But Sudheesh, MEMU's generally can run faster and carry more passengers than the shuttle trains that are plying now.

I think a 3 unit MEMU can carry 3 times the passengers that the shuttle train does. Speed is one of the advantages. Overall, the quality of the service will be better than the passenger trains. The shuttle trains are hampering the free flow of express trains now. Since MEMU trains are faster and can carry more passengers, the passengers going by express trains will be benefitted by less crossings and rush.

There is not much difference in the coaches of MEMU when compared with normal passenger train, except that there would be more standing space, wide doors etc.

I cannot understand how a 3 unit MEMU will take the load of a passenger train with 7-10 bogies.

MEMUs have faster acceleration/deceleration, it is the main advantage.

But the crux of the issue is that these has to run through 'Single' lines.

There are MEMU services in other states which are ~150 kms (I believe Arakonam - Jollarpettai has MEMU service. Would Kerala be a special case here also? Tired of hearing that argument..

I commented about the report saying it is planned to have 'Toilets' in the MEMU's based in Kollam!!

The new services are just the replacement of the passenger services and which has to run through the single line stretch between Kayankulam and Ernakulam.

I've a doubt. Is it not possible to run trains using engines of MEMU and coaches of ordinary passenger trains. So we can have best of both. (toilet facility and speed). :D

MEMU or EMU OR DMU doesn't have seperate locomotives as in the case of a normal locomotive hauled train.

The name itself suggests that 'multiple units'. And they do not need 'engine reversal'

And it is not speed, but 'accelaration' during start due to the multiple power points rather than a single locomotive hauling the train from front. It has some similarity with the 'Push-Pull' train we had earlier

And it is not speed, but 'accelaration' during start due to the multiple power points rather than a single locomotive hauling the train from front. It has some similarity with the 'Push-Pull' train we had earlier

You are right. It quickly accelerates. I've travelled once in MEMU from Shoranur to Ettimadai. I really felt the need for toilet.

MEMU or EMU OR DMU doesn't have seperate locomotives as in the case of a normal locomotive hauled train.

The name itself suggests that 'multiple units'. And they do not need 'engine reversal'

I know this Sudeeshetta. My point was isn't it possible to have the 1 st and the last coaches (having engines) those ones used in MEMU and all other coaches that of ordinary passenger trains.

^^I don’t think so..The composition of the rake would be different.

And even if you have a few bogies with toilets, what about those in the other bogies? Unlike long distance express trains or Metro trains, these passenger trains and EMU’s don’t have vestibules for connection.

^^I don’t think so..The composition of the rake would be different.

And even if you have a few bogies with toilets, what about those in the other bogies? Unlike long distance express trains or Metro trains, these passenger trains and EMU’s don’t have vestibules for connection.

Sudheesh Bhai, I think we have to look at MEMUs just like the city buses in Bangalore. People are travelling from Majestic to Whitefield, Majestic to Electronics city, Hebbal to Banashankari and even from the Devanahalli airport to remote distances in the city. The distance is almost 40 - 60 Kms here but takes 2 - 3 hrs due to the traffic snarls. There are no toilets in the buses, but people depend on these buses. They can get down at any place if it is really required. MEMU's should be considered like this.

Only difference in MEMU in Kerala is the total distance travelling and the service is between cities. The distance could be upto 150 Kms, but the travelling time will be less than 3 hours. Here, you may get down at any station to do your basic needs as it has stop at every station including the Halting station. There will be another MEMU within another half an hour.

I personally feel there should be one toilet which they can place at a middle compartment so that anybody can go to that when the train stops at a particular station.

^^First of all, my point of concern was that the MEMUs would be a replacement of existing passenger trains and not capacity additions. The issue of toilets were a spinoff since the reporter had mentioned it regarding its addition which I feel is not going to happen.

Sudheesh Bhai, I think we have to look at MEMUs just like the city buses in Bangalore. People are travelling from Majestic to Whitefield, Majestic to Electronics city, Hebbal to Banashankari and even from the Devanahalli airport to remote distances in the city. The distance is almost 40 - 60 Kms here but takes 2 - 3 hrs due to the traffic snarls. There are no toilets in the buses, but people depend on these buses. They can get down at any place if it is really required. MEMU's should be considered like this.

There is a little bit exaggeration in the distances and time taken in the case you have provided. Majestic to Whitefield is only about 22.7 kms (as per mapmyindia.com) and you can cover it within 1.30 hours. (I take around 40 minutes to one hour daily for about 70% of this distance) And understand one thing, the pattern of travel is that most travelers are not end to end passengers.

Of course, sometimes you have to bear with that. I have taken 3 hours from the north western suburb of Nelamangala to HAL in Bangalore in my car, during peak hour. I had to drive like that for two days and both days I used to stop midway at my corporate office for a leak.

As you said ‘they can get out any place if required’. Will it be possible in the case of this MEMU. How he will resume his journey, wait for the next long distance express train to come and get on to its general compartment, with the passenger class ticket? Please do not say that the next MEMU will come after half an hour?

There will be another MEMU within another half an hour. .

No, as of now it is only replacement of existing passenger services. How can you have MEMU’s every half an hour in single line stretches with saturation over 160%?

I personally feel there should be one toilet which they can place at a middle compartment so that anybody can go to that when the train stops at a particular station.

You are not supposed to use toilets when the train is in a station. We do not have chemical toilets or the like in IR. This might be one of the reason for not having toilets in MEMUs/EMUs since they are supposed to be a means of ‘Mass Rapid Transit’ in comparably built up areas.

And is it practical to alight at one station and get in to the bogie with the toilet? The whole character of MEMU is less stoppage time with faster accelerations which would turn dangerous for those guys who alight.

I believe the toilet issue has been taken to court, and the verdict was that IR could run trains for upto 150 kms without toilet facilities.

As you said ‘they can get out any place if required’. Will it be possible in the case of this MEMU. How he will resume his journey, wait for the next long distance express train to come and get on to its general compartment, with the passenger class ticket? Please do not say that the next MEMU will come after half an hour?



No, as of now it is only replacement of existing passenger services. How can you have MEMU’s every half an hour in single line stretches with saturation over 160%?



You are not supposed to use toilets when the train is in a station. We do not have chemical toilets or the like in IR. This might be one of the reason for not having toilets in MEMUs/EMUs since they are supposed to be a means of ‘Mass Rapid Transit’ in comparably built up areas.

And is it practical to alight at one station and get in to the bogie with the toilet? The whole character of MEMU is less stoppage time with faster accelerations which would turn dangerous for those guys who alight.

Sudheesh Bhai, your points are correct. But the fact is we should not negate the idea just for a toilet cause. It is always a good thing that you finish off your basic needs before boarding the train. There are facilites at the boarding station. I am frequent traveller by bus from Marthahalli to Banashankari. There are 5 flyover constructions going on in the Marthahalli - Silkboard stretch with another 15 signals. It takes 2 to 2.5 hours to reach the Banashankari during peak hours by public transport. There is no question about toilet in this case as Comfort stations are there at major bus stops. The same is applicable to MEMU trains and stations as well.

MEMUs may replace the passenger trains. But it is a good thing as one MEMU train can accomodate 2 passenger train people. Moreover, it is always good to have two back to back MEMU trains (30 mins gap) as the trains stoppage at a particular station is for just 1 minute. You can board the other train one if you miss the first one.

I think it is early days...people in Mumbai are so intertwined with suburban MEMU train service. Mumbai cannot think of day when there is no MEMU Service. The city will come to a standstill then. Who knows MEMUs are going to take the same role in Kerala as well especially when the NH development will not reach anywhere?^^

^^‘Chakk ennu parayumbol chukka ennu kelkkum’ This what I feel when reading your continued posts.

Still you are stuck with MEMUs every 30 minutes and then go on comparing with EMUs in Mumbai with the exclusive double or quadruple lines.

Earlier you said MEMU can carry 3 times the capacity of a passenger train, now happy to see you have come down to two times. Just prove how it can be done! Hope you have seen MEMU’s in Bangalore-Kuppam route. If not, please go and watch them at K R Puram station.

I am not telling once again what was my point..had already done it a couple of times earlier.

^^‘Chakk ennu parayumbol chukka ennu kelkkum’ This what I feel when reading your continued posts.

Still you are stuck with MEMUs every 30 minutes and then go on comparing with EMUs in Mumbai with the exclusive double or quadruple lines.

Earlier you said MEMU can carry 3 times the capacity of a passenger train, now happy to see you have come down to two times. Just prove how it can be done! Hope you have seen MEMU’s in Bangalore-Kuppam route. If not, please go and watch them at K R Puram station.

I am not telling once again what was my point..had already done it a couple of times earlier.

I have read from the newspapers that one unit of a MEMU can carry 1000 passengers. A MEMU train envisaged in Kerala will have 3 units. Anyway lets wait till the train service starts from Kollam.

I have seen the Bangalore - Marikuppam train at Krishnarajapuram. It is a cute one. I am not sure whether the same will hit our tracks.

First of all don’t blindly take what is printed in newspapers. They might have said about a whole rake of MEMU of 12 cars.

From this statement I understand the reason for all your arguments. You have totally misunderstood everything. I am not sure what you mean by ‘units’. A unit having 1000 capacity, awesome!!!!! So three units or three bogies, carrying a total of 3000!!!!

It seems you are not even aware of the basic classifications and capacity of bogies in IR. A standard sleeper compartment has a seating capacity of 72 sitting passengers. This is a comfortable layout, add double or triple for a EMU car with standing passengers, will it be 200 or 300?

I am not having much time now, will reply to in detail in few days.



I have read from the newspapers that one unit of a MEMU can carry 1000 passengers. A MEMU train envisaged in Kerala will have 3 units. Anyway lets wait till the train service starts from Kollam.

^^I don’t think so..The composition of the rake would be different.

And even if you have a few bogies with toilets, what about those in the other bogies? Unlike long distance express trains or Metro trains, these passenger trains and EMU’s don’t have vestibules for connection.

I don't know the case with EMUs.

But the MEMU plying in the Shoranur-Palakkad-Coimbatore route has got vestibules.

I think by using II class sitting / Chair car type coaches and the first and last coaches that of MEMU, this issue can be sorted out. This is what I feel. Not sure though. Please correct me if I'm wrong :)

DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR KOLLAM 2011

Which is better & what is u r opinion

Better1: Madndrothuruth, perayam, panayam, perinad, kizhakkekkallada,kundara,& thrikkaruva gramapanchyat add in chittumala block & thrikkadavoor panchayat add in kollam corporation

Better2: , perayam, panayam, perinad, kundara,thrikkaruva,thrikkadavoor panchayt add in anchalummod block & Madndrothuruth , kizhakkekkallada panchayt add in shasthamkotta block

Better3: Madndrothuruth, perayam, panayam, perinad, kizhakkekkallada, kundara thrikkaruva, thrikkadavoor gramapanchyat add in chittumala block

Better4: Madndrothuruth, perayam, panayam, perinad, kizhakkekkallada, kundara thrikkaruva, thrikkadavoor gramapanchyat add in Anchalummood block

Which is better & what is u r opinion

Better1: Madndrothuruth, perayam, panayam, perinad, kizhakkekkallada,kundara,& thrikkaruva gramapanchyat add in chittumala block & thrikkadavoor panchayat add in kollam corporation

Better2: , perayam, panayam, perinad, kundara,thrikkaruva,thrikkadavoor panchayt add in anchalummod block & Madndrothuruth , kizhakkekkallada panchayt add in shasthamkotta block

Better3: Madndrothuruth, perayam, panayam, perinad, kizhakkekkallada, kundara thrikkaruva, thrikkadavoor gramapanchyat add in chittumala block

Better4: Madndrothuruth, perayam, panayam, perinad, kizhakkekkallada, kundara thrikkaruva, thrikkadavoor gramapanchyat add in Anchalummood block
http://i48.tinypic.com/2ikppft.jpg

Thrikadavoor panchayath will be added to Kollam corporation by 2014. Even Panayam panchayath can be included in the Kollam corporation by that time. So it will be better if there is no block called Anchalumoodu which is the main town in Thrikadavoor panchayath. Instead they should create a new block by re-arranging the other panchayaths retaining the Chittumala block as well.

Union Minister of State for Home Mullappally Ramachandran has said a training centre of the Border Security Force (BSF) would be opened in Kollam soon.

The centre would be utilised by the marine wing of the BSF for providing training to its personnel in swimming. Construction of the centre would begin soon after land for the purpose was made available, Mr. Ramachandran said.

He said the coastal security programme in the State in cooperation with the people is a big success.

Talking to presspersons during a visit here on Tuesday, he said the Centre was alert against terrorist activities and was taking effective measures against such activities. In fact, after Mumbai the only terrorist strike was in Pune.

The Maoist threat continued to exist and Kerala was not above board when it came to security threats, he said.

Mr. Ramachandran said though he had met Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala, senior leader K. Karunakaran and others of the party on organisational matters, he was not the person authorised to talk on organisational elections.

Source - The Hindu

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Hi, will u be able to gather some information about the upcoming projects(by private developers) in kollam?

Hi, will u be able to gather some information about the upcoming projects(by private developers) in kollam?

Hi Xpsa, I will update you about some of the completed and ongoing projects. Wait for the updates in a days time. Somebody based in Kollam can update on upcoming or future projects.

kollam

The tender for new Hockey stadium has come in the newspaper yesterday.

The work in Kollam beach is progressing well and luckily the park and surroundings will be maintained by Hotel Beach Orchid, which will make sure that those area will remain that way.

The work at Thangasseri beach is also progressing well but according to the contractor for lawn there, there is a contention between Harbor and PWD there which might hinder the work.

The tender for new Hockey stadium has come in the newspaper yesterday.

The work in Kollam beach is progressing well and luckily the park and surroundings will be maintained by Hotel Beach Orchid, which will make sure that those area will remain that way.

The work at Thangasseri beach is also progressing well but according to the contractor for lawn there, there is a contention between Harbor and PWD there which might hinder the work.

Aji, some of the snaps of the lawn laid at the Thankasseri Beach Sea Park near to the Fort. A small private bus terminal is planned near to the park.

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http://i45.tinypic.com/znmo9x.jpg

http://i32.tinypic.com/2cxysyp.jpg

http://i26.tinypic.com/2wlrr6r.jpg

http://i50.tinypic.com/2s1x9vs.jpg

Kadakkal and Perinad, formally gained a place in Kerala's IT map on Thursday. The recently inaugurated Technolodges in these two places became FULLY operational.

Accentia Technologies, a Technopark-based company specialising in IT solutions for health care, financial and insurance sectors, has set up satellite centres at the two Technolodges.

About 300 employees can work across three shifts at the two centres. “We have already appointed about 50 professionals for both the locations. They have been undergoing training at our Technopark facility and 28 of them were placed today at our Kadakkal and Perinad offices,” said Pradeep Vishwambharan, CEO, Accentia Technologies. “We are recruiting professionals from Kollam district for the two centres and they will be placed by the end of September this year.”

The professionals recruited are being trained to cater to non-voice legal and business transcription.

Creating jobs

“The Technolodge initiative is the result of Kerala government's ambitious vision to take software exports business to small towns and villages and encourage BPO companies to operate from low-cost rural centres and thereby create employment in rural areas. Accentia was the first company that came forward to set up a BPO in Kadakkal and Perinad,” said Technopark CEO Mervin Alexander.

He said the formal commencement of operations would encourage other IT companies to set up similar centres in rural areas, providing a major boost to local talent.

The State government has invested Rs.18.5 lakh on refurbishing the building at Kadakkal while the investment for Perinad was Rs.27.4 lakh. Both the Technolodges have common facilities like discussion rooms, pantry space, wash area, reception and back-up power generators.

The Technolodge project is executed by the Kerala State IT Infrastructure Limited (KSITIL). The government is pursuing an ambitious plan to establish 100 Technolodges across the State. Over 60 panchayats have come forward offering facilities to set up Technolodges.

Technolodges are set up in small towns and villages where unutilised land or buildings are available with the government or local self-government institutions. KSITIL will bear the investment cost for construction of buildings, furnishing, electrification and broadband connectivity.

GREAT NEWS !!!!!

THE PRESTIGIOUS LEELA GROUP IS GOING TO START A RESORT IN KOLLAM BY THE SIDE OF THE BEAUTIFUL ASHTAMUDI LAKE .
THE RESORT HAS BEEN CHRISTENED AS 'THE LEELA LAKE PALACE ASHTAMUDI '.

CAPTAIN KRISHNAN NAIR SAID THAT THE CONSTRUCTION WILL BE STARTED BY THIS YEAR END ..

Four more luxury hotels in Agra, Hyderabad, Pune and
Lake Ashtamudi in Kerala to join the original four award-winning properties in Bangalore, Goa, Kovalam (Kerala) and Mumbai.


source
https://www.theleela.com/expedia-insiders.html

http://had.hotelworldasia.com/tag/the+leela+palace+kempinski+new+delhi

and mathrubhumi kollam edition .

Hotel Leelaventure Ltd. operates The Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts in Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa, Kovalam (Kerala), Gurgaon and Udaipur. Located in key business and leisure destinations, The Leela is a blend of aesthetic sensibility, modern amenities and truly reflects the essence of India. New hotels will soon open in New Delhi (2010) and Chennai (2011); with plans to develop hotels in Agra, Hyderabad, Pune and Lake Ashtamudi in Kerala. The group has marketing alliances with Germany based Kempinski (Hoteliers since 1897); US based Preferred Hotel Group and are members of Global Hotel Alliance based in Geneva, Switzerland.

http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.aspx?ArticleId=2856&ArticleType=21&PageType=Strategy

GREAT NEWS !!!!!

THE PRESTIGIOUS LEELA GROUP IS GOING TO START A RESORT IN KOLLAM BY THE SIDE OF THE BEAUTIFUL ASHTAMUDI LAKE .
THE RESORT HAS BEEN CHRISTENED AS 'THE LEELA LAKE PALACE ASHTAMUDI '.

CAPTAIN KRISHNAN NAIR SAID THAT THE CONSTRUCTION WILL BE STARTED BY THIS YEAR END ..




source
https://www.theleela.com/expedia-insiders.html

http://had.hotelworldasia.com/tag/the+leela+palace+kempinski+new+delhi

and mathrubhumi kollam edition .

Excellent News, Navjot. I saw the news in the Mathrubhoomi edition today morning.

So the 3rd five star hotel/resort is going to come up at Kollam.

The Beach Orchid, Ravi Pillai's Multi crore Lake side five star hotel at Thevally and now LEELA LAKE PALACE ASHTAMUDI. Great boost to the buzzing tourism industry at Kollam.

Ravi Pillai's Lake side five star hotel at Thevally is getting ready for inaugration in the coming months. Though the exact date is not announced, it will be inaugrated before the end of this year.

The work of the two main Water Gateways planned at Kollam City has startd. 5 to 6 boats can berth at the Gateways as per the current work plan.

Kollam Beach is getting a great facelift, the Thankasseri Fort premises has ben spruced up with lawns, galleries and walkways.

All and all Kollam tourism industry gets the much needed pep.:banana:

http://mohfw.nic.in/Negative/N104-851/MIN-P104.pdf

http://mohfw.nic.in/Negative/N104-851/MCI104.pdf

http://mohfw.nic.in/Negative/N104-851/MIN-P104.pdf

http://mohfw.nic.in/Negative/N104-851/MCI104.pdf

..

I saw one more big building(only structure is up) next to Collectorate . looks very impressive... dont know much details

KOLLAM: Industries Minister Elamaram Karim said here on Friday that the government had taken a decision to include a representative of the workers of a company on the director board of the respective public sector undertaking. He was inaugurating a State-level Human Resource Development programme for workers and employees of the pubic sector undertakings at Chavara, near here, on Friday.

Mr. Karim said as a result of the efforts taken by the State government during the past four years, PSUs in the State had become highly competitive. A pay revision was effected in all PSUs in the State. Out of 37 PSUs, 32 are making operational profits, he said.

Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd. had earned the highest profit of Rs.70 crore, the Minister said.

All vacancies in the PSU had been filled. He said the appointment process to the KMML would be totally transparent.

The titanium sponge plant of the KMML and the Indian Space Research Organisation coming up at Chavara will be commissioned in December. K.S. Sreenivas, Additional Secretary (Industries-Investment Promotion), welcomed the gathering. KMML managing director N.R. Subramaniam, KMML executive director C.J. George, and CITU leader N. Padmalochanan spoke.

The Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) will conduct service six days a week except Sundays.

The MEMU train 357 from Ernakulam to Kollam will leave Ernakulam at 2.45 p.m. and reach Kollam at 6.40 p.m., while Kollam -Ernakulam MEMU (356) will start at 10.05 a.m. from Kollam and reach Ernakulam at 2.20 p.m. The train will stop at all the stations enroute.

Though it is certain that the service will begin soon, the exact dates have not been finalised yet, the Railways said.

The introduction of these services is expected to go a long way in solving the problems of the commuters.

Parvathy Mills may get modernised

http://expressbuzz.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/parvathy-mills-may-get-modernised/188748.html

Rs.13-crore plant has come up at Kureepuzha

KOLLAM: The much-awaited solid waste management plant for Kollam city at Kureepuzha will be commissioned by Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan on July 29.

The Rs.13-crore plant has been constructed by the Jamshedpur Utility and Services Company Ltd., a Tata enterprise. Kollam Corporation Health standing committee chairperson Prasanna Earnest told The Hindu that the plant would have the capacity to treat 40 tonnes of waste a day.

As part of the garbage disposal programme, the Corporation has purchased 57 tipper autorickshaws to be deployed for collection of garbage. These autorickshaws, to be driven by women, were bought at a cost of Rs.1.11 crore under the Asian Development Bank-aided Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project.

The Corporation has 52 divisions and each division will be served by an autorickshaw. The remaining five will be kept as standby. Sixty-five women have been trained to drive the vehicles and the licences for the same have been provided to them.

A trial run of the plant will be held before the inauguration.

Kollam in Kerala has a pristine natural beauty that has the capability of rejuvenating even the most jaded of travellers. Now the appeal of the place is enhanced manifold by the presence of India's award winning and first ayurvedic spa, Somatheeram coming to the Cashew City in tie-up with the first five-star Ecotel Hotel in Kollam, the Beach Orchid.

Somatheeram will have eight sea facing treatment rooms at the Beach Orchid and will provide different treatments for body and beauty care. Orchid Somatheeram has a team of eminent doctors providing ayurvedic solutions using herbal ingredients to ameliorate modern day ailments caused by lifestyle iniquities. In the calm beach ambience their treatment will ease the mind, cool the body and a holistic renovation of the soul is the result. The treatment plan is customised to individual regime and needs and hence ensures that the guest’s stay at the Beach Orchid will now be healthier and further enhanced.

One remarkable fact about these treatments is that they are directed towards fortifying the immunity system and therefore precluding the chances of disease. In other words, it is aimed at not only at the sick but the healthy ones too among us who want to remain so.

The Beach Orchid, which has earned a reputation for its excellent guest experience, can now offer holistic treatments and therapies also to the guests. The treatment rooms provide direct view of the Arabian Sea and are impeccably clean and roomy. The Orchid Somatheeram Ayurvedic Centre recognises the fact that a balanced diet is an indispensable part of ayurvedic treatments and hence during treatment period an ayurvedic menu drawn up by an efficient team of doctors will be provided as per requirement.

No final agreement: Railways



Railways agreed to consider the proposal in principle


KOLLAM: Mayor V. Rajendrababu on Friday said the Railways had agreed to permit Kollam Corporation to start civil work for the Chinnakada underpass project on the 18 cents owned by the former.

Thiruvananthapuram Divisional Railway Manager Rajiv Dutt Sharma, who participated in the talks, told The Hindu that no such agreement was reached at a high-level meeting held at the Secretariat. He said the Railways had in principle agreed to consider the proposal of the Corporation.

The Railways wanted the Corporation to submit a detailed project proposal through the State government. Mr. Sharma said on receipt of the proposal, the same would be forwarded to the general manager's office of the Southern Railways for a decision.

He said no agreement was reached to exchange the Chinnakada property of the Railways for the Karbala junction property of the Corporation.

The Chinnakada land is required for constructing an approach road to the underpass, which is needed to ease traffic congestion there.

The Mayor, however, said the Railways had agreed to give conditional permit for starting construction at Chinnakada in ten days. The meeting was called by Chief Secretary P. Prabakaran.

KOLLAM: Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan unveiled a plaque to mark the laying of the foundation stone for the Perumon road bridge over Ashtamudi Lake to link Pezhamthuruthu, of the Munroethuruthu group of islands, with the mainland. The function was presided over by Education Minister M.A. Baby.

On completion, the bridge will be 408-metre long and 7.50-metre wide. There will be a footpath (1.5-metre wide) on either side. The length of each pile will be 45 metre as the lake is 35-foot deep in the area where the bridge is coming up. The bridge will comprise eleven spans of 37.07 metre each. The approach roads will be 190 metre long.

The demand for such a bridge is decades old, Mr. Achuthanandan said. He sought the active participation of the people in ensuring the timely completion of the work being taken up at a cost of Rs.20 crore.

The State had made tremendous progress in basic infrastructure development in the past four years. The construction of the Perumon bridge is testimony to that, he said.

Welfare, development and peace should be the primary priorities of any government. The Opposition had initially criticised the government. The critics are now silent as all-round progress is evident, he said. The State had shown progress in the law and order front, he added.

He inaugurated a new building for the Kundara Primary Health Centre. Ministers C. Divakaran and P.K. Gurudasan and MPs, N. Peethambara Kurup and K.N. Balagopal spoke.

The construction of the temporary bridge connecting Beach Road with Kollam beach has started yesterday. The temporary bridge is constructed to demolish the old bottlenecj bridge that is more than 100 years old. The bridge has only 3.5 metres width now and hardly one vehicle can pass through the bridge at a time. The new bridge that is coming up will have 7.5 metres of road width apart from footpaths on either side of the bridge. The new bridge will be constructed with more elevation above the Kollam canal for the smooth passage of Barges and Luxur cruises under the bridge.


A allocation of 2.10 crore has been made for this project out of the 15 crores as part of Kollam Vision 2010 development program.

The bridge construction is expected to be completed by Decemeber 2010. After the bridge is completed and the Kollam Beach renovation works are over, the beach road passing through the new bridge is expected be one of the most heavy traffic stretches.

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The historic but bottlenecked Kochupilamoodul bridge will be demolished today for the construction of a 10.5 metre bridge with footpaths on either side. The historic bridge is over the Kollam Canal near the beach in the city. The bridge is one of the oldest bridges in the city and is a major bottleneck during the evening time.

The bridge is expected to be completed by November 2010. Traffic through this route has been diverted to pass through the Pukayila Pandashala bridge route. A temporary bridge for cycles and pedestrials have been completed.

KOLLAM: The apex market of the Kollam district-level Swasharaya Karshaka Sangham (SKS) Consortium constituted by the district Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam (VFPCK) was inaugurated on Thursday by Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran.

In his address, Mr. Ratnakaran said this year's target of fruit and vegetable procurement by the VFPCK had been raised to Rs.200 crore from Rs.160 crore planned earlier. He said with an additional 3,000 hectares coming under vegetable and fruit cultivation this year, the total acreage under vegetable and fruit cultivation in the State will go up to 25,000 hectares. He hoped the membership of farmers in the VFPCK would touch 1.5 lakh this year. The Minister said the apex market system would serve to bring farmers and consumers closer. The apex market will assist local vegetable farmers to sell their produce by coordinating the 16 VFPCK fair price procurement markets in various parts of the district. Through the process, native fruits and vegetables will be made available to the customers at wholesale and retail prices.

The apex market will also promote export of locally farmed fruits and vegetables and encourage farmers to make use of e-trade facilities to expand sales. Orders will be taken from traders, individuals and establishments.

The apex market will purchase fertilizers and farming gadgets at wholesale rates and sell these to farmers at fair prices. Promotion of value-added farm products and agriculture-based industries will be encouraged.

Mayor V. Rajendrababu presided over the inaugural function.

Identity cards of the SKS Consortium were distributed to farmers. The card distribution is a step towards enabling farmers to avail themselves of railway concession. K.N. Balagopal, Rajya Sabha member, gave away the prizes to the best VFPCK procurement centres in the district.

VFPCK district manager A. Ashraf welcomed the gathering.

Railways to get 1.22 acres of land near Karbala Junction for MEMU yard construction in lieu of the 16.5 cents given to the Underpass construction



Another proposal has been mooted as Kollam Corporation is ready to give 3 acres of land near the Upasana hospital side for the 2nd terminal for Kollam Junction Railway station in lieu of the 3.25 acres of land near the SMP Palace for corporation's prestigious Bus Terminal project.

Source - Deepika

The re-numbered national highways that passes through Kollam district are given below:

NH - 66 (Originally starts from Panvel in Maharashtra), KA/KL Border at Thalappadi, Kasargod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Ponnani, Edappally, Aroor, Cherthala, Alappuzha, Kollam, Attingal, Thiruvananthapuram, KL/TN Border (terminates near Kanyakumari in Tamilnadu).

NH - 83 (Originally starts from Dindigul in Tamilnadu), TN/KL Border at Kumili, Peerumed, Kanjirappally, Kottayam, Adoor and terminates near Kottarakkara (NH - 744).

NH - 744 (Originally starts from Thirumangalam in Tamilnadu), TN/KL Border at Kottavasal, Punalur, Kottarakara and terminates near Kollam (NH - 66).

The longest NH passing through Kollam will be NH - 66. NH-66 will connect Kollam to Panvel near to the biggest city in India, Mumbai. So, now we can boast of an NH that almost connects Kerala to Mumbai.:banana:

Courtesy - Ajith

Kollam Bishop Stanley Roman inaugrated the Bishop Jerome Engineering college, an institution from the newly formed Bishop Jerome Group of Institutions.

Ministers P. K Gurudasan and N.K Premachandran were present during the ceremony.

Good News, I did knew about this in Feb. and I belive the campus is to be set up next to the Fatima College premises.




Kollam Bishop Stanley Roman inaugrated the Bishop Jerome Engineering college, an institution from the newly formed Bishop Jerome Group of Institutions.

Ministers P. K Gurudasan and N.K Premachandran were present during the ceremony.

Kinfra will provide basic infrastructure facilities to entrepreneurs to set up industries in plots developed on this land.


The State Industries Minister, Mr Elamaram Kareem, will lay the foundation stone for the Kinfra Industries Park at Piravanthoor in Punalur on August 5.

The proposal is to develop an industries park in about 65 acres , which arein the possession of Travancore Plywood Industries, an official spokesman said here on Monday. This land has been is transferred through a Government notification GO NO (Ms) No 2/2010/ID of 1/1/2010 to Kinfra (Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation).

Kinfra will provide basic infrastructure facilities to entrepreneurs to set up industries in plots developed on this land. This is part of the Kinfra exercise, on behalf of the State Government, aimed to attract investments from the private sector for the promotion of industrial infrastructure and industrial production, the spokesman added.

Kinfra envisages development of industrial parks and production units by utilising strategic land parcels available in the State guided by the PPP model.

Its major activities include development of industrial infrastructure, electrical power distribution and general infrastructure development, the spokesman said.

The Hindu (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2010/07/27/stories/2010072752841900.htm)

Good News, I did knew about this in Feb. and I belive the campus is to be set up next to the Fatima College premises.

Yes, they have land within the Fathima College premises (20 acres is enough to set up an Engineering college as per the new rules).

It will be great if Bishop Jerome Group of Institutions start higher educational colleges in Medical and Reserch fields as well. A Medical College can be a reality as they have hospitals like Holy Cross, Benzigar, etc.

Lets hope for more higher educational colleges from this group of institution named after the the first Bishop of Kollam.

The Hindu (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2010/07/27/stories/2010072752841900.htm)

Punalur again to become the buzzing industrial town of Eastern Kollam.

Punalur Agro Fruits have been revived. Talks are on to revive the Punalur Paper Mill as well.^^

The Kinfra industrial park will be the prestigious one as it can boost the town's and the districts industrial image and climate.

Moreover, the Kollam Techno Park at Kundara is just 30 Kms away from this beautiful gateway town to the hill ranges.

NH - 83 (Originally starts from Dindigul in Tamilnadu), TN/KL Border at Kumili, Peerumed, Kanjirappally, Kottayam, Adoor and terminates near Kottarakkara (NH - 744).
Its not the NH - 83..It may please correct to NH - 183 :)

Its not the NH - 83..It may please correct to NH - 183 :)

Thank You, Ajith for the correction. NH - 183 should not terminate at Kotarakkara but should be extended to Trivandrum through the MC road passing through Kollam district.

Ajith, special thanks for the great and informative news that you provide to the relevant forums.^^

NH - 183 should not terminate at Kotarakkara but should be extended to Trivandrum through the MC road passing through Kollam district.
Reply to this point have already in some other forums too..
Anyway,once again....This is just a re-numbering of existing National Highways not a extension process..The NH - 183 will terminate near Kottarakara (NH - 744).As of now there is no NH stretch via Kottarakara to TVM.Once (if) the SH -1 is declared as NH your point is valid.

Plant can process 40 tonnes of garbage a day

KOLLAM: Labour Minister P.K. Gurudasan on Thursday commissioned a Rs.30-crore garbage treatment plant of the Kollam Corporation at Kureepuzha.

He said the plant, included under a scheme of the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project, was constructed in a time bound manner taking into consideration the requirements of the city.

The Minister said under the LDF rule, various development projects had been implemented in the city. Development works of Kollam Canal was in the final stage and many schemes for easing traffic congestion were are also being implemented.

In his presidential address, Mayor V. Rajendrababu said the garbage treatment plant was a dream project of the city. It would bring lasting solution to one of the biggest problems faced by the city. He said the Corporation would be constructing two more such plants at Eravipuram and Kilikollur.

The plant can process 40 tonnes of garbage a day. A good portion of it will be converted to organic manure. Health Standing Committee Chairperson of the Corporation Prasanna Earnest welcomed the gathering.

KOLLAM: A pre-concentration plant of Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd. (KMML) was commissioned by N.R. Subramaniyam, Managing Director of the pubic-sector company, at Ponmana Anchmanakkal on Wednesday.

The Rs.2.5-crore plant is part of the company's programme to develop its mineral-separation unit.

The plant can process and separate minerals, at a less cost, from sand which has a lower concentration of mineral deposits. The machinery had been imported from South Africa. The company's employees completed the civil and electrical works in four months.

Sand obtained from the sea-washing process has a lower concentration of minerals and the mineral-separation procedure for such sand increases the production costs.

The plant has can process 75 tonnes of sand an hour. When run at this full capacity, the plant will increase the production capacity of the company's mineral-separation unit by 54,000 tonnes.

KOLLAM: Electricity Minister A.K. Balan will lay the foundation stone for a 110-kV gas-insulated substation (GIS) here next week.

The Rs.30-crore GIS, as part of the Kerala State Electricity Board's measures to provide uninterrupted power supply to consumer, will be constructed on 15 cents of land on the Power House complex here.

The advantage of GIS is that it requires only one-tenth of the area required for a conventional substation. Underground cables from the Kavanad and Ayathil substations will feed GIS.

The construction of GIS is expected to be completed in a year's time.

Two Venad buses will operate as a city circular service in Kollam


Initiative of Labour Minister P.K. Gurudasan


Onam gift to the people in coastal areas: councillor


KOLLAM: For the first time, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation began a service through the coastal belt of the city on Saturday.

The decision to operate the service was taken at the initiative of Labour Minister P.K. Gurudasan, who is also the Kollam MLA.

The new service will pass through the newly constructed coastal road. Two Venad buses will operate as a city circular service.

The service will begin from the KSRTC depot, pass through the collectorate junction, Ammachiveedu, Altharamoodu, Kaval and Tangasseri along the new coastal road to Vady, Moothakara, Port Kollam, Pallithottam, Pandakashala bridge, Thamarakulam, Benziger Hospital Junction, Chinnakada, S.N. College Junction, through Chemamukku overbridge to Asramam via Kadappakada, to Chinnakada and back to the KSRTC depot.

New bridge

The Panadakashala-Thamarakulam route to Chinnakada will be omitted once the construction of the new Kochupilamoodu bridge is completed. The bus will then go to Kollam beach from Pallithottam and to Chinnakada through the new bridge.

Beach North division councillor Basil Lal said the new KSRTC service came as an Onam gift to the people living in the coastal areas of the city.

http://i50.tinypic.com/2s1x9vs.jpg

The renovated MG Park and the scaped Kollam beach will be inaugrated tomorrow by the tourism minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan in the presence of Kollam Mayor, Kollam MP and 4 other ministers. The harbour engineering departement has undertaken the renovation work under the Tsunami rehabilitation fund scheme.

The Rs. 2 crore renovation include an Amphe theatre, children's playing area, children's swimming pool, pool for pedal boating, two shops, rest place (Kiosk), 900 metres tiled walkway, 90,000 sq.ft lawn, View Gallery at the beach apart from high mast tower lights.

The park has been renovated by retaining the existing toilet block and the huge statue of the mermaid.

Kollam Mayor said that Rs. 1 crore development of the plan will be initiated very soon. The corporation has approached the touris department for this. Toys and and other facilities for children will be installed aong with a beautiful compund wall, Park illumination, and a treatment plant for swimming pool in the next phase.

Another deveopment plan is the Rs. 1 crore modern aquarium coming up adjacent to the beach. The tender process regarding this has already started.

Thankasseri Park

Kollam Mayor said the Rs. 50 lakh worth development of the Thankasseri sea side park adjacent to the Fort remenants

will be inaugrated in the coming days. One acre of land has already been acquired near the park for the construction of

a Bus Bay/Terminal. The 4-lane road from Thankasseri to Kollam Beach is nearing completion, he said.

http://i38.tinypic.com/2pq96l5.jpg

http://i35.tinypic.com/149qatd.jpg

http://i38.tinypic.com/t5qbz8.jpg

The work on the drainage on either side of the underpass has started. Later the roads of either side of the overbridge will be condtructed.


After the Ashramam - Kappalandimukku 4-lane road is commissioned, the Chinnakada overbridge will be demolished as the traffic through this route will be closed.

The completion of the 4-lane road is expected by October first week and the Underpass by January end.

The renovated Kollam MG Park and Beach was opened to the public in a festive atmosphere yesterday. The event culminated with fireworks. The design of park and the beach has been done by the architect Raghuram and was honoured at the occassion. Around Rs. 2 crores of development work has been done in the park and the beach.

The Kollam corporation has sought another 2 crores to Tourism Department for development and beautification of the beach and the park.

http://i34.tinypic.com/vx16hv.jpg

Railways to get 1.22 acres of land near Karbala Junction for MEMU yard construction in lieu of the 16.5 cents given to the Underpass construction



Another proposal has been mooted as Kollam Corporation is ready to give 3 acres of land near the Upasana hospital side for the 2nd terminal for Kollam Junction Railway station in lieu of the 3.25 acres of land near the SMP Palace for corporation's prestigious Bus Terminal project.

Source - Deepika


great...at last the railways n the corporation has come into an amenable solution....hope to c works getting kickstarted soon..

The re-numbered national highways that passes through Kollam district are given below:

NH - 66 (Originally starts from Panvel in Maharashtra), KA/KL Border at Thalappadi, Kasargod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Ponnani, Edappally, Aroor, Cherthala, Alappuzha, Kollam, Attingal, Thiruvananthapuram, KL/TN Border (terminates near Kanyakumari in Tamilnadu).

NH - 83 (Originally starts from Dindigul in Tamilnadu), TN/KL Border at Kumili, Peerumed, Kanjirappally, Kottayam, Adoor and terminates near Kottarakkara (NH - 744).

NH - 744 (Originally starts from Thirumangalam in Tamilnadu), TN/KL Border at Kottavasal, Punalur, Kottarakara and terminates near Kollam (NH - 66).


so no more teni-kollam nh220........an anti climax 2 the disputed allignment of the Kollam-Kottayam stretch...
The longest NH passing through Kollam will be NH - 66. NH-66 will connect Kollam to Panvel near to the biggest city in India, Mumbai. So, now we can boast of an NH that almost connects Kerala to Mumbai.:banana:

Courtesy - Ajith

so no more kollam-teni nh 220???
an anticlimax to the disputed allignment of the kollam-ktym stretch.

The renovated Kollam MG Park and Beach was opened to the public in a festive atmosphere yesterday. The event culminated with fireworks. The design of park and the beach has been done by the architect Raghuram and was honoured at the occassion. Around Rs. 2 crores of development work has been done in the park and the beach.

The Kollam corporation has sought another 2 crores to Tourism Department for development and beautification of the beach and the park.

http://i34.tinypic.com/vx16hv.jpg

cool.....Kollam is making significant strides to being a major tourist destination

thanx Reghubhai 4 the regular updates....great work...u keep this thread rocking......

thanx Reghubhai 4 the regular updates....great work...u keep this thread rocking......

Navjot, I would like to see Kollam rock 'n' shine in the near future especially with the upcoming projects like Kollam Techno Park, Kollam Cargo Port completion, Kollam Cashew Board and the MEMU Terminal. Kollam Cargo Port and Techno Park are the most important among them.

My contribution to Kollam thread will continue for ever. I would like to see more contribution from the localites in Kollam who are actually witnessing the daily activities and are informed with the daily news.

It would have been great if there was a Sai Krishna in our thread. Sai has great passion and superb vision about Kottayam. Really amazing young fellow.:horse: Love to see somebody like that in Kollam forum as well.

Navjot, you can play a great role in our Kollam thread just like Sai.:)

Navjot, I would like to see Kollam rock 'n' shine in the near future especially with the upcoming projects like Kollam Techno Park, Kollam Cargo Port completion, Kollam Cashew Board and the MEMU Terminal. Kollam Cargo Port and Techno Park are the most important among them.

My contribution to Kollam thread will continue for ever. I would like to see more contribution from the localites in Kollam who are actually witnessing the daily activities and are informed with the daily news.

It would have been great if there was a Sai Krishna in our thread. Sai has great passion and superb vision about Kottayam. Really amazing young fellow.:horse: Love to see somebody like that in Kollam forum as well.

Navjot, you can play a great role in our Kollam thread just like Sai.:)

thanx bhai...sa krishna is a devout forume..who wudnt like to b a sakrishna,,
Unfortunately i'm currently not based in Kollam...i try my best 2 post news pertinent to Kollam frm the net......
Ever since my childhood days i'd a predilection 4 Kollam..thanx to SSC which is a common roof 4 ppl like us ..U've been doin a marvelous job in keeping this thread updated..hats off 2 ur dedication....
U r right..Our thread misses a Kollam based forumer...hopefully some1 joins us very soon.......
..i'll continue 2 contribute 4ever...i'd luv 2 c Kollam emerging into a bustling modern city one day..................

The Ashtamudi Lake, so named because of its eight 'arms' or channels is the getaway to the backwaters. Located in Kollam district, Ashtamudi will be situated amidst the serene beauty of the coconut groves and palm trees along the banks the lake. All rooms will enjoy a view of the Lake Ashtamudi. It is in close proximity to the "house boats" which are located in the lake.


http://www.theleela.com/hotel-ashtamudi.html

http://www.theleela.com/hotel-ashtamudi.html

Excellent News, Navjot. The Leela Lake Ashtamudi is one of the most promising project in the tourism sector in Kollam.

By the way, Navjot any updates about the exact location, rendering and the size of the project. These details are not mentioned in the site.

A snap of the beautiful Ashtamudi lake from the Leela website:

http://i38.tinypic.com/1zq4g79.jpg

Minister P.K Gurudasan has said that Rs. 50000 will be allotted for illumiating the Kollam Boat terminal located near the KSRTC Bus stand from his MLA fund.

The Kollam boat terminal is undergoing more developmental works including the berthing facility for more boats at the same time.

Rs. 6.5 crores worth development works has started at the Lal Bahadur Shasthri Stadium for National Games 2010. Mainly, the Pavlion and Gallery re-plasting will be done now.

Other developmental works include the construction of VIP lounge, Dopping centre, Toilet blocks for men and women.

Kollam will host games items such as Hockey, Handball, Beach Handball, and Rugby.

The Lal Bahadur Shasthri Stadium is mainly renovated for conducting the Rugby matches of National Games 2010.

Other than these works, the Kollam City corporating is spending Rs. 2 lakh for repairing the football ground and arranging the gallery area for conducting the Muncipal Golden Jubilee All India Football tournament that starts next week.

The stadium is expected to be of international standard after the completion of the ongoing works in February 2011. Authorities are expecting more national level sports items at the stadium in future.

The stadium will become the cynosure of football lovers again when the Muncipal Golden Jubilee All India Football tournament starts next week.

The connection road from Paravoor town to Chathanoor will be widened to 12.5 metres from the existing 7.5 metres.

An alocation of 8 crores has been made for this important road that connects the beautiful Paravoor town to the NH-47. The fund for the road works is given by NABARD.

Paravoor - Chathanoor road has a total distance of 8.76 KMs.

The renovated showroom of Joyalukkas Wedding Centre in Kollam was inaugurated by Kollam Corporation Mayor V Rajendrababu. Reema Kallingal and Joy Alukkas Group chairman Joy Alukka were also present on the occasion.

In the showroom, an array of internationally-designed gold ornaments, diamond and platinum jewellery, a collection of rare gems and all leading textile brands are available.

Rs.5.84-crore renovation work begins at Lal Bahadur Stadium

KOLLAM: Sports Minster M. Vijayakumar has said the government is taking steps to make Kollam a prime sports city of the country.

He was delivering the presidential address at a function organised here on Friday to mark the commencement of the renovation work of Lal Bahadur Stadium.

The stadium is being renovated at a cost of Rs.5.84 crore to host the rugby tournaments of the National Games.

Mr. Vijayakumar said a modern synthetic turf hockey stadium was also being constructed in Kollam at a cost of Rs.13 crore. Construction work for the stadium coming up on land taken over from the Postal Department at Asramam would start in a month's time.

He said that if land was made available, the government was ready to construct an indoor stadium-cum-swimming pool complex in Kollam. The project would be undertaken in association with the Sports Authority of India and the Kollam District Sports Council, he said.

The construction work was inaugurated by Labour Minister P.K. Gurudasan. The function was preceded by a sports rally to the venue from the Press Club Maidan. Film actor Suresh Gopi flagged off the rally.

Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran, Mayor V. Rajendrababu, district panchayat president K. Somaprasad and District Collector A. Shajahan spoke.

The Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA) is starting two major parks. One is a rural textile park at Calicut and another is an industrial park at Privanthur in Kollam district.

The venture is expected to change the face of Kollam. Around 65 acres of land have been acquired for this industrial park.

The Punalur Paper Mill will be re-opened today after a gap of 23 years today. The industries minister will inaugrate the renovation works of the factory at a function here on Friday evening.

The re-opening will be a re-juvenating event for the growing industrial town at the eastern part of Kollam district.

Source: Mathrubhhoomi Daily (http://www.mathrubhumi.com/kollam/news/480165-local_news-kollam.html)

Also, More News (http://www.mathrubhumi.com/kollam/news/480226-local_news-kollam-പുനലൂര്*.html)

The Punalur Paper Mill will be re-opened today after a gap of 23 years today. The industries minister will inaugrate the renovation works of the factory at a function here on Friday evening.

The re-opening will be a re-juvenating event for the growing industrial town at the eastern part of Kollam district.

Source: Mathrubhhoomi Daily (http://www.mathrubhumi.com/kollam/news/480165-local_news-kollam.html)

Also, More News (http://www.mathrubhumi.com/kollam/news/480226-local_news-kollam-പുനലൂര്*.html)

this is great news. Punalur will surely revive its lost charm of being an important industrial town, With the kinfra park also coming up .

KOLLAM: Amidst thundering applause from a huge crowd, the siren of Punalur Paper Mills Limited (PPML) was heard by the people after a gap of 23 years at 6.50 p.m. on Friday.

The siren went off to give a green signal for the renovation work of the PPML and the company is expected to start production once more in six months' time.

Industries Minister Elamaram Karim, who inaugurated the renovation work, said the revival package was an Onam gift for the people of Punalur. He said the reopening of the company was the result of a coordinated effort by various departments. Huge amount due to the government from the previous owners were waived.

When the company reopens, more than 200 persons in the muster of the company at the time of its closure will get back their job. The raw material used earlier for the production of paper was reed and bamboo from the forest areas. But now such material cannot be procured because of forest protection laws.

So the company will use old paper as the raw material. The main product will be newsprint. The Minister said the main promoter, Akhila Boards from Andhra Pradesh, was already in newsprint manufacturing. As part of the comprehensive package deal, more than Rs.8 crore would be distributed to the former employees of the company as part of settling their dues.

Welcoming the gathering, member of the new director board of the company Nelson Sebastian said during its hey days, the PPML was the backbone of Punalur's economy. When it closed down, the economy of the town was badly hit. Several employees who lost their jobs had even committed suicide, he said.

He said efforts would be taken to provide jobs to dependents of the former employees who were no more.

He said all political parties and trade unions had extended support to the revival of the company. The new promoters would have 52.76 per cent of the shares, he said.

In his presidential address, K. Raju, MLA, said to facilitate the reopening of the company, all legal disputes were withdrawn. Pending benefits to be distributed to the former employees ranged from Rs.50,000 to Rs.4 lakh. Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran inaugurated the distribution of pending benefits to the former employees. Kodikunnil Suresh, MP, addressed the gathering. CPI(M) district secretary K. Rajagopal, INTUC leader Bharateepuram Sasi, Congress leader Punalur Madhu and CPI(M) leader S. Jayamohan spoke.

Source - The Hindu

HAPPY ONAM to all SSCians

The metalling and taring of Kollam KSRTC Bustation to Ashramam Maidan stretch of the Link road has started.

The drainage works is going on near the Pullikada area to prevent flooding. The drainage work will be over by this month.

The road will have a width of 21 metres at this stretch with footpaths on the Ashtamudi lake banks side. A guest house and boat landing area is also planned near to this road.

The Taluk Cutchery junction development and land acquision for widening the Taluk Cutchery Junction - KSRTC Bust Station stretch has not started yet.

http://i44.tinypic.com/11qomwz.jpg


Present updates of link road. pics captured:{23/08/2010}
http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/22082010496.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/22082010497.jpg
The construction of culvert is complete.And some open drain construction is going on towards ashramam side
http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/22082010498.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/22082010499.jpg
You can see K Mall in this pic:

Present updates of link road. pics captured:{23/08/2010}
http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/22082010499.jpg
You can see K Mall in this pic:

Thanks for the snaps Zodfish. Seems K Mall construction is over. K Mall looks really impressive from the Hotel Seebee side.

Present updates of link road. pics captured:{23/08/2010}
http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/22082010498.jpg

Thank you, Zodfish. The Plam land apartments and the Kollam Boat terminal are visible in this snap. The Kollam Ashtamudi Gateway project is coming up near the Kollam Boat Terminal constructed in a Kearal traditional architecture.

The Ashramam - Kappanandimukku 4-lane road is getting ready for inaugration before the local body elections. The road works are almost complete except near the Kapplandimukku junction where land acquisition is not complete for widening the road.

The road has a width of around 18 metres with footpath.

http://i33.tinypic.com/xnumo9.jpg

Source - Deepika

NEW DELHI: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), on Tuesday, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide consultancy for a high speed railway line in Kerala between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod.

"This is DMRC's first-ever consultancy project for a high speed rail corridor and we plan to engage Japanese experts who have been associated with bullet trains, for the study. So far, DMRC has provided consultancy for the construction of Metro corridors in many cities of the country. A MoU to this effect was signed between Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) managing director Alkesh Sharma and DMRCs director (works) Mangu Singh,'' said a DMRC spokesperson.

As per the MoU, the DMRC will provide consultancy for a pre feasibility study for the 550-kilometre long rail corridor.

It is proposed that trains on the line be run at a speed of about 275-300 kilometres per hour on the standard gauge (1,435 mm) high speed rail corridor. Initially, eight stations have been planned at Thiruvananthapuram, Quilon, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Calicut, Kannur and Kasaragod. Three more stations at Chengannur, Tirur and Thalassery may be constructed in the future.

Source (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/DMRC-signs-MoU-for-high-speed-rly-line-in-Kerala/articleshow/6428860.cms)

A new station is definetly required at Kollam for this type of rail corridor as the existing railway line has a U-curve at the city.

New Collector to assume charge on Monday

KOLLAM: Devendra Kumar Dhodawat, Secretary, Agriculture, will take charge as the Collector of Kollam on Monday.

The incumbent A. Shahjahan has been posted as the Development Commissioner. Mr. Shajahan has been the longest serving Collector of Kollam.

Talking to the media here on Thursday, Mr. Shajahan said all his priorities on assuming charge as the Collector on September 12, 2004, had been achieved to a highly satisfactory level.

He thanked officers, employees and the people of the district for making that task easy for him.

His priority was to ensure the implementation of all the Rs.250-crore tsunami rehabilitation projects in the district in a time bound manner.

Except for a bridge at Alappad and a housing project taken up by the Revenue Department, all other tsunami projects had been completed.

He said the Akshaya project had brought about revolutionary changes in the IT sector in the district. The Kundara IT park and techno-lodges were also achievements in the sector.

Tourism sector

Mr. Shajahan said the tourism sector made considerable progress in the last three years. It was during this period that the Central government sanctioned the Ashtamudi Lake circuit from Munroethuruthu to Asramam and allocated a fund of Rs.5.5 crore for its development.

Claiming that considerable thrust was given to social welfare activities, he pointed out the implementation of the Niramaya Scheme under the National Trust Act of the Union Ministry of Justice. So far 2,500 differently abled persons had been covered by the scheme in the district.

He said more than 12,000 title deeds were distributed in the district during his tenure as the Collector.

Pics:

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/27082010564.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/27082010562.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/27082010588.jpg

K Mall, Kollam.

Pics:
http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/27082010562.jpg

Zod, you are doing a commendable job. Being in Kollam you can contribute more to this forum than anybody else.

It is great that we have a 4-lane seaport road at Kollam. But the road should have been maintained properly with footpaths on either side and lights in the median.

Being a coastal marine drive road in the city, more beautification will make it one of the best roads in the city.

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/27082010588.jpg

K Mall, Kollam.

Quite Impressive one. Looks like a 8 - storeyed building.

The below article came in TradeKerala.com:

http://i34.tinypic.com/518vhl.jpg

Zod, you are doing a commendable job. Being in Kollam you can contribute more to this forum than anybody else.

It is great that we have a 4-lane seaport road at Kollam. But the road should have been maintained properly with footpaths on either side and lights in the median.

Being a coastal marine drive road in the city, more beautification will make it one of the best roads in the city.

Thanks Reghu. But i have to go back soon, i have limited time only. I will try to enrich as much as i can.

Today I have been to kollam beach and i was surprised seeing the crowd in this place

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/27082010594.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/27082010595.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/27082010596.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/27082010597.jpg
This is the children's swimming pool.

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/27082010600.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/27082010599.jpg

Thanks Reghu. But i have to go back soon, i have limited time only. I will try to enrich as much as i can.

Today I have been to kollam beach and i was surprised seeing the crowd in this place

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/27082010596.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/27082010599.jpg

Excellent work again, Zod.

Seems there is a lot of beautification and drainage works pending to make the Kollam Beach & MG Road a prime tourst destination in South Kerala. Already, the Kollam Corporation has sought the help of Kerala Tourism Department for further assistance to complete the comprehensive beach beautification project.

Zod, could you please post some of the latest snaps of the Adventure park, Children's park, and Tangasseri Sea side park if you have any.

By the way, where in Kollam you are put up with. Are you working outside Kerala?

Nice construction along the beach side by Corporation :)

The Ashramam - Kappanandimukku 4-lane road is getting ready for inaugration before the local body elections. The road works are almost complete except near the Kapplandimukku junction where land acquisition is not complete for widening the road.

The road has a width of around 18 metres with footpath.

http://i33.tinypic.com/xnumo9.jpg

Source - Deepika

excellent news.....:cheers:

The broad gauge conversion work of the Punalur - Schencottah stretch starts at Bhagavatipuram in Tamil Nadu next week. The MG services along this stretch will be stopped from September 30th.

http://i37.tinypic.com/n2e5oi.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/2d1a4bn.jpg

The following snaps were taken during May 2010:

http://i35.tinypic.com/lg014.jpg

http://i34.tinypic.com/2aaf3bk.jpg

http://i35.tinypic.com/t96scl.jpg

http://i34.tinypic.com/2zhl7ja.jpg

http://i33.tinypic.com/345j7o3.jpg

The outgoing Kollam collector A. Shajhan said that the ongoing and the upcoming road infrastructure projects will ease the traffic congestion in Kollam City shortly.

The Chinnakada Underpass, SP office Flyover, new Kochupilamoodu bridge over Kollam canal, completion of Ashramam - Kadappakada - Kappalandimukku 4-lane road and the widening of the Iron bridge will ease the traffic congestion in Kollam City to a great extent.

http://i34.tinypic.com/t5qhax.jpg

Kollam Press Club accords farewell

KOLLAM: A. Shajahan relinquished office as Kollam District Collector on Monday.

The last file he signed related to the identification of five acres of land at Palliman in Nedumbana grama panchayat for housing the proposed mass communications centre that is funded by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Mr. Shajahan said this while addressing a send-off accorded to him by the Kollam Press Club on Monday.

He said the file had been forwarded to the State government. The land would be formally allocated for the centre after the government issued orders.

The outgoing collector A, Shajahan said that 5 acres of land has been earmarked out of the 15 acres available in Pallimon for the upcoming Mass Communication Institute at Pallimon in Kollam.

This was the last file that he has signed before leaving the office. The Mass communication Institute, an institute that is under the Central Hunam Resource Department starts their first institute in Kerala at Pallimon in Kollam.

Shajahan said that Refresher and Regular Mass Media cources will be there in the institute.

Shajahan added that the preliminary steps regarding the land acquisition for the Foreign Language Institute at Kulathupuzha in Kollam is also completed. 50 acres of land will be acquired for the Foreign Language Institute at Kulathupuzha.

KOLLAM: The works for developing and widening the road along the side of the Kollam Canal from Kallupaalam to Kochupilamoodu has begun. Road-widening has become necessary since a new bridge is coming up across the canal at Kochupilamoodu.

http://i53.tinypic.com/33cpt7c.jpg

The work is meant for easing traffic congestion along the Chinnakkada and to serve as a link for heavy vehicular traffic to and from the Kollam Port. The Rs.90-lakh road development work is expected to be completed in seven months. The road will be widened by erecting a new retaining wall from the side of the canal.

Families rehabilitated
Families living in hutments along the sides of the canal where the wall has to be constructed have been evicted and rehabilitated at a new colony at Eravipuram, constructed with funds under the Tsunami Rehabilitation Project. With the eviction, personnel from the Public Works Department have started construction of wall. PWD officials said the road to Vaddy from the Pukayila-Pandakasala Bridge is being widened to 12.5 metres. The plan for the widening work has been finalised.

The work will involve land acquisition and paper notification for the purpose will be shortly issued.

This road cuts through the Kallupaalam-Kochupilamoodu road at the Pandakasala bridge and will serve as yet another route for vehicles to pass without creating traffic snarls in the city.

Source - The Hindu

Minister to lay stone for substation


Project to ensure uninterrupted supply


New building for KSEB Olai section

KOLLAM: Electricity Minister A.K. Balan will on Saturday inaugurate a new building of the KSEB section office at Olai in the city.

The Minister will also unveil a plaque to mark the laying of the foundation stone for a 110 Kv gas insulated substation here.

The substation is being constructed at the Power House complex here at a cost of Rs.33 crore. The project is for ensuring uninterrupted power supply in Kollam city.

The substation will enable hassle free connections for industrial purposes thereby paving the way for industrial growth of the city.

The Olai section office was constructed at a cost of Rs.24 lakh. The building will have more facilities for consumers and staff. An enquiry counter for consumers has been set up at the building.

KSEB electrical circle deputy chief engineer S. Rajendran said the inaugural function would be resided over by Labour Minister P.K. Gurudasan. Mayor V. Rajendrababu would be the chief guest.

N. Peethambara Kurup and K.N. Balagopal, MPs, will speak.

The Reliance-Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (R-ADAG) has picked up a 15 per cent stake for Rs225 crore in a new international airport coming up at Aranmula in Pathanamthitta district of central Kerala. The investment was made a few months ago through one of the group's smaller investment companies at Rs486 per share, said executives of KGS Aranmula Airport.

Promoted by KGS Aranmula Airport Ltd at an investment of Rs2,000 crore, it is the first private sector airport in Kerala. The state already has three international airports: Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode. Aranmula airport received a go-ahead from the state government yesterday.

The airport will be situated in the Sabarimala hills, which houses the famous shrine of Lord Ayyappa. Anil Ambani and mother Kokilaben visited the temple in February last year. Over 550,000 devotees throng to Sabarimala between December and February.

The promoters of KGS Developers hold 51 per cent stake in the project, scheduled to be fully operational by December 2012. Aranmula Aviation Ltd, a company promoted by a consortium of Keralite organisations in North America and Mount Zion Trust promoted by local businessman Abraham Kalamannil, holds 30 per cent stake. The state government-owned Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation is also likely to pick up around 10 per cent stake, said P T Nandakumar, CEO, KGS Aranmula Airport Ltd.

The districts of Pathanamthitta, Aalappuzha, Kollam and Kottayam that will be served by the airport have 270,000 residents overseas, mainly in West Asia and the US. Another 600,000 Keralites have migrated to other states. The airport can serve tourists and pilgrims visiting the state, said executives.

R-ADAG’s 15 per cent stake will be in the airport's main promoter, Chennai-based KGS Developers, which is planning real estate projects worth over over Rs11,000 crore in south India, including a business district along the Chennai-Pondicherry corridor. R-ADAG is a 50 per cent partner in three large township projects planned by KGS, which also has a tie-up with Reliance Adlabs to set up shopping mall-cum-multiplexes at 30 locations in 17 cities.

R-ADAG is developing five small airports in Maharashtra through Reliance Airports Ltd, a subsidiary of Reliance Infrastructure.

Asked about the group’s investment in the Aranmula airport, Lalit Jalan, chief executive of Reliance Infrastructure, said: “My company is yet to associate with that airport project or the other real estate projects mentioned.”

"The first phase of the airport, with a runway of 1,800 meters, will be ready by next year. It will be extended to 3,000 meters by the end of December next year," said Nandakumar. In the first phase, planned at an investment of Rs500 crore, the airport can handle only small aircraft. On completing the second phase, wide-bodied aircraft like Airbus can land at the airport. It is expected to handle traffic of 50,000 passengers in first phase and 1.34 lakh every year on completion.

KGS Aranmula Airport is in possession of 350 acres of land and will acquire another 150 acres. Land has been levelled for the first phase and has obtained site clearance from the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The environmental impact assessment report will be submitted soon, said the CEO.

The project will also include 150 acres of real estate development, which will include a five-star hotel managed by the Taj Group, a three-star hotel, a single-star hotel, an international school, and a shopping mall-cum-multiplex. The airport is estimated to generate revenues of Rs10 crore per year.

Above News Source - Business Standard

The Reliance-Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (R-ADAG) has picked up a 15 per cent stake for Rs225 crore in a new international airport coming up at Aranmula in Pathanamthitta district of central Kerala. The investment was made a few months ago through one of the group's smaller investment companies at Rs486 per share, said executives of KGS Aranmula Airport.

Promoted by KGS Aranmula Airport Ltd at an investment of Rs2,000 crore, it is the first private sector airport in Kerala. The state already has three international airports: Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode. Aranmula airport received a go-ahead from the state government yesterday.

The airport will be situated in the Sabarimala hills, which houses the famous shrine of Lord Ayyappa. Anil Ambani and mother Kokilaben visited the temple in February last year. Over 550,000 devotees throng to Sabarimala between December and February.

The promoters of KGS Developers hold 51 per cent stake in the project, scheduled to be fully operational by December 2012. Aranmula Aviation Ltd, a company promoted by a consortium of Keralite organisations in North America and Mount Zion Trust promoted by local businessman Abraham Kalamannil, holds 30 per cent stake. The state government-owned Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation is also likely to pick up around 10 per cent stake, said P T Nandakumar, CEO, KGS Aranmula Airport Ltd.

The districts of Pathanamthitta, Aalappuzha, Kollam and Kottayam that will be served by the airport have 270,000 residents overseas, mainly in West Asia and the US. Another 600,000 Keralites have migrated to other states. The airport can serve tourists and pilgrims visiting the state, said executives.

R-ADAG’s 15 per cent stake will be in the airport's main promoter, Chennai-based KGS Developers, which is planning real estate projects worth over over Rs11,000 crore in south India, including a business district along the Chennai-Pondicherry corridor. R-ADAG is a 50 per cent partner in three large township projects planned by KGS, which also has a tie-up with Reliance Adlabs to set up shopping mall-cum-multiplexes at 30 locations in 17 cities.

R-ADAG is developing five small airports in Maharashtra through Reliance Airports Ltd, a subsidiary of Reliance Infrastructure.

Asked about the group’s investment in the Aranmula airport, Lalit Jalan, chief executive of Reliance Infrastructure, said: “My company is yet to associate with that airport project or the other real estate projects mentioned.”

"The first phase of the airport, with a runway of 1,800 meters, will be ready by next year. It will be extended to 3,000 meters by the end of December next year," said Nandakumar. In the first phase, planned at an investment of Rs500 crore, the airport can handle only small aircraft. On completing the second phase, wide-bodied aircraft like Airbus can land at the airport. It is expected to handle traffic of 50,000 passengers in first phase and 1.34 lakh every year on completion.

KGS Aranmula Airport is in possession of 350 acres of land and will acquire another 150 acres. Land has been levelled for the first phase and has obtained site clearance from the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The environmental impact assessment report will be submitted soon, said the CEO.

The project will also include 150 acres of real estate development, which will include a five-star hotel managed by the Taj Group, a three-star hotel, a single-star hotel, an international school, and a shopping mall-cum-multiplex. The airport is estimated to generate revenues of Rs10 crore per year.

Above News Source - Business Standard

Aranmula airport will be the second airport within a 65 -75 Kms distance from Kollam city. Though the proposed airport is in Pathanamthitta district, Kollam district is definitely going to reap the benefits especially the northern and eastern regions and the major towns located here. Major town in Kollam like Kottarakkara, Karunagapally, Pathanapuram and Shathancotta are just 60 to 70 Kms away from the proposed International airport. This will boost the development dreams of these towns as well.

The airport may pave the way for more industrial and technology parks in Pathanathittha, Kottyam and Kollam districts in the central and southern Tranvencore region.

The route of the proposed NH 220 Kollam - Theni should pass through the proposed airport site to reach Kottayam. This will reduce the distance considerably to the airport from Kollam and Kottayam cities. The existing alignment of the NH 220 is cutting accross the north-eastern regions of the district. Authorities should re-align the route to capitalize the airport potential as well.

HI Friends,

After gauge conversion is over from Nellai to Kollam,

HOw will be the patronage if Chennai to Kollam train through nellai is newly introduced?

Give your feedbacks.

^^Kollam-Madras Express was running through this route for years, which was stopped once gauge conversion started in the route.

Aranmula airport will be the second airport within a 65 -75 Kms distance from Kollam city. Though the proposed airport is in Pathanamthitta district, Kollam district is definitely going to reap the benefits especially the northern and eastern regions and the major towns located here. Major town in Kollam like Kottarakkara, Karunagapally, Pathanapuram and Shathancotta are just 60 to 70 Kms away from the proposed International airport. This will boost the development dreams of these towns as well.

The airport may pave the way for more industrial and technology parks in Pathanathittha, Kottyam and Kollam districts in the central and southern Tranvencore region.

The route of the proposed NH 220 Kollam - Theni should pass through the proposed airport site to reach Kottayam. This will reduce the distance considerably to the airport from Kollam and Kottayam cities. The existing alignment of the NH 220 is cutting accross the north-eastern regions of the district. Authorities should re-align the route to capitalize the airport potential as well.

Hi Raghu,

I welcome your proposal to realign the NH 220 via Aranmula. But without NH also the connectivity to Aranmula will be improved in the near future. Please see some of the road development projects which will improve the connectivity to Aranmula:

1) M C Road (SH-1) - Phase-I (TVM- Chengannur) is nearing completion. Chenagannur- Muvattupuzha stretch will be developed under KSTP-II.
2) Punalur-Pathanamthitta-Muvattupuzha road (SH-8) - will be developed under KSTP-II. ( There is a proposal to convert this road as NH)
3) Thiruvalla - Kozhencherry - Pathanamthitta - Kumbazha (SH-7) - Will be developed under the Sabarimala heavy mainteanace project.
4) Pandalam - Aranmaula - Will be developed under the Sabarimala heavy mainteanace project. (It is part of the "Thiruvabharana patha")
5) Adoor - thumpamon - kozhencerry road - widening in progress. (This road will be the shortest one from Adoor to Aranmaula).
6) Mavelikkara - Chengannur- Aranmula- Kozhencherry (SH-10) - developed by KSTP two years back and the road is on good shape.

Also some roads which connect the airport site to different state highways have been included in the "Stimulus package - 2009" and widening is in progress.
The only road that is left out is the Kottayam - Kozhencherry Highway (SH-9). This road also should be widended to provide good connectivity to the eastern part of Kottayam district.

Hi Raghu,

I welcome your proposal to realign the NH 220 via Aranmula. But without NH also the connectivity to Aranmula will be improved in the near future. Please see some of the road development projects which will improve the connectivity to Aranmula:

1) M C Road (SH-1) - Phase-I (TVM- Chengannur) is nearing completion. Chenagannur- Muvattupuzha stretch will be developed under KSTP-II.
2) Punalur-Pathanamthitta-Muvattupuzha road (SH-8) - will be developed under KSTP-II. ( There is a proposal to convert this road as NH)
3) Thiruvalla - Kozhencherry - Pathanamthitta - Kumbazha (SH-7) - Will be developed under the Sabarimala heavy mainteanace project.
4) Pandalam - Aranmaula - Will be developed under the Sabarimala heavy mainteanace project. (It is part of the "Thiruvabharana patha")
5) Adoor - thumpamon - kozhencerry road - widening in progress. (This road will be the shortest one from Adoor to Aranmaula).
6) Mavelikkara - Chengannur- Aranmula- Kozhencherry (SH-10) - developed by KSTP two years back and the road is on good shape.

Also some roads which connect the airport site to different state highways have been included in the "Stimulus package - 2009" and widening is in progress.
The only road that is left out is the Kottayam - Kozhencherry Highway (SH-9). This road also should be widended to provide good connectivity to the eastern part of Kottayam district.

Kiru PTA, my point was regarding the route alignement of the proposed NH 220.

The following news came in the The Hindu (http://www.hindu.com/2009/10/24/stories/2009102451630300.htm) almost a year back regarding the row over the road route alignment and the route is not finalised yet. Since the Aranmula airport is going to be a reality, the NH 220 should touch the airport so that the districts of Kollam and Alleppy will also get the benefit apart from Pathanamthita. Future developments can be planned for these districts if the NH 220 road is in good shape.

Row over road route

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Action council submits memo

Plea to retain finalised route

Council sees move to upset alignment

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
KOLLAM: The Kollam-Theni National Highway Action Council has called upon people’s representatives to ensure that the first phase of the Kollam-Theni NH 220 passes only through the route finalised and proposed by the State government.

The alignment for the first phase proposed by the State government is Kollam- Anchalumoodu- Kundara- Perayam-Bharankavu- Charumoodu- Kollakadavu- Chengannur. The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had been formally informed about it.

In a petition to Kollam MP N. Peethambara Kurup, Mavelikara MP Kodikunnil Suresh and Kundara MLA and Education Minister M.A. Baby, the council alleged that vested interests within the National Highway office were trying to upset this alignment and were promoting the Kollam- Kottarakara- Chengannur alignment. The State government had objected to it because the Kollam- Kottarakara section was already NH 208 and the Kottarakara- Chengannur section was State Highway No.1 which needed no further development.

The failure of the National Highway office in the State to recognise the State government’s proposal had converted the first phase of the NH 220 into a dispute. As a result, uncertainty looms large over the commissioning of the first phase. The second phase of NH 220 from Chengannur to Kumali and the third phase from Kumali to Theni had already become a full-fledged highway.

Action council chairman K.B. Mahendra alleged in the petition that following the State government’s rejection of the Kollam- Kottarakara- Chengannur alignment, vested interests in the National Highway office were now proposing a new alignment through Munroe Thuruthu. This was to deliberately sabotage the alignment proposed by the State government, the action council members said.

The petition urged the people’s representatives to urgently take up the issue with the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways so as to ensure the Centre’s clearance for the State government’s proposed alignment. Vice-chairman of the action council D. Sindhuraj said any move to divert the alignment would lead to a strong agitation.

^^
Hi Raghu,

Got your point. The alignment via Bharanikavu is passing mainly through the villages of Kollam and Alappuzha districts. No major towns are there in this alignment. So if they approve this alignment it will bring development to a vast area.

^^
Hi Raghu,

Got your point. The alignment via Bharanikavu is passing mainly through the villages of Kollam and Alappuzha districts. No major towns are there in this alignment. So if they approve this alignment it will bring development to a vast area.

Yes, I agree to your point as well. But the alignment is not yet finalized especially the route in Kollam district as there is a row going on whether it should pass through the Anchalumoodu - Perumon - Bharanickavu or through the Anchalumoodu - Kundara - Bharanickavu route whereas
already a descent road exisits in the later case. The towns in the region should be linked to this NH 220 with good wide roads.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/5696/punalur.jpg


The Punalur-Shengottai MG line will closed from September 20th for guage conversion


Source : Mathrubhumi

BarCamp Kerala is an ad-hoc gathering rooted in the desire to share and learn in an open & friendly environment. It is an intense yet cool, event with discussions, demos, and strong interactions. The 9th edition of BarCamp Kerala (BCK9), will be held at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri Campus at Karunagapally on 14th November 2010

Source (http://www.barcampkerala.org/blog/)

BarCamp Kerala is an ad-hoc gathering rooted in the desire to share and learn in an open & friendly environment. It is an intense yet cool, event with discussions, demos, and strong interactions. The 9th edition of BarCamp Kerala (BCK9), will be held at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri Campus at Karunagapally on 14th November 2010

Source (http://www.barcampkerala.org/blog/)

That is a great news. Amrithapuri is becoming an educational destination. Sai Krishna would have loved to particiapate in this. Sai Krishna, please come back. We need you especially Kottayam district.

View of Amrithapuri from the Kollam TS Canal banks at Karunagapally:

http://i53.tinypic.com/azgn5f.jpg

http://i51.tinypic.com/2jbpgmq.jpg

Kollam Junction has become an abode of most of the special trains during the festival seasons offlate such as Onam, Ramzan, Pooja Holidays, Christmas and Sabarimala Pilgrimmage.

Though a big junction station with enough space, lack of necessary pit lines and maintenance yard for repair and maintenance of the special trains terminating here cause difficulties. More platforms are required to handle the smooth passage of these increasing number of trains.

With the introduction of the MEMU trains by the begining of next year and more trains in the Kollam Punalur BG route expected, Kollam junction will become one of the busiest junction stations in Kerala.

MEMU maintenance shed is already completed at Kollam Junction. Pitlines and shunting yard work is not completed yet.

Railways should provide adequate steps to improve the terminal infrastructure facilities at Kollam Junction with a Second Terminal @ Upasana hospital side, atleast 3 more platforms in the wake of new trains, and a maintenance yard for the BG trains.

More information counters and tourist information centers are required at the extreme end of Platform No 3 and 4 as the ends of these platforms are located almost 1 KM from the station entrance.

Kollam Junction being located at the city centre, good restaurants and shopping centres should be planned at the station premises This may provide more revenue for railways and will be handy for the increasing number of passengers and tourists.

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/6960/kollamjunctionrailwayst.jpg

http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/424/thamajestickollamjuncti.jpg

Civil Supplies Corporations SupplyCo Hypermarket and Multi-Storeyed shopping complex to come up at Karunagapally town.

The foundation stone for this prestigious project in the town will be laid by minister C. Divakaran at 3 PM on Monday 13th of September. The multi-storeyed Hypermarket building is coming up at the Supplyco owned property opposite to Krishna theatre.

Guess the road.

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/11092010621.jpg

Guess the road.

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/11092010621.jpg

Nice snap of the new Ashramam - Kadapakkada - Kappalandimukku 4 - lane road. The road looks really beautiful with those trees, nice footpaths with tiled pavement and median with lights. I think there should have been more width for this prestigious road as it is expected to bypass the busy Chinnakada junction. This is a 18 metre road with 7 metres of width on either side and 2 meter wide footpaths on eitherside.

I would love to see the snaps of the road stretch especially where the Ashramam link road touches the 4-lane road. A big traffic round is expected to come at this location which is the meeting point of 4 roads - Link Road, 4-lane road, Residency road and Shankers Hospital road.

Boat Terminal @ Ashramam Adventure Park

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/1108/kollamadventureparkboat.jpg

NCC Boat Terminal @ Thevally Palace

http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/9896/kollamthevallypalace1.jpg

http://img693.imageshack.us/img693/7619/kollamthevallypalace2.jpg

Boat Terminal @ Thevally Valiyavila Estate

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/136/kollamthevallyvaliavila.jpg

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/136/kollamthevallyvaliavila.jpg

Kollam City Main Boat Terminal - The traditional building seen in red tiled roof

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/22082010477.jpg

Snap taken from the Kollam Boat Terminal

http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/7352/nearkollamkollamboatter.jpg

Upcoming Water Gateway Boat Terminal @ Kollam KSRTC Bus Station

http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/7352/nearkollamkollamboatter.jpg

Boat Terminal @ Thoppilkadavu in Kollam City

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/26082010559.jpg

Picture Courtesy - Zodfish, Albert & Jaipey

@ zodfish n reghu


nice pics...............

Nice snap of the new Ashramam - Kadapakkada - Kappalandimukku 4 - lane road. The road looks really beautiful with those trees, nice footpaths with tiled pavement and median with lights. I think there should have been more width for this prestigious road as it is expected to bypass the busy Chinnakada junction. This is a 18 metre road with 7 metres of width on either side and 2 meter wide footpaths on eitherside.

I would love to see the snaps of the road stretch especially where the Ashramam link road touches the 4-lane road. A big traffic round is expected to come at this location which is the meeting point of 4 roads - Link Road, 4-lane road, Residency road and Shankers Hospital road.

u r right...this rd luks beautiful with the trees,the tiled footpaths........... has the corporation named this rd or is it just ashramam kappalandimukku rd?

u r right...this rd luks beautiful with the trees,the tiled footpaths........... has the corporation named this rd or is it just ashramam kappalandimukku rd?

Navjot, as you may also think, I believe the Kollam Corporation should name it as MG Road as this road will be one of the prime city inner roads. Moreover, Kollam City does not have any road named after the "Father of the Nation".

Already new commercial shops have come up in this stretch. I have seen a new Kollam Supreme Bakers shop at the Ashramam stretch.

I would love to take a morning stroll at this stretch of the city.:cheers:

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/5696/punalur.jpg


The Punalur-Shengottai MG line will closed from September 20th for guage conversion


Source : Mathrubhumi

The Madura Divisional Manager A. K. Goel said the BG conversion in the Punalur - Schencotta stretch will be completed in 2 years.

He said the infrastructure and the passenger amenities at Punalur station will be enahanced soon.

http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/2470/punalurschencottahbgcon.jpg

Guess the road.

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/11092010621.jpg

Hmm..:)
Great!! :cheers:^^

An Arial Map of Kollam City - Google Earth

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/6533/kollamcitymap.jpg

An Arial view of the City from Thankasseri Light House

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/2084/kollamportview.jpg

The shortest rail connectivity between Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram would be restored in three years on completion of the gauge conversion work of the Shencottah-Punalur section, which would be taken up shortly.

Traffic on the metre gauge line on the 45-km stretch, mostly ghat section, would be closed from September 20 to enable the work.This would be the final leg of the gauge conversion project on the Virudhunagar-Tenkasi-Tirunelveli/Tiruchendur-Kollam section. Broad gauge services on the Virudhunagar-Shencottah and Punalur-Kollam sections were commissioned in phases as and when the works were completed.

“Work on this small portion could not be taken up for its complexities, like the rough terrain, tunnels and sharp curves on the stretch,” a railway official said. The cost of the project, which was around Rs.357 crore in December 2008, has now escalated to Rs.380 crore.

Source (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/article627677.ece)

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/7339/fivestarhotelatkollamas.jpg

http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/285/5starhotelatkollamtheva.jpg

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/9743/fivestarhotelatkollamth.jpg

http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/7339/fivestarhotelatkollamas.jpg

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/9561/ashrammakappalandimukku.jpg
http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/9561/ashrammakappalandimukku.jpg
http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/9561/ashrammakappalandimukku.jpg

It would be great if the corporation decides to extend the 4- lane road upto Chinnakkada Round with 18 metre width and footpaths through the existing Residency road. Anyway, it is a great news that the Ashramam link road that ends at KSRTC bus station premises would now be extented to Highschool junction through the Ashtamudi lake banks via Nani Memorial hospital junction.
Guess the road.
http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/11092010621.jpg

The shortest rail connectivity between Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram would be restored in three years on completion of the gauge conversion work of the Shencottah-Punalur section, which would be taken up shortly.

Traffic on the metre gauge line on the 45-km stretch, mostly ghat section, would be closed from September 20 to enable the work.This would be the final leg of the gauge conversion project on the Virudhunagar-Tenkasi-Tirunelveli/Tiruchendur-Kollam section. Broad gauge services on the Virudhunagar-Shencottah and Punalur-Kollam sections were commissioned in phases as and when the works were completed.

“Work on this small portion could not be taken up for its complexities, like the rough terrain, tunnels and sharp curves on the stretch,” a railway official said. The cost of the project, which was around Rs.357 crore in December 2008, has now escalated to Rs.380 crore.

Source (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/article627677.ece)

it'd b great if they complete the works within time without much hassles . Cant wait 2 travel 2 chennai via this route...

http://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/static.panoramio.com/photos/original/22517668.jpg courtesy panoramio

http://i39.tinypic.com/2ppyjhx.jpg

http://kollambuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/thevalli-palace.jpg

Sorry for redundant posts . Something wrong with my cell browser
Navjot, please edit the redundant posts with some wonderful scenes of Kollam City or information about ongoing projects. That will be great and the redundancy can be avoided to keep the forum spick and span.

By the way, these days there are very few posts from you. Please make the forum lively by posting pictures and updates of Kollam. Currently, there are very few local forummers from Kollam.

Navjot, are you still in Coimbatore?

NH220 kollam-Teni Road,:guns1: news in mathrubumi Citizen News for NH220 road & NHbypass road in kollam district
http://www.mathrubhumi.com/kollam/citizen_news/517883.html
http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/f3f9ec87a5.jpg (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/)

kollam

Nice snap of the new Ashramam - Kadapakkada - Kappalandimukku 4 - lane road. The road looks really beautiful with those trees, nice footpaths with tiled pavement and median with lights. I think there should have been more width for this prestigious road as it is expected to bypass the busy Chinnakada junction. This is a 18 metre road with 7 metres of width on either side and 2 meter wide footpaths on eitherside.

I would love to see the snaps of the road stretch especially where the Ashramam link road touches the 4-lane road. A big traffic round is expected to come at this location which is the meeting point of 4 roads - Link Road, 4-lane road, Residency road and Shankers Hospital road.

The picture looks good, but the width of the footpath is not even. At some place it is very conjusted. Also most people are not making use of it. You can see one in the picture itself.

Also you can see vehicles parking at sides and thus making the 4 lane to 2 lane only.

Also the authorities should take measures to shift auto stands from kadappakada, near railway overbridge and Nairs hosptial.

By the way, these days there are very few posts from you. Please make the forum lively by posting pictures and updates of Kollam. Currently, there are very few local forummers from Kollam.

Navjot, are you still in Coimbatore?

hi reghubhai , im still in coimbatore . Planning 2 go 2 kollam next month. I'll try my best 2 post updates.... Our forum lacks a kollam based forumer. Hope some1 joins our bandwagon soon..

The picture looks good, but the width of the footpath is not even. At some place it is very conjusted. Also most people are not making use of it. You can see one in the picture itself.

Also you can see vehicles parking at sides and thus making the 4 lane to 2 lane only.

Also the authorities should take measures to shift auto stands from kadappakada, near railway overbridge and Nairs hosptial.

You are correct, Suvarnan. The footpaths do not have 2 metres width at most of the places. Moreover, footpath constructions are not over at certain stretches as the necessary land acquisition is not over yet. The inaugration was conducted in a hurry burry due to the election notification.

New four-lane road in Kollam inaugrated

KOLLAM: Cooperation Minister G. Sudhakaran has said that there has been record development in the State under the Left Democratic Front (LDF) rule.

He was speaking after inaugurating the newly developed Asramam-Kappalandimukku four-lane road in Kollam city on Tuesday.

He said the Kollam City Corporation had spent more than Rs.125 crore for development activities in the past five years.

Mayor V. Rajendrababu presided. Deputy Mayor N. Rajan welcomed the gathering. Kerala State Urban Development Project manager B. Sulekha presented a report. A.A. Aziz, MLA; District Collector Devendra Kumar Dhudawat; and the former Mayor N. Padmalochanan; spoke.

Souce - The Hindu (http://www.hindu.com/2010/09/15/stories/2010091551710300.htm)

The picture looks good, but the width of the footpath is not even. At some place it is very conjusted. Also most people are not making use of it. You can see one in the picture itself.

Also you can see vehicles parking at sides and thus making the 4 lane to 2 lane only.

Also the authorities should take measures to shift auto stands from kadappakada, near railway overbridge and Nairs hosptial.

hi suvarnan , welcome 2 ssc kollam...pls do post updates /news ...

U r right the authorities have 2 make the stretches along the rd as no parking zones n provide parking bays instd

The shortest rail connectivity between Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram would be restored in three years on completion of the gauge conversion work of the Shencottah-Punalur section, which would be taken up shortly.

Traffic on the metre gauge line on the 45-km stretch, mostly ghat section, would be closed from September 20 to enable the work.This would be the final leg of the gauge conversion project on the Virudhunagar-Tenkasi-Tirunelveli/Tiruchendur-Kollam section. Broad gauge services on the Virudhunagar-Shencottah and Punalur-Kollam sections were commissioned in phases as and when the works were completed.

“Work on this small portion could not be taken up for its complexities, like the rough terrain, tunnels and sharp curves on the stretch,” a railway official said. The cost of the project, which was around Rs.357 crore in December 2008, has now escalated to Rs.380 crore.

Source (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/article627677.ece)

Tender has been invited for the tunnel construction in the Punalur - Schencottah BG conversion stretch. The tender amount is Rs. 7.8 crores.

The first phase contract to the tune of Rs. 90 crores has been completed by the Railways.The work will start this month consisting of land leveling works and construction of small bridges. There will be new tunnels in the Aryankavu, Thenmala and Ottackal regions.

The longest tunnel will be at Aryankavu of about 907 metres.

The MG line will be removed this month itself before the BG work starts.

http://i53.tinypic.com/2quhzww.jpg
http://i55.tinypic.com/25k7vqo.jpg

The repair works of the machinary parts of Punalur Papar mill is going on with the intent of making the paper mill fully operation by January 2011.

A Craine and Generator have reached the paper mill as part of the renovation work.

The Punalur Paper Mill will give priority to waste management and garbage treatment.

http://i52.tinypic.com/29p289g.jpg
http://i55.tinypic.com/w1vasw.jpg

Kollam Junction has become an abode of most of the special trains during the festival seasons offlate such as Onam, Ramzan, Pooja Holidays, Christmas and Sabarimala Pilgrimmage.

Though a big junction station with enough space, lack of necessary pit lines and maintenance yard for repair and maintenance of the special trains terminating here cause difficulties. More platforms are required to handle the smooth passage of these increasing number of trains.

With the introduction of the MEMU trains by the begining of next year and more trains in the Kollam Punalur BG route expected, Kollam junction will become one of the busiest junction stations in Kerala.

MEMU maintenance shed is already completed at Kollam Junction. Pitlines and shunting yard work is not completed yet.

Railways should provide adequate steps to improve the terminal infrastructure facilities at Kollam Junction with a Second Terminal @ Upasana hospital side, atleast 3 more platforms in the wake of new trains, and a maintenance yard for the BG trains.

More information counters and tourist information centers are required at the extreme end of Platform No 3 and 4 as the ends of these platforms are located almost 1 KM from the station entrance.

Kollam Junction being located at the city centre, good restaurants and shopping centres should be planned at the station premises This may provide more revenue for railways and will be handy for the increasing number of passengers and tourists.

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/6960/kollamjunctionrailwayst.jpg

http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/424/thamajestickollamjuncti.jpg

http://i55.tinypic.com/jpwh1y.jpg
Proposed 3 acres of land for second terminal opposite to Upasana Hospital

http://i51.tinypic.com/fjls2a.jpg

MP Kodukkunnil Suresh said that he would take necessary steps for settung up a railway station at Pulamon.

Since Kottarakkara railway station is 2 kms from the ksrtc busstand , one has to avail an auto from the kottarakkara railway station to the ksrtc stand , which makes kollam-kottarakkara travel cost by train costlier than the cost of travel by a ksrtc fast passenger.


A railway station at Pulamon will be of great help bcoz of its close proximity to the ksrtc and pvt bus stands.

Moreover Pulamon station could serve as the junction station for the proposed chengannur-kottarakkara railway line.

He said that the land for this purpose has been identified and necessary steps will be taken

Navjot, any updates regarding the Pulamon Railway station and the necessary land acquisition. Sice the Chengannur - Kottarakkara Railway line is mooted yet again, the Pulamon railway station is more relevant.

@reghu bhai.... Ivnt got any updates.. I shall surely post if i get any updates. Btb any updates abt new real estate projects in kollam?

@reghu bhai.... Ivnt got any updates.. I shall surely post if i get any updates. Btb any updates abt new real estate projects in kollam?

Thanks Navjot. I do not have any updates of new real estate projects.

But the ongoing projects works are in full swing.

Work of Crystal's project @ Vellayittambalam, Artec's project @ Thoppilkadavu, and Vaidya's Project @ Manayilkulangara are going on. I do not have any pics of that. Probably some local forummers could post some of the updates.

Palm Lands project and the Crystals projects at Thevally and Ashramam are already completed and sold out.

Desperately require a local Kollam forummer for the current updates. We badly need a locaql forummer.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33229529@N03/5000997252/

Thirumullavaram Beach

Kollam has only 2 super fast services: ekm and tsr.. No super fast express services along the madurai route.. Kollamites are always forced to depend on the long distance services from tvm which always come full. No comp resvn in kollam. Kollam is a municipal corporation and the 4th largest city in kerala.. Negligence 2wards kollam has to be stopped. Kollamites seek more sf /exp / s dlx services starting frm kollam 2 ekm,tsr,pkd,cbe ,kzd,tirunelveli,madurai etc.. Interestingly , there r many long distance services from kayankulam which is just 36 km north of kollam.. Some services frm this depot could be extended 2 kollam.. Pls stop the step motherly treatment 2wards kollam depot.

http://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/static.panoramio.com/photos/original/18719905.jpg

Last train on the MG from Punalur to Shegottai to run today(19.09.2010) evening.

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/8522/plr1z.jpg

Source : Metrovartha

http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/6923/plry.jpg

Sourec : Mathrubhumi

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33229529@N03/5000997256

Kollam Port a view from light house

As per the Flash News by Asianet;the train service along the MG from Punalur to Shengottai will continue for one more day. :)

View of the scheduled last train to Shengottai from Punalur.Considering the crowd the last train re-scheduled to one more day. :)

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/477/plr.png

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/9315/plr1.png

Source : Kerala Kaumudi

http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/1710/plrmb.png

Source : Mathrubhumi

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/7195/plrdinakaran.jpg

Source : Dinakaran (Tamil Daily)

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/7195/plrdinakaran.jpg

Source : Dinakaran (Tamil Daily)

Simply breathtaking and emotional experience. People who depends on these trains for their daily transport especially to Schencottah for trade and business are going to suffer now. The fare from Punalur to Schencottah was merely Rs.8 and now by bus they have to pay a minimum of Rs. 31.

Authorities should make sure to complete the BG conversion as soon as possible as thousands of people in these region are going to be affected financially due to the service termination.

_yEpW-xg1sk

nCwID0X6yIc

PUNALUR: It was all over for the last metre gauge train in Kerala when the Punalur-Chencotta passenger train to Tamil Nadu pulled out of this city Sunday evening.

Since Friday, innumerable number of people had been making a dash to the railway station near this city, 75 km from state capital Thiruvananthapuram, for a last ride on the century-old metre gauge track.

A railway official attached to the Punalur station told IANS that Sunday has been a day of unprecedented rush of people to travel one last time.

"The last journey began at 6.50 p.m. and the previous three trips have been flowing with people. There are just four bogies and people are sitting on the roof top also," said the official who did not wish to be named.

"Despite the police asking the passengers to get down, no one is listening," he added.

The Kollam-Punalur (45 km) track has already been converted into broad gauge. The next stretch to be converted is the Punalur-Chencotta (46 km) and work is all set to start with this metre gauge train being pulled out of service.

"I have been using this train for the past three decades at least three to four times a week. I source my vegetables and bit of provisions from Tenkasi because they are cheap there," said Parmesweran, a local trader near Punalur.

"With this train being pulled out of service for laying a broad gauge track, I am a bit sad because the experience of travelling on a metre gauge track is different," he added.

The Kollam-Chencotta metre gauge railway remains as a monument of British engineering technology on which work started in 1890 and opened in 1901.

"We are from Kottayam and we just came to see this metre gauge train. The views are breathtaking with a few tunnels. The magnificent Pathimoonnu Kannara Palam (13 Arch Bridge) at Kazhuthurutti is unbelievable. We enjoyed the ride," said Siju Jacob and his group of friends after the ride.

The route was built mainly for the transportation of crops like pepper and other spices to erstwhile Madras from Kollam and today it is basically used to take produce from Tamil Nadu to Kollam.

Another railway official, on condition of anonymity, said the tunnels and the bridges would be strengthened.

"We were able to finish the first stretch from Kollam to Punalur in a reasonable time limit and so would be the next stretch from Punalur to Chencotta," he said.

"Today, technology is available for strengthening the tunnels and old bridges and it would be done. The new tracks would be laid and are expected to be ready in two years," he added.

Source (http://expressbuzz.com/states/kerala/incredible-metre-gauge-travel-ends-in-kerala/208198.html)
KOLLAM: When the last whistle blows for the Punalur-Chencotta passenger at 6 p.m. on Sunday, an epoch which had its memories rooted in the age of steam engine will trundle ahead and disappear into the narrow, dark and wet tunnels of history.

An unprecedented rush of passengers was witnessed the Punalur and other stations on the Kerala side of the metre gauge rail to sneak into the train and travel to Tamil Nadu for the last time.

For the past 113 years, it had been a part of the life for the thousands of villagers living in this part of the State who eke out a living by selling their agro- products in Chencotta or Punalur.

During the British raj, people had set the time of their clocks and watches according to the arrival of the train underlining the precision and punctuality of the service. With the passing of another day, they have to wait for at least two years to complete the process of gauge conversion and to hear the long nostalgic whistle of train.

C Rahim, a journalist from the capital who came to make a journey by the Punalur - Chencotta Passenger said that he had to wait till 3.40 p.m. to board the train as there was little room on the train scheduled for 1 p.m. for which he had bought ticket. “Large number of people from far and wide, even from distant places such as Alappuzha came to have an experience of a journey by the metre gauge train,” he said.

The local people residing on both sides of the heritage rail passing through the Ghat areas were jumping out of their houses each time the train pass by their place to have a last glimpse. “Many were seen waving hands. People, both young and old, were taking snaps of the crowded train. The enthusiastic people on a festive mood had even climbed to the top of the train to travel, as there was literally not an inch of space to place their foot inside the train.

Source (http://expressbuzz.com/states/kerala/metre-gauge-train-to-chug-into-history-today/208064.html)

So there ends the last mg train service in kerala. Hope the conversion work is completed in time preserving the heritage of this historic route.

Youtube video of the last mg train crossing the 13 pillar bridge

http://m.youtube.com/watch?desktop_uri=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DyTVBBgMLLU0%26feature%3Dchannel&feature=channel&v=yTVBBgMLLU0&gl=US

More images here

http://gallery.oneindia.in/main.php?g2_itemId=1666354

http://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/static.panoramio.com/photos/original/18719905.jpg

Yes, the plight of Kollam KSRTC bus station is really pathetic. As Navjot has pointed out the lack of services, I want to point out the infrastructural shortages.


Though, the bus station is located at the heart of city on the banks of Ashtamudi lake, the building and the surrounding area are not well maintained and is not heigenic. though the Water Transport Department has come up with a good boat terminal, KSRTC has not learned anything from this.

Regarding the services, Kottarakkara KSRTC bus station has more services compared to Kollam Bus station. Moreover, trains are more preferred than busses especially in the city as it is cheaper and railway station is located at the most convenient place.

SNDP has planned the R Shankar Medical college in Kollam.3 As per SNDP authorities, the current SN college in the city will be shifted to Chathanoor and the Medical college will come up in that place in the city.

But there is opposition among the old alumini VIP's as well as some section of the SNDP's members to shift the 61 year old SN college from the existing place. The SNDP is finding it really hard to get space inside the city.

http://i44.tinypic.com/f9i5gi.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/241knzc.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/27zar8x.jpg

An SN Medical College at the heart of Kollam City is on the cards due to the new land relaxation for the colleges. A medical college requires only 10 acres of land and the college and the hospital should be within a distance of 5 kilometers.

Both these conditions are met by the proposed SNDP's medical college in Kollam City. SN collge has more than 10 acres of land within the city and Shankars hospital and SIMS hospital is around 1.5 Kms from the college having another 5 acres of land.

NH220 kollam-Teni Road,:guns1: news in mathrubumi Citizen News for NH220 road & NHbypass road in kollam district
http://www.mathrubhumi.com/kollam/citizen_news/517883.html
http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/f3f9ec87a5.jpg (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/)

NH220 KOLLAM - TENI . New alignment road already approved india government :banana:

NH220 KOLLAM - TENI . New alignment road already approved india government :banana:

That is absolutely a great news. That means the third NH from Kollam city is going to become a reality. Yoogesh, could you please give an idea of the approved alignment. Is it High School Junction - Anchalumoodu - Elampallor - Bharanichavu - Chengannur - Kottayam - Thenni?

An SN Medical College at the heart of Kollam City is on the cards due to the new land relaxation for the colleges. A medical college requires only 10 acres of land and the college and the hospital should be within a distance of 5 kilometers.

Both these conditions are met by the proposed SNDP's medical college in Kollam City. SN collge has more than 10 acres of land within the city and Shankars hospital and SIMS hospital is around 2 KMs 1.5 Kms from the college with another 5 acres of land.

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/1439/snmedicalcollege1.jpg

So there ends the last mg train service in kerala. Hope the conversion work is completed in time preserving the heritage of this historic route.

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/9605/punalurschencottahmginh.jpg
http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/9605/punalurschencottahmginh.jpg

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/2226/theni.png

KOLLAM: The work to development the two platforms at the Mayyanad railway station began last week. Commuters from the township are hoping that on completion of the work, some of the express and mail trains will halt here.

Now, eight trains halt at the Mayyanad station. These are three passenger trains to Thiruvananthapuram from Kollam and three passenger trains to Kollam from Thiruvananthapuram. The up and down Kannur Express also halts at Mayyanad.

The platforms are 247 metres in length while a platform having a length of 575 metres is required to accommodate trains with 24 coaches. The development work includes extending the length of the platforms by 328 metres towards the southern side.

Along with this work, the height of the platforms is also being increased by 84 cm. The platforms are low-level ones used during the days of metre gauge trains and many passengers find it difficult to board the trains.

The work is being carried out utilising funds from the Rs.2-crore allocation for the Eravipuram, Paravur, Kappil, Edava, Akathumuri, Kaniyapuram and Veli stations.

The platform development work at Mayyand is expected to be completed in 11 months.

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/2226/theni.png

Ajith, this was the expected route compared to the previous Highschool Junction - Anchalumoodu - Perumon - Mundo Thuruthu - Bharanickavu - Chengannur. Starting from High School Junction in the city - Anchalumoodu - Elampallor - Near Kundara IT Park - Bharanichavu - Chengannur - Kottayam - Thenni.

Great news is the the NH 220 is passing very near to the upcoming Kollam IT park @ Kundara.

It will be great if the alignment is more customized so that the distance from the proposed Aranmula International Airport to the NH 220 is minimal. That will reduce the distance from Kollam to Aranamula considerably and people from Kollam district also can tap the airport potential.

That is absolutely a great news. That means the third NH from Kollam city is going to become a reality. Yoogesh, could you please give an idea of the approved alignment. Is it High School Junction - Anchalumoodu - Elampallor - Bharanichavu - Chengannur - Kottayam - Thenni?

Yes Dear, approved alignment: High School Junction - Anchalumoodu - Elampallor - Bharanichavu -Chakkuvally-Thamarakkulam-charummood- Chengannur - Kottayam - Thenni

KOLLAM: The work to development the two platforms at the Mayyanad railway station began last week. Commuters from the township are hoping that on completion of the work, some of the express and mail trains will halt here.

Now, eight trains halt at the Mayyanad station. These are three passenger trains to Thiruvananthapuram from Kollam and three passenger trains to Kollam from Thiruvananthapuram. The up and down Kannur Express also halts at Mayyanad.

The platforms are 247 metres in length while a platform having a length of 575 metres is required to accommodate trains with 24 coaches. The development work includes extending the length of the platforms by 328 metres towards the southern side.

Along with this work, the height of the platforms is also being increased by 84 cm. The platforms are low-level ones used during the days of metre gauge trains and many passengers find it difficult to board the trains.

The work is being carried out utilising funds from the Rs.2-crore allocation for the Eravipuram, Paravur, Kappil, Edava, Akathumuri, Kaniyapuram and Veli stations.

The platform development work at Mayyand is expected to be completed in 11 months.

As the MEMU trains are expected to hit the tracks by early 2011, the infrastructural developments of stations like Mayyanad, Eravipuram, and Paravur should be be enhanced along with the other railway stations in the district.

The current platform length and especially the height of the platforms at most of these stations are not enough to board the MEMU trains comfortably as the MEMU trains stop at a station for only 1 minute.

It is imperative to enhance the infrastructural works at these stations before the MEMU service starts in 2011.

There was a proposal for another station at SN college Junction in the city only for the MEMU trains as hundreds of college students from the southern region of the district and Trivandrum prefers to get down at SN college junction as most of the colleges in the city are in the vicinity.

some pics from kollam beach

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/16092010647.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/16092010644.jpg

LBSS under going some face change for national games.The paint look nice from a distance, but irritating to eye when closer as it is fluorescent.
http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/23092010681.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/23092010680.jpg
Construction of pavilion. Raft foundation finished,column casting going on.
http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/23092010682.jpg

One funny thing is people has to sit on this paint. Hope we gonna have colored butts on that eve. Please excuse me.

some pics from ashramom children's park. i got barred by the security n prevent me taking photos. http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/15092010639.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/15092010638.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/15092010637.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/15092010640.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/15092010636.jpg

LBSS under going some face change for national games.The paint look nice from a distance, but irritating to eye when closer as it is fluorescent.
http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/23092010680.jpg
Construction of pavilion. Raft foundation finished,column casting going on.
http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/23092010682.jpg

Zod, thanks for the great updates with the snaps.

Yes the color gives a sore eye kind of a feeling. But I am excited about the pavilion that is gonna come up at LBS stadium. In which side of the stadiun it comes up? Is it at the QAC road side? How tall will be the pavilion? Any updates regarding that?

Also, any snaps of the Hockey stadium coming up at Ashramam and any updates of the indoor stadium?

some pics from ashramom children's park. i got barred by the security n prevent me taking photos. http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/15092010639.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/15092010638.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/15092010637.jpg


Bhavani group from Haryana has taken up the Children's Park renovation project. But the project was supposed to be completed by June 2010. There seems to be a lot of work pending including the installation of toy trains, construction of auditoriums, mandaps etc. I do not know why these are not completed till now. Probably, the authorities might have felt the heat of the Assembly election now and have started the work with some vigour to complete the pending works as the Assembly elections are just 6 months away.

pls tell me how to add photos

pls tell me how to add photos

step1: please use this links & brows upload photos from your computer
step2: copy link IMG Code for Forums & Message Boards
step3.& paste your forum and save
http://tinypic.com/
http://www.freeimagehosting.net/
http://www.imagehousing.com/

[/IMG]http://i56.tinypic.com/29az8yf.jpg

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KKSG, welcome to Kollam forum. Great to see the pics of Kollam Port and Kollam Coast.

We, the forummers located outside Kollam are heavily depending on Internet dailies and newspapers for any updates and the information comes to only at regular intervals.

If you are locted in Kollam, please post regular updates and pictures of the latest developments and activities going on in Kollam City and the district in general. Currently, we lack a local Kollam forummer who can give regular updates of the developmental activities going on in Kollam.

Also, since we have a dedicated thread for Kollam Port, please post the news, updates and pictures of Kollam Port, Neendakara Port and other harbour related updates of the district in the following thread:

Kollam Cargo Port (Thankasseri Port) & Neendakara Port (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=909246&page=6)

@reghu bhai.... Ivnt got any updates.. I shall surely post if i get any updates. Btb any updates abt new real estate projects in kollam?

Just an update regarding the Palace Avenue apartment at Olayil,Thevally in the city. The Palace Avenue apartment from the Palm Land Developers was inaugrated last month on the Uthiradon day (First Onam - 22nd August).

http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/6033/palmlandapartment.jpg

^^My cousin as well as another senior at TKMCE are among the partners of Palm Land Developers. Hope their next project is also progressing well.:cheers:

Sudheeshetta, do u have any idea abt their next project? Is it going 2 be in kollam?

http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/5692/matha.png

Image Courtesy : Kerala Kaumudi

Just an update regarding the Palace Avenue apartment at Olayil,Thevally in the city. The Palace Avenue apartment from the Palm Land Developers was inaugrated last month on the Uthiradon day (First Onam - 22nd August).

http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/6033/palmlandapartment.jpg


One more skyscraper will be launched soon in Kollam, this one may be the first apartment project above 20+ floors in kollam. Sorry guys i am not revealing the builder here, wait and see !!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Parvathy Mills to be opened again!

NTC has announced that the closed Parvathy Mills in the city will be opened after renovation. National Texile Corporation (NTC) authorities has informed this to Kollam MLA PK Gurudasan.

One more skyscraper will be launched soon in Kollam, this one may be the first apartment project above 20+ floors in kollam. Sorry guys i am not revealing the builder here, wait and see !!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

That is a great news. Then it will be the tallest structure in Kollam district. Currently, the highest building is located at the Amrithapuri Ashram having 17 or 18 storeys.

At least, could you reveal where in Kollam this 20+ structure is coming up?

Southern Railway General Manager Deepak Krishna informed that the Punalur -Schencottah BG conversion will be completed in 3 years. He informed this to the media after travelling through the Punalur - Schencoattah MG route in a special saloon.

Work in the stretch will progress based on the fund allocatiom and the procedures to transfer the MG stretch to the construction department is completed.

The total fund for the Punalur - Schencottah BG conversion is Rs. 400 crores.

He also said the Punalur station will be renovated and more facilities will be provided.

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/3005/punalurschencottahbgin3.jpg

KOLLAM: WiMax (World Wide Interoperability for Micro Wave Access) facility will be available for BSNL customers in Kollam from September 29.

In the first phase, the facility will be available at 22 centres and extended to 44 centres in a month.

The facility enables fast broadband facility with speeds ranging from 512 kbps and 2 mbps.

The customer premises equipment (CPE) provided along with the connection can be connected to computers and laptops to be conveniently used anywhere from the State.

Those who want to subscribe to the facility should fill in the prescribed form with a passport size photo, proof of identity and address and submit the same to the nearest customer service centre.

Customers can purchase indoor and outdoor CPEs or get them on monthly rental basis.

The indoor CPE costs Rs.3,599 and the outdoor one Rs.4,599. The monthly rental will be between Rs.40 and Rs.50.

In the first phase, the facility will be available at the Chinnakada, Pallimukku, Kottiyam, Mayyanad, Chathannur, Paripally, Paravur, Velayittambalam, Kavanad, Chavara, Karunagapally, Ochira, Vallikavu Sasthamcotta, Karikode, Mukathala and Elampallur exchanges.

Scientific survey for Kottiyam - Kundara - Karunagapally 32 KM Semi-ring road started

The road is envisaged to tap the IT and Tourism potential of the city and the district.

The road starts at Kottiyam junction and passes through Kannanaloor, Perumpuzha, Elampaloor (Kundara) - Kollam Tech Park at Kanjiracode - Padapakkara - Kuthiramunampu - Mundroe Islands - Perungalam Islands and finally touches Karunagapally municipality. The total length of the road is 32 Kms which will bring Karunagapally more closer to Kottiyam. Currently, to reach Karunagapally from Kottiyam, the shortest distance passes through Kollam city and is about 38 - 40 Kms

The road will link the Kollam Techno Park at Kundara and the Tourism potential of Munroe Islands through which it passes. Moreover, the road acts as a future bypass for the city as it passes through the scenic rural area (Comprising backwaters, canals, rivers and cockonut groves) of Kollam except at Kottiyam, Kannanaloor, Kundara and Karunagapally towns. The exisiting bypass passes through Kollam city and the new road will be a relief in future for those who go from Trivandrum to Ernakulam as it is not touching the city.
http://i47.tinypic.com/2vtupt5.jpg

Kottiyam - Kundara IT Park - Karunagapally road very essential for the development of Kollam city. This road may act as another bypass for Kollam City. The existing Kollam Bypass almost passes through the city and may not be apt to call as a bypass to the city. This new road will definitely bypass the city area and will bring Karunagapally, Kottiyam, Kannanaloor, and Munroe Islands closer to the upcoming Techno Park at Kundara.

The development of this road can be envisaged along with the NH-220. NH 220 approved alignment passes very near to this road especially from Elampalloor to Mundroe Islands.

As envisaged, the road can definitely become an IT-Tourism corridor if properly planned. We need visionary members and leaders to achieve this.

We, the forummers located outside Kollam are heavily depending on Internet dailies and newspapers for any updates and the information comes to only at regular intervals.

If you are locted in Kollam, please post regular updates and pictures of the latest developments and activities going on in Kollam City and the district in general. Currently, we lack a local Kollam forummer who can give regular updates of the developmental activities going on in Kollam.



Sad to see Kollam forum lacking a good member who is presently staying in Kollam.
I will also try my best to make it more active :).Will click some when I'm there.

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/8391/280920102901.jpg

http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/5308/280920102911.jpg

Shot Using Nokia 5800 XpressMusic (http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/2712/nokia5800xpressmusicx.jpg) on 28.09.2010

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http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/28092010698.jpg
>> Rail way flyover construction @ collage jn:

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/28092010697.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/28092010698.jpg
>> Rail way flyover construction @ collage jn:

Thanks for the updates, Zodfish. Great to know that at last the SP Office flyover construction is taking place before the Assembly elections.

The fyover will split into two and touches the 4-lane NH-47 on both ways.

One good thing about the outgoing City administration was that they have initiated so many infrastructural development projects which are half way and almost getting completed unlike the previous teams. It is is great that Kollam city has a 4-lane coastal road, 4-lane Ashramam - Kappalandimukku road and the 4-lane Ashramam link road. Chinnakkada Underpass and the KSRTC bus station - High school junction - Thirumullavaram road along the lake side are also initiated with the SP Office flyover works. Kudos to the previous and current Mayor for bringing some change to Kollam city.

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Krishna, thanks for the update. I think this is the Samrudhi Lake Castle from Artec Group and is at the following location:

Location Map:

http://i49.tinypic.com/xqaog9.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/o5q2ad.jpg

Could you please correct me if I am wrong?

http://i56.tinypic.com/2nvv409.jpg

Thanks for the update, Krishna. K-Mall is really impressive. First time Kollam is gonna get a great Mall. I heard Garnier and Reebok exclusive showrooms will be there apart from Malabar Gold.

Any info about when is K-Mall's inaugration?

http://i51.tinypic.com/2vdmamo.jpg

Krishna, Thanks for the wonderful updates of the projects that goes on in Kollam. This is the benefit if we have an active forummer from Kollam.

Which is this upcoming tall structure? As Binoy pointed out about this structure in one of the earlier posts and as per the version of a security person there it could be a hotel.

Could you please clarify on this?

Parvathy Mills to be opened again!

NTC has announced that the closed Parvathy Mills in the city will be opened after renovation. National Texile Corporation (NTC) authorities has informed this to Kollam MLA PK Gurudasan.

Hopes brighten for revival of mill

KOLLAM: The visit of K. Ramachandran Pillai, Chairman, National Textile Corporation (NTC), to the defunct Parvathy Mills here on Sunday evening has raised hopes of revival of the company.

Mr. Pillai told presspersons that he was hopeful that the Parvathy Mills would be replaced by a new mill soon.

The top brass of the corporation is going into session in Coimbatore on Tuesday.

Crucial decisions pertaining to the Parvathy Mills will be taken at the meeting.

Mr. Pillai called for the cooperation of the trade unions for the revival programme.

The new move had been initiated after the joint venture revival move proposed in 2007 failed following opposition from the trade unions, he said.

Indian National Trade Union Congress leader K. Suresh Babu was present.

Source - The Hindu

Krishna, thanks for the update. I think this is the Samrudhi Lake Castle from Artec Group and is at the following location:

Location Map:

http://i49.tinypic.com/xqaog9.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/o5q2ad.jpg

Could you please correct me if I am wrong?

You are correct. this is the same project.

http://i52.tinypic.com/2zdsxes.jpg

http://i53.tinypic.com/2rzw5k7.jpg

http://i52.tinypic.com/1o206u.jpg

http://i54.tinypic.com/24zzn61.jpg

http://i54.tinypic.com/24zzn61.jpg

Krishna, I believe, the above mentioned Crystals project near Medayil Junction started almost the same time when Artec's project was started. The Bhoomi pooja function was inuagrated by filmstar Mukhesh.

Any updates regarding Crystal's project's current status. It will be great if you could post some of the snaps of this project.

Also, there is a talk about a 20+ storeyed apartment project in Kollam city. Any idea who is the builder and where it is coming up in Kollam?

Krishna, I believe, the above mentioned Crystals project near Medayil Junction started almost the same time when Artec's project was started. The Bhoomi pooja function was inuagrated by filmstar Mukhesh.

Any updates regarding Crystal's project's current status. It will be great if you could post some of the snaps of this project.

Also, there is a talk about a 20+ storeyed apartment project in Kollam city. Any idea who is the builder and where it is coming up in Kollam?

Hi Reghu, I believe one or two floors have been completed. I am also like you. I am from Chennai

http://i56.tinypic.com/2nvv409.jpg

This road stretch is gonna be the prime commercial & shopping area in Kollam city with K-Mall, Alukkas Mall, Prince Jewellery, Hotel Sudarshan, Hotel SeaBee and the new upcoming hotel all located within a short distance. Apart from these, Bank of Baroda as well as Archana & Aradhana Theatres also pull crowd to this part of the city.

The following snaps show the crowd spill out from the Archana & Aradhana Theatres to the main road:

http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/8753/shikar4.jpg

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/4594/shikar2.jpg

http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/3317/shikar1.jpg

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Hopes brighten for revival of mill

KOLLAM: The visit of K. Ramachandran Pillai, Chairman, National Textile Corporation (NTC), to the defunct Parvathy Mills here on Sunday evening has raised hopes of revival of the company.

Mr. Pillai told presspersons that he was hopeful that the Parvathy Mills would be replaced by a new mill soon.

The top brass of the corporation is going into session in Coimbatore on Tuesday.

Crucial decisions pertaining to the Parvathy Mills will be taken at the meeting.

Mr. Pillai called for the cooperation of the trade unions for the revival programme.

The new move had been initiated after the joint venture revival move proposed in 2007 failed following opposition from the trade unions, he said.

Indian National Trade Union Congress leader K. Suresh Babu was present.

Source - The Hindu

As part of the Parvathy Mill renovation, a new NTC shopping Mall will come up at the existing NTC show room location.^^

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/1482/parvathymillrenovation1.jpg
http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/8527/parvathymillrenovation2.jpg

Kollam port witnessed the arrival of first Ship from Lakshwadweep Islands yesterday. It was yet another great day for the port as Sagar Manjusha, the research and expedition ship also docked at the port on its way to Mumbai.

The Lakshwadweep ship Thinnankari @ Kollam Port:

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/6591/kollamportlakshwadeepsh.jpg

More information is available at the following link: Kollam Cargo Port (Thankasseri Port) & Neendakara Port (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=909246&page=7)

KOLLAM: Kollam city would be developed to the standards of an international city with a Chandni Chowk-model commercial complex if the Left Democratic Front (LDF) is voted back to power, states a 24-page election manifesto for Kollam City Corporation released by LDF on Tuesday.

The complex will be a trade centre for products of the traditional industries in the district.

The manifesto was released at a press conference. When asked about the LDF election manifesto of 2005, which too had promised that Kollam would be developed as an international city, the LDF leaders said the process had been launched by the outgoing LDF ruling team.

On the raging Chinnakada underpass issue, the leaders blamed the United Democratic Front (UDF) for the delay in constructing the underpass.

The UDF leaders had influenced the Railways against allocating land at Chinnakada for constructing an approach road for the underpass, they alleged. But if voted back to power, steps would be taken to complete the construction at the earliest.

The manifesto states that all developmental activities will be carried out in tune with garbage disposal and treatment, easing of traffic congestion and proper town planning.

Measures to ease the traffic congestion in the city have already been launched by the outgoing LDF ruling team. The process will continue if the LDF is voted back to power. To solve the problem of vehicle parking, multi-storey parking facilities will be constructed.

All junctions in the city will be developed and toilet facilities will be provided at various points for those travelling through the city. An open-air auditorium will be constructed in an ideal location for political parties and other organisations to hold pubic meetings.

Foot-over bridges will be constructed at the SN College and Saint Joseph's Girls High School junctions.

A subway will be constructed at the taluk office junction. The width of all footpaths along the important roads in the city will be widened for the convenience of pedestrians.

An exclusive footpath would be developed for pedestrians to reach the Kollam beach from Chinnakada-Payikada-Ganapati Ambalam.

A history museum will be set up to project the rich history of Tangasseri in the district.

LDF Manifesto - Highlights


Kollam City to be developed to international standards



Focus on City Development Planning & Transportation Enhancement



Chandni Chowk model Trade Centre to be setup in city



New Bus station for KSRTC in the city



Modern bus terminal to be set up for private buses in the city



Cutchery - Ashramam Guest Road to be developed to 6-lane



Irrigation project to draw water from Thenmala to city



Chinnakkada Underpass development



Ashramam Link Road completion



Enhancement of the Garbage treatment in the city



Heritage museusm to be set up at Thankasseri



Kollam Canal to be made navigable with tourism projects



More facilities at District Hospital and primary health centers



Multi-storeyed parking and toilet facility at various centres



Footoverbridges at SN College and St Joseph Convent Junctions



Footpaths at all main roads



Fishing net factory to be set up in the city



Potential places in the city to be acquired for setting up industrial estates



UDF Manifesto: Highlights


Rs. 5000 crore master plan for Kollam city with 25 year futuristic outlook



Kollam Port to be enhanced to international standards



New flyover to ease traffic congestion in the city



New projects to tap beach & backwater tourism potential in the city



Junction renovation plans with atleast one junction in each of the 55 divisions in the city



Stadium renovations to enhance sporting infrastructure



JNNURM, KSUDP, IHSDP projects to be implemented in a time bound manner

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KOLLAM: Kollam city would be developed to the standards of an international city with a Chandni Chowk-model commercial complex if the Left Democratic Front (LDF) is voted back to power, states a 24-page election manifesto for Kollam City Corporation released by LDF on Tuesday.

The complex will be a trade centre for products of the traditional industries in the district.

The manifesto was released at a press conference. When asked about the LDF election manifesto of 2005, which too had promised that Kollam would be developed as an international city, the LDF leaders said the process had been launched by the outgoing LDF ruling team.

On the raging Chinnakada underpass issue, the leaders blamed the United Democratic Front (UDF) for the delay in constructing the underpass.

The UDF leaders had influenced the Railways against allocating land at Chinnakada for constructing an approach road for the underpass, they alleged. But if voted back to power, steps would be taken to complete the construction at the earliest.

The manifesto states that all developmental activities will be carried out in tune with garbage disposal and treatment, easing of traffic congestion and proper town planning.

Measures to ease the traffic congestion in the city have already been launched by the outgoing LDF ruling team. The process will continue if the LDF is voted back to power. To solve the problem of vehicle parking, multi-storey parking facilities will be constructed.

All junctions in the city will be developed and toilet facilities will be provided at various points for those travelling through the city. An open-air auditorium will be constructed in an ideal location for political parties and other organisations to hold pubic meetings.

Foot-over bridges will be constructed at the SN College and Saint Joseph's Girls High School junctions.

A subway will be constructed at the taluk office junction. The width of all footpaths along the important roads in the city will be widened for the convenience of pedestrians.

An exclusive footpath would be developed for pedestrians to reach the Kollam beach from Chinnakada-Payikada-Ganapati Ambalam.

A history museum will be set up to project the rich history of Tangasseri in the district.

UDF Manifesto: Highlights


Rs. 5000 crore master plan for Kollam city with 25 year futuristic outlook



Kollam Port to be enhanced to international standards



New flyover to ease traffic congestion in the city



New projects to tap beach & backwater tourism potential in the city



Junction renovation plans with atleast one junction in each of the 55 divisions in the city



Stadium renovations to enhance sporting infrastructure



JNNURM, KSUDP, IHSDP projects to be implemented in a time bound manner


KOLLAM: The manifesto of the United Democratic Front (UDF) for the City Corporation elections says a corruption-free administration will provided if the front is voted to power in the civic body.

District Congress Committee president Kadavur Sivadasan and United Democratic Front district chairman Sooranad Rajashekaran released the manifesto at a press conference here on Thursday.

The manifesto says that development works will be undertaken with a long-term plan for 25 years. A Rs.5,000-crore master plan will be prepared for the purpose. New schemes will be evolved for meeting the drinking water requirement.

Dr. Rajashekaran said the whole garbage-disposal system would be revamped. The garbage-disposal plant at Kureepuzha, which was inaugurated recently, stood as a national waste since it was not operational. The plant had been kept closed and the garbage menace had only worsened. The inauguration was an election gimmick.

The manifesto says flyovers will be built to overcome traffic congestion. The pending sewerage scheme will be completed. The tourist potential of the city will be tapped. Even the health and the education sectors will be linked to tourism. The youth will be provided representation in the tourism sector.

The fishing sector will be modernised. Housing schemes will be evolved for the poor. More employment opportunities will be created for women and each division will have a modernised junction. The Kollam port will be developed to international standards.

Railways conduct speed test on Kollam-Punalur section

KOLLAM: A special train of the Railway Safety Organisation held a speed test trial run on Thursday on the Kollam-Punalur section that has been recently converted to broad gauge. The test run is for the purpose of taking an appropriate decision on increasing the speed of trains on this section.

The gauge-converted section was commissioned on May 12 this year and from the next day, four pairs of trains plied the 44-kilometre section at 60 kmph speed.

With the halts at various stations, the train takes 75 minutes to reach the destination.

The special train which conducted the test on Thursday left Kollam at 4 p.m. running at 90 kmph to reach Punalur in 45 minutes. On the return journey, the train reached Kollam in 35 minutes.

The train is equipped with computer systems to understand the track strength while clocking at 90 kmph.

LDF scored an impressive victory in Kollam corporation winning 34 out of the 55 reaching near to their previous election tally. While the trend in other parts of the district and Kerala is generally in favour of UDF, Kollam City favoured LDF just because of the good developmental works that they have done in the last couple of years. People of Kollam city appreciated the following projects and it was "Advantage LDF":

1. Kollam Port Development - Ships from Maldives, Gujarat, Lakshwadweep arrived during past one year


2. Thankasseri - Kollam Port - Kollam Beach 4- lane road - Gave a facelift to the city coast line


3. Ashramam - Kadappakada - Kappalandimukku 4-lane road - One of the best roads in the city


4. SP Office Flyover - Atlast work started with pillars and there is visible work progress


5. Ashramam - Cutchery 4-lane road - Planning to make it as a 6-lane road extending it to High School Junction through the banks of Ashtamudi Lake. Will be one of the impressive roads when completed.


6. KalluPalam - Kochupilamoodu road widening - Work started. Important road which will help the traffic towards Kollam port as well.



7. New wide Kochupilamoodu Bridge - New upcoming bridge at Kochupilamoodu that eases traffic to Kollam Beach & Kollam Port


8. Kollam Beach Face list under the Tsunami scheme - MG Park has been expanded with impressive features


9. Childrens Park renovation - Though the work is progressing slowly, one of the commendable projects initiated.


10. Kollam Boat Terminal, Thoppil Kadavau and Ashramam Boat termial works - Really commendable


11. Water Gateway Project at Kollam KSRTC Bus Station and Ashramam side of Ashtamudi Lake - Prestigious projects started


12. Ashtamudi Tourism Circuits and Kollam - Alleppy Luxury Boat services from the city - Really good initiatives in tourism sector. 3 Private 5 star hotel projects came up in the city during the last 3 years


13. Kendriya Vidyala in City - Commendable job in acquiring land in the heart of the city


14. PF sub regional office and ESI regional offices in Kollam city - Long term wish materialised during LDF term



15. Chinnakkada Underpass development - though initiated by LDF, the only project that is not progressed as expected with lot of labrynths

^^^^^^^^^^^^

LDF retains Kollam Corporation

KOLLAM: The Left Democratic Front (LDF) has retained the Kollam Corporation winning 34 divisions in the 55-member council. The CPI(M) won 20 divisions, the CPI 7 and the RSP 7.

The United Democratic Front (UDF) had to be satisfied with 19 divisions. The Congress won 16 and the JSS, the RSP (Baby John) and the IUML won one seat each. Interestingly the People's Democratic Party led by Abdul Nasir Maudany won in one division and a Congress rebel won in another division.

The Mayor's post is reserved for a woman and that will go to the CPI(M). Nine women from the party have made it to the council. But Sabida Beegum of the CPI(M) who was the first Mayor of Kollam city lost to a Congress candidate from the Kureepuzha division by nine votes.

From the LDF side, the CPI(M) had contested 13 divisions, the CPI 14, the RSP 9 and the Janata Dal (S) and the NCP one each. The Congress had contested 41 divisions, the IUML 5, the RSP(B) 3 and the CMP, the JSS, the Kerala Congress (B) and the Socialist Janata (Democratic) in one each.

UDF makes gains in Kollam grama panchayats

KOLLAM: The United Democratic Front (UDF) which had won only four of the 71 grama panchayats in Kollam district in the 2005 local body elections has made impressive gains this time. Even though the results of all the grama panchayats have not been declared till 7.45 p.m. on Wednesday, the UDF has won or is in a leading position in a good number of grama panchayats.

The panchayats which the UDF won include Clapana, East Kallada, Munroethuruthu, Melial, Mynagapally, Neduvathur, Neendakara, Panmana, Pattazhi, Piravanthur, Poruvazhi, Sasthamcotta, Thalavoor and Thrikadavur.

The LDF won at Chirakara, Chidara, Elampallur Ezhukone, Kareepra, Kottamkara, Kulakada, K.S. Puram, Mayyanad, Nedumana, Pathanapuram, Perayam, Sooranad North, Thazhava, Thekkumbhagam, Thodiyur and Veliyam. There are also a good number of panchayats where the LDF has established leads.

. i thought LDF was a failure in kollam corp, still they managed to win. its worser than kochin corp. I think people here voted on political basis unlike central kerala where they did vote based communal angle

No politics..please

hope they carry on with the dvlpmt works they started.....it is not abt politics but the ldf has to stick to their manifesto n fulfill the the promises made by them

I don't think LDF or for that matter UDF has done anything better for Kollam so far.

Reghu, whatever you have mentioned as the achievements of ruling party are just nominal things. Starting one ‘Luxury’ boat service between Kollam-Alapuzha among one of them, eventhough it is not under the purview of the corporation. Also the mention of the Five Star hotels on the private sector.

BTW I liked this comment of yours very much.



2. Thankasseri - Kollam Port - Kollam Beach 4- lane road - Gave a facelift to the city coast line

You consider this a ‘facelift’? Leaving aside that, can you even consider this as a proper road, let alone a four lane one?

Pics:

4-lane road from Kollam Port to Thankasseri

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/27082010564.jpg

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/zodfish/27082010562.jpg

I don't think LDF or for that matter UDF has done anything better for Kollam so far.

Reghu, whatever you have mentioned as the achievements of ruling party are just nominal things. Starting one ‘Luxury’ boat service between Kollam-Alapuzha among one of them, eventhough it is not under the purview of the corporation. Also the mention of the Five Star hotels on the private sector.

BTW I liked this comment of yours very much.



You consider this a ‘facelift’? Leaving aside that, can you even consider this as a proper road, let alone a four lane one?

Sudheesh, it is truly a facelift compared to the earlier scene. I know how it was earlier. Please note that the 4-lane road that you see in the snaps was mere a single lane road ("Ida Vazhi" in Kollam terms or "Mudukku" in Trivandrum language). There were no roads at all at most of the stretch a couple of years before. Also, since the road passes through the fisher folk living belt, there is a lot to be done from the drainage and beautification perspective. This road can be widened to a 6-lane as well as one side is sea shore.

The above road has been constructed by acquiring land and by using the dredged soil from Kollam Port. Note that the work on the other stretch (Not in picture) of this road from Kollam Port to Kollam beach is undergoing.

The road shown above will be widened later as it is really important for Kollam Port's future development and ease of traffic. This road will link the port to NH 66 (Old NH 47).

It would be inapprorpriate to underestimate the efforts taken by LDF or devalue the potential of this road. Moreover, the snap was taken during its construction phase.

I have walked through this road from Thankasseri to Kollam Port some 4 months ago. It is really an impressive road, may not look that way in the picture. Currently, there is not much vehicle traffic through this route. Once, the entire Thankasseri - Kollam Port - Kollam Beach - Paravoor coastal road is over, vehichle traffic will pick up.

Kollam did not see any developmental initiatives or projects compared to other 4 corporations or the important district HQs over the years and recent changes, though, negligible compared to the major cities are really noteworthy.

I am very optimistic that the road you see in the above snap will be one of the best roads in the city in a couple of years. The significance of this road is very high.

Another important thing to note is that the high profile UDF MPs who have been elected from Kollam or Trivandrum have not done anything significant to both these cities.

Canal to form part of 78 km Kollam-Kovalam State Waterway

KOLLAM: The renovation work of the Kollam Canal began on Saturday morning when a team Revenue Department officials led by Kollam Tahsildar M. Vishwanathan demolished houses on the western bank of the canal left behind by those rehabilitated at Paravur Pukkulam.

The canal renovation is an ambitious project of the State government. The administrative and technical sanction for the project worth Rs.13 crore is expected soon. On completion, it will form part of the 78 km Kollam-Kovalam State Waterway which has tremendous tourism potential.

In the past, the canal was the main trade route for products and markets of Kollam. As road and rail routes developed, the canal was sidelined and ignored.

During 1960s, its banks were encroached upon and as per figures provided last year, 950 houses came up on its banks. Following encroachments on its banks, the canal also turned into a convenient waste and garbage dumping yard. Soon its water not only became stagnant but also posed a health hazard. Families on its banks were virtually living amidst unhygienic surroundings.

It is against this backdrop that the State government came up with the renovation programme. The government was keen that the families should not be evicted but only rehabilitated. As part of the first phase of the rehabilitation programme, 180 houses at a cost of Rs.4 lakh a house was constructed at Pukkulam.

There was initial resistance from the families to shift to Pukkulam. But the government adopted the path of conciliation through talks.

The former District Collector, A. Shajahan, had played an important role in the talks as a result of which 165 families agreed to shift and soon afterwards they moved out.

But 15 families insisted that Paravur was too far away for them and they would prefer houses coming up at Eravipuram under the second phase. But no decision has been taken by the authorities concerned to that suggestion.

Those shifted were families living on the western side from Thevally Depot Purayidam to Kochupilamoodu. Some of the families had demolished their houses before shifting. The houses that were left behind were demolished on Saturday. Under the second phase, houses for rehabilitating the families are being constructed at Eravipuram and Mayyanad areas.

As many as 280 houses are being constructed at Eravipuram Thanni, 168 at Karikuzhi, 80 at Kuttikad and 340 at Attukal Puthuval in Mayyanad.^^

KOLLAM: The country's first hi-tech dairy farm in the government sector is coming up at Kulathupuzha, near here. The State government is planning to enter the milk production and distribution sector by opening such hi-tech dairy farms.

After inspecting the progress of the work on the farm on Tuesday, Food and Animal Husbandry Minister C. Divakaran, told presspersons that he was hopeful that Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan would be able to commission the farm in two to three weeks.

Mr. Divakaran said the policy of the government was that the State should achieve self-sufficiency in milk production by the end of its term. Milk production in the State is not up to the expectations. The hi-tech dairy projects is expected to help achieve self-sufficiency in milk production.

Two more hi-tech dairy farms are coming up at Kolahalamed and Mattupetti in Idukki district. The Kulathupuzha farm is coming up at a cost of Rs.8 crore and the Kolahalamed farm at Rs.11.5 crore. The latter is expected to be commissioned in February.

The Kulathupuzha farm is funded under the Union government's National Project for Cattle and Buffalo Breeding. State-of-the-art technology will be used here. Milking cows to be reared at the farm will mainly be the Holstein-Friesian breed having Irish origins.

http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/2851/hitechdairyfarm.jpg

NCC seeks own land to conduct camps



Identifies 10 acres at Kuriyottumala



Proposal submitted to government



Complex will have facility to house 700 cadets

KOLLAM: Ten acres of land at Kuriyottumala in the district has been identified as an ideal location by the National Cadet Corps for housing a NCC complex.

A proposal in this connection was submitted to the District Collector who had forwarded it to the State government for approval and allocation.

Kollam Group Commander of the NCC Colonel B.S. Gokula told presspersons here on Thursday that availability of camp sites to conduct various NCC annual camps was a big problem which the Kollam group faced. It was in this backdrop that the NCC had approached the government for a plot to construct a permanent self-sustained camp site, he said.

The proposed NCC complex would have facilities to accommodate about 700 cadets and their trainers at a time. Each camp extended for a period of 10 days. Apart from lodging and mess facilities, the complex would have an auditorium, classrooms, library and a swimming pool. At present the NCC was relying on campuses of educational institutions to hold camps.

Col. Gokula said this year the National Integration Camp to be conducted by the Kollam group would be held from December 24 to January 4 on the S.N. College campus here.

More than 700 cadets from different parts of the country would attend the camp. Cultural events by cadets from various States would add colour to the camp.

He said this year's NCC Day celebrations would be held here on November 20 and 21. On the first day, there will be a 5.5 km NCC Day run by cadets from Asramam maidan to the Kollam group headquarters at Thevally. District Collector Devendrakumar Dhudawat would flag off the run. The other events of the celebration included blood donation camp at the District Hospital and visit to orphanages by the cadets.

Col. Gokula said the State government was extending all cooperation and support to the NCC. Out of the 13 lakh NCC cadets in the country, 75,000 are from Kerala. The Kollam group comprises five infantry battalions, one naval battalion and a girls battalion spread out in 36 schools, 92 colleges and three polytechnics accounting for more than 14,000 cadets. Col. C.B. Bhaskar and Lt. Col. M.C. Raveendra Babu were also present at the press conference.

The first Radio station (FM Radio) to be launched from Kollam city will be inaugrated today evening at the Bishop Jerome Nagar Millenium Hall.

Radio Benziger will be the first official radio station to be operated from Kollam city. The Bishop Benziger trust is sponsoring and operating the radio station.^^

Just an update regarding the Palace Avenue apartment at Olayil,Thevally in the city. The Palace Avenue apartment from the Palm Land Developers was inaugrated last month on the Uthiradon day (First Onam - 22nd August).

http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/6033/palmlandapartment.jpg

Another apartment from Palmland developers to come up in the city. After the successful inaugration of Palace Avenue apartment at Olayil,Thevally in the city, Palmland developers is planning to launch their next apartment project in Kollam city. More details about the location and rendering is awaited. Stay tuned...^^

http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/5205/radiobenziger.jpg

The 107.8 FM station Radio Benziger mainly transmits helathcare and welfare related programs apart from entertainment programs.

The first Radio station (FM Radio) to be launched from Kollam city will be inaugrated today evening at the Bishop Jerome Nagar Millenium Hall.

Radio Benziger will be the first official radio station to be operated from Kollam city. The Bishop Benziger trust is sponsoring and operating the radio station.^^

Gallery renovation and painting in final stage @ Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) Stadium



Ground works for laying of grass at LBS stadium started



Pavlion and Rest rooms to come up at LBS stadium



Flood Lights at LBS to be renovated



Work on the Hockey Stadiun at Ashramam has started



Indoor stadium estimate is ready with SAI showing interest in construction but awaits Govt. approval
http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/5308/kollamstadiums.jpg

The following snap shows the new hotel project that comes up near K Mall in the city.

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/5986/hotelprojectnearkmall.jpg

Minister reviews cattle feed project work

KOLLAM: Minister for Food and Animal Husbandry C. Divakaran said here on Wednesday that sufficient availability of cattle feed in the State was a vital factor in achieving the government's goal of self sufficiency in milk production. He was talking to presspersons after inspecting the progress of work on the upcoming fully automatic cattle feed factory being constructed by the pubic sector Kerala Feeds Ltd. (KFL) at Karunagapally.

The Minister said given the pace of work, he was confident that the Chief Minister would be able commission the factory in January. The cattle feed unit is coming up at a cost of Rs. 52 crore and will have the potential to provide direct employment to over 350 people and indirect employment to at least 1,000 people. The Minister said attaining self-sufficiency in milk production was an important aspect of the food security programme and animal husbandry was vital in bringing about major changes in the agriculture sector as part of the food security programme.

Mr. Divakaran said the price of milk would come down if production was increased. In fact, from the three hi-tech dairy farms of Kerala Livestock Development Board that are coming up in the State, the government intended to directly market milk on a no-loss, no-profit basis. He noted that 85 per cent of cattle-feed production in the country was in the private sector. Farmers were not satisfied with the quality of most brands.

While the daily demand for cattle feed in the State was 3,500 tonnes, only about 2,500 tonnes was available in the market. Due to quality aspect, cattle feed from the KFL factory at Kallettumkara in Thrissur district, which produces 650 tonnes a day, enjoys 20 per cent of the market share. The Karungapally factory will initially produce 300 tonnes a day.and steadily achieve fully capacity of 500 tonnes.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The hi-tech dairy farms, planned in Kollam and Idukki districts, are already supplying spin-offs for State-undertaking Kerala Livestock Development Board (KLDB).

A board meeting of the KLDB on Monday gave its approval for partnering the Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram, for the commercial production of newborn calf serum, whose demand has grown substantially in the biotechnology sector.

Today, newborn calf serum is imported and costs `10,000 per 200 ml, KLDB managing director Dr Ani S Das said. The SCTIMST had developed the serum in their labs, but is now looking for an industry partner to commercially produce it using its know-how.

The serum, which is used widely in fields such as stem cell research, is manufactured using blood drawn from calves.

The big problem in producing the serum locally, especially on a commercial basis, is the strict guidelines laid down for the process. The antecedents of the calf and feeding standards to the calving environment and hygiene are some of the factors taken into account.

“This is where our hi-tech farms come in. We can meet the parameters,” Ani S Das said. Moreover, the hi-tech farms will have sufficient heads of cattle to make commercial production of the serum viable.

Last week, Food Minister C Divakaran reviewed the progress of work at the first hi-tech farm in Kulathupuzha, Kollam, which is a totally computerised facility. It is expected to begin functioning by the first week of December. Two more similar farms are set to come up at Kolahalamedu and Mattupetti, which will open by February next year.

Another project that is set to benefit from the hi-tech farms is the first joint venture between KLDB and SCTIMST launched two years ago for producing de-cellularised animal tissue for use in human hearts.

Under the project, the KLDB has been supplying European Union grade certified biological tissue to the SCTIMST. According to the KLDB, the clinical trials are in the final stages.

The KLDB and the SCTIMST are on the look-out for an industrial partner so that the knowhow can be transferred for commercial production. Here too, the hi-tech farms will be able to provide the necessary quantity of quality tissue.

KOLLAM: The country's first hi-tech dairy farm in the government sector is coming up at Kulathupuzha, near here. The State government is planning to enter the milk production and distribution sector by opening such hi-tech dairy farms.

After inspecting the progress of the work on the farm on Tuesday, Food and Animal Husbandry Minister C. Divakaran, told presspersons that he was hopeful that Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan would be able to commission the farm in two to three weeks.

Mr. Divakaran said the policy of the government was that the State should achieve self-sufficiency in milk production by the end of its term. Milk production in the State is not up to the expectations. The hi-tech dairy projects is expected to help achieve self-sufficiency in milk production.

Two more hi-tech dairy farms are coming up at Kolahalamed and Mattupetti in Idukki district. The Kulathupuzha farm is coming up at a cost of Rs.8 crore and the Kolahalamed farm at Rs.11.5 crore. The latter is expected to be commissioned in February.

The Kulathupuzha farm is funded under the Union government's National Project for Cattle and Buffalo Breeding. State-of-the-art technology will be used here. Milking cows to be reared at the farm will mainly be the Holstein-Friesian breed having Irish origins.

http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/2851/hitechdairyfarm.jpg

Kollam: The Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Campus at Amritapuri near Kollam would see a convergence of techies, students and geeks this weekend as the campus gets ready to host the 9th edition of BarCamp Kerala (BCK9). Barcamps are an ad-hoc gathering where attendees meet for discussions, demos and networking.

BarCamp Kerala is a technology-focused, informal gathering of people from technical and business backgrounds, where information and experiences are exchanged. The event is geared towards sharing knowledge and learning from others, and there is a policy of encouraging active participation in all discussions.

According to Kenney Jacob, one of the founding members of the BarCamp culture in Kerala, “It is the biggest platform for freelancers, professionals and students to come together and interact on anything technology in Kerala”. BarCamp is simply an ‘un-conference’, a gathering of people with the simple desire to share and learn in an open environment. Unlike a conference, at a BarCamp everyone is both a speaker and a participant.

Binny VA, one of the frequent attendees of the BarCampKerala says, “It is a wonderful opportunity to meet link minded personalities in the tech scene and I find it very open and sharing as a community which will be helpful for every tech enthusiast in Kerala”. BarCamps are free and open events where volunteers organise and the venue is usually provided by a sponsor and so is the other goodies and essentials like Wi-Fi.

About 130 technology enthusiasts have already registered for BCK9. The previous edition, BCK 8, was conducted at MACFAST, Thiruvalla on March 28, 2010 with more than 150 attendees. For registration and other details, please visit the BarCampKerala website.

Highlights of the port minister Surendran Pillai's visit:



Kollam port now included in the navigation chart bearing number 2,104. Earlier the only port in the navigation chart along the Kerala coast was Kochi.



Govt. to further develop Kollam port and Rs.4 crore allocated for dredging and increasing the draft of the port from the present 7 metres. The work would be completed in 4 months.



Govt. had spent about Rs.30 crore for development activities at the port since its commissioning.



Deposit of Rs.24 lakh to the Central Excise and Customs Department for starting customs clearance operations at the port immedeately.



Customs clearance operations would commence at the port and these developmental activities were being carried out to attract foreign cargo ships to the port.




Multi-purpose crane and forklifts would arrive at the port this month itself.




3.5 acres of land adjacent to the port would be reclaimed using the dredged sand.




Construction of the four-lane coastal road passing through the port area would be completed in December.




Proposal to start units inside the port complex for packing cement into bags after importing unpacked cement.

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/9117/kollamport142.jpg
http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/3171/kollamport143.jpg

More news on Kollam Port available @ Kollam Cargo Port (Thankasseri Port) & Neendakara Port (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=909246&page=7)

Minister PK Gurudasan has cautioned that there are attempts from certain officials, who are responsible for the development of Kollam port, to prevent and scuttle the development prospects of the port.

These officials are trying to block the development of Kollam Port to safe guard the vested interests of certain group and to the interest of the other ports in India.

He was attending the centenary celebration function of Kollam Vady St. Antony’s Church which has a significant link to Kollam Port as is located very near to the port.

He said the people of Kollam should unite together to thwart these attempts and make sure the development of Kollam Port as one of the most important ports in the region.

http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/9795/kollamport.jpg

Highlights of the port minister Surendran Pillai's visit:


Kollam port now included in the navigation chart bearing number 2,104. Earlier the only port in the navigation chart along the Kerala coast was Kochi.



Govt. to further develop Kollam port and Rs.4 crore allocated for dredging and increasing the draft of the port from the present 7 metres. The work would be completed in 4 months.



Govt. had spent about Rs.30 crore for development activities at the port since its commissioning.



Deposit of Rs.24 lakh to the Central Excise and Customs Department for starting customs clearance operations at the port immedeately.



Customs clearance operations would commence at the port and these developmental activities were being carried out to attract foreign cargo ships to the port.




Multi-purpose crane and forklifts would arrive at the port this month itself.




3.5 acres of land adjacent to the port would be reclaimed using the dredged sand.




Construction of the four-lane coastal road passing through the port area would be completed in December.




Proposal to start units inside the port complex for packing cement into bags after importing unpacked cement.


More news on Kollam Port available @ Kollam Cargo Port (Thankasseri Port) & Neendakara Port (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=909246&page=7)

NCC Group Commander Colonel Gokula to visit Kuryattumala at the easter part of Kollam district for inspecting the prospects land availability and setting up an extensive technical training centre of NCC for its cadets.

The extensive trining centre and building complex will be constructed with the aid of Central and state governments.

Along with the Group Commander, the commanding officer Colonel E. M Prince of the Ninth Battalion also arrives at Kuryattumala.

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/8404/kollamncccomplex.jpg

NCC seeks own land to conduct camps



Identifies 10 acres at Kuriyottumala



Proposal submitted to government



Complex will have facility to house 700 cadets

KOLLAM: Ten acres of land at Kuriyottumala in the district has been identified as an ideal location by the National Cadet Corps for housing a NCC complex.

A proposal in this connection was submitted to the District Collector who had forwarded it to the State government for approval and allocation.

Kollam Group Commander of the NCC Colonel B.S. Gokula told presspersons here on Thursday that availability of camp sites to conduct various NCC annual camps was a big problem which the Kollam group faced. It was in this backdrop that the NCC had approached the government for a plot to construct a permanent self-sustained camp site, he said.

The proposed NCC complex would have facilities to accommodate about 700 cadets and their trainers at a time. Each camp extended for a period of 10 days. Apart from lodging and mess facilities, the complex would have an auditorium, classrooms, library and a swimming pool. At present the NCC was relying on campuses of educational institutions to hold camps.

Col. Gokula said this year the National Integration Camp to be conducted by the Kollam group would be held from December 24 to January 4 on the S.N. College campus here.

More than 700 cadets from different parts of the country would attend the camp. Cultural events by cadets from various States would add colour to the camp.

He said this year's NCC Day celebrations would be held here on November 20 and 21. On the first day, there will be a 5.5 km NCC Day run by cadets from Asramam maidan to the Kollam group headquarters at Thevally. District Collector Devendrakumar Dhudawat would flag off the run. The other events of the celebration included blood donation camp at the District Hospital and visit to orphanages by the cadets.

Col. Gokula said the State government was extending all cooperation and support to the NCC. Out of the 13 lakh NCC cadets in the country, 75,000 are from Kerala. The Kollam group comprises five infantry battalions, one naval battalion and a girls battalion spread out in 36 schools, 92 colleges and three polytechnics accounting for more than 14,000 cadets. Col. C.B. Bhaskar and Lt. Col. M.C. Raveendra Babu were also present at the press conference.

Minister PK Gurudasan has cautioned
These officials are trying to block the development of Kollam Port to safe guard the vested interests of certain group and to the interest of the other ports in India.


After the routing of the commies in the recently concluded elections its quite natural to hear these kind of " i am good, but its the disinterested officers " (who are bad ) speak from the commie ministers.

Its very naive to believe that such a senior leader cant do anything to bring the officers to his table and make them accountable.

Could you recollect if this was reported by any specific media group having interests in other ports near Kollam.

After the routing of the commies in the recently concluded elections its quite natural to hear these kind of " i am good, but its the disinterested officers " (who are bad ) speak from the commie ministers.

Its very naive to believe that such a senior leader cant do anything to bring the officers to his table and make them accountable.

Could you recollect if this was reported by any specific media group having interests in other ports near Kollam.

Sali, the above news came in Mathrubhoomi internet daily.

One thing is clear, there are attempts to stunt the growth of Kollam Port especially from the vested interests who are more interested in the ports nearby including Tuticorin.

Otherwise, by this time atleast cashew import and export might have happend from Kollam Port itself. It is quite bizarre that even after 1.5 years since the commissioning of the port the Cashew Capital of India is not able to perform any import and export of cashew directly from the port.:nuts:

After the routing of the commies in the recently concluded elections its quite natural to hear these kind of " i am good, but its the disinterested officers " (who are bad ) speak from the commie ministers.

Its very naive to believe that such a senior leader cant do anything to bring the officers to his table and make them accountable.

Could you recollect if this was reported by any specific media group having interests in other ports near Kollam.

very wrong statement. They have done well in kollam

http://i54.tinypic.com/2n8ppnb.jpg

http://i54.tinypic.com/2n8ppnb.jpg

This is a superb news. I think the construction of the bridge should start without any delay. This is the most important bridge that connects the northern part of the city with the southern part as well as the commercial hub of the city with the administrative hub.

More important is the width of this bridge. Though, they are planning another new bridge after the demolition of the exisiting bridge, both the bridges should have a minimum width of 12 metres each atleast giving a total of 24 to 25 metres width. Otherwise, the bottle neck issue will continue again.

Good news is that Kochupilamoodu bridge construction has also started. There are proposals to construct two new bridges as part of the Kollam Canal link to Kollam port.

All these bridges will give ample connectivity from the southern part of the city to the northern part.

Mayor vows to fight corruption

KOLLAM: Mayor Prasanna Earnest has said that the prime thrust of her mayoralty will be to earn the confidence of the people of the city.

Addressing a meet-the-press programme organised by the Kollam Press Club on Monday, Ms. Earnest said everything possible to present a corruption-free administration with the cooperation of the Corporation employees would be done.

The Mayor said she and her team were open to criticism. “Only if there are criticisms can corrections be made,” she said. Fulfilling the promises made in the Left Democratic Front's election manifesto for Kollam city would be given priority. Increasing the Corporation's revenue was vital for meeting the requirements of welfare programmes. So, strict measures would be taken to collect all tax dues.

Development works would be carried out with the aim of making Kollam a pedestrian-friendly city. All heritage sites would be preserved. A programme to beautify the city would be undertaken. A commercial complex, a convention centre and an economic lodging facility for visitors were being planned at Andamukham.

Other development activities include a parking tower at Andamukham, foot over-bridges at the SN College and Saint Joseph's Convent junctions and a subway at the Taluk Office junction. Tourism promotion projects pertaining to the Ashtamudi Lake and the Kollam Beach would be speeded up.

The Mayor said the first phase of the newly commissioned garbage treatment plant at Kureepuzha would start functioning in the first week of December. Initially, 15 divisions of the Corporation would be covered by the plant.

Kudumbasree volunteers would engage in house-to-house garbage collection at the rate of Rs.50 a month per house. For shops, the rate would range from Rs.100 to Rs.250 and for hotels Rs.500 a month.

Once the garbage treatment plant covered the entire city, punitive measures would be initiated against those found dumping garbage at public places. There would be special teams to check the menace. It was also decided not to accept garbage bundled in plastic kits, she said.

Biogas plants each with capacity to dispose of 500 kg of waste at a time had been sanctioned for the Eravipuram, Munaamkutty, Thevally, Kavanad and Polayathodu public markets. Two biogas plants each with capacity to treat 1,000 kg of waste had also been sanctioned for the Kollam abattoir.

Kollam Parvathy mill will be opened soon under the direct management ofNational Textile corporation (NTC). The was announced by Kollam MP Peethambara Kuruppu and he said an amount of Rs.30 crore has been alloted for the initial operation. Kollam Parvathy mill will be the only mill to be opened for its operation under NTC.

As part of the Parvathy Mill renovation, a new NTC shopping Mall will come up at the existing NTC show room location.^^

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/1482/parvathymillrenovation1.jpg
http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/8527/parvathymillrenovation2.jpg

z5o_JutuhaA

Urgent development needs of the district would be addressed through coordination with all the three-tier local bodies




Thrust would be given to complete all housing schemes for the poor




Aiming to make Kollam the first district without homeless persons in the State




Steps to be taken to rectify the scanning facility at the district hospital




Would ensure maximum possible facilities at district hospital or the poor




Special priority would be given to the farming & dairy sector





District panchayat would start ‘lunch homes' run by Kudumbasree
volunteers at main centres in the district




Will provide facilities for Sabarimala pilgrims passing through the district

KOLLAM: The Centre appears to be taking a negative stand on the State's long-standing demand for the setting up of a Cashew Board headquartered in Kollam, Labour Minister P.K. Gurudasan has said.

Talking to The Hindu here on Tuesday, Mr. Gurudasan said a recent letter from Union Minister of State for Agriculture K.V. Thomas had made the Centre's stand clear. Mr. Gurudasan said he had, on October 3, written to Mr. Thomas reminding the Centre of the State's demand. The letter was written in the backdrop of reports that a Cashew Board could possibly be based in another State.

The letter had stated that Kerala was the most eligible State as most of the cashew processing in the country was done here. He wanted the Union government to set up the Cashew Board on the lines of the Rubber and Spices Boards.

But in the reply sent by Mr. Thomas on October 22, nothing pertaining to the setting up of the board was stated, Mr. Gurudasan said. Mr. Thomas had stated that the Directorate of Cashew and Cocoa based at Kochi was functioning as the nodal agency for the overall development of cashew in the country, he said.

The holistic growth of the horticulture sector was promoted under Centrally sponsored schemes like the National Horticulture Mission, the reply stated. He concluded the letter by stating that the Union Ministry of Agriculture was considering a proposal to launch a Cashew Development Mission to address all issues relating to cashew cultivation, Mr. Gurudasan said.

The National Highways (NHs) passing through the State have been renumbered as part of the ‘systematic numbering' of the NH stretches in the country by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.


According to the Ministry, the decision to renumber the NHs was taken as the existing number like NH 47 did not give any indication of its location and direction.


With this, 218 NH stretches having a length of over 70,548 km across the country have been renumbered. NH 17, NH 47, NH 47A, NH 47C, NH 49, NH 212, NH 213, NH 208, NH 220 are the NHs passing through Kerala. The total length of the NHs passing through the State is 1,457 km.


NH 208 will be NH 744---> NH 744 will be the highway starting with NH 44 near Tirumangalam connecting Srivilliputtur, Rajpalayam, Tenkasi, Puliyur in Tamil Nadu, Punalur and Kottarakara and terminating with NH 66 near Kollam.


NH 47 will be NH 66---> NH 66 will now start with NH 48 near Panvel connecting Indapur, Mahad, Rajapur, Kudal in Maharashtra, Panaji and Margoa in Goa, Karwar, Honavar, Udupi, Mangalore in Karnataka, Kasaragod, Kannur, Ponnani, Edappalli, Ernakulam, Alleppy, Kollam (Chinnakada), Thiruvananthapuram and will terminate with NH 44 near Kanyakumari.


NH 220 will be NH 183---> NH The highway starting with NH 83 near Dindigul connecting Teni, Uttamapalayam in Tamil Nadu, Kumily, Peermeedu, Kanjirapally, Kottayam and Adoor and terminating with NH 744 near Kottarakara will be NH 183.

NH 183 will be later extended to High School junction in Kollam city as part of the NH development project.

Side Wall construction on the lake side of Ashramam - KSRTC junction link road has started. The side wall construction that stretches to 700 metres of the lake side starts from the Ashramam side and ends near to Boat terminal near KSRTC Bus station.

After the side wall construction, the ground near the side wall will be levelled to start the road surfacing work. The link road will have 21 metres width with median and footpaths on either side. The link road will become an extension of the Kappalandimukku - Ashramam 4-lane road as it starts from the 4-lane road at Ashramam.

The KSRTC bus station - Taluk Cutchery (250m) road will be widened by 18 metres and joined with the link road. Kollam city corporation is yet to acquire the remaining 7 metres from the KSRTC garrage side of the road to make it 18 metres.

In the mean time, the new Kollam Mayor has already proposed another prestigious road that connects the link road to High School junction in the city.

The city will benefit a major 4-lane bypass road near the city centre as this road starts from Kappalandimukku -> Chemmamukku -> Kadappakada -> Nairs Hospital Junction -> Ashramam -> KSRTC Bus Station -> Kollam Boat Terminal -> Nani Memorial Hospital Junction -> to end at High School junction.

As per the survey, another bridge has to be constructed over the Kollam Canal near the existing slaughter house. This road once materialized will reduce the traffic congestion at the CBD part of the city and will be a relief to people as it bypasses the busy SN college Junction, Railway Station Junction, Chinnakkada, Archana - Aradhana Junction and Talunk Cutchery junctions.

Present updates of link road. pics captured:{23/08/2010}
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Guys, have been for a week in kollam (sorry for not getting any snaps). Was good to see the road works ongoing from Vellayittambalam stretch till Chinnakada. But, what i felt was the driving attitude of people.... it should defintily change..all are in hurry..none have the curtosey to stop for the pedestrian crossing the roads that to through the zeebra lines...

btw..good news about the iron bridge...hope its materialised soon..

http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/2535/artechsamrudhilakecastl.jpg
http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/2535/artechsamrudhilakecastl.jpg
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These pictures are taken from the footoverbridge just above Platform No: 8. A train parking at platform No:8 is partly visible in the picture.


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Snaps of the MEMU Shed (with blue roof) taken from the footoverbridge @ Kollam Junction:

http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/5149/kollammemushed1.jpg

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Guys, have been for a week in kollam (sorry for not getting any snaps). Was good to see the road works ongoing from Vellayittambalam stretch till Chinnakada. But, what i felt was the driving attitude of people.... it should defintily change..all are in hurry..none have the curtosey to stop for the pedestrian crossing the roads that to through the zeebra lines...

btw..good news about the iron bridge...hope its materialised soon..

Yes, Collin, I have also seen the tarring in progress at High School junction. There are heavy traffic blocks at the major junctions in the city due to this.

Lot of new road works and new road proposals have come up offlate. Only disturbing thing is, it takes a lot of time to complete these road works and the proposal to come out of the paper.

The most prestigious road proposal that has come come up recently is the extension of the Ashramam link road from KSRTC Bus station to High School junction.

This will be a 4-lane road passing through the Ashtamudi lake bank side near the slaughter house, crossing the Kollam canal with a new bridge, passing Nani Memorial hospital junction to touch the Anchalumoodu road near High school junction.

Also, the Ashramam link road will be extended to Taluk Cutchery junction as well with a width of 18 metres.

A new bridge is sactioned in parallel to the existing Iron bridge is yet another significant news.

The important ongoing road works are Ashramam link road, Kallupalam - Kochupilamoodu canal side road widening, the coastal 4-lane road from Kollam port to Kollam beach, the Kochupilamoodu bridge construction over the Kollam canal, SP office flyover and the alignment road.

Side Wall construction on the lake side of Ashramam - KSRTC junction link road has started. The side wall construction that stretches to 700 metres of the lake side starts from the Ashramam side and ends near to Boat terminal near KSRTC Bus station.

After the side wall construction, the ground near the side wall will be levelled to start the road surfacing work. The link road will have 21 metres width with median and footpaths on either side. The link road will become an extension of the Kappalandimukku - Ashramam 4-lane road as it starts from the 4-lane road at Ashramam.

The KSRTC bus station - Taluk Cutchery (250m) road will be widened by 18 metres and joined with the link road. Kollam city corporation is yet to acquire the remaining 7 metres from the KSRTC garrage side of the road to make it 18 metres.

In the mean time, the new Kollam Mayor has already proposed another prestigious road that connects the link road to High School junction in the city.

The city will benefit a major 4-lane bypass road near the city centre as this road starts from Kappalandimukku -> Chemmamukku -> Kadappakada -> Nairs Hospital Junction -> Ashramam -> KSRTC Bus Station -> Kollam Boat Terminal -> Nani Memorial Hospital Junction -> to end at High School junction.

As per the survey, another bridge has to be constructed over the Kollam Canal near the existing slaughter house. This road once materialized will reduce the traffic congestion at the CBD part of the city and will be a relief to people as it bypasses the busy SN college Junction, Railway Station Junction, Chinnakkada, Archana - Aradhana Junction and Talunk Cutchery junctions.



Looks like these roads can lift the infrastructure looks of the City...

I wanted some space between the river and the road which can be used for beautification and pedestial pathway...

Looks like these roads can lift the infrastructure looks of the City...

I wanted some space between the river and the road which can be used for beautification and pedestial pathway...

Thanks Vinod for your inputs. As per the plan there will be a footpath on the side of the river (probably a wider one) with tile paved surface and electic lamp posts and resting places at regular intervals of the 700 metres. This will become one of the most enjoyable locations in the city once materialised.

There were plans to have a garden or park on the other side of the road especially the marshy land. Not sure if they are still planning it or not.

I heard there are plans to have boat landing facility especially for speed, pedal and other adventure boats on Ashramam end of this road. Already, there is boat terminal for passenger and house boats at the KSRTC junction side.

This road will give more eye catching views if the proposed extension from Kollam Boat terminal to Highschool junction materializes. While passing this road, Ashramam adventure park side with all the greenary and mangrove forests will be the cynosure of all eyes.

I am just waiting for the day when the road becomes a reality. But there are red tapism and politics to overcome.:nuts:

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/212/linkroadwork.jpg

Convention Centre and modern Commercial complex to be set up in the City in 7 acres



More development works at Kollam beach under Tourism project



Children's Park @ Ashramam to be renovated



Landscaping and beautification of the city



Extensive road map of Kollam to be done



Parking tower @ Andamukkam mooted to reduce vehicle parking issues



Chinnakkada underpass construction to re-start soon

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