine-sectors-register-highest-annual-growth-in-recruitment-activity-monster-employment-index/articleshow/14024863.cms)
Around 16 of the 27 industry sectors monitored by the Monster Employment Index registered expansion in recruitment activity between May 2011 and May 2012.

Shipping/marine, up 12% continued to exhibit the highest annual growth among sectors while garments/ textiles/ leather, gems & jewellery (up 11%), healthcare, biotechnology & life sciences, pharmaceuticals (up 11%), maintained an upward trend in online recruitment activity.

In contrast, government/PSU/defence (down 18%) showed steepest annual decline. Overall, the Monster Employment Index India rose 3% year-over-year.

Online demand improved in six of 13 occupational groups monitored by the Monster Employment Index between May 2011 and May 2012. Arts/creative (up 33%) followed by healthcare (up 22%) charted the most substantial annual gains amongst the occupational groups. Legal (down 6%) and Purchase/Logistics/Supply Chain (down 6%) exhibited the steepest annual decline among occupation groups.

Online recruitment activity was up in the year for seven of the 13 locations monitored by the index. Kochi (up 24%) followed by Coimbatore (up 20%) led all cities in annual growth. Among major metro-areas, Bangalore (up 13%) and Chennai (up 2%) registered positive annual growth. Ahmedabad (down 13%) was amidst the slowest growth markets

One budget, many options (http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article3523646.ece)
http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01112/14MP_NIKHIL_GANJU_1112391f.jpg
Nikhil Ganju, Country Manager, TripAdvisor.

Swap an evening in Delhi for one in Cape Town. According to travel site TripAdvisor's latest TripIndex, you will spend the same amount of money in both cities anyway (approximately Rs. 12,800). Similarly, trade Chennai for Macau. Or Kolkata for Warsaw.

TripAdvisor has just announced the second edition of its annual TripIndex. Aimed at helping travellers find destinations that match their budgets, this travel planning tool offers a price index, comparing the cost of a night out for two people in 48 destinations. Tracking current prices in each city, it helps people create realistic budgets for upcoming holidays.

At a press conference to announce this year's TripIndex findings, Nikhil Ganju, country manager of TripAdvisor, explained how it was created, calculating how much a typical night out — martinis and dinner for two, a taxi ride and one night at a four star hotel — will cost in each city. This year London, just ahead of the Olympics, is the most expensive, with a TripIndex cost of Rs. 28,879.50. That's four times more than Hanoi, the cheapest destination.

South East Asia is going to get even more popular, with four of the cheapest cities in the world: Hanoi, Beijing, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. Want a luxury vacation without breaking the bank? Hotels are cheapest in Bangkok, costing an average of about Rs. 4,500 a night. That's one fourth of what you would spend in London. And while we're on the subject, drink your martinis in Bangkok, where they cost the least, about Rs. 526 for two. Paris might be more romantic, but it's also six times more expensive for a drink.

South India, expensive

Dharamsala emerges India's most budget-friendly destination, at Rs. 3,876 on TripIndex. Nasik, in spite of its burgeoning wine tourism, comes next. The big surprise is the country's most expensive holiday destination: Mahabaleshwar at Rs. 9,331 followed by Kochi at Rs. 9,217. South India is the most expensive region to holiday in. Ganju says this could be because of Kerala, which has become a luxury travel destination.

TripAdvisor has now moulded itself into the “world's largest social travel site” with some help from Facebook. Ganju says, “Now, instead of the wisdom of crowds, you can rely on the wisdom of friends.” Their ‘instant personalisation' feature directs you to friends' reviews. He adds: “We've now added ‘friends of friends', thus multiplying your network by 10.”

Started above a pizza shop in 2000, TripAdvisor draws 50 million users worldwide. With 20 million members, the site is constantly updated with reviews from all over the world. “We get 40 contributions every minute,” says Ganju, adding that their advantage over every other travel site is the “fresh, authentic wisdom of crowds.”

Torpedo is the new Malayali Superhero! (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/regional/malayalam/news-and-interviews/Torpedo-is-the-new-Malayali-Superhero/articleshow/14124046.cms)
http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/5061/jjjjn.jpg

There is an inseparable bond between kids and cartoons, especially the ones with superheroes as the central character. To add to the list of Indian animation films like Little Krishna and Chotta Bheem comes Torpedo, a superhero who fights aliens to protect the earth from destruction. However, what sets him apart from other superheroes is that he speaks Malayalam!

Yes, Torpedo is born in Kerala; to be precise, Kochi. The superhero 3D animation movie in Malayalam is brought out by a team of 35 talented artists in an animation studio in the city. "The story is about a kid who turns out to be a superhero, thanks to a magic goggle that the aliens left behind. When he puts on the goggle, he becomes a superhero and fights the aliens," says director Dinjith Ayyathan. Torpedo's creators have worked on the belief that there will be disaster in 2012, which will mark the end of the world. "Torpedo has been projected as someone, who has the power to save the earth from such a disaster," says Dinjith.

The movie also features Defence Minister A K Antony and news reader Nikesh Kumar in their animated avatar. "Jaffer Idukki has dubbed for the superhero, and comedian Kottayam Nazeer has given his voice for four characters in the movie, including Nikesh and Antony," he says. Dinjith, who has worked on the popular animation movie Little Krishna says, the quality of the 3D movie is on a par with any other children's film produced abroad. Plans are on to dub the film in English and Hindi.

victory for UDF at Neyyatinkara ..... Good for Kochi also

Old Harbour Bridge: Has anyone seen this in real? I mean any Grandpa's here! :)

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/303628_374606845926421_1740192534_n.jpg

I am probably the oldest person here, and the bridge had stopped operating before I was a kid. My father-in-law was an officer at the port, and he used to describe that (and so many stories about the olden days of the port as well)

I remember having seen a news in Mathrubhumi in 90s (Could not recollect exact year) of removal permanently fixed plates for movement of a vessel towards Alleppey and back along with photograph.

Yes. They had to cut away the top of the funnel to let the vessel pass under the bridge, and later weld it back

Folks,

KUDS, CPPR and other groups together are working on a proposal to suggest a mobility hub close to CIAL. This is to integrate the air, rail, road, metro, and water transportation together. A suitable location is identified, close to the upcoming junction station for the new Sabari rail line.

Please post your valuable ideas and suggestions here. You can also PM me or Abraham.

The proposed site doesn't have water connectivity. In addition I feel it should have direct access to sp- ap road. Hence my proposed site for such a mobility hub should b north of Chowara where Periyar makes an inward loop. The advantages are

1- water Connectivity is present
2- Railway line is close by
3- Sp Ap road passes thro the same area
4- metro alignment was along this route but I am not sure abt it now.
5- Less inhabited area
The only disadvantage I find is it's around 2 Kim's from Airport

'House of Yesudas' for sale

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/9093/41131796.jpg
cc: Manorama

IIRC, the hotel was run by Dileep, the actor, isn't it?

^^

He used to. It was taken up by someone else from him. I like the CCD there, the ambience is great.

MWq_yy-cpnM

and that i happened to stroll by mg road, took a short video too.
THeve cleaned the drains and dumped the debris on the road side...plus the kseb digging...
Total mess!

^^

The footpath, the number of ugly overhead wires etc. gives the most affluent road in the state a poor figure. Looking forward to DMRC for the overhaul :cheers:

Needed, new policing methods: IG (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/kochi/needed-new-policing-methods-ig-566)
Kochi, being one of the fastest growing cities in India, needs a new style of policing, comprising police-public participation, to ensure the complete security of the people here, said K. Padmakumar, Inspector-General of the central zone.

He was addressing businessmen in Kochi as part of an interactive session organized by the Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry, at the Chamber Hall here, on Wednesday.

He said that installing surveillance cameras in shops and other institutions will help the police in identifying the criminals at the right time and the right spot.

He also sought the support of the businessmen in setting up surveillance cameras in all the vantage points of the city.

City Police Commissioner M.R. Ajithkumar, chamber chairman K.N. Marzook and vice-chairman Antony Thomas also addressed the gathering.

How safe is the city for women?

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01119/15kiand02_Women_1119211e.jpg

A study conducted by the Centre for Gender, Development and Ecology in Kochi pointed out the city as one of the most unsafe ones in Kerala

Dark corners in a public space could be disturbing. More so for women travelling alone. And the city seems to have too many of them.

This was one of the findings in the list of complaints drawn up during a study made by Centre for Gender, Development and Ecology (Samanwayam) recently, making the city one of the most unsafe ones in the State for women.

The study did not bring out any new insights about flaws in safety.

Vulnerable spots
On its part, the study done through focus group discussions and safety audits of two vulnerable spots in the city highlighted issues like low lighting in public spaces, widespread use of drugs and alcohol, and harassment of women in public.

“We have responded positively to complaints pointed out in the study. Within its financial constraints, the Corporation has tried to put up high-mast lamps wherever required or ensure that existing lights are functioning. Also, we have brought other safety issues to the notice of the police authorities,” said B. Bhadra, Deputy Mayor, who received the report in mid-May.

But there is little that the police could do, it is pointed out.

Community support
“What is needed is a concerted efforts from all sections of the community. The police force in itself cannot take care of the entire situation. The police can step up surveillance and prevent crime. But all this could be of little help unless there is support from other stakeholders in the community,” said M.R. Ajith Kumar, City Police Commissioner.

The study had identified areas like Kisan Colony, bus stand, railway station, Karikkamuri, Kaloor-Palarivattom-Edappally, level-crossing and area near Amrita Hospital, Ponekkara and Manassery-Chellanam road as critically unsafe for women and two safety audits were done at the road near KSRTC bus stand and Thoppumpady junction.

The City Police are already operating many wings under the Women’s Cell to address issues faced by the women, like Women Anti-Harassment Cell, Women Victim Support Cell, Women and Children Distress Cell and Women Anti-Trafficking Cell.

Helpline
“The helpline to the distress cell was started on June 1 and to date, we have received 36 calls. Most of the calls by women distressed by family violence come during night hours and we refer it to the police station concerned and ensure it is responded to,” said N. Philomina, Circle Inspector, City Women’s Cell. The Women Cell has one Circle Inspector, two sub-inspectors, one Senior Civil Police Officer and 12 Civil Police Officers – all women officers. The Cell also offers counselling twice every week for women in distress with support from Cultural Academy for Peace.

“The helpline is monitored round-the-clock and women who experience harassment in public places can call us anytime. We also run awareness campaigns for college students,” said Ms. Philomina.

Stock-taking
The NGO, Samanwayam, will also take a stock-taking of the promises given to them from various quarters – the Corporation, Police and RTO – to improve the situation.

“A meeting of heads of four corporations will be held at Town Hall here on July second week. A comprehensive report on the situation across the State, compiling similar studies made in Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Kozhikode will be presented there,” said Sister Mariamma Kalathil, director of Samanwayam.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article3549919.ece

Move to take over Habitat centre irks Techies

The ITES Habitat Centre, a first of its kind incubation centre for young entrepreneurs in the IT sector, is all set to be handed over to Infopark. The move has raised stiff opposition from the 300-odd entrepreneurs currently located at the centre.

The centre was established in 2002 as a pioneering project of the Kerala State IT Mission. Over the years the centre has been catering to small and medium-sized IT firms, by providing basic infrastructure facilities at nominal costs.

The centre has been particularly attractive for IT professionals just out of college trying to establish small-scale enterprises at low investment.

“We have office space of just 100 square feet available here and the rent is ` 35 per square feet. So one can establish a small IT enterprise with about four employees at a cost of ` 3,500 and service tax. There is also access to internet facility, a common conference room and a common front office, all at nominal costs. So if one has to invite a client to the office we have a full-fledged office space here. But in an area like Infopark, even in the incubation centres, the initial investment comes to lakhs, making it near impossible for new entrepreneurs to get access,” said Arun Jacob of Yatnam Technologies.

Owing to the heavy demand for space (as many as 70 applications are still pending) the centre now has ‘Seats’ wherein a single employee from a firm can be accommodated. The idea being that an address under the tag of the ‘ITES Habitat Centre, Kerala State IT Mission’ and access to office space can give entrepreneurs an amount of credibility before their clients.

In this context, the news of the handing over of the centre to Infopark has come as a big blow to the entrepreneurs with many alleging that such a move will pitch them against giants in the IT sector.

“We might not be dislocated all of a sudden but in the long run it will affect the intake and existence of small-scale firms and entrepreneurs here since we are no match for the IT giants. If there is a demand for the space, they will be obviously preferred,” said Anand Ayyappan of Acube Innovations.

Meanwhile, the IT Department dismisses the fears. “The move to hand over the area to Infopark was taken solely because the centre is being expanded and the IT Mission has no funds for it,” said Principal Secretary, Department of IT, P H Kurian. He also added that the area now has firms which have been occupying the space for more than eight years thereby defeating the very purpose of an incubation centre.

“But with Infopark, these can be sorted out. But the companies here won’t be weeded out. Especially because the office space here is too small for large companies,’’ he said.

http://newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/article548212.ece

Kochi Corp to team up with Pyathigorsk City Corporation in Russia (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Kochi-Corp-to-team-up-with-Pyathigorsk-City-Corporation-in-Russia/articleshow/14342296.cms)

A chance for Chammany to see Russia! Is there any benefit out of these celebrated twinning programs?
The Kochi Mayor, Tony Chammany and team is set leave for Russia on Saturday. The delegation from the city corporation prepares to set off for the trip with the intention of teaming up with Pyathigorsk City Corporation-a small city in western Russia.

This is part of Kochi's efforts to join hands with the Russians for technological collaboration, cultural exchange and business partnerships. The project is part of the twinning programme called `sister city' partnership agreement between various local bodies across the world.

Both corporations will look into the possibilities of providing support for infrastructure development, waste management and health care. The seven member delegation from Kochi includes Tony Chammany, Corporation Secretary Ajith Patil; Chairman, Health committee T K Ashraf, Chairman, Development committee T J Vinod, Chairman, Education Standing committee, R Thyagarajan; Opposition councillor Anil Kumar and Health Officer C Santha. It is expected that the Kochi corporation will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Pyathigorsk city corporation.

Kerala Govt should work on investment destination image: CII (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/economy/article3559307.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home)
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/multimedia/dynamic/01121/bl23_Sanjaya_Reddy_1121919f.jpg
Building brand Kerala: Mr G. V. Sanjay Reddy, Chairman, CII Southern Region, addressing a
press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.

Kerala should focus on quality of investments coming its way and direct them to the right areas, says Mr G. V. Sanjay Reddy, Chairman, CII-Southern Region.

Mr Reddy, also Vice-Chairman of GVK Industries, was here to review the build-up to Emerging Kerala 2012 – a Global Connect Initiative to be held in Kochi later this year.

Some welcome changes are apparent, but the Government must strive towards improving its image as a destination for investment, Mr Reddy said.

While promising to partner with the Government in these initiatives, he said the State should ideally play to its strengths and not aim to mimic its neighbours.

Merely flaunting some numbers vis-à-vis others should not be the aim, since Kerala has its own sets of challenges and opportunities.

For this reason, it should focus on the tourism, healthcare and medical tourism, agro-processing, IT, education and MSME sectors.

As Chairman of the Southern Region, Mr Reddy said he would seek the participation of the State Government in two major initiatives planned for this year and the next.

The first is the Festival of South India on Art and Culture, a travelling jamboree with alternative stops every year at the four major cities in South India.

To be held over a period of four days, the ‘carnival’ is being planned to be held at the four major southern cities of Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kochi.

CII wishes to see hundreds of thousands of people belonging to all age groups – from the young to the elderly – to take part in the event.

The aim is also to connect the younger generation of today with the past by seeking to familiarise them with various aspects of the past.

The first event is scheduled for the next year, and the venue would be decided later after discussing with stakeholders.

The other major initiative is the proposed Centre for Excellence (CoE) for Innovation, Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship to be set up in Kerala.

This falls in the pattern of CoEs set up elsewhere in the South with disparate themes as in Hyderabad (green buildings) and Bangalore (quality aspects).

Pay & use bio-toilet launched in Kochi - The Times of India http://apnacircle.com/s/NTcTt

KOCHI: The corporation's new sanitary venture, bio-toilet, was inaugurated by Union minister of state for food and consumer affairs K V Thomas on Ernakulam Town Hall premises on Friday.

One of the seven bio-toilets planned by the corporation in the city under its budget plan, this pay-and-use public toilet can be used by 100 people every day.

At the inaugural programme, K V Thomas said such hygienic measures should be coupled with proper preservation and maintenance to attain the desired res

Mayor Tony Chammany, deputy mayor Bhadra was also present at the meeting.

The other toilets would come up at Kacheripady, Market Canal road, Fort Kochi, Palarivattom Jn, Vyttila Jn and on the premises of the Regional Cancer Centre, near Kaloor bus stand.

The rich now eye a nest in the 'sky' (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/The-rich-now-eye-a-nest-in-the-sky/articleshow/14366887.cms)
KOCHI: Luxury living has taken a new turn in the city with many prominent players in the realty sector starting to focus on sky villas - villas within a high-rise residential apartment. High-end buyers are the target of these builders.

Realtors feel focusing on luxury projects like sky villas will enable them to tide over the present lull in the industry as high-end buyers are willing to spend even at this times of economic slowdown.

They claimed sky villas, which are common in prominent cities in India, had become a hit among buyers as was evident from the enquiries they had been receiving about such projects.

According to them, sky villas can be a good replacement for individual villas, and many leading construction companies have already started work on such projects, while a few others are in the planning stage. "It's the safety and privacy aspects that attract high-end buyers. And it's with this in mind that we are planning sky villa project in the city," said Ramesh Narayanan, general manager, Meridian Homes.

According to him, those interested are second time buyers like businessmen and professionals employed with big corporates. Builders say living in sky villas would be similar to staying in normal villas as they are spacious. Each floor will be occupied by one family, said Ramesh Narayanan. Key features include gardens, centralized AC and car lifts. The cost of a fully-furnished sky villa will vary between Rs 3 crore and Rs 7 crore. Apart from the existing players, V-Guard Industries, which is foraying into the realty sector, is also planning a high-end luxury sky villa project at Vazhakkala in the city. The company is also planning a premium high-rise residential project in Kaloor.

"People are looking for space, security and privacy, when buying an apartment,

said Bijoy A T, senior manager, projects, V-Guard Industries. Enquiries started pouring in even before we began marketing the project, he added.

School buses now offer GPS alerts (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/School-buses-now-offer-GPS-alerts/articleshow/14381440.cms)
Schools in Kochi are finally implementing vehicle tracking systems in their buses to give updates to those parents who are worried about their wards' safe journey to school and home.

One of them is TocH School based in Vytilla.

Already six schools in Thiruvananthapuram and many in Kozhikode, Thrissur and Kottayam districts have installed GPS system in their fleet of buses.

The system will alert parents as well as school authorities about the route the school bus is taking, its speed, any deviation from the normal route, etc. It will also give drop alerts.

"Parents will get an SMS alert when the school bus is two stops away from the scheduled stop," says Pradeep Kumar of Ideas & Innovation Squared Technologies (P) Ltd, which is installing the system in school buses.

Even when the bus travels through areas where there is no cell phone coverage, the GPS system sends out alerts which the parents consider as a big relief.

For getting SMS alerts, parents have to shell out only Rs 25-40 more per month to the bus fee.

Prem Varghese, executive member of TocH School, says the system has been adopted after a successful trial run. Varghese says, "We have installed the GPS tracking system in all our school buses. We did a trial run when our students went for a two-day picnic to Ooty. Right from the time the bus left the school premises, parents were receiving SMS alerts from specific points till the bus reached Ooty. Parents were able to keep track of their children even while they were in Ooty. And they were able to reach the school to pick up their wards the moment the bus returned. On those two days, there were no anxious calls from parents."

TocH School has a fleet of 20 buses.

Kochiites bitten by the shutterbug (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article3568843.ece)
Kochi is probably the only city in India set to join over 80 cities across the world to take out a ‘Photowalk’ in celebration of the first anniversary of the meagrely-successful social networking site, Google Plus, on June 30.

As on date, 81 cities will see shutterbugs of varied skill levels — from greenhorns honing their skills on cell phone cameras to thoroughbred professionals clicking away using their DSLRs — taking a Photowalk on the occasion.

The event in Kochi is organised by the city-based Viewfinder, a photo hobbyists’ club, which boasts over 1,800 active members across the country.

Ironically, the photographers’ collective has a community on Facebook — Google’s rival.

“Starting from Penta Menaka at 2.30 p.m., the walkers will stroll along Broadway up to Subhash Park before returning to Marine Drive.

The event provides a platform for budding photographers to snatch away a lesson or two in photography from veterans,” Aby Mathew, one of the founders of the club, said. On Saturday, a team of 18 walkers took out a trial walk along the Cherai beach to formulate a plan for the June 30 event.

Founded in 2010, Viewfinder has been organising regular meetings of camera buffs wherein they discuss techniques and review ‘five personal best snaps’ of each member. For details of the walk and to take part in it, call: 9847811303.

A secure future (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/node/135030)
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/article_horizontal/article-images/home_1.jpg.crop_display.jpg
Sainik Ashram

The Sainik Ashram and Sainik Vihar old age homes are promoted by the Kerala ex-servicemen’s welfare association (KEXWA) in Kochi. While Sainik Ashram is a rehab centre for World War II heroes, Sainik Vihar provides a home for all ex-service men.

The Ashram offers free accommodation, food and medical aid for its veteran inmates and frontline fighters of World War II. Even though these men do not receive any benefit from the government they are happy living at the Ashram. “About 15 members who do not even get a pension are staying here,” says retired Col. GBR Pillai, who runs Sainik Vihar.

Every evening they share their experiences of the battles they fought with as much excitement as they had back then.

"The memories of World War II are still crystal clear in our minds,” says Baskaran who is a 95-year-old ex-service man. Apart from war stories, everyone has their own personal stories.

For P.B. Pappy who is 85-years-old and a retired naval seaman who actually belongs to Thoppumpadi, Kochi, "The Ashram is like a haven for both me and my wife. This has made my life after retirement safe and secure and we don’t have to worry till the end of our lives.”

For the inmates of Sainik Vihar the authorities have arranged 16 villas with full facilities. Each inmate has to deposit Rs 3 lakhs at the time he is admitted and the amount is returned when they go back home said Col. Pillai. Every weekend the place turns festive as the children and grandchildren of the soldiers pay them a visit.

The accommodation was launched with nine inmates in a rented house in Palarivattom in 1997. In September 2001 it moved to Kakkanad into its own building with more than 50 members.

Sabari rail which would have covered eastern parts of Ernakulam District including important centres like Kalady and Perumbavoor seems dropped.

Manorama reports Sabari railways is dropped. 9kms line from Angamaly to Kalady will be made. office in Muvattupuzha gets closed.

9 കിലോമീറ്ററില്* ശബരി പാത ഒതുങ്ങും
റോബിന്* ടി. വര്*ഗീസ്

കൊച്ചി . അങ്കമാലി - എരുമേലി ശബരി പാതയുടെ നിര്*മാണ ചെലവില്* 50% സംസ്ഥാന സര്*ക്കാര്* വഹിക്കണമെന്നാവശ്യപ്പെട്ടു റയില്*വേ അയച്ച കത്തിനു സംസ്ഥാന സര്*ക്കാര്* ഇതുവരെ മറുപടി നല്*കിയില്ല. റയില്*വേ മന്ത്രിയും ബോര്*ഡില്* നിന്നുമെല്ലാമായി ഇതുവരെ അഞ്ചു കത്തുകള്* ഇതും സംബന്ധിച്ചു സര്*ക്കാരിനു നല്*കിയിട്ടുണ്ട്. മന്ത്രിസഭ കൂടി തീരുമാനമെടുക്കുമെന്നു ചീഫ് സെക്രട്ടറി റയില്*വേയെ അറിയിച്ചെങ്കിലും വിഷയം ഇതുവരെ മന്ത്രിസഭ പരിഗണിച്ചിട്ടില്ല. ഇതോടെ ശബരി പദ്ധതി ഇപ്പോള്* പണി നടന്നുവരുന്ന ഒന്*പതു കിലോമീറ്ററില്* അവസാനിച്ചേക്കും. പദ്ധതി എങ്ങനെ നടപ്പാകുമെന്ന ആശങ്കയിലാണു റയില്*വേ. അങ്കമാലി - കാലടി ഭാഗത്തെ ഒന്*പതു കിലോമീറ്ററിലെ പണികളാണ് ഇപ്പോള്* നടന്നു കൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്നത്.

ഇത് ഈ വര്*ഷം പൂര്*ത്തിയാകുമെങ്കിലും ബാക്കി ഭാഗത്തെ നിര്*മാണം സംബന്ധിച്ച് അനിശ്ചിതത്വം തുടരുകയാണ്. പദ്ധതി പൂര്*ത്തിയാക്കാന്* 1565 കോടി രൂപയാണ് ആവശ്യം. എന്നാല്* ഈ വര്*ഷത്തെ ബജറ്റില്* 80 കോടി മാത്രമാണ് അനുവദിച്ചിട്ടുള്ളത്. നിര്*മാണ ചെലവിന്റെ പകുതി സംസ്ഥാന സര്*ക്കാര്* വഹിക്കാമെന്ന് ഉറപ്പു നല്*കിയാല്* മാത്രമേ പുതുക്കിയ എസ്റ്റിമേറ്റ് റയില്*വേ ബോര്*ഡ് അംഗീകരിക്കുകയുള്ളു. 2011ലെ ബജറ്റില്* 25 കോടി അനുവദിച്ചിരുന്നെങ്കിലും അവസാനം 20 കോടി രുപ തമിഴ്നാടിനു വക മാറ്റുകയായിരുന്നു. ഉയരുന്ന ഭൂമി വിലയും പദ്ധതി ചെലവും കണക്കിലെടുത്താല്* നിര്*മാണ
ചെലവ് 1565 കോടിയില്* നില്*ക്കില്ലെന്ന് അധികൃതര്* പറയുന്നു.

114 kകിലോമീറ്റര്* ദൈര്*ഘ്യമുള്ള ശബരി പാത എറണാകുളം, കോട്ടയം, ഇടുക്കി ജില്ലകളിലൂടെയാണു കടന്നു പോകുന്നത്. മറ്റു സംസ്ഥാനങ്ങളില്* റയില്*വേ പദ്ധതികള്* സംസ്ഥാന സര്*ക്കാരിന്റെ പങ്കാളിത്തത്തോടെ നടപ്പാക്കുന്നതു ചൂണ്ടിക്കാട്ടിയാണു റയില്*വേ കേരളവും പദ്ധതിക്കു പണം നല്*കണമെന്ന് ആവശ്യപ്പെടുന്നത്.

സ്പെഷല്* ഒാഫിസുകള്* പൂട്ടുന്നു
ഫണ്ടില്ലെന്ന കാരണം പറഞ്ഞു പദ്ധതിക്കായി തുറന്ന സ്പെഷല്* ഒാഫിസുകളും റയില്*വേ പൂട്ടാന്* ഒരുങ്ങുകയാണ്. മൂവാറ്റുപുഴയിലെ ഒാഫിസ് അടച്ചുപൂട്ടാനുള്ള നീക്കത്തിനു തല്*ക്കാലം കലക്ടര്* ഇടപെട്ടു തടയിട്ടിരിക്കുകയാണ്. ഒാഫിസ് സെപ്റ്റംബര്* വരെ തുറന്നു പ്രവര്*ത്തിക്കണമെന്നും അതിനു ശേഷം സര്*ക്കാരുമായി ആലോചിച്ചു വേണ്ടതു ചെയ്യാമെന്നുമാണു കലക്ടര്* യോഗത്തില്* അറിയിച്ചത്. എന്നാല്* പണിയൊന്നും ചെയ്യാനില്ലാതെ വെറുതേ ഒാഫിസ് തുറന്നു വയ്ക്കുന്നതില്* അര്*ഥമില്ലെന്നാണു റയില്*വേ നിലപാട്.

മൂവാറ്റുപുഴ, കോതമംഗലം താലൂക്കുകളിലെ 10 വില്ലേജുകളിലെ സ്ഥലമേറ്റെടുക്കുന്നതിനായി സ്ഥാപിച്ച ഓഫിസാണു നിര്*ത്തണമെന്നു റയില്*വേ പറയുന്നത്. 266 ഏക്കര്* സ്ഥലം ഏറ്റെടുക്കാനുള്ള നടപടികള്* പുരോഗമിക്കുന്നതിനിടെയാണ് ഓഫിസ് നിര്*ത്തണമെന്ന ആവശ്യം റയില്*വേ മുന്നോട്ടു വയ്ക്കുന്നത്. പെരുമ്പാവൂരിലെ സ്പെഷല്* ഓഫിസ് പ്രവര്*ത്തിക്കട്ടേയെന്നും മൂവാറ്റുപുഴ, കോതമംഗലം മേഖലയിലെ സ്ഥലമെടുപ്പിനു ഫണ്ട് ലഭ്യമാകുമ്പോള്* അവിടുത്തെ ഓഫിസ് പുനരരാംഭിക്കാമെന്നുമാണു റയില്*വേയുടെ വാദം.സമയത്തു സ്ഥലമെടുപ്പു തീരാത്തതിനാല്* പല വില്ലേജുകളിലും സ്ഥലമെടുപ്പു വിജ്ഞാപനം റദ്ദായിട്ടുണ്ട്.

ഇവിടങ്ങളില്* ഫാസ്റ്റ്ട്രാക്ക് പ്രകാരമുള്ള വിജ്ഞാപനം നിലനില്*ക്കുന്നുണ്ടെങ്കിലും ഈ നിയമപ്രകാരം സ്ഥലമെടുക്കുന്നതിനോടു റയില്*വേ യോജിച്ചിട്ടില്ല. ലാന്*ഡ് അക്വിസിഷന്* നിയമപ്രകാരം സ്ഥലമേറ്റെടുത്താല്* മതിയെന്നാണു റയില്*വേയുടെ നിലപാട്. 54 കിലോമീറ്റര്* ദൈര്*ഘ്യത്തിലാണ് എറണാകുളം ജില്ലയിലൂടെ ശബരി റയില്* കടന്നു പോകുന്നത്.

പാത അട്ടിമറിക്കുന്നത് ആര്
പാത അട്ടിമറിക്കാന്* ചില നിക്ഷിപ്ത താല്*പര്യക്കാര്* ശ്രമിക്കുന്നുവെന്നാണു ശബരി റയില്*വേ സെന്*ട്രല്* ആക്ഷന്* കൌണ്*സില്* ജോയിന്റ് സെക്രട്ടറി ജിജോ ജോസ് പനച്ചിനാനിക്കലിന്റെ ആരോപണം. പദ്ധതി ലാഭകരമല്ലെന്നതാണു പ്രധാന പ്രചാരണം. എന്നാല്* പാത പുനലൂര്* വരെ നീട്ടുന്നതോടെ ചെന്നൈയിലേക്കു പുതിയ ഒരു ഇടനാഴിയാണു തുറക്കുക. ഇതോടൊപ്പം കോട്ടയം മധുര പാത പാലായിലും, തൊടുപുഴയിലും ശബരി റയില്*വേയുമായി കൂടിച്ചേരും. ഭാവിയിലെ സാധ്യതകള്* മുന്നില്*ക്കാണാതെയാണു റയില്*വേ പഠന റിപ്പോര്*ട്ടുകളെന്നു സംഘടനകള്* ആരോപിക്കുന്നു.

നിര്*ദിഷ്ട ശബരി പാതയേക്കാള്* പ്രായോഗികം ചെങ്ങന്നൂര്* പമ്പ പാതയാണെന്നു റയില്*വേ സഹമന്ത്രി കെ.എച്ച്. മുനിയപ്പ പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചതും ശബരി പാതയോടുള്ള റയില്*വേയുടെ താല്*പര്യക്കുറവാണു വ്യക്തമാക്കുന്നതെന്നു സംഘടനകള്* പറയുന്നു. റയില്*വേയുടെ താല്*പര്യമില്ലായ്മക്കൊപ്പം സര്*ക്കാരിന്റെ മെല്ലെപ്പോക്കും കൂടി ശബരി പാതയുടെ ചരമക്കുറിപ്പ് എഴുതുന്ന ലക്ഷണമാണ്.

പ്രാധാന്യം വര്*ധിക്കുന്നു
ശബരി പാതയ്ക്കു മുന്*പില്ലാത്ത പ്രാധാന്യം ഇപ്പോള്* കൈവന്നിട്ടുണ്ടെന്നതാണു മറ്റൊരു പ്രത്യേകത. കൊച്ചി - മധുര, കോട്ടയം- മധുര പാതകള്* ഭാവിയില്* വരുന്നതോടെ സാമ്പത്തികമായി ശബരി പാത ഏറെ ലാഭകരമാകുമെന്നുറപ്പാണ്. കോട്ടയം-മധുര പാതയില്* പാലായിലും തൊടുപുഴയിലും ശബരി പാത കൂടി ചേരുന്നതോടെ കോട്ടയം - തൃശൂര്* സമാന്തര റയില്* പാതയാണു രൂപപ്പെടുക. ഇപ്പോള്* തന്നെ ഇരട്ടിയിലധികം ട്രെയിനുകള്* ദിനംപ്രതി സര്*വീസ് നടത്തുന്ന എറണാകുളം കോട്ടയം ലൈനിലെ തിരക്കു കുറയ്ക്കാനും കഴിയും. ക്രിസ്ത്യന്* തീര്*ഥാടന കേന്ദ്രമായ ഭരണങ്ങാനത്തിനു പാലായില്* റയില്*വേ സ്റ്റേഷനും ലഭിക്കും.

കോട്ടയം- മധുര പാത ശബരി പാതയുമായി ബന്ധപ്പിക്കുന്നതോടെ തൂത്തുക്കുടി തുറമുഖവും കൊച്ചി തുറമുഖവും തമ്മില്* ചരക്കുനീക്കം സുഗമമാകുമെന്നു തമിഴ്നാട്ടിലെ വ്യാപാര സംഘടനകള്* മുന്*പു റയില്*വേ മന്ത്രിക്കു നല്*കിയ നിവേദനത്തില്* ചൂണ്ടിക്കാട്ടിയിരുന്നു. പാത വരുന്നതോടെ ട്രക്കുകള്* വഴിയുള്ള ചരക്കു നീക്കം പൂര്*ണമായും ഗുഡ്സ് ട്രെയിനിലേക്കു മാറും. പുതിയ പാത മധുരയിലെ ഇന്*ലാന്*ഡ് കണ്ടെയ്നര്* ഡിപ്പോയില്* നിന്നുള്ള ചരക്കു നീക്കം വേഗത്തിലാക്കും. പച്ചക്കറികളുമായി 50 ലോഡും മറ്റ് അവശ്യ വസ്തുക്കളുമായി 60 ലോഡ് ട്രക്കുകളുമാണ് ഒരു ദിവസം മധുരയില്* നിന്നും സമീപ ജില്ലകളില്* നിന്നും കേരളത്തിലെത്തുന്നത്. പാത വരുന്നതോടെ ഇതു ഏറിയ പങ്കും ട്രെയിനിലേക്കു കൂടുമാറും.

സമ്മര്*ദം ചെലുത്തണം
സാജു പോള്* എംഎല്*എ
പദ്ധതിയുടെ പുതുക്കിയ എസ്റ്റിമേറ്റിനു റയില്*വേ ബോര്*ഡിന്റെ അംഗീകാരം ലഭിച്ചിട്ടില്ല. 16 വര്*ഷം മുന്*പു നിര്*മാണ ഉദ്ഘാടനം നടത്തിയ പദ്ധതിയാണ്. 1978 മുതല്* ചര്*ച്ചകള്* തുടങ്ങിയതാണ്. ഇതുവരെയും എങ്ങുമെത്താതെ കിടക്കുന്നത്. കോട്ടയം, ഇടുക്കി ജില്ലകളിലെ എംപിമാരും എംഎല്*എമാരും സമര്*ദം ചെലുത്തി പദ്ധതി നടപ്പാക്കിയെടുക്കണം

നിലപാട് എടുക്കണം
പി.ടി. തോമസ് എംപി
കോട്ടയം ജില്ലയില്* അലൈന്*മെന്റ് പൂര്*ത്തിയാക്കാന്* കഴിയാത്തതാണു പ്രതിസന്ധി. ജില്ലയിലെ ജനപ്രതിനിധികള്* നിലപാട് എടുത്താല്* തീരാവുന്നതാണു പ്രശ്നം. അവര്* നേരത്തെ ഒരു നിലപാട് എടുക്കാത്തതാണു ചെലവ് 1000 കോടിയാകാന്* കാരണം. . കോട്ടയം ജില്ലയില്* നിന്നുള്ള മുഖ്യമന്ത്രിയും മന്ത്രിമാരും ആദ്യം പാത സംബന്ധിച്ച് ഒരു തീരുമാനത്തിലെത്തണം

മുഖ്യമന്ത്രിയെ കാണും
ജോസഫ് വാഴയ്ക്കന്* എംഎല്*എ
പദ്ധതിക്കായി റയില്*വേ തന്നെ മുഴുവന്* പണവും കണ്ടെത്തണം. സംസ്ഥാന സര്*ക്കാര്* പകുതി പണം നല്*കേണ്ട ആവശ്യമില്ല. ബജറ്റില്* അനുവദിച്ച തുകയൊന്നും പദ്ധതിയില്* ചെലവഴിക്കുന്നില്ല. സ്ഥലം വിട്ടു നല്*കിയവര്* വഴിയാധാരമായിരിക്കുകയാണ്. പദ്ധതി വേഗത്തില്* പൂര്*ത്തിയാക്കണമെന്നാവശ്യപ്പെട്ടു മേഖലയിലെയും മറ്റും എംഎല്*എമാരോടൊപ്പം വൈകാതെ മുഖ്യമന്ത്രിയെ കാണും.

http://www.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/localContentView.do?tabId=0&contentId=11865935&district=Cochin

Project to solve water logging in Kochi on the anvil (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article3575643.ece)

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has directed the Ernakulam District Collector to prepare the document addressing the water logging in the city, in consultation with the legislators from the city, Kochi Corporation and various government departments.

The document thus prepared will be discussed at the government level to prepare a project document. The decision was made at a meeting convened by the Chief Minister in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.

Taking part in the discussion, Deputy Mayor B. Bhadra said that the corporation alone would not be able to shoulder the cost of a comprehensive project for addressing water logging in the city, considering the financial constraints of the civic body. The shortfall in funds for the project needs to be provided by the government, failing which the projects cannot be implemented, she said.

Responding to the submission of the Kochi Corporation, the Chief Minister assured the civic body to consider the proposal for gap funding, Ms. Bhadra said.

The representatives of Delhi Metro Railway Corporation, Greater Cochin Development Authority, district administration and various government departments will be on the committee that would be formed for drafting the proposal for Kochi, she said.

Soumini Jain, the Chairperson of the Works Standing Committee of the Kochi Corporation, said that most of the culverts in the city need to be raised from the existing levels as flood water enters them during heavy rain.

The silt that is accumulating in the canals prevents the free flow of water and the desilting operations done annually have only a limited effect.

The deepening of the barmouth at Thevara and desilting of the major canals also need to be done for draining the flood waters, said Ms. Jain, who also attended the Thiruvananthapuram deliberations.

The cables and wires and water supply pipelines laid along the canals by various agencies were also affecting the free flow of water.

While an agency had earlier prepared a project for addressing the water logging in the central city area, nothing has been done for the West Kochi region.

These aspects have to be highlighted in the project document that is to be prepared, she said.

K. Babu, Minister for Excise; Benny Behenan, Dominic Presentation and Hibi Eden, MLAs; were also present at the meeting. Mr. Eden will coordinate the meeting to be held for the preparation of the document.

Here’s to a sunny future (http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article3576775.ece?homepage=true)
http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01126/KIMP_SOLAR_1126469g.jpg
An artist's vision of the two-tier road and solar panels project.

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01126/KIMP_CHACKO_AND_JA_1126468g.jpg
M A Chacko and George Jacob, engineers


http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01126/KIMP_SOLAR_1126470g.jpg
An artist's vision of the three-tier rail, road and solar panels project.

Two retired engineers have come up with proposals that could solve our power situation. Tap the sun and get shade on the road in the bargain, they say

Visualise this:

Scenario 1: You are driving to the shopping mall on a hot February afternoon and the car is cool even without a/c. There is shade throughout the drive. Suddenly summer showers arrive. But there is no rain falling on the windshield, because 30 ft above the road, there are solar panels, fitted over the length and breadth of the road, quietly producing electricity with Nature’s superstar, the Sun, for the streetlights to burn and much else.

Scenario 2: You are sitting in an armchair under a tree in the countryside and enjoying birdsong, on the lawns in your house. You ignore the noise of the traffic, as it seems quite far away. There is a muffled chug-chug-chug and a feeble screeching sound of brakes above. For just above your property, that is 30 ft above your rubber plantation, is the railway line. And above that is the thoroughfare, where cars, buses and trucks ply. All under the shade of the solar panels above, with nothing between the panels and the sun. The trees and buildings are all below. Giant pillars on either side of the road support the whole structure.

Daring dream

These two scenarios, a two-tier or a three-tier system combining transport and electricity producing solar panels are what M. A. Chacko and George Jacob dream about.

They dare to dream big, though they are no strapping young men out to make a fortune for themselves. Neither do they think they are in Utopia. But the 75-year-old Chacko and 72-year-old George Jacob have the credentials to dream this big.

Chacko is a retired chief engineer who was in the Kerala PWD and did pioneering work in the roads sector, and George, a chemical engineer who was the General Manager of Kochi Refineries and CEO of Cochin Refinery-Balmer Lawrie Ltd. He was also one of the 400-odd experts (as adviser) involved in the start-up work of the Reliance Jamnagar Petroleum Refinery.

Think tank

So these ‘think-tank’ friends put their heads together and came out with this proposal to kill two birds with one stone. One, harvest solar power, two, make travel easier and more comfortable. “There is one more advantage in our second plan, in the three-tier system, which will be feasible only for new projects. It will make it easier to obtain land because landowners are not displaced. Acquiring land for such projects is the biggest handicap, usually. But in this system, since land owners can utilise much of the land, there won’t be a problem. Moreover, the land value also increases, along with this development. New projects like the Angamaly-Sabarimala railway line and the Thiruvananthapuram-Mangalore expressway can be constructed in this way,” says George. The solar panel roof-like structures for existing roads can be built along any wide road, like the widened Angamaly-Walayar NH-47,” says George. The solar power that goes into the grid placed at intervals can be used for homes, industries or whatever use, just like hydroelectric power or any other power.

Regarding the cost factor, Chacko argues, “Solar power can definitely be made safer and cheaper than nuclear power. With improved and cheaper panels coming into the market, it will be cheaper than power from coal or water. The environmental benefits of such a project are manifold. Our country cannot afford to go on in this manner, with cars and buses overcrowding the roads and electricity depending on availability of rain.”

As to doubts about such a gigantic structure being feasible, George clarifies: “Steel and concrete in the hands of structural engineers who can design anything are perfectly safe and solar panels will bring in money. It will definitely be cost effective.” The duo has presented this proposal at a few conferences and got people interested in it.

The opportunity to harness solar power, available to all, is greatly underutilised in our country. The sunny disposition of Gujarat in this aspect is enviable. Asia’s biggest solar park just opened at Patan district in Gujarat. Together with its other solar projects, it contributes two thirds of the entire solar energy the country produces. George’s stint at Jamnagar Refinery in Gujarat opened his eyes to the advantages of solar energy and the vast potential it holds.

Subsidies

“With the subsidies available from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, we can easily take up such projects, if the government has the vision and the will to do it,” he says.

Detractors of this dream, pause and ponder: What did people say when the Wright Brothers declared they might be able to fly like birds? Whoever thought that the metro rail would run in the middle of a road? If your great grandmother was told that in future, you would be able to see her and chat with her, sitting seven seas away, would she have believed you?

Maybe soon, flyovers would be passé and the buses and trains would not be this crowded and we would be viewing the scene 50 ft below with aplomb.

LwCj7z5U4wM

^^

Please do not post such fancy shits here.

Houses converted into business enterprises at Panampilly Nagar.
http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01127/29KIMP_PANAMPILLY_1127640f.jpg
Photo: Thulasi Kakkat

Kochi, in the last ten years or so, has evolved. As the city grew, gradually, it began integrating some of the old, well-planned settlements. These residential areas are now either stagnating or losing its population. Also seen is a change in its basic character; they are rapidly turning into commercial centres.

Business hub

Panampilly Nagar, in the heart of the city, is an example. What was envisaged and implemented as an inclusively developed, residential project, this colony is now almost gobbled up by business enterprises.

And if the project submitted by the District Tourism Promotion Council to the government gets clearance Panampilly Nagar will turn into an activity centre, with food joints, entertainment, during weekend nights.

“Panampilly Nagar is a very relevant project. It is a perfect example of inclusive development in a residential zone. The project was planned in such a way as to provide space for every strata of society. So you have the high, middle, low income and economically weak groups owning property here. I feel, that today, it is mostly the high income group that has either rented out or sold their properties here,” says K. J. Sohan, Chairman, Town Planning Standing Committee, Corporation of Cochin.

Conceived and implemented as a project of the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) this residential area is now a much-sought after commercial centre. Proximity to the Central Business District, which is roughly the area across the two major over bridges, the spiralling rent in the CBD, traffic congestion, shrinking parking space here, have all resulted in expansion of business activities to new zones. And Panampilly Nagar has been a major casualty.

“A whole generation of residents has moved out from Panampilly Nagar. The new generation is not keen to stick on here. Since implementation GCDA has stayed out. The houses have their owners, the residents have their associations; the main road has been taken over by the Corporation. The road has not been developed and there has been widespread commercialisation,” feels N. Venugopal, Chairman, GCDA. “We now have plans to link the main road here to Thevara and Kadavanthra. If the purpose for which this place has been developed is violated further GCDA can even think of intervening, based on a Supreme Court judgment, despite the dislocation it could create,” he adds. Mariamma Mammen has been staying here for the past 35 years. She has been involved in the welfare activities of the colony and is a member of the Panampilly Nagar Welfare Association ever since it was set up in 1994. She has seen the place change from a quiet residential zone to a noisy, busy commercial hub.

Resisting residents

“We have been resisting these moves but not with much success. We were able to prevent people from building godowns here. I think we may not be able to prevent shops and offices from coming up. But, at least, the authorities can stop street vendors who have taken over certain areas, caution the eateries from dumping food waste into the drains and such things. Now we hear that a night market is to start functioning here. We are not for this,” she says.

Nitha Thampi, secretary of the Association, also voices a similar view. “We have seen the degeneration and will not allow it go further. We do not want night shopping here as we fear it will be a disturbance, a disruption of peaceful existence.”

The concept of an activity street has been thought of to add punch to tourism. “The whole place will be given a facelift. Open drains will be covered, landscaping done, properly marked parking slots, one of the side roads will be used for traffic and the other for kiosks etc. The street will become active on weekends between nine and 11 p.m. Traffic will be controlled, the main road will be used only by pedestrians and noise decibels of the entertainment area will be contained. The project has been submitted to the Tourism Department,” says T. N. Jayashankar, secretary, District Tourism Promotion Council.

The main road is now owned and maintained by the Corporation. But strangely they have not been informed about the project so far. “As a statutory body the Corporation should have been the first to know about it. The Mayor informed the Council that he did not know anything about it. This is not the proper way to initiate a project,” states Sohan, while Venugopal was not sure how DTPC was planning to do about waste disposal.

Take a call

The crux of the issue is best summed up by Sohan. He feels that the city administration needs to ‘take a call’ on the issue. There is going to be tax reforms and a rigorous inspection in such areas. But more than all this it is time that administrators realise that “replacement levels of population in the city has turned very low. The latest population statistics show that there has been an increase of only 5,000 in the 10 years, while it has shot up in neighbouring areas like Maradu, Tripunithura, Thrikkakara and Kalamassery. So when we sit down to discuss the city’s problems and new projects like public transportation, we need to address not just the demographic growth but also the depopulation. Panampilly Nagar has seen a sort of migration and is a pointer to this reality,” he wraps up.

thehindu.com (http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article3581103.ece)

Emerging 440 City by McKinsey&Company

Kochi also in the above list

http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/mgi/research/urbanization/us_cities_in_the_global_economy
Here's the report on Rediff;

List of 25 cities from India which will turn into economic powerhouses (http://www.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-global-cities-of-the-future-36-from-india/20120702.htm)

Top 12 ranking based on 2025 GDP

New Delhi - 211 bn $
Mumbai - 193 bn $
Bengaluru - 129 bn $
Kolkata - 113 bn $
Pune - 94 bn $
Surat - 84 bn $
Chennai - 77 bn $
Hyderabad - 74 bn $
Ahmedabad - 67 bn $
Kochi - 46 bn $
Nasik - 37 bn $
Vizag - 35 bn $

Here's the report on Rediff;

List of 25 cities from India which will turn into economic powerhouses (http://www.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-global-cities-of-the-future-36-from-india/20120702.htm)

Top 12 ranking based on 2025 GDP

New Delhi - 211 bn $
Mumbai - 193 bn $
Bengaluru - 129 bn $
Kolkata - 113 bn $
Pune - 94 bn $
Surat - 84 bn $
Chennai - 77 bn $
Hyderabad - 74 bn $
Ahmedabad - 67 bn $
Kochi - 46 bn $
Nasik - 37 bn $
Vizag - 35 bn $

good to see Kochi ranked among Top 10 Indian cities

Like any rediff report, this one is also completely pulled out from some dark place. I wouldn't give much value for it, until the data points are published.

^^

I think, they have reported the Mckinsey study.

Yes http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Cities_the_next_frontier_for_global_growth_2758

OK. That does make a difference. McKinsey is pretty reliable.

I always keep a bag of salt handy when reading rediff reports. Experience dictates so. This one is different, given the credibility of McKinsey.

^^

Surprising is that Thrissur & Kozhikode will surpass Kochi in population by 2025.

How come the per capita GDP is not total GDP/population?

Something ain't right. What am I missing?

^^

GDP is calculated on the basis of Purchasing Power Parity (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purchasing_power_parity) rates.

http://i45.tinypic.com/2ticz.jpg

The 45th Cocotech, international conference on coconut begins in Kochi (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/cons-products/food/the-45th-cocotech-international-conference-on-coconut-begins/articleshow/14606956.cms)
KOCHI: The 45th Cocotech, the international conference on coconut, jointly organized by the Asian and Pacific Cococnut Community (APCC) and the Coconut Development Board (CDB) began here on Monday with over 200 delegates attending the five day meet.

Inaugurating the meet Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution K V Thomas said the emphasis given by CDB on evolving technologies for the development of new value added products with those of leading countries like Philippines, Sri Lanka and Indonesia has yielded results.

He called upon the coconut producing countries to try to bring in structural changes in the planting pattern giving more importance to dwarf and hybrid varieties and to go for integrated management practices. He felt that it was necessary to keep abreast of the latest technological developments taking place in the agriculture sector.

Romulo N Ar4ancon, executive director of APCC called for concerted efforts to increase coconut production and find new technologies for the farmers.

The conference with the theme inclusive growth and sustained development of the coconut industry' will cover a comprehensive range of technical sessions and topics on the success stories of coconut farmers and small to medium scale coconut processors. Experts from scientific field and the corporate sector are also attending the conference.

Kochi does not require metro: Kuldip Singh

KOCHI: Kuldip Singh, the original architect of the Marine Drive development project, may hail from New Delhi, which has set the benchmark for metro rail projects in the country.

But he sure does not share Kochi's enthusiasm for the metro, which he feels the city can do without and claims would increase congestion!

Coming from someone who is into urban planning, it may come as a surprise, but Singh is also not impressed by the Delhi metro, which caught the country's imagination and is being replicated in major cities. "I have personally opposed elevated metros in Delhi, Bangalore and the proposed ones in Hyderabad and Pune.

The metro project as conceived in Kochi will degrade the central area of the city and the M G Road stretch. It can turn destructive for the city," he said in an interview with TOI, instead calling for an underground metro system for Kochi.

For someone, who can't stand elevated metros, Singh gave a surprise again and proved to be a man of contradictions by claiming that he had provided consultancy for the Delhi and Bangalore metros! "I provided consultancy service for the Delhi and Bangalore metro rail projects in design and architecture," he said.

But then Singh is very hard to please. He is not happy with the first phase of development of the 1.5 km Marine Drive stretch which he conceived, and feels it could have been carried out in a better way if Greater Cochin Development Authority ( GCDA) had full control over the project.

"When the project was executed 35 years ago, there were several constraints including financial, environmental and administrative, before the executing agency. And due to all these constraints it was not possible to enforce detailed control over the execution of the project," said Singh, claiming that all environmental issues were addressed during the execution of the project.

Expressing his displeasure over the maintenance of the waterfront, which is a popular hangout for city residents, he said that greater attention needs to be paid for the walkway. "The maintenance of open space, which is an important asset for the city, in Marine Drive should be given utmost importance. Despite the availability of open space, it has not been used much," he said. Singh has to his credit New Delhi-based projects such as City Centre and Saket District Centre.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Kochi-does-not-require-metro-Kuldip-Singh/articleshow/14621559.cms

That guy is the "elegance first, function be damned" type architect. I would let him shove his opinion where it belong!

http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/9089/crimes.jpg
CC:- Dileepks

Woww... Kochi Police is really doing kudos, to ensure to break the wrong campagin done by one media and social networks.....

Already I have posted the original report published by City Police Commissioner in last Oct itself. Just to make a quick translation for those who can't read Malayalam

Kochi Police slashes Media Campaign, which picturizes as most crime prone city. The Police Department, armed with stats and figures, proved the city has least number of crimes and far less than many other cities even state.

Kochi stands only 56th in position, out of 72 cities taken by NCRB to compile the crime statistics. The first city in the list is DELHI, followed by Mumbai. Even Kerala's state capital- Trivandrum stands in 29th position, while Kozhikode at 50th position, which once again proves, Kochi is the least crime prone city even in the state.

The commissioner slams the media company, for putting wrong facts and picturizing the city in a wrong way.

The Commissioner maintains, only 1488 Major crimes have reported in the city. The City Police has registered 25715 cases in 2010, out of which 24277 are minor/Other IPC Offences (petty cases).

The correct figures in various heads

1. Murder Cases

Delhi - 453
Mumbai- 228
Bangalore - 266
Chennai - 103
Trivandrum - 15
Kozhikode - 7
Kochi - 4

2. Rape Cases

Delhi - 414
Mumbai- 194
Bangalore - 65
Chennai - 47
Trivandrum -27
Kozhikode -16
Kochi -20

3. Kidnapping

Delhi - 2629
Mumbai- 194
Bangalore - 513
Chennai - 47
Trivandrum -22
Kozhikode -11
Kochi -8

4. Theft/Dacoity

Delhi - 1355
Mumbai- 3059
Bangalore - 1335
Chennai - 383
Trivandrum -221
Kozhikode -175
Kochi -79

5. Assault on Women/crimes against women

Delhi - 550
Mumbai- 474
Bangalore - 308
Chennai - 45
Trivandrum - 194
Kozhikode -70
Kochi -67

6. Arson/Riots/Damage to Public Property

Delhi - 46
Mumbai- 391
Bangalore - 349
Chennai - 60
Trivandrum -477
Kozhikode -265
Kochi -244

:banana::banana::banana:

^^ Kochi is without doubt one of the safest places in the country..Wonder why media and certain agencies come out in public without any home work.

:bash:

AADINE PATTIYAKKUKA :bash::bash:this is what happened. Media have to clarify the things at the earliest, because they are punishing the best city and admiring the worst cities.

^^ Kochi is without doubt one of the safest places in the country..Wonder why media and certain agencies come out in public without any home work.

:bash:

They have done their homework well. There seems to be some hidden agenda

^^ I think media is against Kochi. They want to tarnish Kochi's image to safeguards some interests.Here is another one from DC.http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/nation/south/kerala-leads-list-obscene-postings-internet-331

^^

These kind of reports can be ignored as it doesn't affect much on the growth of the city. But the one reported ToI from NCRB records stating Kochi as the 'dangerous city', is utter bullshit completely denying real facts.

HC stays corporation’s recovery against Rama Varma Club (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/HC-stays-corporations-recovery-against-Rama-Varma-Club/articleshow/14660022.cms)
Kerala high court has stayed the recovery proceedings initiated by Kochi Corporation against Rama Varma Club (http://www.ramavarmaclubkochi.com/index.html) for non-payment of an interim tax. The club is Kochi's first recreation club and also the oldest one in the state.

The club was founded in 1897 under the patronage of the erstwhile maharaja of Cochin state Rama Varma at Sirkar Building, which housed former diwan V Subramaniam Pillay, after a group of local sportsmen requested the king's help in setting up a club. In 1970, the club received a facelift due to efforts of the then district collector S Krishnakumar while he was president of the club's managing committee.

The club was recently declared as an unauthorized construction by the corporation and a notice asking the club to pay Rs 46 lakh as demand tax was served by the corporation four months ago. The notice was issued by the corporation under section 242 of the Kerala Municipality Act of 1994. The act gives corporation the power to collect tax on unauthorized construction from the date of completion of construction to the time it is demolished.

Following the notice for demand tax, the club challenged it at the high court, pointing out that the corporation's demand is illegal as they were not served a notice or given a hearing. Corporation's counsel Babu Karukapadath argued that the action of the corporation is according to powers granted by the Kerala Municipality Act and the remedy available to the club, if aggrieved, is to appeal against the corporation's decision as specified in the act.

Considering the club's petition, Justice Antony Dominic, observed, "Having considered the rival submissions, I am inclined to think that the proceedings could not have been completed against the petitioner without giving them an opportunity to file their objections and affording an opportunity of hearing."

The court directed the club to file its objections. Upon receiving the club's objections, the corporation should issue notice to the club and pass fresh orders, the court ruled, along with staying further proceedings in the case until the court's directions are carried out.

Responding to the court's order, the club's secretary R Suresh said, "Our club is 125 years old and has been part of the city's cultural history. It is unfair on the corporation's part to slap such a notice without due research and document back-up. We were confident that the court will see through the injustice and it has. It has stayed the proceedings and asked for a reassessment of the situation through proper procedure from the concerned wing of the corporation."

:)
http://i48.tinypic.com/2vanpqp.jpg
cc: Manorama

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/4612/11113119.jpg
cc: Mathrubhumi

http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/3171/11145484.jpg
cc: Mathrubhumi

:)
http://i48.tinypic.com/2vanpqp.jpg
cc: Manorama

Hope there will be toilets in each metro station

^^

It has to be there and most prob it will.

The other source of revenue for KOMET can be gained by the naming of Metro Stations.
For e.g: The MG Road station can renamed Jayalakshmi Station, so that the store pays a fixed amount for a period of time for the tag.

^^

It has to be there and most prob it will.

The other source of revenue for KOMET can be gained by the naming of Metro Stations.
For e.g: The MG Road station can renamed Jayalakshmi Station, so that the store pays a fixed amount for a period of time for the tag.

All revenue sources should be explored. Rather than giving a station the name of the advertiser alone may be they can tag the advertisers name along with the station name like Jayalakshmi MG Road Station.

Impresario presents Cochin Motor Show 2012 (http://www.cochinmotorshow.com/)

http://i47.tinypic.com/23m7ajd.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/530642_110600605749992_1096990424_n.jpg

Kochiite patents six-stroke engine

Anil Cleetus Chanayil, a city-based motor mechanic-turned-engine designer, has won an Indian patent for designing a six-stroke engine which he says will be easy on the environment and light on the bike user’s pocket.

Anil, a Kochiite from Mamangalam, started work on the engine as early as 1997 and in 2005 he submitted the application, full with sketches and drawings, to the Indian Patent Office. Seven years later, in May this year, the formalities pertaining to the request were completed and Anil was granted a patent for his work.

The man, however, refuses to sit on his laurels, as his goal is to perfect the engine and partner a leading automobile manufacturer to market his discovery.

Motorbikes have always been a passion for this 33-year-old. As he worked with a few motorbike franchisees after a short-term certificate course in automobiles, he had already kick-started his dream of making a 6-stroke engine. Once the engine was realised in 2005, he designed a superbike, curiously named Niykado, which he says gives a mileage of 72 kms a litre.

As he sought a patent for his discovery, he was asked to prove how his four-valve (all independent) engine differed from two similar engines already patented in Japan and the US. Anil says his engine uses air purification six-stroke technology — he calls it ‘air intake-exhaust’ technology— and that he was able to prove this point. The engine, he claims, can be used to power bikes, cars and generators. “Anything that runs on petrol” is how he puts it. “It is a new technology for internal combustion engines. The advantages are that it is very low on pollution and the fuel economy is more.”

Anil set up the facilities for testing the engine at a private engineering college here and realised it “is 23 per cent more fuel efficient compared to a standard four-stroke engine”. His research and development (R&D) work is being funded by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research under the Technopark’s ‘Technopreneur Promotion Programme (TePP).

The engine has already undergone a preliminary round of full-throttle tests at the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Pune. His immediate goal is to design and develop devices for the multi-cycle running of the engine and tweak it a bit to rev up its versatility. “I need to perfect it before approaching some companies to produce it on the commercial scale,” he says.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article3601304.ece

saw


property show in ndtv profit yest.there was a discussion on 4 most imp
tier 2 cities in south- Kochi,coimbatore,mysore,vizag.they called kochi
as the poster boy of tier 2 cities.advantages are traditional trade
route,major port,IT/Ites,tourism,spice industry etc.negatives are
overdependence on NRIs,overemphasis on IT,lack of modern
industries,shoddy infrastructure.regarding real estate data points inventory overhang is 19 months.they said even though market is not hot it has not slumped like in many cities.it is steady with good unit supplies.

^^^^^^^^

The talk show was very informative, neutral and sensible ofcourse. It also analyzes where Kochi has to introspect.... Kochi is getting lot of media attention these days and surely will help our city in a big way.

NDTV Profit has uploaded a part of the dicussion in Youtube

8lgLNtydu_U
Watch from 7:00 mins

And for complete and detailed discussions on Kochi, watch from here

http://profit.ndtv.com/video/The-Property-Show-Investment-outlook-in-Tier-I-II-cities/238375

An initiative towards better and greener Kochi (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/An-initiative-towards-better-and-greener-Kochi/articleshow/14726867.cms)
The Better Kochi Response group (BKRG) , a private forum of 23 Kochi citizens, released a booklet aimed at inculcating civic sense in school students in Kochi. The booklet, available in both Malayalam and English, was distributed to representatives of various schools in Kochi at a function held at justice V R Krishna Iyer's residence on Friday.

The booklet was formally handed over to the district collector P I Sheik Pareeth by V R Krishna Iyer.

"It's a great project by the BKRG. Our schools are the primary ground for change and such initiatives will be taken up by the government in future," said the district collector.

This is one of the first in a series of booklets that the BKRG plans to launch in the subsequent months.

In an effort to promote 'green thinking', the BKRG held initial talks with chief secretary K Jayakumar to bring the horticulture mission's programme, Pachakari Samridhi Nadinnum Nagarathinum, to Kochi.

"The campaign which is popular in Thiruvananthapuram is now being tested in Kochi. Right now, we are concentrating on identifying more people interested in open-terrace farming programme. The best way to start is from the school level. We wish to take this programme to schools before Onam holidays," said BKRG secretary S Gopakumar.

There are takers for the project too. The SRV Government Boys School and Rajagiri School in the city have already made plans to grow their own vegetables.

Advanced fire-fighting equipment for Ernakulam Division (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article3615984.ece)
An advanced state-of-the-art ‘Skylift’ will soon become part of the fire fighting and rescue operations in high-rise buildings in Kochi.

The Ernakulam Division is one among the select regions in the State shortlisted by the government to enjoy the services of a skylift.

The Hindu had reported on June 30 that firefighters combating chemical and other disasters lacked equipment and special gear required in such operations.

Reacting to the report, Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said on Saturday that the advanced skylift will be able to reach up to the top floors of a high-rise building. The government has already initiated steps to purchase a skylift, he said.

Pointing out that paucity of funds remains a major hurdle in ensuring adequate equipment for firefighters across the State, Mr. Radhakrishnan said the government has approached the Centre seeking funds for stepping up disaster management programmes.

Senior Fire and Rescue Service officials pointed out that Skylift will enable fire fighters to combat fire in high-rise buildings and rescue people caught inside without having to enter through steps or elevators. The vehicle would be equipped with an aerial ladder that can rotate 360 degrees and reach up to the top floors of a high-rise building within minutes. The Skylift will also be equipped with a hose and other allied equipment to spray water. It will provide an easy approach to a high-rise building from outside.

The Minister said that the Department of Fire and Rescue Services will soon draw up a proposal to purchase advanced gear for firefighters combating chemical disasters. He said that the government will also conduct an assessment to ascertain the requirements in each division under the department.

Air India Express Pilots have to stay in Kochi (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/AI-pilots-stationing-to-be-corrected/articleshow/14754384.cms)

Ajit Singh-led aviation ministry's refusal to give in to the 'blackmail' by erstwhile Air India's warring pilots has finally given the airline management the courage to station pilots in different cities as per AI's operational requirements. Ever since Delhi's terminal 3 became the national hub of AI two years ago, 75% of the flights have been operating from here while 75% pilots are based in Mumbai. So AI pilots fly in large number as passengers from Mumbai to operate flights from Delhi and return the same way later on.

"It has now been decided that AI Express pilots will be based in Kochi. Pilots of AI (referring to both erstwhile AI and Indian Airlines) will be stationed in Delhi as per the requirements here to avoid the massive wastage of time and money in ferrying pilots to operate flights from Mumbai to the capital. Also when pilots fly as passengers for operating flights from another place, that flying time also goes towards their flying duty time limitation and limits their operational time," said a senior official.

The mismatch between stationing of pilots (with Mumbai being the old hub and biggest base for staff) and airline requirement has been known for very long. But till now the ministry - and successive managements under them - could never muster courage to ask pilots to relocate in large number due to fear of sparking unrest. But taking a cue from Ajit Singh's firm handling of the AI pilot strike (which is the second time such tough stance has ever been taken in the strike-prone airline), the management would now begin correcting this imbalance.

"AI is fighting for survival and expecting to live on public money. Some tough steps need to be taken. Already we have found that we have pilots in excess of actual requirement. In fact our pilots' over staffing is about 50%. And relocation of bases won't be limited to only the 434 of those who went on strike recently but others also," said sources.

Apart from correct positioning, AI is also planning to incentivize hard work by all sections of employees including pilots. "Both AI and IA pilots will be given an assured minimum pay for some fixed hours as per industry norms which is 70 per month. Flying for more than that would have graded incentives," said sources.

Aviation minister Ajit Singh is learnt to have got the Rs 30,000-crore package for AI approved by the Cabinet despite opposition from many senior ministers. "The minister is clear that this could well be AI's last shot at survival. So some tough steps in the airline's interests need to be taken. The recent handling of AI pilots' strike has made employees understand either they have to be on the path to recovery or they are free to leave the airline," said sources.

Corporation panel to discuss modernisation agenda (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article3618714.ece)
The modernisation of the Health wing of the Kochi Corporation - including the introduction of sweeping machines and mechanised system for collection and lifting of waste - will be discussed on Monday.

The Health Standing Committee of the Kochi Corporation will discuss the modernisation proposal. Kochi is still tied up with the age old system regarding cleaning operations including the handling of waste. It’s high time that modernisation is introduced in the sector, said a civic official.

A public sector company had recently demonstrated the operation of the road-sweeping machines in the city for two days. On the first day, the machine was used for sweeping the littered roads, and for cleaning the drains on the second day. Satisfied with its performance, the civic authorities are thinking of introducing the machine in the city.

Two firms have come forward with the machines and the civic authorities are in discussion with them for deploying them in the city. The Corporation is unlikely to buy them considering the cost factor. Each machine would cost more than a crore and the civic authorities apprehend that its staff may not be able to handle them effectively.

The line of thinking among the civic authorities is to ask the companies to operate the sweeping machines after fixing the charges for cleaning roads.

A suitable fare structure can be fixed for the cleaning and the Corporation Secretary has been asked to hold discussions with the companies regarding the Corporation’s proposal, said T.K. Ashraf, the chairman of the Health Standing Committee.

The committee will also seek ways to renovate and repair the existing waste treatment plant at Brahmapuram. The defunct Refuse Derived Fuel plant needs to be made operational and discussions will be held in this regard, he said.

Meanwhile, the Corporation authorities are in discussion with a company which has the technology for producing crude oil from plastic waste.

The company officials are expected to come to the city for discussions within a fortnight. The civic authorities of Kochi had witnessed the functioning of the plant during their recent visit to Pune municipality.

A plastic waste treatment plant would be the answer to the plastic menace. The plant will be able to process plastic refuses including gunny bags, plastic carry bags and even body parts of automobiles. The segregation of plastic waste dumped at Brahmapuram site is also progressing, he said.

Priyom group took over the space of Varkeys Vazhakkala and opened their second store there. Racks and other stuff were included in the deal it seems, as I recognize them.

Their first store is at Thriunithura, which is doing very well. This one also would succeed.

^^

Are they operating it as a grocery or mainly for their products? What's the shop name?

It is a Grocery Supermarket model. Name is Priyom Mart. Very similar to Varkeys, but their own branded products get some extra rack space, that's all.

Eastern, Melam, Priyom. All the top masala brands in the state is Kochi based. :)

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It is a Grocery Supermarket model. Name is Priyom Mart. Very similar to Varkeys, but their own branded products get some extra rack space, that's all.

Yeah been to Tripunithara... Really good.... But when comes to Masalas, the other selections are less, ofcourse to promote their.... But well maintained and often have some good offers.....

Eastern, Melam, Priyom. All the top masala brands in the state is Kochi based. :)

After all, Kochi is the spice capital and naturally all Masala brands have to be based from here.....

Dabbawalas in Kochi

P7dhRnECVn4

All Adults in Ernakulam dist to be bank account holder by September (http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/all-adults-in-ekm-dist-to-be-bank-account-holders-by-sept/1021232.html)
The process of enlisting all adults in Ernakulam district as bank account holders is expected to be completed by this September end, a top bank official has said. Banks in the district are moving ahead with the process of Meaningful Financial Inclusion, Mayank Mehta, Deputy General Manager, Union Bank of India, informed the District Level Review Committee (DLRC) held here.

The survey conducted by Kudumbasree Mission reveals there are nearly 20 per cent adults in the district without bank accounts. Now bank branches have started ward-wise campaign to get accounts opened by all those excluded,a bank release said. Those in need of genuine credits would be supported by banks. Banks will also offer the remittance services and micro insurance policies to the people in the District. The process is expected to be completed by September end.

Financial Literacy and Credit Counseling Centres (FLCCs), presently functioning in Koovappady and Angamaly blocks, would be established by various banks in the remaining 12 blocks. FLCCCs are meant to guide, assist, support and counsel the common man on all financial issues without any charge, the release said.

In his inaugural address, Charles Dias, MP, lauded the performance under District Credit Plan and requested lenders and government departments to effectively implement government sponsored programmes.He also pleaded for reduction of interest rate on education and asked bankers to be considerate to education loan aspirants. P T Thomas, MP, alleged that some banks charge exorbitant interest without any justification.

Banks have become more rigid in sanction of education loan, he said adding the central government scheme and guidelines by RBI are flouted by many banks in the case of education loan. Recent guidelines by Indian Banks Association on education loan are not in accordance with Government policies and loans are to be extended to all who got admission for higher studies, he said. K R Jayaprakash, Lead District Manager said the Collector had constitued a special committee to redress grievances on education loans.

A special cell would function in the Planning Department to handle complaints related to education loans. A special DLRC meeting would be held at the collectorate on July 28 with the participation of MPs, MLAs and all banks to discuss education loan.

Syam Dynamics got franchise rights to start Barista Coffee in Kochi. They are going to start Barista Coffee in their building (Gold's Gym) at Vyttila. 1200 customers took Membership of Gold's Gym till date...... within 3 months [from March 2012]


http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/4268/58104126975701978371710.jpg
By prasanth_kumar (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/prasanth_kumar) at 2012-06-09

Can any1 tell me whts the speciality of Gold's Gym?

Can any1 tell me whts the speciality of Gold's Gym?

It's an international chain of fitness centers and equipment.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Koch...


Though the city received copious showers during the past two days, the city was relatively free of water logging. There were not many complaints from the councillors and general public regarding water logging.

Kochi city may not be experiencing water logging this monsoon season if the experience during the last two rainy days are any indication, claimed a civic administrator.

Though the city received copious showers during the past two days, the city was relatively free of water logging. There were not many complaints from the councillors and general public regarding water logging, which shall be considered as an indicator of improved flood management system, said Soumini Jain, chairperson of the Works Standing Committee of the Kochi Corporation.

The thorough cleaning of the Thevara-Perandur canal and removal of the silt that has been deposited in the canal has yielded results. A large number of small canals that run through various divisions opens into this major canal. The de-clogging has helped in clearing the water that was poured into the canal from various parts of the city, she said.

Rain water that was pooled in many parts of the city including MG Road got drained quickly saving the thoroughfares and others from water logging. Even if the city is to receive heavy showers in the coming days, it may not cause any major hardship to the city dwellers, she said.

The Corporation has made seven Petti and Para (the indigenously developed mechanised system for clearing flood waters) operational. A few electric motors have also become functional, which can be put to use in case of heavy showers, she said.

The workers of the Health Wing have been asked to focus on clearing the minor water logging and removing the small blocks in the drains to ensure that flood water is drained. These workers will cover the city area during the morning hours for clearing the water logging. The helpline system of the Corporation will be in existence till the end of the monsoon season, she said.

The civic authorities hope to make use of the expertise and technical support of the State government agencies in cleaning seven major canals of the city before the next monsoon season. The Water Resources Minister P. J. Joseph had recently announced that the State government would help the Kochi Corporation in making the canals navigable and clearing the silt from them.

As the civic administration has cleaned the major canals in the city before the onset of monsoon, the service of the government agencies could be used before the next season, she said.

Kochi pushes for metro city status


Kochi: Only days after receiving the nod for the Metro Rail project, Kochi is now pushing for the status of a metro city. The plan is to have under its ambit towns such as Vaikom, Thodupuzha, Cherthala, Kodungalloor and Chalakkudy from other districts.

Taking a cue from a proposal submitted by the Greater Cochin Development Authority, the state government is planning to take up with the Centre the elevation of Kochi as a Metro. To this end, the report proposes the formation of a Metropolitan Development Authority. A meeting has been convened in Thiruvananthapuram later this month to discuss the report titled ‘Proposal for the Kochi Metropolitan City’.

“A lot of things have to fall in place. If any city in Kerala deserves the Metro status, it is Kochi”, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told Express. It may be recalled that soon after taking office, Chandy had said that his government would consider the formation of a Metropolitan Council for Kochi.
Kochi pushes for metro city status

“We will invite representatives from the GCDA, ministers and MLAs of the proposed area and other officials concerned for the meeting later this month. The date of the meeting will be confirmed later,” Urban Development and Town Planning Minister Manjalamkuzhi Ali said.

“This has been pending for a while. This is the right time for the state to push the proposal as the infrastructure parameters in Kochi meet the requirements,” said Union Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies K V Thomas.

“It was based on the Chief Minister’s declaration and instruction that the GCDA has prepared the report. Along with Metro status, the report moots the formation of a Metropolitan Development Authority which will cover a wider agglomeration area that includes towns from neighbouring districts such as Thrissur, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Idukki,” said GCDA chairman N Venugopal.

He said the Metro proposal was made after considering the big leap by the city in seven key sectors. “With the sanctioning of Metro Rail and other infrastructure projects, Kochi now tops other cities in the state on infrastructure, real estate and transportation,” Venugopal said.

I was just wondering if all Kochi SSC forum members can have a gettogether one of these days in KOCHI . I will be around till August 15 th. I request DKS to take the initiative.

Kochi’s master plan sans prestigious Metro project (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Kochis-master-plan-sans-prestigious-Metro-project/articleshow/14856382.cms)
If you thought our civic bodies serve the best interests of citizens, here's further proof that they are just hot air.

The prestigious Kochi metro, which received the centre's nod last week after a near decade-long struggle, does not figure in the master plans of either the corporation or the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA), which has been moving heaven and earth for a berth on the director board of the Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL).

Even as the state is getting ready to begin the construction work, the corporation and the GCDA have maintained that they were clueless about developments associated with the project.

Surprisingly, even a project such as the second phase of Marine Drive development, which has not even received the all important environmental clearance, figures in GCDA's Vision 2030 plan!

The Cochin corporation, meanwhile, has claimed that they have not received metro's alignment and consequently has failed to include the same in their master plan. :lol: According to Kochi mayor Tony Chammany, the corporation does not have a clear picture regarding the alignment of Kochi metro. "Apart from holding discussions related to the construction of the North Railway Overbridge, and the agreement to provide nine cents of land near Town Hall, no major talks have been held between Kochi corporation and metro authorities. The corporation is yet to get the final alignment of the metro project," he said.

The corporation said they required the final alignment, including details of land required for stations and parking lots, and associated buildings. Town planning committee chairman K J Sohan pointed out the civic body required data regarding consumption of electricity, water and disposal of waste and debris. These details are required while including the project in the master plan for the city.

With many water, power and civic projects in various stages of planning and execution, the metro maze may turn out to be huge headache for the civic body, which also has the responsibility of clarifying doubts on the impact of construction activities. "It's equally important to know how vehicles, especially fire engines and ambulances, will travel through the city when the actual work begins. We have to bring in various government departments and agencies and work out a strategy. But this may take time," he added.

Though the corporation, nine neighbouring municipalities and 21 panchayats fall under the GCDA, the authority has not received updates about changes to metro's alignment. "The metro passes through regions which are under the GCDA. It is currently being executed as an isolated project. We have not included it in the Vision 2030 project," said GCDA chairman N Venugopal, adding that the plan includes the suburban railway scheme.

I was just wondering if all Kochi SSC forum members can have a gettogether one of these days in KOCHI.
+ 1

I am in town and will be here for 3 weeks, probably.

+ 1

I am in town and will be here for 3 weeks, probably.

Ynot August 1 st

Ynot August 1 st

Or aug 4 th. It's a Saturday.

^^

I am OK if i'm here. Do not have the dates right now.

IIJT job fair in 11 States, over 4500 vacancies (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/jobs/iijt-job-fair-in-11-states-over-4500-vacancies/articleshow/14851469.cms)
Indian Institute of Job Training (IIJT) is organizing a free job fair in 23 cities on July 14.

Currently over 4,500 positions are open in Sales, finance, customer relations, hardware and networking and more than 95 companies including Aditya Birla Retail, HDFC Life, Future Value Retail, Vodafone, Bajaj Alliance and Lifestyle are participating in the job fair, IIJT said in a statement here.

The job fair is being organized in New Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Pune, Thane, Cochin, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Mangalore, Nagpur, Jalgaon, Sonipat, Panipat, Ratlam, Domjur, Uluberia, Guwahati, Gorakhpur, Faridabad, Barasat, Bardoli, Nanapondha, Rajpipla.

^^

I am OK if i'm here. Do not have the dates right now.

Fix a date and work around it. Me too don't know where all I have to reach in this one month time

Or aug 4 th. It's a Saturday.
But I prefer a working day. Too many schedules during weekend

OK. Planning if any, must be done offline. Please PM me with an e-mail address, and I will set up an e-mail chain or something.

I had been to trivandrum recently.

Good for you man!!

Surprisingly,this is the 1st time I see trivandrum in my life.

You wouldn't know what you were missing till you visit a place.

1.roads are much wider & beautiful with no potholes.

To be expected. The city had been the capital of a powerful,sensible and visionary kingdom. Most of the wide roads you see today have their width established at the royal regime. It is a normal phenomenon world over (maybe except USA, where city admin is highly decentralized) for the capital to get better infrastructure.


2.Well maintained footpaths.

Yes. TCRIP did a wonderful job on that. But other city roads are still on the PWD standards. Not much different from other cities in my experience.


3.Round-abouts. Lots of them .This is smthng we lack in Kochi.

It is a remnant from the royal days. Roundabouts are not suitable for heavy traffic (espceially, INDIAN driven traffic), so I am not sure whether it is a positive or negative. BUT.. It is easier to convert a roundabout to a (better laid out) stoplight because of the space being available.

4.More number of traffic policemen in junctions to control traffic.

That is because the ministers moving around. ANY urban junction anywhere in the state will see policemen if a minister pass through.

5.No malls

That is changing. There is a bit of a 'cultural indifference' among the general public, which is diminishing fast.

6.Roads lined with shade-giving trees.

Thanks to the kings again.

7.Less traffic blocks

Wider roads contribute to that. But elsewhere, I see no diff to other cities.

9.Lots of people who look like non-keralites.

You go to ANY urban area in the state, that is the situation today!

10.people are little arrogant .( I dont knw how far this is true.My experience)
I am not sure about that. The REAL LIFE people I see are no different than elsewhere.

Some shots of Kochi in the new song of 'Thakara' the city based band. I didn't like the song but there are some glimpses of city in HD .. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93OLDejvIUk&list=UU5cYQzaPh0n4cFxBv962nUg

delete

Kochi corporation to draft project for women's safety
(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Kochi-corporation-to-draft-project-for-womens-safety/articleshow/14856404.cms?)KOCHI: In an effort to make the city safe and free from violence against women, the Kochi corporation would soon draft a project to ensure safety of women. Addressing a one-day seminar on women safety on Thursday, mayor Tony Chammany said the project would be included in the next plan for the city.

Inaugurating the seminar, inspector general of police, K Padmakumar pointed out the need to have a comprehensive plan for ensuring safety of women.

The one-day seminar was based on a study report submitted by two organization- UN Women Jagori and Sakhi. The discussions focused on the need to incorporate changes in town planning, policing and transportation sectors to make the city safe for women.

The organizations conducted two safety audits in the city - one at the vicinity of KSRTC bus stand and the other at Thoppumpady junction.

The audits were done during both day and night, and they found that women face problems while travelling and moving around in public places.

TiEcon to bring leading Entrepreneurs & Management Gurus to Kerala (http://keralaitnews.com/state-scan/kochi/5138-announcing-tiecon-kerala-2012)
https://kerala.tie.org/sites/default/files/kerala/Tie%20Con%20Logo%20Final_low%20res.JPG

For the first time, leading entrepreneurs and management gurus from across the country and outside will share their secrets of successful entrepreneurship with budding and aspiring entrepreneurs in Kerala. The new entrepreneurs can learn firsthand the intricacies of incubating an idea into a successful product or service and the ways of transforming start-ups into global ventures, here in October this year.

The platform for this international exposure is provided by TiEcon Kerala 2012, a national event to be held in Kochi on October 25-26, by the State chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), a global organization engaged in promoting entrepreneurship globally through mentoring, networking and education. TiEcon Kerala 2012 (http://tieconkerala.org/) is organised on the lines of international conferences by TiE by involving global industry leaders and management thinkers.

John K Paul, President, TiE Kerala said, “The unique feature of the conference, which is held first time in a non metro city, is the opportunities for the new generation entrepreneurs to have pro-active interactions with world-renowned experts and successful entrepreneurs on translating their ideas into a business model, finding enough resources, improving the business strategies and understanding leadership challenges among others. TiEcon Kerala is being organized as a part of expanding activities of TiE and TiE Kerala chapter.”

The conference, the first and largest professional and networking conference for entrepreneurs in Kerala, will discuss different aspects of entrepreneurship. One-on-one mentoring sessions, sharing of ideas and methodologies by the experts, showcasing of successful business ventures, sessions on the emerging opportunities will be special features of the conference. The focus will also be on sectors that are greenfield today but hold immense scope for growth in the future.

Wg. Cdr. K Chandrashekar (Rtd), Executive Director, TiE Kerala said, “About 1,000 delegates including about 100 NRI entrepreneurs will participate in the two day conference. The event also provides opportunities to bring better awareness among the younger generation especially in the state about the role TiE plays in creating and fostering entrepreneurship across industries, business and geographies.”

The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), was founded in 1992 in Silicon Valley by a group of successful entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and senior professionals with roots in the Indus region. There are currently 13,000 members, including over 2,500 charter members in 57 chapters across 14 countries. Dedicated to the virtuous cycle of wealth creation and giving back to the community, TiE’s focus is on generating and nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs. TiE Kerala chapter was formed in 2003.

Mollywood recollects wrestler Dara Singh (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/kochi/mollywood-recollects-wrestler-dara-singh-111)
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/article_horizontal/article-images/DARA-S.jpg.crop_display.jpg

Malayalis joined the millions outside to mourn the death of wrestler-cum-actor Dara Singh who passed away in Mumbai on Thursday at the age of 84.

For many in the state, he was the actor who enlivened Siby Malayil’s debut movie Mutharam Kunnu P.O. Having appeared briefly at the final scene, he captured the hearts of viewers as he played the crucial role to bring together the hero and heroine, played by Mukesh and Lizie, braving the opposition of the latter’s father played by Nedumudy Venu.

This movie released in 1985 was a runaway success. But, for many old-timers in Kochi, he was the brave-heart who trounced Hungary-born Australian Emile Czaja alias King Kong in a wrestling match at the Marine Drive in the late 60s.

Wrestler-turned-coach and state secretary of Kerala Indian Style Wrestling Association M.M. Salim remembers the day the competition was held.

“A sea of humanity gathered in Kochi to witness the competition. It took 40 minutes for Dara Singh to beat King Kong who weighed over 200 kg.

His win was a thorough one though Dara Singh’s attempt to lift King Kong failed due to the latter's weight,” Salim, who was hardly eight or nine years old then, said.

Salim said Dara Singh had a huge fan following in Fort Kochi and Mattancherry areas in those days, perhaps next to singer Mehboob.

In several areas here, people hoisted black flags on Thursday to mourn his demise.

No auto stands to be allowed on major roads (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-12/kochi/32648214_1_traffic-congestion-major-roads-auto)
In their quest to prevent traffic congestion on city roads, authorities have decided to streamline auto stands and have identified places for stands across Kochi. No stand will be allowed on main roads, and there will be none on the busy M G Road stretch. Five autorickshaw stands will come up at Vyttila and three at Palarivattom.

Some of the other main stands will be located at Rajaji Road, Jos and Dwaraka junctions, Medical Trust Hospital, High Court, Kinco Jetty, Park Avenue, Ernakulam Boat Jetty, Gandhi Nagar (near GCDA), Kadavanthara junction and Thevara junction. City traffic police and the motor vehicles department (MVD) had jointly submitted a report in this regard to the Kochi Corporation on July 5. In the report, the enforcement authorities had recommended that the local body provide 165 auto stands in the city. As per the report, many of the present stands will not be allowed as authorities feel they are responsible for traffic congestion to a great extent.

No auto stands to be allowed on major roads (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-12/kochi/32648214_1_traffic-congestion-major-roads-auto)


I am bot happy and sad at this news. Autos are a necessary evil.

http://i49.tinypic.com/s629aw.jpg

The Corporation is considering charging a fee from marriage halls, hotels, restaurants and other commercial establishments for removing garbage in big quantities. At discussions on the flaws in the existing garbage movement system in the city at the Council meeting held here on Friday, Mayor Tony Chammany said that the steering committee will hold discussions with representatives of hotels and restaurants before finalising on this proposal.

The Corporation is also intending to buy ten covered vehicles to move the garbage from the collection points. These vehicles will have more tonnage and will be mechanised. It is expected that the movement of garbage will be done completely using covered vehicles within four to five months, Mr. Chammany said.

Councillors participating in the discussion complained of Health officials of the Corporation fleecing Kudumbasree members engaged in the garbage collection from households. To this complaint, the Mayor said action would be initiated against those found guilty.

Another complaint repeated by most of the councillors was the shortage of tricycles to move garbage to the collection point. The Mayor said that decision has been taken to purchase 250 tricycles under the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP) and the Suchitwa Mission has been requested to procure 250 more.

Issuing permits

The decision to streamline permits for autorickshaws operating within the city limits was another issue debated at the council on Friday. Councillors said that they were being flooded with requests from residents in their wards to get more details about permits.

During discussions it was pointed out that majority of autorickshaws in the city were operated by those from outside and not by residents. In reply, Mr. Chammany said that the statutory Traffic Regulatory Committee (with the Mayor as chairman and City Police Commissioner as convenor) has been formed to streamline the traffic reforms in the city.

A couple of meetings have been held and another meeting is scheduled for July 16. At this meeting, which will be attended by the City Police Commissioner, Regional Transport Officer and representatives of the PWD and the Legal Metrology Department as well as Trade union leaders, a decision will be taken on the number of autorickshaw stands required in the city.

A draft proposal on the number of stands has been prepared, it is learnt, and this will be discussed and finalised at the meeting, Mr. Chammany told the Council. Permits will be given later on the basis of requirement for allotted stands, he said.

There were discussions on the ineffective and faulty organisation of homoeo medical camps to prevent communicable diseases ahead of monsoon.

Many councillors complained that they were not given enough time to inform all families in the ward and even where they were alerted, either the doctor did not turn up or there were not enough medicine to be distributed.

from thehindu: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article3638520.ece

May some one please enlighten me how much used to be the "water/electricity connection charges" at the time of handing over of a villa in kochi (thripunithur area)..

'A visit to Kerala is truly relaxing!'
Says World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand, who was in Kochi on a one-day visit.

It was all work and no play for World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand, who was in Kochi on a short visit. However, he ensured he enjoyed his stay at his favourite leisure spot. "Yes, Kerala is indeed my favourite leisure spot. It is really relaxing to visit this part of the country," says the five-time chess champion, adding that this was his second visit to the state this year, as he had visited Kovalam only recently, albeit on a holiday.

Anand, who was put up in one of the star hotels in the city, took time off to try out some of Kerala's cuisine. "Anand tried some of the authentic dishes of Kerala that we made for him. He even complimented the chef and said he enjoyed the south Indian breakfast spread the most," says the source.

The champion spent his time interacting with 200 odd students wherein he dwelt on the benefits of taking up chess as a sport. He also shared with them the tactical aspects of his famous win in the crucial 8th game of the World Championship match against Israel's Boris Gelfand.

Kerala Tourism Department to declare 3 Responsible Tourism destinations soon (http://www.travelbizmonitor.com/kerala-tourism-department-to-declare-3-responsible-tourism-destinations-soon-17052)
The Kerala Tourism Department has decided to declare Kumbalangi in Ernakulam district; Ambalavayal in Wayanad and Bekal in Kasaragod as Responsible Tourism destinations soon. The decision was made after taking into account the performance of these places in Sustainable Tourism practices. The Department will also declare Kumbalangi, Kumbalam and Chellanam panchayats as sustainable agriculture villages. Currently, Kochi, Kumarakom, Thekkaday and Wayanad are Responsible Tourism destinations in the state.

The Department has decided that Kumbalangi would be the base for the new Responsible Tourism initiatives. Besides the cultivation of vegetables and paddy, efforts are being made to encourage rearing of cows, hens and other domestic animals at households in Kumbalangi and nearby villages. There are plans to increase the area under pokkali rice cultivation from the present 250 hectares to at least 1000 hectares. Also, inter-cropping in coconut farms will be encouraged at Kumbalangi with the help of Coconut Development Board. The Department has already taken steps to ensure the progress of Responsible Tourism initiatives at Ambalavayal and Bekal.

The Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies (KITTS) has chalked out the Responsible Tourism classification system which was followed by the decision to include more Responsible Tourism destinations. The system will be used to review Responsible Tourism initiatives in the state. The Department has constituted a Responsible Tourism Classification Committee with the Secretary, Kerala Tourism as Chairman and the Director of Kerala Tourism as convener to implement the system. The KITTS under Kerala Tourism is the nodal agency to implement Responsible Tourism initiatives in the state.

Kerala Travel Mart 2012 to be held in Kochi (http://www.orissadiary.com/ShowBussinessNews.asp?id=35218)
Kerala witnessed 7.33 lakh foreign tourists arrival in 2011 as compared to 6.59 lakh in 2010. Compared to 85.95 lakh domestic tourists in 2010, 93.81 lakh domestic tourists visited Kerala in 2011.

The State registers an upsurge in tourism foreign tourist arrival increases by 11 percent and domestic tourism soars by 9.15 percent. The Foreign exchange earnings had also gone up from Rs. 3797.37cr in 2010 to Rs. 4221.99 cr in 2011. The total revenue, both direct and indirect from tourism touched Rs. 19037 cr last year compared to Rs. 17348 cr in 2010.

The seventh edition of the Kerala Travel Mart, KTM 2012 (http://www.keralatravelmart.org/) will be held from 27th to 30th Sep'12 at Le Meridien International Convention Centre, Cochin. KTM is the only tourism event in the sub-continent that brings together the business fraternity and entrepreneurs behind the tourism products and services of Kerala. It is today the largest gathering designed, planned and scheduled to facilitate meetings involving Buyers, Sellers, Media, Government Agencies and others.

Successful partnership meets were conducted at Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Nagpur, Goa, and Mysore. In this year, Kerala Tourism proposes to convene such meets in other cities as well like Vishakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, Lucknow, Gurgaon, Bhopal, Surat, Rajkot, Nashik, Pune, etc.

The Grand Kerala Shopping Festival (GKSF) - the signature shopping festival of Kerala unveiled its irresistible charm for the fifth time in God's Own Country. A Government of Kerala initiative, GKSF made its debut in the year 2007 and went on to attain the stature of a much-awaited annual event. Conducted by the Department of Tourism in association with the departments of Industries & Commerce, Finance and Local Self Government, over the years, the festival has become a successful exercise in the process of transforming Kerala into a hub for international shopping experience. Fresh enterprises, mind blowing offers and exciting prizes; both for shops and shoppers, make GKSF the biggest ever shopping extravaganza. This year too, GKSF 6 is set to roll out on 1st Dec, 2012, spreading happiness till 15th Jan, 2013 with amazing entertainment events, shopping and prizes of up to 101 kg gold.

The iconic rise of Kerala as a global destination continued in the past year as Kerala consolidated its position on the world tourism map with fantastic strides in all aspects of tourism. Kerala Tourism also bagged a number of awards at PATA Grand Award 2011 including Environment Destination –Kumarakom, Kerala Tourism, India, PATA Gold Award 2011 for Marketing - Secondary Government Destination Your Moment is Waiting Campaign. PATA Gold Award 2011 - Marketing Media - Travel Advertisement Broadcast Media Your Moment is Waiting Campaign. PATA Gold Award 2011 Marketing Media – Public Relations - Your Moment is Waiting Premiere. The latest additions to this list are the Times Travel Award, The CNBC Travel Award and the Outlook Traveler Award.

Hankook T-Tier Store @ Kalamassery

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/6637/190720122138.jpg

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/1944/taxmm.jpg

from manorama

^^^^^^^^^^

Ohh itokke Gas/Oil revenues ayyirrikkum, alle?:lol::lol::lol:

^^Samshayamundo?

^^athu pinne parayaanundo :lol:

chilar paraunnathu ithokke Manorama yude gas adiyalle. Angganeyun chilarku samathanikkam. :)

^^^^^^

Ohh, angene onnu samadanikkam... Else what?:lol:

The Nissan facility coming up at Kalamasery has a hoarding saying it's the largest in South India.

Priyom group took over the space of Varkeys Vazhakkala and opened their second store there. Racks and other stuff were included in the deal it seems, as I recognize them.

Their first store is at Thriunithura, which is doing very well. This one also would succeed.
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/9366/220720122152.jpg

Geojit (http://www.geojitbnpparibas.com/) Corporate HQ U/C at Vazhakkala

http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/1339/220720122151.jpg

I heard unconfirmed reports that Priyom group has taken over a number of (if not all) outlets of Varkeys, and they are in process of opening them one by one.

^^

Not all anyway. The one at Aluva has been taken up BBS bakery based here and has opened their store already.

Guys, how many ROBs/bridges/flyovers/overpasses/underpasses are currently under construction in Kochi? As in, work is in progress on them? Also, how many are planned in the next 4 years?

AFAIK, 3 ROBs are U/C. 3-4 ROBs are expected to take of soon. Underpasses are not viable for Kochi since it lies close to the sea at same level, most of the land has been reclaimed, rain throughout the year.

Multiple flyovers are planned at 4 junctions of Kochi bypass, which more or less doesn't bypass the city now. The project is on hold due to exorbitant estimate.

Cherai - The Beach and the backwater

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/208889_414065458636395_1242758573_n.jpg

^^How was this photo taken? From a balloon?

Super photo....

Cherai - The Beach and the backwater

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/208889_414065458636395_1242758573_n.jpg

Excellent pics malayaali

^^How was this photo taken? From a balloon?
A balloon or a copter. No other chance i see.

Oh.. There was a heli-cam setup brought in for movie shooting recently. Maybe shot using that.

Excellent pics malayaali

Super pic Malayaali....

‘Hiring activity drops for 2nd straight month in June’ (http://zeenews.india.com/business/news/economy/hiring-activity-drops-for-2nd-straight-month-in-june_56386.html)
Recruitment activities declined for the second consecutive month in June this year amid challenging economic conditions, a survey by job portal Monster.Com has said.

The Monster.Com's employment index, a monthly gauge of the country's online job demand, declined by 1.56 percent to 126 in June, from 128 points in the previous month.

A sector-wise analysis showed that even amid tough economic conditions, hiring in some sectors like education, media and entertainment, logistics and agro based industries continued in June.

The index is an indicator of monthly online demand for jobs and is based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from a large, representative selection of online career outlets, including Monster India.

In June, online job availability declined in as much as 20 of the Index's 27 industry sectors; increased in four and remained unchanged in three occupational categories monitored.

The month saw an increase in demand for technically qualified professionals in healthcare, logistics and in the arts and creative field.

In terms of cities, out of the 13 under review, 7 saw a decline in online demand for jobs, while it increased in cities like Mumbai, Kochi, Coimbatore and Jaipur. For cities like Bangalore and Baroda, it remained unchanged.

GCDA to commission Permanent Laser Show and Musical Fountains facility in Marine Drive-Kochi

http://epaper.manoramaonline.com/MMDaily/Kochi/2012/07/24/F/MMDaily_Kochi_2012_07_24_F_MT_023/30_994_1462_1856.jpg

^^
It would be great if they come up with something half as good as the songs of the sea laser show in Singapore.

^^
It would be great if they come up with something half as good as the songs of the sea laser show in Singapore.

Don't expect anything like that, as its going to be done by GCDA.... Chairmanyu chakkarabharani kai edan vendiulla projects alle ithoke....

Sambathu kalathu thai pathu nattal , Aapathu kalathu Ka pathu thinnam

When the Supreme Court ordered a ban on the use of sun control films, the objective was to ensure that vehicles are not used for anti-social activities. But vehicle owners in the city have found ways to circumvent the ban. They have turned to cloth curtains and window sunshields. Since the Supreme Court order that banned sun control films has not mentioned anything about the use of curtains or window shields, the trend is catching up in the city.

"Since the law does not mention the use of curtains we cannot take any action. The order from the apex court was intended to ensure that vehicles are not used for anti-social activities," an enforcement official said.

Many vehicles in the city are using cloth curtains on the rear and side windows blocking the inside view of the vehicle.

"In the two months after the ban came into effect, we have installed curtains in about 120 cars. Window curtains that cost not more than Rs 1,500 are imported from China and other foreign countries, and they are much cheaper than tinted films," said Johnson KD who runs a car accessory shop near Palarivattom.

Apart from curtains, people are also opting for window sunshields, a much cheaper option. Since the sunshield can be fixed easily using two vacuum clips to the car window, many are going for it.

But the authorities are not sure of what action should be taken against the use of curtains and sunshields. Officials in the law enforcing wing of the motor vehicles department (MVD) and city traffic police said that the ban on sun control films would become ineffective in no time with the public going for such alternatives.

from timesofindia: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Curtains-to-beat-apex-courts-ban-on-sun-control-films/articleshow/15219876.cms

GCDA envisions grand plan for the Kochi of tomorrow (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article3695340.ece)
http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01158/27kiand03_GCDA_Vis_1158325g.jpg

Seminar to draw up ‘Vision 2030’ has been scheduled for August 16 and 17.

Its time to wake up now. Boundaries of the city need to be redrawn at the earliest. With the city poised to emerge as the first metropolitan city in the State, a vision document is called for.

And that is precisely what the Greater Cochin Development Authority has set its immediate target as. A seminar to draw up ‘Vision 2030’ has been scheduled, with 12 experts from different sectors presenting papers, followed by elaborate discussions.

First, the priorities need to be set. “More than the Metro Rail, we are pitching for the suburban rail that can connect the city to Thrissur, Kottayam, Alappuzha. The concept is to provide a cheap and efficient transport system for people to commute within a 60-km radius. This can be done without much new investment, as existing railway lines or new ones with fewer facilities could be put in place,” N. Venugopal, the chairman of GCDA, told The Hindu .

The Authority is envisioning an outward migration of population from the city. It has already planned five satellite townships within its present limits and out of this, a detailed project report for the township at Kureekad has been prepared.

“These townships have been so planned that nearly 250 acres will be acquired with minimum displacement of families. Even those who have to move for the project will be rehabilitated inside the township itself.” Other townships are proposed in Manassery in Chellanam panchayat, Puthiyakavu in Amballur panchayat, Nedumbassery panchayat, and Alangad panchayat.

The Authority is also moving towards suggesting solutions for another burning issue that haunts the city – that of shortage in drinking water. “The only source for drinking water is Periyar and we should look to other sources like Muvattupuzha. We are working on suggestions like constructing storage facilities in highlands and establishing distribution network to other parts of the city.”

With the Authority retiring its major debts, like the one involving the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kaloor, it is all set to take up new and big projects. The first general council meeting after Mr. Venugopal assumed office was held here on Friday.

The meeting, which was attended by almost all the MLAs (except S. Sarma, Hibi Eden and Anwar Sadath) and Mayor Tony Chammany, approved the present initiative and gave nod to take up new projects. It also approved the ongoing projects like beautification of the Marine Drive and the exhibition centre. “A chartered accountant has been asked to conduct the financial feasibility of the exhibition centre and laser show park at Marine Drive. On the basis of that report, we will be initiating the tender process.”

The two-day seminar to draft Vision 2030 will be held at Gateway Hotel on August 16 and 17. Manjalamkuzhy Ali, the Minister for Urban Affairs and Welfare of Minorities, will release the logo of the seminar and launch the website on August 3.

http://youtu.be/koJEubgnz5Y

Kochi could be supersonic hub: expert

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01158/ki27cial_eps_1158433e.jpg

Kochi could cash in on the opportunity to become the supersonic capital of the world in future, argues an eminent academic in aerospace

The game changer in civil aviation will be the inevitable advent of liquid hydrogen-fuelled supersonic airliners.

Kochi, by way of its geographical position, could cash in on the opportunity to become the supersonic capital of the world in future, argues an eminent academic in aerospace.

Thrissur-born Narayanan Komerath, professor at the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering under the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta who has three US patents and over 250 publications to his credit, believes that eastern hemisphere demographics, economics, energy and carbon issues have titled the future of aviation heavily in favour of supersonic airliners, but hydrocarbon-fuelled supersonic flight is no doubt unviable.

The next frontier

“It is the next frontier as everything else is saturated,” Dr. Komerath told The Hindu during an interaction.

He was in the city on Thursday to endorse Cochin International Airport (CIAL) as the future supersonic junction at the Sree Narayana Gurukulam College of Engineering, Kolencherry.

Dr. Komerath maintains that the successful migration of commercial aviation to point-to-point architecture has brought about the need for faster air travel in a cost-effective, eco-friendly way.

The skyrocketing price of jet fuel coupled with the urgent need to cut down hydrocarbon emissions indicates that the recourse is to embrace liquid hydrogen-fuelled supersonic aviation, which is economical, efficient and green.

“The issue of sonic boom [deafening noise caused by supersonic flight that led governments to ban supersonic flights over populated areas] can be addressed by restricting the speeds in the range of mach 1.2 to 1.6. Studies have indicated that the use of liquid hydrogen as fuel would reduce the weight of the aircraft, reduce the drag and the sonic boom drastically, while cutting the flight time by 40 percent…. Once the aviation sector is brought into the ambit of the Kyoto Protocol which is imminent, air transportation industry will have to cut CO2 emissions by 50 percent. This makes immense sense to switch over to liquid hydrogen; and mass production of hydrogen fuel for the automobile industry [futuristic hybrid cars and the like] can make it the cheapest,” says Dr. Komerath.

He thinks that the need of the hour is for research and development institutions in India to take up projects on this ultra-modern green technology.

Kochi well-poised

There should be work on the development of technologies for liquid hydrogen infrastructure; production of hydrogen from solar and bio sources that are abundant in the country; and creation of ground infrastructure such as handling facilities at airports and feeder requirements.

“It could be a watershed for Kochi, which is well-poised for the role. And once we have created a market with supporting infrastructure, global airline majors will make a beeline for the city,” he concludes.




http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article3695762.ece

TiEcon Kerala logo unveiled (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-others/tp-states/article3700711.ece)
Kochouseph Chittilappilly, vice-chairman, V Guard Industries, has unveiled the logo for The TiEcon Kerala 2012 at a function held at Info Park here.

TiEcon Kerala 2012 (http://www.tiecon.org/), which is scheduled to be held on October 25 and 26 in Kochi, will have participation of entrepreneurs from across the country, including NRIs drawn from different industries, business and professions. This is the first time TIEcon is hosted outside the metros of the country and first of its kind in the State.

The Web site www.tieconkerala.org was inaugurated by Shilen Sagunan, managing director, Arbitron Technologies Services India Pvt Ltd.

കൊച്ചി മെട്രോയുടെ ഇന്നത്തെ ലോഗോ പ്രകാശനം മാറ്റി


കാക്കനാട്: ചൊവ്വാഴ്ച നടത്താനിരുന്ന കൊച്ചി മെട്രോറെയിലിന്റെ ലോഗോ പ്രകാശനം മാറ്റി. പുതിയ തീയതി പിന്നീട് അറിയിക്കുമെന്ന് മെട്രോറെയില്* വൃത്തങ്ങള്* അറിയിച്ചു. വൈദ്യുതി മന്ത്രി ആര്യാടന്* മുഹമ്മദിന് പങ്കെടുക്കാന്* കഴിയാത്തതിനാലാണ് ലോഗോ പ്രകാശനം മാറ്റിവെച്ചിരിക്കുന്നതെന്നാണ് അധികൃതര്* പറയുന്നത്. മുഖ്യമന്ത്രി ഉമ്മന്* ചാണ്ടിയെയാണു ലോഗോ പ്രകാശനം ചെയ്യാന്* നിശ്ചയിച്ചിരുന്നത്. മെട്രോയുടെ ചുമതല കൂടിയുള്ള വൈദ്യുതി മന്ത്രി ആര്യാടന്* മുഹമ്മദ് ലോഗോ ഏറ്റുവാങ്ങുമെന്നും അറിയിച്ചിരുന്നു.

വൈദ്യുതി നിരക്ക് വര്*ധനയുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട് ആര്യാടന്* മുഹമ്മദ് പങ്കെടുക്കുന്ന ചടങ്ങുകള്* തടയുമെന്ന അഭ്യൂഹവും നിലവിലുണ്ട്. അതേസമയം കൊച്ചി മെട്രോറെയിലിന്റെ ലോഗോ പ്രകാശനവുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട വിവാദങ്ങളും അടുത്തിടെ ഉയര്*ന്നുവന്നിരുന്നു. മെട്രോറെയിലിനു വേണ്ടി പ്രയത്*നിച്ച പ്രമുഖര്*ക്ക് അര്*ഹിക്കുന്ന പരിഗണന നല്*കിയില്ലെന്നായിരുന്നു പരാതി. എറണാകുളത്തു നിന്നുള്ള ലോക്*സഭാംഗം കൂടിയായ കേന്ദ്ര മന്ത്രി പ്രൊഫ. കെ. വി. തോമസിനും ഡിഎംആര്*സി ഉപദേഷ്ടാവുമായ ഇ. ശ്രീധരനും പ്രസംഗിക്കാന്* അവസരം നിഷേധിച്ചിരുന്നു. ഇതിലുള്ള പ്രതിഷേധം മന്ത്രി കെ.വി. തോമസ് മുഖ്യമന്ത്രിയെ അറിയിച്ചിരുന്നു. ലോഗോ പ്രകാശനം കൊച്ചിയില്* നടക്കുന്നുണ്ടെന്നും, താങ്കളുടെ സാന്നിദ്ധ്യം ഉണ്ടാകണമെന്നുമുള്ള സന്ദേശം മാത്രമാണ് ഇരുവര്*ക്കും കൊച്ചി മെട്രോ റെയില്* അധികൃതര്* നല്*കിയിരുന്നത്.

Tourism must not be at the cost of State’s culture: K. V. Thomas

The tourism sector plays a crucial role in ensuring the State’s development. Thus, steps must be taken to ensure basic infrastructure in tourism locales, the Union Minister for Food and Civil Supplies K. V. Thomas said.

But tourism promotion must not be at the cost of the State’s culture. Accommodation units like home stays help in showcasing the State’s culture and heritage to tourists.

They provide hospitality in a homely setting and numerous tourists prefer this, boosting the State’s tourism sector.

The State government’s announcement that home stays need not pay commercial tariff on power, is a welcome step, he said.

Speaking after inaugurating the fourth State-level annual convention and workshop organised here on Saturday by Kerala Homestay and Tourism Society (Kerala-HATS), Mr. Thomas added that garbage disposal is a major issue haunting the State.

“This has affected the tourism sector too. Most home stays have their own garbage-treatment systems and rain water-harvesting plants.”

Solar-powered village

Attempts are on to make Kumbalanghi a solar-powered village.

Under this initiative, street lights on either side of roads will be powered by solar energy, he said. A book titled ‘Home stay business’ too was released. In his address, the Minister for Tourism A. P. Anil Kumar said steps will be taken to prevent unlicensed home stays from cropping up at different locales in the State.

He said that an inter-departmental meeting will be convened to discuss the possibility of compounding the different taxes that are levied on home stays.

National confederation

The chairman of Kerala-HATS, P. N. Prasannakumar said attempts are being made to create a national confederation of home stays.

“We plan to organise a meeting of licensed home stay owners from South India, in a few months time. Kerala has around 700 licensed home stays, while illegal ones number over 2,000.”

Sessions were held on online marketing and the role of police in ensuring the safety of home stays and serviced villas.

The principal of Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies Vijaya Kumar, led a session on consumer awareness in the tourism sector.

Mayor Tony Chammany, the director of Kerala-HATS M. P. Sivadattan and its technical advisor Muraleedhara Menon also spoke on the occasion.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article3702190.ece

GCDA to hold two-day seminar on Vision 2030

KOCHI: As part of the move to draft a comprehensive policy to facilitate the development of Kochi as a metropolitan city, the GCDA will hold a two-day seminar on Vision 2030 on August 16 and 17.

Addressing the media here on Monday, GCDA chairman N Venugopal said experts familiar with the development issues of the city would hold detailed discussions on effective town planning and the need for a unified metropolitan authority.

On the first day, R K Singh, the former secretary to local self-government department, will present a technical paper on the need to transform GCDA into a metropolitan regional development authority. Renowned transport planning consultant N S Sreenivasan will talk on integrated traffic and transport planning for the city.

Giving a boost to the demand for a suburban rail system connecting Kochi and its suburbs, C Raju, former chief engineer, Konkan Railways will explore the possibility of introducing a suburban rail network. Former tourism secretary Venu will analyze the significance of the tourism industry in Kochi's economic development.

August 16 will also see Coconut Development Board chairman T K Jose making a presentation on the challenges being faced in setting up effective sanitation, solid waste management and drainage systems. Also, the technical member of Kerala Water Authority will explain in detail the problems being faced in procuring drinking water.

On the second day, academician T M Vinodkumar will talk on the use of land for development activities. Former civil servant C V Ananda Bose will speak on issues of housing in the city. T Balakrishnan, former principal secretary, industries department, will explore the scope of manufacturing industries, IT and economic development in the city. Disaster management expert Nandakumar will speak on disaster management plans for the city.

Speaker G Karthikeyan will inaugurate the seminar at hotel Taj Gateway on August 16. Manjalamkuzhi Ali will release the Vision 2030 logo and launch the website of the programme on August 3.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/GCDA-to-hold-two-day-seminar-on-Vision-2030/articleshow/15287153.cms

Kochi bonds over Rakshabandhan

KOCHI: Reaffirming the bond between brothers and sisters, Raksha Bandhan was celebrated with much fervour in the city.

The festival retained its traditional glory even though it was confined to non-Malayali communities, especially the Gujaratis and Punjabis.

In Kochi, many brothers received rakhi through couriers from their sisters residing in Mumbai, Delhi and other parts of north India. Bunty Singh, a businessman in the city, was excited when he got a rakhi from his sister in Ludhiana, two days ago on Monday.

"I receive rakhi through courier every year and I feel special when the box is delivered to me. We have been following this system as all our relatives are in my home town," he said.

Some families like that of Ashok Agarwal celebrated Raksha Bandhan by organizing a private function to exchange rakhi and gifts. And four-year-old Muskhan could not stop smiling after she received a gift box and money from her brother. Meanwhile, the day-long hartal called by the CPM spoilt the celebrations for Nihal Agarwal who was planning to take his sister for shopping. "I wanted to surprise her by taking her out to Gold Souk mall. Now I have to postpone it to Sunday," he said.

Kochi: Renewing and reaffirming the bond between brothers and sisters, Raksha Bandhan was celebrated with much fervour in the city. The festival retained its traditional glory even though it was confined to non-Malayali communities, especially the Gujratis and the Sikhs.

In Kochi, away from their home cities, many received Rakhi or the decorated thread through couriers from their sisters residing in Mumbai, Delhi and other places. Bunty Singh, a businessman in the city, was excited to get the Rakhi from his sister in Ludhiana, Punjab, two days ahead, on Monday.

"I receive Rakhi through courier every year and I feel special when the box is delivered to me. We have been following this system as all our relatives are in my home town," he said.

Some families like that of Ashok Agarwal celebrated Rakhi by organising a private function to exchange Rakhi, gifts and reaffirm the brother-sister bond. And four-year-old Muskhana could not stop smiling after she received a gift box and money from her brother.

Meanwhile, the day-long harthl called by the CPM spoilt the celebrations for Nihal Agarwal who was planning to take his sister for shopping in the city. "I wanted to surprise my sister by taking her to Gold Souke for a day-out. Now I have to postpone it to Sunday," he said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Kochi-bonds-over-Rakshabandhan/articleshow/15333374.cms

http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/7820/solarplantmm.jpg

from manorama

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01166/KI04DRINKINGWATERS_1166148e.jpg

With the skies refusing to pour over Kerala, the State is heading for a drought and Kochi is one city that would be feeling the heat very soon.

Rain deficiency in Kochi is higher than the State average for the period between June 1 and August 1.The latest rainfall figures released by the Indian Meteorological Department on Thursday for the two months period indicated a deficiency of 42 per cent in the State. In Kochi, the rain deficiency was 43 per cent.

Kochi received 785 mm rain for the period against the normal of 1,384 mm. Parched farmlands, receding water levels in rivers that feed the drinking water supply pipelines and increased atmospheric temperature are awaiting Kerala, especially Kochi.

Like the past few days, Wednesday also passed off as a dry day for the city and no rain was recorded in the rain gauges installed at the Kochi airport, Aluva, Paravur, Piravom, Perumbavur, Cochin International Airport Limited and Ernakulam South.

The drying up of small streams that run into Periyar would be the immediate impact of the dry weather situation, said Sunny George a water management expert. All the major rivers of the State including Periyar, Muvattupuzha and Chalakudy are rain-fed ones and reduced rain activity will affect these rivers.

Intrusion of saline water to interior areas of the district is awaiting the district. Wells in the interior areas will be affected in the process. Drinking water supplied through piped system would be hit with the reduced rain and increased salinity. Pollution levels in the water bodies would increase as there would not be any dilution of pollutants through rain water, he said.

The agricultural scenario of the State too faces a bleak future. Rain-fed agriculture would be in peril with the shortage of rain water. Moreover, the soil structure and chemistry would change in the absence of rain, Dr Sunny pointed out.

Kerala received 809.5 mm rain during the period between June 1 and August 1 against the normal of 1,395.3 mm. This season, rain was recorded as deficient in all districts except Wayanad. The deficiency in Wayanad was 68 per cent as the district received only 586.4mm rain against the normal of 1,835.9mm.

In meteorological parlance, the reduction in rain activity between 20 and 59 per cent is termed as deficient. To term a rainfall normal, mets have set a margin of plus 19 and minus 19 per cent of the normal rain figures. Scanty indicates a deficiency to the range between 60 to 99 per cent.

It was in 2008 that a situation similar to the current scenario had evolved in Kerala. That time, the rain deficiency for the two months starting June 1 was 31 per cent, said K. Santhosh, director, Meteorological Centre of the Indian Meteorological Department, Thiruvananthapuram.

Veteran weatherman P.V. Joseph said that the State was heading for a drought considering the reduced rain activity. There are no weather indicators to suggest that situation would improve in the State immediately, said Dr. Joseph.

Dry spells are awaiting the State. Kerala didn’t receive the expected rain during the first phase of monsoon that brings major share of annual showers to the State.

Incidentally, some areas of Himalayas and North East India are receiving good showers during this period, he said.

The weather report released by the Meteorological Centre, Thiruvananthapuram indicated that Southwest monsoon was weak over Kerala. Rain occurred at isolated places in Kerala. Rain occurred at Kannur, Palakkad, Karipur Airport, Hosdurg, Irikkur and Taliparamba. It has been predicted that rain/thundershower will occur at isolated places in Kerala and weathermen do not expect any significant changes in the weather conditions till August 5.

from thehindu: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article3725666.ece

House rents in Kochi are steadily on the rise, making life difficult for those migrating to the city for employment.

Real estate agents say house rents are going up because many people are moving into the city to work in the software companies here. On an average, there has been 15 to 20% increase in house rents in the last couple of years.

Rents vary according to areas, and are high in places like Panampilly Nagar, Kadavanthara and MG Road. The average rent for a two bedroom house in the city is Rs 4,000 to Rs 6,000 depending on the age of building. The rent for an independent house with car parking facility is now above Rs 7,500. It was only Rs 5,500 a couple of years ago. In Panampilly Nagar, MG Road and Kadavanthara, Rs 10,000 and above is charged for unfurnished houses and apartments. It was only Rs 8,000 two years ago. "Demand is high for houses and apartments in Palarivattom, where rents are Rs 8,000 and above based on locality and convenience for travelling to various parts of the city," said Sivadas K Menon, a city-based real estate agent.

Executive class including those employed with software companies and banks, and NRIs prefer areas like Panampilly Nagar, Kumaranasan Nagar and Vyttila East.

M V Antony, president, Kochi chapter of Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India ( CREDAI), said, "House owners expect a reasonable return for investment made in property when giving houses for rent. And this has contributed to the rise in rents." He said rents were likely to go up further as there would be more employment opportunities once SmartCity and such other IT projects are completed.

from timesofindia: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/House-rents-in-Kochi-go-up-by-15-20/articleshow/15346271.cms

The water table in many areas in the district has sunk drastically, foreboding imminent drought should there be no rainfall in the days to come.

“At least five areas in the district have registered an ominous dip in groundwater level compared to the water level during the corresponding time last year. The water table at Thiruvankulam has plunged by 5 metres over the level during same time last year. Similarly, Anjumana (4 metres); Pothanikkad (3 metres), Rayamangalam (2.5 metres) and Nedumbassery (1.5 metres) also registered a considerable lowering of groundwater level as compared to last year’s figures due to a lean south-west monsoon,” said hydrogeologist K.I. Kurien.

Such fall in groundwater level hasn’t occurred in the last 10 years, he added.

After gauging water levels at 60 representative points in the district — recorded on piezometers set up at observation bore wells and open wells — officials of the Groundwater Department have realised that water level has receded to semi-critical levels in at least a few blocks in the district.

“The south-west monsoon, the Edavapathy, is what generally recharges wells, but the ingress of water into both bore wells and open wells has been pretty low or nil this time round. Unlike earlier, we have noticed a fall in water level in bore wells, too. The sporadic rains, it must be said, have been inadequate in recharging them. To top it up, water drafting continues apace, further depleting the water level. There is a considerable slump in rainfall and if the forecast is to be believed, there will be no rain in September because of El Nino which means there will be a fairly long spell of drought. The only way out is rainwater harvesting, however modest the rainfall is. Also, people should take special care not to waste water,” said an official. Lack of adequate rainfall coupled with frenetic construction activity requiring heavy piling is believed to have led to the lowering of water table in the district.

from thehindu: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article3725661.ece

Ford opened their 3rd dealership at Muvattupuzha.
VW opened their 2nd dealership at Paravur.

Ford opened their 3rd dealership at Muvattupuzha.
VW opened their 2nd dealership at Paravur.

VW @ paravur???. Is it under the brand of VW Kochi itself?. Coz ve seen a VW showroom at Kodungallur also under d brand of VW trissur.

VW,Nissan etc have sales points across small towns. is that a sales point or a dealership at parur? while the ford dealership at muvattupuzha is a full fledged one not a associate.

Not sure, saw a VW outlet at Paravur.

Kochi stands No:1 position in employment growth in country

http://www.assocham.org/prels/shownews-archive.php?id=3640

In the middle of a glum economic mood, the job market for professionals in the Indian healthcare, hospitality, IT and IT-enabled services (ITes) and media & entertainment is growing and expected to create 16 lakh new jobs in the current financial year, according to an ASSOCHAM paper.

The Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of in these segments is likely to be 20-25%, the ASSOCHAM paper on “Emerging opportunity in rising sectors” said. Healthcare and hospitality sectors would grow the most among these verticals, followed by media & entertainment and IT and IT-enabled services (ITes).

It said healthcare itself is expected to add 4,00,000 jobs by 2014. It is already one of India’s largest service sectors with estimated revenue of about Rs, 2.5 lakh crore (about 5 per cent of GDP).

As per the ASSOCHAM Research Bureau, study Kochi has the major share of 34.20 per cent as the most prominent employment source. It is followed by Coimbatore (12.70 per cent), Bangalore (6.12 per cent), Delhi-NCR (6) and Hyderbad (4 per cent) at second, third, fourth and fifth positions respectively during April 2011 to April 2012.

“The job creation is happening at all levels. Even in the engineering and management colleges the campus placement trends are positive. Though cautious, corporate are back with their campus programmes. The trend is expected to continue for another next 6-12 months”, said Mr. D.S. Rawat, Secretary General, ASSOCHAM.

Owning a gun is not easy anymore in district
August 9, 2012 DC Kochi


Getting a gun licence and buying a piece is not easy anymore in Ernakulam, as the officials have decided to tighten the grip on issuing permission to buy one. The authorities have now decided to take each application through a tighter scrutiny.

The decision not to give licence like freebies was taken four years ago, after the infamous swamy Himaval Bhadrananda created a flutter at the Aluva police station with his licenced gun.

The authorities have since been looking seriously into the issue of awarding gun licence to the public.

The new move to tighten the scrutiny further was taken against the backdrop of the misuse of guns at different parts in the state. A lot of petitions have been rejected by the officials owing to security reasons.

The strict measures from the officials have also resulted in a significant drop in the number of gun holders in the district.

Ernakulam district has 2,322 gun holders now, while it was around 8,000 last year. The magisterial section that gives the licence, had 1,438 applications for firearms before it last year, while it has dropped to 981 now.

“Our duty is to scrutinize each and every application and issue the licence according to the Arms Act. We also conduct thorough investigations before issuing a licence.

A lot of cases are being rejected because they do not cite adequate reasons to justify the need for a weapon”, said an official.

Out of the 2,322 gun holders in the district, Muvattupuzha taluk has the most number. Statistics say Muvattupuzha has 519 gun holders now, while it was roughly 1,400 last year.

Kochi, Kanayannoor, Paravoor, Aluva, Kunnathunadu and Kothamangalam taluks have 230, 655, 71, 305, 316 and 226 firearms holders respectively.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/kochi/owning-gun-not-easy-anymore-district-774

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8634/posthmo.jpg

Does anyone know about the project that is coming up on the land marked with the red line. Its coming up near to the Rajagiri campus. Now piling is going on and they have made a new road (not paved now) near to the college men's hostel.

Breaking News: കൊച്ചി മെട്രോ എംഡി സ്ഥാനത്ത് നിന്ന് ടോം ജോസ് ഐഎഎസ്സിനെ മാറ്റി. ഏലിയാസ് ജോര്*ജ്ജിന് പകരം ചുമതല.

How Kochi became COCHIN!!!!!

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/399493_438075266231798_1342418901_n.jpg

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/556972_440324572673534_339794343_n.jpg

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/c84.0.843.403/p843x403/418208_446820078690650_1283064200_n.jpg

തൊഴിലവസര മേഖലയില്* പ്രവര്*ത്തിക്കുന്ന വെബ് പോര്*ട്ടലായ മോണ്*സ്റ്റര്* ഡോട് കോമിന്റേതാണ് കണ്ടെത്തല്*. 13 പ്രമുഖനഗരങ്ങള്* കേന്ദ്രീകരിച്ച് നടത്തിയ പഠനത്തില്* കോയമ്പത്തൂര്* മാത്രമാണ് നിയമനത്തില്* കൊച്ചിയേക്കാള്* മുന്നില്*.

IndiaVision

http://www.indiavisiontv.com/2012/08/15/101876.html#.UCvKM8OBb7E.facebook

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/7217/82168516.png

http://malayalam.deepikaglobal.com/News_latest.aspx?catcode=latest&newscode=101863

Kochi to drive on green growth plans


KOCHI: The days ahead for Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) is not going to be hassle-free considering the number of projects it has to undertake. But the greatest concern for the GCDA, apart from the timely implementation of the projects, is the need to keep the city's ecology intact.

The issue got special focus at the two-day seminar on GCDA's Vision 2030 project where most participants stressed the need to usher in projects that are eco-friendly and generate less waste. GCDA chairman K Balachandran underscored the need to ensure that large-scale projects do not adversely affect the environment.

Urban affairs minister Manjalamkuzhi Ali said the government will take steps to reinstate development authorities in Kozhikode, Thrissur and Kollam. Plans are afoot to set up such agencies in each district.

On GCDA's plans, he said, "The laser show and musical fountain projects would come up at Marine Drive in 18 months. The exhibition centre proposed at Kaloor will be a reality in two years. The government is also planning a logistics centre in the city."

Excise minister K Babu hinted at the need to establish an authority with legislative powers to execute development projects in Kochi. He suggested the constitution of a metropolitan council and wanted the government to convert GCDA into a similar council.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Kochi-to-drive-on-green-growth-plans/articleshow/15525356.cms

How Kochi became COCHIN!!!!!

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/399493_438075266231798_1342418901_n.jpg

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/556972_440324572673534_339794343_n.jpg

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/c84.0.843.403/p843x403/418208_446820078690650_1283064200_n.jpg

It can also be a synonym of GOSHREE

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Cochin

It can also be a synonym of GOSHREE

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Cochin

Goshree and its association with Kochi is more related to Royal Family, than the city....... It no way directly connects to evolution of the word- Kochi.... Just like how Perumpadappu donot co-relate with Kochi.

The theories of Chinese name, Kochuazhi, Kochchi- river connecting to backwaters etc, are more prominent than Goshree.....

Theortically, it was during Dutch period, the Kingdom came more popularly known as Kochi. Previously always it was known as Perumpadappu Swaroopam.....

Suburban dreams back on track

The long-pending demand of the city for an efficient Suburban Rail service is being revived once more, with the experts who participated in the ‘Vision 2030’ seminar reiterating the necessity of such a service to decongest Kochi from the existing traffic blockade hassles.

Not only Kochi, but many satellite towns of the city are also facing similar transport problems. The need for an efficient and extended Suburban service arises in this context, connecting all the satellite towns, experts say.

In his presentation at the seminar organised by the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA), C Raju, retired official of Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE), said that the bottleneck section of railway system in Kerala is the Shoranur-Thrissur stretch, where the traffic from Chennai, Bangalore and from northern parts of India via the Konkan route merges.

“Quadrupling the railway lines at this stretch is not feasible, owing to the restrictions in land acquisition,” he said.“Therefore, the best alternative is the introduction of Automatic Block Signalling (ABS) in the Shoranur-Ernakulam sector. Through ABS, the present line capacity can be increased by up to three times,” Raju said.

ABS is a system that consists of a set of signals which will divide the railway line into a series of blocks.

The movement of trains between the blocks will be controlled through automatic signals.

Raju said that the introduction of ABS will facilitate the introduction of Suburban train services covering Palakkad, Thrissur and Ernakulam districts. After completing the electrification of Shoranur-Kozhikode line, the service can be extended to Kozhikode too.

The suburban rail services are popular for their energy efficiency and environmental acceptability. Nearly five million people use these services in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad daily, the study report says.

MEMU

Suburban services can be started in the Guruvayur-Thrissur-Ernakulam High Court sector with Mainline Electrical Multiple Units (MEMU) trains. This can be introduced with the services of three trains in peak hours.

“The Old Railway Station at the High Court can be modified for the purpose. The proposed Metro Rail too has a station at High Court. With both the services, the traffic congestion issues in the city can be dealt with effectively. “Since MEMU trains stop for only thirty seconds at every station, the services will not affect any platform shortage,” experts added.

The study report also appealed to the state government to carry forward the idea of introducing the Suburban Rail Service in Kochi with the Indian Railways, as has been done in Hyderabad.

The programme ‘Vision 2030’ was envisaged by GCDA to raise Kochi to the status of a Metro City. The ideas which came up at the seminar will be submitted to the government for its consideration.

http://newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/article591131.ece

For those forumers who copy-paste malayalam text to post:

When you copy-paste, the * characters show up, making reading difficult. I have made a simple clean-up utility that would remove those. You can get it here (http://pastehtml.com/view/c8lrcyxhf.html)

This is simple HTML and javascript. You can open it from the link, or save the html file to your local folder and open it locally. You can copy-paste the malayalam text into the box, hit "convert" and get the cleaned up version in the box below it. Copy that text and paste into the SSC post box. The * character will not be there.

Example: Text C/P from mathrubhumi today: തിരുവനന്തപുരം: നെല്ലിയാമ്പതി ഭൂമി കയ്യേറ്റം സി.ബി.ഐ അന്വേഷിക്കണമെന്ന് വനംവകുപ്പ് മന്ത്രി കെ.ബി.ഗണേഷ്*കുമാര്*. ദേശസാല്*കൃത ബാങ്കുകള്* ഉള്*പ്പെട്ട കേസില്* ക്രൈംബ്രാഞ്ച് അന്വേഷണം പര്യാപ്തമല്ല. അഴിമതി വ്യക്തമായിട്ടും ബാങ്കുകള്* അന്വേഷണത്തിന് നിര്*ദേശിക്കാത്തതില്* ദുരൂഹതയുണ്ടെന്നും മന്ത്രി പറഞ്ഞു.

Cleaned up version: തിരുവനന്തപുരം: നെല്ലിയാമ്പതി ഭൂമി കയ്യേറ്റം സി.ബി.ഐ അന്വേഷിക്കണമെന്ന് വനംവകുപ്പ് മന്ത്രി കെ.ബി.ഗണേഷ്കുമാർ. ദേശസാൽകൃത ബാങ്കുകൾ ഉൾപ്പെട്ട കേസിൽ ക്രൈംബ്രാഞ്ച് അന്വേഷണം പര്യാപ്തമല്ല. അഴിമതി വ്യക്തമായിട്ടും ബാങ്കുകൾ അന്വേഷണത്തിന് നിർദേശിക്കാത്തതിൽ ദുരൂഹതയുണ്ടെന്നും മന്ത്രി പറഞ്ഞു.

(Provided as is. No specific claim is being made about the utility. Use it as you please)

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Kochi to be secure with Thunderbolts (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Thunderbolts-commandos-to-pitch-tent-in-Kochi/articleshow/15564037.cms)

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01177/THUNDER_BOLT_GUK5E_1177005e.jpg

http://www.madhyamam.com/en/sites/default/files/imagecache/w604/police%202.jpg

Thunderbolts will soon hit the city. The 40-member squad of the state's elite commando force will soon be posted in the city to deal with any emergency, anti-terrorist and hostage situations.

The force, which is being trained on the lines of the national security guards (NSG), will be posted at the Tripunithura Armed Reserve Camp in a few months. The force is being posted here in Kochi as part of the government's decision to divide the 160-men strong commando force into three units and post them in three major cities of Kochi, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram.

The force was officially inducted into the state police wing at a function held at Thiruvananthapuram recently. Police Headquarters Inspector General Manoj Abraham said that the force will be undergoing another set of training in the next couple of weeks and they will be posted in the three cities after the training.

"The force deployed at each unit will be equipped to handle all sort of operations and they will be provided with latest vehicles and arms," he added. Another police officer said that Kochi has been given top priority in deployment of Thunderbolts considering the security scenario, in the city. The force had already undergone an 18-month-long training including jungle warfare. "The idea behind deploying the force is to ensure that a team can reach any part of the state on short notice," the officials said.

The government has purchased state-of-the-art modern weapons and equipment for the force which has undergone training in combat missions, including Krav Maga, a lethal martial art developed for Israel's Special Force.

The units deployed in the cities will have snipers, assault commandos and technical experts. The weapons included Italian SPAS 12 semi-automatic combat shot guns, Austrian Glock 17 semi-automatic 9 mm pistol, Steyr sniper rifles, Heckler & Koch submachine guns, ARGES hand grenades, synthetic bullet proof body armour and bullet proof vests.

Kochi among cities with heavy pollution

The industrial clusters based in Greater Kochi fall into the group of cities with high pollution levels, as per a study done by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in association with Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi. The study had carried out an environmental assessment of industrial clusters across India, the results of which have been published online. Under the study, a comprehensive environmental pollution index (CEPI) was calculated to help prioritise planning needs to improve the quality of the environment in industrial clusters. Eighty-eight industrial areas were selected for the study and the cities were listed in the descending order of index score, which meant the top score went to the highest polluted city.

Kochi is at the 24 position in the list, with an index of 75.08. Cities such as Howrah, Navi Mumbai, Mangalore, Indore, Erode and Visakhapatnam have a lower index indicating less pollution levels than Kochi while Agra and Noida have higher index.

CEPI is calculated for air, water, and land considering four factors — pollutants, pathway, receptor and additional high risk element. When the total score is more than 60, pollution index is considered as critical in the respective environmental component.

In the case of Kochi, the condition of air and land environment falls under ‘severe’ category while that of water is ‘critical’. Seventy-five cities out of 88 have a score above 60. The Ministry of Environment and Forests had imposed restrictions on sanctioning new industries in clusters with CEPI score above 60.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article3798444.ece

Today Atham. Countdown for the Grand Onam celebrations starts

Kochi gears up for the ritualistic Athachamayam, that marks start of Onam festivities across Kerala (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Tripunithura-ready-for-Athaghosham/articleshow/15578253.cms)

http://www.keralatourism.org/images/newsletter/168/athachamayam.jpg

If one goes by celebrations held across the state to mark the start of Onam festivities, Tripinuthura's Athaghosham, the state-sponsored form of the 200-year-old traditional procession which was known as Athachamayam, would come first.

The royal town is all set to flag off the 10-day long festivities from the Boys' High School on Tuesday with the procession at 10 am. The age-old Athachamayam procession, though led by Kochi kings had the participation of representatives from all religions and castes. Nettoor Thangal, the priest from the Karingachira church and Chembil Arayan, who represented fisherfolk, were all regulars in the procession during the royal reign.

"Both sides of the streets would be filled with people, eagerly waiting to see the king during the procession," recalled 90-year-old Elamana Hari, who was the superintendent of Hill Palace during the reign of the last Kochi king, Rama Varma Pareekshith Thampuran.

Though, during early times, the procession started from the Hill Palace and proceeded to the Thrikkakkara Vamana Moorthy Temple, it was confined to the royal streets of Tripunithura after the Zamorin of Calicut invaded Vanneri, a province under the control of Kochi state. Interestingly, from the year after the invasion, the Kochi kings kept the crown on their laps during the Atham procession.

Athaghosham, the name adopted after the state government took over the ritual over 40 years ago, is organized by the Tripunithura municipality, and showcases the cultural facets of Kerala, including the staging of art forms, parades by scouts, police band and tableaux.

The floats, the most attractive part of the procession, will reflect contemporary socio-cultural issues of the state.

Typical folk art forms such as Theyyam, Poothanum Thirayum, Kummatti, Karakaattam, and Kolkali will also be a part of the parade. In the evening, cultural programmes will begin, starting with the colourful pookkalam competition at the Layam ground. Assembly speaker G Karthikeyan will inaugurate the procession at Atham Nagar (Boys' High School).

Athaghosham, the name adopted after the state government took over the ritual over 40 years ago, is organized by the Tripunithura municipality, and showcases the cultural facets of Kerala.

Growing Kochi, same old roads

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01185/22KIKANIAMPUZHA_RO_1185550f.jpg

Even as Kochi readies to host the Emerging Kerala investment summit and the Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) in September, civic infrastructure in the city is far from hospitable.

A few thousand entrepreneurs and decisive stakeholders in the tourism industry are set to arrive in the city from across the globe for the two events. Many arterial roads and footpaths are in dilapidated shape, despite there being very little rain during the monsoon.

Indiscriminate parking and encroachments have made matters worse, giving commuters and traffic policemen a harrowing time.

A senior PWD (Roads) official said that works have been arranged to resurface most of the roads. “But it is doubtful whether the repairs will be over before the Emerging Kerala summit to be inaugurated on September 13 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.” The KTM will be inaugurated on September 27.

The sole repair work carried out by the PWD during the monsoon in the city was the paving of a small stretch of a potholed road in front of Hotel Renai in Palarivattom using inter-locking tiles.

Prominent roads owned by the agency in the city like the Foreshore Road, Park Avenue Road, Vyttila-Pettah Road and the Palarivattom-Thammanam Road (which was dug up by the KWA over five months ago) are ridden with potholes. Similar is the plight of the Kaniampuzha Road that leads to the Vyttila mobility hub that was resurfaced less than a year ago.

Potholed bridges

Potholes have not been filled over the Kundanoor Bridge (used daily by thousands of tourists visiting West Kochi and Wellingdon Island) and the Edappally overbridge on NH 17, despite accidents becoming frequent. Both the bridges are owned and maintained by the PWD (NH wing). The Kochi Corporation is yet to repair badly-potholed roads in the Fort Kochi heritage zone, a tourism hub.

Neither has Kerala Tourism cleaned up the Ernakulam Boat Jetty, from where hundreds of tourists and regular passengers board ferries to Fort Kochi and Mattancherry.

Stakeholders’ concern

“Woefully inadequate transportation infrastructure is a major problem haunting the city. As a result, people think twice before visiting Kochi,” said Sree Kumar, director, Sales and Marketing of Le Meridien, where the two events will be held.

“Visitors, especially national and international guests, are peeved that commuting 32 km through the congested highway from the international airport to our hotel often takes hours. Steps must be taken to build flyovers, at least at the four major junctions on the Edappally-Aroor NH 47 bypass. Frequent digging up of roads is another problem. Inadequacy of roads will affect the inflow of investments,” he said, while lauding the government’s initiative to attract investors.

Roadside parking

The management of the KTDC-owned Bolghatty Palace Hotel is concerned at the haphazard parking of container lorries on either side of the road that leads to the hotel. “Vehicles carrying guests are often unable to negotiate through the chaos created by the lorries and the ramshackle workshops that have come up on the side. The road was built using tourism funds, so that guests could have easy access to the hotel and the adjacent Kochi international marina,” said Alex Joshua, the hotel’s manager.

A few programmes in connection with the two events would be held at the hotel.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article3806581.ece

http://www.vision2030kochi.com/images/vision-2030-logo.png

Vision 2030: Global Kochi (http://www.vision2030kochi.com/index.php#)

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01185/22KIKANIAMPUZHA_RO_1185550f.jpg


If you pave the surface "as thin as a dog's tongue", and then run a continuous stream of heavy vehicles, no wonder the road breaks.

Participants from 50 countries expected for Kerala Travel Mart

Tourism stakeholders from across the State will showcase their brands before a host of national and international players at KTM 2012, the seventh edition of the Kerala Travel Mart that will be held here from September 27 to September 30.

This time, the venue is Le Meridien Convention Centre. Hotels, airlines, ayurveda centres, home and farm stays, house boats, speciality hospitals and resorts will market their ventures as sellers.

There will also be travel agents and tour operators who offer adventure, backwater, heritage, monsoon, plantation, wedding and honeymoon packages.

More buyers

“This time, we are focusing on attracting more quality buyers from different countries. A pre-appointment system has been adopted, wherein each buyer will have at least 15 appointments with different sellers,” said E.M. Najeeb, the vice-chairman of the mart’s organising committee.

Bar-coded badges will be issued to all the registered buyers and sellers.

The KTM, held every two years, is a major marketing activity in the travel sector in India organised by private players and the State government.

Representatives of national and international publications would be among the guests.

The organisers expect around 1,500 buyers from 50 countries and other States to participate in the mart.

“Budget-conscious smaller players can opt for table spaces, since they are more affordable than the stalls. The tourism departments of all southern Indian States have confirmed their participation.

Most of the airlines are partners of the event and they will fly in the buyers. Post-mart farm tours will be arranged, where the buyers will be able to choose a visit to any of the tourism destinations that are shortlisted,” Mr. Najeeb said.

Tours planned
The tours have been planned to Bekal, Wayanad, Munnar, Thekkady, Kumarakom, Alappuzha, Kollam and Kovalam. At KTM 2012, there will be 108 table spaces, 296 stalls and 12 houseboat parking bays.

As on date, 1,409 buyers have registered, out of which 468 are international and 1,335 domestic. All the stalls and houseboat bays have been booked. Only a few tables are remaining, the organisers said.

The buyers will be accommodated in 800 rooms contributed by hotels and resorts in and around Kochi.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article3810830.ece

Big opportunities in state's logistics sector

Kerala’s strategic location in the international waterways paves way to an upcoming area of importance: logistics. This will act as an incentive to boost the economy in the coming years. Logistics -- the management of the flow of resources from the source point to the point of destination -- is the main topic of discussion.

The seminar is jointly organised by the state government, the Kerala State Productivity Council and Falcon Infrastructures Ltd. It is conducted as a part of the ‘Emerging Kerala’ programme.

The seminar aims at displaying Kerala’s advantages in logistics.

The state is endowed with two major transshipment terminals, namely Vizhinjam port and Vellarpadom terminal. Thus, Kochi is on its way to replace Sri Lanka and Singapore as one of the major ports at the international level.

Therefore, the demand for logistics facilities will increase substantially.

The objective of the seminar is to promote the interaction and discussion among the policy makers, leaders and organisations, in order to tap the potential in the logistics sector. The seminar was inaugurated by State Minister for Ports, K Babu. The gathering comprised of a large number of Kerala-based NRIs interested in investing in the sector.

‘Shipping Logistics: Opportunities and Challenges’, and ‘Technology enabled Logistics and SCM’ were two of the topics that were part of the session. The topics, ‘Inland Waterways: Logistics Optimization’, ‘The future of International Container terminals’ and ‘Sustainable Logistics- Challenges and Issues’, amoang others, will be discussed in the coming days. The seminar will be on at the Gateway Hotel till August 25.

http://newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/article594699.ece

Kochinites , get ready for real Plastic cash (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/banking/article3811825.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3432/3928975682_6d499425fa.jpg

The Reserve Bank has proposed to conduct field trials of Rs 10 polymer banknotes in five cities including Simla and Kochi, Minister of State for Finance Namo Narain Meena today said.

“It has been decided by the Government of India and Reserve Bank of India to introduce Rs 10 notes in polymer /plastics on a field trial basis,” Meena said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.

He said the RBI has informed that the field trial is proposed to be conducted at five places — Jaipur, Simla, Bhubaneshwar, Mysore and Kochi, keeping in view “the varied geographical locations and climatic conditions.”

The expenditure proposed to be incurred on the field trial would be finalised in line with the guidelines, he added.

Polymer notes have relatively longer life compared to the prevailing paper banknotes and may help in checking counterfeiting.

Polymer notes were first introduced in Australia to safeguard against counterfeiting of currency.

Besides Australia, other countries which have introduced plastic notes include New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Romania, Bermuda, Brunei and Vietnam.

Great.........MI6(007).

What is the relevance of this nonsense. Take your personal vendetta somewhere else. Thousands of people log into this site to see some meaningful discussion. Instead i see this crap. It was a different moron before. Now it seems that the disease is spreading.If you have nothing meaningful to add, pls don't bother. Moderators please note.

Metro status for Kochi city, a pre-condition for DMRC

For those who find it difficult to differentiate between Metro rail and Metro area, both for Kochi, there may soon be a solution chugging up the tracks.

One critical clause in the proposed agreement between the Kochi Metro Rail Company Ltd (KMRL) and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) stipulates that it is the prime responsibility of the state and KMRL to ensure that Kochi is declared a Metropolitan Area.

The critical clause - 5 (O) in the final draft agreement - is specific on the directive to KMRL for gaining Metro Area status for Kochi city, but assures that DMRC will obtain the requisite approvals.

“Through recent amendments carried out in the (a) Metro Railway (Construction of Works) Act, 1978 and (b) Metro Railway (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002, powers have been conferred upon the Central Government to extend these two Acts to Metropolitan Areas as defined in the Article 243- P(c) of the Constitution of India.

KMRL shall ensure that Kochi city is declared a Metropolitan Area and thereafter approach the Central Government to extend these two Acts to Kochi Metropolitan Area. DMRC shall obtain the requisite approvals,” it says.

Clearly, Kochi being anointed a metro city would help DMRC no end by enabling it to invoke legal provisions laid down under two Central Acts.

The Acts have sufficient legal teeth to cover various aspects of the project on a long-term basis, including maintenance, operations and nomination of members to the vital fare fixation committee.

It is no secret that the state government has approached the Centre to have Metro Area status granted to Kochi.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is on record saying that moves are on for clinching the Metro status for Kochi.

“But the state has to go a long way to achieve it. Only preliminary discussions have been held,” he had said, striking a cautious note.

However, N Venugopal, Chairman, Greater Cochin Development Authority, has a different take on the matter: “DMRC’s project is confined to just 24 km.

The GCDA has prepared a draft report on a Metro Development Authority covering a vast area of the whole district.

DMRC might have incorporated the demand but the state government and GCDA were thinking on those lines for quite some time.” While the business community has reason to cheer if Kochi gets elevated as a Metro city, not everyone is convinced about the manner in which the goal is being pursued.

C J George, MD, Geojit BNP Paribas, said, “Just because everybody wanted E Sreedharan at the helm, the stakes of a state cannot be diluted.

Unless there is a clear agreement between the state and DMRC, what will happen if Sreedharan is not in the picture.

The policy makers seem to have forgotten this and the ultimate sufferer would be the state."

http://newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/article595645.ece

Could someone suggest me a PG/Hostel in kochi?
At kakkanad or somewhere near to it like vazhakkala. Preferably single room, sharing is also ok.

There is Youth hostel near NPOL Kakkanad, which recently got accredited by International Youth Hostel's Association.

Is that a typical hostel? I would need to stay for one year there. From the website http://www.yhaindia.org/ seems its a visitors hostel allowing to stay for one week or so.

World's Largest Flora Carpet- Pookalam made in Kochi, in just 8 Minutes and 25 seconds:banana::banana:

A giant pookalam or Flora Carpet, measuring 25,000 sqft made in Kochi, at a record time of 8 minutes and 25 seconds, with support of more than 500 people, as part of Kochi's Onam celebrations.

The pookalam is attracting many people across the world and is on process of entry in World Record

L8J1kyLNLDY

There are plenty of PGs and hostels here in Kakkanad area, at various levels of luxury. Targeting guests right from expat workers all the way to MNC executives.

Can't really recommend any, because I haven't looked at them. I see a lot of ads pasted all around here.

K thanx for the info. If u happen to get any details of such places with affordable( for a student ) rent, kindly let me know.

Rauf, PM me with details, and I will see what I can do.

To all Kochi SSCians

Wishing a very happy and Prosperous Thiruonam to all

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/424222_343274302424081_529676479_n.jpg

South India's biggest showroom for NISSAN coming up in Kochi.

This is coming up beside the Asia's biggest showroom for Toyota (Nippon Towers).:)

A new showroom for Renault is also setting up in the same area.

Am surprised to see this growth in car showrooms , especially now a days Kochi's Auto street in bypass is getting extended to the Edapally-Kalamassery stretch also.

Other players in this area are Skoda,Piaggio,Ford and many many more....:cheers:

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/8253/80463139.png

http://www.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/malayalamContentView.do?contentId=12351533&programId=1073753765&channelId=-1073751706&BV_ID=@@@&tabId=11

PDSzzfqjndA

Kochi police establishes Check-posts across the city and in borders with hitech camera facility, to store movements of vehicles upto 30 days.

Kochi's Giant Pookalam, listed into Guinness World Record (http://www.worldrecordacademy.com/nature/largest_floral_arrangement_Vivel_India_sets_world_record_113070.html)

http://www.worldrecordacademy.com/nature/img/113070_largest_floral_arrangement_India.jpg

500 floral artists have created in eight minutes and 20 seconds a 25,979 square feet floral arrangement on ground at the Ambedkar Stadium in Kochi, for ITC's personal care brand, Vivel, setting the world record for the Largest floral arrangement, according to the World Record Academy: www.worldrecordacademy.com/.

The Guinness world record for the longest carpet of flowers is 2,011 m (6,597 ft 9.07 in) and was created by the People's Government of Kaifeng City (China) for the 29th Kaifeng Chrysanthemum Festival in Kaifeng City, Henan Province, China.

Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the longest flower line: 2,059.90 m (6,758 ft 2 in) long and consisted of 2,606 flower boxes with 13,000 flowers. The line was created by the company Elho (Netherlands) and was presented and measured in Tilburg, Netherlands.

ITC's leading Personal Care Brand, Vivel, creates a World Record (as ratified by Limca Book of Records) by making the largest floral arrangement (Pookalam) in the world with the winners of the Vivel 'Reach for the Stars' Pookalam contest – held by Vivel to celebrate Onam across all districts of Kerala.

The participants were awarded a 'World Record Certificate' by Inspector General of Police Ernakulam Range, K. Padmakumar, and Sheik Pareeth, District Collector, Kochi.

Members of the record breaking team excitedly said, "We all are extremely charged up after creating a record with our Pookalam (floral arrangement). We would like to thank Vivel for giving us the opportunity to showcase our art and make our families proud."

Commenting on the special Onam initiative, Nilanjan Mukherjee, Head of Marketing, Personal Care Products Business, ITC Limited said, "We are extremely proud to have co-created the world's largest floral arrangement (Pookalam) record with all the participants and congratulate everyone on this momentous achievement."

OLD KOCHI IN 1971
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkgQn00CxVc&feature=player_detailpage

Kochi to evolve as economic hub: PM (http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/kerala/article3894089.ece)
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hoped that Kochi would evolve as “a very important economic and logistical hub” of the country.

Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Kochi metro rail project at Ernakulam Marine Drive on Thursday, Mr. Singh said that the city had emerged as one of the most important ports of the county with the International Container Transshipment Terminal at Vallarpadam becoming operational.

The Prime Minister unveiled a plaque to mark the laying of the foundation stone in the presence of Union Ministers A.K. Antony, K.C. Venugopal, E. Ahamed, Vayalar Ravi, Mullapally Ramachandran, K.V. Thomas Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, State Minister Aryadan Muhammad and the Kerala governor H.R. Bharadwaj.

The Central government has sanctioned six projects for Kochi under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission with a total cost of over Rs. 509 crore. The central share for these projects would be more than Rs. 254 crore. The Urban development Ministry has sanctioned 200 low floor buses for Kochi, he said.

Mr. Singh pointed out that the transport infrastructure of the city was “under severe stress, with the demand for travel rising steeply in recent years.

The Metro would provide Kochi with a modern mass transport system, making it convenient for the residents to commute and also facilitating Kochi’s overall social and economic development,” he said.

According to the Prime Minister, the State government was doing everything possible for the development of Kochi which “has a proud history.” The United Progressive Alliance government has supported and added to these efforts of the state government and it will continue to do so in future as well, he said.

Mr. Singh hoped that the “Kochi Metro Rail Corporation, a joint venture company of the Central and State governments, will build the Metro efficiently, and produce a rail network of the highest quality in the quickest possible time.” He also stated that with the “important projects being planned and implemented in and around the city,” the future will see Kochi as one of the best urban centres of the world.

Coastal radar chain commissioned (http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/kerala/article3901844.ece)

The Kerala cluster of four static coastal surveillance sensors, envisaged as part of the first phase of the network of sensors to be set up across the country, and their remote operating station (ROS) were commissioned by the Director General of Coast Guard Vice-Admiral M.P. Muralidharan at the Coast Guard District Headquarters No.4 at Fort Kochi here on Saturday.

With this, radars set up atop light houses and towers at Mount Dilli in Ezhimala, Ponnani, Vypeen and Kollam have become operational and will start relaying intelligence feeds to the ROS, helping it to carry out electronic surveillance over the coastal waters.

Vice-Admiral Muralidharan told presspersons that Kerala would get two more sensors, in Alappuzha and Azhikode, during the second phase.

Kerala cluster of radars would further be augmented when the sensors in Manappad and Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu and those at the Lakshadweep archipelago become operational.

The turnkey project to secure the country’s coast by monitoring vessel movements was fast-tracked after 26/11 and is being steered by the Coast Guard. Set up at a cost of Rs.601.75 crore, Bharat Electronics Ltd. is executing it with help from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd., Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd., Indian Space Research Organisation, and the Directorate of Lighthouses and Light ships. The sensor package includes surveillance gadgets, electro-optic sensors, communication equipment and meteorology equipment. The data generated by the sensors would be relayed to the ROS, Remote Operating Centre in Mumbai and the Control Centre at the Coast Guard headquarters in Delhi.

Taken from Coimbatore Thread
Jobs in Kochi grow faster than metros along with Coimbatre and Jaipur

'Jobs in Coimbatore, Jaipur, Kochi grow faster than metros'
mbauniverse.com | 12 Sept, 2012 0730 hrs IST


http://www.mbauniverse.com/article/id/6224/
kovish
:banana:

Hyosung, Harley, now Triumph? (http://www.triumph.co.uk/india/)
Triumph Motorcycles, the iconic British motorcycle brand, has always set the pace for category winning machines that offer a blend of design, character, desirability and performance combined to create truly distinctive motorcycles.

At the 11th Auto Expo in Delhi we showcased our model range for India which has motorcycles from all our product families and include the parallel-twin, Bonneville, the iconic naked roadsters Speed Triple and Street Triple, the off-roader Tiger 800XC, class-leading supersport bike Daytona 675 and the cruisers Storm and Rocket III.

True to our brand ethos each of the products entering the Indian market will dedicate itself to delivering a great riding experience through the fusion of a well-balanced, easy to handle chassis and strong, flexible engines. The result will be that of an inspiring range of motorcycles delivering usable performance blended with character.

Dealerships

Currently there are no Triumph dealerships open in India and the plan is to have dealers operational by early 2013 and sales/bookings to start after that.

We are looking to appoint dealers at Delhi/ Mumbai and Bangalore. This will be followed by dealerships in Pune, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Chennai, Hyderabad, Cochin and Goa over the next year.

Good going Kochi. Hope this reduces migration of Keralites to Outside states and abroad

Taken from Coimbatore Thread
Jobs in Kochi grow faster than metros along with Coimbatre and Jaipur


:banana:

Japan keen to share expertise in Indian infrastructure development Infrawindow News Bureau|Kochi|Sep. 14, 2012, 09:28 AM

Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) Deputy Director, Hajime Nakamura on Thursday said that the country is willing to share its abilities in infrastructure development with the Southern Indian state of Kerala.

Nakamura conveyed this in a country session on “Business opportunities through economic cooperation between Japan and India – Japan’s resurgence post the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011” held in connection with Emerging Kerala 2012.

cHe also said that Japan is interested in ICT and Healthcare sectors for ollaboration. As of October 2011, there are 812 Japanese companies in India, of which 47 are in Kerala. Electronics and logistics top the list of areas in which Japan partners Kerala, he added.

Seabell International Co Ltd explained a technology that can generate electricity from waterways. The patented technology of an ultra low head micro-hydropower system hardly requires any civil work and is also environment-friendly.

The company also proposed a feasibility study to tap the hydro-power potential of the state, promising a green energy solution for the state’s energy crisis.

“We are looking forward to see what we can do in the state in the hydroelectric power sector. It would be a collaborative venture joining hands with ANERT and EMC,” said Seabell International biomass advisor Hiroshi Oishi.

He added that the company has done a web research on Kerala that shows that the State has tremendous potential to generate green energy. But as far as we know, 50% of hydro energy in the state is untapped.
Tags: Indian infrastructure development, JETRO, Japan External Trade Or

Prince Holding to invest Dhs1.46 billion in Kerala
BY A STAFF REPORTER September 17, 2012

DUBAI: Prince Holding, a Dubai consortium of Indian entrepreneurs from around the world, will invest $400 million (Dhs1.46 billion) in Kerala to start Prince GATE I, one of its kind projects where living, office, play, education, leisure and employment meet under one roof.

Prince Holding is to start the work on the multi-plex project within three months after getting approval from the Government of Kerala through its Emerging Kerala initiative, Chairman of the consortium Sebastian Joseph said.

“Prince Holding is just ready with a shelf of life space projects to answer the nostalgic quest of non-resident Indians who yearn to get back home but can’t find right places to settle down. The Prince projects in south India, beginning with self-contained townships in Kochi and Bangalore, will meet their needs, blending the beauty of nature with the amenities of modern life,” he said at a press conference held in Dubai on Sunday.

The two projects being taken up immediately are Prince GATES I near Nandi Hills in Bangalore and Prince GATES II on the banks of River Periyar near the international airport of Kochi. GATES is an acronym for Globally Advanced Technology Enabled Society, he said.

Both projects are spread over 100 acres each are sustainable and self-sufficient, and thoughtfully set far from the madding crowd.

Each project will contain a Special Business Zone, a Centre for Excellence in Advanced Technology and Innovation, an International Financial Centre, an Education Zone, a Hospitality Zone comprising Clubs, Spas and Service Apartments, a Health Care Zone, an NRI Facilitation Centre, a Shared Facilities Zone consisting of Sports Academy, Retail strip mall, Multiplex, Food courts, Library & a Residential Zone with Villas, Row Houses and Apartments, consultant Suresh ES added.

“The idea of such life spaces and business parks came up when Prince promoters were analysing the needs and demands of the Indian diaspora, a large chunk of which would, given an opportunity, like to give back to their homeland a part of their resources and expertise acquired abroad over a life time. We hope to initiate a reverse brain drain,” says Sebastian.

The Prince focus is on pooling resources of its individual members of the consortium to create an infrastructure conducive to the development of technology-based firms, facilitating interaction, technology development, new venture creation, commercialisation of innovation and building up of quality human resources in a self-sustaining environment, Sebastian said.

Each Prince GATES project will have 500 expatriate participants. Anything like $400 million is the expected outlay for each project. Though Kerala has been chosen as a preferred destination, keeping in view the fact that Keralaites constitute a large pravasi chunk, Prince Holding is already exploring the possibilities of similar ventures in neighbouring states, he added. Among its lead consultants are giants like Ernst & Young and Burt HIll Stantec

Just posting a couple of positives that emerged

Kochi will become Global Village in this December (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/gksf-to-be-held-from-december-15/293432-60-116.html)

The promised Global Village, will part of one of India's largest shopping carnivals- The GKSF-2012

Tourism Minister A P Anilkumar released the logo of the 6th edition of Grand Kerala Shopping Festival (GKSF) scheduled to be held from December 15, 2012, to January 31, 2013.

The minister told mediapersons here that this year GKSF is targeting 10,000 registrations. There will be marketing and promotion, IT solution, logistics and trade shows and exhibitions.

GKSF will focus on thematic exhibitions like Handicrafts and Handloom fest, Coir and Coconut fest, Tribal fest and Craft fest in association with the respective state and central public sector undertakings. Six such exhibitions will be conducted and the locations will be decided in such a way that it closely relates to the theme.

There will be weekly draws in connection with the exhibitions. A mega exhibition will be held at Kochi in association with partner states and other countries for 15 days during the Christmas and New Year period. This year there will be a facelift to the festival by giving it a wider perspective. Through various promotional activities, maximum number of national and international tourists will be attracted to the festival and efforts will be made to promote the state as a commercial hub.

Tourists will have the facility to purchase local products like coir, cashew, marine products, spice, handloom and handicrafts from the production centres. This will have multiple effects to the State economy, the minister said. As part of the festival, prizes of 101 kg gold, sponsored gifts and GKSF merchandise instead of discount coupons will be given to the customers.

There will also be scratch and win prizes, sponsored gifts on a daily basis, weekly draws and a mega draw of one kilogram gold for one person and 500 gram gold for two persons.

Automobiles, banks, electronics, FMCG, hotels, jewellers, spas, supermarkets and textiles are the major segments which will participate in the festival. The inaugural ceremony will be held at Kozhikode and closing function will be at Kollam.

Vigilance probe sought into gaping hole on NH bridge
(http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article3921752.ece)
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Shocked at a large chunk of concrete over the Moolampilly-Kothad bridge falling away on Wednesday, different organisations have demanded a vigilance probe into what they termed as sub-quality work adopted for constructing the Vallarpadam-Kalamassery Road (NH 47-C) and the numerous bridges en route.

General secretary of Ernakulam District Residents Associations’ Apex Council (EDRAAC), A. Ajith Kumar demanded a vigilance probe into the construction of the road and bridges.

“The officials concerned must be suspended from service till the inquiry report is out. This must be done since it is evident that they were the ones who certified over a year ago that the bridges and road are safe for vehicles,” Mr Ajith Kumar said.

The caving in of a portion of a bridge left a gaping hole of over a metre by a metre.

Since more areas are prone to give away, the bridge has been barricaded and declared out-of-bounds for vehicles. Vehicles are being routed through the parallel bridge.

The damage to the bridge shows that the concreting work was faulty and inferior, said Francis Kalathumkal, general convener of the Moolampilly Coordination Committee.

“A vigilance probe will be able to uncover the reason behind the hyped-up cost of the project as well. We had given a representation demanding this to Chief Minister Oomen Chandy some time back,” he said.

He added that the road is sinking at an alarming rate.

This has resulted in there being a huge gap between each bridge and the approach roads, often causing accidents.

“This is a classic example of projects that turn into milch cows for unscrupulous stakeholders. The NHAI intends to collect toll and has begun work on a toll booth ,” he said.

Apt examples are a few underpasses which have a very low roof, so much so that people are unable to open their umbrellas while walking through them. Water logging because of unscientific construction is another major problem. These point to slack supervision and monitoring of the works, Mr. Kalathumkal said.

Stress blamed

The NHAI’s Kochi project director C. T. Abraham attributed “expansion due to stress” as a possible reason for a large chunk of concrete giving away on the bridge. “We have a three-tier system to execute works. Here, we deputed Lea Associates with the (technical) consultancy work, while Suncon-Soma – a joint-venture firm, executed the construction works. We have to probe whether the incident took place because of a problem with the design or with the execution. The agency concerned will have to repair and restore the bridge,” Mr. Abraham said.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/kochi/camera-snap-waste-dumpers-edappally-209

Camera to snap waste dumpers at Edappally

You may not want to smile if caught on this candid camera. Instead, you will have to pay a hefty amount as fine and face penal proceedings.

In a first of its kind project in the state, the city corporation is all set to install surveillance cameras in the city to check waste dumping in public places.

The inauguration of the Rs 10-lakh project will be held near Edappally Muttar Junction, where the first camera will be installed.

Mayor Tony Chammany will inaugurate the project. The initiative is expected to be a big help to the police and the corporation officials, as they had been finding it hard to tackle the issue of waste dumping in public places.

“The camera to be installed at Edappally will be capable of recording good-resolution visuals of 20 days.

These visuals will be extracted every 20 days to catch the culprits”, said T.K. Ashraf, chairman of the corporation health standing committee.

The second phase of the project will see the corporation installing cameras at border areas of the city and other places where waste dumping is still rampant. This includes areas like Perumpadappu, Willingdon island, Kaloor and Chembumukku

^^I hope these gimmicks are after all the proper measures to collect/dispose the wastes have been taken by these authorities

Actor Asif Ali bags KL-7 BV 5005 for Rs 25,000

നിക്കാഹിനു മുൻപേ ആസിഫ് അലി 'ബിവി' യെ സ്വന്തമാക്കി (http://www.mathrubhumi.com/ernakulam/ne ... Kakkanadu-കാക്കനാട്.html)
കാക്കനാട്: നിക്കാഹ് ഉറപ്പിച്ച യുവ നടൻ ആസിഫ് അലി ബിവി സീരീസിലുള്ള തന്റെ ഇഷ്ട നമ്പർ സ്വന്തമാക്കി.

കെ.എൽ.07 ബി.വി. 5005 നമ്പർ ആണ് മത്സരമില്ലാതെ എറണാകുളം ആർടി ഓഫീസിൽ നിന്ന് നേടിയത്. തന്റെ പുതിയ ബി.എം.ഡബ്ല്യു. കാറിനു വേണ്ടിയാണ് ബിവി സീരീസിൽപ്പെട്ട നമ്പറിനായി 25,000 രൂപ അടച്ച് ബുക്ക് ചെയ്ത്.

നമ്പറിനായി തിങ്കളാഴ്ച മറ്റാവശ്യക്കാരൊന്നും എത്താതിരുന്നതിനാൽ ലേലം ഒഴിവാക്കി നമ്പർ താരത്തിനു നൽകി.

Kochi Global Village likely to come in Bolgatty Island (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/bolghatty-island-to-house-grand-kerala-shopping-festival/article3948488.ece)

Forty acres on Bolghatty Island will be converted into a global shopping centre between December 22 and January 5 as the organisers of the 2012-13 edition of Grand Kerala Shopping Festival (GKSF) have decided to give the sixth edition of the yearly fixture on the tourism calendar a new thrust and status.

The global avatar of the shopping festival will be complete with participation from at least four countries with which negotiations have been opened, said the director of the Festival U. V. Jose here on Friday. He was speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of Kerala Travel Mart 2012.

The list of countries likely to participate in the shopping festival includes Malaysia, Dubai, Nepal and Singapore though nothing has been finalised yet, said Mr. Jose.

At the Travel Mart, the festival is drawing a lot of attention with its counter depicting traditional art forms of Kerala, including Kalamezhuthu and pottery-making. This part of a drive to include traditional sectors and products and produces from Kerala within the purview of GKSF, said Mr. Jose.

The last five Shopping Festivals have focussed on some sectors like textiles, home appliances and jewellery. These editions of the festival were also predominantly urban in nature. However, the coming edition will be focussed on more products and produces from traditional sectors.

1,000 Akshaya centres have been roped into complete the registration of traders and merchants in the rural areas of Kerala in order to take the festival to the remote corners of the State.

Small-time traders will be allowed to register free this time and online registrations and early registrations will be given incentives like five per cent discount, said Mr. Jose. These efforts are expected to give more scope for extending the reach of Grand Kerala Shopping Festival.

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നമ്മളുടെ കെട്ടുവള്ളം പദ്ധതി കെട്ട് പോയോ
ഇപ്പോള്* ഒരു വാര്*ത്തയും ഇല്ലല്ലോ എന്തൊക്കെയായിരുന്നു "കം ഓഗസ്റ്റ്* ആന്*ഡ്* യു വില്* ഹാവ് ന്യൂ ഹാങ്ങ്* ഔട്ട്* പ്ലേസ്"
കെടാതെ സൂക്ഷിക്കണമേ ദൈവമേ

Cars displayed in an event at Le Meridien

http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/9579/img20121003wa0006.jpg

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Panchayat to give STOP MEMO to KITEX

Watch Mathrubhumi report on KITEX issue here. (http://www.yuvog.com/play/News__Politics/Kitex_Garments_under_pressure)