Chennai Update I - project news from Chennai [Archive]

kshatriya

August 21st, 2004, 01:06 AM

Metro rail to cost Rs 5800 cr: DMRC

PTI[ TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2004 08:49:25 PM ]

CHENNAI: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has submitted to the Tamil Nadu Government a feasibility report for a metro rail system in Chennai with an estimated cost of Rs 5,800 crore for phase one.

"The Tamil Nadu Government had evinced interest in building metro rail system in Chennai like the Delhi model and asked DMRC to prepare a feasibility report," DMRC Managing Director E Sreedharan said speaking at a function here.

"After conducting necessary surveys and studies we submitted a report for a metro network of three corridors with a total length of 68 kms and we are awaiting the response from the State Government," he said.

He said the first corridor would have a distance of 32.5 kms, in which 8.5 km was underground and the 13.5 km long second corridor would be a fully elevated project.

He said the cost has been worked out to be Rs 5,800 crore for the phase one covering both the corridors and the project could be completed in six years.

On funding for the project, he said 40 per cent cost should be borne by both the state and Central Governments and the remaining money could be borrowed from the market.

"This is a viable project and the state Government's share will be around Rs 1,200 crore spanning over six years. We have suggested to the Government to float a special purpose vehicle like in Delhi Metro and Konkan projects", Sreedharan said.

We are planning similar projects in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata and Ahmedabad. For the first time in the country, we are creating an underground system underneath a river (Hoogli) in Kolkata, he said.

Hindustani

August 21st, 2004, 01:13 AM

Great!!! I like that. After Delhi... its Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad & Ahmedabads turn to get Metro. It will help a great deal & will definitely ease up the traffic.

indian

August 21st, 2004, 08:22 PM

But Singara Chennai already has a metro ,aka the Flying train, but of course it sucks. if only they could improve it and expand it, it would be good. and last but not the least, they change the current coaches to that of delhi metro. that would be really a crowd puller.

theguy

August 23rd, 2004, 11:22 AM

i heard that the city corporation didnt show much of an interest in this poject as chennai already has MRTS(flying trin :D)

theguy

August 26th, 2004, 09:54 AM

there are two new awesome residentials proposed , the taller one being 15 stories and is right on the shores of the beach, will post pics if i come across it....really excited about these buildings

Suncity

August 26th, 2004, 05:00 PM

there are two new awesome residentials proposed , the taller one being 15 stories and is right on the shores of the beach, will post pics if i come across it....really excited about these buildings

That's great! get some pics soon pls. Do they have a website?

I have ben looking for a picture of the Oceans tower (supposedly Chennai's current tallest). There's only rendering no pic. :-(

Ashok

August 27th, 2004, 03:06 AM

Chennai wont have a china like skyline rather it will have a singapore kinda skyline :D

whoa, thats a long way to go before Chennai looks anything like singapore.

kronik

August 27th, 2004, 08:10 AM

Chennai doesnt need to be a singapore. Singapore is Singapore with the magnifique highrises because of its limited space and a greater population to support, and the only way out is the way up.

But every indian city can indeed learn from singapore on how to respect national property and on civic issues as cleanliness and the government can learn on how to manage urban growth.

Suncity

August 27th, 2004, 03:02 PM

But every indian city can indeed learn from singapore on how to respect national property and on civic issues as cleanliness and the government can learn on how to manage urban growth.

Yes.

theguy

August 28th, 2004, 08:33 AM

Real promoters

The Lords , MRC nagar basement+stilt+16floors
http://realpromoters.com/admin/admin_images/lardbig.jpg

this is the building i was talking about and the other building is jains saagarika already posted :)

theguy

August 28th, 2004, 08:35 AM

And suncity its really tough to get a real pic of ocean tower if i do get it then i will post it here!
and what i meant was that madras wud get a skyline better than that of singapores :D

theguy

August 28th, 2004, 08:36 AM

and dont u ppl think that the lords(posted above) looks really good,i like it a lot!

Hindustani

August 28th, 2004, 02:19 PM

the guy...Lords really looks good. I really like it.

theguy

August 29th, 2004, 08:35 AM

yea its cool and should have been a little bit taller like 20 to 26 stories

Suncity

August 29th, 2004, 02:25 PM

Fusionist

August 30th, 2004, 02:32 AM

Prasanth Gold S*cks sounds better :(

Sorry but this building looks wierd.. not to my taste. It looks like some religious building

Suncity

August 30th, 2004, 06:19 AM

Prasanth Gold S*cks sounds better :(

Sorry but this building looks wierd.. not to my taste. It looks like some religious building

Architect Deepak Mehta's renderings are generally weird. His website (www.deepakmehtaarchitect.com) has gone downhill with its latest update. I don't know how they can make such terrible websites. But his buildings don't come out as bad as his renderings.

:-)

Here's another Chennai building by him. I have lost the hyperlink of the original builder website.

http://www.deepakmehtaarchitect.com/images/comm6.jpg

theguy

August 30th, 2004, 07:04 PM

most of the projects i posted in this thread are underconstruction

theguy

August 30th, 2004, 07:07 PM

the first building u (suncity) posted does look good maybe because of the big ad in the building and what about the second building is it built or a proposal?

Suncity

August 31st, 2004, 09:16 PM

Patni plans giant Chennai centre

August 31, 2004 15:06 IST

IT services major Patni Computer Systems Ltd is to expand its operations in Chennai by setting up a centre to accommodate 10,000 professionals with investment outlay of Rs 450 crore (Rs 4.50 billion).

The company would set up a centre across 20 acres of land in the Siruseri IT Park, of SIPCOT -- a state government body for a total cost of Rs 450 crore, Patni said on Tuesday.

Upon completion, the centre would be Patni's second largest modern software development centre in India with a capacity to accommodate 10,000 professionals with all support services, the release said.

"The planned centre in Chennai will enable us to ramp up operations with our large clients in the growing verticals of financial services, manufacturing and insurance and become the preferred IT solution provider in these verticals for all global IT outsourcers," PCS resident director P J Kutar said.

The proposed centre would add to Patni's multiple delivery facilities in Anna Salai (Chennai), Bangalore, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Gandhinagar and Noida.

The first phase of the project would be completed in the first quarter of 2005 for an estimated cost of Rs 60 crore (Rs 600 million) and would have a capacity to accommodate 1,200 professionals with top class working facilities.

Patni currently employs about 500 software professionals at the Anna Salai centre in Chennai, it added.

Suncity

August 31st, 2004, 09:27 PM

Meridian Heights

http://lancorproperties.com/images/meridian.jpg

Suncity

August 31st, 2004, 09:29 PM

Sunciti

http://www.appaswamy.com/newimages/Santhom1copy.jpg

Midtown

http://www.appaswamy.com/newimages/ttkmidtown.jpg

Waterford

http://www.appaswamy.com/newimages/waterford_construction.jpg

Gardenia

http://www.flatsindia.com/images/gardania.jpg

Intel Park (g+4)

http://www.flatsindia.com/IT.jpg

CeeDeeYes Standard Towers

http://www.ceedeeyes.com/cdshousing/projvelastd/photos/stdview1.jpg

Regal Palm Garden

http://www.ceedeeyes.com/cdshousing/photos/projcompl/pbregalpalm.jpg

theguy

September 1st, 2004, 08:01 PM

hey suncity can u gimme more info bout the sunciti building,like the exact location of the building and the developers website?

Ashok

September 2nd, 2004, 03:27 AM

Chennai has so many upcoming project, yet none of these are rising, they are all low to midrise tower...

Fusionist

September 2nd, 2004, 03:37 AM

Chennai has so many upcoming project, yet none of these are rising, they are all low to midrise tower...

Actually the number of upcomming/recently constructed projects in Chennai seems to be relatively fewer for a city as big as Chennai.

You are right though, most of them are midrises with mediocre architecture. Don't the architects in Chennai have ambition ? :(

The Sunciti building looks decent btw

Suncity

September 2nd, 2004, 06:19 AM

hey suncity can u gimme more info bout the sunciti building,like the exact location of the building and the developers website?

http://www.appaswamy.com/index.htm

6&7, Santhome High Road
Mylapore, Chennai – 600 004.
Near Marina Beach

theguy

September 5th, 2004, 11:51 AM

Fusionist

September 7th, 2004, 12:47 AM

chennai is currently experiencing a boom fusionist, there have never ever been a time in chennais history(i guess:D)where so many tall buildings are being proposed and built!
and certainly the architecture isnt medicore,u wudnt be liking it but it aint medicore!

Theguy I do know that Chennai is undergoing a boom and there are several buildings under construction, mostly housing some IT related and some on retail sector and I am glad that Chennai is on the move !

Having said that what gets me is why there are no ambitious plans. Do you think building midrises will have any impact on the skyline for a city of the size of Chennai. What Chennai needs is a cluster of mid to highrises perhaps.. especially in the business sector in a prominent place like Mount Rd, Parrys etc to create an impact or to create a skyline of anysorts that is recognisable. Right now Chennai is vast and laid out with a mid rise or two in some corner of the city.

There have been not even a single building buit in Chennai that can be called an architectural marvel, that could be called an iconic in structure..there is no 'face to Chennai' to be presented to the world.

Delhi has the Red fort..Prliament building etc.. Colombo has the WTC.. Chennai doesnt have any image to repreent itself with !

About the standard of architectue of the midrises.. I am afraid the architects in Chennai are very structure conscious but don't pay the same attention to aesthetics. They are nice and safe buildings indeed.. and some of them do have bold architecture.. but nothing significant that could be recognised.

Hopefully with more midrises on the card.. there would be a time where there would be push forward for a truely great building or a skyscraper perhaps.. fingers crossed

Suncity

September 7th, 2004, 01:35 AM

There have been not even a single building buit in Chennai that can be called an architectural marvel, that could be called an iconic in structure..there is no 'face to Chennai' to be presented to the world.

Delhi has the Red fort..Prliament building etc.. Colombo has the WTC.. Chennai doesnt have any image to repreent itself with !

That's true in a way. Chennai seems to be the only major Indian city without a iconic structure / building. It does have some great buildings like the Ripon Building, High Court and University. The TIDEL Park is nice too. But they don't seem to get the iconic status. What can be the reason?

indian

September 7th, 2004, 02:38 AM

Ashok

September 7th, 2004, 02:39 AM

when i see the Centrail railway station, its Chennai for me... n i also hear of this LIC building in these tamil movies, but thats like (no offense to anyone) but that is horrible.

Fusionist

September 7th, 2004, 02:55 AM

That's true in a way. Chennai seems to be the only major Indian city without a iconic structure / building. It does have some great buildings like the Ripon Building, High Court and University. The TIDEL Park is nice too. But they don't seem to get the iconic status. What can be the reason?

This could turn contravercial but my view is that Chennai lacks raw passion for itself as a city. Most of the Chennaites even today do not consider Chennai as their emotional home ( but thankfully the younger generation do )
It was always the commercial capital of the state, a British built city in a way but never the emotional home even to many of its current residents. If you ask a Chennaite where he is from, atleast half of them would owe their nativity to some other city even if they were born in Chennai. In a way the heart is not there :(

A city is built not on money and commercial success but on values, culture, etc and a strong sense of nativity. Chennai needs to reinvent itself in this department.

We need a building an Icon that the city can be proud of !!!!!! This would bring a sense of self pride in being a Chennaite..! The state govt needs to wake up ! Forums like these can act as a great pushing power aswell. We learn from around the world how other cities take pride in themselves.. and can try push those who are in power to take note !

Power to the people !

Fusionist

September 7th, 2004, 03:05 AM

Yea right Indian and Ilovemtl, but how long can a city live on those colonial days buildings like the Central Station, Theosophical Society, LIC or the Marina to reinvent that civic pride ?

Chennai needs a symbol, a dynamic, people centric building i which atleast most of the 'cityzens' can take pride in calling it our city that represents Chennai of today. Changing name alone ( from colonial Madras to Chennai ) doesnt bring pride ot the city.. it has to go with equally ambitious plans and the ability and energy to implement such plans.

I know it is moving.. but I would still love to urge it on !

Suncity

September 7th, 2004, 03:09 AM

This could turn contravercial but my view is that Chennai lacks raw passion for itself as a city. Most of the Chennaites even today do not consider Chennai as their emotional home ( but thankfully the younger generation do )
It was always the commercial capital of the state, a British built city in a way but never the emotional home even to many of its current residents. If you ask a Chennaite where he is from, atleast half of them would owe their nativity to some other city even if they were born in Chennai. In a way the heart is not there :(

A city is built not on money and commercial success but on values, culture, etc and a strong sense of nativity. Chennai needs to reinvent itself in this department.

Interesting view point.

theguy

September 7th, 2004, 09:14 PM

fusionist ..... ur posts are almost stupid :D(dont take it personally :D) but this crap about no one has this emotional attachment is bullshit,i mean when someone asks my nativity i say chennai and infact most of people here i know are proud to say that they are frm chennai, yea chennai doesnt have any big buildings or outstandingly architectured buildings but on an average the architecture of chennai is as good as any other indian city maybe barring mumbai(because of its old buildings).

Fusionist

September 7th, 2004, 11:45 PM

Yea right I have been told before aswell that I am sometimes OTT ;)

Theguy, can you reason out why Chennai lacks iconic buildings then ?

From where I left yesterday I am well aware that there is no single cause or simplistic solutions for such issues. But I do believe that a sense of belonging is one of the reasons. Why is it missing ? Let me try give some reasons that springs to my mind..

1. Chennai is not a historic city.. even though Maylapur, Triplicane etc have long existed before the present day Chennai arose (thanks to the British colonists who laid the founding stone). Therefore there are no historic pride in the city as the case may be in cities like Madurai, Tanjore etc

2. Most of Chennaites , especially the older generation ( forefathers for sure ) are migrants from other parts of the state or nation for that matter. Only the younger generation consider Chennai as their own.

3. Tamil heartland. Chennai was never the Tamil heartland.. it is only the commercial capital and the seat of power.

4. How many media figures, film makers, famous personalities etc before the Vijay/Surya generation considered themselves to be proud of Chennai, even though they used it as a base to improve their career.

5. How many educational institutes in Chennai work closely in association with the city planners ? How many schools teach about the history of the city ? How many Chennaites really know anything about the city ?

6. Family values. Unfortunately most of us try to mke a world out of our extended family. Not even half of that interest, effort is put into civic concerns or duties.

7. Does Chennai have a city festival or parade.. or a city cricket team or football club .. where the Chennaite can constructively ( not fundemetally ) have a good opening to support and cherish his/her city ? Look at the civic pride that the English or American cities show when it comes to football /basketball ?

I do realise that nativity is not the only cause for it and that the other Indian cities might have the same problem,to some extend London has the same problem.. but there is something called collective force and better working ethics here that would see through projects. In Chennai it has to come from pushing hard, the politicians, mayor, urban planners, need to work out a sustainable and feasible plan to channel out a brighter Chennai.

Ofcourse there are the usual excuses that it is a trhird world city etc, corrupt politicians etc ( but what is the point ? I tend to look at such reasons as excuses to pass on the blame to someone else.. we can only do what we can change.. not wqhat we cant ) so instead of ranting out and getting raged over each other how about some constructive actions then ? My view is that emotional outpours alone wont build building. Have you ever tried writing to the concerned authorities about your views and ask them questions and encourage them in their work ?

I know that this is being done in another SSC forum and they seem to be working out well. We need to keep the builders/ planners/govt on their toes..as an enthusiast we can achieve a lot !

Ashok

September 8th, 2004, 05:02 AM

yea chennai doesnt have any big buildings or outstandingly architectured buildings but on an average the architecture of chennai is as good as any other indian city maybe barring mumbai(because of its old buildings).

okay, maybe Chennai has old building (A few), but they do not compare to other big cities like Mumbai, New Dehli, ect... They are cetain parts of some city that u can show in pix to someone n they would be able to identify what city it is... but if u show a picture of chennai's most important part, it would be a "guess the city" thing to a person.

syzygy

September 8th, 2004, 04:04 PM

I am sure that chennai can be proud of these things, and people from chennai ARE proud of these ( my advisor is from chennai and i had my undergraduate education there )

1) rich heritage of culture : ( may be richer than many of the cities quoted , like mumbai or delhi ) the old history of its hinterland !

2) the mathematics , ask a guy who knows a little about number theory ( the single most populer branch of maths ) about chennai he will tell you abotu ramanujam ! and may be at present there are most famous mathematicians at chennai than anywhere else ( ok ofcourse there is TIFR ) .

3) there are plenty of old buildings ! ( look in any city in india which war there in time of the brits have a plenty of old buildings ) to name few :

the fort : excellent to my test ( though i am not an expert of architecture )
Presedency college ( its gorgeous , it looks nostalgic and beauty is in the heart of the beholder ! )
The ripon building
The temples in tripcane ( multiplex or glass is not the only measure of beauty ) and people are very fond of these temples
new architectures near mahabalipuram road ( i might be able to post a few pics of Chennai mathematical institute , its one of the most beautiful building for a school ( yes i have TIFR in mind, or indian institute of management at kolkata , or bla bla ) )
and to give you few example of passion ( passion is so transparent that it cannot be filmed or photographed easily , you need a good light to see it ) i have met a lot of chennaites in Boston and they are very passionate about their city ( maybe they dont talk about a building , come on who does ? name a guy from mumbai who talkes about Victoria terminus while talking about his or her city ! or a delhi-lodger who gives you example of the architecture while talking about the city ! ) they are passionate abotu all that chennai can offer to them and us ( and believe me its as much as any other city can offer )

i only agree with one point that chennai does not have any sports team which will unite the passionate lovers of the city togather , but tell me which city does have in india ? mumbai has only a cricket team , so does the others in some sense !

building tall buildings with small fecads in our mind will not improve india ! actually for mumbai if you take the good architectures minus the shitty movies then it is negetive ! ( no offence ) . i know that movies from chennai is also not all so good !

i know that still there are further scopes of improving our passion for the cities and thats why we are here !

nithin

September 8th, 2004, 04:28 PM

chennai first has to focus on water and roads, and cleaning the two rivers choom en adyar. They really stink. The last time i have been in chennai was something like 4 years ago, but people who just visited the city say nothing changed, expect the way people spend in chennai. The buying power really has increased!

Fusionist

September 8th, 2004, 04:34 PM

syz, I am not disputing the tradition or the ethnicity of the people and I have lived most of my life in Chennai to understand that and I have extensively travelled in and around Chennai and have taken a keen interest on the buildings there. Ofcourse the average Chennaite is very intelligent, hard working, and has one of the top most IT brans in the world. I am talking about the energy level of the city in moving forward.

My point is if we are content with what we have we wont strive for more.. thats why I suggest a push forward rather than justifying the beauty ( or the lack of it, or both ) which Chennai already has. So far I havent even got a single positive reply to my plans to write pettitions to the PWD or the Chennai Corporation, or the architects etc.. if you all are so keen on the city why not join me ?

Fusionist

September 8th, 2004, 04:36 PM

the way people spend in chennai. The buying power really has increased!

This is very true. The people are individually moving forward ( thanks to the IT boom, and the average Chennaite is educated and workds hard ) and I do see that boom being reflected in the housing sector but there seem to be not much collective force forward. Collective action is needed to bringing better public infrastructure, civic amenities, and more so in getting that iconic building !

Hindustani

September 9th, 2004, 02:47 PM

http://www.chennaionline.com/cityfeature/Chennai/Images/mrts-03.jpg http://www.chennaionline.com/cityfeature/Chennai/Images/mrts-07.jpg http://www.chennaionline.com/cityfeature/Chennai/Images/mrts-08.jpg

http://www.chennaionline.com/cityfeature/Chennai/Images/mrts-06.jpg http://www.chennaionline.com/cityfeature/Chennai/Images/mrts02.jpg http://www.chennaionline.com/cityfeature/Chennai/Images/mrts-05.jpg

http://www.chennaionline.com/cityfeature/Chennai/Images/mrts-02.jpg http://www.chennaionline.com/cityfeature/Chennai/Images/mrts-09.jpg http://www.chennaionline.com/cityfeature/Chennai/Images/mrts-04.jpg

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/canvas/2003/09/27/images/2003092700090201.jpg http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/01/27/images/2004012701031101.jpg

http://www.tidco.com/tn_policies/tn_infra_structure/.%5CDEVELOPMENT_OF_MRTS_PHASE_files%5Cimage001.jpg

http://www.subways.net/india/chennai.jpg http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/bline/2002/03/20/images/2002032001801901.jpg

http://www.urbanrail.net/as/chen/chennai-suburban-map.gif

lumpia

September 9th, 2004, 03:03 PM

Wow nice infra! :okay: Chennai is in the south of India? do you know what the population is? :)

Hindustani

September 9th, 2004, 03:14 PM

Lumpia......I dont have the facts but I thinks its APPROX 9-10 Million. Its the 4th largest of the Indian cities after Mumbai, Calcutta, Delhi. Its definitely the largest in S. India or almost twice as large as Bangalore, Hyderabad.

Fusionist

September 9th, 2004, 11:48 PM

http://www.urbanrail.net/as/chen/chennai-map.gif

This is a more elaborate map of the mrts that takes you from the Beach through Mylapore to the Tidel Park and there are plans to take it all the way to the Airport

The population of Chennai is a little under 5 million ( without the suburbs I think ) but Chennai is a laid out city and used to be called 'the city of distances'

Fusionist

September 9th, 2004, 11:59 PM

http://www.geocities.com/nsridhar74/MRTS-Thirumailai1.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/nsridhar74/MRTS-Thirumailai2.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/nsridhar74/MRTS-Thirumailai3.jpg

Some fantastic pics of the 'Parakkum Rail' ( flying tran ) station at Mylapore. I actually love the design.. it looks like a mini poor man's version of London Waterloo International Station ( well by some stretch of imagination ). Sadly the MRTS stations are not maintained well and not much patronage to the services aswell.

http://img.cryst.bbk.ac.uk/www/photos/paris98/waterlo1.jpg

kshatriya

September 10th, 2004, 08:04 AM

Ministry Approval For Maiden SEZ

OUR CORPORATE BUREAU
Posted online: Friday, September 10, 2004 at 0000 hours IST

MUMBAI, SEPT 9: Mahindra Industrial Park has received the final approval from the ministry of commerce for Mahindra City — the country’s first operational special economic zone (SEZ). A number of zones have graduated from export processing zones to SEZs, through in-principle approval.

Mahindra City is an integrated township located 30 minutes from Chennai airport. It has been promoted by Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) group along with Tamilnadu Industrial Development Corporation (Tidco) with an investment at over Rs 200 crore till date.

The city is spread over 1,450 acres of which SEZ constitutes 815 acres.

kshatriya

September 10th, 2004, 08:05 AM

Mahindra's corporate SEZ on fast track
Our Bureau
Mumbai , Sept. 9

THE Mahindra group would develop the first corporate special economic zone (SEZ) in the country.

The special purpose vehicle - Mahindra Industrial Park Ltd (MIPL) - floated by the Mahindra Gesco Developers Ltd in association with the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation was granted the approval to this effect by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday.

Talking to newspersons here on Thursday, Mr Arun K. Nanda, Executive Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, said the Rs 350-crore project, was on its way with an investment of over Rs 200 crore already made.

This was India's first integrated business city with a public private partnership where 89 per cent of the Rs 20-crore equity capital came from Mahindra and the rest from TIDCO.

"This was not like any in-principle approval as has been claimed by some. We sold land to Infosys Technologies some four months back and their first facility will become operational by December 2004. We have signed up with a few others, two of them being TTK Healthcare and Kryolan, Germany," Mr Nanda said.

The SEZ, situated about an hour's drive away from Chennai, will cater to three sectors - information technology (software, hardware and bio-informatics), apparel and fashion accessories and auto ancillaries. The 1,435-acre township would have some 600 acres dedicated as domestic tariff area and some 800 acres catering to the SEZ.

The Singapore-based Ascendas is being roped in as the maintenance contractor.

Infosys has acquired 129 acres at the SEZ, where it will develop what could become the world's single largest software development centre.

The software major is planning to develop 3.5 million sq feet of space to accommodate 25,000 hands at a cost of Rs 1,250 crore.

TTK Healthcare is setting up a herbal formulations division called TTK Biometrix, spread over 5 acres of land, to be located in the domestic tariff area.

The global cosmetics major, Krylan of Germany, whose existing facilities are in Europe and South America, will make its first foray into the Indian market through the Chennai SEZ.

According to Mr B.G. Menon, Chief Operating Officer, MIPL, the apparels industry was going to witness much consolidation in the post-quota regime.

Already, there was much interest shown by some players in Tirupur, he said.

The cost of development at the SEZ worked out to Rs 22 lakh per acre, he said.

Meanwhile, the major chunk of revenue is expected to flow from the 200-acre residential component where the investment is expected to exceed a few thousand crores.

Mahindra Gesco will develop the houses, where 25 acres of developed space is expected to be ready by May 2005.

Suncity

September 10th, 2004, 07:31 PM

Good..

chronicsurfer

September 16th, 2004, 02:32 AM

theguy

September 16th, 2004, 08:37 PM

awesome pics there hindustani and fusionist

theguy

September 16th, 2004, 08:38 PM

the population of chennai is around 4.8 million the city and with the suburbs it comes to around 6.8million

theguy

September 16th, 2004, 08:52 PM

man fusionist plz dun such long posts :D, well chennai does have a cricket team its just that it isnt as famous as the mumbai one and just remeber that the cities u r comparing chennai with is simply much larger than chennai (chennai pop is 6.8 million while mumbai and delhi are aroun 18 million each).As for old architecture just visit the older part of the city like the area around central station, GH and parrys.And as for chennai people saying that chennai hasnt changed are stupid, i see the city changing in front of my eyes, everything from the way roads look to the construction of new buildings and attitude of the people living here has changed!Well just go see bangalore and tell me how small it feels when compared to chennai (banagalore pop arnd 6.2 million),bangalore is an awesome city no doubt but feels really small when compared to madras

theguy

September 16th, 2004, 08:55 PM

and please dont change this thread into chennai doesnt have anythng kinda thread,this one is for the upcoming projects in chennai and let it stay that way :)

theguy

September 16th, 2004, 09:03 PM

i dont understand what is SEZ?

kronik

September 17th, 2004, 03:43 AM

i dont understand what is SEZ?

http://sezindia.nic.in/

FAQ's

Q. What is a Special Economic Zone ?
A. Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is a specifically delineated duty free enclave and shall be deemed to be foreign territory for the purposes of trade operations and duties and tariffs.

Special Economic Zone (http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Special_Economic_Zone)

A Special Economic Zone is a geographical region that has economic laws different from a country's typical economic laws. Usually the goal is an increase in foreign investment.

Hindustani

September 18th, 2004, 12:09 AM

Fusionist........70% of you points taken. Although 30% of your points, I think you are being a little harsh on Chennai. I visited Chennai twice & I found it to be a very spread out city. But dont forget Mumbai cannot spread too much because of it being "Island" so it has to go up or else Mumbai could have had same faith.

I see there is 1 solution to all the problems you mentioned.

Chennai has spectacular Marina Beach & a very good beach road. If the chennai architects can really come together & built couple of sleek 25+ stories on beachfront & throw in 1 or 2 40 stories in there. Chennai will come alive with a bang. That beach view will look spectacular. It may happen in next 5 yrs who knows.

Fusionist

September 18th, 2004, 01:50 AM

I do agree that I have been a bit harsh.. but the only thing I was trying to stir up was the PASSION !

I do realise that Chennai is well spread and there is still space available, but then if I get content with it will it help Chennai get a modern iconic building ? ;)

About city pride.. I do know I have compared Chennai with certain first world cities.. perhaps comparing it with other Indian cities would have put it more in context. The difference hear is not the money obviously, but putting words into action ! We could learn from it

All I am angry is.. look at the average Chennai college student.. although he wouldn't let down the city and always claim to be proud of his roots.. he would prefer moving over to B'lore or Mumbai ( if he can't get the flight abroad that is ) why ? lifestyle. Why not put the same effort into Chennai ?

Desp[ite all of theguy's words, I still think that people in Chennai need to put words into action and push the planners ahead

rant over and out ( for the mo that is ;) )

:cheers:

Fusionist

September 18th, 2004, 02:14 AM

Hehe, Fusionist! That's some stretch of imagination. I was in Chennai two weeks before and I was appalled to see that the Mandaveli station was still undone though the services are operational till Thiruvanmiyur.

Chennai's 'Flying Train' or 'Parakkum Rail' started much before Delhi Metro and had it been done the way DMRC has done Delhi Metro it would have been just great. The views of the Marina from Light House and Triplicane stations are pretty good. My question is, WHY did they not give as much importance at the Delhi or Calcutta Metro when it was done. It looks like a poor cousin to the Delhi Metro.

Hey, I'm not comparing Delhi and Chennai. I love both of them. When the first Flying Train service was launched in Chennai, I hoped to see a TGV like train zip past overhead. Though it was disappointing to see the EMU run overhead, I thought that one day we could have such trains. Living in Delhi close to the upcoming Line 3, I feel that Chennai's should look like this too!! Probably Mr. Sreedharan could come up with a plan to upgrade our MRTS to DMRC standards.

Heard that Jayalalitha has asked for a feasibility study for metro in Chennai from DMRC. Any news on that??

Feasibility study? hmm this sounds interesting. Would love to hear more on it aswell.

About the poor state of the MRTS, you are right though.. I think the MRTS was planned with the future in mind rather than the present, otherwise why on earth would we need a line that stretches the ( relative ) wildrness between Indira Nagar through Velacherry to Thambaram ? while the main section of the city is struggling to cope with the existing traffic.

About the stations themselves.. nice architecture, but virtually empty and poorly maintained. Don't the loonies allocate money for maintainance or come up with any sustainable plan that could be implemented in the well functioning of a newly planned and innovative scheme ? apparently no ! It is all about getting the best share of the bribe out of it all I guess

I believe the coaches for the EMU are designed not too far. They are build in ICF in the western side of the city itself. Still how can they allow such a monstrous puke stinking partly rusted metal box ( with bra adverts on its sides ) run in one of the first elevated rail system in the coutry ? It is simply beyond reason !

Hopefully the Chennai-B'lore race for IT supremacy will melt down into city pride and the planners would atlast start taking more interest in public infrastructure, transport etc

I always live in hope ( and beer ;) )
:cheers:

jayakrishnan

September 18th, 2004, 09:06 AM

Things will be quite diff in abt a yr from now, lots of good building are comming up all over chennai, but my only question is are they properly planned, or is it just building it where ever there is vacant place

nithin

September 18th, 2004, 11:02 AM

the track and the stations do look. But they should do something about the trains, they are just damn ugly. They could have chosen some nice frame (just llike delhi). That will boost the image of chennai!

ViMo

September 18th, 2004, 11:10 AM

Correct me if I am wrong, isn't it so that the Delhi Metro trains are meant for the broad gauge rail tracks? And so are our ugly suburban trains! Then why can't we just run the DMRC trains on the broad gauge tracks in cities like Chennai and Mumbai...

kshatriya

September 21st, 2004, 07:18 AM

SEZ Indore in last stage of selecting partner (Sept 16-30, 2004)
By Manojit Saha

The Indore SEZ Ltd is in the last phase of finalising a strategic partner for the development of SEZ Indore at Pithampur Industrial Area, about 25 km from Indore, the commercial hub of MP, Shovit Jain, Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh Audyogik Kendra Vikas Nigam (Indore) Ltd, told Project Monitor. The Indore SEZ Ltd is a special purpose vehicle promoted by MPAKVN.
"Since the total investment is more than Rs 1,000 crore, we have decided to develop the SEZ with a strategic partner. Seven bidders have been selected out of nine for the strategic tie-up," Jain says.
SEZ Indore, the first greenfield operational SEZ in India, has been set up on 1,038 hectares of land. The zone will be developed in two phases with a total planned investment of around Rs 1,050 crore. Phase-I comprises 138 hectares of land. Says Jain, "Phase-I is already 80 per cent booked and we have allocated land to 11 units. Two units will start production by this month-end. Investment to the tune of Rs 1,500 crore is underway."
For phase-I, the SEZ has entered into a power purchase agreement with NTPC for power supply. Power would be available to the units at a rate much cheaper than at other SEZs in the country and is not expected to be a problem. Independent power producers can also participate in the zone.
Claiming that SEZ Indore provided a world-class environment, Jain said the state government was providing 'duty free' sops to the units coming up in the zone, such as commercial taxes, stamp duty and electricity. The government has also simplified the labour laws for the zone that include working hour restrictions and night shifts.
MPAKVN will shortly appoint a Development Commissioner for the SEZ. The DC will be delegated powers enjoyed by labour commissioners and heads of pollution control boards, and town and country planning authorities.
A special feature of SEZ Indore is that it has a fully operational inland container depot on 6.57 hectares of land. The ICD, managed by Container Corporation of India, is a well-developed dry port where the turnaround time for cargo is less.
When asked why other SEZs had not made substantial progress, Jain says, "Developing an SEZ is a long-term process. Investment comes in phases. We are hopeful that as the development of phase-II is completed more and more investment will flow in. We are positive about the prospects of special economic zones in the country."

http://www.projectsmonitor.com/detailnews.asp?newsid=8202

theguy

September 22nd, 2004, 08:10 AM

whatever u might say fusionist chennai is an awesome city with an awesome climate :D
but seriously i love my city a lot and the ppl i know also love it a lot

theguy

September 22nd, 2004, 08:23 AM

so will that help chennai??i mean if mahindra city becomes SEZ

RajKhalsa

September 22nd, 2004, 08:29 AM

good news!

Suraj

September 22nd, 2004, 10:04 PM

How is the IT expressway (TIDEL Park - Madhya Kailash) coming along ? Has construction begun ? When is the estimated completion time ?

Fusionist

September 23rd, 2004, 02:47 AM

but my only question is are they properly planned, or is it just building it where ever there is vacant place

Well no first hand info, but I think most of the buildings are by real estate developers or by the private sector. Which means the city doesn't move ahead as a 'whole' but rather like individual parts moving in whatever way they see as 'forward' There is no master plan for the city as such by the Municipality apart from the IT Corridor which seems to be organised. The MRTS link to Tidel Park and the plan to link it with the airport seems futuristic and hopefullt it will work out

I think we need to learn lesson or two from countries like France where the Council has a say in each and every building in a city. The entire city has a master plan and you can't even change a window in your own house if it goes agains't the citie's masterplan ! The result ? Strich and sometimes annoying rules and regulations, but on the whole a well planned systematic, and very picturesque city with great architecture !

Hindustani

October 2nd, 2004, 11:45 PM

IT’s destination Chennai
G.C. Shekhar
Chennai, October 3

* Infosys' NEW 120-acre campus will house 25,000 employees — its single largest presence anywhere.

* TCS has purchased 70 acres in an IT Park, its biggest software footprint anywhere in India.

* Wipro is buying space heavily to expand its operations.

* HCL's second largest IT presence outside the Delhi-Noida-Gurgaon belt will be located here.

* Other biggies like Cognizant, Perot Systems, Xansa, I-Soft, Philips and Astron have leased or bought huge space for their expansion plans.

All this is happening not in Bangalore or Hyderabad but in Chennai. In 2003, nearly 1.4 million sq ft of office space was absorbed here — with the IT and BPO sectors accounting for more than 90 per cent of it. The same sectors took 900,000 sq ft of space in the first two quarters of 2004, said real estate consultant Ramesh Nair.

"Chennai is the city where IT is really booming," said Vivek Harinarain the state's IT secretary.

This boom is attributed to a hassle-free entry system in which the bureaucracy stays out of the hair of the companies while fast-tracking all their other clearances.

"We are a power surplus state. The connectivity is the best after the submarine cable between Chennai and Singapore was laid and in infrastructure, especially transport and roads we're the best," said Sudeep Jain, MD of ELCOT, the nodal agency for IT.

More importantly, TN is home to probably the largest IT talent pool with more than 200 engineering colleges in the state turning out around 45,000 graduates suitable for the IT industry every year.

"The work and performance ethics of the people here is very high. This is critical in the services business where companies are only as good as every employee is," said N. Lakshmi Narayanan, CEO of Cognizant Technologies.

So much so that software and BPO companies in Chennai have among the lowest attrition rates of less than 10 per cent.

"IT service companies need to hire people to increase their revenue so lower attrition naturally means greater productivity. Chennai's conservative culture where loyalty to the workplace is high goes a long way in winning the confidence of companies," said R. Ramkumar, Corporate Communications manager of Cognizant.

"In the last two-and-a-half years, 30,000 jobs were created in IT and related industries. And we're looking at 200,000 new jobs till 2008. The government has been pushing it for it aggressively and the results are here to see," he said.

Why Chennai?

Infrastructure Has better infrastructure as compared to Bangalore and Hyderabad. Chennai has better connectivity and roads, no power cuts, consulates and an international airport

Alternative In case Chennai chokes up, Coimbatore is being developed as the next IT hub

Work culture Very low attrition rate of 10% compared to Bangalore’s 50% and Mumbai’s 70%

easy going Friendly IT policy that encourages firms to invest with lower stamp duties, concessions in building norms and single window clearances

nova

October 3rd, 2004, 03:03 AM

Hmm.. bound to happen.. Been hearing lots about Bangalore's infrastructrue creaking and dying.

indian

October 3rd, 2004, 05:06 PM

aks

October 3rd, 2004, 05:41 PM

Good news 4 Chennai. About infrastructure, hmmmm, it is ok.
Connectivity:True
Roads:They are ok, but it would be better if they bring it to Delhi standards.
No power cuts:Kinda false. The last time I went there during the summer break, the power situation was horrible.(I went a couple of years ago, they might have improved it).
Counslates:Great. The US consulate issues more H1-B visas from Chennai, than it does from any of its consulates from around the wold.
Airport:Good, but they really need to upgrade it.
Finally Chennai gets its due. They should really use the money from the corporates to improve the infrastructure.
Water: They really need to do something about it.
SINGARA CHENNAI: GO AHEAD

PS: Jayalalitha should continue as CM.

By the way, what's the cost of getting water (say) per month. I agree IT industry does not need water like any manufacturing industry but humans do need. Do we get enough water to take bath every day? What's about drinking water? Is it supplied through municipal water tanks during water shortage days? or people generally get bottled water for drinking?

Not sure about electricity situation in Chennei. But with road bridge planned between India and Sri Lanka and india's relations growing with ASEAN countries, Chennei definitely has great future ahead. Best wishes. No doubt it has the talent pool available.

indian

October 3rd, 2004, 05:51 PM

By the way, what's the cost of getting water (say) per month. I agree IT industry does not need water like any manufacturing industry but humans do need. Do we get enough water to take bath every day? What's about drinking water? Is it supplied through municipal water tanks during water shortage days? or people generally get bottled water for drinking?

Not sure about electricity situation in Chennei. But with road bridge planned between India and Sri Lanka and india's relations growing with ASEAN countries, Chennei definitely has great future ahead. Best wishes. No doubt it has the talent pool available.

Water problem in Chennai is very bad. The ground water reserves have been dried up. My uncle in Chennai pays Rs700 for a tanker of water which lasts around 15 days. That water is used for general purposes. Drinking water you have to buy from outside.And it is actually a permanent water shortage.People say that rapid urbanization and growth in population caused the current water problem. In the not-so-rich areas, I have seen people running after water tanks whenever it arrives. That really sucks. I mean people should get the most important thing without any hassles. Although Jayalalitha is doing something, let us hope it really rains and something good happens.

kronik

November 2nd, 2004, 09:28 PM

TNTPO opens Rs 26-crore convention centre in Chennai (http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?storyflag=y&leftnm=lmnu2&leftindx=2&lselect=1&chklogin=N&autono=171400)

The Tamil Nadu Trade Promotion Organisation (TNTPO) has constructed a convention centre with an investment of around Rs 26 crore.

The convention centre has a seating capacity of 1,500, and is equipped with an audio-video system. The convention centre is housed within the Chennai Trade Centre facility. TNTPO is a joint venture between the Indian Trade Promotion Organisation and the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation.

The 6,700-sq mtrs ground floor area of the convention centre houses a 1,900-sq mtrs multipurpose hall , a 500-sq mtrs stage and a 750-sq mtrs banquet hall.

The reception and lounge of the convention centre are under construction on 270 sq mtrs. Apart from the main hall, there are around six rooms with varying capacities which can seat 25 to 135 participants. The convention centre also houses an information booth and a business centre with internet connectivity.

kronik

November 17th, 2004, 07:08 PM

All hail capitalism. The netas of India are asked to satiate the thirst for infrastructure of the ever hungry India Inc. and after years of living a worthless life, they fall flat on their face.

Poor infrastructure may hit Chennai's IT plans (http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?storyflag=y&leftnm=lmnu2&leftindx=2&lselect=1&chklogin=N&autono=172612)

The work on the six-lane express-way along the Information Technology Corridor (old Mahabalipuram road), which was expected to be completed by the end of 2004, has not yet taken off.

In addition to the recent rains, the works carried out by the public work departments in the IT Corridor has made traffic movement along the road difficult.

Tamil Nadu government has proposed to constitute a special purpose vehicle (SPV) called IT Expressway Limited to undertake the implementation of a six-lane express-way project to international standards. Tamil Nadu Road Development Corporation (TNRDC) will take up the project on a public-private partnership model with an investment of around Rs 110 crore which was upgraded from Rs 70 crore.

Sources from the government, however, said that the reason for the delay in the project was due to some additions made to the project and problems like land acquisitions. The project is expected to be started by January 2005.

Another major project in the area is Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) from Chennai beach to Tamabaram. This project is the completion of the phase II which is expected to be operational shortly. MRTS phase II has been taken up to Velachery at a cost of Rs 689.01 crore for a total length of 11.165 km (23.318 km on surface and 7.848 km are elevated structures).

The IT Corridor is about 20 kilometres long extending from Tidel Park to Siruseri IT Park and boosts of all big names like Wipro, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services(TCS), Cognizant Technology Service and Polaris. The 980-acre Siruseri Software Park is promoted by the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu. About 677 acres of land are yet to be allocated. The cost of per acre is Rs 16 lakh.

Lim Kim Tah Holdings, a residential township project, is estimated to cost around Rs 500 crore which is to be developed in three phases in 100 acres and will eventually house about 6,000 residential units.

Some popular IT companies have taken space in the Siruseri IT Park. While Xansas is planning to house its campus in 27 acres of land, TCS has taken 70 acres of land. The recent entrant, Syntel, has taken 50 acres of land.

Suncity

November 17th, 2004, 07:22 PM

Suncity

November 22nd, 2004, 06:37 PM

Jayalalithaa inaugurates TICEL bio-park
By ChennaiOnline News Service

Chennai, Nov 10: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today inaugurated the Rs 62.50 crore state-of-the-art TIDCO Centre for Life Sciences Bio-park (TICEL), with world class design and standards for companies to nurture research and development, at a simple function here.

Set up in the ''knowledge corridor'' at Taramani by the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development corporation (TIDCO) in collaboration with Cornell University, New York, the centre could attract an investment to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore from companies from India and abroad.

The park has bio-resource centre, a common facility with wet laboratories for fermentation, microbiology, molecular biology and animal tissue culture.

http://www.ticelbiopark.com/

http://www.ticelbiopark.com/images/builimg.jpg

http://www.ticelbiopark.com/images/infrastructure1.jpg

http://www.ticelbiopark.com/images/infrastructure2.jpg

The Bio Park has (will have) the following facilities:

Cornell University, USA has provided the design and technical parameters for the Bio Park.

Sridhar

December 15th, 2004, 05:58 AM

News on the proposed flyovers in Chennai. NHAI had proposed a full stack at Kathipara junction - don't know if that plan remains or whether they have planned a different design now.

http://www.hindu.com/2004/12/15/stories/2004121509190100.htm

Work soon on decongesting highways traffic in Chennai

By T. Ramakrishnan

CHENNAI, DEC. 14. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) proposes to begin in two months work on decongesting traffic at four major locations in and around Chennai. The locations are the Kathipara, Koyamebdu and Padi junctions, besides the Chennai airport.

Multilevel grade separators or elevated structures have been planned at the first three sites. A flyover for nearly one km is to be built near the airport. All of them, costing about Rs. 200 crores, will be constructed in two-and-a-half years.

Firms shortlisted

Work on the structures has been treated as one project and will be awarded to one executing agency. Bids will be opened in New Delhi on Thursday. Around 40 firms have been shortlisted at the pre-qualification stage. All of them have been given documents to participate in the tender process.

``Only on December 16 will we know the actual number of bidders,'' says an official of the NHAI, nodal agency for execution. He hopes that the contract will be awarded in a month and that the work will begin by early February.

The Kathipara junction is a busy intersection where three major roads meet. Traffic here has increased after the mofussil bus terminus at Koyambedu came into being about two years ago and long distance buses are diverted at the junction through the Inner Ring Road to the terminus.

Traffic snarls at the Padi junction have become a common feature in recent years.

The volume of traffic of long distance buses and vegetable carriers has gone up phenomenally after the opening of the Koyambedu terminus and vegetable market.

Though temporary measures were introduced to facilitate smooth movement a few months ago, urban experts and the public demanded that a permanent solution be found.

At the Koyambedu junction too, traffic jams are a daily occurrence.

While those going towards Tambaram will use the proposed flyover near the airport, people bound for the airport will take Grand Southern Trunk road. For, 70 per cent of the traffic on GST road goes beyond the airport. During peak hours (9-11 a.m. and 5-9 p.m.), the volume of traffic on this road has been estimated at 20,000 passenger car units.

Widening the road between Koyambedu and Maduravoyal will also be executed as part of this project.

Asked whether the grade separators will interfere with the proposed alignment of the Mass Rapid Transport System project along the Inner Ring Road, a State Government official says this aspect has been taken into account.

At the time of preparing the spadework before floating the bids, the NHAI consulted the State Government and its agencies.

centralized pandemonium

December 20th, 2004, 12:39 AM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Central nod for multilevel flyovers by next week

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, DEC. 18. The Centre may give its nod for four multilevel
grade separator projects in the city's southern suburbs by next week,
the Union Surface Transport Minister, T.R. Baalu, said today.

Talking to reporters here during a visit to his constituency, Mr.
Baalu said multilevel grade separators were proposed at the Padi
junction, on GST Road near the Meenambakkam airport and at the
Koyambedu junction and a two-tier overbridge was planned at the
Kathipara junction. After obtaining the Centre's nod, the foundation
stone would be laid by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief, M.
Karunanidhi.

Besides, there was a proposal for a flyover at the junction of the
Chennai bypass and Poonamallee High Road at Maduravoyal. Work on
extending the Chennai bypass up to Red Hills would soon be taken up.
The project would cost of Rs. 450 crores. Tenders had been floated for
the integrated project.

The 4.5-km stretch of Poonamallee High Road between Koyambedu and
Maduravoyal would be made four-lane.

Link road

The National Highways Authority of India planned to build a link road
from Grand Southern Trunk Road to the Chennai bypass, especially for
vehicles moving further south from Tambaram.

A subway was proposed near Irumbuliyur under the elevated portion of
GST Road. This would enable vehicles from GST Road to take the bypass
without affecting normal traffic.

The link road would reduce the distance by a few km for vehicles
travelling south, which now needed to drive down about a couple of km
to take a `U' turn and drive back to join the bypass.

Mr. Baalu said the projects were likely to be completed in less than
two years.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.thehindu.com/2004/12/19/stories/2004121907660100.htm

Suncity

January 8th, 2005, 05:43 AM

Render

http://www.runwalgroup.com/runwalcity_chennai.jpg

The Amrut Runwal Group is setting up a Rs 1000 crore project on what used to be the Binny textile mills land at Perumbar in Chennai to be completed in the next five years.

The group has roped in the Singapore based architect firm SAA for the project design and landscaping. The project which is being taken up in joint venture with the Kalapathi and Reddy groups in the city, will have over 11,000 dwelling units including service units, shopping complexes, and IT park.

Highlights of this project at Chennai

» 1,2,3,4 BHK flats
» Penthouses
» Townhouses and Row houses
» Duplexes
» Villas Multiplexes & Shopping Malls
» Five Star Hotel
» Service Apartments
» Software Technology Park
» Mini Golf course

Facts & Figures

» 1000 crores
» 11,000 homes
» 80 lakh sq.ft. construction
» 70 acres of land

Interesting sidelight

Will Binny be remembered?
S. MUTHIAH
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2004/11/29/stories/2004112900090300.htm

drwho

January 8th, 2005, 03:12 PM

whooho! that sure looks cool!:)

ViMo

January 8th, 2005, 05:55 PM

But, can you construct so much with so little - 1000 crores for all this:

11000 dwelling units
Villas
Multiplexes
Shopping Malls
Five Star Hotel
Service Apartments
Software Technology Park
Mini Golf course

?

centralized pandemonium

January 8th, 2005, 06:04 PM

That looks cool, how tall is the tallest tower going to be?

Suncity

January 9th, 2005, 11:16 PM

That looks cool, how tall is the tallest tower going to be?

Dunno! If they had some figure I would have posted it.

These companies are so stingy about heights and pics.

Citi-Zen

January 11th, 2005, 01:00 AM

that looks good... :cheers:

but where are they going to find water for all those lakes and canals in the rendering in water-starved chennai??? Any updates on the desalination plant that was coming up in Chennai???

Azhagan

February 6th, 2005, 08:44 PM

The proposed new grade seperators and flyovers in chennai,
foundation stone was laid on 1st feb by kalignar,
start of work at site on 1st march 2004
the project is to be completed in 24months,
budget: 200 crores.

http://img40.exs.cx/img40/70/impn26c6ly.jpg
http://img32.exs.cx/img32/2791/impn26b3at.jpg
http://img32.exs.cx/img32/8831/impn26a9qx.jpg
http://img26.exs.cx/img26/9830/impn269iy.jpg

ithu thanda chennai...how is it!!!!

drwho

February 6th, 2005, 08:59 PM

nice pics Arun!:)

centralized pandemonium

February 7th, 2005, 03:17 AM

Fusionist

February 7th, 2005, 11:40 PM

http://www.hindu.com/2003/12/08/images/2003120809140601.jpg

Padi junction as of now. I am not sure how the govt is going to get all that space to build the island/flyover

thalaiva

February 8th, 2005, 08:34 AM

When will we learn to drive in an orderly manner on the roads? Maybe once the roads improve. :o)

Fusionist

February 8th, 2005, 02:59 PM

When will we learn to drive in an orderly manner on the roads? Maybe once the roads improve. :o)

vaanga thalaiva :) neenga vanthutta ellam sariya poydum

centralized pandemonium

February 8th, 2005, 04:02 PM

When will we learn to drive in an orderly manner on the roads? Maybe once the roads improve. :o)

Welcome to the forms thalaiva. Hope you have a nice time here.
:)

centralized pandemonium

February 8th, 2005, 04:03 PM

vaanga thalaiva :) neenga vanthutta ellam sariya poydum

Hopefully.
:)

Azhagan

February 9th, 2005, 02:16 PM

THE HINDU- 09/02/05

Roadwork yet to be put in fast track mode

By T.S. Shankar

CHENNAI, FEB. 8. Though Tamil Nadu boasts of attracting major investments by information technology companies, work on 20-km road between Madhya Kailash and Siruseri on Old Mahabalipuram Road has still not been put in the "fast track mode."

Enquiries withofficials reveal that the "concessional agreement" for the Rs.100-crore project has not yet been signed by the Chief Minister even though the estimates and drawings were submitted for executing the project.

The Tamil Nadu Road Development Company (TNRDC), which is entrusted with the task of the project, is working round the clock removing semi-permanent and permanent unauthorised constructions or fixtures to pave the way for a six-lane carriageway.

"The TNRDC has taken extra effort to see that the Tamil Nadu Government's IT corridor road, a pet project, does not suffer on any account. We will go all out to make it a model IT corridor road for other States," the sources said.

Progress beyond Taramani

The TNRDC has made progress beyond Taramani, especially the stretch between Sholinganallur and Karapakkam, widening the road. But there is less visible development between Madhya Kailash and Taramani,where there is a cluster of research and educational institutions. "Without handing over the required land, free of encroachments and other impediments, how can the road development work be awarded," a source asked, adding that a high power task force headed by the Development Commissioner was constituted to monitor the implementation of the project.While the city traffic police have effected certain changes for regulating traffic near the Madhya Kailash junction, the number of vehicles commuting on this road, especially during peak hours, has increased sharply. The problem is further compounded by haphazard parking beyond the Tiruvanmiyur MRTS station.

kshatriya

February 9th, 2005, 02:29 PM

vaanga thalaiva :) neenga vanthutta ellam sariya poydum
naan tamil slow-aa marindu poida porain! :sleepy:

Azhagan

February 12th, 2005, 02:43 AM

Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday urged the Union Government to take up a new international airport of world class standard at Chennai.

The Chief Minister also requested the Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas to help Tamil Nadu for establishing Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal at Ennore near the City.

In a memorandum submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Chief Minister said the state government would undertake the land acquisition on payment of cost to provide the land for airport facility. “This had already been indicated to the Ministry of Civil Aviation,” she added.

Stating that Chennai City, the eastern gateway to the world, was a major hub with flights to all parts of the world, she said though the modernisation of both the Kamaraj Domestic Terminal and Anna International Terminal had been up, the facilities available were not of world class.

“Chennai is also a major centre and its traffic potential is most encouraging,” she explained.

Chief Minister said Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) had already commissioned UK-based M/s Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick to prepare a report on modernisation.

“The report had favoured the construction of a new world class international airport at Chennai. For this privately owned land was to be acquired to the extent of about 1000 hectares. The report is currently with the Union Government,” she said.

will the union government agree for this proposal?????????

thalaiva

February 13th, 2005, 09:25 AM

monyaam

February 13th, 2005, 03:24 PM

well JJ requesting for a new Intl. airport in chennai has been going on for quite sometime. Its either JJ is not serious about pushing hard to get the clearance for the project or Central Govt. isn't.

Chennai Intl. airport isn't too bad with the new extended Intl terminal. The govt. should be focusing more on building the IT expressway, desalination plant, more flyovers(perambur flyover has been incomplete for several years), improving facilities in the burbs(drainage,roads etc.).All of these would attract more investments and make the city more liveable.

Azhagan

February 13th, 2005, 03:43 PM

yes its true, but if we gave one more world class airport it will bring pride to chennai..

now they have started a new airport project in bangalore,once it is completed , it will be one of the world class new airport in india,and cos of that chennai airport may loose few things..

for ex, colombo airport is the best in that region so it has many advantage, in order to capture those benefits only they are asking for a new world class airport in chennai..

Azhagan

February 13th, 2005, 03:46 PM

they are asking for quite long time, it was started during previous karunanidhi's period, and JJ is also contiuing the same...it all depends on central govt's hand....

but since they are planning to lease out chennai airport , they think it is not the right time for start constructing a new airport

Azhagan

February 13th, 2005, 09:58 PM

IT Corridor — how far have we reached?

WHAT IS the current status of the IT-corridor planned in Chennai? This is the question topmost on the minds of industry people and watchers alike. And it crops up every time one drives through the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR).

The state government announced its intention to create a world-class IT Corridor on OMR more than a year ago. It backed up its statement by selling plots located on the OMR to IT companies. The plan was to have a world-class urban expressway with well-maintained landscaping on the IT corridor.

To ease the congestion in the city the government also decided to permit developers to build residential complexes along OMR. Selling of plots to both IT companies and residential developers started off in full spree, but not the six-lane expressway.

The Tamil Nadu Road Development Company (TNRDC) came out with a statement in April 2004 that the work will begin in June 2004 and it will be completed by March 2005. In the first phase, the TNRDC would take up the 20-km stretch starting from the Madhya Kailash junction to Siruseri.

In the second phase, the road from Siruseri to Mahabalipuram would be developed. It also said a corridor would be developed as a toll road on global standards. Of the Rs.100 crores estimated for the first phase, Rs. 30 crores would be spent on converting overhead cables running through the corridor into underground ones. The company would also set up a bay-side park on a three-acre plot with public and private participation. Now that was the plan.

What's the scene on the ground? Of course, land was sold to IT companies and residential buildings. But the crucial part of road infrastructure has been delayed. Meanwhile, all the publicity about the development of the IT corridor lead to an unrealistic increase in land prices in areas surrounding, and on the OMR. Land prices in this 40-km highway have more than doubled in the last couple of years. Prices began to rise soon after the State Government declared the road as the IT Highway with the subsequent announcement for developing the same road into a six-lane highway. Land values skyrocketed with top-notch IT companies queuing up to have their offshore software development centres located there.

The speed with which the State Government promoted the Siruseri IT Park and the public announcements made by the IT companies on their investment commitments fuelled the land trend further. The initial stretch of 3-4 km on this road (from the Tidel Park) has been the most sought after area during the last two years.

As a result, the prices here have increased from Rs.1-3 crore to Rs. 3-5 crore per acre. The next pocket — Sholinganallur — also witnessed a substantial growth from Rs. 50 lakh to over Rs. 2 crore per acre. Today even land, which is located beyond Sholinganallur like Semencheri and Siruseri are being quoted at a high of Rs. 1.7 crore per acre and Rs. 1 crore per acre, respectively. Interestingly, the State Government sold land only for Rs.16 lakh per acre at the Siruseri IT Park to companies, which wanted to set up development centres.

Most of the outright land purchases happened about a year ago. Of late, very few transactions have happened, as the prices have reached unrealistic levels. The few that have happened are joint venture deals. Those in the know say that with no buyers coming forward, landowners might now be forced to lower their expectations.

Old Mahabalipuram Road was the most preferred destination for IT and BPO companies mainly because the prices were significantly lower than in the city, according to Ramesh Nair, Associate Director, Jones Lang LaSalle a multinational real estate consulting firm. Today, all the IT and BPO companies located in the IT corridor think twice before taking up another project in the same location.

Learning from the Bangalore experience

Be that as it may, industry watchers say that Chennai will have to learn some lessons from Bangalore and ensure that its infrastructure scales up to meet the projected exponential business growth in IT and BPO.

Although not a problem yet, Chennai could get into a similar situation like Bangalore in a few years if its growth is not balanced with matching infrastructure development.

Bangalore is fast gaining an image as a place with poor infrastructure, high levels of attrition among software professionals, increasing pollution and lack of quality space to expand, according to R. Rajagopalan, Vice-president, Finance and Administration, Cognizant Technology.

However, Sudeep Jain, Managing Director, Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (Elcot), which is the promotional agency designated by the Government of Tamil Nadu to promote IT industries in the State, disagrees that Chennai would go the Bangalore way with a lot of infrastructure-related problems. "We learnt lessons from Bangalore, and have taken care that Chennai does not go the same way," he said.

The city planners need to calibrate how much infrastructure load Chennai can take, and beyond the threshold, development activity should be consciously re-directed to other urbanised cities like Coimbatore, Hosur, Tiruchi and Salem, said Ramesh Nair.

At the same time, the Government needs to immediately repair the 2-3 km stretch from Tidel Park to Perungudi at the earliest rather than wait for the 6-laning of the road, he says. This is important, as most of the IT Park projects on offer in the IT corridor are located in this 2-3 km stretch.

Of course, Vivek Harinarain, IT Secretary, Tamil Nadu Government, is quite hopeful that Chennai would have its IT Corridor soon. "It is only a question of time", he says, pointing out that work on the project has already begun.

There are also plans to utilise the exiting infrastructure in industrial estates at Perungudi, Maraimalai Nagar and Ambattur.

Further, some of the large IT parks such as Siruseri would include both office and housing to ease pressure on the city. The Knowledge Industry Township on the OMR is also planned in a similar way, he said.

The real estate options in the IT corridor are still cheaper than equivalent options in Delhi or Bangalore. Several MNCs are therefore evaluating Chennai for their second phase of growth in India, and developers have already started creating IT-focused developments in peripheral locations. The city will miss the bus if the development of the expressway and other infrastructure is not attended to immediately, say people in the IT industry.

THANKS:THE HINDU

Fusionist

February 14th, 2005, 05:28 PM

Thanks for the welcome guys. Nandri..Vanakkam... I think that if JJ contributed 20% of her personal wealth Madras Airport can be made world class. I am ashamed of the Chief Ministers of Chennai JJ and KK. They should fix the water problem first and construct desalination plants. When countries in the Gulf have no water problem why should we have water problems?

You mighthave a point there. While JJ is so keen on high flying projects little attention seem to be placed on basic issues like water etc

A healthy balance need to be struck between the two

Fusionist

February 14th, 2005, 05:46 PM

Some IT proposals for the city

KG IT Park is a business park spanning 1 acre of land in the heart of Chennai's IT corridor on Old Mahabalipuram Road. The approximately 1 lakh square feet of built-up space KG IT Park provide a perfect setting for IT & ITES business

http://www.kgbuilders.com/images/kg-itpark.jpg

shopping complex..in Anna Nagar

http://www.kgbuilders.com/images/Currentprojects/kggalaxy_main.jpg

http://www.kgbuilders.com/images/Currentprojects/kggalaxy_entrance.jpg

KG Bellaire. Residential tower in Velacherry

http://www.kgbuilders.com/images/Currentprojects/kgbellaire_main.jpg

-picture and info courtesy KG Builders

drwho

February 14th, 2005, 06:11 PM

thats nice pics Fusionist:)

Azhagan

February 14th, 2005, 06:21 PM

one more nice building for chennai--13 floors

http://img130.exs.cx/img130/9741/21strealtorsmrcnagar6om.jpg

Azhagan

February 14th, 2005, 06:45 PM

many would have read this economictimes article ,but those who expect for some good buildings especially tall ones can still go and read this, and be confident that we will see a different chennai soon. the article gives us a lot of hopes..that too changes are expected to be in main areas like anna salai, guindy etc..

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/949053.cms

Azhagan

February 14th, 2005, 09:29 PM

first to phase to be opened in april 2005,
http://img48.exs.cx/img48/9031/top8qm.jpg

Azhagan

February 14th, 2005, 09:37 PM

bio park "TICEL" chennai, started attracting lot of inverstments in the pharma (esp R&D )

http://img167.exs.cx/img167/4523/newsticel7zi.jpg

Azhagan

February 19th, 2005, 05:24 PM

I enquired with Runwals group about the project and got the following reply...

Dear Arun,

Thanks for your email dated 16th Feb 05. Runwal City - Chennai will have 2/3/4 BHK flats, Row Houses, Shopping Mall, Multiplex etc.

The first phase of Runwal City is scheduled to start in April 2005. Rates will be decided then only.

Majority of the building will be G + 7. We may consider one phase of G + 19 in the subsequent phases.

Regards,

R. Rajan.

Azhagan

February 21st, 2005, 10:08 PM

Work on Highway projects in Chennai in 15 days

CHENNAI, FEB. 21 . Work on all Chennai projects, taken up by the National Highways Development Authority (NHAI), is likely to begin in 10-15 days.

"The contracts have been awarded and the execution will be on a fast-track basis," L.K. Joshi, NHAI member (project implementation), told The Hindu here today after reviewing the progress of the schemes with field officials.

In addition to the construction of the second phase of the Chennai bypass and widening of the Tambaram-Maduravoyal stretch of the bypass to four lanes, the projects include flyovers at Koyambedu, Kathipara and Padi and near the airport. A few weeks ago, the former Chief Minister, M. Karuanidhi, formally launched the work on the schemes.

The second leg of Chennai bypass begins from Maduravoyal to Madhavaram via Ambattur over 13 km. This segment will have four lanes. The existing bridges, one across the Adyar and the other over the Porur lake, both forming part of the first stretch of the bypass, would also be widened. The entire cost of the bypass project was estimated at Rs. 480 crores. The NHAI was executing the other schemes at a cost of Rs. 235 crores.

On the progress of the execution of the Golden Quadrilateral, Mr. Joshi said the Krishnagiri-Vaniyambadi section of NH-46 would be ready by March-end. Work on the Vaniyambadi-Pallikonda-Ranipet segment would be over by November.

The Railways was entrusted with building a number of bridges. As for the Kancheepuram-Poonamalle section, there was a delay in the execution. "Land acquisition has not been completed for six km. However, we hope to complete this portion by this year-end," Mr Joshi said. The Hosur-Krishnagiri section was covered fully.

Sea protection measures ...

V. Muthukrishnan, chief project officer, Tamil Nadu Road Development Company, who also attended the meeting, said sea protection measures, being implemented under the Ennore Expressway project, would be over by December. Bids would shortly be floated for improvement of Tiruvottiyur-Ponneri-Panjetti Road. After completing this component, work on the Manali Oil Refinery Road would be taken up.

The total project cost was estimated at Rs. 160 crores. The NHAI floated Chennai Ennore Port Road Connectivity Limited, a special purpose vehicle.

The TNRDC was the NHAI's "managing associate" in the project.
(source :The Hindu- 22/02/05)

centralized pandemonium

February 22nd, 2005, 03:48 AM

StanChart to hire up to 700 in India

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1027831.cms

Azhagan

February 23rd, 2005, 03:25 PM

CHENNAI extending its official boundaries...

Blueprint for the extension of Chennai Corporation limits and formation of New Chennai, a satellite city in the suburbs, on the lines of Navi Mumbai, is believed to be getting ready. The extension of Chennai city police jurisdiction into the limits of Chengai East police district is considered as the first step in that direction.

The next step will, most probably be the extension of Chennai Corporation's limits too into the suburb. That will allow the suburbs to get the much coveted address of the city, informed sources in the State administration told News Today.

Though Navi Mumbai, near Mumbai, was planned immediately after independence, it got kickstarted only in 1970 with the inclusion of 14 villages between the Dighe in Thane district and Kalundre in Raighad district. Now more than 20 lakh people live in Navi Mumbai, which is known as the city of the 21st century. Navi Mumbai is the world's fully planned largest city with an area of 344 sq.km.

But in Chennai, it may not take that much time to plan and execute the project. Once the IT corridor is completed between Madhya Kailash and Siruseri, the work to execute the plan is expected to get into full swing.

'The government is planning to bring the entire suburb under the city administration first. Once the suburb areas get the status of a city, the entire face of the suburbs will change. Land prices will go up, more buses will start plying, more business houses will show interest in the new areas,' sources said.

Though the entire suburb will be under the city administration, focus is expected to be on both sides of Old Mahabalipuram Road, thus escalating the land price there to a new high.

But however, unlike in the case of the city police taking the power of controlling the suburbs, taking over the administration power from many municipalities and panchayats may not be that easy. Policemen in the suburbs are a happy lot now as they can get better pay by coming under the city administration. But for politicians in different local bodies, the expected change may not be that sweet as it will put a break in the powers they are enjoying now.

Sridhar

February 23rd, 2005, 08:07 PM

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/02/24/stories/2005022401901700.htm

Partnership pact signed to develop Chennai IT corridor
N. Ramakrishnan

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/02/24/images/2005022401901701.jpg
An artist's concept of the IT corridor in Chennai

Chennai , Feb. 23

WORK on improving the Information Technology Corridor - a 20-km stretch of the Old Mahabalipuram Road - is all set to begin. Facilitating this is what is being described as a path-breaking agreement called a Partnership and Development Agreement signed on Wednesday by the Tamil Nadu Government and IT Expressway Ltd, the company that will execute the work.

IT Expressway Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tamil Nadu Road Development Company Ltd, that has been specially formed for this project will award the contract to improve the road within a fortnight, according to reliable sources.

Rather than go for a regular concession agreement that is the practice for such projects, the Government and IT Expressway Ltd have decided to go in for a Partnership and Development Agreement so that there will not be any dividend pay-out on the money that is being pumped in as equity. Instead, surplus funds generated by the project will be ploughed back and invested on the IT Corridor or in improving the road up to Mahabalipuram, which is to be taken up in the next stage, or in any other road project in the State.

The civil works on the project alone will cost Rs 130 crore, of which the State Government has given Rs 34 crore to IT Expressway Ltd as capital support and the company will borrow the balance Rs 96 crore from banks and institutions. It is in talks with some banks and institutions such as Indian Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, UTI Bank and Housing and Urban Development Corporation. The debt will be repaid by collecting toll from motorists, excluding those who are living on that stretch.

The Government is also expected to spend at least another Rs 50 crore on land acquisition. It has also sanctioned about Rs 10 crore for resettlement and rehabilitation.

In the first phase, IT Expressway Ltd (ITEL) will widen and improve the 20-km stretch of road from Madhya Kailash junction to Siruseri, along which are located a number of information technology companies lending it the name IT Corridor, to a three-lane carriageway on either side, a median, a service road and a separate road for cycles and other non-motor vehicles. Separate bus bays will be provided at 24 points on both sides and ducts laid for carrying all cables. Crossover ducts will be provided every 500 metres. The agreement ensures that no agency will dig up the road for 30 years, the period for which the agreement will be valid, according to the sources. Those connected with the project say that all the trees along the stretch will be transplanted.

Besides this stretch, ITEL will also improve the 2-km stretch connecting Old Mahabalipuram Road with East Coast Road, from Sholinganallur to Kudimiyandithoppu.

The second phase of the project involves improving the 25-km stretch of Old Mahabalipuram Road from Siruseri to Mahabalipuram. At least 80,000 vehicles enter Old Mahabalipuram Road every day at the Madhya Kailash junction at present.

A large number of them are for the various information technology and business process outsourcing companies that are located on the corridor. Some of them include Wipro, Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Polaris, Cognizant and Xansa.

ITEL has identified six places along the main road itself to relocate the existing shops and markets that need to be demolished to improve the road.

The company has proposed to the District Collectorate that fruit bearing trees be given to residents in some villages so that their income goes up. It will pay owners of those structures that need to be pulled down at replacement value rather than the depreciated value of the building or structure, which is the norm for resettlement and rehabilitation. According to reliable sources, after an elaborate tendering process, eight companies have submitted financial bids for improving the road. These include Larsen & Toubro Ltd, Gammon India Ltd, Ashoka Buildcon and Ahmed Zaki Resources Berhad of Malaysia. The work will begin in March and completed in 12 months.

Sridhar

February 23rd, 2005, 08:19 PM

Simultaneously, what needs to be thought of from now itself is what is to happen at Madhya Kailash junction (where the IT expressway will start) and the roads feeding into the expressway. Unless simulataneous planning is done, there is going to be chaos on Sardar Patel Road, particularly at Adyar signal, 3rd cross street crossing (close to Adyar Bus Terminus) and at the IIT gate. While there are flyovers at both Adyar Signal and IIT gate, there will be trouble at 3rd cross street and even at the flyovers for that matter.

What needs to be done is
a. Designalization of the entire S.P.Road from Mount Road till Adyar signal
b. Widening of Kotturpuram road from IIT Gate to Chamiers Road
c. Widening of Cenotaph Road
d. Widening of Chamiers Road

In the long run, the city must plan a network of expressways, the rough alignments of which could be along
1. Beach Road + Foreshore Estate (to skirt around the San Thome bottleneck)
2. Mount Road + GST Road (NH45)
3. NH4
4. NH5
5. IT expressway
6. Inner Ring Road
7. Bypass
8. Outer Ring Road
9. Mount-Poonnamallee Road

5, 6, 7 and 8 are happening in bits and pieces (though there is no firm proposal for IRR, but designalization is happening through the construction of interchanges). 1, 2, 3, 4 and 9 are not under consideration for conversion to partial/full expressways, but are necessary if we want smooth traffic flow in the city. These expressways need to be interconnected through connecting links such that there is no need to negotiate through city roads to reach one expressway from another. Instead of NH5 improvement, at least the Ennore expressway is currently under construction, but on NH4, NH45 and the Mount-Poonnamallee Road, there is not even a proposal.

The Beach Road expressway should be such that it would provide a continuous corridor from the north (NH4/Ennore Expressway) and connect to the East Coast Road (which should also be converted into an access-controlled expressway in the future). Then, one will have a continuous stretch of expressway from the north to the south.

Azhagan

February 23rd, 2005, 11:24 PM

10 Lane IT EXPRESSWAY is going to be 9 months project and it will be ready by dec´05
http://www.hindu.com/2005/02/24/stories/2005022405540100.htm

CHENNAI, FEB. 23. The decks were cleared today for early launch of the improvement work in the "I.T. (Information Technology) corridor" here with the State Highways Department and the IT Expressway Limited (ITEL) signing an agreement to execute it.

Under phase-I, the IT corridor, known as Old Mahabalipuram Road, will be strengthened and widened to six lanes from the Madhya Kailash temple at Adyar to Siruseri. The project is estimated to cost about Rs. 200 crores.

"The Chief Minister has ordered the commencement of the preliminary work on the second phase too," P. Rama Mohan Rao, Highways Secretary, told The Hindu , after signing the agreement here. Rohit Modi, Managing Director, ITEL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Tamil Nadu Road Development Company, is the other signatory. The second phase will be carried out from Siruseri to Mamallapuram.

Contracts finalised

Under phase-I, contracts for the execution were finalised and the work would begin in March. "The duration is nine working months. So the improved road will be ready by December 2005," Mr. Rao said.

The 125-foot wide road would have 10 lanes, including two for "non-motorised vehicles" such as cycles and another two as service roads. Besides, the road connecting East Coast Road and Old Mahabalipuram Road at Sholinganallur would be widened to four lanes.

According to an ITEL study, about 10,500 cycles were plying on this road (at Perungudi) every day. No service provider could dig up the road for 30 years. Cement concrete ducts would be provided for all service lines.

The width of the road was decided considering that the IT corridor was not a highway but an urban road. "We will optimise the space available to us," Mr. Rao said.

A rehabilitation and resettlement package was formulated for the project-affected people. About 1,300 families would be affected. All those who had shops and homes and who would lose business would be given not only a subsistence allowance but also an income generation assistance. To enable the people to shift their houses, an allowance would be given. Skills would be taught to the eligible people for employment in industrial units and establishments along the IT corridor.

"We have completed the enumeration," Mr. Rao said, adding a non-governmental organisation had been interacting with the people for the last one year.

Six shopping complexes would be constructed to provide space to those who had been running shops on the road. "The land acquisition process has been initiated. It will be over by the end of March," R. Venkatesan, Kancheepuram Collector, said. Those who encroached on government land were already evicted.

The Government gave consent for including in the project cost the replacement value of the property held by some of the project affected people. Totally, 18 places of worship would be disturbed. Relocation or reconstruction of 11 places of worship was nearing completion. The Madhya Kailash temple would not be disturbed.

Though tolls would be levied, ITEL would plough back its surplus into improvement of roads, particularly in and around Chennai, Mr. Rao said. The top brass of the Government, particularly the Finance Secretary-Development Commissioner, N. Narayanan, had been closely monitoring the progress of the project.

Azhagan

February 23rd, 2005, 11:27 PM

http://www.hindu.com/2005/02/24/stories/2005022407660500.htm

Jayalalithaa unveils Chennai beautification plan

CHENNAI, FEB. 23. The Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, today renamed the Chennai City beautification programme, `Chennai Forever Initiative', and sought the participation of all organisations.

Ms. Jayalalithaa said she launched the 10-year investment plan for the Chennai metropolitan area on an outlay of Rs. 18,000 crores, covering all aspects of infrastructure such as water, power, roads, transportation, housing and urban development.

"I have just launched a Chennai city beautification movement where the focus will be on aspects which will certainly improve the quality of life of residents. This programme, implemented with the full participation of the people, will cover parks and playgrounds, sidewalks, medians, sanitation, cleanliness and garbage disposal, waterways and traffic management. I would like to christen this programme Chennai Forever Initiative," she said.

Fusionist

February 23rd, 2005, 11:59 PM

looks like two bloody good news :cheers1:

Hopefully they will look as good in real as they seem to appear on paper now

Citi-Zen

February 24th, 2005, 03:09 AM

I second that...2 good developments, to go alongwith those massive interchanges that NHAI is constructing :cheers:

Hope they stick to the timelines that have announced...tho 9 months for the IT expressway does seem very ambitious.

centralized pandemonium

February 25th, 2005, 12:53 AM

Over Rs100cr allocated for Chennai roads

http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=13678061

Azhagan

February 25th, 2005, 01:39 AM

Coming December 2005, the city will be home to one of the best pieces of infrastructure which could rival those of its kind anywhere in the world.

When completed, the 20-km corridor would not only have a six-lane Express Highway but also a service lane on either side of the road at a cost of Rs 130 crore. An additional feature, often not seen in many such expressways, would be a 1.8-metre road for non-motor vehicles so that they could ply on the sector without disturbing the fast moving traffic.

Chief Project Officer of TNRDC V Muthukrishnan said, ‘‘We hope to create a landmark for Chennai with this project. From 2006, people travelling to the city should remember it by the Expressway.’’
Unlike many other ambitious projects in the past, the present one would not neglect the surrounding environment too, added Muthukrishnan.

Care would be taken by TNRDC to see that the border areas of the expressway are equally clean and well-kept. To that effect, landscaping would be done on the areas on the sides of the road.

‘‘We will undertake a special drive to beautify the whole 20-km stretch. An additional Rs. 30 crore has been allotted for that,’’ he added.

Ornamental street lights and cascading water-fountains would be in place at various junctions with tree-saplings at regular intervals.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20050224121455&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+%2D+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0

centralized pandemonium

February 25th, 2005, 01:42 AM

Hey, nice news. My only wish is that Chennai puts modern DMRC coaches into the MRTS and expands. Then it could really rival any city.

Azhagan

February 26th, 2005, 12:48 AM

According to the CIDB's web site, The Malaysian Government's Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) plans to undertake 'construction of an elevated expressway between the Chennai port and Tambaram' project in chennai.

Projects yet to be confirmed, it says, include regeneration of the Cooum and the Buckingham Canal

is there any latest news about this projects?????

Azhagan

February 26th, 2005, 02:43 PM

Railway budget news:
Budget is allocated such that Thirumayilai -Velachery MRTS is to be ready by 2006-07
Elevated MRTS is to be extended from Velachery to Parangimalai.

Thirumayilai -Velachery MRTS is much delayed...they should have made it to be ready by this year and not 2006-07.

Azhagan

February 26th, 2005, 02:59 PM

Development dilemma of IT Expressway

http://www.hindu.com/pp/2005/02/26/stories/2005022600170100.htm

Sridhar

February 26th, 2005, 03:37 PM

Thirumayilai -Velachery MRTS is much delayed...they should have made it to be ready by this year and not 2006-07.
The delay is not because of funding. 100% funds have been made available more than two years ago. The problem is technical. A part of the surface alignment is being converted to an elevated alignment and the additional funding required for that has also been made available.

What is more disappointing is that nothing concrete has been done about the Velachery-St. Thomas Mount line.

Azhagan

February 26th, 2005, 09:01 PM

JAYA DISAPPOINTED-HER COMMENTS ABOUT RAILWAY BUDGET

Although the railway budget makes provision for adding new railway lines, doubling of railway lines and gauge conversion projects, including projects in Tamil Nadu, it is disappointing that the Thiruvanmiyur-Velacheri MRTS line has been postponed for completing only by 2006-07. This long delay is quite unacceptable,'' she said.

``Further it is disappointing to note that despite the fact the Government of Tamil Nadu had given concurrence to meet two-third cost of the line between Velacheri and St Thomas Mount, no specific provision for this line has been made in the Railway Budget.''

She added: ``Further, instead of providing funds for taking up the Chennai-Cuddalore line via Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry along the East Coast, all that has been said is that the survey for this new line is to be updated.

Azhagan

February 28th, 2005, 12:33 PM

Egmore-Central rail link project in limbo

Full Text in the link below:
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20050227222559&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+%2D+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0&

The Chennai Egmore-Chennai Central rail link project, which was approved in the 2003 Union Railway Budget, still remains on paper, thanks to technical complexities.

The proposal to construct an elevated track to link the two oldest railway stations in the country is once again under the scanner of the technical and economic experts

Azhagan

March 2nd, 2005, 01:21 PM

TN BUDGET proposes 'Bouquet' of schemes for Chennai

To benefit the people of the state and improve the infrastructure, the budget also proposed a 'bouquet' of new schemes, which included a Rs 5,086.85-crore Metro Rail System for the metropolis.
Ponnaiyan said a detailed feasibility report for the development of Metro Rail in Chennai had been prepared by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in assosiation with RITES.

"This will be followed by the preparation of a detailed project report. We have provided seed money assistance of Rs 200 crore in the budget estimates from the infrastructure development fund to the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority to leverage funds for financing of such infrastructure in the Chennai Metropolitan area.

"With World Bank assistance, a special component of Rs 540 crore for road and traffic improvement in Chennai had been planned under the proposed Tamil Nadu Urban Development Project-III. This will go a long way in improving the traffic and transportation services in the city in the coming year," Ponnaiyan said.

Fusionist

March 2nd, 2005, 08:36 PM

What is the metro rail system ? Is thast the regular EMUs or does it include the MRTS ? If it is the latter isnt it in contrast to the national budget allocation ?

Azhagan

March 2nd, 2005, 09:00 PM

metro rail system proposed in chennai is the one alike delhi mero rail which was started recently..
to know more about the project read the article below(its old news report from Times of India & Hindu )
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Metro Rail for Madras! 11th August 2004
The Tamil Nadu Government and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation are reportedly working on a feasibility study to implement a Delhi-style Metro Rail service to Madras. If implemented, the Rail services will be part-Underground and part-Elevated.

"The Tamil Nadu Government had evinced interest in building metro rail system in Chennai like the Delhi model and asked DMRC to prepare a feasibility report," DMRC Managing Director E Sreedharan said speaking at a function here.

"After conducting necessary surveys and studies we submitted a report for a metro network of three corridors with a total length of 68 kms and we are awaiting the response from the State Government," he said.

He said the first corridor would have a distance of 32.5 kms, in which 8.5 km was underground and the 13.5 km long second corridor would be a fully elevated project.

He said the cost has been worked out to be Rs 5,800 crore for the phase one covering both the corridors and the project could be completed in six years.

On funding for the project, he said 40 per cent cost should be borne by both the state and Central Governments and the remaining money could be borrowed from the market.

"This is a viable project and the state Government's share will be around Rs 1,200 crore spanning over six years. We have suggested to the Government to float a special purpose vehicle like in Delhi Metro and Konkan projects", Sreedharan said.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Azhagan

March 2nd, 2005, 10:31 PM

One more news article which was published before the TN governments proposal for feasibility report....

Will Chennai wake up to need for Metro?

NEW DELHI FEB. 12. At a time when the Union Government is keen on developing Metro systems in all cities with a population of over 5 million and the same has been declared in the 10th Plan document, the nodal agency for implementing the plan, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, has expressed concern that Chennai is the only city which is not showing interest in the scheme.

The Managing Director of DMRC, E. Sreedharan, who is a member of the committee set up by the Union Ministry for Urban Development to prepare the National Policy on Urban Transport, is puzzled that while all the metropolitan cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Ahmedabad are moving ahead with plans or expansions for Metro, Chennai, for some reason, is silent.

``We first took up the issue of development of Metro in Chennai in January last with the Vice-Chairman of CMDA and have since followed it up with the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, on two occasions. But there has been no response,'' said Mr. Sreedharan, who has lived in Chennai for six years and believes that a city of that size needs a Metro system to keep down pollution and accident levels.

``A comprehensive traffic and transportation study carried out by M/s RITES in September 1995 clearly brought out that a number of arterial roads in the city will not be able to cope with the transportation needs by 2011,'' Mr. Sreedharan said adding that while the RITES report had not identified or recommended any particular road corridor to be augmented by a rail-based Metro system, the city should ideally by that year have at least five or six lines covering 100 to 120 km.

As for the MRTS project being implemented at present, Mr. Sreedharan said that even in his communication he had noted that the line along the Buckingham Canal was just an extension of the railway suburban system and that it did not serve the purpose of connecting the business district with the residential areas.

Chennai needed two Metro corridors immediately — from Beach to Guindy along Anna Salai and from St. George Fort to Anna Nagar along the Poonamallee High Road. From ground observations, it was clear that the two corridors could be decided on without any traffic-transportation study. The CMDA should take up techno-economic studies for the corridors to reach investment decisions and, therefore, move to the Detailed Project Report and implementation stages, he said.

Chennai would not need a heavy rail-based system as planned for Delhi. A medium capacity elevated system, capable of transporting 40,000 to 50,000 passengers an hour in each direction, would be sufficient.

``Chennai should wake up to the need for a Metro as its suburban railway system will not serve the needs of the city well.''

Noting that a techno-economic feasibility report for Chennai could be prepared by DMRC in six months to enable the State Government to take an investment decision on the "capital-intensive but socially useful" project, Mr. Sreedharan said that 40 per cent of the expenses for such a study would be borne by the Centre.

But, with Chennai not coming forth with an answer, Mr. Sreedharan is afraid that it might just "miss the bus.

(News report from ' The Hindu'.)

Finally it seems CHENNAI wont miss the bus/metro rail

Azhagan

March 3rd, 2005, 09:43 PM

Toll to be levied on motor vehicles in IT corridor

http://www.hindu.com/2005/03/04/stories/2005030410390100.htm

Toll collection would be in force from July 1, 2006 even before the completion of the project..(project is to be completed only by december 05)

How come people will pay toll before the completion of facility..????

centralized pandemonium

March 7th, 2005, 07:05 PM

Rs 2,054.09-crore earmarked for Chennai development plan

http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?storyflag=y&leftnm=lmnu2&leftindx=2&lselect=1&chklogin=N&autono=182553

Azhagan

March 11th, 2005, 02:23 PM

Roads: Breaking new grounds
Chennai is literally on the fast track. Alarming traffic problems seem to be the order of the day and driving on the city roads has been a nightmare. This may no longer be so. Besides, the roadscape of the metropolis is fast undergoing a sea-change thanks to the efforts of the Transport Ministry.

The ground-breaking ceremony to mark the commencement of construction works for various highway development projects in Chennai was held today. T R Baalu, Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, was present on the occasion.

Project is expected to be finished with in 18 to 24 months

http://www.newstodaynet.com/11MAR/LD5.HTM

Azhagan

March 11th, 2005, 10:58 PM

Kathipara junction multilevel flyover will be ready ahead of schedule

http://www.hindu.com/2005/03/12/stories/2005031207950400.htm

Azhagan

March 12th, 2005, 12:59 PM

Proposals for building more bridges at Maduravoyal, Madavaram, Ambattur, Cooum, Porur and Adyar were under consideration

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20050311223334&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+%2D+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0&

centralized pandemonium

March 16th, 2005, 01:23 AM

IVRCL forms JV with Spain firm for Chennai project

http://www.business-standard.com/bsonline/storypage.php?bKeyFlag=BO&autono=8263

Azhagan

March 18th, 2005, 01:59 PM

Boom, boom, vroom.. in Chennai

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1042238.cms

an article about construction boom in chennai..

theguy

March 18th, 2005, 02:23 PM

nice pic there

centralized pandemonium

March 19th, 2005, 07:40 PM

Chennai to get two IMAX theatres

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1056111.cms

Anniyan

March 24th, 2005, 11:32 AM

Marina beach is beautified

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20050324003316&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+%2D+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0&

Anniyan

March 26th, 2005, 05:01 PM

CHENNAI CITY RIVER CONSERVATION PROJECT

chennai city river conservation project is to be completed on march 28

http://www.chennaimetrowater.com/chennairiver.htm

details at : http://www.chennaimetrowater.com/ccrcpw.html

good news!!

Anniyan

March 29th, 2005, 10:51 PM

US construction co Exceed bags 6 projects in Chennai

http://img192.exs.cx/img192/9652/20050330016102019el.jpg

EXCEED International, a US-based design and construction company, has, in the last few months, secured contracts for six projects in Chennai, covering 1.8 million sq ft and valued at close to Rs 200 crore. The details are as seen in the table.

Most of these projects were secured over the last six months, company officials said.

In a parallel activity, the company is putting up plant to manufacture prefabricated concrete walls and floors near Chennai. The project will cost about $5 million (Rs 23 crore), Exceed's President and CEO, Mr Charlie Miles, told Business Line on Saturday.

In Chennai, the company intends to get into two types of activities - constructing buildings as a contractor or as a joint venture partner and developing residential and `mixed-use' projects on its own.

It is for the second line of activity - developing properties as the `sole owner' - does the pre-cast walls and floors unit becomes relevant.

Mr Miles said that there was still a resistance from Indian developers to the use of pre-cast walls and floors, but for buildings that Exceed would construct and own, it would use the pre-fabricated products.

Mr Miles said that Exceed was in the process of firming up deals for two company-owned projects, the investments in which would be about $10 million (Rs 45 crore). He said that the details of the projects would be announced in about two weeks.

Mr Miles said that Exceed intended to bring to India a number of innovations in building technology, such as `hollow-core' and `double-wall'. These walls would bear the load of the building and would use no steel at all.

Another innovation that the company proposes to bring in is `light emitting diodes'. These are diodes (electronic devices that allow electricity to flow only in one direction) that glow when current passes through them. The light bulbs made with this technology have a much longer life - around ten years - and consume much less electricity than the conventional lighting systems. "If you drop this bulb on a concrete floor from ten feet height, it will bounce," Mr Miles said.

Anniyan

March 30th, 2005, 12:27 PM

Chennai Citi Centre to open soon

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20050329232747&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+%2D+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0&

Chennai is all set to have a shopping mall, a five-screen multiplex, and a food court all under the same roof.

To be known as Chennai Citi Centre, the building still under construction, would be ready for Chennaiites in a few months.

The multi-complex slated to come up on Radhakrishna Salai would add a new feather in the cap of the upcoming real estate market in the city

Anniyan

March 30th, 2005, 12:31 PM

Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS) to Mahabalipuram

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20050329232928&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+%2D+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0&

The proposed extension of the Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS) to Mahabalipuram got a shot in the arm on Tuesday with the Tamil Nadu Government coming forward to provide land required for the project, free of cost.

Announcing this in the Assembly, Transport Minister R Viswanathan said the State Government would ask the Railway Ministry to take up the work immediately.

Anniyan

March 31st, 2005, 12:15 PM

Motor Racing Circuit and Automobile Testing Facility in Chennai??

Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has urged the Central government to establish a state-of-the-art Automobile Testing Facility in the city.

In a letter to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, a copy of which was released here today, the Chief Minister, describing the metropolis as the 'Detroit of South Asia', said it was home to several automobile majors such as Ford, Hyundai and Mitsubishi. Indian companies, including Ashok Leyland, TVS Motors, MRF and TAFE also had major operations the city.

The auto components industry was booming in the city. It accounted for 35 per cent of country's total auto components production. Automobile design was also shifting to Chennai with Hyundai having big plans on the front.

The Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises had a proposal to establish an Automobile Test Track at a cost of Rs 1,800 crore. A delegation from the Ministry inspected two sites near Chennai and held detailed discussions with the State government in December last year. Hence, Chennai should automatically be the first choice for establishing the Automobile Testing Facility, she said.

With Narain Karthikeyan participating in F-1 Formula car racing, there was even greater excitement about establishing a Motor Racing Circuit and Automobile Testing Facility in the city.

Both the Centre and the State government had to see whether the two could be combined, the Chief Minister said. She said the State government was fully committed to supporting the facility and sought the Prime Minister's intervention to see to it that the Automobile Testing Facility was located in Chennai.

advani_fan

April 1st, 2005, 11:10 AM

glad to see chennai developing!!!!!

Anniyan

April 1st, 2005, 11:57 AM

UPCOMING PROJECTS..

1)BLUE MONT ,Kilpauk, Chennai
Ground + 10Floors
http://img165.exs.cx/img165/3985/bluemont5hw.jpg

2)Prime Terrace,Thiruvanmiyur,Chennai
B+G+8 (First Block)
B+G+9 (Second Block)
http://img176.exs.cx/img176/4982/primeterraceimg15qb.jpg

Siddharth

April 1st, 2005, 11:22 PM

THOUGH Chennai was considered the retail capital of the country, mall development here had been rather slow. But this would soon change with a number of developers planning to set up malls.

At present the city has only one large mall, Spencer Plaza. The preference in Chennai seems to be for high streets, said Ms Manju B. Pundir, Manager-Research & Consulting, South, Chesterton Meghraj, international property consultants.

Chesterton Meghraj had done a retail mapping of nine cities including Chennai for the Delhi-based DLF. The study would show the potential for retail in each of these cities.

One of the main reasons why malls have not taken off inside the city is the non-availability of large parcels of land. Ms Pundir said that to develop a good mall, at least four to five acres were required. The other essentials are frontage and access. There should also be provision to park at least 1,000 cars, she said.

The malls that are likely to come up are in the planning stages in suburban areas such as Velachery, Porur and Perambur. A mall in Velachery would cater to the East Coast Road and the Old Mahabalipuram Road .

Ms Pundir said that residential units are likely to expand towards Vandalur and Porur with Tambaram becoming an integral part of the city.

Other than a mall on Radhakrishnan Salai, which is under construction, the Ampa Mall on Nelson Manikam Road is in the execution stage.

Mr N. Ananthanarayanan, Chennai Head, Chesterton Meghraj, said that the total area would about 2-lakh sq ft and the investment in the mall is between Rs 60 crore and Rs 80 crore.

The building will have five floors with Giant Hypermarket as the anchor store and PVR Multiplex from Delhi, one of the largest operators of multiplexes in the country, on the fourth floor.

Retailers like Madura Garments, Westside and Globus have shown interest for space in the mall. The fifth floor will have rooms, he said. Like all other malls there will also be smaller, non-branded stores and a food court.

Ms Pundir said that other malls in the planning stages were by developers from Delhi and Pune. These malls are inside large townships, which have all the amenities. The 70-acre residential township being developed in Perambur by the Pune-based Runwal group is one such.

Anniyan

April 4th, 2005, 02:40 PM

Sathyam mulls another multiplex

SATHYAM Cinemas, a leading multiplex here that recently signed up with IMAX Corporation of the US for two IMAX MPX theatre systems, is examining the possibility of putting up another multiplex in the city

The agreement between Sathyam Cinemas and IMAX Corporation of the US provided for two IMAX theatres to be installed in Chennai. The first is expected to open in March 2006 and the second in 2008 at a location to be announced.

According to Mr Reddy, Sathyam Cinemas is scouting around for possible locations in the city to construct its second multiplex. The company would like to be in the "growing areas" of Chennai — places like Adayar or Velachery.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/04/04/stories/2005040401431300.htm

greatshankar

April 5th, 2005, 12:18 PM

Hi,

Please somebody can post the pictures from
www.ociarchitects.com So that all can see the Upcoming IT Parks in
Chennai. Njoy buddies.

Anniyan

April 5th, 2005, 12:28 PM

welcome to this forum shakar..
and thanks for ur link.

i will post those pictures..

Software Technology Park for Elnet, Chennai
http://img38.exs.cx/img38/1834/it17tl.jpg

http://img17.exs.cx/img17/1764/it59nn.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)

By OCI Architects

Anniyan

April 5th, 2005, 12:29 PM

BPO / IT Park, Chennai
http://img152.exs.cx/img152/3409/it37ug.jpg

By OCI Architects

Anniyan

April 5th, 2005, 12:30 PM

Software Park, Chennai

http://img84.exs.cx/img84/9004/it40ne.jpg

By OCI Architects

Anniyan

April 5th, 2005, 12:32 PM

Anniyan

April 5th, 2005, 12:54 PM

discussion about these buildings in 'chennai-past,present,future' thread please!!!!

shareef majnu

April 5th, 2005, 01:55 PM

BPO Park, Perungudi, Chennai

http://img177.exs.cx/img177/820/it62pg.jpg

Other BPO parks

http://img83.exs.cx/img83/6433/it91tv.jpg

http://img174.exs.cx/img174/9074/it133zh.jpg

http://img23.exs.cx/img23/9379/it146xf.jpg

Once all these projects are complete, Chennai will have a legup on other cities of the country! :D

Anniyan

April 6th, 2005, 11:51 AM

Nokia to set up plant in Chennai

Finnish mobile handset major Nokia has said it would set up a manufacturing plant in Chennai with an investment of up to $150 million to meet the booming demand in the country.

The construction work for the plant will start this month and production is likely to begin in the first half of 2006
(more) http://in.rediff.com/money/2005/apr/06nokia.htm

Anniyan

April 6th, 2005, 11:54 AM

Express Highway from Chennai port

A 13-km-long Express Highway from Chennai port to Maduravoyal to facilitate easy movement of containers from the port will be constructed at a cost of Rs 750 crore, Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways T R Baalu said here today.

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Chennai Port Trust (ChPT) would each hold 30 per cent equity stake in the proposed project while the port users such as exporters and importers have agreed to take another 10-12 per cent equity stake, he told reporters.

Baalu said the remaining 30 per cent cost of the project would be met through debt and other loans.

This will be the third Express Highway in the country after the Mumbai-Pune Express Highway and Ahmedabad-Baroda Express Highway.

Baalu said ChPT was setting up a second terminal and a ship repair facility at the port. With the movement of containers to and from the Chennai port likely to go up in the future, it was necessary to build an Express Highway for "evacuating the huge containers". The proposed Express Highway would ease the traffic and avoid congestion, he added.

The Express Highway, which would be from the Gate Number 2 of ChPT to Maduravoyal, will cover 13 km. The government would also consider charging user fees for the vehicles on the proposed Express Highway, Baalu said

Sridhar

April 6th, 2005, 10:56 PM

This is wonderful news. My dream expressway network for Chennai is at least partly being realised. Three parts of my expressway network for Chennai (posted on the forum earlier) that are being realized are:

1. An elevated access-controlled expressway along Poonnamallee High Road(NH4) towards the west (the road is incidentally now called EVR Periyar Salai)
2. The Ennore expressway (though not entirely access-controlled) towards the north (this will also be take off at exactly the same point where the new expressway is proposed to start - Gate 2 of ChPT - I hope they are planning an interchange at this place)
3. A full access-controlled expressway along the Chennai Bypass, connecting all the radial expressways

Now, if an expressway is built along NH45 also, along with an elevated one along Beach road and another one along the Inner Ring Road (this last one is not essential given the Chennai bypass), it would almost complete the network. NH45 is already getting an upgrade, with a full cloverleaf interchange at Kathipara, a stretch of elevated road near the airport and a new interchange at the junction with the Chennai bypass expressway. Just building the expressway along NH45, particularly on the Mount Road stretch within the city and connecting to the proposed expressway from the Port will do wonders to the city's traffic situation.

This seems like a done deal, with the announcement of equity contribution by the Port Trust, NHAI and exporters/importers. Perhaps they can even get Chennai Container Terminals Ltd (the private sector operator of Chennai's container terminal) to get on board this project, since they will be major beneficiaries.

The presence of the TN ministers on the Union Cabinet is doing wonders for the city's infrastructure, I must say. Three cheers to T.R.Baalu for taking up Chennai's infrastructure in a focussed manner. It had the worst road infrastructure amongst the four metros (and still does) but after these projects, it has the potential of having one of the best expressway networks in the country. In fact, it will be the only city with a 'network' of some kind, with all expressways linked to each other without having to use city streets.

BTW, the claim in the report that this is the third express highway in the country is not accurate. Other access-controlled highways built or under construction include the NOIDA toll bridge, Gurgaon expressway, Noida-GN expressway (?), Chennai Bypass expressway, Jaipur bypass (Phase II). Maybe one could even add the second Howrah bridge, given the extensive interchanges, but strictly speaking this is not included (unlike the DND flyway) since there is no major land-side expressway segment.

Sridhar

April 6th, 2005, 11:08 PM

More news on the same project and some additional projects

http://www.hindu.com/2005/04/07/stories/2005040711200400.htm

Elevated corridor

Since the trend also called for upgradation and expansion of supporting infrastructure, the ChPT proposed to construct a 13-km-long elevated corridor from its gate near the War Memorial on Kamarajar Salai, over the EVR Periyar High Road to Maduravoyal.

The National Highways Authority of India and the ChPT would fund 30 per cent each of the Rs. 750-crore project, while stakeholders in the marine mercantile trade taking place through the port, including shippers and trailer owners, would contribute up to 12 per cent. Details regarding the source of the remaining funds would be worked out shortly.

Underscoring the need for the Centre and State Government to "put their heads together" to commission the project at the earliest and tide over the road congestion, Mr. Baalu said his ministry officials would hold discussions with the State Government officials.

Other projects proposed by the ChPT included a multi-level car park, a back-up storage area for containers in Sathangadu, a windmill to generate 15 MW of power and a desalination plant to produce one million litres of water a day, he said.

It was also participating in the construction of a four-lane road from the fishing harbour in Kasimedu to the Ennore-Manali expressway.

Anniyan

April 6th, 2005, 11:52 PM

Sridhar very nice coverage abour chennai's express network by you.

plz can u explain me what do u mean by 'access-controlled expressway '.

Your three parts of my expressway network being realised are elevated ones??

Sridhar

April 7th, 2005, 12:36 AM

Access-controlled expressway is a term for any highway where the (faster-moving) expressway traffic is segregated from other traffic (slow moving/humans etc). Access control can be achieved by elevating the highway (or having it in a tunnel) but also through fencing.

Not all the three are elevated. The newly proposed NH4 expressway will be elevated. The Chennai Bypass Phase II (from NH4 junction to NH5 junction) will be partly elevated (through the Ambattur industrial area) and partly on the surface. The Ennore expressway is not elevated at all and will actually not be fully access-controlled, though it would be so in stretches.

Anniyan

April 7th, 2005, 12:49 AM

Sridhar thanks for ur explanation..as u said TR.Balu has to be appreciated for his efforts.
your dreams are getting fullfilled, but i donno whether mine will? it is , i want to see clean water flowing in coovum,adayar,& buckingam canal and parks with flowers along the banks like a European city.

Chennai_Forever

April 7th, 2005, 02:27 AM

Anniyan

April 7th, 2005, 02:59 AM

Hello All, Just joined this forum even though I've been reading the messages for quite a while. Superb posts!

Sridhar, As and when time permits can you please create a sketch of the Chennai Expressway Network. Like the one you did for the Suburban Rail System.

Thanks.

WELCOME to SSC India subforum Chennai_Forever. we expect your post every day

Happy to see more and more friends joining India forum.

i too request Sridhar to create a sketch of the network,

Sridhar

April 7th, 2005, 04:06 AM

I will make a map soon.

BTW, I forgot to mention the IT expressway, another access-controlled expressway under construction. Also, Mumbai has one under construction - the Bandra-Worli sea link.

In Chennai's network, the IT expressway will still remain as a stand-alone expressway. If and when the expressway on Mount Road and/or one on Beach Road are built, they would need to be connected to the IT expressway using fast links. Else, the congestion on Sardar Patel Road will be unbelievable. Even without these expressways, I worry about the mess that Madhya Kailash junction would be as also S.P.Road, Kotturpuram Road and other roads in Adyar, once the IT expressway is built. I have not seen any mention of any interchange at Madhya Kailash either. It will be a technically challenging project if it is built, because of unavailability of land at the spot, coupled with an existing viaduct for the MRTS line and a road bridge over the Buckingham Canal at the spot. The interchange will have to go very high up (the MRTS viaduct is already at least 12m high) and there are flyovers on both sides within a short distance on S.P.Road, adding to the complication. It will have to be a very innovative design, unless large plots of land are acquired from CLRI and/or the CIT campus, which are both located at the junction.

Anniyan

April 7th, 2005, 04:14 AM

Madhya Kailash junction is really complex, there is going to be a big mess overthere ..

There is no news about an interchange in that location...donno what are they are going to do, i would be better if they propsoe an interchange now itself rather than thinking after facing the problem in reality...

land can be acquired from CIT,since it is under state govt, but its difficult with CLRI sinc eit is under central govt..

b/w eagerly waiting for ur sketch...

Anniyan

April 7th, 2005, 04:28 AM

centralized pandemonium

April 7th, 2005, 04:47 AM

If the current rate of Chennai's growth continues, I believe it will overtake most of the Indian cities and become the 2nd most important city in India economically. Unlike in Bangalore, Chennai seems to have a large and varied industries like IT, mobile phones, cars etc. I am eagerly waiting for the day, when this happenes.

Chennai_Forever

April 7th, 2005, 06:55 AM

That day may not be far away, provided there's some understanding between the centre and the state. Instead of petty fights, they (politicians) should step up and deliver. Now's the time. :)

Sridhar

April 7th, 2005, 08:53 AM

A couple more comments related to the new expressway project

One issue this new project will have to deal with is that it will go by such heritage buildings as the Southern Railway HQ, Chennai Central Station, Ripon Buildings (HQ of the Chennai Corporation) and Chennai Egmore Railway station. I can already foresee expressions of concern that Chennai's foremost architectural heritage will be significantly affected by the elevated road. The grand view of the Chennai Central station (used very often as a symbol of Chennai) will no longer be available. I am not sure how exactly one can build an expressway along the route (sorely needed as it is) and yet retain the grand vista that is currently available unless one is willing to invest the huge amounts required for a tunnel. Perhaps the best one can hope for is for the viaduct to be aesthetically pleasing, at least in this stretch and perhaps to try and retain flavors of the Indo-Saracenic architecture on view along this road.

The cost of the project is about Rs. 57crore/km (750 crores for 13kms). That should allow for a 4-lane highway with a full-width shoulder or a 6-lane highway with narrower shoulders. Given the space crunch in certain stretches of the road, I think it will be hard in any case to build a road with 6 lanes + 2 full-width shoulders (effectively about 26-30m wide viaducts).

Chennai_Forever

April 7th, 2005, 09:03 AM

Sridhar, Some time back there were talks about building an elevated expressway from the harbour to the airport supposedly by a Malaysian firm. Is this 13 Km elevated expy part of that original project. If not, has the original projecy been shelved. There has been no news about the original plan.

Sridhar

April 7th, 2005, 10:36 AM

That was a different corridor altogether - along Mount Road/NH45. This project was never a concrete one, so no question of shelving. It will not be an easy project to execute (the Poonnamallee Road corridor is equally difficult) due to the arterial nature of the road and the effect that even temporary diversions/narrowing of the road during construction will have on the traffic situation in the city. But at some point in the future, it will become an absolute necessity. Better to bite the bullet now than later, when the traffic is several times higher.

kshatriya

April 7th, 2005, 10:53 AM

I think Chennai is planning well, getting up infrastructure early before they are "forced" to do it. All those memories I have of Chennai, extremely narrow roads, lots of cows, typical chaos etc. with all of it transforming so quickly, I may not be able to recognize the place!

Anniyan

April 7th, 2005, 12:04 PM

That day may not be far away, provided there's some understanding between the centre and the state. Instead of petty fights, they (politicians) should step up and deliver. Now's the time. :)

seems things are working out ....

TN Govt extends co-operation to road projects: T R Baalu

"We are getting 'good' support from the Tamil Nadu Governemnt for the highway projects. We are trying our best for early completion of Rs 700 crore highway development projects in Chennai," he said after attending earth-breaking ceremonies, marking the commencement of construction works for highway development projects in Chennai

(more) http://www.hindu.com/holnus/004200504071301.htm

Chennai_Forever

April 7th, 2005, 05:04 PM

Thanks, Sridhar.

Yes, Anniyan, Did I speak too soon. Glad that things are moving in the right direction begtween the Centre and the State.

Fusionist

April 7th, 2005, 10:52 PM

Iam waiting for the day when govt will announce Chennai as the location for Formula 1 motor race circuit..state govt has said it is fully commited to the project,we have to wait and see..

It will bring chennai to international presence..

yes.. isnt there already a track in Irungattukottai and another one nearby ? I know they are by no means F1 quality and the F£ itself had some problem there cos of the bumps in the circuit..

but why doesnt the TN govt pushing harder to get the F!.. Ford MRF ets are all in the neighbourhood

greatshankar

April 8th, 2005, 06:57 AM

Chasing Chennai realty

Retail realty seems to be flavour of the season, even in conservative Chennai. As mall-mania engulfed the country, it seemed as if Chennai had missed the bus, despite it being widely acknowledged as the retail capital of the country. However, this scenario looks set to undergo a sea change, as a number of developers are planning to initiate the construction and development of shopping malls.

Currently, Chennai boasts of only one large mall—the Spencer Plaza. A major factor that has debilitated the process of mall development within the city is the paucity of large pieces of land. Experts indicate that at least 4–5 acres of land is required to develop a mall. The other essentials are frontage, access and parking space for at least 1,000 cars.

The prospective malls are likely to appear in suburban areas of the city, such as Velachery, Porur and Perambur, which are seeing an expansion in terms of residential realty.

Apart from a mall on Radhakrishnan Salai, which is under construction, the Ampa Mall on Nelson Manikam Road is in the execution stage. The total area of this property would be in the region of 2-lakh sq ft, with the investment in this mall being between Rs 60 crore and Rs 80 crore. The building shall have five floors with Giant Hypermarket as the anchor store and PVR Multiplex, one of the largest operators of multiplexes in the country, having its premises on the fourth floor. Also, there will be smaller, non-branded stores and a food court.

Other projects, led by developers from Pune and Delhi, are on the horizon as well. However, these are in the form of integrated townships with the mall being inside large townships having all amenities. An instance is the 70-acre residential township being developed in Perambur by the Pune-based Runwal group.

Thus, Chennai, albeit a slow starter, is well set to tread the path of a mall explosion, just like its peers across the country.

Anniyan

April 9th, 2005, 02:06 AM

yes.. isnt there already a track in Irungattukottai and another one nearby ? I know they are by no means F1 quality and the F£ itself had some problem there cos of the bumps in the circuit..

but why doesnt the TN govt pushing harder to get the F!.. Ford MRF ets are all in the neighbourhood

Chennai does have one race circuit, but it not of F1 standard, Sports ministry has said india will have a F1 race circuit by 4 years time,

earlier when chandra babu naidu was CM of AP he tried to bring the race circuit to hyderabad,and now there is no support for hyderabad after his loss in elections..the next big competitors are calcutta and mumbai, even bangalore it under consideration but it will not be the final choice due to many reasons like connectivity etc etc..

For the new race circuit it cost around 1500 crores and mumbai CM has agreed to share the maximum of 600 crores..but still fina lchoice has not been decided,in this situation there was a sudden surprise from TN CM Jayalalitha last week..

read my previous posting under the title "Motor Racing Circuit and Automobile Testing Facility in Chennai??" in page 8th...

Anniyan

April 9th, 2005, 04:08 AM

JAYA's wishlist...

Looks like Jayalalitha is really in the mood to get a few things done for Chennai's sake. The TN ministers at the Center standing in the way, Jayalalitha takes the direct route to the Prime Minster, with a request to locate an Automobile Testing Center, F1 Racing Circuit and a Tsunami Warning Center in Madras.

Business Line: ... The Union Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises has undertaken a proposal to establish an Automobile Test Track at a cost of Rs 1,800 crore and held detailed discussions with the State Government on December 12, 2004, the letter said.
"Chennai should automatically be the first choice for establishing this Automobile Test Facility," she said.

With Narain Karthikeyan from Tamil Nadu participating in the Formula-1 competition, there was even greater excitement with regard to establishing a Motor Racing Circuit and Automobile Testing Facility at Chennai, Jayalalithaa said. "We have to see whethe r the two can be combined."

drwho

April 9th, 2005, 01:21 PM

http://tinypic.com/2n0g75

Caption: A miniature of the proposed Singapore housing scheme in SIPCOT in Siruseri near Chennai. Photo: Shaju John 12-05-2004

Anniyan

April 9th, 2005, 04:48 PM

CMDA plans six multi-level car parking sites in the city

In a bid to tackle parking chaos in the city, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has proposed to set up multi-level car parking sites in five places in the city, besides the much-awaited Panagal Park

(more)http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20050408225140&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+%2D+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0&

Bahraini Spirit

April 9th, 2005, 04:54 PM

I like this building but I agree they could have made it 25 storeys. I liked this building too from the real propmoters website

Prasanth Gold Souk

http://realpromoters.com/admin/admin_images/gold-l.jpg

Your kiddin me right, I would pay to not have a tower like that in the city. Chennai is doin great, just need to filter such designs out of the city and same goes to other cities elsewhere in the world.

Anniyan

April 10th, 2005, 01:49 AM

Located in a sprawling 15 acres of land (on 100 Feet Road) at Anna Nagar, between CPWD Quarters and IOB Staff Training College.

http://img13.exs.cx/img13/5732/construction8ls.jpg
Architect: M/s C. R. Narayana Rao, Chennai

Anniyan

April 10th, 2005, 01:56 AM

Mahindra city announced the launch of Chennai's first premium residential enclave in the lap of nature.This project is currently open only to park occupants .

Richly landscaped apartments
http://img144.exs.cx/img144/7654/housing18aw.jpg

Sylvan County is developed in collaboration with Mahindra Gesco Developers Ltd, India's leading property developers and designed by India's leading architect , Hafeez Contractor

Serene semi detached houses and row houses
http://img144.exs.cx/img144/7496/housing24rc.jpg

Sylvan County will also feature lush landscaping designed by Belt Collins of Singapore and a premium Club house with facilities such as a swimming pool, billiards room, squash courts, steam room & a party hall.

Picturesque independent bungalows
http://img57.exs.cx/img57/533/housing32pt.jpg

The Commercial Centre to be developed by Mahindra World City is just a stone's throw away from Sylvan County offering daily need facilities & amenities

Anniyan

April 10th, 2005, 01:59 AM

The first commercial centre at Mahindra World City , The Canopy, is a unique amalgamation of the outdoors with the indoors.

http://img54.exs.cx/img54/6416/housing44vm.jpg

A large central atrium dominates The Canopy. Designed to facilitate easy movement between the various retail outlets and as a place to lounge and relax in, the atrium houses space for a coffee bar and a boutique ice-cream parlour.

Chennai_Forever

April 10th, 2005, 10:07 PM

http://www.hindu.com/2005/04/11/stories/2005041106580100.htm

Metro rail better solution to decongestion

A metro rail corridor along the EVR Periyar (Poonamallee) High Road, which is being favourably considered by the Government, will meet a long-pending demand to decongest two highly saturated highways.

Fusionist

April 10th, 2005, 10:13 PM

http://img54.exs.cx/img54/6416/housing44vm.jpg

decent design ! I like it a lot more than the other designs for the city.. a true mix of interior and exterior

Anniyan

April 10th, 2005, 11:20 PM

Sridhar

April 11th, 2005, 09:08 AM

Thanks. I prefer to call myself an 'enthusiast'. I just returned from a long trip and hence was out of circulation for a few days.

While the EVR Salai metro line makes sense, it is not clear how it can be built, considering that the ChPT and NHAI are building an elevated expressway along the same alignment. One solution would be for the metro to go underground, but it would be much much more expensive then. The three alternatives are

a. If they plan in a coordinated fashion, metro lines can be built in the median of the expressway (there are several such examples, for instance in Chicago where sections of the Red and Blue lines both run in expressway medians). However, I don't think EVR Salai has enough space for such an option except for some short stretches. The expressway should be at least 6 lanes wide for it to make an impact. Adding a metro line in the median would involve at least the equivalent of two more lanes (and more at station locations).

b. Three level solution - in this there will be three levels - the surface level as a regular road, an expressway level and a metro level above that. This is also feasible and will probably be cheaper than the underground option. However, this will at least not go through without huge heritage concerns for the central area (from SR HQ to Egmore) where the expressway itself wil be objected to and a two-level structure would be a major no-no. Also, in this option, the pillars will have much greater diameter since they will need to support a two-level structure above. This is not a huge thing, but will reduce road width somewhat at the surface level.

c. Underground option - perhaps the most elegant option, but the cost of the metro will be about 2-3 times a regular elevated line and 1.5-2.5 times the two-level one in option (b).

I see problems for this line any which way one looks at it. But I think the alignment itself makes sense. One solution would be to go underground upto egmore and then the three-level solution (or median solution where feasible) after that. The only objection of the alignment that some people may have is that a cheaper option would be to upgrade the existing line towards Arakkonam (two separate suburban lines already exist) into a full fledged metro line, with simultaneous improvements of intermodal links. This line runs parallel to EVR Salai, only a couple of kilometers to the north. With good bus connections (and good roads for them in the first place), the proposed station locations on the EVR salai would not be more than a few minutes away from stations (including new locations) on the suburban line.

This article also does not talk about other proposed lines. In particular, the Anna Salai line has often been talked about. There is also no mention of an integration with the MRTS and suburban lines. Chennai actually can have a wonderful network if these existing suburban lines + MRTS are taken over by a new metro company and upgraded simultaneously with the construction of the metro.

Chennai could have the following network (my dream network)
1. New line along EVR Salai from Central station to Anna Nagar. This should definitely pass through the Koyambedu Bus Terminus.
2. New line along Anna Salai from Central to St. Thomas Mt. suburban station (this will have to be substantially underground as well at least till Teynampet)
3. Extension of MRTS from Velachery to St. Thomas Mt (already approved by both IR and State Govt., which are sharing the costs)
4. New line from Mambalam suburban Stn. through T.Nagar, Nungambakkam, Royapettah and terminating at Triplicane MRTS station (this will be a complex route, probably involving some underground lines). This will probably meet the Anna Salai line at Nungambakkam.
5. MRTS Phase IV - from St. Thomas Mt. at least till Villivakkam along IRR
6. Upgradation of the three existing suburban lines (Beach-Tambaram, Beach/Central-Arakkonam and Beach/Central-Sullurupettah) and the existing MRTS line and full integration with metro. This should involve common ticketing and running of modern rolling stock.
7. Spur of the MRTS along the IT expressway south of Tidel Park. This will cater to the large number of IT parks coming up along this route, as well as large numbers of engineering colleges, whose students are currently bussed along this route. In the future, a new administrative capital of the State Govt. planned on Old Mahabalipuram Road could also be served by this line. Due to the IT expressway, this is not an immediate need, as long as good bus connections are provided from the Tidel Park MRTS station. An initial survey for this project is currently underway by the Indian Railways.

This will give Chennai a seven-line network (eight lines if the spur along IT expressway is built) that would serve it for a significant period of time. It caters for intra-city transportation needs as well as those from existing and upcoming suburbs.

If you notice in this above network, Central Station will emerge as a massive hub (perhaps the largest in the world), with all except one line passing through it. The Arakkonam, Sullurupet, Tambaram and MRTS lines already pass through it (the last two at Park and Park Town respectively across the road from Central). The Park and Park Town station can be easily integrated using appropriate walkways (including perhaps moving walkways). The EVR Salai and Anna Salai lines would also converge at Central. Another minor transfer station will be St. Thomas Mount. If the Mambalam-Triplinane line is built, these will also be significant transfer stations.

Anniyan

April 11th, 2005, 11:19 AM

Sridhar Nice coverage..hope ur dream comes true

April 11th, 2005, 02:51 PM

I have been a quite onlooker for quite some time, and i am fascinated by the knowledge and passion of all you guys.

Thought of chipping in something...

If JJ has her way, Chennai might finally get what it deserves (I was wondering why Chennai didn't join the race?)

F1 for Chennai, pledges Jayalalithaa

Press Trust Of India
Posted online: Monday, April 11, 2005 at 1532 hours IST
Updated: Monday, April 11, 2005 at 1537 hours IST

Chennai, April 11: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Monday pledged full support for bringing Formula One racing to the city.

She gave the assurance when racing icon Narain Karthikeyan, the first ever Indian to feature in F1, called on her at the Secretariat, an official release said.

During the meeting, Karthikeyan explained all the features of F1 racing and the tremendous viewership the sport commanded.

He requested the Chief Minister to support the proposal to bring the sport to Chennai as the city was the "automobile capital of India" and should automatically be the choice.

Jayalalithaa told him that she had already written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for establishment of a motor racing circuit and an automobile testing facility here. She had also drawn the attention of the Prime Minister to the need to bring F1 racing to the city, the release said.

"The Chief Minister indicated that the proposal to establish a racing circuit will receive her full support", the release said.

During the meeting, Principal Secretary, Finance, N. Narayanan was also present.

April 11th, 2005, 02:55 PM

And Another, the Automobile Capital of India, leading the way for environment friendly future.

<B>D1 Mohan to invest Rs 100 cr in Jatropha processing plant </B>

(PTI News) Chennai: D1 Mohan Bio Oils Ltd, a Joint Venture between Chennai-based Mohan Breweries and Distilleries and UK-based D1 Oils for Jatropha cultivation, today said it would invest about Rs 100 crore in a Jatropha processing plant, which would likely be ready by 2007.

"Our first pilot unit for processing Jatropha will come up near Chennai, with an investment of Rs 15 crore. It will have a capacity of 8,000 tonnes per annum," Managing Director, D1 Mohan Bio Oils Ltd, M Nandagopal said.

"However, the first full-fledged processing unit is expected to be ready by 2007 near Chennai. We will invest about Rs 100 crore in this plant and it will a capacity of one lakh tonnes per annum," he added.

"Our aim is to have a unit in every district to process Jatropha and to sell it in the local market," he said.

The company has already started cultivating Jatropha in 200 acres of land. It has identified one lakh acres in Tamil Nadu for Jatropha cultivation during the current year.

Initially, D1 Mohan expects the yield to be around 250,000 to 300,000 tonnes of crude Jatropha oil per annum.

About 32-40 per cent of the energy in Jatropha seeds can be extracted as oil, which has the equivalent energy value to diesel and can be blended with mineral diesel to make biodiesel.

As per the agreement, UK partner D1 Oils, a low cost biodiesel producer, will have the option to export 25 per cent of crude Jatropha produced by D1 Mohan for sale to international customers.

Anniyan

April 11th, 2005, 03:01 PM

Welcome to SSC India subforum..
We are glad to get a new forumer..and i request you to participate more often to keep this forum lively

Anniyan

April 11th, 2005, 03:08 PM

Chennai should be the natural choice for F1 race circuit..

because the automobile city of india has good infra ,plenty of land avaialble very near the airport, experience of conducting motor races and more over there are lot of race enthusiast in this city..

There are 2 more guys from chennai in line who have the potential to wear the helmet in F1 in future..

Advantages :
1. Chennai has a lot of land as compared to other cities
2. Chennai is the Automobile city of India. Ford, Hyundai have their plants here. F1 will surely bring in a lot of other car makers in here. It will help the IT services companies also to meet teh corporates managing the F1 teams. Say something like NBA generates a lot of revenues to the teams managing it.

3. We have MRF who have been in the Asian racing circuit for a long time now. There is TVS & Ashok Leyland as well. Surely its going to be a great moneyspinner for all these industries. We can expect a lot many new industries to come up. But International Airport will have to be revamoped to a complete worldclass level.

i found a link campaigning for chennai
http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/F1_in_chennai/

Anniyan

April 11th, 2005, 07:43 PM

Motor spare parts unit near Chennai

A motor vehicle spare parts-manufacturing park is coming up near Singaperumal Koil in an area of 1,343 acres, State Industries Ministers Nainar Nagendran said today. During question hour, the Minister said the park was coming up with the assistance of Tamilnadu Industrial Development Corporation. The park would be established at a cost Rs 232 crore and provide direct employment to 3,000 persons and indirect employment to 30,000. The park is expected to attract investments from within the country and also from abroad to the tune of Rs 2500 crore, he said

Chennai_Forever

April 11th, 2005, 07:49 PM

Chennai_Forever

April 11th, 2005, 07:51 PM

Awesome explanation Sridhar. :cheers:

Anniyan

April 11th, 2005, 07:55 PM

Actaully MRF mulled for a testing track by 2003 itself, but it was supposed to be a state govt project..

http://www.blonnet.com/2003/07/06/stories/2003070601510300.htm
http://www.blonnet.com/2003/05/08/stories/2003050802670100.htm

but now this automobile test track is going to be a central govt project that involves Rs 1,800-crore

Siddharth

April 11th, 2005, 08:05 PM

Anniyan

April 11th, 2005, 08:07 PM

Chennai metro rail looks set to take off

http://www.hindu.com/2005/04/05/stories/2005040513590300.htm

Incidentally, having stayed in Chennai for over six years, Managing Director of DMRC Mr. Sreedharan is very keen on two Metro corridors, one running from Beach to Guindy along Anna Salai and the other from Fort St. George to Anna Nagar along Poonamallee High Road

Fusionist

April 11th, 2005, 08:26 PM

the metro news sounds great..

Anna Salai and PHR are over congested.. but I am wondering if there would be a link or common metro station so that passengers can interchange from one route to another ?

Anniyan

April 11th, 2005, 11:41 PM

Project reports for six parking lots

The CMDA carried out a detailed parking study, with the help of consultants Wilbur Smith Associates, on the demand and supply levels, management solutions and regulations to evolve an effective parking policy for the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA). (more)
http://www.hindu.com/2005/04/12/stories/2005041210230100.htm

Sridhar

April 12th, 2005, 10:51 AM

How did the Chennai guys miss this news about Chennai's tallest building project!!! :)

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20050411225603&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+%2D+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0&

Leela Palace to come up on city’s beachfront
Tuesday April 12 2005 09:17 IST

CHENNAI: The Leela Group of Hotels plans to start a 20-storey five-star deluxe hotel, The Leela Palace, on the beachfront in Chennai. The hotel, to be constructed at a cost of 120 million US dollars, will be the first star hotel in the city to boast of a ‘‘sea view’’, and is expected to start functioning by early 2008.

The Leela Group has acquired seven acres of prime land near the beachfront in MRC Nagar for this purpose. Out of which, at least eight lakh square feet will be allocated for buildings and a commercial galleria.

The ‘bhumi puja’ will be held in August or September, says Jyotsna Menon, senior sales account manager with the regional sales office of The Leela Palace and Resorts here.

The construction will start soon after the bhumi puja, and is expected to be completed within the targeted 30 months.

‘‘The hotel will have 380 rooms and suites, and will be constructed in two phases. Phase one will roll out 260 rooms and the next phase will see the opening of 120 rooms. The hotel will introduce rooms that are specially dedicated in design and amenities for the executive lady traveller. Long-staying guests will be given guest rooms that lend an apartment feel,’’ says Jyotsna.

The hotel is part of the expansion plans of the group, which has decided to come to Chennai because the city is fast becoming a much sought after hub for IT companies, says Jyotsna.

Talks are on with the globally renowned designers of hotels, the California based firm of architects, Wimberly Allison Tong and Goo (WATG), which has to its credit the Leela Palace Hotel in Bangalore and the Palace Hotel at Sun City, South Africa, says Jyotsna. ‘‘The Leela is all set to create yet another ‘Palace’ in Chennai. The architecture will be inspired by the Chettinad style.’’

The project is part of the expansion plans announced by the group, which has hotels in Mumbai, Goa and Bangalore.

Anniyan

April 12th, 2005, 11:41 AM

hey, its nice...20 storey in beach front..actually chennai is waiting for some one to ignite,i think now chennai is ready to fire its guns..

its nice to know that the architecture will be inspired by the Chettinad style

Anniyan

April 12th, 2005, 12:28 PM

Flash news:
Jaya announces mero rail for chennai along 3 routes as per DMRC's Feasibilility report..

1st : Thiruvotriyur to Airport via Anna Salai (31.54km)

2nd: Beach to Koyembedu (13.54km)

3rd: Tiruvanmiyur to Ambatur Industrial Estate (21.68 km)

1st and 2nd route is to be completed before 2010 at the cost of Rs 5,086 crore and 3rd route by 2014.

TN govt is expected to receive the DPR in 6 months time, after which the firm is to be selected for executing this project.

Sridhar

April 12th, 2005, 12:59 PM

Line 2 makes perfect sense but it should be extended to Anna Nagar (a major residential area of the city) for it to make full sense. It would connect the Beach station (where the MRTS and the Beach-Tambaram lines originate, besides every other line being connected to it), the Central station, Egmore station and Chennai mofussil bus terminus at Koyambedu (terminus for all long-distance buses). Hence, it would connect all the major surface transport of the city.

Line 1 makes sense at least for a part of it. I am assuming that it would pass through Central station and then follow Anna Salai/NH45 all the way to the Airport. The stretch from Central station to the Airport makes perfect sense. It would connect all the major commercial areas of the city, along Anna Salai (Mount Road) to the airport, station, the MRTS (transfer stations being Chintadripet and St. Thomas Mt. if Phase III of the MRTS is constructed) and the Beach-Tambaram suburban line (transfers being at St. Thomas Mount and the Airport). However, the section northwards from Central to Tiruvotriyur would only duplicate the existing suburban line. Perhaps the plan is to upgrade the existing line at relatively low cost. The stretch northwards from Central is less developed and if this project is dovetailed with major development plans on the stretch (perhaps a new IT corridor there), it would make sense. Otherwise, it seems that the resources can be redeployed elsewhere.

Line 3 would be along the MRTS Phase III/IV alignment, probably along the Inner Ring Road. Since Phase III of the MRTS is already approved, this section seems redundant. Perhaps Phase III will be scrapped in its favour, but then it does not make sense to wait till 2014. Phase III is essential today, as it would provide a crucial transfer point between the MRTS and the Beach-Tambaram line.

Added later:
Anniyan: thanks. Corrected.

Anniyan

April 12th, 2005, 01:05 PM

sridhar, u have confused line 1 and 2, pls do correct it..

Sridhar

April 12th, 2005, 01:08 PM

Here's a report with more details, including the alignment of Line 3. It turns out that they are planning a new alignment for Line 3, not along the MRTS Phase III/IV. This is an interesting alignment. It will probably start at the MRTS station at Tiruvanmiyur (where the TIDEL park is located), go through the heart of Adyar (Lattice Bridge Road), the heart of Mylapore (RK Mutt Road/Luz Church Road), meet the MRTS again at Tirumayilai station (near the Kapaleeswarar Temple), the heart of T.Nagar and then connect to the Ambattur industrial estate. This line will be an alternative east-west link to my proposed Mambalam-Triplicane link (and in fact, a better one in my view).

Also, 8.4kms of the Anna Salai metro line is proposed to be underground and the rest elevated. This is again in line with my post - the part from near Central to say around Teynampet would be underground - this stretch would be about 8.4kms. The rest can be easily constructed as an elevated line. Makes good sense. They will need to do something near the airport flyover/elevated road (perhaps go underground again or acquire land adjacent to the railway track) but that will not be a major issue.

http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7BEDEBFC7F-C7EF-45A0-8668-0C3C03AF3979%7D&CATEGORYNAME=Chennai

TN planning metro rail system in Chennai
Search for More News
Chennai, April 12: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has been engaged by the Tamil Nadu government to prepare a detailed project report for a Rs 5,086.85 crore metro rail system for Chennai city on the lines of Delhi metro rail.

The report, to be prepared at a cost of Rs 3.30 crore, would be completed in six months, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa told the state Assembly today.

Simultaneously, efforts would be taken to determine the organisation for undertaking the work and funding arrangements for the massive project, she said.

The DMRC, which prepared a detailed feasibility study report, had recommended that the metro rail project could be undertaken with a focus on three corridors namely, Tiruvottiyur to Chennai airport along Anna Salai (31.54 km), Chennai Beach to Koyambedu along the E V R Periyar Salai (13.54 km) and an additional network of 21.68 km from Tiruvanmiyur - Lattice Bridge Road - Ramakrishna Mutt Road - Luz Church Road – Theagaraya Road - Inner Ring Road - Ambattur Industrial Estate, she said.

The additional network could be undertaken in the second phase of the project beyond 2016, the report recommended.

The Tiruvottiyur--airport segment would have 8.4 km underground system and the rest in an elevated system in the central median.

The project was expected to be completed in five years, she said quoting the report. (Our Correspondent)

Anniyan

April 12th, 2005, 01:19 PM

But as per thatstamil.com report , the feasibiliy report has suggested that 3rd line can be carried out after 2014.

Sridhar

April 12th, 2005, 01:50 PM

The total length of the proposed metro is 66.5kms approx. With the existing network in the city, the total length of the network will be about 144.5 kms in 5 years and 167 kms 10 years from now. Even at 144.5kms, it will be amongst the 15 biggest mass-transit networks in the world.

Here is the detailed breakup (lengths rounded off)

Metro Line 1 (2010)- 31.5kms
Metro Line 2 (2010)- 13.5kms
Metro Line 3 (2014) - 21.5kms
MRTS Phase I - 9kms
MRTS Phase II (2005) - 11kms
MRTS Phase III (2010)- 5 kms
Beach-Tambaram line (2 exclusive suburban tracks) - 30 kms
Central-Tiruvallur (2 exclusive suburban tracks) - 42kms

centralized pandemonium

April 12th, 2005, 02:22 PM

Wow all this is a amaing news for Singara Chennai. Now it seems that only Mumbai is the onlee major city w/o a metro.

Sridhar

April 12th, 2005, 02:31 PM

I have updated my map to include (approximate) alignments of the metro. Click the following link.

http://www.geocities.com/nsridhar74/chennai_metro_map.html

Sridhar

April 12th, 2005, 02:32 PM

Note in the map that the proposed network is a classic triangular network (with the lines forming a triangle at the centre). This is one very common approach to forming a metro network, when the number of lines is 3-4.

Sridhar

April 12th, 2005, 03:13 PM

More details in this news report

http://newstodaynet.com/12apr/rf2.htm

Phase I to be implemented at a cost of Rs 5086 cr by 2010: CM
Metro rail for Chennai

NT Bureau
Chennai, Apr 12:

Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today announced that Chennai will have a metro rail on the lines of the one in New Delhi. The first phase was proposed to be implemented between 2005 and 2010 at a cost of Rs 5086.85 crore.

The State government had already got a feasibility report from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in response to its request for a Detailed Project Report (DPR), Jayalalithaa told the State Assembly, intervening during the discussion on demands for grants for Housing and Urban Development.

The Chief Minister said the DPR would be ready within six months and Rs 3.30 crore had been allocated for the purpose. The growing population and road traffic made one more mass transport system imperative for the city.

As per the DMRC report, the project could be implemented in phases on three major routes. The first corridor will commence from Thiruvottriyur and pass through Anna Salai and conclude in Chennai Airport covering a distance of 31.54 kilometers. The second corridor will cover 13.54 kilometer between Beach and Koyambedu. The third route will pass through Thiruvanmiyur , LB Road, Ramakishna Mutt Road , Luz Church Road, Eldams Road , Theyagaraya Road, Inner Ring Road and end at Ambattur Industrial Estate covering a distance of 21.68 kilometers, she said.

In the first corridor, rails will be laid for 8.4 kilometers underground and the rest on ground. Through the first and second major corridors, 10.56 lakh passengers can travel per day and, as a result, the number of commuters would go up from 43 per cent to 60 per cent. The new facility will save time and money for passengers, she said.

The total area of the metropolis was 1177 sq kms of which 72 sq km constituted the heart of the city. As per the 2001 census, the population of the city and suburbs stood at 70.4 lakh and of the city alone at 43.4 lakh, she said.

Giving a detailed account on the growth of vehicle population in the city, she said it had touched 16 lakh in 2004. It was increasing by 600 vehicles everyday. But the road space was not in proportion to the vehicle population.

In Bangkok, the road space stood at 11 per cent and in developed cities London, Paris and New York, it was 22 per cent to 25 per cent. But in Chennai, the road space was a meagre 3-4 per cent. This was creating problems in traffic management and ensuring safety of commuters .

Referring to the various measures taken to manage the traffic congestion, including the starting of MRTS, the Chief Minister said considering the long term needs of the city, she had decided to bring the metro rail to Chennai.