Thread to post the development and projects coming up in Madurai and Trichy region

CII lines up series of events to showcase Tiruchi

Special Correspondent

CEOs summit, job fair in the offing

TIRUCHI: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has lined up a series of events, including a CEOs summit, a corporate job fair and a tourism festival in the city over the next 12 months as part of its efforts to showcase Tiruchi's growth potential.

The CEOs summit, scheduled for June, would be among the major initiatives to turn the attention of corporates and the industry to development prospects in Tiruchi, which has already emerged as a major centre for power-equipment manufacturing and fabrication. The CII would follow it up with a three-day job fair in the second quarter of this fiscal to benefit the human resource talent pool of the region. About 60 to 70 corporates and 5,000 youths are expected to participate in the fair.

With tourism being another prospective growth area, the CII has decided to organise `Tiruchi festival' in January 2007, coinciding with the peak tourist season and harvest festival, the Vice-Chairman of the CII, Tiruchi zone, B.V. Ramanan, told media persons here on Saturday. An agricultural conclave, `Agricon,' with the theme on `Agripreneurship,' will be held this year, he said.

Lecture series


The CII would also host a lecture series, `Inspiration,' by eminent personalities from the industry and corporate sector, zonal chairman M.P. Ramaswamy said. The first lecture of the series was delivered by CII Vice-President R. Seshasayee, who earlier declared open the new office of the CII's zonal office in the city.

Mr. Seshasayee said the CII was looking at issues concerning every region and taking advocacy measures. There was no reason for Tiruchi to be left behind given its inherent strengths. Promoting inclusive and sustainable growth was part of the CII's focus areas.It was working with the State government on equitable growth and four sectors — information technology, automobile, construction and textile — had been identified not only as growth areas but also as sectors that required attention, the State chairman, B. Santhanam, said.

Energex 2005, hosted by the CII here, had drawn attention at the national level and the production capacity of energy equipment manufacturing industry here was all set to double soon, Mr. Ramaswamy said.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/03/12/stories/2006031211280100.htm

Hasbro Clothing Pvt Ltd expects to ramp up its presence in tier II cities by setting up stores in Salem, Madurai and Kozikhode by May 2006.

http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?storyflag=y&leftnm=lmnu1&leftindx=1&lselect=1&chklogin=N&autono=218332

does the amount of urban infrastructure in the regions justify a seperate thread?

what are the new buildings coming up? are there new townships? new civic projects?

The Sethusamuthiram project is headquartered at Tuticorin is airconnected and raod to Madurai, The proposed Aviation University in Madurai, The Biotech park in Madurai and Mandapam, etc.

This region is definitely not as Chennai or Coimbatore in TN, but its definitely better than Visak.

Jaya moots aviation varsity at Madurai

DH New Service Chennai:

Citing the boom in air traffic, Jayalalitha said an aviation university would be crucial in meeting the demands for trained personnel.



Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to consider the setting up of an aviation university in Madurai in the light of the boom in domestic and international services.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Ms Jayalalitha has said that the US Secretary of Transport recently discussed with Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission Chairman V S Arunachalam, the proposal to set up an aviation university with the support of the US Federal Aviation Authority at Madurai. Ms Jayalalitha said: “The idea of establishing such a university needs to be developed in co-operation with the Ministry of Civil Aviation”.

She assured the Prime Minister that the state government would extend full support to the proposal if he gave his approval.


Making out the case for the university, Ms Jayalalitha referred to the buoyant growth in air traffic in India and the Centre’s plan to build world class airports at New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.

In such a scenario, an academic institution was needed to train airport managers, air traffic controllers, navigation and communication engineers and airport safety personnel, she said.

Simultaneously, the training facilities in the public sector had to be upgraded and refurbished to cater to the demand for trained personnel and to counter the phenomenon of technological obsolescence.

Ms Jayalalitha said at present, there were only isolated flying clubs and institutes like the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Academy at Rae Bareli, “which cater to a minuscule requirements of training pilots”.

“There is a yawning gap in the supply of trained personnel which needs to be corrected,” Ms Jayalalitha said.

The chief minister said Madurai would be an ideal location for the university as the airport was free from fog and it was away from the busy air corridors. The runway could be expanded from the present 5,500 ft to 7,000 ft. At present, only Airbus A-320s operated from and to this airport. If the runway was extended, bigger craft could land. There was abundant land near the airport to support the setting up of technical and educational facilities of the aviation university, she added.

Ms Jayalalitha said an aviation university, built to international standards with affiliation to a similar university abroad, would attract a considerable number of students both from within the country and abroad. The affiliation with the Federal Aviation Authority of US would enable the certification of educational and technical facilities, she added

http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/aug72005/national132238200586.asp

The Sethusamuthiram project is headquartered at Tuticorin is airconnected and raod to Madurai, The proposed Aviation University in Madurai, The Biotech park in Madurai and Mandapam, etc.

This region is definitely not as Chennai or Coimbatore in TN, but its definitely better than Visak.

MS,
With all due respect, I strongly object your statement.
Vizag, has a host of major industries
like HPCL refiney, a Major port ( a second port is already in the making), A Major steel plant by central govt, Essar's steel plant and a handful of major Fertilizer and chemical factories. Apart from this Vizag also boasts of a Export processing zone. This apart, Vizag is seeing explosive growth in YSR govt especially in IT/ITES (satyam and wipro), auto, pharma and tourism Industries.Vizag's Impressive list keeps on growing day by day..

unfortunately madurai does not have any noteworthy investments and is grossly underdeveloped for a city of its size. All madurai has is couple of textile mills and some investments made by TVS group a few decades ago. And more recently Honeywell had announced some investment in Madurai.
Sadly, the nation's IT/ITES boom has virtually untouched cities like madurai and Trichy. What Madurai lacks is a huge central investment in some sunrise industry that would spur the growth of ancillary industries.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) today urged the Centre to seriously consider converting Madurai airport as an international airport considering its huge growth potential in various sectors, including tourism and business.

Source (http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7B97CC7A4E-1EE3-43A9-BEE8-2FDA88811B22%7D&CATEGORYNAME=Tamil+Nadu)

International flights to operate from Madurai
Madurai, Mar. 29 (PTI): International flight operations from Madurai airport would begin in June 2006, Congress MP N S V Chitthan said here tonight.


Participating in a function organised to hand over the report prepared by Price WaterHouse Coopers in this regard for the Confederation of Indian Industries here tonight,he said Union Minister of state for Civil aviation Praful Patel had given an assurance on International flights being operated from here Chitthan recalled that he had told Parliament that the infrastructure at the airport now was adequate to operate international flights and that many people, who had settled in places like Malaysia, Singapore and Srilanka were from in and around Madurai.


T Kannan, past Chairman CII(SR) and Managing Director of Thiagarajar Mills, said there was no need to study the potential of Madurai airport and expressed confidence that any international flight operated from Madurai to Gulf countries and Sri Lanka would be full from day one. All passengers coming to Madurai from Mumbai were from Gulf countries,he said.


T Johnson,Immediate Past Chairman,CII,Madurai zone, said Southern districts had their merits to attract industries and tourists. This would be possible if there were more air links.
http://www.hindu.com/holnus/004200603292231.htm

Expo showcases Madurai as IT destination

The Madurai District Tiny And Small Scale Industries Association (Maditssia), in association with engineering colleges in and around Madurai, showcased the city as an emerging IT destination at the international exhibition — IndiaSoft 2006, held at the Chennai Trade Centre recently.

The stall put at the exhibition was visited by both Indian delegates and foreign participants belonging to 16 countries.

The delegates, particularly from Vietnam and UK, expressed interest in opening their development centres in Madurai. A visitor from UK was keen to collaborate with engineering colleges and establish an electronics industry in Madurai.

Agile One of Singapore has said that on receipt of detailed profile on areas suitable for IT park, a team of builders who are now building the IT park-II at Chennai and one in Kolkata, would be sent to Madurai for a final survey, according to the Maditssia President, Mr S. Aravind.

High-level officials from the Communications and Information Technology Ministry and the Software Technology Park of India have requested Maditssia to give the details of engineering colleges which can offer either 1 lakh build up area or minimum 25 acres of land for establishing an IT park.

On receiving the data, they assured to begin work on building the IT park at Madurai.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/03/30/stories/2006033002701900.htm

Chamber seeks land from MK University to establish `IT Park'

MADURAI : The Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry has sought allotment of 25 acres of land from Madurai Kamaraj University for establishing an `Information Technology Park' here.

http://www.thehindu.com/2006/01/01/stories/2006010112560100.htm

Government planning an IT park in Madurai


Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology Dayanidhi Maran has revealed that the government has plans to establish an IT park in the city of Madurai if the state government can arrange land for this purpose.

He was speaking at the occasion of the launch of a stamp of freedom fighter N M R Subbaraman. Maran recalled the promise he made to the Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president S Rethinavelu to establish an IT park in the city.

Rethinavelu on the government’s behalf has assured of a property near the Madurai Kamaraj University. However, Maran is insisting on a location, which is closer to the main city. He said in a statement: “Even if it is five acres, it should be very near to the city or in the city’s main area.”

He further added that the government would start the work on the development of the IT Park in the city if at least one-lakh sq feet were offered in the city. Tamil Nadu is emerging as a hot destination for the IT companies with Microsoft and Nokia showing interest in establishing their bases here.

http://news.techwhack.com/3086/government-planning-an-it-park-in-madurai/

Major infrastructure projects in the pipeline for Tiruchi this year

Railway Ministry has given nod for three new road over bridges: Mayor

TIRUCHI: The Tiruchi Corporation rings in the New Year with a hope of getting some of its major infrastructure projects cleared by the Union Ministries of Railways, and Urban Development soon.

http://www.thehindu.com/2006/01/01/stories/2006010120070100.htm

Madurai airport set for major revamp
By Indo Asian News Service

Chennai, March 21 (IANS) The Madurai airport in Tamil Nadu is to be upgraded to a world- class facility in a phased manner at a total cost of Rs.1.5 billion ($33.7 million), a senior official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said Tuesday.

'We have the infrastructure in place, only customs need to be positioned at Madurai for it to become a full-fledged international airport,' K. Ramalingam, regional executive director of the AAI, told media persons here.

The plan envisages Madurai to be designated as an international airport and a major south Asian transit hub in the Indian hinterland within five years.

The official was speaking at the release of a PriceWaterhouseCoopers report sponsored by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to study the traffic potential of Madurai airport, about 500km south of here.

PWC's brief was to estimate the traffic potential of the Madurai and Tuticorin airports over the next 20 years. The study took into account the international and domestic air traffic for both passengers and cargo.

'It was observed that significant portions of air travellers from Tiruchirapally and Chennai airports (both international airports) belong to south Tamil Nadu,' the study stated.

In 2001, passenger traffic at Madurai was 90,800 and grew to 158,000 in 2005. The cargo traffic at the airport grew from 322.25 tonnes to 425 tonnes in the same period.

http://in.news.yahoo.com/060321/43/6338t.html

International status for Madurai airport sought

Conversion of Madurai airport into an international airport needs serious consideration from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Airports Authority of India.

If it is accorded international status there would be potential for establishing connectivity to Gulf, Singapore and Sri Lanka on a twice- or thrice-a-week basis, according to a report done by consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for the CII.

The airport handled 1.58 lakh passengers in 2004-05 compared with 1.22 lakh in the previous year. The cargo handled was 425 tonnes (428 tonnes). There is scope for increasing passenger traffic to 3.01 lakh ( domestic and international) in 2006 and 6.15 lakh in 2011, the report said.

Logical approach

PwC used a logical approach for estimating the traffic potential at Madurai airport. The report was built around aviation trends, income and GDP growth, trends in rail traffic and possible conversion of rail passengers to air travel, tourism growth and impact of low-cost aviation. It obtained data from secondary sources and discussions with stakeholders.

According to the report, international cargo potential at Madurai airport was 1,339 tonnes in 2006, which would increase to 2,098 tonnes in the next five years. The domestic cargo potential was 489 tonnes in 2006 and would go up to 862 tonnes by 2011. A substantial volume, mostly perishables, from Madurai's hinterland is routed through Tiruchi and Thiruvananthapuram.

http://www.blonnet.com/2006/03/23/stories/2006032300051900.htm

Madurai holds big potential for air traffic growth

CHENNAI, MARCH 21: The domestic and international air traffic from and to Madurai is estimated to grow to 6.15 lakh from the 3.01 lakh now. It may touch 15.30 lakh by 2026. Total cargo potential is also expected to go up to 2960 tonnes by 2011 from the current 1642 tonnes. It may reach 7224 tonnes by 2026.
These are some of the findings of the study conducted by PriceWaterhouse Coopers for the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Tamil Nadu. The study was released here on Tuesday.

The government would be investing Rs 150 crore in a phased manner to upgrade Madurai airport. This would enable the airport to handle 24 flights daily, enough to meet the projected traffic in the short and medium term. With additional investments the airport can be converted into an international airport.

The increase in air traffic is an impact of low cost aviation which helps in converting train traffic to air, says the study.

A significant proportion of air travellers from Trichy and Chennai belong to southern Tamil Nadu.

Tourism growth in Madurai was likely with the promotion of niche tourism products such as ‘medical tourism’, and ‘chartered tourism’ as well as the initiative of the government to promote tourism in Tamil Nadu as a whole.

The air traffic is also set to grow thanks to the industrial growth of Madurai and its hinterland.

The prospects for IT and ITES industries, the expansion of rubber, textiles and autocomponents units, and development of industrial clusters around the port city of Tuticorin are also catalysers for increased passenger and cargo traffic through Madurai.

An event to showcase a multi-faceted city

3rd edition of `Madurai Mystique' coming to town

MADURAI: There is no doubt that this city, a cultural hotspot of Tamil Nadu, if given the right impetus, will spur industrial and economic growth. Madurai has all the inherent advantages to become a class tourism destination, being home to world-renowned Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, Thirumalai Nayak Palace and other edifices.

The city is also becoming a centre for medical tourism through the efforts of many renowned city hospitals. Currently efforts are on to convert Madurai airport into an international airport eventually linking the city with Singapore, Colombo, Kuala Lumpur and cities in the Middle East.

In an effort to promote Madurai as an international tourist destination, showcasing it as a gateway for Tamil culture and attracting more visitors and investors, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Madurai zone will organise the third edition of `Madurai Mystique 2006,' a conference-cum-exposition on investment opportunity in tourism sector at Hotel Sangam on January 28 and 29.

The agenda


The objective of the two-day event is to promote and reinforce Madurai as the `Gateway to heritage and culture' and create awareness of the various facets of the Temple City. Students will participate in a paper presentation competition on tourism and the first three winners will be awarded with cash prizes of Rs.3,000, Rs.2,000 and Rs.1,000.

The event will deal with various topics, including Madurai as gateway to culture and heritage, as tourism hub, infrastructure development-a key enabler for tourism growth, and panel discussion on the road ahead.

P. Mohan, Member of Parliament, will inaugurate `Madurai Mystique' while Karumuttu T. Kannan, Managing Director, Thiagarajar Mills Ltd, D. Raajendiran, District Collector, D.J. Dinakkaren, Commissioner, Madurai Corporation, R. Venkatraman, retired professor of Art History, Madurai Kamaraj University, Perumalsamy, Assistant Director, Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, will participate.

The event will also provide an opportunity for tourism and allied industries to showcase products and services offered by them to the public through an exposition, which will run concurrently at the same venue. The earlier editions of `Madurai Mystique' were held during 2002 and 2004.

http://www.thehindu.com/2006/01/27/stories/2006012704570200.htm

CII launches SME `cluster' in Madurai

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bonding for the better
The Madurai Cluster comprises about ten SMEs geographically located in and around Madurai and includes units from castings, bakery products, rubber moulded components, industrial fabrics etc.
The companies will receive in the next 12 months intervention support from the CII in the areas of energy management, manufacturing excellence and total cost management.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/03/13/stories/2006031303111500.htm

Ford opens new dealership facility in Madurai

Ford India inaugurated its Brand@Retail dealership facility `Akshaya Ford' at Thanakankulam, near here, on Saturday.

The integrated 3-S facility (sales, service and spares) built according to Ford's global standards includes a children's play area, a customer lounge, 30 bays for mechanical service, a fully equipped mechanical and spares centre and a 24-hour help line for vehicular assistance. The facility would cater to customers in Madurai, Sivaganga, Dindigul, Theni, Ramanathapuram and Virudhunagar.

http://www.blonnet.com/2006/03/21/stories/2006032103460700.htm

PC World Aims for 50pc Growth in Business

By Shantheri Mallaya
Bangalore, Jan 26, 2006

Buoyed by the boom in PC business in Madurai, PC World hopes to achieve a growth of 50 percent in business this year. The Madurai-based distributor and retailer also hopes to cross the Rs 20-crore mark for the next fiscal.

According to Selvaraj, partner, PC World, "The purchasing power in Madurai has been on the upswing. Awareness of IT has increased and people are no more money-minded. The number of walk-ins to our showroom has now increased to an average of about 15-20 a day from a mere 7-10 earlier."

PC World, which has been in the business since 1988, offers comprehensive IT solutions.

A recipient of many awards, PC World is looking at corporate tieups for stepping up its solutions and high-end server business this year. Selvaraj confirmed that they had recently tied up with IBM to provide software solutions such as Lotus Notes, etc.

The company plans to add some new products to its existing portfolio. Selvaraj said that these announcements will be made in the next few months.

On its immediate business focus, Selvaraj said, "The focus area for business till April 2006 would not be on the SOHO segment as summer would usher in revenues from the student community and other home users."

Small Cities to Call Shots in BPO Growth in ' 06

Times News Network
Pune
It's not cybercities like Bangalore, Hyderabad or Pune that will fuel the BPO-KPO boom in '06. Smaller cities-the likes of Jodhpur, Mohali, Nagpur, Patiala, and Madurai-are set to emerge as attractive destinations for outsourcing.

http://www.bpo.nasscom.org/artdisplay.aspx?art_id=4928&cat_id=572

India's smaller cities are booming

Some highlights for Madurai boom...

And retailers are just the latest to join the small town bandwagon. A recent study puts the total amount of built-up property coming up in these towns at 7-8 million sq ft: most of it IT, commercial and retail. The cities in the reckoning are state capitals like Lucknow, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Ranchi, Guwahati, Bhubaneshwar, Thiruvananthapuram, Bhopal and Jammu. Other smaller cities like Mysore, Kochi, Madurai, Vizag, Cuttack, Ludhiana, Nagpur and Aurangabad are catching up fast.

The last year has seen IT majors such as IBM, Dell, Cognizant and Satyam unveiling plans for cities like Coimbatore, Mangalore and Vizag. Wipro and TCS have acquired land at Vizag, while Honeywell is looking at expanding operations in Madurai.

http://ia.rediff.com/money/2006/feb/25spec1.htm

Aroma therapy for jasmine growers

The `Madurai Malli' has gone French. Driven by perfumeries in France and Australia, among a host of others, the number of units processing the jasmine flower grown in and around Madurai has grown to 15 from just three a couple of years back.

These units covert flowers into paste (called concrete) and a liquid form (called absolute) for a variety of applications, but primarily for perfumes, made in France. Alongside, domestic demand is also picking up for use in soaps, agarbattis (incense sticks) and even ghutka.

While the price for jasmine paste stands at around $ 550 per kg in the export market, in the domestic market, it's about $100 less, where the quality demanded is also lower, according to industry players. France, of course, demands the highest quality, followed by Australia, they say. Interestingly, Australians show preference for `absolutes' which means more `value addition', they said.

The flavour and fragrance market, as a whole, is estimated to be $ 20 billion globally. The market size of natural raw materials like rose, jasmine, etc, is estimated to be $ 900m. Natural raw materials account for 13% of the total raw material used.

However, the key driver of the industry around the temple town is the supply of `Madurai Malli', popular among south Indians for its unique fragrance. The production of the paste is mostly a function of the price of flowers, which again is determined by its supply." It becomes unviable for us to buy jasmine if the rate goes beyond Rs 20 a kilogram," say N Jegatheesan, who owns a flower processing company. About 850 kg of jasmine flowers yields a kilogram of jasmine paste. The 15 units have capacities ranging from 3 tonnes a day to 15 tonnes a day, with 5 dealing with the export markets.

For jasmine paste, the cost of the raw material could take up to 60% of the sale price, which makes it unviable beyond Rs 20 per kg. Additionally, the processing equipment could cost around Rs 1 cr.

The price of jasmine flowers can be volatile. It changes daily depending on rains, and a few other factors. Even within a single day, the prices vary, but follow a pattern. The flowers are most expensive when the jasmine market opens- at about 6:30 am and the prices come down as the day progresses. "They could go as high as Rs 100 a kg. And there are days when they come at throwaway prices," Jegatheesan says. There is no question of storing the flowers when the supply is large. "The life of a jasmine is just a day, whatever you do. Keep them in a cold stroage, and they would seem fresh even after three days. But take them out and it would rot away in ten minutes," he says. However, the paste could be preserved for even five years, industry players feel.

About 2000 farmers around Madurai grow jasmine on nearly 5000 acres. On an average, one acre yields 300 kgs a month.

http://www.techno-preneur.net/new-timeis/ScienceTechMag/nov-05/news.htm

Multinationals keen to set up IT centres in Temple City

Staff Reporter

Good response to MADITSSIA stall `IndiaSoft 2006' in Chennai

MADURAI: Several multi-national companies, particularly from the United Kingdom and Vietnam, are keen to open information technology development centres in Madurai and there is also interest among them to have collaboration with engineering colleges here, according to S. Aravind, President, Madurai District Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association (MADITSSIA).

He said the association also put up a stall at the `IndiaSoft 2006' international exhibition held at Chennai on March 20 and 21 `and many visitors from abroad sought details at the MADITSSIA stall.'

In a press release here, Mr. Aravind said those who visited from the United Kingdom wanted to establish an electronic industry in Madurai.

Also, a company from Singapore, M/S. Agile One, who are involved in building IT Park at Chennai and Kolkata, said it would send a team to Madurai for a final survey after receiving profile of areas suitable for establishing information technology park here.

He said the stall was showcased in the official bulletin issued at the exhibition with remarks of `MADITSSIA is here at the exhibition to market Madurai as a choice destination for the information technology industry and with all the right reasons.'

http://www.hindu.com/2006/03/30/stories/2006033022410300.htm

Multinationals keen to set up IT centres in Temple City

MADURAI: In a press release here, Mr. Aravind said those who visited from the United Kingdom wanted to establish an electronic industry in Madurai.

Also, a company from Singapore, M/S. Agile One, who are involved in building IT Park at Chennai and Kolkata, said it would send a team to Madurai for a final survey after receiving profile of areas suitable for establishing information technology park here.
http://www.hindu.com/2006/03/30/stories/2006033022410300.htm

Correction :

Delegates from M/S Agile, a Singapore-based MNC that visited the stall, sought a detailed profile on areas suitable for IT park in Madurai, and promised that a team of IT builders, involved in construction of IT parks in Chennai and Kolkata, would be sent to the district for a final survey.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20060330002520&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+-+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0

Bursting with energy

With an impressive presence in the engineering sector, Tiruchi industries are upbeat on future growth.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/03/31/stories/2006033100010100.htm


A beehive of industry and optimism

This fertile town with a hoary past is eager to share in the country's economic and industrial boom.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/03/31/stories/2006033100040200.htm

AI Express plans 11 transit flights via Tiruchi

Services to link Rock City with Dubai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Mumbai

TIRUCHI: Air India Express, a subsidiary of Air India, seems to be planning to take Tiruchi market by storm. The budget airline has drawn up ambitious plans to operate 11 transit flights a week linking Tiruchi with Dubai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Mumbai from May/June.

The airline, which was originally expected to introduce services to Dubai from here, now proposes to operate flights on the Dubai-Tiruchi-Mumbai/Mumbai-Tiruchi-Dubai, Dubai-Tiruchi-Singapore, Singapore-Tiruchi-Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur-Tiruchi-Dubai and Dubai-Tiruchi-Singapore sectors, sources told The Hindu.

The bouquet of services would make Tiruchi an important hub of operations for the AI Express in the southern region. The airline would deploy the latest Boeing 737-800 aircraft with a passenger capacity of 189.

Sources said that the airline was keen on commencing operations from Tiruchi and Mangalore simultaneously on May 7. However, indications are that the Tiruchi operations could be slightly delayed till completion of runway expansion work at the airport.

Moreover, the introduction of 11 flights at one go may not be possible in view of the huge logistics involved and subject to clearances at various levels.

More staff needed


The airline itself has to move adequate men and material and the Airports Authority of India too would have to increase its staff strength at the airport, especially in Air Traffic Control. Ground handling facilities also have to be organised, the sources pointed out.

Nevertheless, the airline's plan, as and when it materialises, would trigger a major boom in the air travel trade here. It would take the total number of flights from Tiruchi to 40 a week from 29 including 12 flights by the Indian Airlines, 10 by Sri Lankan Airlines and seven by Air Deccan.

Travel agents have expressed surprise that the Indian Airlines, the first to plan service to Singapore from Tiruchi and an additional frequency to Sharjah, is yet to firm up its proposal.

With a few other airlines also eyeing the Tiruchi market, the air travel industry is to witness a flurry of development over the next year, travel agents say. Being a budget airline, the AI Express could give other major airlines a run for their money as its fares would be extremely competitive.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/03/31/stories/2006033111330100.htm

Industrial estate coming up near Tiruchirappalli
Tiruchirappalli, April 3 (PTI): An industrial estate that would provide employment for about 10,000 persons and meet the future needs of the Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd., would come up at Siruganur, 30 km from here, within two to three years.

The BHEL and Small and Medium Industries Association (BHELSIA) are the promoters of the state-of-the-art industrial estate, to be set up in about 500 acres of land, Rajappa Rajkumar, president of the Association said.

"We have approached Small Industries Development Corporation for financial assistance under Industry Infrastructure development scheme," he said.

He said 100 acres had already been acquired for the project and as many as 60 to 70 medium and small industries would be located in the Estate.

The Associations units which was meeting 60 per cent fabrication and other requirements of the BHEL was setting up the estate to meet the future requirement of the public sector unit which would be going for massive expansion programme with an expected turnover of Rs 10,000 crore by 2012, he said.

He said the BHELSIA were fabricating and supplying spares and towers for windmills including Suzlon and NEG Micon.

The BHEL's turnover had already touched Rs 3600 crore for 2005 fiscal and expected to touch Rs 5000 crore by next fiscal.

BHEL was also making fossil boiliers of 500 MW capacity and planned to make boilers of 800MW. Besides it would make nuclear steam boilers of 250 to 500 MW capacity, he said, adding, the BHELSIA would help in the modernisation programmes of the BHEL.

He said the new industrial estate would have facilities for testing, calibration, raw material bank and consummable stores, he said.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/004200604030380.htm

Fisheries institute to produce microbes, cells
Tuticorin: Fisheries College and Research Institute here is all set to produce microbes and cells needed for research in aquaculture on a large scale, with the recent addition of a bioreactor at its Fisheries Biotechnology Centre (FBC). It purchased the state-of-the-art bioreactor costing Rs 7.5 lakh from Holland with grants allocated by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.
http://www.hindu.com/2006/04/04/stories/2006040410220300.htm

MaduraiSelvam,
Shall we request the mods to close the Tamil Nadu thread? i dont think there is a need for that.

MaduraiSelvam,
Shall we request the mods to close the Tamil Nadu thread? i dont think there is a need for that.
I understand what you mean Anniyan, I guess its not a problem to have the messages repeated in TN and Madurai Trichy threads. International and National reader would go to TN threads and I would assume the national reader esp. Tier II contenders will be informed about south TN growth too with reference to Trichy and Madurai.
I will see that i will post the MT region thread messages also in TN region.

40 students receive placement orders from info-tech firms
MADURAI: "The field of computer and information technology will witness a massive growth, that will make the country a superpower," said P. Maruthamuthu, Vice-Chancellor, Madurai Kamaraj University, here on Monday.
Addressing students at the Computer Centre of MKU's `Placement Day 06,' he said education was a continuous process and students should continue to learn and develop new software with their innovative ideas for the benefit of individuals, companies and the institution.
Later, Dr. Maruthamuthu distributed orders to 40 students, who got placements in various multi-national companies, out of 55 students, who appeared for campus interviews held during 2005.
For the first time in the history of the Computer Centre, 20 companies provided this chance to students and 13 companies emerged as recruiters.

Recruiters
The IBM Global Services, Bangalore, had selected 15 students (27 per cent) with a pay package of Rs. 2.75 lakh per annum, while HCL Technologies, Chennai, recruited eight students offering a package of Rs.2.20 lakh per annum. The Verizon Data Services, Chennai, recruited one student by offering the highest package of Rs.3.15 lakh per annum.
The others companies that recruited students are: E-Funds International India, Chennai, Xansa India, Chennai, Caritor India, Chennai, AMI India, Chennai, Satyam Computer Services, Hyderabad, Maveric Sytems, Chennai, Vernalis Systems, Chennai, Dhyan IT, Chennai, Birlasoft, Chennai and Digibee Systems, Bangalore.

I think that this forum is mostly about new projects, investments, skyscrapers, buildings, infrastructure and urbanization. The above post doesnt fit into any of the above categories.

I understand what you mean Anniyan, I guess its not a problem to have the messages repeated in TN and Madurai Trichy threads. International and National reader would go to TN threads and I would assume the national reader esp. Tier II contenders will be informed about south TN growth too with reference to Trichy and Madurai.
I will see that i will post the MT region thread messages also in TN region.

This forum is not a place for marketing or advertising one's city or region, its enough if a matter is posted in any one of the thread. If the news is of national importance then u can cross post it in the relevant all india thread

Rule No 4. No Spamming. Do not deliberately create repetitive posts or threads in the same forum. You may do so in 2 separate forums, at the moderator's discretion and as long as it is within the forum's content.


http://www.skyscrapercity.com/announcement.php?f=450&announcementid=177

This forum is not a place for marketing or advertising one's city or region, its enough if a matter is posted in any one of the thread. If the news is of national importance then u can cross post it in the relevant all india thread

Hai Anniyan, If Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad thread are marketing or adverstising, then this is also the same. I guess TN unlike other states have many developmental centers, I suppose its never like Chennai and rest of TN. I started this thread just for to give space for two big corporations that are 2nd and 4th biggest and populated cities in TN lagging behind in developmental projects.

Tamilnadu infrastructure related information will go to TN infrastructure and Mdu and Tri region specific projects will go into M T region thread. I agree not to double post, except if it is necessary.

Selvam

Ok, Thanks. :)

I think that this forum is mostly about new projects, investments, skyscrapers, buildings, infrastructure and urbanization. The above post doesnt fit into any of the above categories.

Human resource infrastructure and investment, dont you see it ?

Skyscrapers are not allowed in Madurai and Trichy dear. Meenakshi koil and Sreerangam koil are propered to hold that credit. For other stuffs I need someone in local to post the developments with photos, else please wait until winter.

Selvam

BHEL plans 190cr investments in trichy. Plans foray into boilers for nuclear power plants

Link to news... (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/04/06/stories/2006040604120300.htm)

......Against this backdrop, BHEL, Tiruchi, is going in for an expansion at an investment of Rs 190 crore — the first major capex in over 20 years. Alongside, there are plans to recruit 500 people, for which permission from the headquarters in New Delhi is awaited.

Last year, the Tiruchi complex turned over Rs 3,608 crore — another record. With orders on hand being so robust, it expects to achieve a turnover of Rs 5,000 crore in the current year......

Honeywell looks at Madurai as ideal IT destination

New building for Honeywell Technology Solutions Laboratory opened

MADURAI: The information technology giant, Honeywell, looks at Madurai as an eminently desirable destination, a sentiment that will propel others to set up shop.

Larry Kittelberger, Senior Vice-President, Honeywell Corporation, who was here to declare open a new building of Honeywell Technology Solutions Laboratory (HTSL) on the Thiagarajar College of Engineering (TCE) campus on Wednesday, said what began as an experiment in 2002 turned out to be an experience. From around 20 employees, Honeywell had grown to admit 300 now and envisaged a huge expansion in the next five years.

Mr. Larry said the recruits from Madurai and other southern districts measured up to the company's expectations. "People here love to work and are committed." He pointed to the universities and colleges located in the region and said, "Madurai is our new home."
http://www.hindu.com/2006/04/13/stories/2006041304350500.htm

I am going to India, so there will be Madurai photos in a month.

I am going to India, so there will be Madurai photos in a month.

Cool..have a nice trip

Please try to take some pictures of the Madras High Court (Madurai Bench) Building, its my favourite building in Madurai.

Multinationals keen to set up IT centres in Temple City

Staff Reporter

Good response to MADITSSIA stall `IndiaSoft 2006' in Chennai

MADURAI: Several multi-national companies, particularly from the United Kingdom and Vietnam, are keen to open information technology development centres in Madurai and there is also interest among them to have collaboration with engineering colleges here, according to S. Aravind, President, Madurai District Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association (MADITSSIA).

He said the association also put up a stall at the `IndiaSoft 2006' international exhibition held at Chennai on March 20 and 21 `and many visitors from abroad sought details at the MADITSSIA stall.'

In a press release here, Mr. Aravind said those who visited from the United Kingdom wanted to establish an electronic industry in Madurai.

Also, a company from Singapore, M/S. Agile One, who are involved in building IT Park at Chennai and Kolkata, said it would send a team to Madurai for a final survey after receiving profile of areas suitable for establishing information technology park here.

He said the stall was showcased in the official bulletin issued at the exhibition with remarks of `MADITSSIA is here at the exhibition to market Madurai as a choice destination for the information technology industry and with all the right reasons.'

http://www.hindu.com/2006/03/30/stories/2006033022410300.htm

Please note that SEZs have been planned for IT sector in Madurai and Trichy by private investors and developers.

Since this is election times, things can not be announced.

But to be more practical, one should understand that big companies will eye Madurai & Trichy as training centres since expenses are low. Revenue generation as you see in Chennai & Bangalore will take more time. The local colleges have a very big role to play in convincing the IT companies that they have quality manpower. We see language and pronunciation a big impediment, when yoy recruit local guys n gals. Broadband width and Incubation centres will be the first issues to be tackled.

Corporation allots five acres near Mattuthavani Bus Stand for setting up part of IT operations

A land belonging to Madurai Kamaraj University is emerging as the `preferred choice' for establishing an Information Technology Park here and a decision is expected immediately after the Assembly elections.

With the 25-acre land being described as `ideal' for the proposed park, the Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry indicated that there should not be any hurdles in acquiring it.

S. Rethinavelu, chamber president, said on Saturday that a preliminary discussion with the university authorities was encouraging and "they had agreed to give their land for establishing an IT park that would provide boost to the software sector in the region."

He said a decision would be taken with the consent of the Central and State governments, but as of now the general opinion was that the university land was accessible and advantageous.

According to Mr. Rethinavelu, the Madurai Corporation had allotted five acres of land near Mattuthavani Bus Stand for setting up a part of IT operations in a complex and a formal announcement to this effect would be made after the polls.

Stating that identification of 25 acres of land was the immediate task, he said the objective was to have a comprehensive IT facility in Madurai on the lines of Special Economic Zones.

The Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), a Central Government agency, would coordinate the construction/establishment process after the land was decided upon.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/05/08/stories/2006050805570300.htm

MUMBAI: Lanxess India, the maker of rubber additives and styrenic resins, is setting up a 2,000 tonne rubber additives production facility in Madurai.

The production will commence by the end of ‘06 and will meet demands of automotive and engineering industries.

Lanxess is also planning to expand production of styrenic resins at its units in Nandesari, Moxi and Katol. The capacity will be scaled up from 60,000 tonne to 80,000 tonne in the next two years with plans of raising production up to 1 lakh tonne.

However, company officials refused to disclose the level of investment for expansion activities. The company already has a rubber additives unit in Madurai. The new facility is being set up to meet the increasing demand from tyre manufacturers, resulting from the growth in the automotive industry.

“Lanxess supplies rubber additives to most of the major tyre makers. The automotive industry contributes almost 25% of our total sales. We anticipate a growth of around 9% in this sector,” said Martin Wienkenhover, member of the board, Lanxess, addressing a press conference here on Thursday.

Lanxess is also looking at opportunities for inorganic growth in India. “We are in the process of restructuring our operations globally. Once the process is complete, we will look at possible acquisitions in India,” Mr Wienkenhover said.

In ‘05, Lanxess India posted sales of over $210m (approximately Rs 945 crore), accounting for around 14% of the revenues from the Asia-Pacific region. The company has also set a target of achieving 100% growth of its India sales by ‘10.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1526664.cms

MUMBAI: Realising the growth possibilities offered by India, Germany-based chemicals major Lanxess has decided to set up a new plant for rubber additives and enhance its capacity for production of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) in the country.

The company’s subsidiary Lanxess India will set up a new plant for ‘Rhenogran’ rubber additives in Madurai.

The new facility, with a capacity of 2,000 tonne per annum, increasing demand in India for polymer-bound chemicals in automotive, tyre, engineering and footwear industries.

It would be operational by the end of the current year. It will also enhance capacity for acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) by 20,000 metric tonne to 80,000 mt.

“India is the second fastest growing market for us after China. The new facility and expansion project are part of our restructuring process at global level. We intend to go ahead for acquisitions once the consolidation is done,” said Martin Wienkenhover, member of management board of Lanxess AG. He did not divulge the proposed investment for the two projects.

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1028889&CatID=4

CHENNAI: IIT-Madras on Monday signed an agreement with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd for joint research in design of boilers and other engineering areas, even as it said its Rs 100 crore Research Park would be ready by February 2007.
With the help of BHEL, IIT-M would set up a research centre at the BHEL campus in Tiruchirapalli, the state-owned company's Executive Director V Gopalakrishnan told reporters.
Besides manufacturing, mechanical and metallurgical engineering, IIT-M and BHEL would work together on structural design, Information Technology and other relevant areas of mutual interest.
On the Research Park project of the institute, IIT-M Director M S Ananth said the state government has allotted six and half acres for the park, work on which would start soon.
The human resources development ministry might give the institution a grant for setting up the park, he said.
Prof. Ananth said the institution proposed to offer a two year programme on M Tech in Nuclear Engineering next year.
Besides, as part of the MoU with BHEL, two new courses on energy engineering and welding engineering would be offered from the academic year 2006-07.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1501766.cms

some people say madurai-tiruchi region doesnt have any industry, they are dead wrong .
the list of industries in this region

BHEL
TVS
Madura coats
TVS tires
Pepsi bottling Plant
Lanxess India

with the completion of sathusamudram project which is centered around the coastline of ramnad district, madurai will see a huge boom as madurai is the biggest city which is situated near this project( abt 150 km i think). i am from ramnad,so i naturally have strong feelings towards madurai city.

Maagrita Exports Ltd, the private promoter in the Agri Export Zone for mangoes in south Tamil Nadu, has commenced export of fresh mangoes from its processing facility in the Nilakottai Food Park near Madurai.

According to Mr Arvind Rathnam, Strategic Consultant - international operations, Maagrita Exports, the company has invested about Rs 20 crore for the project.

Transglobal Technologies Inc, a US-based telecom solutions provider, is the parent company of Maagrita Exports.

Well-equipped facility


Maagrita has a completely integrated line for processing, storing and exporting fresh mangoes. The facility is also equipped to process a range of fresh fruits including sapota, orange, papaya and jackfruit.

In addition to fresh fruit exports, there is a pulping line to produce fruit pulp, including mango and papaya pulp, dehydrating fruits and vegetables, and for pickling. It can produce dehydrated mangoes, tomatoes, papaya, banana, chillies and bitter gourd.

The unit, the first to commence operations at the Agri-Export Zone, was completed about four months ago and has put its product in the Singapore market, and is in the process of exporting fresh mangoes to West Asia , Colombo, Malaysia, Jakarta and Hong Kong. Maagrita is using the air and sea routes to export its products to give it a wider reach in the international markets, he said.

BUSINESS PLANS


During the on-going season, it plans to ship over 25 reefer containers - about 15 tonnes of mangoes a container - to the UK, France and Germany. It will also airlift stocks to the nearer markets.

Its business plan for the first year is about Rs 12-15 crore and its target markets are Europe and Asia Pacific. It is also planning to access China and Japan next year, he said.

The produce will be exported under Maagrita brand and for bulk buyers such as supermarket chains, in the buyers' brands, he said.

The unit has a capacity to handle over 2,500 tonnes of fresh fruits and vegetables apart from the pulping and pickling lines, which take its total capacity to 7,500 tonnes.

According to Mr Rathnam, the company is tying up with international buyers and it has strong partners in the UK and Australia. Maagrita has a locational advantage being at the heart of a region known for horticulture produce.

Export zone


The Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority has identified Madurai, Dindigul, Theni, Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari and Virudhunagar for development as an export zone for mangoes.

Here mango is produced over an area of about 30,500 hectares with the production estimated at about one lakh tonnes. About 15 per cent of the production is estimated to be the internationally recognised variety, Alfonso, and another 15 per cent the other popular export variety - Banganapalle or Banesar.

Opportunity


Also, Mr Rathnam says: "The season starts after Maharashtra's Alfonso season ends in April." The company sees this as a commercial opportunity to be exploited.

Mr R. Shankaran, Agri-Consultant, Maagrita Exports, said the facilities such as controlled atmosphere storage and temperature treatment for fresh fruits help them to improve shelf life of the fruits and enable them to reach Europe, which is 22 days sailing time.

The computerised facilities address a major concern of international buyers, quality and consistency. Both are assured by the modern equipment and systems followed at the facility.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/05/04/stories/2006050402221300.htm

Hong Kong's QI International plans slew of business hotels in south India.

Which are the most lucrative locations to set up star hotels in the country? Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, one would think. Not according to Vijay Eswaran, group managing director and CEO of QI International, a diversified group based in Hong Kong with interests in e-commerce, retailing, travel and leisure, media and hospitality.

Eswaran has worked out a three-year plan to develop world-class business in the fast-growing cities of south India -- Chennai, Trichy, Coimbatore, Madurai and Bangalore -- since the company's research threw up Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala as the fastest growing states which are bogged down by lack of business hotels.

Eswaran plans to cater to the small business traveller, without the five-star expense. "I see a glaring gap in the range of hotels available. Either there are the high-end, fancy five-star hotels, or an abundance of the low-end places. India needs at least 400 of these middle class business hotels, and we intend to provide at least 40," he says.


"Given that the demand is rising, this is just the right time to collaborate and invest in the industry. The south is only the beginning; we'll look at Punjab in the next phase," says the astute businessman who's tied up with international chains like Ramada, Copthorne and Golden Tulip.


While the $700-million QI intends to pump in $50 to 60 million in its hotel venture, it is also looking at investments in resorts and holiday packages.


QI's Indian subsidiary -- QuestNet India -- has recently bought 44 acres of land in Mahabalipuram, near Chennai, and plans to build a five-star resort and a water theme park at an investment of Rs 100 crore along the line of the Sunway Lagoon in Malaysia and the Al Wadi in Dubai.

Given the diversified capabilities of the group, it is also planning a host of other unrelated ventures in the fast growing economy of India spanning airline servicing hubs in secondary cities like Aurangabad, Agra, Vellore and Nashik, a gold mint in Andhra Pradesh for manufacturing neumismatics and Ayurvedic wellness centres across the country.


While Eswaran is a Malaysian of Indian origin, his inspiration continues to come from India -- from Chanakya on one hand to Swami Vivekanand on the other. And yes, he is the same person who wrote In The Sphere of Silence

http://us.rediff.com/money/2006/mar/28hot.htm

Hai Anniyan, If Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad thread are marketing or adverstising, then this is also the same. I guess TN unlike other states have many developmental centers, I suppose its never like Chennai and rest of TN. I started this thread just for to give space for two big corporations that are 2nd and 4th biggest and populated cities in TN lagging behind in developmental projects.

Tamilnadu infrastructure related information will go to TN infrastructure and Mdu and Tri region specific projects will go into M T region thread. I agree not to double post, except if it is necessary.

Selvam

Dear Madurai Selvam,
Madurai is no more the 2nd largest city of TN in terms of population or anything. Coimbatore has taken the spot a long ago.
Same is going to be with the case of Trichy also. As Salem is growing much faster than Trichy, Salem will take the 4th place surpassing Trichy very soon. Even Tirupur has a bright chance of taking 5th spot, letting Trichy to take 6th place.

Fabrication units in Tiruchi hope for greater support from government machinery





TIRUCHI: Fabrication units in Tiruchi are hoping for greater support from the government machinery for their expansion plans, especially in setting up a private industrial estate under the auspices of the BHEL Small Scale Industries Association (BHELSSIA).

The association has initiated steps to promote an industrial estate for the benefit of its members, many of whom are on expansion mode.

With the BHEL's order book being robust, ancillary units are expecting a good flow of order for sub-contract works. Besides, some units have diversified their operations, especially in windmill equipment manufacturing, over the past few years and are on the look out for additional space. With the existing SIDCO (Tamil Nadu Small Industries Development Corporation) Industrial Estate at Thuvakudi becoming too cramped and land prices skyrocketing, the BHELSSIA has been exploring opportunities for promoting its own industrial estate, possibly on an extent of about 500 acres.

It has planned an investment of Rs.7 crore to 8 crore for the land and another Rs.100 to 120 crore by way of infrastructure.

The ancillary units are providing direct employment to about 8,500 workers and the new estate can generate new job opportunities.

Though the association has identified three sites near Siruganur on the Tiruchi-Chennai highway, it has not been able not acquire the land (mostly private owned) owing to several practical difficulties, according to its president, Rajappa Rajkumar.

For instance, irrigation channels criss-cross one of the sites and though the BHELSSIA is prepared to construct concrete structures to ensure that they are not disturbed, approval of the authorities concerned is required. A few other loose ends also need to be tied up.

The BHELSSIA has been seeking a firm commitment on getting approvals from the Government so that they can go ahead with purchase of land from individual owners.

Besides, a proposal on establishing an engineering fabrication cluster, with the support of the Union Government, has been pending for long.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/05/18/stories/2006051817200100.htm

Dear Madurai Selvam,
Madurai is no more the 2nd largest city of TN in terms of population or anything. Coimbatore has taken the spot a long ago.
Same is going to be with the case of Trichy also. As Salem is growing much faster than Trichy, Salem will take the 4th place surpassing Trichy very soon. Even Tirupur has a bright chance of taking 5th spot, letting Trichy to take 6th place.


salem can never beat trichy. salem lacks infrastructure. trichy has an International airport and has a good cluster of industries. salem has only one noteworthy industry the salem steel plant. salem is striving hard to even make its airport operational whereas in case of trichy its going forward with massive expansion both in the domestic and international sector. Even tuticorin has recently revived its domestic airport operation. I guess with the sethu samudhiram project tuticorin could even see much greater development. Population alone doesnt deside.

Madurai-based TVS Interconnect Systems (TVSICS) today launched its structured cabling solution – TVSnet here today. Targeting the SMBs, TVSnet provides solutions on voice, data, video and wireless. The solution after its launch in Hyderabad, would also be introduced in Bangalore and other Indian cities very soon.

TVSnet will offer turnkey solutions in broadband deployments, campus wide area networks and enterprise LAN and WAN networks. In addition, the solution will also supply technical support, onsite renovation, project management, warranties management and installation services. The company has already identified the channel partners for TVSnet.

``We feel the importance of structured cabling in SMBs. We are highly focused on this,'' said S Ashok, general manager, networking, TVSICS.

With an initial investment of Rs 6 crores, TVSICS will also set up an antenna manufacturing facility built with an anechoic chamber in Madurai. ``The anechoic chamber will enhance the near-field testing,'' said Biswaji Patnaik, business head, Telecom.

The facility will come up in July and a total amount of Rs 25-30 crores in the next two years.

TVSICS, which is the first country in the country to offer Build Operate Lease (BOL) to telecommunication providers, will invest Rs 200 crore this year on BOL, said Patnaik.

TVSICS has also a partnership with SISL to provide network infrastructure for the Hyderabad International Airport.

http://www.ciol.com/content/search/showarticle1.asp?artid=84250

I request this forum members to suggest ways to improve the infrastructure of the Tier 2 cities in Tamil Nadu.

Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy, Salem, Tuticorin

Roads, Bridges, Housing, Water Supply & Drainage - Priorities.

your valuable inputs will be much appreciated

Madurai, May 17: As part of establishing the International Gateway, the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd would launch Bharat-Lanka Submarine Cable Project by June 2006, a senior official of BSNL said today.

The submarine cable system linking Launiai in Lanka and Tuticorin in India, would be laid on a cost-sharing basis jointly by Sri Lankan Telecom and the BSNL, Rm.Subbiah General Manager,(Southern Telecom) said at the Sanchar Sarathy Award Distribution function here.

The cable network would save huge recurring cost incurred by both countries in hiring cable from telcom service providers.

He said that Transmission-Project department has already laid 2304 km cable against the target of 2200 km in 2005-06.

It would also deploy wire-free equipments in 300 hot spots throughout the country. In Chennai 36 equipments would be installed; Ernakulam 12; Tiruchi, Coimbatore, Madurai and Pondicherry four each.

He said 23 cities in Tamil Nadu and 11 cities in Kerala would have Over-lay Access network for High-end users including corporate houses and companies. It would help them get Highly Reliable Speech Data Services on demand, he said.

http://www.newkerala.com/news2.php?action=fullnews&id=60771

GV Films has signed an MoU with the prospective sellers for acquiring Thangam Theatre at Madurai for its proposed Multiplex and other Hospitality industry projects at Madurai.

Madurai City is well-known for its cultural bonanza of the Pandya Dynasty and on May 15, 2006, is one of the most sought-after tourism destination in the South. About 100 kms. away from Rameshwaram, the religious pilgrim of the entire India's population, Madurai attracts more visitors and tourists to the famous Meenakshi Temple, the company informed the BSE today.

By entering into a MU to acquire Thangam Theatre at Madurai, GV Films is setting its foothold in the Central Tamil Nadu. This is the first theatre acquisition by GV Films under the ambitious project of Flint Exhibition, the transaction is expected to conclude by end of June, 2006.

http://www.televisionpoint.com/news2006/newsfullstory.php?id=1147695483

TVS Interconnect Systems (TVS ICS), part of the $3-bn TVS Group, is planning to invest Rs 200 crore this year for building towers and infrastructure for telecom operators on a build-operate-lease basis.

It will also pump in Rs 6 crore for indigenous manufacturing of ‘The Antenna’ at its facility in Madurai. In addition to this, the company is also actively looking at bagging orders for providing network infrastructure at the Mumbai and Delhi airports.

“Telecom subscribers are growing in rural areas and smaller towns. All telecom operators want to grab a pie of this growing segment. However, it is not feasible for them to build infrastructure in these areas and we see a huge business potential here,” said R Guruprasad, chief technical officer of TVS ICS.

Mr Guruprasad said, TVS ICS was also investing in its manufacturing facility in Madurai. “We were marketing the antenna in collaboration with Australia-based Argus in India. We will be able to manufacture the antennas at our facility by July. Initially we are investing Rs 6 crore and will increase it to Rs 25 crore over the next two years,” he said.

According to TS Gururaj, general manager (business development) of the company, the engineers for this project were undergoing training in Australia. “Technical transfer agreement with the Australian company is already in place and we have tied-up with the Thyagaraja Engineering College in Madurai for setting up an R&D facility for the antenna. We are also planning a testing facility at the 22-acre facility,” he explained. .

The company, which has already won orders for providing network infrastructure for the Hyderabad international airport along with SISL, is hopeful of winning orders for Mumbai and Delhi and airports.

“Our tie-up with GMR will make our case stronger for the Delhi airport. We are also providing network for Bangalore airport and with this experience, we are vying for Mumbai,” he added.

As part of its effort to focus on networking, TVS ICS has launched a complete set of integrated comprehensive solutions on voice/data/video and wireless under the brand name TVS Net. It provides solutions like technical support, on-site repair, project management and installation services.

“TVS net is also targeting the Rs 400-crore SME sector which is growing at 45%. With our set of connectors, faceplates and patch panels, we are looking at garnering 20-25% of the market share,” said Mr Gururaj. With its new initiatives the company is targeting turnover of Rs 250 crore this financial year.

It has recorded revenues of Rs 120 crore during 2005-06, recording 400% growth compared to last fiscal.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1537805.cms

salem can never beat trichy. salem lacks infrastructure. trichy has an International airport and has a good cluster of industries. salem has only one noteworthy industry the salem steel plant. salem is striving hard to even make its airport operational whereas in case of trichy its going forward with massive expansion both in the domestic and international sector. Even tuticorin has recently revived its domestic airport operation. I guess with the sethu samudhiram project tuticorin could even see much greater development. Population alone doesnt deside.


Dear Madurai Veeran,
From your post I can clearly understand that you had never been to Salem. I don't know what caused you to say the Salem lacks in terms of infrastructure. I absolutely bet that Salem is far ahead of Trichy in terms of infrastructure. Salem is the third largest city(neaxt to Chennai and Coimbatore) that handles volumionous amount of traffic in the state (data can be obtained from the TN Govt website), that too without any congestion , thanks to the 6/4-lane bypass road on NH7. The roads within the city are also handling huge number of vehicles without any chaos.
Salem has a full-fledged multiplex (5 screens+Food Mall+Bowling Alley+ Wonderworld, a play station for kids) running successfully. Salem has got a good number of multi-speciality hospitals. Salem has got a Mega Food Mall with 14 leading outlets including Pizza Corner, Cafe Coffee Day, Broaster, Sizzlers, Gangotri, Akshaya, Club China, Mughal Mahal etc.
The lifestyle here at this part of the region is changing drastically.

Coming to your point of industries, you had mentioned Salem Steel Plant is the only notable unit in the region.
But there are many other bigwings at Salem:
TANMAG (Tamil Nadu Magnesites)
Dalmia Magnesites
Tata Refractories
Burn & Co
SAGOSERVE
SISCOL
MALCO
Chemplast
POWERGRID
And a large number of small scale industries.

And there are a lot more to come up... Watch out for more action!

And regarding the Airport, the Salem Airport is located at Kamalapuram, nearly 30km from the city on Bangalore Highway. I hope you very well know the reason why the Airport is located far away from the city. (Its only because, the city is almost completely surrounded by huge ranges of eastern ghats.) Even from the existing location, flights going towards the east need to fly to a certain distance on west and then take some curly divertion. This takes quite a good time. So, people from Salem prefer to board their flights at Bangalore, which is around 4 hours drive on the almost 4-laned NH7 from the city, just around 2.5 hours more than the time required to reach the Salem Airport. Some people even prefer Coimbatore Airport to board flights. Though Trichy Airport is the nearest operational Airport for Salem, nobody from Salem prefers to board flights at Trichy Airport, because the road between Namakkal and Trichy is bad in condition (poor infrastructure of Trichy) when compared to Salem-Coimbatore or the Salem-Bangalore highway.

TVS Interconnected Systems Ltd`s (TVSICS), Madurai based manufacturing company for cellular base station antennas bagged an order from the Reliance group worth about Rs 2 billion.

The company received an order of 2,207 antennas from Reliance and would manufacture the antennas in technical collaboration with Australia-based Argus Technologies, a company that manufactures CDMA/GSM antennas.

The company has invested Rs 500 million in the manufacturing facility, which will also include an outdoor antenna test range.

Chief Technical Officer, TVSICS, R. Guruprasad said that the testing facility would be ready by July and the manufacturing facility by September.

Adding to it, General Manager - Sales and Marketing (Telecom), TVSICS, Patnaik, said that the company would look to manufacture 10,000 antennas in the first year, and the number would be progressively stepped up according to the demand

http://www.myiris.com/newsCentre/newsPopup.php?fileR=20060520145810088&dir=2006/05/20&secID=livenews

Dear Madurai Veeran,
From your post I can clearly understand that you had never been to Salem. I don't know what caused you to say the Salem lacks in terms of infrastructure. I absolutely bet that Salem is far ahead of Trichy in terms of infrastructure. Salem is the third largest city(neaxt to Chennai and Coimbatore) that handles volumionous amount of traffic in the state (data can be obtained from the TN Govt website), that too without any congestion , thanks to the 6/4-lane bypass road on NH7. The roads within the city are also handling huge number of vehicles without any chaos.
Salem has a full-fledged multiplex (5 screens+Food Mall+Bowling Alley+ Wonderworld, a play station for kids) running successfully. Salem has got a good number of multi-speciality hospitals. Salem has got a Mega Food Mall with 14 leading outlets including Pizza Corner, Cafe Coffee Day, Broaster, Sizzlers, Gangotri, Akshaya, Club China, Mughal Mahal etc.
The lifestyle here at this part of the region is changing drastically.

Coming to your point of industries, you had mentioned Salem Steel Plant is the only notable unit in the region.
But there are many other bigwings at Salem:
TANMAG (Tamil Nadu Magnesites)
Dalmia Magnesites
Tata Refractories
Burn & Co
SAGOSERVE
SISCOL
MALCO
Chemplast
POWERGRID
And a large number of small scale industries.

And there are a lot more to come up... Watch out for more action!

And regarding the Airport, the Salem Airport is located at Kamalapuram, nearly 30km from the city on Bangalore Highway. I hope you very well know the reason why the Airport is located far away from the city. (Its only because, the city is almost completely surrounded by huge ranges of eastern ghats.) Even from the existing location, flights going towards the east need to fly to a certain distance on west and then take some curly divertion. This takes quite a good time. So, people from Salem prefer to board their flights at Bangalore, which is around 4 hours drive on the almost 4-laned NH7 from the city, just around 2.5 hours more than the time required to reach the Salem Airport. Some people even prefer Coimbatore Airport to board flights. Though Trichy Airport is the nearest operational Airport for Salem, nobody from Salem prefers to board flights at Trichy Airport, because the road between Namakkal and Trichy is bad in condition (poor infrastructure of Trichy) when compared to Salem-Coimbatore or the Salem-Bangalore highway.

This thread is to highlight projects in madurai trichy region. If you feel salem is better than trichy then i have no objection create a seperate thread for salem. Lets see how many projects you list over there.

The latest traffic summary for march 2006 has been published by AAI. Madurai has recorded an increase of 7 % in the aircraft movement. With few more servises added in april and may by air deccan and paramount airways future statistics must be far better. Passenger traffic during the same periods has registered 23 % growth.

Trichy airport has seen a 15% increase in international aircraft movemenet and has shown 101% increase in domestic passenger traffic.

http://www.airportsindia.org.in/aai/news/mar-2k6-annex-2.htm

Plans to push for establishing IT parks in Madurai, Coimbatore and Trichy in the coming fiscal

The Tamil Nadu Chapter of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) would push for establishing IT parks in Madurai and Coimbatore in the coming fiscal, the new President Sanjay Jayavarthanavelu has said.

Talking to CyberMedia News on the sidelines of unveiling the new theme 'innovate to compete' for the coming year, Sanjay said that Tamil Nadu was the 3rd largest economy in the country, with about 3 percent growth rate, which attracts major IT, ITES and BPO investments into the State.

“We would work towards speeding up the Siruseri Park, and work on the IT Express Highway in Chennai, and establishment of IT parks in Madurai, Coimbatore and Trichy in the current fiscal,” he said, adding that infrastructure had to be developed in the tier two cities which would witness the next level of growth in the State.

For this purpose, a Job Fair would be conducted in Trichy, a telecom summit – Connect at Chennai during August, apart from a Coimbatore IT.com event in November 2006.

Pointing out that the recent survey on Skill Mapping in Tamil Nadu showed a gap between 'what the industries want' and what is 'available out there in quality and quantity, Sanjay said that CII would promote skill development initiatives.

“We intend to work with educational with educational institutions, including ITIs and Engineering Colleges for this purpose,” he added in this regard.

CII would also establish a Centre for Regional Innovation apart from promoting Regional Research Institutes to facilitate interaction with the industry and the academia.

http://www.ciol.com/content/search/showarticle1.asp?artid=84228

The government is expecting an investment of a staggering Rs 39,149 crore in the next two years in the port sector, with a substantial part of it coming from private players.

“Already 14 projects with an investment of Rs 3,516 crore are operational. These include construction of container terminals, liquid and general cargo berths and container freight stations,” Shipping Secretary A K Mohapatra said here on Monday.

He said four projects with an investment of Rs 2,898 crore were under various stages of implementation including single point mooring and container terminals.

“The government has formulated berth construction plans entailing an expenditure of Rs 6,407 crore. The plan included construction of 15 berths leading to total capacity addition of 94 million tonne,” he said, adding the construction work would be awarded during the current fiscal.

“In the coming fiscal, 13 berths are to be constructed entailing an expenditure of Rs 7,664 crore leading to a total capacity addition of 107.65 MT,” he said.

Two off-shore berths would be constructed at Mumbai and a LNG re-gassification terminal and an international bunkering terminal at Cochin. Besides, four cargo berths at Kandla and other facilities in Tuticorin, New Mangalore, Ennore, Chennai, Vizag and Paradip were also being planned, Mohapatra said.

Mohapatra said the government also planned to award seven dredging projects this fiscal. These projects would require a total investment of Rs 2,040 crore, he said, adding the ports in which dredging was to be carried out were Paradip, JNPT, Mumbai, Tuticorin, Ennore and Vishakapatnam. Another six dredging projects have been envisaged for the next fiscal entailing a capital expenditure of Rs 1,105 crore and the ports where dredging was to be carried out were Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Cochin, Vizag and Mormugao.

He said road-port connectivity projects were under various stages of implementation. Nine such projects were slated to be completed within three years and work being executed at a total investment of Rs 1,661 crore envisaged covering a distance of 286.12 kms.

Mohapatra said a dedicated high-axle load freight corridor on western and eastern routes at an estimated cost of Rs 22,000 crore was also under implementation.

However, the crucial issues involved in the faster development of the port sector were quick decision making, criterion for selection-revenue share, mergers and acquisitions, tariff regulation, post selection alteration in scope of business, captive facilities and dispute resolution mechanism, he pointed out.

The total capacity of port was 600 million tonne, while the capacity required by 2012 would be 1,100 MT.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEB20060523024347&Page=B&Title=Business&Topic=0

GAINING MOMENTUM: Work in progress on laying a bypass road at Viralimalai as part of the four-laning of the Tiruchi-Madurai National Highways

Work on the four-laning of the Tiruchi-Viralimalai-Madurai section of the National Highway 45B has gained momentum. The 124.84 km long stretch is one of the busiest highways in the State catering to an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 passenger car units per day. The four-laning of the highway, taken up by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), could reduce travel time on the Tiruchi-Madurai sector by about an hour.

The project, which commenced in February is scheduled to be completed in 30 months, by August 2008. But efforts are being made to complete it six months ahead of schedule. The Rs. 419.96 crores project has been awarded in two tender packages - Tiruchi By-Pass Road to Thuvarankurichi and Thuvarankurichi to Madurai - to M/s. Agarwal-JMC joint venture group.

Work is currently apace on clearing the ground on either side of the road, construction of culverts and laying of short by-pass stretches. The work is expected to gain momentum once the disbursement of compensation to land owners and encroachment removals is completed.

Six by-pass roads would come up at Tiruchi, Viralimalai, Thuvarankurichi, Kottampatti, Melur and Othakadai. The by-pass in Tiruchi would run from Mannarpuram to Panchapur in the outskirts of the city. Work on laying of the by-pass stretches in Viralimalai and Thuvarankurichi, among others, is already underway. Five flyovers, 14 minor bridges and one major bridge would also come up as part of the project. As many as 266 culverts would also be constructed.

Four-laning of the NH-45B between Madurai and Tuticorin via Aruppukottai, a distance of about 144 km, is also on the anvil.Meanwhile, sources indicated that four-laning of the Tindivanam-Tiruchi section of NH-45 is likely to commence within the next couple of months after finalisation of contract agreements.However, this would be taken up under the Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) scheme. The project is being awarded in three packages _ Tindivanam-Ulundurpet, Ulundurpet-Padalur and Padalur-Tiruchi sections. The four-laning of the section would bring a few flyovers for Tiruchi City especially on the Tiruchi-Chennai By-pass Road, including the busy Ariyamangalam junction.Apart from this, the Thanjavur - Tiruchi - Karur section of NH - 67 and the Tiruchi - Dindigul section of NH - 45 are also to be taken up for four-laning very soon.Once completed the four-laning projects could give a major impetus to the economic development of the region.

Madurai Railway station is being upgraded at the cost of Rs 1.5 crore.

http://i4.tinypic.com/10n94ht.jpg

Central Government would ask the Tamilnadu Government to expand the IT Corridor Highway up to Mahabalipuram,' said Union Minister for Information Technology and Communication Dayanidhi Maran today.

He was speaking to reporters after inspecting the IT Park at Siruseri today. Maran said that due to the sky-rocketing land prices IT companies were finding it hard to set up comapnies in the area. 'Hence I feel that it would be better if the State extends the corridor upto Mahabalipuram'.

The Union Minister also said that television manufacturing companies would be set up at Nanguneri so that the promises of providing free television sets would be fulfiled and at the same time jobs for about 20,000 people would also be given.

Charging the AIADMK government with delaying the development of the IT corridor, he said that 71 companies were alloted place to set up firms in the corridor, but only eight companies were functioning now. He added that at least the first phase (10 kms) of the IT corridor extension would be completed early.

Maran also said that efforts to develop IT corridors in tier-two cities like Coimbatore, Madurai, Tirucharapalli and Tirunellvelli were also taken and as part of it he had spoken to Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Praful Patel to develop the existing airports.

He said that as the new government in Tamilnadu was friendly with the Union government suitable ambience would be created to attract more and more investmens towards the State. 'Both the Central and State Governments are planing to increase employment oppurtnities through the IT sector and also planning to attract more IT companies into Tamilnadu,' he added.

He also said that he would be going to South Korea in the middle of June to hold talks with IT and other companies to ask them to start their business in India.

http://newstodaynet.com/25may/rf2.htm

While favouring the idea of decentralising Chennai by developing small and medium towns and cities, former professor of Anna University K.P. Subramanian says,

" The investment, however, should be on existing towns and not in new towns. The gestation period for building new towns is high and the investment is colossal.

Any amount of investment in Chennai, he points out, will not improve the quality of life because the basic problem lies in the migration to the city.

Over concentration of population and activities, and undue priority in investment for Chennai has to be watered down," he says, underscoring the need for priority in development of Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchi, Salem and Tirunelveli".

http://www.hindu.com/2006/05/25/stories/2006052518980300.htm

People do post in your comments about the views of the former anna univ prof.

Madurai: The top 10 Information Technology Companies in India would participate in the "Madurai.com IT Event" to be held here in July, the new District Collector T. Udhayachandran said.

Talking to newsmen, the Collector, who assumed charged today, said "Madurai.Com would be eye opener, and Madurai will find its due place in the IT Map of India. "Udhayachandran was earlier Director of ELCOT (Electronic Corporation of Tamil Nadu).

"First we need to setup an IT park, I have already taken action in this regard as the MD of ELCOT.The park would require 40 acres of Land. Even if the Major IT players, like Tata Consultancy Services wanted land in Madurai ,we could help them by acquiring land from the Private owners." The immediate plan was to set up an IT Park to enable IT companies put up their IT units.

He also assured that the ongoing "Infrastructure projects” and Second Drinking water scheme would be expedited. The bottlenecks in implementing the drainage schemes including land acquisition would be removed at the earliest. Various projects under "Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNURM)" for the development of this city would be taken up.

Vaigai Reclamation Scheme would be completed by raising additional funds. The Government had already spent Rs.8 crore, and embankment road and river bed would be maintained under the scheme.

He assured that self-help Group members would be made entrepreneurs, and asked to promote their own industries, apart from saving money.

http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14212808

I request this forum members to suggest ways to improve the infrastructure of the Tier 2 cities in Tamil Nadu.

Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy, Salem, Tuticorin

Roads, Bridges, Housing, Water Supply & Drainage - Priorities.

your valuable inputs will be much appreciated

Investments in infrastructure would be the key to success of tier 2 cities. Incase of Madurai which needs investment in the following,

1. Upgrading the Madurai airport from domestic to customs or even to international airport.
2. Converting all the National highways namely trichy-madurai, coimbatore-dindugal-madurai, madurai-tirunelveli, madurai-arupukottai-tuticorin sections into 4 lanes.
3. Only half of the ring road project has been completed. Now all vehicles coming from cities in north, east and south of madurai can use the ring road thereby avoiding traffic problems inside the city. The ring road project has to be completed at the earliest so that vehicles from west also can use it.
4. Madurai should push forward in setting up an IT park at the earliest.
5. With the sethu samudhram project going in full swing madurai could benifit a lot out of it as its the biggest city in close proximity to it.

Union Communications and IT Minister Dayanidhi Maran will visit Korea next month to attract hi-tech investments to India like LEDs, LCDs and flat screens.

"Southern states have a good opportunity to attract investments from Korea," he told reporters here.

The minister said a number of companies were showing interest in the free colour TV scheme announced by the DMK government and were keen on setting up base here to manufacture TVs, which, he said, apart from creating employment opportunity could potentially bring down TV prices below Rs 2,000.

This, he said, could be done at Nanguneri (in Tamil Nadu), which was promoted by former Union minister the late Murasoli Maran, but was "left in the lurch" by the previous AIADMK regime.

"Reviving Nanguneri project is quite an important step." Maran said IT promotion work would be undertaken at Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli and Tirunelveli.

"I have spoken to Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel to consider making the Coimbatore airport an international airport. It already has a runway of 9,000 feet. If it is made into an international airport, IT parks can be set up and IT investments will flow into Coimbatore," he added.

He has also asked Praful Patel to consider setting up of a cargo complex at the Coimbatore airport. The airports at Madurai, Coimbatore and Tiruchirappalli had to be modernised.

Creation of new township was a top priority for the Tamil Nadu government. "Unless we create new townships, we cannot bring down land prices," he said.

A taskforce would be set up by the Tamil Nadu government for the setting up of IT parks in the state, Maran added.

http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7BB1F33E5E-A711-4B38-BE1E-990DFE1B2050%7D&CATEGORYNAME=Business

Hai, I have very few photos from madurai this time. This was purely because of lack of time, but i m not sure how to upload those photos. Could someone guide me to do it.

Maduraiselvam

hi madurai selvam how was ur trip to india. did u have a nice time in madurai. i was in madurai 6 months bck. I had gone to india after nearly 2 yrs, so i could find lots of changes in madurai. Like the 80 feet road from anna nagar to melur road was widened, then pudur to allagar koil road etc. What else did u find interestin in madurai. upload ur fotos soon...

Hai, I have very few photos from madurai this time. This was purely because of lack of time, but i m not sure how to upload those photos. Could someone guide me to do it.

Maduraiselvam


go to www.tinypic.com

upload the image from ur computer, copy and paste the tag here.

looking forward to see ur pictures..

My visit was during Meenakshi kalyanam and alagar festival so had to stay away from the crowd. Therefore couldnt make roundabout.
The roads are not good this time, because of the new underground drainage brought in many place in the city. Many of the new overbridges esp. railway crossing ones are not completed for more than a year because of DMK and ADMK politics (central govt. Railways under DMK). The one in Periyar if when completed will definitely add more look to that area.

The Airport was very good and well maintained.

Three-pronged strategy to put Madurai on Information Technology map



http://www.hindu.com/2006/05/26/stories/2006052613700300.htm

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A movie called as Sivapathikaram is being shot in AC, India. In the movie it is called as Lexicon college.
http://i4.tinypic.com/10psux0.jpg

Maduraiselvam nice pics :)

It would be better if you post cityscape pics in 'City Folder' as this is the 'Projects' Folder.

Madurai has an exclusive thread in city folder, titled 'Madurai Views"
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=238873&page=2

And also better if you resize your images to the discussion board optimum size 640 x480 pixels

Maduraiselvam nice pics :)

And also better if you resize your images to the discussion board optimum size 640 x480 pixels

How can it be done ? can you explain pls.

Nice sharp pictures maduraiselvam..if u have more pictures create a new thread for ur pics in the showcase gallery or else please post it in 'madurai views' thread.

How can it be done ? can you explain pls.

You can resize ur image using any photo editing software, or u can even do it using Microsoft office picture manager.

Swift acquisition of land for overbridge

http://www.hindu.com/2006/05/27/stories/2006052721370300.htm

MADURAI: T Udhaychandran, who took charge as Madurai District Collector on Thursday, directed the officials concerned to complete the construction of Ellis Nagar over bridge, which is causing great inconvenience to road-users, by the scheduled deadline of Oct 20 this year.

Inspecting the site on Friday, he ordered the authorities to prevail upon the eight individuals who own lands along the road from Ellis Nagar and facilitate the process of land acquisition to expedite the works.

The over bridge in Ellis Nagar, which is being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 20 crore, is designed to have six-lanes in the railway portion and three lanes in the rest of the earmarked areas.

Except for the road over bridge, the basement roads will have utility sidewalks on either sides connecting to Arasaradi, Ellis Nagar and Madurai roads.

The Collector also inspected two other over bridges - Koodal Nagar and Sellur - the construction of which are hanging fire for a long time.

Udhaychandran, according to a Collectorate release, stated that an appeal would be made to the railway administration to undertake works above the rail track to connect the two portions of the completed bridge put up by the Highways department at an estimated cost of Rs 5.33 crore in Koodal Nagar.

Inspecting the pending works of the Rs 9.7 crore Sellur bridge and reviewing the reasons for the prolonged delay in execution, he ordered the revenue authorities to take possession of the acquired lands and hand over them to the highway officials to restart the construction works following which the former took possession of the lands and handed over to the latter in the afternoon, the release added.

Highway divisional engineer (projects) Yusuf Khan, divisional assistant engineer Shanthi, revenue divisional officer Mookiah, Assistant Commissioner (transport) Sivanandam, Transport department General Manager Jeyaraj among others were present.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20060527010006&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+-+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0

Coimbatore-based G K Management Services (India) Limited (GKMSL), a business process outsourcing (BPO) company, is planning to set up a facility in Madurai by the end of the current financial year.

“We plan to establish our operations in the Tier II cities taking into consideration the cost effectiveness and the huge untapped potential available in these cities,” G Karthikeyan, managing director of the company, told Business Standard.

However, he felt it was too early to comment on the probable investment that would be required for setting up the facility.

GKMSL offers a gamut of services in the accounting and tax outsourcing space, including payroll processing, insurance claim processing, audit, accounts and Taxation, Legal and Tax Compliances.

The company, which already has a subsidiary in the United States of America, is also planning to open branches in UK and Australia for its front-end operations. These projects are likely to materialise by the end of 2007.

The company has witnessed good growth in the tax preparation and financial accounting in the last year, not only in the US market but also in UK and Australia. The scope for back office support, especially in the areas of tax preparation, accounting and claim processing is highly increasing in these markets.

“We see a potential marketplace for accounting-related works and insurance claim processing. We are planning to have our presence in these nations,” Karthikeyan added.

To fund its expansion projects, the company has offloaded 25 per cent of its stake to the Mumbai - based SHCIL Services Limited, an associate company of Stock Holding Corporation, for an undisclosed amount. The company is also toying with the idea of tapping the capital market by 2007.

GKM, in the year 2003, entered into a strategic relationship with RIA Thomson, a $ 7.8 billion US company, for tax preparation services of the US based clients.

Also, it has a referral alliance with the Maryland-based Group 1 Software for providing tax jurisdiction assignment solution to its customers, which include some leading commercial entities in North America.

Company sources said that the tax outsourcing service touched a high of two lakh returns last year, which was around five times higher compared to the earlier year. During the current year, the tax outsourcing service providers are expecting manifold increase in the numbers.

At present, GKMSL employs about 200 people and plans to increase the headcount to 1000 by 2010, according to Karthikeyan.

Besides ramping up its operations, increasing its employee strength and establishing an overseas presence, the company was also looking forward to provide its services in the legal process outsourcing (LPO) segment soon, he added.

http://businessstandard.com/search/storypage_new.php?leftnm=2&leftindx=2&subLeft=1&autono=90612

New Delhi: The Airport Authority of India will invest about Rs 1,500 crore to modernise at least 10 non-metro airports by 2008.


According to sources, AAI is awaiting approval from the Ministry of Civil Aviation on the final list of airports to be covered in the first phase of the non-metro airport modernisation programme.


AAI has already identified 12 cities, which include Jaipur, Udaipur, Srinagar, Amritsar, Ambala, Thiruvananthapuram, Vishakapatnam, Mangalore, Nagpur, Goa, Varanasi and Trichy, the sources said.


Out of these 12 airports, 10 will be modernised using the public private partnership (PPP) model. The airside of the modernisation will be with AAI, which will include modernisation of terminals, parking bays, taxiway and runways.



"It, however, will be subject to the decision of the committee on infrastructure headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on what kind of a model will be followed for the development of city side and what kind of facilities could be developed," the sources said.


The modernisation of airports have become a contentious issue between the UPA government and its Left allies, who have opposed privatisation process.


The Left parties had recently cautioned the Government that a joint venture route for modernising Chennai and Kolkata airports was ‘totally unacceptable’ after government had come forward with such a proposal for Delhi and Mumbai airports.


Patel had said a route different to the one followed for Delhi and Mumbai could not be taken for modernisation of Kolkata and Chennai airports.


Yet, two models for modernisation of the non-metro airports were currently being discussed, one being the PPP model and the other being a joint-venture between private party and the AAI, the sources said.


As part of non-metro airports' modernisation programme, AAI expects to install CAT II systems in select airports like Amritsar and Srinagar.

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/aai-to-invest-rs-1500-cr-in-nonmetros/11666-7.html

"CII has identified 10 PPP projects in infrastructure in the Southern Region states covering Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Kochi and Pondicherry. CII has also conducted feasibility studies for these projects," Lakshminarayan said.

A study on traffic assessment of the Madurai Airport and the scope of converting it into an international airport was completed, the release said

http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7B8D05E034-AC65-47E7-B3D7-4348432A7603%7D&CATEGORYNAME=Tamil+Nadu

New shipping service between Tuticorin-US

http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14214773

Intelenet Global to ramp up operations

Currently the company’s operations in Chennai has less than 400 employees, which Susir said would be ramped upto 1,000 by year end.The CEO said the investment in the new centre was about Rs 25 crore and another Rs 25 crore would go into the second facility.

Intelenet was looking at a couple of other locations in Tamil Nadu, possibly Coimbatore and Madurai.

http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14215925

SETC introduces ultra-deluxe buses on Madurai - Chennai and Madurai - Bangalore routes

MADURAI: Jittery, noisy and ill-maintained - this is how many describe the State-owned buses plying between Madurai and other destinations. But the State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) has turned many heads by inducting `ultra-deluxe' carriers in its fleet recently.

The Corporation has begun operating twelve buses, equipped with air-suspension, between two routes, Madurai - Chennai and Madurai - Bangalore. These buses are in addition to `semi-deluxe' and `super-deluxe' services offered at present.

A type of suspension that uses air springs, instead of conventional steel springs, in the new buses will pave way for better comfort and a fatigue-free travel. Besides, the buses are also provided with push-back seats, quality audio and video systems, mountable fans, curtains, individual night-lights, washable headrests, separators dividing the driver cabin and the passenger area and much more.

A private builder based in Bangalore had built the chassis for these buses on par with vehicles owned by private operators. Attractively painted in eye-catching colours, these `ultra-deluxe' coaches have come as a boon to travellers who are forced to shell out excessive money in search of a comfy drive.

Powered with a turbo engine and a power steering, the newly inducted buses also comply with Bharat Stage- II emission norms.

Interestingly, it will save the environment from being polluted and also stop people from complaining about hazardous black smoke emitted by most of the Government buses.

Timings and route


Three services (9 a.m., 7.30 p.m. and 8.30 p.m.) are operated to Chennai, while three other buses ply to Bangalore (7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.) The Chennai buses stick to the regular route through Tiruchi and Villupuram. The buses to Bangalore go around Dindigul, Karur, Salem, Krishnagiri and Hosur. As of now, the passengers are charged at Rs.290 per person for both Chennai and Bangalore.

However, the fares would come down considerably after the summer vacation, claims an SETC official. According to him, the rates would definitely get reduced below Rs. 250 per seat.

"We are yet to streamline the tariff and travel timing. The modalities could be worked out only after we clear the summer rush," a top official said.

However, he added, despite lack of publicity for the new induction, there was a good response from the public and the buses had already earned an enormous patronage.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/05/31/stories/2006053109540200.htm

Mr. Velu said the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation had decided to set up seven budget hotels in Tamil Nadu. The hotels would be located in Madurai, Kanyakumari, Udhagamandalam, Rameswaram, Chennai Egmore and Central and Coimbatore.

The Minister said Rameswaram would soon be brought on the broad gauge map.

As part of port connectivity, a survey for doubling the Chennai-Tuticorin section had been done and sent to the Railway Board.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/05/31/stories/2006053118050700.htm

BHEL-NITT tie-up for research cooperation

TIRUCHI : The Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchi, have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for collaboration in research and development and mutual sharing of expertise.

for MORE

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/01/stories/2006060110460100.htm

MADURAI: The Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry is contemplating holding of an `infrastructure fair' in the city as a prelude to establishing the much-awaited Information Technology Park in Madurai district.

The exclusive fair will invite participation from various real estate players and locate suitable site/building available with them to be allotted for software companies who wish to set up their units in Madurai.

S. Rethinavelu, chamber president, told The Hindu on Wednesday that the idea of organising an infrastructure fair was mooted at the executive committee meeting of the chamber held on Tuesday when it was felt that the fair would speed up the process of getting IT players to Madurai.

He said the proposal would be conveyed to Collector T. Udhayachandran soon and after getting his clearance arrangements would be made.

According to Mr. Rethinavelu, the companies interested in making investments in Madurai will first expect building and basic facilities for their units and hence the fair will facilitate in identifying appropriate buildings from where they can start functioning immediately.

"Since the process of identifying and securing the land takes time, we want to get the process going and once the IT Park takes shape, then more companies will make come here," he said and cited the example of Honeywell Technologies that has grown with the infrastructure provided by the Thiagarajar College of Engineering in Madurai.

The chamber president said that the minimum requirement from the real estate people or individuals holding property was to offer at least 15,000 square feet building "and if this plinth area is available we can approach companies to come to Madurai."

Mr. Rethinavelu said the initiative of conducting infrastructure fair was part of getting IT Park to the district and would be the first step in establishing a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) that required 25 to 30 acres of land.

The chamber would continue its efforts to locate the land. Madurai Kamaraj University had already offered its land for the IT Park. He said that a formal announcement about the fair would be made shortly and those having suitable sites (as per the company's needs) and buildings could approach the chamber during the special fair.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/01/stories/2006060121170300.htm

Union Minister of Shipping and Road Transport and Highways T R Baalu speaking on the road development projects, said that eight new National Highways have been identified by the Central government including Tanjavur to Manamadurai and Tiruchi to Chidambaram in Tamilnadu. Speaking about Sethusamudram Project, the Union Minister said that work would be completed in time.

http://www.newstodaynet.com/01jun/ld3.htm

While favouring the idea of decentralising Chennai by developing small and medium towns and cities, former professor of Anna University K.P. Subramanian says,

" The investment, however, should be on existing towns and not in new towns. The gestation period for building new towns is high and the investment is colossal.

Any amount of investment in Chennai, he points out, will not improve the quality of life because the basic problem lies in the migration to the city.

Over concentration of population and activities, and undue priority in investment for Chennai has to be watered down," he says, underscoring the need for priority in development of Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchi, Salem and Tirunelveli".

http://www.hindu.com/2006/05/25/stories/2006052518980300.htm

People do post in your comments about the views of the former anna univ prof.


Please post in your views for and against satellite towns developemnt around chennai. If you are against then why do you feel tier 2 cities must be developed instead of investing in new satellite towns.

The Cabinet has given approval for four-laning NH 210 between Tiruchirapalli and Ramanathapuram.

for MORE

http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7B28ABAA22%2D54A8%2D468F%2D9FC7%2D2F4F902EC492%7D&CATEGORYNAME=Chennai

Sethu project: 4 bidders qualify

Four companies have qualified for the pre-qualification bids for implementing the 'A','B' and 'C' stages of the Sethusamudram project, Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways T R Baalu has said.

Speaking to reporters after inspecting the ongoing road projects in Chennai, he said Kandenul, a joint venture company, Dredging Corporation of India and Dredging Corporation International, Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company and Vanoord, were the four companies who have qualified.

Final bidding for the project will be on June 15. The Letter of Intent will be issued on August 1 and the contractor will have to start work on October 1, he added.

The earlier bid process was cancelled as Hyundai had made a "conditional bid", which was unacceptable to the government.

The project will be completed before November 1, 2008. Baalu said more than 35 per cent of the Sethusamudram project in the 'D' sector - in the north of Palk Strait, has been completed. The sector would be completed by July 2007 and was on schedule.

A second container terminal at Tuticorin port will be taken up at a cost of Rs 150 crore. In-principle approval has already been given. The final approval will be got in July.

http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7B4303167D%2DB559%2D49E4%2DBA7B%2D149C356F2BD0%7D&CATEGORYNAME=National

The CII President R Seshasayee, during a session with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, emphasized the need for inclusive and sustainable growth of Tamil Nadu. He stressed on three key points for speedier economic development of Tamil Nadu.

Firstly, Seshasayee observed that there is a shortage of skills locally in Tamil Nadu. With the growth of automobile, construction, textile, IT and manufacturing sectors there was a looming shortage of skilled labour.

Secondly, there is a need to develop Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Tamil Nadu. These would also mobilize additional revenues for the state. The state Government could consider setting up information technology (IT) SEZs in Tier II cities like Coimbatore, Madurai and Trichy.

Thirdly, power could be a major issue for the state in the years to come. There is a need to mobilize ultra power generation projects in Tamil Nadu.

http://www.myiris.com/newsCentre/newsPopup.php?fileR=20060602175526075&dir=2006/06/02&secID=livenews

Apollo Hospitals opens information centre in Tiruchi


http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/03/stories/2006060314880200.htm

New Delhi, June 2: Industry body CII today said generation of employment, power and creation of special economic zones are crucial for speedier economic and sustainable development in Tamil Nadu.

CII President and Ashok Leyland Ltd Managing Director R Seshasayee called on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Kalaignar M Karunanidhi emphasising the need for "inclusive" and "sustainable" growth of the state.

"Large scale generation of employment through skill development was required and there is a need to train and develop skilled workforce locally," a CII statement said quoting him here.

There was a shortage of skilled labour to meet the growing demands of the automobile, construction, textile, IT and manufacturing sectors, he added.

Seshasayee said there was a need to develop Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the state to mobilise additional revenues.

"State Government should consider setting up Information Technology (IT) SEZs in Tier II cities like Coimbatore, Madurai and Trichy," he added.

Power would also be a major issue for the state in the years to come. "There is a need to mobilise Ultra Power Generation Projects in Tamil Nadu" he said. (Agencies)

http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7BEA197945-F531-49DD-B5E4-8ED19DE42664%7D&CATEGORYNAME=NATL

Golden rock railway hospital to get face-lift

TIRUCHY: At the Golden rock Railway Hospital, high-technology instruments, including free-arm multiple image system, would be installed at a cost of Rs 70 lakh. This apart, there is a plan for construction of new buildings.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20060604004849&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+-+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0

TN Chamber plans infrastructure fair

The Tamilnadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in its executive committee meeting held recently, has discussed a plan to organise an infrastructure fair to pave the way for establishing the much-awaited IT Park in Madurai district.

According to Mr S. Rethinavelu, Chamber President, identification of land for the park might take some time and those making investments would expect building and basic facilities, to start with. The fair will help in facilitating identification of appropriate buildings from where they can start functioning immediately. A minimum requirement from property owners would be 15,000 sq ft building; establishment of an IT Park would require 25-30 acres, he added.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/06/05/stories/2006060501850200.htm

Air Deccan records 90-100 pc load factors in May

Of the new destinations launched in 2006, such as Port Blair, Nagpur, Rajkot, Trichy, Tuticorin, Rajamundry and Thiruvananthapuram have recorded over 90 per cent load factors in the past seven days, it said.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/006200606051711.htm

As for airports, the State Government has proposed to develop Coimbatore, Trichy, Madurai and Tuticorin — places where airports are located — as major industrial and IT hubs.

For this purpose, all the four airports need to be expanded in view of the large volume of traffic expected. While land acquisition to facilitate the expansion projects is in progress, Mr. Karunanidhi requested the Prime Minister "to issue necessary directions to the Ministry of Civil Aviation to consider our request... "

Mr. Karunanidhi also sought exemption from excise duties on sale of goods in the domestic tariff area in respect of electronics and hardware products to be manufactured in Nanguneri special economic zone

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/06/stories/2006060608310400.htm

Does any one know what happened to the second phase of the inner ring road project in madurai?. Is there any plan to start it in the near future?.

The first phase Inner Ring Road connects Trichy Road - Sivagangai Road - Ramnad Road - tuticorin Road and Kanyakumari Road to a distance of 27 Kilometers. Now all vehicles coming from cities in north, east and south of madurai can use the ring road thereby avoiding traffic problems inside the city. If the second phase is completed vehicles from west can also use the ring road without causing traffic problems in the city.

I heard that the vaneega valagam ( trade complex) built near to integrated bus stand at the cost of around 10 crore Rs has started operation. It was built to move out the rice, fertilizers and flower etc whole sale traders from the heart of madurai city to decongest the city.

Karunanidhi said ‘‘The Nanguneri Special Economic Zone should be strengthened to produce enough colour TV sets for which he has asked for funds from the Centre, ’’

Hogenakkal water supply project for the fluoride affected districts of Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri, expansion of Madurai, Coimbatore, Trichy and Tuticorin airports, elevated express highways to Chennai port, construction of Colachel port as a trans-shipment hub, additional allocation of kerosene for the public distribution system in the state, exemption of excise duties on sale of goods in the domestic tariff area in respect of electronics and hardware products to be manufactured in Nanguneri special economic zone and assistance for implementing reverse osmosis plants for tanneries, dyeing and bleaching industries are the other projects the chief minister mentioned

for MORE

http://www.financialexpress.com/latest_full_story.php?content_id=129632

V Thulasidas, Chairman and Managing Director said Air-India Express will also serve several new routes in India such as Amritsar, Mangalore and Trichy, among others, from GCC points.

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=June2006&file=Local_News2006060744055.xml

Karunanidhi said he had met Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav and top railway officials and asked them to consider doubling the Tirunelveli-Chengalppatu section.

http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?rep=2&aid=300576&sid=REG

Modernisation of 35 non-metro airports which has been initiated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in a phased manner would now be taken up at one go at an estimated cost of Rs. 7,000 to 8,000 crore, the Minister told reporters after a meeting of the Prime Minister's Committee on Infrastructure. He said the entire process would be completed by 2008-09.

Among the 35 non-metro airports are Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Madurai, Trivandrum, Amritsar, Srinagar, Visakhapatnam, Dibrugarh, Guwahati and Indore.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/09/stories/2006060911370100.htm

MADURAI : The Madurai Division of the Southern Railway has recorded a significant growth in passenger traffic by handling 45 lakh passengers this summer, which is 15.4 per cent more compared to previous year.

The division stood second in the zone next to Palghat that recorded the highest of 16.9 per cent growth in passenger traffic.

The comparative statistics of April-May (2005-06 and 2006-07) on passenger earnings and traffic front reveal that Thiruvananthapuram Division topped others by earning Rs. 65.27 crore, thanks to the introduction of new trains. Among the five divisions, Tiruchi was placed last both on the passenger earnings and traffic front with a growth of 4 per cent and 8.2 per cent respectively.

Telescopic contribution


According to senior railway officials, the withdrawal of telescopic benefit that came into effect from April 1 this year had contributed to the earnings.

"The withdrawal of telescopic benefit led to a fare hike of more than 35 per cent on many routes. The extra reservation charge of Rs. 10 on tickets with originating station other than the place of booking also enhanced the revenue. However, the telescopic benefit is being restored from June 15," an official said.

Passenger growth in Madurai division was more compared to Chennai, Tiruchi and Thiruvananthapuram divisions. A major chunk of the bookings was in the Nagercoil-Madurai-Chennai Egmore section that had emerged the busiest corridor in the southern broad gauge stream.

Despite the ongoing gauge conversion works, Madurai earned well on the passenger and freight earnings.

According to the Divisional Railway Manager, B.N. Rajasekhar, the freight revenue increased by Rs. 6.23 crore this year, owing to enhanced loading of gypsum and coal from Tuticorin Port.

"There is a steady growth in this corridor. We operated 166 special trains during April-May in 2006," he told The Hindu on Wednesday.

Mr. Rajasekhar said passenger amenities were being developed at important stations in the division. Retiring rooms in Madurai would be modernised with facilities such as colour television, room service, state-of-the-art interiors etc, he added.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/09/stories/2006060911620100.htm

NPCIL diversifying into thermal and wind power

The NPCIL is also foraying into wind energy. As a first step, eight wind turbines, which will totally generate 10 MWe, will be erected on the premises of the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project in Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu. ``This is the first venture of diversification of the NPCIL. The eight wind turbines will generate power in six months. Each will generate 1.25 MWe,'' Mr. Agrawal said. The contract for erecting the wind turbines had been awarded to Suzlon Energy Limited. The letter of intent was given to Suzlon in May. The electricity generated from the wind turbines at Koodankulam would be used in the township where the NPCIL staff lived and in the desalination plant there.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/09/stories/2006060903581400.htm

Hi Guys

Good news :cheers: most of the south indian cities are added in google Earth.

madurai airport, salem airport, pondichery and trichy airport are clearly visible.

Full chennai is also mapped .Enjoy
:eek2:

guys i found in google earth that kovilpatti had a runway strip and it was said kovilpatti airport. I never thought there is a runway strip there. Wat was or is the purpose of the strip?.

On my PC I see the airport region to be well covered, but not the main city. Can you send me the dimensions of the meenaakshi temple. Can you see that clearly like the airport?

Madurai city is not properly visible only the airport region is visible in google earth.

UK-based professional services provider, Bureau Veritas (BVQI) will expand its network in India and open 10 additional centres in the country by 2007.

With certification system of products and industries growing at 15% annually, the company sees good potential in India, Ryszard Kazsuba, regional chief executive of BVQI (India), said.

With 31 branches, BVQI has nearly 10,000 clients for both product inspection and certification, Kaszuba said adding the company's current revenue growth stood at 35%, while its business in India was growing at 15%.

BVQI has the highest number of clients at 1,300 in Tamil Nadu and offices would soon come up in Tuticorin, Pondicherry and Madurai to serve them better, he said.

The expansion is not aimed merely to increase the business but also to provide localised services to customers in order to gain their confidence and enhance the company's brand credibility, he added.

http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage_c.php?leftnm=11&bKeyFlag=IN&autono=1754

A promise to make Tiruchy model City

TIRUCHY: Transport Minister KN Nehru has promised to initiate several development projects in Tiruchy, his hometown, and make it a model City in the State.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20060609000742&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+-+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0

Havent our ministers made enough number of such promises in the past? ;)

Musical fountain opened to public

MADURAI: The musical fountain at Corporation Eco Park was opened to public on Thursday. Mayor C Ramachandran inaugurated the fountain where 150-200 people can simultaneously watch jets of water dance to different musical tunes.

The artificial fountain tank is the first of its kind in any of the corporation parks in the state. The fountain is capable of spraying water jets upto a maximum height of 15 feet.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20060610021240&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+-+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0

Petroleum Minister Murli Deora today called on Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and invited him to participate in a function to dedicate the Chennai-Tiruchirapalli-Madurai oil pipeline to the nation on June 26, to which he had agreed.

"Economical, environmental-friendly and a safer mode of transporting petroleum products." This is how Indian Oil Corporation describes its Chennai-Tiruchi-Madurai pipeline project.

The 683-km underground pipeline will pump petroleum products from Chennai Petroleum Corporation's refinery at Manali to Sankari near Salem, Tiruchi and Madurai at a faster pace, even as it will drive many tanker lorries off the roads.

The products to be moved per hour through this pipeline will be equivalent to that which are carried by 25 tankers at a time. Besides, it will help maintain high quality of fuel and prevent transit loss, says V. Vijayakumar, Senior Divisional Retail Sales Manager, IOC.

As part of the project, Madurai has a fully automated depot on sprawling 65 acres at Kappalur, on the city's outskirts. "The new depot, with a huge capacity of 79600 KL, will also serve as a storage point for CPCL," says K. Jothi Kumar, Manager, (Engineering).

The Rs.412-crore project will make IOC more competitive in pricing and also enable its future expansion in the south. With such a huge capacity, Kappalur depot will meet the fuel needs of southern districts for the next 20 years.

Centre sanctions Rs.40 crore to Corporation for underground drainage programme

TIRUCHI : The Centre has sanctioned Rs.40 crore to the Corporation towards its share for the execution of the underground drainage programme, Union Minister for Environment and Forest A. Raja said on Saturday.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/11/stories/2006061119590300.htm

'Longest box vessel' calls at Tuticorin port

Tuticorin port on Wednesday, earned the distinction of handling the biggest container vessel ever to call at any port in the South. The first vessel M.V. `NORASIA ATRIA', 265 m long, called at the port for unloading 254 TEUs and loading 391 TEUs. It has a capacity to carry 4,298 TEUs with 13 rows across the ship.

More...

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/06/10/stories/2006061001910700.htm

Spinal cord wing in Madurai hospital soon

Madurai, June 11: The Government Rajaji Hospital here will have a separate wing for treating ailments relating to "spinal cord", the dean-in-charge of the hospital, Dr V K Samilal, has said here.

Participating in a seminar organised by the Orthopaedic and Spinal Cord Das part of the continuing medical education programme here, he said the hospital's efforts to start a separate wing for the purpose had fructified.

He said the wing would be started in phases and facilities would be created for treatment of spinal cord problems. With an increase in these problems due to increase in lifespan, the new wing would be a boon for people of the southern districts, he added.

http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7B9244BCC5%2DB6AC%2D450E%2DA35E%2DA91828C9C684%7D&CATEGORYNAME=HEALTH

Tamil Nadu gears-up for e-governance

C Chandramouli, secretary for Information Technology in the Tamil Nadu Government also said that we are also looking at improving the infrastructure at Tier-2 towns such as Madurai and Trichy. While Trichy is to be promoted as a software hub, Madurai has all the essential features to be promoted as a hardware hub.

http://www.ciol.com/content/search/showarticle1.asp?artid=84803

guys i found in google earth that kovilpatti had a runway strip and it was said kovilpatti airport. I never thought there is a runway strip there. Wat was or is the purpose of the strip?.

does someone know abt it?.....

Madurai, June 13: Tamil Nadu Local Administration Minister M K Stalin today said all unfinished projects which were started during 1996-2001 would be expedited and hurdles in the way of their implementation, if any, would be removed.

The minister, who reviewed the progress of various ongoing projects, including underground drainage and water supply scheme in the city, said he was concentrating on the hurdles and finding ways to remove them.

The second Vaigai dam drinking water project for Madurai which would increase the supply to the city from 67 million litres to 115 million litres a day would be implemented at a cost of Rs 67 crore.

The ring road project linking Dindigul and the Melur highways, would also be taken up. All the nine channels criss-crossing the city would be desilted, provided embankment walls and cemented.

The Urban Development department had to give Rs 40 crore as grant for the underground drainage project in the city. The state government would take steps to get the grant and implement the underground drainage scheme in the extended areas also.

The minister said the Government Rajaji Hospital in the city would be expanded and modernised to accommodate more patients and start new wards. In this regard, the Corporation had already taken steps to hand over the defunct Anna bus stand to the hospital for taking up expansion work, he added.

http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7B2C338925-6194-44FF-A12E-D958092CE418%7D&CATEGORYNAME=Chennai

SREI Infrastructure Finance has recently bagged numerous NHAI / Annuity Road Projects on build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis worth more than Rs 30 billion. These BOT road construction projects will be completed over the next 18-36 months.

The details of the projects bagged by the company are Bharatpur-Mahua Project (Rajasthan) undertaken with Madhucon Projects; Nagpur Kondhali Project in Maharashtra with Atlanta; Thrissur - Angamali Project in Kerala with KMC Construction; Madurai - Tuticorin Project in Tamil Nadu with Madhucon Projects and Madhucon Granites; Lakhnadon Project in Madhya Pradesh with Sadbhav Engineering and the Karur - Dindigul Project in Tamil Nadu with Madhucon Projects.

The company intends to utilize its long-standing strategic relationships with the construction companies on a pan India basis, as well as utilise its financial resource to emerge as a major force in the infrastructure project finance sector.

``With our various debt / equity / quasi-equity instruments, we are now able to take larger stake in the projects directly. Our partnership with our customers also gets further strengthened. Moving forward, we will increase our full services to the infrastructure projects resulting in higher yield in our investments, besides the fee-based income that we would generate on advisory.``, said Hemant Kanoria, Vice-Chairman & Managing Director.

http://www.myiris.com/newsCentre/storyShow.php?fileR=20060613123934047&secID=fromnewsroom&secTitle=From%20the%20News%20Room&dir=2006/06/13

Consolidated Construction Consortium Limited (CCCL) has bagged a contract for Rs 41.37 crore from Airport Authorities of India for construction of terminal and other related works at Trichy.

http://newstodaynet.com/13jun/bu5.htm

By linking all four major National Highways, at an estimated cost of Rs.400 crore .

TIRUCHI : A new ring road linking all the four major National Highways around Tiruchi will be laid at cost of Rs.400 crore, the Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, T.R. Baalu, has said.

"The proposed ring road will run along Mutharasanallur-Ramji Nagar-Panchapur-Mathur-Thuvakudi around the city. The detailed project report will be prepared soon," Mr. Baalu said addressing a press conference after chairing a meeting to review the progress of work taken up by his Ministry here on Tuesday. The ring road would help decongest the city and curb pollution, he added.

Work on four-laning the Tindivanam-Tiruchi stretch,would commence shortly. Minor issues such as removal of encroachments for the four-laning of Tiruchi-Madurai NH would be sorted out within a specific timeframe set for each coordinating agency. The National Highways Authority of India had made provisions for planting saplings on completion of the four-laning works to compensate for the trees cut down for the project. Answering a query, Mr. Baalu said the Sethusamudram project was progressing as per schedule.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/14/stories/2006061415110100.htm

Tiruchi can be very well utilized as a manufacturing base in TN, with great road connectivity thru National highways, Decent air connectivity, close to ports of Chennai and Tuticorin, low cost, with plenty of water resources!!

Lets just hope!!

Indian textile industry continue with their expansion project

P.A.S. Cotton Mills Pvt Ltd is planning to set up a cotton yarn unit at Namsapuram village in Virudhunagar District of Tamil Nadu with a capacity of 18,000 spindles. The project is slated for completion in December 2006 and involve an investment of Rs36 crore.

http://yarnsandfibers.com/news/index_fullstory.php3?id=9404&p_type=Cotton%20Yarns

TIRUCHY: Detailing the road development plans benefiting Tiruchy, Union Shipping and Road Transport Minister T R Baalu said that the ministry had prepared a detailed project report for laying a ring road here.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday after chairing a review meeting of the ongoing National Highways projects, he said separate bids have been called for the execution of the ring road project, connecting four national highways at Mutharasanallur, Ramji Nagar, Panjapur and Thuvakudi to ‘avoid congestion of vehicles in the city.’ The project estimated at Rs 400 crore would also ensure that the city is pollution free, Baalu said.

Reeling out details of projects implemented by the ministry in Tamil Nadu, he said the Tiruchy - Madurai four laning works carried out at an outlay of Rs 419 crores would be completed before August 2008. Similarly the Tindivanam - Villupuram - Tiruchy NH is being four laned at a cost of Rs 1065 crores.

Proposals have been prepared for widening of the NH 67 Tiruchy - Thanjavur road for a stretch of 55 km and the contract has also been assigned, he said and added that works to widen Tiruchy - Dindigul NH would begin once a contractor is chosen. This apart, orders have been passed to upgrade the Thanjavur - Pudukkottai - Manamadurai and Tiruchy - Chidambaram State highways into national highways.

The long pending demand for a rail over bridge at Lalapettai has been given a nod, he said adding that the construction has already started.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20060614013406&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+%2D+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0&

Expedite ongoing works: Stalin

"Instructions given to remove obstacles that hinder progress of works under way"

The Minister for Local Administration, M.K. Stalin, has instructed the officials of local bodies to expedite the ongoing development works and complete them within a timeframe.
After conducting a marathon five-hour-long review meeting with elected representatives and officials of Madurai Corporation, municipalities and other local bodies of the district, Mr. Stalin said he had given instructions to remove all obstacles that were hindering the progress of works under implementation.
Roads to be re-laid
Pointing to the poor condition of the city roads that were dug up for implementing underground drainage project, he said 253 km of roads would be re-laid at a cost of Rs. 39.45 crore by August.

"All steps would be taken to get the Rs. 40-crore grant committed by Union Ministry of Urban Development for implementing the underground drainage system in the city," he added. Besides, efforts would be made to expand the project to include 150 streets in uncovered areas at a cost of Rs. 17 crore.

Mr. Stalin said that the Health Minister, K. K. S. S. R. Ramachandran, had promised to initiate steps to acquire the [B]Anna Bus Stand to expand the Government Rajaji Hospital. The Mayor, C. Ramachandran, said that the Corporation was willing to part with the land free of cost.

The long-pending issue of providing second drinking water pipeline from the Vaigai dam to the city was also discussed. "On completion of this Rs. 68-crore-project, the city, which has been supplying 67 million litres of water a day to residents on alternate days, will be able to provide 115 MLD," he added. The second phase of Ring Road for 16 km connecting Melur highway with Dindigul highway and desilting of nine drainage channels also came up for discussion.
Modernisation/shifting of the Central Vegetable Market, speeding up of construction work of road over bridges at Sellur, Ellis Nagar and Koodal Nagar were also discussed.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/14/stories/2006061423380300.htm

Officials told to expedite road overbridge work

TIRUCHI : The State Highways Minister, M. P. Saminathan, has directed highways officials to complete the construction of the road overbridge at Palakkarai in Tiruchi before September 30.

Construction of the bridge, coming up across the railway level crossing at Bheema Nagar, has been progressing at a snail's pace over the past five years.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/14/stories/2006061426000300.htm

The Villupuram-Kanyakumari and Maniyachi-Tuticorin broad gauge track would be electrified this year. If proposals were sent by the state government, more trains could be introduced on the electrified routes, Union Minister of State for Railways Mr.Velu said.

Mr.Velu said that the railways has sanctioned the broad-gauge doubling project for Dindigul-Pollachi-Aliyar, the Villupuram-Chingleput and Virudhunagar-Manamadurai lines, and BG conversion of the Thiruvarur-Nagoor and Thanjavur-Mayiladuthurai metre gauge track. Out of the 4,000 kms of MG track in India, 1,800 kms were in Tamil Nadu. Of this, BG conversion has been taken up on a major portion, leaving only 324 track kms to be covered, namely that of the Mayiladuthurai-Tiruthuraipoondi and Madurai-Bodinayackanur MG track. The latter would be taken up next year.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/14/stories/2006061411040600.htm

MKU plans MoU with Mexican varsity

MADURAI: Madurai Kamaraj University is mulling over a collaboration with a Mexican university for management studies in the near future.

The University Grants Commission has asked the university to work out the modalities regarding the programme that would cover Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) courses.

Addressing the press after the inauguration of a management studies learning centre at Goripalayam, here on Wednesday, P R Athappam, Dean (Industrial Consultancy), MKU, said that the programme works on Credit Transfer System, enabling students to go abroad to learn from experts there, even while they are registered under the MKU.

As per the prospective Memorandum of Understanding between the two universities, the programme would function in a mutual manner with a common syllabus, so that the foreign students can come here and avail of the facilities and expertise in the university as well. Degrees would be awarded by the university under which the student is registered
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20060615014723&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+%2D+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0&

Karuna woos IT firms

Karunanidhi, accompanied by Union Telecom and IT Minister Dayanidhi Maran, visited the headquarters of Wipro and the Nasdaq-listed Infosys and held discussions with top officials of the two firms

Maran said that the Chief Minister, who also holds the it portfolio, wanted to personally look at the way both companies 'have changed Bangalore' and requested the two firms to invest more in Tamil Nadu and also look at Tier-II cities -- Madurai, Coimbatore, Trichy and Tirunelveli -- to start operations.

Karunanidhi promised them that he would give all support and help to speed up their projects, "which are going through some hurdles," according to Maran.

"They (Wipro and Infosys) have given a positive response and will definitely consider it (expanding operations in Tamil Nadu and look at Tier-II cities)", he said.

for more....

http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?rep=2&aid=302578&sid=REG

A fishing harbour would be built at Karaiyur at a cost of Rs 100 crore to accommodate 10 trawlers, Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, T R Baalu said on Thursday.

He said five exclusive berths to receive ships from all over the world would be built at Tuticorin Port at a cost of Rs 650 crore. He also said he expects 80 per cent of ships to go through the Sethusamudhram channel.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20060615045624&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+-+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0

Tuticorin linked to Singapore, China

Tuticorin Container Terminal, operated by PSA Sical Terminals Ltd, today announced the commencement of the China-Middle East (CMS) direct service that would link TCT to Singapore and China.

The release said the CMS Service, operated by Wan Hai Lines, would see the deployment of six vessels of capacities ranging from 2200 to 2400 Twenty foot equivalent units.

http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7BD7A66906-8A9C-4558-BCB8-97033CBADDC9%7D&CATEGORYNAME=Tamil+Nadu

MKU to tie up with foreign varsities

Madurai, June 15: The Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) will offer degree courses in collaboration with various foreign universities, including Mexico University, dean of the university P R Athappan has said.


He told newspersons that the university was offering the scheme following the direction of the University Grants Commission. There would be students exchange programme under the scheme and the syllabi of the foreign universities would be followed here.


The Roy Management Centre would offer MBA course in collaboration with the MKU, he said.

http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7BCC4CF33C-6882-44A5-A9D9-A293C953DAE0%7D&CATEGORYNAME=Chennai

Rly overbridge at Sellur before 2008

Madurai, June 16: The Sellur railway overbridge in the city will be completed before 2008, Tamil Nadu Highways Minister Vellakoil Saminathan said today.

The minister who inspected the site late last night said the bridge should have 108 concrete girders of which only five had been installed. The portion of the bridge above the railway track would be constructed at a cost of Rs 5.30 crore and the tender had been finalised.

Regarding the Koodal Nagar railway bridge, he said the state government had completed its portion of the work and the Railways had to provide the main link above the track. The Railways had been requested to expedite the work at Koodal Nagar, Sellur and Ellis Nagar, he said.

http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7B708FED52-031C-4001-A3D7-C796C195E370%7D&CATEGORYNAME=Tamil+Nadu

Velu said that he had ordered a survey on the feasibility of a double railway line from Chennai to Tuticorin. This line, according to him, can be used as port connectivity line as well as for transporting passengers.

http://newstodaynet.com/17jun/rf6.htm

Four laning of NH to commence from july

Four laning of the Tiruchi-Tindivanam National Highway, estimated to cost Rs 1,500 crore, will commence from July, Union Minister for Shipping and Transport T R Baalu said.

The letter of intent in this regard has been handed over to the contractors by the National Highways Department, he told reporters here.

Dredging at the Sethu Samudram project was also progressing. Forty per cent of the work at Point Calimere was over and work at Adams Bridge would commence from August 1, he said.

He expressed confidence that the work would be completed in one year.

http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7BE3ABA224-B611-4D81-AA35-EBA4DD3D2588%7D&CATEGORYNAME=Tamil+Nadu

Master plan to develop lesser-known tourist spots will be ready in a year

The Tourism Department also proposes to use the Centre's assistance to develop infrastructure in Kanyakumari, Madurai and Thanjavur at a cost of Rs. 5 crore each.

Another idea to boost tourist arrivals is the offer of special interest "circuit tours" in the state.

For instance, the proposed Arupadaiveedu circuit will cover Lord Muruga's six abodes -- Palani, Pazhamuthircholai, Thiruparankundram, Tiruchendur, Swamimalai and Tiruthani.

The Adi Sankara circuit will cover Mangadu, Thiruvottiyur, Swamimalai, Chidambaram, Tiruvanaikaval, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruchy and Tirunelveli.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/18/stories/2006061817690500.htm

I think you have to post a separate project for Salem. Because, it is inevitable that Salem is emerging as third largest city in Tamilnadu. According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem,_Tamil_Nadu

Salem stands in fifth place in the state of Tamil Nadu in terms of the population. In reality the net population of the city is more than that of Tiruchchirappalli, which is said to be the fourth largest city. The population figures shown in the census for Salem are given excluding many important suburbs like Kondalampatti, Kannankurichi, Malla Moopanpatti etc. which have been included into Salem City Municipal Corporation limits many years ago. The total urban population of Salem district is about 13,90,000 whereas that of Trichy is only 11,39,000. And also, the total area covered by Salem city Municipal Corporation is 94 square km, and many important suburbs like Ayodhyapattinam, Dasanaikenpatti, Mohan Nagar, Uthamacholapuram, Chinna Kollapatti are not included into city limits. Wherein Trichy corporation limits extend very much outside urban limits. Salem is the second largest city of Tamil Nadu in terms of population density. The population of the city and suburbs alone is above 1,100,000.



Salem has new Railway Division. Central government has sanctioned 500 crs for IT park is salem to be one of the largest in Tamilnadu. It seems like there are two IT parks going to come up in Salem.
Many company's are eying salem for its educational excellence from The surrounding towns Trichengodu, Erode, Nammakkal and Salem itself. Salem has two universities. Also Salem has a pride which no other city has is, that it has Yercaud a beautiful hill station within the reach of the city. Also its weather is moderate compared to other cities in Tamilnadu. Not the but the least, it has excellent infrastructure as 3 national highwayes are crossing the city. Railway Division is announced for Salem. Cool hill station to relax. And many NRI IT investors are eying the city as potential since it is about 3hrs from Bangalore.

The airport is not functional because, it is efficient to reach all major cities like Coimbatore, Bangalore and Madras by train than by flight.

In a nutshell, Salem is the most fortunate city in India.

Hi Palsen,

I definitely agree that Salem is one of the major industrial hub in TN and India. Its worth to start a seperate thread if you will have enough developments to post right now.

As of now Madurai and Trichy is a region that we want to focus, not as two cities. The reason is quiet simple, there arent much developement as compared to Chennai or Coimbatore. The same can be applied to Salem too therefore you can start a thread called as Salem and Hosur region.

Madurai Selvam

I think you have to post a separate project for Salem. Because, it is inevitable that Salem is emerging as third largest city in Tamilnadu. According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem,_Tamil_Nadu

Salem stands in fifth place in the state of Tamil Nadu in terms of the population. In reality the net population of the city is more than that of Tiruchchirappalli, which is said to be the fourth largest city. The population figures shown in the census for Salem are given excluding many important suburbs like Kondalampatti, Kannankurichi, Malla Moopanpatti etc. which have been included into Salem City Municipal Corporation limits many years ago. The total urban population of Salem district is about 13,90,000 whereas that of Trichy is only 11,39,000. And also, the total area covered by Salem city Municipal Corporation is 94 square km, and many important suburbs like Ayodhyapattinam, Dasanaikenpatti, Mohan Nagar, Uthamacholapuram, Chinna Kollapatti are not included into city limits. Wherein Trichy corporation limits extend very much outside urban limits. Salem is the second largest city of Tamil Nadu in terms of population density. The population of the city and suburbs alone is above 1,100,000.



Salem has new Railway Division. Central government has sanctioned 500 crs for IT park is salem to be one of the largest in Tamilnadu. It seems like there are two IT parks going to come up in Salem.
Many company's are eying salem for its educational excellence from The surrounding towns Trichengodu, Erode, Nammakkal and Salem itself. Salem has two universities. Also Salem has a pride which no other city has is, that it has Yercaud a beautiful hill station within the reach of the city. Also its weather is moderate compared to other cities in Tamilnadu. Not the but the least, it has excellent infrastructure as 3 national highwayes are crossing the city. Railway Division is announced for Salem. Cool hill station to relax. And many NRI IT investors are eying the city as potential since it is about 3hrs from Bangalore.

The airport is not functional because, it is efficient to reach all major cities like Coimbatore, Bangalore and Madras by train than by flight.

In a nutshell, Salem is the most fortunate city in India.

Under a Master Tourism Plan for 2006-07, the government has proposed to develop Thanjavur, Madurai and Kanyakumari destinations at a cost of Rs 5 crore each with part-funding of the Centre.

Ropeway at Ooty (Rs 15.97 crore), Kodaikanal (Rs 14.52 crore) and Yercaud ( Rs 9 crore) would be taken up for implementation shortly as they were revenue yielding projects.

http://newstodaynet.com/18jun/rf9.htm

Madhucon bags NH project

Hyderabad-based Madhucon Projects Limited has been awarded National Highway project in Tamil Nadu. The concession agreement for the BOT project between Trichy and Thanjavur involving design, engineering, finance, construction, operation and maintenance at a cost of Rs 340 crore with a 20-year concession period and a positive grant of Rs 78.44 crore was signed recently, the press release said.

Madhucon had also received in-principle sanction from financial institutions for the project, it added.

http://www.business-standard.com/compindustry/storypage.php?leftnm=1&subLeft=1&chklogin=N&autono=95420&tab=r

Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said 35 non-metro airports across the country, including Tiruchirapalli, Coimbatore and Madurai, had been identified for upgradation to world-class standards.

"All 35 airports would be rolled out for construction at one go in 2007-2008 and a total internal accrual of Rs 8,000 crore will be required for this purpose," he said.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200606192141.htm

Proposed Salem IT park needs airport connectivity

SALEM: The issue of the Salem IT park project that was temporarily shelved in view of the Assembly elections is back in news now, with the ball set rolling again for its establishment.

However, IT majors are reportedly hesitating to set up shops here at the moment for reasons and the non-functioning of the Salem Airport is one of them.

But that has not dampened the spirits of the promoters.

Chief Minister Karunanidhi’s recent brush with IT bigwigs in Bangalore and his announcement about the DMK Government’s interest to promote IT hubs in tier-2 cities has renewed their hopes.

As per the latest information, lands have been finalised and IT majors are being apprised of the advantages of being in Salem.

About twenty VIPs belonging to the city pooled in Rs 10 lakhs and created a special purpose vehicle (SPV) named, ‘Salem Software Development Trust’ and Rs 2.5 crores was deposited in a nationalised bank in the SPV account, before the elections.

Rajalakshmi, Director of the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), Chennai, visited Salem in April 2006.

She elaborated the STPI schemes and facilities. The first thing that the promoters had to do is acquire land with easy airport and highway connectivity.

The land will be handed over to STPI, which will develop the park.

According to Rajalakshmi, Salem has a highly tangible potential to exploit.

With over 50 higher education institutions in the region, it is a captive source of knowledge workers sought after by the IT firms.

According to estimates, 30,000 persons from the region are already working in IT and IT-related companies in India and abroad.

With an airport facility and 3.5-hour drive to Bangalore, it has all the advantages to woo potential IT companies to set up their units, the STPI chief said.

The BPO bubble has already formed in Salem with about 10 firms already having set up shops here.

STPI sources said that the organisation is eager to promote tier-two cities because of the rush in the metros and resultant lifestyle problems faced by employees.

Due to favourable IT policy in the State, software and related exports have crossed Rs 10,000 crore in Chennai.

STPI will provide its ‘Softnet’ High Density Data Services to exporters through its International Satellite gateways.

It provides world-wide connectivity, operating through many of the international telecom administration networks and operates with around 60 carriers from its earth stations for various destinations. Leased digital point-to-point service with data rate options from 64 kbps to 2 mbps and TCP/IP-based multi-vendor network are also provided.

The STP project envisaged at Salem is under STP/EHTP, a 100 percent export-oriented project; hence an add-on to the park, a Special Economic Zone, will also come up.

However, major IT employers, including WIPRO and Infosys, have recently moved out to Coimbatore and TCS to Madurai.

These companies have no immediate plans to establish centres in other tier-2 cities.
Besides no airline company has shown willingness to operate flights from Salem even though the defunct airports in Tirunelveli and Pondicherry have become operational.

Given these harsh realities, the IT park promoters may have to engage in a highly-effective marketing programme to convince the big names in the software industry to step into Salem.

Chief Minister Karunanidhi’s recent brush with IT bigwigs in Bangalore and his announcement about the DMK government’s interest to promote IT hubs in tier-2 cities has renewed hopes.

Budget airlines 'HolidayAir' between Colombo and Trichy from Dec 2006

Although HolidayAir initially scheduled to takeoff by May/June 2006, and despite the finances are in place, the process is a long one and we have now tentatively scheduled to take off during the first week of December this year to several Indian cities including Trichy, Trivandrum, Cochin and Calicut," Chief Executive Officer for the airline company Arjun Ruzaik told the “Asian Tribune.

http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/671

Dear Madurai Veeran,
Just wait and see the game....

Dear Madurai Veeran,
In your post, you have highlighted only the negative aspects, missed to highlight the positive aspects.. May be you are a person who does not want any region other than what you support to get a facelift. But all what you think can not be realistic.. So watch out....

Dear Madurai Veeran,
In your post, you have highlighted only the negative aspects, missed to highlight the positive aspects.. May be you are a person who does not want any region other than what you support to get a facelift. But all what you think can not be realistic.. So watch out....


This is a thread for madurai and trichy region so naturally there will be posts in favour of them. Postings like this do happen in other threads where a cities disadvantages are pointed out to show why a particular project should come to their city. Take for example infrastructure problems of blore is a disadvantage for it but an advantage for chennai and you could find postings in chennai thread highlighting it. There was nothing reflecting my personal views but was views of a news agency. If it was a thread on salem then i would have highlighted the positive aspects.

TN identifies 21 clusters for handloom development

Tamil Nadu has identified 21 handloom clusters for development under two separate schemes of the Union Government. The State Government has identified four clusters for development under the Integrated Handloom Cluster Development Scheme, which gives a grant of Rs 2 crore per cluster for upgrading infrastructure. The four are: Kanchipuram, Dindigul, Salem and Karur.

TN has also identified 17 clusters for attention under another scheme of the Union Government, which is to be formally announced soon. The Government has allocated Rs 50 crore for the scheme, which envisages development of 100 clusters across the country.

The seventeen are: the dhoti-making cluster of Nagarkoil, the saree clusters of Ettayapuram, Rajapalayam, Srivilliputtur, Aruppukottai, Paramakudi, Madurai, Andipatti, Vorayur, Jayamkondan, Venkatagiri, Tirubhuvanam and Sirumugai, the silk saree clusters of Rasipuram and the bedsheet and furnishings clusters of Salem, Karur and Erode.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/06/19/stories/2006061902121500.htm

The Indian civil aviation was witnessing an "unprecedented boom." The Airports Authority of India (AAI), the custodian of the terminal building, had prepared a Rs.8, 000-crore master plan to develop 35 non-metro airports.

Out of these, Tiruchi would be the first airport to be developed in the southern region. The Madurai and Coimbatore airports figured prominently in the list. "We are planning to spend over Rs.200 crore for developing the Tiruchi airport," Mr. Patel said.

The Ministry was keen on developing other non-aeronautical core activities such as hotels and logistic support services for the overall development of civil aviation.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/21/stories/2006062107990600.htm

Rs.60-cr. water scheme for Dindigul

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/21/stories/2006062116480100.htm

This is a thread for madurai and trichy region so naturally there will be posts in favour of them. Postings like this do happen in other threads where a cities disadvantages are pointed out to show why a particular project should come to their city. Take for example infrastructure problems of blore is a disadvantage for it but an advantage for chennai and you could find postings in chennai thread highlighting it. There was nothing reflecting my personal views but was views of a news agency. If it was a thread on salem then i would have highlighted the positive aspects.

Even then, Bangalore remains on top over Chennai. Thats a point to be noted down. The same thing might happen here too....

And FYI, Salem has an Airport. At anytime it can be made functional.... Also do not think that it has become unusable.. Tetra Aviation Academy (one of the famous of its kind in the country) is conducting Aviation coaching in Salem Airport..

And Mr. Madurai Veeran, Thanks for accepting the fact that you are degrading regions other than Madurai/Trichy.. A great attitude!!!! Keep the spirit up forever...

Even then, Bangalore remains on top over Chennai. Thats a point to be noted down. The same thing might happen here too....

And FYI, Salem has an Airport. At anytime it can be made functional.... Also do not think that it has become unusable.. Tetra Aviation Academy (one of the famous of its kind in the country) is conducting Aviation coaching in Salem Airport..

And Mr. Madurai Veeran, Thanks for accepting the fact that you are degrading regions other than Madurai/Trichy.. A great attitude!!!! Keep the spirit up forever...

Its high time Salem and yourself wakeup to the reality. As a matter of fact even the airport at tirunelveli/tuticorin has become operational. With the implementation of sethu samudhram and nanguneri SEZ i wonder even tuticorin and tirunelveli could overcome salem in the near future. I speak on facts i find no projects worthwhile happening in salem except a few bad news about it. For your comparison of salem to trichy. Trichy is seeing lots of infrastructure and development projects. Trichy has an international airport and a favourable investment climate. Trichy has some excellent institutions like the REC. Trichy is strategically located at the heart of tamilnadu. Please start a thread for salem if you feel it has projects worth enough to be listed. Then lastly i would say one thing please dont post anything other than projects of this region. This would be final reply to you.

Theni-Madurai gauge conversion work soon: Velu

Gauge conversion works in the Theni-Madurai section, up to Bodinaickanur, would be taken up shortly and completed in 18 months, said Minister of State for Railways R Velu here on Wednesday.

The proposed conversion is expected to boost the cardamom and cotton trade from Bodinaickanur and also reduce the journey time between Madurai and Theni by around an hour. He also added that the doubling of tracks on the Madurai-Dindigul stretch had already been started.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20060621123424&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+%2D+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0&

As per many of your request I created a NEW thread

"Salem Region: a Textile, Industrial and IT city of India"

I realy appreciate your support. Please post if you find any projects or development work in Salem region.

http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=365021

Thank you,
Palsen

Flood prevention scheme for Tiruchi this year

The scheme, which was announced by Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi during his previous tenure, envisages permanent measures to protect the city from frequent flooding by strengthening the river bunds, including the Cauvery, and diversion of flood discharges from Koraiyar and Ariyar.

Mr. Stalin also announced that he had instructed the officials to identify a suitable site for establishing an integrated bus stand in Tiruchi within four weeks and prepare estimates for the project.

A drinking water augmentation scheme would be implemented in the city at an estimated cost of Rs.35 crore. Besides, he had directed the officials to ensure that all drinking water schemes meant for new extension areas were completed by August.

Referring to the ongoing underground drainage scheme, Mr. Stalin said he had given directions to expedite the project and complete it by March.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/22/stories/2006062222620100.htm

TCS absorbs 287 final-year students from Thiagarajar College of Engineering with a minimum annual salary package of Rs.2.36 lakh each.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/22/stories/2006062221240200.htm

When there is so much talent and manpower available in madurai why cant government speed up infrastructure needed by IT companies to start their company here. I get to see in some news sources that TCS is planning to start working from madurai. Is it true ?

Electricity Board plans for 2,000 MW capacity addition

K.S. Sitaraman, Chief Engineer (Generation), said the Board proposed expansion projects of North Chennai, Mettur and Tuticorin thermal power stations. Each would have 500 MW more.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/22/stories/2006062218760700.htm

Corpn daily vegetable market opened; stone laid for hospital

MADURAI: A new Corporation daily vegetable market complex was inaugurated and a foundation stone for a Corporation hospital was laid by Mayor S Ramachandran in K Pudur.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20060623014647&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+-+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0

Rs. 500 cr. sought for Erode-Palani railway line work

The Railway Ministry should sanction immediately a sum of Rs. 500 crore for the 110-km Erode-Palani railway line work, said the Erode-Palani Railway Extension People Service Organisation at its meeting at Dharapuram recently.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/24/stories/2006062404280300.htm

TIRUNELVELI: Work on the proposed hi-tech park in the anticipated Special Economic Zone at Nanguneri may commence before August 15, the Nanguneri MLA, H. Vasanthakumar, has informed.

He told reporters here on Friday that Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Dayanidhi Maran, who were so keen on establishing the hi-tech park at Nanguneri, were scouting for potential investors to create infrastructure facilities of all sorts to promote industrial activities in this rain-shadow region.

A minimum of Rs. 100 crore would be invested in the first phase of the project, which would require over Rs. 6,000 crore in several phases to provide employment opportunities to thousands of skilled unemployed youths.

Initially, Rs. 88 crore would be spent to create drinking water facilities.

Colour television sets, to be distributed freely by the State Government, would be received here at knocked down condition and assembled in the plant to be set up at Nanguneri, he said.

"The government, which has drawn norms to be followed in finalising suppliers of TV sets, has sent the Industries Secretary to China in this connection," Mr. Vasanthakumar said.

Showing banana flower pickle, de-hydrated banana and banana syrup, being manufactured by a Chennai-based company, to the reporters, he said a plant to manufacture value-added products of banana would come up at Nanguneri after imparting training to local youths, "as Nanguneri Assembly segment has a huge banana market at Thiruvenkatanathapuram, popularly known as Sirumalanji".

He said the birth anniversary of former Chief Minister Kamaraj would be celebrated at Valliyoor on July 15.

"A massive rally would be taken out from Nanguneri to Valliyoor through Kalakkad and Ervadi, in which good number of decorated vehicles, highlighting the achievements of the UPA Government at the Centre, would be taken out.

General secretary of the Congress Veerappa Moily would address the public meeting to be held at Valliyoor in the evening.

Welfare measures such as tri-cycle to handicapped persons, hearing-aids, sewing machines, wet grinders, pesticide sprayers, iron boxes, free cycles with tea flasks etc. to the tune of several lakh would be disbursed on the occasion," he said.

Inter-school essay competitions in three categories would be conducted as part of the celebrations, Mr. Vasanthakumar said.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/24/stories/2006062410190300.htm

DINDIGUL: The National Horticulture Board has allotted Rs.9 crore for taking up horticulture development in the district during this financial year.

A special project at a cost of Rs.169 crore had been designed to develop Kodaikanal, Palani and Surilimalai eco-tourism spots.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/24/stories/2006062412340300.htm

TCS absorbs 287 final-year students from Thiagarajar College of Engineering with a minimum annual salary package of Rs.2.36 lakh each.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/22/stories/2006062221240200.htm

When there is so much talent and manpower available in madurai why cant government speed up infrastructure needed by IT companies to start their company here. I get to see in some news sources that TCS is planning to start working from madurai. Is it true ?

does'nt TCS already have a small development center in Madurai? (not sure...i could be wrong)

University's non-IT job fair from June 26

MADURAI: Madurai Kamaraj University, along with retail major Pantaloon, has planned to organise a job fair to recruit candidates for new retail outlets coming up in different States.
The `Connect Pantaloon Job Fair' will be held on the university campus from June 26 to 29. The minimum eligibility for candidates is either a degree or Plus-Two pass with two to three years of experience in a retail trade.
Nearly 1,500 candidates will be recruited at the first non-IT job fair initiative of the university.

P. Maruthamuthu, Vice-Chancellor, told reporters on Friday that young graduates and Plus-Two passed candidates from any place with experience in sales, customer service and cashiering would be absorbed at the job fair. The selected candidates would be posted at new Pantaloon stores in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.

Dr. Maruthamuthu said the job fair was open to all eligible candidates and the minimum monthly salary would be Rs.4,000 onwards, with dormitory accommodation for bachelors.

For education
PR. Athappan, Dean, Industrial Consultancy, said the selected candidates would be eligible to participate in the Pantaloon Education Assistance Programme, which provided full education sponsorship for higher studies while being employed with Pantaloon.
He said the preferable age group for recruitment was 18 to 28 years and it would be an advantage if candidates had a minimum level of English knowledge to interact with customers.
The university was exploring new avenues to develop effective linkages with potential employers to provide employment opportunities to students

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/24/stories/2006062412310300.htm

MKU ready to give land for IT park

MADURAI: The Madurai Kamaraj University is open to the ‘unofficial’ proposal of parting with a portion of its land for an Information Technology park.

In accordance with the decision of the DMK Government to set up IT park in second-tier cities in the State, the district administration is planning to promote Madurai as an IT hub and is on the look-out for an ideal location in the city and its suburbs.

There was a move earlier too in this regard before the formation of the DMK Government after Dayanidhi Maran, the Union Minister for Telecommunications and IT, assured that an IT park could be established provided the location was suitable to the needs of the industry following which trade bodies appealed to the university to offer its lands.

Now that the district administration is exploring all possibilities in this regard, MKU Vice-Chancellor P Maruthamuthu said the university could provide the required lands situated in the western side of the varsity based on the needs of the Government. “However, the senate and syndicate should decide upon the issue,” he added.

Recalling his brief meeting with Chief Minister M Karunanidhi in Chennai on Thursday, he said the CM had promised to extend all help to the development of the university.

Regarding the consultative meeting presided by Higher Education Minister K Ponmudi, he said issues relating to the introduction of the Common University Act including the suggestion to reduce the composition of syndicate and senate were discussed, besides fund requirements of the respective universities.

As announced by the Minister, the M Phil courses offered through the distance education wing of the university would be done away with from the next academic year, he added.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20060624003426&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+%2D+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0&

does'nt TCS already have a small development center in Madurai? (not sure...i could be wrong)

I havent found anything like that in news sources. There are a few small software firms in madurai but only one major company namely Honeywell. It is present in thiagarajar engg cge campus

GV Films has hired a UK-based consultant for preparing the project report for the multiplex-cum-hotel at Madurai.

Frequency of Podhigai Express increased

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: Southern Railway has increased the frequency of Chennai Egmore-Tenkasi-Egmore Podhigai Expresses from twice to thrice a week from July 3.

The additional days of service will be on Mondays from Egmore and on Tuesdays from Tenkasi. At present, services are available on Wednesdays and Saturdays from Egmore and on Thursdays and Sundays from Tenkasi.

This will some what relief to Madurai, Virudhunagar and Tirunelveli dt people.

Pegasus forays into Indian market

Pegasus has plans to construct shopping malls and townships in Trichy and Coimbatore and residential complexes in Chennai.

http://newstodaynet.com/25jun/bu5.htm

Sical to take JV route for logistics projects

Container trains

This will be a three-way partnership, and the company will announce the names of the two partners shortly, its Vice-Chairman, Mr Ashwin Muthiah, told a press conference here today. The joint venture will own rakes and run them for transporting containers. Eight corridors have been identified — three of them will be taken up initially. One is the Tiruppur-Tuticorin stretch and the other, Chennai-Bangalore. The third will be a route touching Nagpur.

http://news.moneycontrol.com/india/news/business/larsentoubro/sicaltotakejvrouteforlogisticsprojects/market/stocks/article/222602

Pipeline to be commissioned today

Tamil Nadu will formally get its petroleum artery when Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi will dedicate the Chennai-Tiruchi-Madurai petroleum product pipeline.

The cross-country pipeline to move petrol, diesel and kerosene is the first facility of its kind for the Indian Oil Corporation in south India. It will move the products from the refinery of the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited, a group company of IOC, in suburban Manali to other parts of the State.

The longest such facility within a single State — the 683-km pipeline runs through 11 districts — promises safer, economical and environment-friendly movement of the products. From the perspective of the consumer, product movement by pipeline is the best, as scope for adulteration is little.

According to CPCL managing director K.K. Acharya, the pipeline was promoted by the IOC to ensure efficient and effective supply chain management. It would feed "major load centres in the south" up to Tiruchi and Madurai, and through its Sankari arm, the western districts of Tamil Nadu. A significant benefit of the pipeline is that it provides an alternative to the road transport of the products, which contributes to vehicular congestion and air pollution and is not the safest. It would reduce evaporation/handling loss of the products, says Mr. Acharya.

Besides the pipeline, the project includes marketing facilities in Tiruchi, a depot at Sankari and a terminal in Madurai, according to the IOC.

The throughput in the network during the first phase of operation will be 1.8 million tonnes a year.

The pipeline comes after the recent expansion and modernisation of the CPCL that enhanced the capacity of its Manali refinery to 9.5 million tonnes. The capacity will be further increased to 11.2 million tonnes by 2008. The dedication of the pipeline, in the presence of Union Petroleum Minister Murli Deora, will signal the completion of the project conceived almost a decade ago and mark the end of major petroleum projects announced by the public sector oil companies. It will provide an opportunity for Tamil Nadu to seek fresh investments in the sector.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/26/stories/2006062607220500.htm

MADURAI : CII State council chairman Sanjay Jayavarthanavelu said " thrust would be on the creation of an information technology park and an aviation university in the region. The CII would work with the State Government in identifying land for the park and also be part of the initiative in starting the aviation university".

Highlighting the need for industrialisation of the Madurai-Tuticorn corridor, Mr. Sanjay said the CII would open a dialogue with the Government for establishing an industrial estate by the SIPCOT by acquiring 2500 acres and for revitalising the Nanguneri special export zone, exclusively for hi-tech manufacturing units.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/27/stories/2006062707520500.htm

Chennai-Tiruchi-Madurai petroleum pipeline inaugurated

Chennai, June 26 (PTI): A 683 km-long petroleum product pipeline from here to Madurai via Tiruchirapalli, laid by the Indian Oil Corp at a cost of Rs 409 crore, was today dedicated to the nation by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.

The longest such facility within a State, the pipeline with a single pump station located at the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) in suburban Manali would carry petrol, diesel and kerosene to 11 districts of the State.

The Chief Minister also wanted the new pipeline to be extended up to Kanyakumari to take petroleum products to the districts in that region.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200606261550.htm

Tata Steel has signed an agreement with the TN Government for a titanium di-oxide project near Tuticorin.

MADURAI: The stage is set for establishing an Information Technology (IT) Park in Madurai.

The district administration has identified two sites on several acres of land, one near the Madurai Kamaraj University at Nagamalai Pudukottai and the other on the city outskirts, for setting up the much-awaited IT Park. A TIDEL Park is also on the anvil.

"Proposals have already been sent to the government and a decision is likely to be taken in a day or two. Madurai has adequate infrastructure facilities for IT companies to establish their units," Collector T. Udhaychandran said on Friday.

A mega event, `madurai.com,' planned during October this year, would bring major players in the industry on a single platform. Organisations such as National Association of Software and Service Organisations (NASSCOM) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) had shown interest in associating themselves with `madurai.com.'

List of BPOs

Mr. Udhaychandran said efforts were on to compile a list of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) units in the city in a bid to pool talents.

"The objective is to showcase the Temple City as an ideal destination for IT companies. We have all the amenities on a par with metros here.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/01/stories/2006070117330100.htm

NHAI signs pact for developing NH45

CHENNAI: The National Highways Authority of India, IJM India Infrastructure Ltd and the Shapoorji Pallonji Group signed an agreement on Friday for development of National Highway 45 from Tindivanam to Tiruchy in Tamil Nadu on build, operate and transfer basis.

This 93-km of stretch would cost Rs 570 crore with a concessional agreement to recover the investment after 27 years, Sanjay Agarwal, vice president of IJM, told Express at the announcement of Infratech 2006.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IE920060630134746&Page=9&Title=Chennai&Topic=0&

Sri Lanka's first ever budget airline, HolidayAir will initially fly to four Indian cities - Trichy, Trivandrum, Cochin and Calicut, after which it would expand to other destinations, the Chief Executive Officer for HolidayAir Arjun Ruzaik told the Asian Tribune.

http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/843

Golden Rock workshop to step up production

TIRUCHY: The Golden Rock workshop is planning to increase its production capacity from 600 wagons to 1,000 wagons per year. The Southern Railway is in the process of stepping up the capacity in view of the increasing demand for the wagons. The Golden Rock Workshop is the only railway workshop equipped with the facility to build BLC wagons at the present level of production. Additional infrastructure and modern techniques are being inducted to cater to the increase in production.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20060701015914&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+-+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0

Tuticorin port project gets environment clearance

The Rs 685-crore Inner Harbour Development Project at the Tuticorin port has got environment clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.

The project's main portion is a dredging component of Rs 440 crore to improve the draught in the port to 12.8 metres from the present 10.7 metres.

Mr Raghupathy said to get a draught of 12.8 metres, the harbour basin has to be dredged to a depth of 14 metres and the approach channel to 14.6 metres for a length of 4,100 metres.

The port entrance needs to be widened to 230 metres from 152 metres by removing the existing pier heads and providing additional protective spurs to maintain the tranquillity conditions inside the dock basin as part of development works, he said.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/bline/2006/06/27/stories/2006062702060700.htm

Tuticorin fishing harbour to be upgraded

Rs.2.03 crore earmarked for dredging work

Tuticorin: Minister for Fisheries K.P.P. Sami on Saturday inaugurated the project to upgrade the facilities at the fishing harbour here to international standards by kick-starting dredging work.

Elaborating salient features of the project, P. Jepakumar Ranjan, Assistant Executive Engineer, Department of Fisheries, said the dredging would be carried out to deepen the bay area and approach channel to enable bigger boats to berth at the harbour. "The depth at the bay would be increased to 3.90 metre from the present 1.5 metre," he said. Of the total project cost of Rs.5.04 crore, Rs.2.03 crore was earmarked for dredging work, and the rest would be used to create new infrastructure facilities and modernise/renovate existing edifices.

M. Ranjan said wharf and jetties would be renovated at a cost of Rs. 64.36 lakh using `gunning technology,' roads inside the harbour would be strengthened (Rs. 36.06 lakh), additional lights would be established on the harbour premises (Rs.8.4 lakh) and existing edifices would be renovated (Rs. 64.46 lakh).

On creation of new facilities, he said a quality control laboratory would come up (Rs.53.08 lakh), an ice crushing-cum-packing hall would be constructed (Rs.16.46 lakh) and an administrative block with a conference hall would be established (Rs.22.33 lakh).

All works (including dredging) would be completed this fiscal itself.

Minister for Animal Husbandry P. Geetha Jeevan, Collector R. Palaniyandi, and Chairman of Tuticorin Port Trust N. K. Raghupathy were present.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/03/stories/2006070315090100.htm

Key initiatives by Tata Coffee

"Tata Coffee is setting up a state-of-the-art freeze dried plant at Madurai with a capacity of 2,000te per annum – this would increase value addition and lead to an improvement in realisations."

http://news.moneycontrol.com/india/news/recommendations/tatatea/icicisecuritiesbullishtatatea/market/stocks/article/225017

Trichy - Underground sewerage scheme for omitted areas at a cost of 80 to 90 crore Rs.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/06/stories/2006070618950300.htm

TIRUCHI: The work on the construction of a new state-of-the-art terminal building for the Tiruchi airport will begin within a month.

Preliminary site preparation works have already begun and the integrated terminal building, with a capacity to handle about 500 passengers, will be ready by September 2007, said the Regional Executive Director of the Airports Authority of India, Southern Region, K. Ramalingam, addressing presspersons here on Thursday.

Mr. Ramalingam was here to review the ongoing runway expansion works and to inspect the site of the new terminal building.

The terminal building and other allied facilities, including two aerobridges, escalators and a city-side canopy, have been sanctioned at a total cost of Rs.75 crore. The terminal building alone would cost about Rs.42 crore. The associated works would be completed six months after the terminal building was constructed.

Apron expansion work

Tenders have also been called for the apron expansion work, planned at an investment of Rs.16.63 crore and is likely to be completed by March, 2007. The expanded apron would provide parking space for aircraft such as the Airbus 310 and the Boeing 737. He said the runway expansion work had been completed and expanded runway would become operational after the calibration of the relocated Instrument Landing System (ILS). A trial calibration conducted last week had identified a few obstructions. Fresh calibration would be done, once the corrective measures were taken.

He said the expanded runway would become fully operational within the next two months after obtaining clearances from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. A modern, category VI Fire Station had also been established in the airport and the existing terminal expanded to increase its passenger handling capacity to 200.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/07/stories/2006070711270100.htm

TNEB TO SETUP 2ND GAS TURBINE AT VALUTHUR

TNEB plans a additional gas turbine power plant of 92 MW capacity at Valuthur, in Ramnad district using ONGC 's gas reserves. The toal cost involved is 350cr. TNEB already has a 95 MW power plant at the same location. The new power plant would cater to the electricity needs of the Ramnad district.

Nanguneri special economic zone to be operational shortly

CHENNAI : The Nanguneri special economic zone is likely to become operational in three-four months, Chairman and Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation S. Ramasundaram has said.

Addressing a seminar organised by the Plastics Export Promotion Council here on Friday, Mr. Ramasundaram said the United States-based promoter of the project could not achieve financial closure and this was one of the reasons for the delay in commissioning the project.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/08/stories/2006070809030400.htm

The new terminal to be construcuted at trichy airport would be an air-conditioned terminal and would accommodate 500 passengers.

The entire terminal would feature steel and glass structures. Tiruchy will be the first terminus in Tamil Nadu to get such steel and glass structures.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20060708041526&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+-+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0

TIRUCHI: The Tiruchi Corporation has short-listed three possible sites for establishing an integrated bus stand in the city.

The list includes a previously identified site at Devadhanam on Tiruchi-Chennai bypass road, the existing garbage dumping yard at Ariyamangalam and a sprawling area adjoining the sewage treatment plant at Panchapur on the outskirts of the city, informed sources said. The move comes in the wake of a directive from the Local Administration Minister, M. K. Stalin, who, during his recent visit, directed the authorities to identify a suitable site for the bus-stand within four weeks.

Interestingly, the civic body has revived the plan of establishing the new bus stand at Devadhanam though the proposal was shot down by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa apparently on the grounds that the site being close to the Cauvery river was flood-prone.

The Corporation had, a few years ago, identified about 86 acres of land at Devadhanam and had even made some token provisions for acquiring some private land at the site in its budgets over the past five years.

Devadhanam is considered an ideal location since it is well connected from all directions and situated not too far away from the city. A section of elected representatives of the Corporation and senior district leaders of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam were stated to be in favour of setting up the bus stand at Devadhanam. The site, though on a lower plane, could be filled up and raised adequately to prevent any possibility of flooding, it was argued. The railway station was also situated close by, making for another advantage.

The Corporation has also taken in the suggestion put forward by the Bharatiya Janata Party councillors on establishing the bus stand at the Ariyamangalam garbage dumping yard spread over an area of about 48 acres. The yard could be closed down and shifted to the panchayat sewage treatment farm.

Mofussil buses would not be required to enter the city at all, if the bus stand were to be located on either of the sites, given the proximity of the locations to Chennai bypass Road, it was pointed out.

Though a few councillors were said to be plumping for the Panchapur site, officials point out that it was too far away from the City. The site, owned by the Corporation on the Tiruchi-Madurai National highway is over 12 km away from the City. Inter-connectivity and accessibility problems could result in poor public patronage, it was felt.

The issue would come up before the Corporation Council, at its next meeting, before the final list of possible sites was forwarded to the government.

Civic officials indicated that they would also be open to suggestions from the elected representatives.

Meanwhile some of the service organisations, especially the Federation of People's Welfare Organisations, have suggested that the integrated bus stand be located at Mannarpuram by acquiring the defence land as it was situated close to the railway junction and the existing city bus stand.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/09/stories/2006070918440300.htm

T R Baalu announced today that studies were on to establish a mini-port at Rameswaram having facilities for repair of ships and cargo operations at a cost of between Rs 30 crore and Rs 50 crore. He said tenders would be opened soon for the Tuticorin Port expansion at a cost of Rs 180 crore.

http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?rep=2&aid=308067&sid=REG

TN Govt draws a master plan to promote tourism

State Tourism Minister N Suresh Rajan said Government had drawn up ambitious plans for promotion of eco-tourism in the State, he said more than Rs one crore would be spent for promoting Pitchavaram as a major eco-tourism centre. The Government was also taking steps to promote Mundandurai and Kalakkad as major eco-tourism distinations by building up adequate infrastructure in these places, he added.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/004200607090111.htm

Madurai : Tamil Nadu Highways and Ports Minister Vellakoil Saminathan after reviewing the ongoing highway projects in the city announced that the second phase of radial roads for this city stretching to 153 km and costing Rs 70.6 crore would be taken up shortly.

He said ring road work linking NH 7 (Dindigul road) and NH 45B (Melur road) would be taken up by the National Highways Authority.

http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7BDE01481E-CB2D-4ADF-8440-9ACADB2B1A72%7D&CATEGORYNAME=Tamil+Nadu

The completion of the second phase of the ring road would be like a dream come true. Then the integrated bus stand at maatuthavani on the NH 45B could be used extensively as aarapalayam bus stand will also be moved to it thus reducing a lot more traffic into the city.

Bridge work to be over by December

The Highways Minister, M.P. Saminathan said that the Ellis Nagar road over bridge (ROB) would be completed by December. The railway officials were expected to complete their part of work by April 2007. While the Koodal Nagar ROB would be ready by October, land acquisition process was underway for the Sellur ROB.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/11/stories/2006071121690300.htm

Do you have any pictures of the present Ring roads in Madurai? I remeber them to be very good looking.

A Synthetic athletic track close to finishing in Madurai Race course

Pic courtesy Dinamalar

http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/5293/maduraistadia5ze.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The synthetic track looks gr8. This facility would certainly help to produce quality athletes from in and around madurai. Its nice to know that finally sports is being given importance.

Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai are the three cities in Tamil Nadu that will be covered by the JNNURM scheme.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/14/stories/2006071420210300.htm

The State Government has submitted its City Development Plan (CDP) for Chennai to the Union Ministry of Urban Development for appraisal and subsequent grants from the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Official sources say that Chennai has sought funds to support solid waste management, water supply and transportation projects. The outlay could come closer to Rs. 20,000 crore and the grant amount, if sanctioned by JNNURM, would be 35 per cent of the projected costs.

This would approximately be Rs. 7000 crore. The balance must be partly met by the state government and partly raised from the market.


Does anyone know wheather the tamilnadu govenrnment has already submitted development projects for madurai for grant under JNNURM. If so what are those projects and their estimated amounts.

"IT giants to trigger boom time in realty sector soon"

`Property developers come under one roof in Destination' Madurai

MADURAI: Madurai is poised to witness a boom in the real estate sector as Information Technology giants turn their attention towards the `Temple City,' according to Mathew Joseph, Regional Manager, Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) Limited. Having already been identified as a tier-II city, groundwork had begun in Madurai for an IT corridor. A major industrial group had bought land here with many others expected to follow soon, he said.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Mr. Joseph said `Destination' Madurai, a three-day property exhibition organised by the HDFC, would showcase over 1,500 properties, ranging from 750 square feet to 1,500 square feet, from 11 developers, with prices starting from Rs. 7 lakh and going up to Rs. 30 lakh.

"Madurai has one of the highest growth rates in Tamil Nadu, next only to Chennai. The Madurai branch of the HDFC has grown at an average of around 33 per cent and in the past five years has done business worth Rs. 400 crore," Mr. Joseph said.

The HDFC has brought down its rates of interest from 9.7 per cent to 9 per cent and reduced the processing fee by half (from 0.5 per cent to 0.25 per cent) for the housing loan mela. Among the products offered by the HDFC, the `two-in-one' scheme, which offers both fixed and floating rates, is expected to catch up in a big way.

Mr. Joseph said he expected the market to witness a boom in about six to nine months after the big players announced their plans for Madurai, as housing blocks would come up only after the industries started operations and brought their staff over here. He said that they had already received queries from many north Indians about land in Madurai.

Ligi George, chairman, Madurai zone of the Confederation of Indian Industry, was the chief guest at the inauguration of the housing mela, which took place on Friday evening. N. Sivanandam, Assistant Commissioner of Police, M. Jeyarajan, Managing Director, Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation, and Dinakaravel, Managing Director, Indian Foods, were also present.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/15/stories/2006071522290300.htm

Electricity Minister Arcot N. Veerasamy said that in the area of conventional energy sources, efforts were on to establish three 1,000 MW mega power projects in north Chennai, Tuticorin and Jayamkondan.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/15/stories/2006071519410600.htm

Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today announced that an exclusive research centre would be created in Madurai Kamaraj University to promote academic activities in the field of education. Participating in the 104 birth anniversary celebrations of former Chief Minister and late nationalist leader Kamaraj here, the Chief Minister hailed Kamaraj as an 'icon of political etiquette, culture and generosity'.

http://newstodaynet.com/15jul/ld7.htm

Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today announced that an exclusive research centre would be created in Madurai Kamaraj University to promote academic activities in the field of education. Participating in the 104 birth anniversary celebrations of former Chief Minister and late nationalist leader Kamaraj here, the Chief Minister hailed Kamaraj as an 'icon of political etiquette, culture and generosity'.

http://newstodaynet.com/15jul/ld7.htm


Both these news are contradicting, dont they?

MKU to be made research centre

CHENNAI: The Madurai Kamaraj University would be upgraded into a premier centre for education research, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi said on Saturday.

Participating in a function organised by the TNCC to celebrate the birth anniversary of former chief minister K Kamaraj, Karunanidhi said that the State Government would spare no effort in according the status to MKU "at any cost." He was responding to a suggestion made by Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who was also participating in the function.

Chidambaram, who pointed out that 40 per cent of the children drop out before they reach Standard X, said that it was necessary to conduct a research. He suggested that an education research university be set up in Madurai. Paying glowing tributes to the late leader, he said Kamaraj had always been a guiding spirit, whichever party was in power.

Despite serious political differences, the late CN Annadurai had supported Kamaraj’s candidature in the Gudiyatham by-poll in the early 1950s that paved way for the Congress leader becoming CM, he recalled.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IE920060716002044&Page=9&Title=Chennai&Topic=0&

NEW DELHI: India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) is joining the list of corporate bigwigs headed for Bollywood.

As part an aggressive expansion plan, the state-owned hospitality chain is roping in big names from Bollywood - led by Amitabh Bachchan - to provide voice-over for its Sound and Light Shows across the country.

While the Big B has already been signed to do the voice-over for a new Sound and Light Show (SALS) at Udaygiri in Orissa, negotiations are underway with a host of other actors, including Akshay Kumar, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukherjee.

The filmstars would be used to provide the background narration for SALS, which is now being set up in cities like Madurai, Chandigarh and Haridwar.

"The four new Sound and Light Shows in Madurai, Chandigarh, Udaygiri and Haridwar would be functional by this December.

In addition, ITDC has also bid for setting up a similar SALS event at Katra in J&K, and it plans to use Bollywood filmstars for the narration at these shows," a source close to the development told ToI.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1762001.cms

The sound and light show at madurai thirumalai nayakar mahal is really splendid. I had an experience of it during my school days. Im not sure where this new sound and light show will be installed. May be its an enhancement of the old one or may be a new one is to be installed at another tourism spot in madurai. Madurai has all the potential to be a tourism hot spot in india. Madurai has rightly been named " The Athens of the east "

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1762001.cms

Small ports planned in Rameswaram, Nagapattinam

The Tamil Nadu Government has proposed the setting up of small ports at Rameswaram and Nagapattinam.

State Highways and Ports Minister M.P. Saminathan on Sunday said the proposals had been sent to the Union Shipping Ministry. Once sanction was received, the State Government would start work.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/17/stories/2006071717560800.htm

Madurai airport

The airport has seen an increase of 30.5% in terms of aircraft movement and 25.1% interms of passenger traffic during april 06 in comparison to april 05.

Trichy airport

The airport has seen an increase of 44.3% in terms of aircraft movement and 21.6% interms of passenger traffic during april 06 in comparison to april 05.

At present, passengers from the southern districts have to reach Chennai, Tiruchi or Thiruvananthapuram to take international flights. A major chunk of passenger traffic to the Gulf and the South East Asian nations in these airports is from south Tamil Nadu. With work on the Sethusamudram project going on in full steam and the possibility of Madurai getting an information technology park, and Nanguneri and Tuticorin special processing zones, introduction of international flights has become a necessity.

K. Ramalingam, Regional Executive Director (Southern Region), Airports Authority of India, had gone on record that except immigration facilities, all other infrastructure was available at the Madurai airport and, if required, officials could be diverted from Tiruchi and Thiruvananthapuram. This makes it lot easier to upgrade the airport without much expenditure.

As a last resort S. Rethinavelu, president, Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that In the event of the Government not being able to upgrade the airport, the possibility of having an exclusive airport, on the lines of the Kochi international airport, can be explored.

At present, passengers from the southern districts have to reach Chennai, Tiruchi or Thiruvananthapuram to take international flights. A major chunk of passenger traffic to the Gulf and the South East Asian nations in these airports is from south Tamil Nadu.

Most of these passengers are flying throught Trivandrum. The biggest population of non-professional NRI working in middle east is from Ramanathapuram District in TN and they mostly prefer to go Trivandrum.

If all goes well India might have its first regional full service carrier connecting the southern states by October this year. Air Dravida, the regional carrier of Chennai-based Premier Tours & Travels and Zircon International, a construction company with business interests in Malaysia and Singapore, will ply between the four states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala.

Air Dravida's executive director Ramachandran Iyer said, "There are no regional carriers in our country and with the congestion in the major cities, there are more prospects in regions. Air Dravida hopes to fill this gap by being a full-service carrier." He added that they were waiting for approvals from the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) and were hopeful of taking off before Diwali. "The airline plans to commence operations with a fleet of four Bombardier Canadian Regional Jet (CRJ) 200 and will connect the cities of Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Madurai and Trivandrum initially. The fleet will gradually be increased to six aircraft by the end of first year of operations. The investment would be only about Rs 80 crores as the aircraft will be taken on lease," explained Iyer, adding, "Investment is not much because we are leasing the aircraft. Besides the type of aircraft we have selected does not require too much ground or ramp equipment.” The 50-seater, single economy class will have daily flights with its major hubs at Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

According to Iyer, the airline will rely on leading GDS, travel agents and websites as their distribution channels. He believes that the growth in the regional sectors is exponential and with other legacy carriers having limitations on frequencies in these small sectors, Air Dravida hopes to cash in on the opportunity.

http://www.expresstravelworld.com/200607/market13.shtml

The Centre proposed to set up a commercial harbour at Colachel in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, Union Shipping Minister T R Baalu said yesterday.

Talking to reporters at Colachel after discussing with officials the feasibility of developing natural harbour there, he said work had already started on a fishing harbour at a cost of Rs 23.50 crore in Colachel.

He said the work on Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project was progressing in full swing and 61 lakh cubic metres of sand had been desilted. The work would be completed by November 2008.

Baalu said a plan for expansion of the outer harbour in Tuticorin at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore would be taken up. A platform for loading and unloading at a cost of Rs 440 crore would also be constructed.

http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7B0AF1C1BB-F6C9-4A01-8C57-3753103809C0%7D&CATEGORYNAME=Tamil+Nadu

Madhucon Projects has signed a concession agreement with National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for a Rs 8.2-billion build-operate-and-transfer (BOT) project in the Madurai-Tuticorin region.

The project would be executed after investing Rs 8.2 billion and would involve a concession period of 20 years along with a positive grant of Rs 1.45 billion.
Madhucon would design, engineer, finance, construct, operate and maintain the 138.80 km to 264.50 km segment of National Highway 45B.

Earlier, the company was awarded a similar NHAI comprehensive national highway project for the Thanjavur-Trichy section in June 2006.

The company is the flagship company of the Madhucon Group involved in businesses such as construction of national and state highways; bridges; turnkey projects; irrigation projects including dams, canals and power houses and coal benefication plants.

http://www.myiris.com/newsCentre/newsPopup.php?fileR=20060719170322093&dir=2006/07/19&secID=livenews

Funds for third and fourth stages of Vaigai reclamation

MADURAI : The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has sanctioned funds for the third and fourth stages of reclamation of the Vaigai being taken up under the National River Conservation Programme.

The Union Minister for Environment, A. Raja, sanctioned Rs 17.46 crore on Tuesday to take up work under third and final phases of the project. The scheme envisages restoration of the Vaigai to its old glory by streamlining the underground drainage system in the city and strengthening the river's banks. Effluents would not be allowed to enter the river.

New effluent treatment plants would be constructed under the third phase of the scheme. Work on interception and diversion of sewage would be taken up in the fourth phase. According to a press release issued here by the Additional Private Secretary to the Minister for Environment and Forests, Aseervatham Achary, the funds allocated included the share of the Ministry for Urban Development.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/19/stories/2006071923490300.htm

MADURAI: The Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT) has agreed in principle to set up an Information Technology (IT) Park in Madurai.

Talking to reporters here on Wednesday, its Managing Director, C. Umashankar, said two pieces of land — 280 acres on Madurai Kamaraj University campus and 55 acres near Mattuthavani Integrated Bus Stand — identified by the district administration for establishing the IT Park and TIDEL Park respectively were conducive for the projects. Steps would be taken to obtain Special Economy Zone status for the two sites.

The Temple City had enormous potential for the growth of IT sector. Though the proposed IT Park would take at least two years to become fully operational, the Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TNCCI) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) had identified buildings that would either be bought or taken on lease to accommodate IT firms as a stopgap arrangement.

Films on Madurai

In order to market IT potential of Madurai, ELCOT had planned to make two films capturing the salient features of the city. "We have an excellent road network, air connectivity, important railway junction among other facilities to facilitate major players in the industry to have their establishments here. Tuticorin Port is also nearby. The process of establishing the IT Park has been set in motion."

Mr. Umashankar said there would be no "bureaucratic" delay since there were adequate funds and both the land belonged to the Government. In Coimbatore, special economic zone status was obtained to develop IT infrastructure on 29 acres. The ELCOT had offered to allocate 10 acres to WIPRO. Madurai.Com, an IT event, would be organised soon in association with the TNCCI and CII, he said. Collector T. Udhaychandran was also present.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/20/stories/2006072019140300.htm

Two pieces of land — 280 acres on Madurai Kamaraj University campus and 55 acres near Mattuthavani Integrated Bus Stand — identified by the district administration for establishing the IT Park and TIDEL Park respectively

The site near the integrated bus stand which is north of madurai would be perfect for the TIDEL park as it would be either on or near the NH 45B which soon would be a 4 lane highway. There would be easy access to the Madurai airport through the ring road which is very near by and it would take not more than 20 mins to get to airport through it.

The madurai kamaraj university site for the IT park is located on the madurai - theni road 10 kms to the west of madurai.

Hope SEZ status is given at the earliest to these 2 sites.

Though the proposed IT Park would take at least two years to become fully operational, the Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TNCCI) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) had identified buildings that would either be bought or taken on lease to accommodate IT firms as a stopgap arrangement.

This seems to be a good idea as Madurai has no time to waste.

MADURAI: The Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT) has identified Madurai for establishing the `Disaster Recovery Centre.'

The reasons: the city is geographically strong; it has untapped potential for Information Technology companies to grow; and the stage is set for the IT Park and the TIDEL Park to come up in a couple of years.

According to ELCOT Managing Director C. Umashankar, the `Disaster Recovery Centre', evolved under the National e-Governance Action Plan, will be a back-up mechanism to the `State Data Centre' coming up in Chennai that will contain all information pertaining to the Government and its functions.

A Wide Area Network (WAN) was in the making, and Madurai will have high-power (8 mega bytes) online connectivity to Chennai and other districts, facilitating voice, video and data communication.

'Connect-2006'

Mr. Umashankar said the Tata Consultancy Services would manage the `Disaster Recovery Centre' on a Build, Operate and Transfer basis.

The ELCOT would organise `Connect-2006' in the United Kingdom, the United States and China in September to showcase Madurai as an ideal destination. "The ELCOT will provide expertise, leadership and funds for these projects."

http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/20/stories/2006072018110800.htm

MADURAI: The Electronics Corporation of TamilNadu (ELCOT) has proposed to create a disaster recovery centre (DRC) in Madurai, as an alternative to the data centre proposed at Perungudi in Chennai, said its Managing Director, C Umashankar.

“Madurai being safer for investments due to its geological condition, it is ideal to set up DRC here,” he told press persons. Establishing the centre would send a positive signal to IT majors about the resource potential of the city, he added.

The objective of establishing a data centre is to create backbone infrastructure to offer managed services of e-governance while the DRC would serve as a supportive data centre in the event of any disaster.

According to him, the centre would be created on a BOT (Build, Operate and Transfer) model on the lines of TamilNadu State Wide Area Network (TNSWAN). ELCOT, he said, was in the process of implementing the TNSWAN project, a backbone connectivity network for the State, as part of National e-Governance Plan.

The IP-based network would be implemented down to the taluk and block headquarters, he said and added that the connectivity would be established through 2mbps channels for the application of voice and data from district headquarters to taluk and block-level offices in each district while the district collectors’ offices would be equipped with video-conferencing facilities too.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20060720034216&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+-+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0

Though already posted since more was said about the disaster recovery center in this news i have posted it.

Happy to see this land identification for IT parks.

Is it cleared by Central and STate government? Who is building it?

or seperate lands have been given for IT-companies?

Expecting further progress for IT-parks in Madurai.

Happy to see this land identification for IT parks.

Is it cleared by Central and STate government? Who is building it?

or seperate lands have been given for IT-companies?

Expecting further progress for IT-parks in Madurai.

In TV news the ELCOT personal said both places, one next MKU univ and other closer to Mattuthavani bus station will be good. He kind of meant both will be used.

Talking to reporters here on Wednesday ELCOT Managing Director, C. Umashankar, said two pieces of land — 280 acres on Madurai Kamaraj University campus and 55 acres near Mattuthavani Integrated Bus Stand — identified by the district administration for establishing the IT Park and TIDEL Park respectively were conducive for the projects. Steps would be taken to obtain Special Economy Zone status for the two sites.

Its clear from the above statement of ELCOT managing director that both lands are being considered. The MKU land is for setting up an IT park and the land near integrated bus stand for setting up a TIDEL park.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/21/stories/2006072118460500.htm

CII calls for promoting State's capability with investors

Special Correspondent

Industry body urges Government to enhance infrastructure





CHENNAI: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on Thursday urged the State Government to set up a `Tamil Nadu Manufacturing Competitive Council'. They also asked for setting up of a panel comprising top Government officials and captains of the industry with a mandate to create "Brand Tamil Nadu", besides marketing the State's capabilities to potential investors.

Chairman of the CII-Tamil Nadu Sanjay Jayavarthanavelu said in a statement here that the organisation in its pre-budget proposals to the Government had called for efforts to enhance infrastructure for creating manufacturing and satellite hubs, export cum service hubs and tourism corridors in the southern districts. He also urged the Government to create 25 new clusters for industries in textile and automobile sectors. The move would spur rapid industrial growth, he said.

The CII, in its proposals, identified huge potential for Madurai to emerge as a manufacturing hub with Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram and Tirunelveli as satellite hubs.

These infrastructure development projects would give major thrust to the growth of automobile, textiles, rubber, ITES-BPO and tourism sectors in the southern districts, Mr. Jayavarthanavelu said.

The need for launching the Automotive Parks of India Scheme, creating an academy for construction and introducing selective reforms of labour laws and related legislation were among the proposals made by the CII-Tamil Nadu, he said.

Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited (BHEL) is planning to pump in Rs 2 million for upgradation and modernisation of its complex at Trichy, reports Business Standard.

The company is in the process of upgrading its various units across the country in order to tap the business potential available in the industry sector and projects segment.

The firm already has orders worth Rs 6 billion from railways for producing EMUs, traction equipment for coaches manufactured at its integral coach factory, Chennai, and equipment for metro railway systems planned in cities like Mumbai and Bangalore.

Besides, the Rs 3 million expansion project at its Jhansi plant had already started. Post expansion, the plant would have an additional capacity to manufacture transformers and motors. The project is expected to be completed in one year.

Presently, the order book of the company is worth more than 7 million.

http://www.myiris.com/newsCentre/newsPopup.php?fileR=20060721083253043&dir=2006/07/21&secID=livenews

The above news is a bit confusing the title says Rs 2 bn but inside it says Rs 2 mn. I guess it must be 2 mn cos the other expansion plan at jhansi is 3 mn.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) today urged the Tamil Nadu Government to focus on infrastructure to create Manufacturing and Satellite Hubs, Export-cum-Service Hubs, Knowledge, and Tourism Corridors in the Southern Districts.

It also urged the Government to create 25 rpt 25 new clusters for industries, such as, Textiles and Automobile across the State.

CII Tamil Nadu Chairman Sanjay Jayavarthanavelu said the CII in its Pre-Budget proposals to the Government, had identified huge potential for Madurai to emerge as a manufacturing Hub with Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram and Tirunelveli as Satellite Hubs, Tuticorin as Export-cum-Service Hub, Madurai, Tirunelveli and Virudhunagar as Knowledge Corridors and Madurai, Kanniyakumari and Ramanathapuram as Tourism Corridors.

The development of these industrial hubs and corridors in the State, would spur rapid industrial growth, he added.

The key infrastructure projects to be taken up by the State included the development of Tuticorin port, six-lane connectivity between the manufacturing and export hubs, IT Park in Madurai and developing key satellite industries.

CII believed that these infrastructure development projects, would give major thrust to the growth of automobile, textiles, rubber, ITES-BPO, and tourism sector in Madurai, Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli, Sivagangai, Virudhunagar and Tuticorin.

Further, the Government could take advantage of the natural cluster formation such as the fabrication cluster in Trichy, textile processing and chemicals in Cuddalore, foundry and auto component in Coimbatore, rubber and auto component in Madurai.

There was also a potential to create 25 new industry and region specific clusters.

http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20060721/397741.html

Hope these Tidel and ELCOT parks get the foundation stones laid ASAP. They should start the process earnestly so that the parks will be functional in 2 years time.

Port identifies land for power project

Tuticorin: N. K. Raghupathy, Chairman, Tuticorin Port Trust, said the port has identified 75 hectares of land within its jurisdiction for the proposed 1,000 MW power plant project to be established by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board here shortly.

"Besides the current offer, we had provided land for the 2 x 500 MW power project, which the TNEB would set up here in association with Neyveli Lignite Corporation, which would come during the next few years," he said while addressing a function held here recently to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of port being declared as a major port.

To provide an efficient seaport and logistics, inner harbour development projects would be carried out at a cost of Rs. 442 crore, which includes deepening the channel and harbour basin to cater to 12.8-metre draught vessel.

"We had received the environmental clearance from the Centre recently and the project would be completed soon. To improve efficiency, old cranes at Berth 1 and 2 were going to be replaced by a 10 tonne and 6 tonne cranes," he said.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/22/stories/2006072218490300.htm

TN Budget 2006-2007:

For Madurai/Trichy/South TN:

1. 70 crores to be spent on Madurai City roads
2. Termina Market at Madurai
3. New Technical university at Trichy in the lines of Anna Univ at Chennai.
4. Cold storage at Theni
5. Kudankulam I to start functioning from this year end.

***SAD! NO MENTION ABOUT IT parks.

Please post the link to these info if you have found it online.

TN Budget 2006-2007:

For Madurai/Trichy/South TN:

1. 70 crores to be spent on Madurai City roads
2. Termina Market at Madurai
3. New Technical university at Trichy in the lines of Anna Univ at Chennai.
4. Cold storage at Theni
5. Kudankulam I to start functioning from this year end.

***SAD! NO MENTION ABOUT IT parks.
May be the link is this, the informations are in Tamil.

Hopefully the 70 crore is only for the new ring road, but not for all roads. Thats kind of cool, cos already existing ring road is fantastic and hopefully new ring road will completely stop the traffic congession inside the city. No stress passing traffic enter the city at all.


http://www.dinamalar.com/

Thanx for the link madurai selvam. The 70 crore Rs has been allocated for the 2nd phase of the ring road only. There will be an export center in madurai. Then Rs 12 Crore has been allocated for flood prevention. I guess they will strengthen the vaigai river banks and would complete the road network along the banks with that amount.

TN Budget 2006-2007:

3. New Technical university at Trichy in the lines of Anna Univ at Chennai.

I believe that they are talking about a technical university, and not an engineering college. I doubt this would happen, chances are less.

Then what about the one also promised at coimbatore?.

Then what about the one also promised at coimbatore?.

The Govt College of Technology (GCT) which is now the nodal agency of Anna Univ for Western TN will probably be made an independent technical university.

I believe that they are talking about a technical university, and not an engineering college. I doubt this would happen, chances are less.


lets be optimistic that the DMK government will deliver on its promises. What happened to the aviation university at madurai promised by jayalalitha?. What would be the educational research center in MKU really like?.

I believe that they are talking about a technical university, and not an engineering college. I doubt this would happen, chances are less.

As i heard from some adminstrative personal from AU, they are planning to have sub administration for the technical studies in the state. Which implies they would like to split the work with some University with similair set up. so possibly could bring up a Technical university at Mdu and Coimb.

For administation of 220 odd engg colleges TN govt decided to divide into 3 zones

They are:

1. Chennai - Anna university
2. Coimbatore -Proposed Technical Univ
3. Trichy - Proposed Technical Univ

Now Anna univ controls are coll with 7 zones, they are:

1.Chennai I, 2.Chennai II, 3.Chennai - III, 4.Chennai IV, 5. GCT-Coimbatore 6. GCE-Salem 7. AC - Karaikuddi 8. TCE-Madurai 9. GCE- Tirunelveli.

Though there are 9 zones, AU is fully responsible for
1. Conducting exams 2.Paper correction 3. Re-evaluation, 4. Degree certificate etc.,

But now... CBE and Salem zone will be merged and it will come under New Technical Univ-CBE. It will function independent... i.e it will conduct its own examination, paper correction, degree certificate etc.,

Madurai, Karaikuddi and Tirunelveli zone will be merged and will come under the control of new tech nuniv-Trichy.

AU will control othet Chennai zones colleges.

These info. i got from one of my friend in GCE-Salem.

Anna University already has 3 nodal agency for
1. Conducting exams
2.Paper correction &
3. Re-evaluation

They are:

1. Chennai - College of Guindy
2. Coimbatore -Govt college of Technology
3. Madurai - Thiagarajar college of Engg (i think their power is limited)

TCE is a govt-aided private college, the govt has not taken it completely and Trichy does not have any govt college so i wonder how they are going to set up a technical university in Madurai or Trichy.

FYI, entire TN engg colleges have same question papers for exams, same date of examination etc., It is controlled by COE of AU-Chennai and not by GCT-CBE.

For paper correction alone all 9 zones interchange and then correct.

GCT-CBE does not have any power to fix up the dates of examination.

GCT-CBE, GCE-Salem, GCE-Nellai, ACT-Karaikuddi, TCE-Madurai all have same power in managing the self-financing colleges.

The madurai trichy region thread has reached 6000 views in little more than 4 months. It would be nice if all the viewers do their bit in contributing with posts pertaining to this thread .

Tuticorin Port's power project

Tuticorin Port Trust (TPT) has identified 75 acres of land within its jurisdiction for the 1,000 MW power plant project proposed to be established by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB). Stating this while addressing a function to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the port, held here recently, the TPT Chairman, Mr N.K. Raghupathy, further said, land has also been provided for the 2x500 MW project that would be set up by TNEB in association with Neyveli Lignite Corporation. A project at a cost of Rs 442 crore would be taken up to provide an efficient sea port, for which environmental clearance has been received from the Central Government, he added.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/07/25/stories/2006072503041900.htm

Since Aviation University was proposed by previous government, it will not happen in this tenure for sure. This government is not even willing to talk about it.
I guess the State budget clearly neglected Madurai apart from the 70 Crores Road projects. I am not sure why Madurai was left out while establishing technological universities.

Multi-media team visits MKU

Tuesday July 25 2006 16:33 IST
MADURAI: A Chennai-based multi-media team videographed Madurai Kamaraj University on behalf of Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT) on Monday.
Aimed at transforming the Temple City into an Information Technology hub, the ELCOT, as a first step towards marketing Madurai on national and international platforms, is making a video film to capture the salient features of the city.
As part of its film project, the team shot the Madurai Kamaraj University campus and interviewed its Vice-Chancellor P Maruthamuthu. The district administration has identified 280 acres of land on MKU campus for creating an IT park and the ELCOT too has given its in-principle nod for the site following which preliminary steps have begun.
On the first phase, a multi-media team headed by Suresh Menon studied the infrastructure facilities of the university that has been accorded the University with Potential for Excellence by the University Grants Commission.
The Vice-Chancellor explained the salient features of the varsity and furnished details about the number of departments functioning under it, the students’ strength of the varsity, number of autonomous colleges, approved institutions, self-financing colleges and others coming under its purview.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20060725061141&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+%2D+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=%2D375&