http://img393.imageshack.us/img393/4332/cochintoirq6.jpg

Le Meridien
photo originaly posted by pramodusnair in SSP India.

http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/9697/lemeridiencochinuq4.jpg

View from KTDC Hotel, Bolgatty Island. The u/c building is by KM Trading and the white one is Abad Marine Plaza

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/4190/dsc02968eu6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/8784/dsc02972yd7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Photos copyright Deepak

Bridge at marinedrive..

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/1497/marinebridgeia9.jpg

Walkway...shot from bridge...

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/4766/walkwaypu1.jpg

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!. I'm speechless. Honestly, Cochin must be rated above Hyd & B'lore easily.
Photos copyright Deepak
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/1497/marinebridgeia9.jpg
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/4766/walkwaypu1.jpg

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/3050/4613834418e43997445oqp2.jpg

Wow! They should build these in Mumbai too.

:lol: At last it is going to happen. Congratulations !!!!!!!!! Real estate prices are going to go up. Can anyone please comment on the immediate effect on the value of the properties at Chembumukku.

Thanks

Thiruvananthapuram, PTI:

TECOM, which runs the Dubai Internet City, is expected to lure world IT and ICT majors to the Kochi project.

In its effort to make Kerala a major IT destination, the state government today signed an agreement with Dubai-based TECOM for setting up Smart City IT park at Kochi. Marking the culmination of long-drawn negotiations, the pact for the joint venture project was signed by Executive Chairman of Dubail Media and Technology Freezone Authority (TECOM), Ahmed bin Byat and state Chief Secretary Lizzie Jacob.
Chief Minister V S Achuthandnan, who re-negotiated and salvaged the project from where it was left by the previous UDF ministry, was present when the pact was inked at the state-run Mascot hotel.
The project aims to create a world-class IT and ICT base at a 246-acre area with an estimated initial investment of Rs 1500 crore to make Kochi a major hub of knowledge industry, generating 90,000 jobs. The vital clause of the agreement pertained to the 246 acres of prime land leased to the company for 99 years. The state would have an initial stake of 16 per cent in the venture, to be raised to 26 per cent subsequently and its nominee would chair the board.
TECOM, which runs the Dubai Internet City, is expected to lure world IT and ICT majors to the Kochi project.


http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/May132007/scroll200705131413.asp?section=scrollingnews

Anybody got snaps or updates of the eviction drive going on in MG Road???

I got these a few days back in email.
http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/6609/image4441ht5.jpg
http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/6927/image4481ow9.jpg
http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/1720/image4491jf1.jpg

^^ - Slightly messy, but long overdue most citizens would say! Hope this results in Cochin's congested roads getting better. :okay:

very true ajay, the eviction drive is a lil messy but long over due.. hopefully this should make the roads better... or atleast broader and/or provide more parking space...

^^ I read in the paper that now the MG Road could actually be developed into a broader one!

http://i7.************/4z8y99c.jpg
Great to know that...:banana: I never thought that MG Road could be developed as it has become almost saturated with multistoried modern structures. It is really the retail haven of Kerala and it would be a boon to have a 6 lane avenue all along the 4km stretch from Thevara to North.

Read the news about eviction here.
http://epaper.manoramaonline.com/source/transparent.gif

^^ this is awesome...like everyone else, even i never expected anything close to this... strong backing from the gov and a determined workforce is making all the difference...:applause: since i m not in cochin right now.. hoping to drive down a wider/broader/better MG ROAD when i get back for holidays....

btw does any1 have shots of the munnar eviction which is kinda in full swing right now... i know its irrelevant in this thread but just curious..

^^ - Remains to be seen if it will be anything more than positive thinking. :ohno: At best we can hope for some widening of key roads under the JNURM project. I think there is a plan which mimics the Capital City Road Development Project in Trivandrum. Hope they plan it better, especially in terms of land acquisition.:bash: Looking forward to more good roads.

Stay tuned! :)

Dont know if this comes here or some other thread...

some new projects coming up in Cochin.. don't have more details

Cochin Media City

http://i12.************/6bxcr4k.jpg

Park View, Convent Road - 16 floors

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A hotel-cum-mall Admiral Plaza, Palarivattom - BCG builders

http://i11.************/5yx11l3.jpg

Aerens GoldSouk mall, Vyttila - 450,000 sqft

http://i16.************/66e8kuw.jpg

Dreams Hotel - 19 storeyed

http://i10.************/65zamu9.jpg

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today gave its approval for undertaking the Project for Rs.557.0 crore for providing 4 lane NH Connectivity to the proposed International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) at Vallarpadam, Cochin, Kerala using cess funds.
This project has been undertaken as per commitment given to the Licensee of ICTT. Being a first Container Transshipment Terminal in India, considerable savings in transshipment cost currently incurred via third country ports (Colombo) are expected.

The Project will be implemented by NHAI and is to be completed within a period of 30 months and will be commencing from April, 2007.

In January, 2005, the Cabinet approved the proposal for development and operation of International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) in Cochin on Build Operate and Transfer (BOT basis). Accordingly, Cochin Port Trust signed a license agreement on 31.01.2005 with M/s. India Gateway Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of Dubai Port International, UAE. As per License Agreement, provision of 4 Lane NH connectivity inter-alia is a condition precedent. Accordingly, the Cabinet has now approved a Project for 4 lane NH Connectivity at a cost of Rs.557.0 crore.

The Mumbai based Larsen & Toubro Ltd. is planning to invest a whopping Rs 8,000 crore in Indian real estate and urban infrastructure over next three to five years. The company will make investments through its subsidiary L&T Infrastructure Development Project Ltd (L&T-IDPL).

Taking a cue from soaring demand for commercial and residential projects in India, the company expects to carve out substantial niche for itself in growing market. It envisages leveraging its strength in engineering and construction to build an excellent urban infrastructure. The main focus area will be emerging cities including Chennai, Hyderabad, Vizag, Bangalore, and Kochi. HDFC has a 25% stake in L&T – IDPL, and would also be contributing to the investment.

L&T Ltd. has already invested Rs 700 crore in real estate and urban infrastructure projects. The management will also be investing an additional amount over Rs 500 crore in the business this year. It’s another subsidiary IDPL, L&T Urban Infrastructure, will take up the urban projects. Different real estate projects are likely to generate revenue of Rs 2,500 crore annually, as per the estimations set by L&T.

The projects will be executed in a phased manner, with each under different special purpose vehicles (SPVs). The company has planned to first make a foray into residential market of Chennai, Vishakapatnam and Colombo. It also has an integrated township in Chandigarh in its pipeline. The project will be taken in association with a local builder.

Investments in Kerala real estate promise high returns in the wake of upcoming constructions. Kerala, emerging as one of the progressive states thus beckons the prospective investors from all walks of life.

Following is the projected expansion for Kochi as per the respective master plans:


Kochi

Present Area (in sq km):264

Expected Area Expansion (in sq km):731 :omg:

Earmarked Year: By 2026 :soon: ???

Formal approvals received for SEZ Kochi, for the IT/ITES Sector. Proposed IT Park

http://i9.************/4qhk8so.jpg

Purva Eternity, Kakkanad, Kochi

http://i10.************/6eyirea.jpg

Purva Grandbay, Marine Drive, Kochi

http://i12.************/53khnuq.jpg

2 New Hotel's both 5 star

Hotel Cochin-I Airport
Rooms:110
Expected Date of Completion: 2010

Hotel Cochin II City(location unknown)
Rooms:100
Expected Date of Completion: 2010

Smart City Plot Layout

http://i12.************/6fuf042.jpg

Office Space

http://i13.************/66dii60.jpg

(Note: The construction of the Built-up area as mentioned in table above that has to commence in a year will be completed within three years of year of commencement of construction.)

^^- Good updates, mate. TECOM has stated it will take atleast a year to come out with even the high-level Master Plan. So this seems to be a very rough estimate at best. So let's wait till then.

The Gold Souk is another project which has been hanging fire for a long while now. Despite is launch 2 years ago, it still remains at the piling stage when I passed by the site a month ago. I hope it gets going soon. :okay:

Also awaiting more details of the Parsvnath project, which has been on the cards for three years now. Looks like a biggie. :)

A peek view of the tower with the CSE in front

http://i19.************/4qr5z5j.jpg

Photo by Deepak

New international cruise terminal

The Board of the Cochin Port Trust has approved appointment of MIR Projects and Consultants based here and its associate, U.S.-based TranSystems, as consultants for the international cruise terminal project.

The consortium will evolve a business plan and submit a feasibility report within four months, said a spokesman for the trust.

The terminal is being built as tourist-cum-public facility. The increasing importance of Kochi as a world-class cruise destination has made the trust think of building a world-class terminal.

The feasibility report will be forwarded to the Union Ministry for Shipping to get approvals for calling bids for the project, the spokesman said.

On the drawing board for more than three years now, the terminal project is being envisaged on a public-private partnership model. The project is part of the Union Ministry's National Maritime Development Programme.

According to the current plans, the bidding process will end by the first half of 2008 and the terminal can be commissioned by August 2010. The trust has earmarked about five hectares of waterfront land for the terminal and a plaza with a wide variety of facilities, including trade exhibition and cultural centres.

The project envisages construction of a modern cruise jetty of about 200 metres quay length, in continuation of the existing 917-metre long Ernakulam wharf, and construction of world-class cruise terminal complex-cum-multi-purpose public plaza.

The project is proposed to be developed through public-private partnership model, either on BOT or JV basis. The project is identified under the National Maritime Development Programme.


An article by the GOK
The last decade has witnessed a remarkable spurt in the growth of the tourism sector in India and at a much faster pace compared to all other industries. Kerala has been in the forefront among all other states in India
in cashing on this boom and has taken insurmountable strides in the development of the tourism sector.

Not to be left behind Cochin Port, the omnipotent entity in the economic visage of Kerala has taken lead informulating innovative business strategies to contribute significantly in this development process. Although the traditional role of the Indian ports is restricted to handling cargo and vessels, the increasing competition that the globalisation brought along, has compelled each port to look for alternative ventures to sustain growth. Drawing from its natural advantage of being cradled in the “God’s Own Country” as well as on the maritime highway connecting the Far East and Australia to Europe Cochin Port has embarked upon ambitious business strategy to project itself as a major cruise destination in the region. These efforts have met with overwhelming response.

Kerala interspersed with a labyrinth of waterways meandering through the bounty of nature. Seizing this initiative, the Port Authorities are interacting with the Inland Waterways Authorities to develop the inland waterways in Kerala - both to evolve an alternate logistics route to offer connectivity to the cargo generated in the Port’s hinterland as well as to boost tourism to the state. Considering that the cruise traffic to the port has been on increase and also encashing on the growing international tourist influx to Kerala, Cochin Port intends to gear up to improve upon its’ services and develop the infrastructure so as to suit to the requirements of increased cruise traffic and passengers alike. It is felt that there are enough potentials at Cochin Port to not only cater to the cruise passengers but also to act as a crew change over port.

Towards this end, the Port proposes to set up an exclusive passenger terminal of comparable international standard. The estimated cost for setting up a passenger terminal would be in the range of Rs. 55- 60 crores. It is proposed to set up the passenger terminal jointly with State Government, Government of India and Cochin Port Trust with stakes of 26%, 26% and 25% respectively. The balance equity will be sold to the private firm, who will operate the terminal.

This is different from the previous post which is about the Cruise Terminal and this about the plaza which is likely to come up... a whole lot of projects proposed around the ports.. lets wait and see what happens in a couple of years....


The government-owned Kochi port is planning to build a public plaza inside the port.

Kochi Port Trust chief engineer, Mr J Kartikeyan, said: “The plaza will come up alongside the new cruise terminal being built. It will bring Kerala to cruise passengers who don’t want to go into town. (There will be) shopping stalls, tourism-related local items on display and sale, a performance area and a hotel.”

The number of tourists travelling on cruise ships to Kochi rose 50 per cent to 16,018 in 2006/07 from 11,563 a year earlier. Thirty-eight cruise ships called at the port between April 2006 and March 2007.

Mr Kartikeyan said: “Cruise arrivals constitute only 50 days in a year. Hence we’ll make the plaza attractive for even the locals to visit throughout the year.”

Kochi Port Trust has already obtained four hectares of land on a 30-year lease. Work on the US$73 million project is expected to start in early-2008 and be completed by end-2009. – Anand and Madhura Katti

A peek view of the tower with the CSE in front

http://i19.************/4qr5z5j.jpg

Photo by Deepak

The Muthoot IT Park is fabulous!:cheers:
Wonder if the revolving restaurant proposed on the top floor is functional now...And which is that u/c structure in the background? seems to be the PVS Hospital building. I was staying near the hospital when I was in Cochin, and they had big plans to build a new 16 storied commercial-cum-hospital complex facing the highway.

^^ scorpiogeni: i currently don't have updates on those right now, as i m not in Cochin right now..hopefully some one will enlighten us on that soon....

another project i found which i presume is a little old but anyway check out the image below..

i have heard 2 names for this.. Oasis and also The Cove... don't know which one for sure..


http://h1.ripway.com/goodwill/Cochin/UnitechoasisCOCHIN-KOCHI3pg003.jpg

Took this while i was down in India for a short visit....MG Road taken in front of Avenue Regent (Feb 2007)


http://i13.************/4op85ys.jpg

http://i16.************/4lhxa2o.jpg

Took this while i was down in India for a short visit....MG Road taken in front of Avenue Regent (Feb 2007)


http://i13.************/4op85ys.jpg

http://i14.************/6cqj6yx.jpg

SILICON DRIVE BY SFS

http://i14.************/4m7cavc.jpg

Purva Moonreach - Sky Homes on Seaport - Airport Road, Kochi.

http://www.puravankara.com/projects/moonreach/images/eyelevel.jpg

http://www.puravankara.com/projects/moonreach/images/keyplan.jpg

^^ Purva Moonreach is astounding!!!!!

Cochin is arguably second only to Mumbai when it comes to residential highrises!!Where else in India can you find projects of such magnitude(in terms of height) propping up so consistantly...Great find Dr Know...:)

Prakrriti

http://i12.************/4ml3qxd.jpg
Building View

http://i16.************/4tqa1zs.jpg
Garden View

http://i11.************/6cgmxwl.jpg
Swimming Pool

http://i7.************/62f9z43.jpg
Front Elevation

IndiGo Airways

IndiGo Airways will be commencing their flight operations to/from Cochin International Airport with effect from 01-07-2007.

IndiGo Airways is a private domestic low-cost airline based in Gurgaon, India. It operates domestic services linking 12 destinations. Its main base is Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi.

http://i13.************/68b9sty.jpg

Tiger Airways

Tiger Airways are commencing their daily flight operations to/from Cochin International Airport with effect from 01-07-2007.

Tiger Airways Private Limited is a low-cost airline based in Singapore, with its primary hub at Singapore Changi Airport. Incorporated in September 2003, it is currently the largest low-cost airline operating out of Singapore in terms of passengers carried. In 2006, the airline flew 1.2 million passengers, a growth of 75% from the previous year.

http://i8.************/63aia1s.jpg

Source: cochin-airport.com & airlines.net

Kochi is all set to enter the era of big shopping malls. The new shopping trends which have caught on in a big way in other cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore will form a part of city life in Kochi too. The trends were visible as shopping complexes became bigger and bigger and supermarkets began to increasingly dot the city centres.

While Mahatma Gandhi Road, perhaps, has the most footfalls in the city on any working day, the big shopping malls that are going to dot the National Highway 47 bypass will definitely create a change in the manner in which one goes shopping. New entertainment options will open up.

Shopping malls in metro cities have completely changed the lifestyle of the urban folk, who flock the malls with multiplexes and food courts to spend an evening. A one-stop shopping place with most of the leading brands available under one roof is one of the major attraction of the big shopping malls, said C.Y.A. Razack, marketing manager of Mall O, which will be one of the first such malls to be opened in the city.

Coming up on the bypass road at Edappally, Mall O is expected to be a launch-pad for the Reliance group for its speciality store, Mr. Razak said. The group will be taking up 84,000 sq. feet of the area on three floors out of the 3,64,000 sq. ft available in the complex.
Shopping plaza

A shopping plaza by the Dubai-based Oberon group will have a garment and lifestyle products showroom and a mini hypermarket at the mall. A central glass atrium will be the focal point of the mall, where most of the promotional events will take place. All the floors will have a view into the atrium, Mr. Razak said.

There will be 14 escalators and five elevators in the mall to walk across a total of five floors, including the ground, with a spread of about 50,000 sq. ft on each floor. Safe parking spaces are one of the major facilities that attract people to shopping malls. At Mall O, there will be space to park 450 cars in two basement sections, Mr. Razak said.

A crowd of customers at the food courts in the malls will, perhaps, spell the success of the shopping malls. It will definitely be the main attraction, as the idea is to tap the urban lifestyle of combining shopping and eating out.

One of the major projects likely to dot the National Highway is the Lulu Shopping Mall. Lulu is a well-known name in the State, what with a strong NRI population familiar with the malls promoted by the Dubai-based M.K. Group.

Though the project is yet to kick-off physically, as it awaits Government nod, it will, perhaps, be one of the largest malls here. Spread over about 17 acres of land, the shopping plaza will have five-star hotels too in the 15 lakh square feet area spread over the ground, first and second floors at Edappally.

A 12-kitchen food court with an expected seating capacity of 3000 people and a seven-screen multiplex to accommodate more than 1,500 people will, perhaps, be a big lure for customers. There will be small halls with a seating capacity of 50, as also halls with a larger capacity.

Lulu is expected to open its own hypermarket with about two lakh square feet area, besides catering to five anchor shops that will be at least 30,000 sq. ft in area. Some of the big brand names are likely to pick up space in the mall, which will be able to accommodate 3,000 cars in its parking space on the surface and basement areas.

Atkins, a U.K.-based company, is said to be the architects of the commercial space that will have more than an escalator and an elevator. A travellator or a moving walkway that can carry a shopping cart will be a new facility at this mall.

Another mall on which work has already begun is the Gold Souk, again on the bypass road. This shopping bonanza from a Gurgaon-based company, Aerens Gold Souk International Ltd., is expected to be opened towards the end of next year.

According to M. Mohan Varma, resident director of the project, the company is planning to open 100 gold souks in 100 cities across the country in 100 months. Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Kozhikode will be among the cities, he added.

While work is going on at Jaipur and Ludhiana, besides Kochi, the souks in Amritsar and Chennai and Mohali will start soon. The Kochi souk will have a lower ground floor, a ground floor and five floors with a total area of 4 lakh sq. ft. on 2.43 acres of land.

While the food court is expected to bring in families, a discotheque is likely to bring in the young crowd. “We would be having a bowling alley too apart from a hypermarket, jewellery showrooms, wedding showrooms and textile showrooms,” Mr. Varma said. A high-end lifestyle shop will be a main attraction here, he added.

Though the showrooms will be leased out, the company will take up managing events in the mall, with a frequency of at least one every month. The events are likely to the USP of the mall, with celebrities from across the country taking part in some event or the other, Mr. Varma said. At Gold Souk, the parking area will be on the third, fourth and the fifth floors. A ramp and car lift will be provided to make parking and taking away the car easy. There will be space to park 400 cars, Mr. Varma said.

A number of other malls are also being planned here. Some of the major among them are the ones promoted by DLF and the Peevees group.

Source: hindu.com

May 17, 2007

KOCHI: The State Government is expected to notify in a few days acquisition of roughly 5 hectares of land from 58 families in the Edachira area of Thrikkakara panchayat for the Smart City project.

Representatives of the Government, the district administration and local units of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) reached an agreement with the evictees' forum on Monday night on the quantum of land to be given as compensation. The agreement will be discussed and approved by the Cabinet, following which it will be notified in the Gazette.

The "land-for-land" clause is being included in a compensation package for the first time in the State. Usually, when the Government acquires land, evictees are paid compensation and, occasionally, given other benefits, such as job offers.

But for the Smart City acquisition, the evictees are offered alternative land, though much smaller than that acquired from them. This is expected to set a precedent.

The Government side reached an understanding with the evictees on almost all issues to be included the compensation package. The only thorny issue that had remained was the size of the alternative land to be given. The evictees had demanded a minimum area of 0.024 hectares for each family and a maximum of 0.044 hectares.

During the discussions, they scaled down their demand, and the Government side scaled up its offer to 0.06 hectares, clinching the deal.

Now, each family will get 0.024 hectares of land "free." But 33 of them, whose lands are larger — up to 0.8 hectares in a couple of cases — , will get an additional 0.002 hectares. The Government will "sell" that to the evictees at the rate at which it will be acquiring land from them. A roughly 1-hectare piece of poramboke land has been found for these families.

Other terms

The other terms include payment of "demolition cost" to raze the houses on the properties to be acquired, "construction cost" to build houses for the evictees on the land to be assigned to them and jobs to at least one member of each family.

However, the job offer is not part of the agreement the Government has signed with the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority, promoters of the Smart City project.

Informal offers for health and education support and so on have been made to some deserving families.

source: hindu.com

Mather - Esperanza
Kakkanad
Studio-Apt.

http://www.matherprojects.com/ishowcase_images/Mather/Esperanza/1173156646662-2871342392734302047.jpg

FORT GRAND
Kakkand, Kochi

http://www.fortbuilders.net/images/FORT-GRAND-new.jpg

FORT MANOR

http://www.fortbuilders.net/images/Fort-Manor-Final-Pic.jpg

FORT VALLEY

http://www.fortbuilders.net/images/FORTVALLEY_big.jpg

Photo Credit: Sarin's (flickr)

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Photo Credit: IvorSterk (flickr)

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Photo Credit: AnupJ (flickr)

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Photo Credit: shaji sarasan (flickr)

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Photo Credit: sarose (flickr)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/171/389992739_85286a1613_b.jpg

Photo Credit: ~I*R*O*M*I~ (flickr)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/34/120361545_f759a0df3e_o.jpg

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Photo: Vipinchandran (Hindu)

http://www.hindu.com/2007/05/23/images/2007052318580101.jpg

Cochin is arguably second only to Mumbai when it comes to residential highrises!!Where else in India can you find projects of such magnitude(in terms of height) propping up so consistantly...Great find Dr Know...:)

Scorpio, Cochin is doing quite well in terms of project announcements. :) However, it is still well behind places like NCR, Kolkata or Hyderabad in terms of high-rises, especially in terms of actual construction. With their bigger fundamental markets, Tier I cities like Chennai, Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad are exploding on the skyscraper scene as well. Although we need to take a national perspective, it is encouraging to note that Kerala is starting to catch up. :okay: Hope to see more action, especially from national and international players in Kerala soon. Stay tuned!

man its good 2 get so much update

Video's from google.com

MG Road - Cochin - Encroachments' Destruction video 1 <http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4512696828987689827&q=Mg+road+kochi&pr=goog-sl&hl=en (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4512696828987689827&q=Mg+road+kochi&pr=goog-sl&hl=en>)

MG Road - Cochin - Encroachments' Destruction video 2 <http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6269067000662156725&q=Mg+road+kochi&pr=goog-sl&hl=en (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6269067000662156725&q=Mg+road+kochi&pr=goog-sl&hl=en>)


Anyone know how to embed the video's?? i tried the html code from google to embed here but that didnt work i guess html code doesnt work on the forum huh??

http://www.hindu.com/2007/06/04/images/2007060413360201.jpg
Photo: Vipin Chandran

Around 10 star-hotel projects are in the pipeline in Kochi, catering to the increasing tourist arrivals and business activity in the city.

The hotels cater to the boom in tourism, Information Technology and shipping sectors being witnessed in the State, with Kochi as the focal point. The new ventures coming up in Kochi include a hotel by Middle-East Hotels Company, that is nearing completion in Sahodaran Aiyyappan Road; a joint venture of Indroyal and Holiday Inn, work on which is on in the NH 47 bypass at Chakkaraparambu; a five-star hotel by KGA Group at Kundanoor Junction; and a star hotel of Muthoot Group, proposed in the NH 47 bypass and a project of Synthite Group, at Kumbalam.

The other prominent star hotels coming up or in the commissioning stage are the four-star sister hotel of Harbour View, at Palarivattom; Hotel Mercy's 60-room three-star property at Ravipuram; a star hotel of Abad Group in Princess Street, Fort Kochi; star cottages of Saj Group and Cafs, a state-of-the-art flight kitchen of Casino Group, both near the international airport.

It is reliably learnt that hotel chains have bought vast tracts of land in the area between Kalamassery and the Airport-Seaport Road and near the airport, to cater to increasing number of guests from the airport and IT establishments in Kakkanad.

The additional director of Kerala Tourism U V Jose says that there is need to create at least 5,000 quality hotel rooms in three years, in Kerala. "Building new hotels got an impetus last year. Where they come up too is important. The Malabar region badly needs more rooms. This is especially true of Wayanad, which is thronged during weekends by the IT crowd from Bangalore. Bekal is another developing area."

Travancore Court in Warriam Road is the latest star-hotel project to be commissioned in the city. It is promoted jointly by cine star Mohanlal and V K Mohammed Ashraf, an NRI businessman. Mohanlal is already a promoter of Harbour Market, a seafood restaurant, in Bangalore.

Kuwait-based KGA Group has ventured into the hospitality and tourism sectors in Kerala, with an initial outlay of Rs.600 crores in the next five years. The group plans to set up a Rs.220 crore five-star hotel in collaboration with Crowne Plaza of the Intercontinental Hotel Group, at Kundanoor Junction. The hotel will have 210 rooms and a conferencing facility.

Source: hindu.com

Parallel aircraft taxi by month-end

ALUVA : Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan will commission a parallel aircraft taxi track at the Cochin International Airport by the end of this month, said Fisheries Minister S. Sarma.

Mr. Sarma, who is a member of the CIAL board of directors, told reporters after a CIAL sub-committee meeting that the 3.4-km-long, 44-metere-wide full-length taxi track was built at a cost of Rs. 12.5 crores in five months.

The track was an important milestone in the future development of the airport and would help bring down the holding time of aircraft in midair for want of runway space.

The parallel track has been a longstanding demand of airlines operating through the Kochi airport, as it would help cut fuel loss by reducing the holding time of aircraft in midair.

Shriram Bharath, managing director of CIAL, said the taxi track would enable landing every two minutes by cutting down the occupancy of the runway by at least 13 minutes. This was significant, as the aircraft movement through the airport had registered tremendous increase over the years. He said the parallel taxi track would boost the airport's income by 20 per cent. On the re-introduction of user's fee, Mr. Sarma said it was a policy matter and would be discussed at the next board meeting.

Source: hindu.com

Scorpio, Cochin is doing quite well in terms of project announcements. :) However, it is still well behind places like NCR, Kolkata or Hyderabad in terms of high-rises, especially in terms of actual construction. With their bigger fundamental markets, Tier I cities like Chennai, Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad are exploding on the skyscraper scene as well. Although we need to take a national perspective, it is encouraging to note that Kerala is starting to catch up. :okay: Hope to see more action, especially from national and international players in Kerala soon. Stay tuned!

Actually Scorpio is correct .. Cochin definitely has a number of tall buildings - some already constructed and some being made, mocking at it being categorized as a Tier II city. In terms of height, many of them would be taller than the current tallest buildings in cities such as Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad .. you name it and will be comparable in height to the tall structures of Bangalore and Gurgaon/ NCR. In Pune, the maximum you see would be 12 or 13 floors. Only Mumbai will have existing taller buildings - and also some of the newer buildings in Kolkatta - crossing the 30 floor mark. Obviously many cities in India now have many 20 plus storey buildings either being constructed/ planned, the same height some of the Cochin buildings have already reached.

Actually Scorpio is correct .. Cochin definitely has a number of tall buildings - some already constructed and some being made, mocking at it being categorized as a Tier II city. In terms of height, many of them would be taller than the current tallest buildings in cities such as Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad .. you name it and will be comparable in height to the tall structures of Bangalore and Gurgaon/ NCR. In Pune, the maximum you see would be 12 or 13 floors. Only Mumbai will have existing taller buildings - and also some of the newer buildings in Kolkatta - crossing the 30 floor mark. Obviously many cities in India now have many 20 plus storey buildings either being constructed/ planned, the same height some of the Cochin buildings have already reached.

True, Bangalore, but the criteria for Tier II is more along the size, population and relative economic power of the city not on the height of its buildings. In these parameters, Cochin lags far behind the metros and the likes of Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad. So while not disputing the fact that it has seen a remarkable number of mid and highrises for mid-sized city, there can be no comparison to a metro or a Tier I city. :)

I have often seen hype claiming that Ernakulam is second to Mumbai, hilarious stuff indeed.:lol: Leave alone the tier I cities, large projects like Lanco Hills in Hyderabad or the mega-townships coming up close to Tier-I cities would have more 30-plus floor high-rises than any of Kerala's cities. Eventhough the geographical constraints that the city of Ernakulam faces has fueled highrise development, in a miniature of the situation in Mumbai, it would be nonsensical to claim anything more. :)

In fact, I would prefer a green city any day to a concrete jungle! :okay:. I would like Kerala's cities like Trivandrum or Cochin to develop more along those lines! :)

http://www.mallo.in/img/branch.jpg

Interior Design Renders

http://www.mallo.in/img/Mall-O-View-001_b.jpg

http://www.mallo.in/img/Mall-O-View-002_b.jpg

http://www.mallo.in/img/Mall-O-View-003_b.jpg

http://www.mallo.in/img/Mall-O-View-004_b.jpg

http://www.mallo.in/img/Mall-O-View-005_b.jpg

Construction Photos

http://www.mallo.in/updates/1_b.jpg

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New proposed satellite township...

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/2210/jtlfr2.jpg

http://www.jtlcity.com/jtlcity.htm

^^ - Superb updates, buddy. Where are these two projects coming up? :) Btw, who is supposed to be developing this township?

^^
As mentioned on the company site..

The location of the project identified as an undisturbed and serene place, which is slightly away from the crowded city space of the metro. It is 6 km away from Vyttila, the heart of the city towards Tripunithura and only 1.2 Kms away from Tripunithura Main Road & NH 17 (Trpa - Vaikkom Road) & very near to proposed Kochi-Madurai highway. The location is ideally suited for villas with water frontage view. It has got all infrastructure facilities to have a smooth homely life.

This might have been posted here.. i just happened to come across this right now.. so just sharing it ... couldnt find a higher resolution...

the text is not clear..:ohno:

http://i16.************/5xy83gp.jpg

Dr-know!!!!!!!! the JTL CITY!!!!
this is an awsome find!!
A project of maaaaaaaaaaassive scale.... The waterbody is artificial isnt it? the river seems to flow nowhere. But 48 acres and 18 towers of about 20 floors height, surely the biggest residential project in the state so far!:banana:

Wow!!!!!!! just caught my eye. nice. Built it already. why wait. :cheers:

New proposed satellite township...
http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/2210/jtlfr2.jpg
http://www.jtlcity.com/jtlcity.htm

wow jtlcity is really fantastic:cheers:

Nice update on Infopark.

Went through the JTL site. The firm seems to be a piling contractor, a new entrant into the real estate business. I hope they can pull this off, but I will have a large pinch of salt handy. Impressive plan, anyways. :okay: However, the site only mentions villas and makes no mention of the apartments shown in the persp, wonder what the plan is?

Heard from a reliable :) source that Mall O - retail space sale was on in Dubai.. the Oberon group based there had called in a meeting with prospective buyers.. Heard some of the retail space was sold for Rs 85 Lac..:nuts: don't know the size of it.. couldn't get more info.. will keep all updated as i know..

Nice article from Tharoor

http://www.hindu.com/mag/2007/06/10/stories/2007061050040300.htm


I met Antony Prince, a Malayali long settled in the Bahamas, who is President of a major ship design company there, GTR Campbell (GTRC). GTRC had built many ships around the world, and its contracts had helped revive China’s Xingang Shipyard. Why not try and do the same in his native land, Prince wondered. Ignoring all the friendly (negative) advice he was given, he decided to get one of his huge “Trader” class double-hull bulk carriers built at Kerala’s Cochin Shipyard. This was a major undertaking: GTRC’s Trader class ships are 30,000 tons deadweight, have cargo holds of 40,000 cubic metres in capacity, and are meant to sail over a range of 15,500 nautical miles, so the task would have challenged a more experienced shipyard. But as the work unfolded, Prince realised he need not have worried. Not only was there not a single strike or work stoppage, but the shipyard workers took pride in having been given such a major assignment. They finished the job to GTRC’s complete satisfaction — ahead of deadline. Five more ships will now be built in Cochin; it’s the shipyard’s largest-ever order.

Greater possibilities

But the potential is even greater. Working with GTRC had transformed Xingang into a world-class shipbuilder; there is no reason why the same cannot happen in Kochi. Mr. Prince was enthusiastic about the prospects. “The officers and workers in the Cochin yard have proved that they can do it, launching the first vessel on schedule, with first-rate quality and meeting international shipbuilding standards”, he said. “I hope the message will spread.” It should. The interesting point is that shipbuilding is a highly labour-intensive industry; some 30 per cent of the input is human labour, which is what makes it ideal for a country like India. The workers at Cochin Shipyard — unionised to a man — demonstrated that labour remains India’s greatest asset, even in Kerala. It is not, as skittish investors had long feared, a liability.

Discover the latest, the rarest and the trendiest collections in bridal silks, ghagra cholees, designer sarees, dress materials, ethnic wear, party wear, western wear, men’s ready-mades, kids wear, designer watches, perfumes, cosmetics, designer jewellery, fashion accessories, footwear and travel accessories. To make your shopping completely enjoyable, this showroom is complete with relax lounges, escalators, cafeteria, kids’ play area and parking zone with valet parking facility. Step into this amazing world. Step out and make a fashion statement.


http://www.kalyansilks.com/customimages/Kalyan.jpg

22 storey Link Heritage seen from Presidency Hotel

photo copyright Philip Mathew originally posted by ReNik in SSP India.

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/5417/537491021d666784061bjg9.jpg

From IANS

Dubai team for Smart City project arrives in Kochi

Kochi, June 10: A team of Dubai Internet City (DIC) officials arrived here Sunday to begin discussions to take the Rs.15 billion-Smart City project forward, a week after the opposition Congress demanded a probe into the agreement claiming it was inked with a private firm and not the Dubai government.

The team, led by DIC official Baju George, began discussions with Kerala government officials on laying the road map for starting construction at the proposed site here.

The Kerala team is led by IT secretary K. Jyothilal. The final agreement for the project was inked May 13 with Tecom Investment and Free Zone Limited Liability Company in the presence of Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan.

"The master plan for the project would be ready soon," said George.

According to the agreement, the Dubai team has to begin preliminary work within 90 days of its signing while the actual construction would begin in a year's time.

The opposition alleges that the company (with which the deal has been signed) is a real estate firm and it has approached European investors to raise funds for the Smart City project.

The previous Congress-led United Democratic Front government led by then chief minister Oommen Chandy had held talks with the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority and signed a memorandum of agreement (MoU) with it.

After the Achuthanandan government signed the agreement, Chandy and his associates demanded a judicial probe alleging that changes had been made in the conditions applicable to the developer after the state cabinet had approved it.

DP World News Release...

http://www.keralarealty.com/webadmin/photos/ECB1151.jpg

We are currently in the process of finalising designs for the new container terminal at Vallarpadam within the Cochin Port Trust administration. With the commissioning of the new container handling facility at Vallarpadam, the existing container terminal will be handed over to the Cochin Port Trust for developing it as a non-container facility.

The Cochin Port Trust is committed to developing road and rail links to the new facility in advance of the opening of the terminal in the first quarter of 2009. The proposed project site at Vallarpadam was notified as a Special Economic Zone by the Ministry of Commerce, Governement of India on 2nd November 2006. The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India gave the environmental clearance on 9th November 2006 for the construction of the terminal at Vallarpadam.

The new terminal will be positioned not only to handle transhipment traffic by virtue of its strategic position close to the major Far East - Europe trade lanes, but also to benefit from growth in consumer demand in India's southern states, with transhipment traffic accounting for a relatively small portion of volumes.

Start up of operations in Phase 1A of the project is expected to take place no later than in the 1st quarter of 2009.

This is indeed a massive project, but I doubt the credentials of the developer. Will it be like the Sky city project of Yesorams. Only time will tell.

Wow!!!!!!! just caught my eye. nice. Built it already. why wait. :cheers:

Originally posted by ReNik @ SSP

DLF IPO prospectus states that it owns 30 acres at Kakkanad, 5 acres at Vyttila and
another 4 acres at an unspecified location in Kochi(probably MG road and Marine Drive).


And here is a 20 storey Holyfaith towers, Kakkanad rising.

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/4319/11630490877446103566945pz5.th.jpg (http://img502.imageshack.us/my.php?image=11630490877446103566945pz5.jpg)
http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/8959/11799011919572149252415rc1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


25-storey Mather Green Hills, Kakkanad - structural works over
http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/9936/11813066656753357603978qq0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


18 storey Maison d'Or, Panampilly nagar
http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/8854/11813108075275947575613lp4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

a shot from atop Maison d'Or
http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/2718/11813128066957528910014wu2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


one more such -
Dover Court Kadavantra
http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/9251/11672939885857838771457ow9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Cochin Port Trust has entrusted NTPC Electric Supply Co (NESCL), a subsidiary of NTPC, to carry out a feasibility study and prepare a detailed project report for providing electric supply arrangements to the port based SEZ at Vallarpadam and Puthuvypeen.

The port has considered various options like setting up a captive power plant on BOT basis; entrusting the supply of power to Kerala State Electricity Board as part of providing power supply to the PBSEZ area for various projects coming up in the area. It had also explored other alternatives in association with other competent agencies. Regarding the option of captive power plant, it is felt that the cost of power will be too high and the co-developers also preferred to have KSEB supply, which will be cheaper compared to the captive power plant.

However, the KSEB informed that the approximate cost for bringing power supply to the SEZ's at 110 kV will be to the tune of Rs.110 crore. Besides, they projected a land requirement of 3 acres at Vallarpadam, 4 acres at Puthuvypeen and 15 cents at Chathiath.

Considering the financial constraints and huge investments, the co-developers of the SEZ project such as DP World, BPCL-KRL and Petronet LNG were also reluctant to share the cost of power supply. Hence, it was decided to carry out a detailed feasibility study in this regard by entrusting the work to NESCL.

Cool updates Dr_Know ^^

Originally posted by ReNik @ SSP

DLF IPO prospectus states that it owns 30 acres at Kakkanad, 5 acres at Vyttila and
another 4 acres at an unspecified location in Kochi(probably MG road and Marine Drive).


And here is a 20 storey Holyfaith towers, Kakkanad rising.

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/4319/11630490877446103566945pz5.th.jpg (http://img502.imageshack.us/my.php?image=11630490877446103566945pz5.jpg)
http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/8959/11799011919572149252415rc1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


25-storey Mather Green Hills, Kakkanad - structural works over
http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/9936/11813066656753357603978qq0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


18 storey Maison d'Or, Panampilly nagar
http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/8854/11813108075275947575613lp4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

a shot from atop Maison d'Or
http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/2718/11813128066957528910014wu2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


one more such -
Dover Court Kadavantra
http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/9251/11672939885857838771457ow9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

MM tech towers latest pic,taken yesterday from express gardens kaloor.

http://i8.************/4kde9ax.jpg

http://i11.************/4y9d340.jpg

Mumbai June 13 Malaysian low-cost airline Air Asia plans to start operations in India towards the end of next year. The airline is awaiting clearances from the Indian Government to fly between Malaysia and Kochi, Bangalore, Kolkata and Amritsar at low fares, said Mr Tony Fernandes, Chief Executive Officer of the airline, speaking at the fourth Annual India and Middle East Low Cost Airline Symposium here on Wednesday.

Orders

As part of its global expansion, the airline is looking at reaching out to China, Japan, West Asia, Korea, Europe and Australia. The airline currently has a fleet size of 54 aircraft consisting of 19 Airbus 320s and 35 Boeing 737s, said Mr Fernandes.

The airline has also placed firm orders for 150 Airbus 320s, besides an option for another 50 to be delivered if the need arises. Firm orders for 50 Airbus 330s, and an option for 10 more, have also been placed.

Cheaper Fare

Earlier, the Malaysian no-frill international carrier had expressed its intention to fly between India and Malaysia with 70 per cent cheaper fare than the average existing fares on this route.

another cochin skyline pic
http://i19.************/5yl86y9.jpg

Digital survey to be completed by Wednesday

Plan to be based on international specifications

M.G. Road stretch to be made wheel-chair-friendly

KOCHI: The arterial Mahatma Gandhi Road in the city will soon sport a new look on a par with international cities in style and facilities. A master plan for the renovation of the road would be ready by June 30, Ernakulam District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish told reporters here on Saturday.

The concept is to ensure universal and free access to M.G. Road, Mr. Hanish said. Meanwhile the digital survey in connection with the preparation of the master plan is progressing, though the onset of the monsoon has affected the pace of the survey. However, the survey is expected to be completed by Wednesday, S. Gopakumar of Kumar Group, which has been given the task of preparing the master plan, told The Hindu.

The master plan would be based on international specifications with the primary objective of ensuring smooth traffic, Mr. Gopakumar said. One of the major highlights of the plan is to make the entire stretch of M.G. Road wheel-chair-friendly.

At present the footpath is laid in a haphazard manner, causing inconvenience to pedestrians. The plan is to even out the pavements, making the passage smooth for the pedestrians as well as differently-abled persons on wheel chairs. The height of the footpath will also be redone, which at present is quite unscientific making it difficult to even disembark from a car parked along the pavement. Spacious parking lots will be designed in such a manner that traffic is not held up. Road signage will be made more visible in the night.

The entire stretch of M.G. Road would be better lit up at night. Footpaths would be lit up separately to improve visibility for pedestrians in the night.

Bus bays will be designed, wherever possible, in a way in such a way as to not affect the rest of the traffic.

As part of the digital survey, close to 20 aerial photographs giving a bird’s view of M.G. Road from various angles have been taken.

hindu.com

Mr. Bharath (Shriram Bharath, Managing Director) said the construction of a new state-of-the-art departure block was progressing, which, when completed, would take the total built-up area of the international terminal to 4,80,000 sq.ft. Mr. Bharath said the new block was likely to be ready by this year-end.

The cargo movement through the airport was set to grow by 15 per cent in the ongoing fiscal. At present, the airport has a cargo handling capacity of 150 metric tonnes a day. This handling capacity would touch new heights once the Cargo Processing Centre is commissioned, he said.

parts taken from hindu.com

I have heard from reliable sources that Flair Homes is coming up with an Apartment Project in the vicinity of Smart City and if i remember right the it will have approx 1700 or more.. but am not sure of this... anyway i ll keep u all updated...

Malls and plazas to dot Kochi’s landscape soon


http://www.hindu.com/pp/2007/06/02/images/2007060251780101.jpg

Big shopping malls will, in the coming years, transform Kochi’s landscape and the lifestyle of a growingly affluent section of its inhabitants. SHYAMA RAJAGOPAL takes a look at the malls that are in the offing.



Glitzy: A conceptual sketch of the facade of Mall O, which is coming up in Kochi.

Kochi is all set to enter the era of big shopping malls. The new shopping trends which have caught on in a big way in other cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore will form a part of city life in Kochi too. The trends were visible as shopping complexes became bigger and bigger and supermarkets began to increasingly dot the city centres.

While Mahatma Gandhi Road, perhaps, has the most footfalls in the city on any working day, the big shopping malls that are going to dot the National Highway 47 bypass will definitely create a change in the manner in which one goes shopping. New entertainment options will open up.

Shopping malls in metro cities have completely changed the lifestyle of the urban folk, who flock the malls with multiplexes and food courts to spend an evening. A one-stop shopping place with most of the leading brands available under one roof is one of the major attraction of the big shopping malls, said C.Y.A. Razack, marketing manager of Mall O, which will be one of the first such malls to be opened in the city.

Coming up on the bypass road at Edappally, Mall O is expected to be a launch-pad for the Reliance group for its speciality store, Mr. Razak said. The group will be taking up 84,000 sq. feet of the area on three floors out of the 3,64,000 sq. ft available in the complex.
Shopping plaza

A shopping plaza by the Dubai-based Oberon group will have a garment and lifestyle products showroom and a mini hypermarket at the mall. A central glass atrium will be the focal point of the mall, where most of the promotional events will take place. All the floors will have a view into the atrium, Mr. Razak said.

There will be 14 escalators and five elevators in the mall to walk across a total of five floors, including the ground, with a spread of about 50,000 sq. ft on each floor. Safe parking spaces are one of the major facilities that attract people to shopping malls. At Mall O, there will be space to park 450 cars in two basement sections, Mr. Razak said.

A crowd of customers at the food courts in the malls will, perhaps, spell the success of the shopping malls. It will definitely be the main attraction, as the idea is to tap the urban lifestyle of combining shopping and eating out.

One of the major projects likely to dot the National Highway is the Lulu Shopping Mall. Lulu is a well-known name in the State, what with a strong NRI population familiar with the malls promoted by the Dubai-based M.K. Group.

Though the project is yet to kick-off physically, as it awaits Government nod, it will, perhaps, be one of the largest malls here. Spread over about 17 acres of land, the shopping plaza will have five-star hotels too in the 15 lakh square feet area spread over the ground, first and second floors at Edappally.

A 12-kitchen food court with an expected seating capacity of 3000 people and a seven-screen multiplex to accommodate more than 1,500 people will, perhaps, be a big lure for customers. There will be small halls with a seating capacity of 50, as also halls with a larger capacity.

Lulu is expected to open its own hypermarket with about two lakh square feet area, besides catering to five anchor shops that will be at least 30,000 sq. ft in area. Some of the big brand names are likely to pick up space in the mall, which will be able to accommodate 3,000 cars in its parking space on the surface and basement areas.

Atkins, a U.K.-based company, is said to be the architects of the commercial space that will have more than an escalator and an elevator. A travellator or a moving walkway that can carry a shopping cart will be a new facility at this mall.

Another mall on which work has already begun is the Gold Souk, again on the bypass road. This shopping bonanza from a Gurgaon-based company, Aerens Gold Souk International Ltd., is expected to be opened towards the end of next year.

According to M. Mohan Varma, resident director of the project, the company is planning to open 100 gold souks in 100 cities across the country in 100 months. Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Kozhikode will be among the cities, he added.

While work is going on at Jaipur and Ludhiana, besides Kochi, the souks in Amritsar and Chennai and Mohali will start soon. The Kochi souk will have a lower ground floor, a ground floor and five floors with a total area of 4 lakh sq. ft. on 2.43 acres of land.

While the food court is expected to bring in families, a discotheque is likely to bring in the young crowd. “We would be having a bowling alley too apart from a hypermarket, jewellery showrooms, wedding showrooms and textile showrooms,” Mr. Varma said. A high-end lifestyle shop will be a main attraction here, he added.

Though the showrooms will be leased out, the company will take up managing events in the mall, with a frequency of at least one every month. The events are likely to the USP of the mall, with celebrities from across the country taking part in some event or the other, Mr. Varma said. At Gold Souk, the parking area will be on the third, fourth and the fifth floors. A ramp and car lift will be provided to make parking and taking away the car easy. There will be space to park 400 cars, Mr. Varma said.

A number of other malls are also being planned here. Some of the major among them are the ones promoted by DLF and the Peevees group.

The news on MG Road development is very encouraging....:cheers:

What I would like to see is a 6 lane carriageway all through, with no parking on sides. It may be impractical but developing the feeder roads to MG Road & building multi-storied parking plazas could be a feasible option. A toll on all private vehicles entering the road between certain hours of the day (like the congestion zone in London) could be considered, but it may recieve opposition even from traders. Or even by turning it into a oneway, by developing Chittor road for opposite way traffic...

But some measures need to be taken to solve the maddening traffic congestion in the stretch. The administration is moving the right way in planning to upgrade Keralas most premium commercial street to international levels...Cheers!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1245/541838663_aceb355c2f.jpg
Photo by Kris Kumar

Rendering of the same

http://www.kumargroup.org/images/projects/landscaping/bj.jpg

http://www.kumargroup.org/images/projects/landscaping/hbj.jpg

Any Updates on this one?? (Photos??)

http://www.hindu.com/2007/06/19/images/2007061955970201.jpg
NEW FACILITIES: The area near the main boat jetty in Ernakulam where a parking lot and tourist amenities have been planned.

KOCHI: Backwater tourism in Kochi is all set to get a boost, with two boat- jetty terminals nearing completion at Marine Drive.

The integrated tourist-boat jetty near the Rainbow Bridge and a terminal in place of the Ernakulam main boat jetty will be ready in two months. The Union Government has sanctioned Rs. 160 lakh for each project.

While the tourist jetty can berth 12 big and as many small boats, the integrated jetty can accommodate eight each of them. Both ferry and tourist boats will operate from the latter. A high-ranking official in the Tourism Department said that a tourist-amenity centre had been planned alongside the jetty. People would be able to book taxis and boats at the centre.

“A parking centre for 150 cars and a shopping centre are in the offing. An estimate of Rs. 150 lakh will soon be submitted to the Tourism Department,” said M. Balachandran, Executive Engineer, Central Public Works Department, which is executing the works. District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish said that all unauthorised jetties protruding into the backwaters from Marine Drive would be removed once the tourist-boat jetty is ready. “A comprehensive master plan is being readied to make the entire Marine Drive stretch a green lung,” he said. An area near the main boat jetty may be converted into a hub like the Durbar Hall Ground.

parts taken from hindu.com

Thiruvananthapuram, June 19 (PTI): The Centre has in-principle agreed to grant Special Economic Zone (SEZ) status for the Smart City IT Park at Kochi, Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan said today.

As per the Central norms, a company should have a minimum built-up space of one lakh sq ft and 25 acres of land for getting the SEZ status, he said in a reply furnished in the state Assembly.

good updates dr know....

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DPPL has acquired ownership of 100,000 Sq. Meters of land (one million Sq. ft) in Marine Drive, which is a prime CBD location in the city of Kochi. The land parcel lies in the North-West quadrant of Kochi main land and has a panoramic view of the water front. The site enjoys proximity to prominent landmarks like Taj Residency, Abad Plaza, Federal Towers, the High Court and prominent Educational institutions. The land is connected by new bridges to tourist islands in Kochi, the Bolgatty and Vallarpadam.

The area has substantial commercial viability and has the potential to culminate as a profitable product mix. Jones Lang LaSalle has been engaged to assess the commercial viability of this site to indicate the most viable product mix and product phasing. The leveling and filling of the land is complete and the master planning is being done by the Indian arm of the CPG Consultants Private Ltd (Singapore).

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The total project investment is estimated about US$ 500 million. The promoters intend to divest 20 to 30 % of their equity. They expect the entire investment as upfront payment on signing the agreement and on issuance of shares.

The initial proposal was to build 1100 luxury apartments. The proposal was vetted by a consortium of thirteen Indian banks, which has approved substantial project funding. However, the group plans to revise the project to provide the investor to acquire strategic equity stake in a mixed use opportunity in Kochi, as the project include Hotel of five star status, Modern Shopping Mall, 300 Bed Multi Specialty Hospital and Luxury apartments.

http://www.dewaprojects.com/

20-Jun-2007 : CALL it innovative, or at least unusual - an airport that launches an airline. In India, this novelty will soon become reality, if it is up to the management of Cochin International Airport.

The Cochin International Airport (CIAL), the first international airport in the country outside the ambit of the union government, is planning to launch a dedicated international cargo airline service.

The airport management is currently in talks with a leading international player and a domestic partner for launching the freighter service that will connect West Asian destinations.

CIAL is also exploring possibilities to partner with national carrier Indian Airlines for converting old passenger aircraft into cargo planes.

The cargo services will be operated under the brand name Air Kerala, which was floated to launch an international low-fare carrier to the Gulf destinations.

“The project will supplement our proposed state-of-the-art centre for perishable cargo, which can handle 40,000 metric tonnes a year. With this centre and freighter service, we can facilitate the export and import of perishable cargoes such as vegetables, fruits, flowers, fish and meat products to different parts of the country and the world, including West Asia,” S Bharath, managing director, CIAL, told Business Standard.

This is the first time that an airport is working towards launching cargo airline business. CIAL is a novel venture in the Indian aviation history, where the Kerala government, travelling public, financial institutions, airport service providers and others have joined hands.

Asked about the Air Kerala project, Bharath said, “We have already registered the company for starting Air Kerala. If the ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) gives us permission to fly to Gulf destinations, we will immediately start the services. We are also in talks with aircraft leasing companies, and the airline will offer low fares to Gulf travellers.”

The revival of Air Kerala concept comes at a time when the union government is planning to allow start-up airlines to fly overseas on a case-to-case basis.

However, the union civil aviation minister Praful Patel said Air Kerala would not be allowed to fly to the Gulf. Air Kerala had plans to reserve 20 seats in each aircraft for poor non-resident Indians (NRIs) unable to return for more than five years and charge them only one-fourth of the fare.

CIAL sources said the project envisaged development of aircraft maintenance hangar, aviation training centre, convention centre, hotels, cargo development, shopping malls, food courts, specialty hospital, educational institution and amusement park. The profit-flush aviation company is readying to set up a Rs 600-crore IT park in 35 acres (just over 14 hectares) of unused land in its possession at Nedumbasserry.

Funds for the project would be pooled from private and public sources.The airport, which handled 6,473 services in 1999-2000, now handles 20,975 services. About 13 companies were operating international services while seven others were conducting domestic services, CIAL sources said.

Can anyone give some information about a suitable available showroom space in Vytilla - Panampally nagar under construction. It should be about 10,000SQft and should have a good frontage. Either single flor or 2 floors. It is an immediate requirement. So please respond fast. You can also suggest any plots. I wil enquire and get the things done.

THANKS IN ADVANCE.

Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala's department of industries will organise a trade and technology show at Kochi later this year in association with state-level organisations.

The Trade and Technology Business Show (TTBS) aims at bringing together buyers across India and the world so that they can interact directly with sellers from the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) of the state, Industries Minister Elamaram Kareem said here Wednesday.

"One of the objectives of the TTBS is to introduce new technologies to small and medium manufacturers and thereby increase their competitiveness. Currently, it is difficult for the SMEs to access foreign technology and use state-of-the-art equipment," said Kareem.

The business show, to be held Sep 27-29, will be organised in association with the Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion (K-BIP), Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation Ltd (KSIDC) and Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA).

It will highlight the industrial agility and knowledge based skills of the state before the rest of India and the international trading community.

Kerala produces goods and services worth Rs.170 billion per annum in the small and medium sectors alone.

The minister said that sectors like food and agro processing, ayurveda and herbal, coir, handlooms, handicrafts, bamboo and screw pine, rubber and rubber products will showcase their products during the exhibition.

More than 150 national buyers and 50 international buyers are expected to take part in the event.

Multiplex and Leighton Holdings, Australia’s biggest building companies have joined hands with Dubai-based developer to undertake projects in Kochi, Goa and Hyderabad
They are planning to invest Rs12,000 crore. ooops !!!

Read On here...
http://www.livemint.com/2007/06/21100008/Australian-builders-to-invest.html

Thiruvananthapuram, June 20 (UNI) To promote Kerala into an industrial hub, an International Convention Centre would be set up in Kochi, state Industries Minister Elamaram Kareem said today.

Talking to newspersons here, Mr Kareem said the Centre would come up at Kalamassery near Kochi and the process was on.

The Rs 400 crore project would come up in four lakh sqft area, he said.

Zoom Developers, Mumbai had been entrusted with the development of the Centre, he added.

SRK goup Apartment Project news....

"Skywings luxury apartments in Kochi is a residential cum commercial complex. The total area of the land is around 8 acres. We are planning to build five towers. The service apartment building will have one restaurant, convention room, business centers, swimming pool, health club etc.

The service apartment block will be managed by Carlton Group under the name Carlton Suites and Inns.

"We have plans to construct individual villas and row houses with separate club house, swimming pool, etc. in the lower most level of the area," group's chairman and managing director K.R. Malik said in a statement.

All the apartments will have car parking. The grand main entrance will have a separate visitor's car parking.

"All the apartments are connected at sky level with bridges giving approach to the main health club, swimming pool, restaurants, etc, housed in the central tower," he added.

Can anyone give some information about a suitable available showroom space in Vytilla - Panampally nagar under construction. It should be about 10,000SQft and should have a good frontage. Either single flor or 2 floors. It is an immediate requirement. So please respond fast. You can also suggest any plots. I wil enquire and get the things done.

THANKS IN ADVANCE.

Airport stands fourth in international passenger and flight traffic

KOCHI: Having successfully completed eight years of operation, the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), at Nedumbassery, the country’s first Greenfield airport, is all set to scale new heights in terms of passenger and flight movements.

From the time when the first aircraft, an Air India flight from Dammam, landed here on June 10, 1999, the airport had made commendable growth in the twin areas of passenger and flight movement. The airport now stands fourth among the airports in the country in terms of international passenger and flight traffic.

Passenger movement through the Kochi airport witnessed fabulous growth over the last eight years. In the domestic sector, the number of passengers increased from 2,91,530 in 1999-2000, when the airport started functioning, to 11,31,898, a growth of almost 288 per cent, Shriram Bharath, the managing director of CIAL, told The Hindu. The projected rate of growth for the ongoing fiscal is 25 per cent, he said.

The growth rate in the international passenger movement through the airport during the same period was even higher with the number of passengers increasing from 2,04,372 to 14,29,172, registering a growth of almost 600 per cent, Mr. Bharath said. The projected growth for the ongoing fiscal is 25 per cent as the number is expected to hit 17,86,465.

The airport, which started with a handful of international carriers, now boasts of 12 foreign carriers, besides 3 public sector carriers. Among the 15 carriers, Air India Express and Air Arabia offer budget service to the passengers. Tiger Aviation, a Singapore-based budget carrier has expressed interest to launch daily services in the Kochi-Singapore sector, Mr. Bharath said.

In the domestic sector there are seven carriers, including two budget carriers, operating out of Kochi. Indigo Airlines, a Gurgaon-based private low cost carrier has evinced interest in Kochi-sector operations.

Presently, the airport handles 217 domestic services and 145 international services in a week. Meanwhile, the total aircraft movement through the airport witnessed exponential growth. In the domestic sector the movement of aircraft increased from 1,271 in 1999-2000 to 14,172 in 2006-07, a growth rate of more than 1000 per cent. During the same period the flight movement in the international sector increased from 5,202 to 16,501, registering a growth rate of 217 per cent.

The flight movement, both in the domestic and international sector, through the airport is expected to grow by nearly 20 per cent in the current fiscal with the numbers expected to touch 17,006 and 19,801 respectively.

The Hindu

Kochi, Kerala, June 20, 2007 - The Centre has granted SEZ clearance for the $350 million Kochi Smart City promoted by the Kerala Government and Dubai based TECOM Investment. The project aims to develop 88 lakh sq.ft of built-up space and supporting infrastructure for IT and ITES firms and can generate 90,000 jobs over the next 10 years. The Kerala Government will have an initial stake of 16% that will increase to 26% after 5 years.

Hyderabad, India, June 10, 2007 - (Company Press Release) - After having established itself as premier property recommendation service in Hyderabad , Exclusive Ventures has opened its operation in Kerala. A new website (www.exclventures-kerala.com) was launched on 1st June with focus on the city of Cochin.

Cochin is the Gateway to tourist paradise of Kerala also described as “God’s Own Country” Kerala has been consistently voted as world’s top 10 Tourist Destinations. Cochin is the first privately promoted Airport in India and is a busy international destination with almost all Airlines landing here in addition to chartered flights by tour organizers. Cochin is now on the verge of taking off as one of the foremost IT and Business Destination in India , with the launch of Smart City Project beside Info Park .

The Launch of Exclusive Ventures, Kerala (www.exclventures-kerala.com), was followed by active booking at the handpicked upcoming Gated Community Villa Project beside Cochin . 45 Villas are coming up in a fully secure, landscaped layout with world class amenities including club, swimming pool etc. Exclusive Ventures has brought the project at Pre Launch Price (at the price of Apartment!) generating unprecedented interest among investors abroad. The booking is open. The Project is just 3.5Km before InfoPark/Smart City and is 12 KM from City.

Exclusive Ventures will be bringing Lake View (Waterfront) Apartments near Cochin Airport , shortly, for members to book. NRIs can sign up Free at the website and get alerted about new Pre Launches.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

The Planning Commission has projected an investment of Rs.93,385 crore to handle an estimated 1,002 million tpa of cargo during the XI Plan Period (2007-2012).

According to the Planning Commission, a total spending of Rs.57,452 crore will be required to construct containers, POL and other cargo terminals including capital dredging, equipment and connectivity projects on the major ports in the next five years. In the terminal year of the 11th Plan, 2011-12, the commission has projected that the major ports like Haldia, Tuticorin, Paradip and Cochin will handle over 709 million tpa of containers, POL and other cargos.

The existing capacity of the 12 major ports is 456 million tpa and the traffic handled during 2005-06 was 423 million tpa, therefore the capacity addition of 546 million tpa will be required to handle the projected 1,002 million tpa in the XI Plan Period.

In addition to the investment in major ports, the maritime states have projected a capacity addition of 346 million tpa entailing an investment of Rs.35,933 crore.

Checkout the Project Overview...

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Night view of the u/c showroom for Logan and Scorpio at Maradu. Awesome showroom with a huge service centre.... huge means really huge......

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In a move that could be termed as the first step to turn Kakkanad into the land of Smart City, the district panchayat has come up with a proposal to set up a bus terminal-cum-shopping complex at Kakkanad, where all the buses passing through Kochi will enter.

Planned to be built on a Build Operate Transfer basis, the terminal on a par with international standards in a six-acre plot adjacent to the present bus stand, is considered to be a substitute for the much-awaited Vyttila bus terminal.

However, district panchayat president P S Shyla said at a press conference here on Sunday that the new stand would not be a substitute for the Vyttila bus terminal.

‘‘The Vyttila bus terminal is still on the anvil and the Agriculture Department, which owns the land where the Vyttila terminal is proposed to set up, has agreed to hand over the land, provided the Kerafed office is allowed to continue there.

The paper works in this regard are getting under way,’’ she said. There were reports that the Vyttila project had been hampered by the stubborn attitude of the Agriculture Department.

The district panchayat is all set to submit the proposal for the new bus terminal for approval, and if given the nod, the project will be implemented in a year.

MARADU, a quiet panchayat about 10 km from Kochi city, has now become a beehive of activity for realtors and builders. Often referred to as a five-star panchayat because of the presence of the five-star hotel Le Meridien, Maradu has become the cynosure of the eyes of all the leading builders in the last few years.

When Kochi Refineries (KRL) started functioning in the sixties at Ambalamugal, it had built a road from Maradu to transport materials. The Vyttila- Aroor bypass in the eighties increased the pace of development. But it was not until the construction of Galfar International Convention Centre in 1999 that real development started. Apart from the Le Meridien, Maradu now boasts of super-speciality Lakeshore Hospital, several premium hotels and a schools. KRL, now BPCL, has its corporate office in Maradu. The arrival of seaport-airport road passing through Maradu has increased its marketability. A unique feature of Maradu is that it is accessible by road from the districts of Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki and Thrissur.

Residential:

Large tracts of marshy land are now being filled up for building residential apartments. Several Builders have come up with Highrise Projects and Villas above Rs 1-crore. The going rate is between Rs 1,850 and Rs 2,000 per sq ft. With the state government restricting the floor area ratio (FAR) to two at the outskirts of the city, the rates may go up again, say builders. Villas and flats facing backwaters lining the borders of Maradu are in high demand. The area’s popularity has gone up with cricketer Sreesanth moving to a waterfront apartment in Maradu.

Commercial:

The commercial prospects of the place are yet to be exploited fully. The rentals now average between Rs 10 and 15 per sq ft. But it is in for an explosive growth with the Shobha Group announcing Rs 5,000 crore integrated knowledge park. Expected to come up in five years, the park will comprise a township with IT, biotech and electronics companies. KGA Group of Kuwait, in association with Intercontinental Group, is also building a five-star Crowne Plaza hotel at a cost of Rs 220 crore.

Retail:

At present, the retail space here is limited to big swanky car showrooms, including those of Mercedes Benz, Toyota and General Motors, and steel companies, all dotting the bypass to Aroor in Alappuzha. Emirates has shifted its office to Maradu. The rentals are around Rs 20 per sq ft. Abad Group is planning a mall with a multiplex at Maradu, likely to come up in two years. The rates may see an upswing then.

KOCHI: District Collector A P M Mohammed Hanish said that the construction of the proposed railway line connecting Vallarpadom International Container Transshipment Terminal with Edappally would be completed within the scheduled time.

‘‘The piling work for the railway bridge is progressing at the backwaters between the project area and Mulavuklad island.

Construction work on land will begin only after this. The land acquisition will be completed before the construction work touches the mainland,’’ Hanish said.

He said that the required land would be acquired after holding discussion with the landowners. ‘‘The base value of the land to be acquired will be announced before June 30.

The District-Level Purchase Committee will hold discussion with the landowners to finalise the land price. The Land Acquisition Act will be used only if the landowners refuse to hand over the land,’’ he said.

The State Government has to hand over 49.4 acres of land for the proposed railway line constructed by the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL).

Of this, 17.3 acres of land is owned by private parties.The construction work on the railway line was inaugurated two months ago. But the RVNL is not able to proceed the work as the land has not been handed over to them.

Besides, the residents of Vaduthala are going on with their strike as they did not get any official intimation regarding the rehabilitation package announced by the State Government. The project is to be completed before April, 2009.

Checkout the Project Overview...

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Interesting news. Some of the names mentioned on the credentials are familiar from my consulting work. However, it also seems that the bid made by this gentleman for a GCDA/Goshree plot ended in failure as he was unable to raise the money in time. Let's hope he is more successful going forward. :okay:

Interesting news. Some of the names mentioned on the credentials are familiar from my consulting work. However, it also seems that the bid made by this gentleman for a GCDA/Goshree plot ended in failure as he was unable to raise the money in time. Let's hope he is more successful going forward. :okay:

I didnt know about the failure part.. since i m away from india right now my only sources are the company websites and MAINLY THIS FORUM... so positive contributions like yours are very much appreciated... actually i would love something of this scale to come up in that area..

Interesting news. Some of the names mentioned on the credentials are familiar from my consulting work. However, it also seems that the bid made by this gentleman for a GCDA/Goshree plot ended in failure as he was unable to raise the money in time. Let's hope he is more successful going forward. :okay:

Ajay i was checking their site and found some info with regards to what you were saying about it being a failure... check this out..they have now revised the project so lets hope something good comes out..

Financial Details

The total project investment is estimated about US$ 500 million. The promoters intend to divest 20 to 30 % of their equity. They expect the entire investment as upfront payment on signing the agreement and on issuance of shares.

The initial proposal was to build 1100 luxury apartments. The proposal was vetted by a consortium of thirteen Indian banks, which has approved substantial project funding. However, the group plans to revise the project to provide the investor to acquire strategic equity stake in a mixed use opportunity in Kochi, as the project include Hotel of five star status, Modern Shopping Mall, 300 Bed Multi Specialty Hospital and Luxury apartments.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Pranavah Promoters is planning to invest Rs.1,500 crore for a period of three years in Kochi and Thrissur.

The company will develop premium apartment complex 'Le Royale' with 145 apartments in Kochi and Vaishnavam with 36 service apartments in Guruyavoor.


newindiaexpress.com

Ajay i was checking their site and found some info with regards to what you were saying about it being a failure... check this out..they have now revised the project so lets hope something good comes out..

there was a supreme court judgement recently which cancelled their contract... they are in the process of giving appeal... looks like its going to be a long legal battle ahead with puravankara in no mood to give up...

http://www.legalservicesindia.com/judgments/feb/case_2_2_07.htm

there was a supreme court judgement recently which cancelled their contract... they are in the process of giving appeal... looks like its going to be a long legal battle ahead with puravankara in no mood to give up...

http://www.legalservicesindia.com/judgments/feb/case_2_2_07.htm

Ok thanks for the info buddy

Air India chairman and managing director Vasudevan Thulasidas confirmed the development, adding, "We have already submitted an expression of interest for a MRO facility at Kochi". CIAL executives could not be reached for comments.

Air India has already tied up with the US-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing Company to set up an MRO at Nagpur, Maharashtra. "At Kochi, Air-India would be the financial investor as well as the technical partner. Interestingly, Air-India has a minority stake of 3.38 per cent in CIAL," sources told Business Standard.

CIAL has appointed Aerobiz International, an aviation consultancy organisation, as consultant to implement the project.Aerobiz International's expertise covers a wide spectrum of aviation activities, including major maintenance of narrow body and wide body aircraft, engines, components, infrastructure and training.

According to industry analysts, over 50 per cent of the fleet in India will be in the narrow-body segment (Boeing 737 and Airbus 319/320/321). "CIAL would initially provide facilities for the narrow body aircraft and later would graduate into the wide body segment," the sources said.

CIAL has allotted 31.25 acres of land on nominal lease charges for the facility. This plot is adjacent to the operational area of the airport, and the construction of a taxi track, connecting the operational area to the MRO hangar, has already been planned and scheduled for completion by June 2008. Meanwhile, Air India unveiled the refurbished Boeing 747-400 aircraft, first of the six aircraft to undergo a total makeover, which will operate to destinations in the US, including New York, Newark and Chicago.

^^ - Nice to see that AI is participating in a second MRO project in Kerala. They have already commenced on a Rs 70 Crore MRO unit at Trivandrum International Airport. With the increasing traffic to Kerala's airports, the MRO business will have a bright future here. A Go-Air and Singapore Airlines JV has also expressed in commencing MRO services at Trivandrum and perhaps later, at Kochi. :okay:

Reliance Fresh @ Edappally - first Reliance store in the state

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Orginally posted by ReNik @SSP

Gail's Kochi complex shelved: Deora

BS Reporters / Kochi June 25, 2007

The proposed Rs 7,000-crore petrochemical complex of Gas Authority of India (Gail) at Kochi has been shelved for the time being due to technical issues, according to Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Murli Deora.

The project had to be shelved as the Kochi LNG terminal would get only lean LNG, which was not suitable for the proposed gas cracker unit, Deora said. He said the project had not been withdrawn.

The proposed Kochi LNG terminal of Petronet LNG has been delayed by almost two years, according to the revised schedule.

According to Narasimha Raju, the joint secretary in the ministry, the terminal would start by February 2011. It was scheduled to be commissioned by 2009. Petronet LNG will sign an agreement with Gorkhaon Gas of Australia by the middle of July, 2008, for supplying 2.5 million tonne LNG on an yearly basis. By the time, the company would also reach an agreement with NTPC for selling a major chunk of gas from the terminal. The delay in the commissioning of the project was due to the prolonged discussions with various companies. Raju said the agreements could be signed by the middle of next year.

Hope the petrochem project gets back on track. :okay:

Sobha group is about to sign a deal to develop a Hi-tech city at Maradu, Kochi. Sobha has purchased 400 acres of land for this and the initial investment will be Rs.5000 cr. It will be a tech campus meant for IT, BioTech and research. It will accomodate 75,000 professionals. The whole project will be up in 5 years.

Second news, Wipro has completed 350,000 sqft buildings at Infopark, Kakkanad. The rest of the construction will be over in a few months and the total built up area of Wipro will be 1,100,000 sqft.

TCS is constructing an 800,000 sqft building. (TCS is the biggest exporter from Infopark.)

IBS is constructing 350,000 sqft campus.;

Perot Systems building a 500,000 sqft campus.

L&T's phase I will have facility for 3200 professionals. This will be up by August.

Leela will complete 330,000 sqft facility. By September, Infopark will have more than 14,000 professionals - less than 4 years after commencing operations in Nov 2003.

Here is tardy move on another big project. Due to non-availability of ethane the project is on hold. It is to be revived later.

GAIL has already invested over Rs.50 crore for the project. Since LNG terminal is being constructed with a capacity of 5 million tonnes this project will be feasible after its completion. But deal has to be done for supply of the additional LNG. So another 2 years delay ?

Marine Plaza

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^^ Nice!!!!! The roadside view is superb. :cheers:

photo copyright shashiraj

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Originally Posted by pramodusnair; photo copyright sunilart

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Cochin Skyline

by bahniman

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1060/611761897_9d647dd05b_b.jpg

Taj Malabar

by brenlane

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now, that is what you call the real Metro look!

Cochin Skyline

by bahniman

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[B]Taj Malabar

By pravin8

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Kerala is best during rains...

Great Pictures....... suncity, robin...... keep going....

Cochin Skyline

by bahniman

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^^ Nice! I really like it. :cheers:

Here is a location map of the Marine Plaza..just in case your guys dont know where its coming up..

http://www.abadbuilders.com/admin/uploadedimages/913.jpg

It is comprised of around 150 apartments i guess... i have heard that tenants will start moving in by some time this month or so....some more shots of it..

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21 storey H2O rising in the backdrop of le Meridian and KRL Headquarters.
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originally posted by ReNik @ SSP

Abad Plaza is really fabulous...:applause: :applause: Actor Mohanlal has a unit in it.

The Marine Drive is home to a lot of celebrities, from actors and directors to big business names. The rate per sq feet has crossed over 6000 INR(as per Prestige site for Neptune Courtyard). Wait till DLF, Purva, DPPL and others launch their projects, it will touch 10 000/sq feet in a few years..With all these residential and commercial development, the extension of the walkway until Goshree Bridges, the 32m Outer Ring Road and the Kaloor-Marine Drive elevated highway(proposed by Roads & Bridges Corporation) this area of Kochi is all set for a massive transformation..

Cheers!

Dubai: UAE-based retail major LuLu, which runs 58 stores in the Gulf, is gearing up to start construction on a 1.2 million square foot mall in Kochi, Kerala, it's maiden project in India.

LuLu, the flagship supermarket and hypermarket brand of Indian-owned conglomerate Emke Group, will act as the mall's anchor store with a 200,000 square foot hypermarket. It will lease out space for a further 170 international and regional brands and a food court.

Construction will start "very soon" ahead of a scheduled 2009 opening, a company official said.


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Link [http://www.gulfnews.com/business/Market_Watch/10135095.html]

by ullas george

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Abad Builders

Olympus

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Sunshine Court

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Mather Projects

Plum Flower

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Leisureville

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Berrywoods

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Kalpaka

Blue Diamond

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SRK

Skywings

http://www.srkconstructions.com/images/popupimgs/site1.jpg

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These are the April 2007 figures from AAI. Cochin has climbed two steps up above Ahmedabad and Goa from the Feb '07 figures.


Apr-07 Apr-06 % increase

Mumbai 2062166 1759016 17.2
Delhi 1922457 1572721 22.2
Chennai 875035 686329 27.5
Bangalore 808538 584491 38.3
Kolkatta 592970 457693 29.6
Hyderabad 553578 408318 35.6
Cochin 253174 189075 33.9
Ahmedabad 247952 193359 28.2
Goa 220288 187408 17.5

http://aai.aero/traffic_news/april2k7_trafficnews.jsp

video by keivnrose

REYnOJDiGzg

video by mathewpadinjath

gtZrDjwCgNc

new delhi, june 27: Real estate consultancy Jones Lang Lasalle Meghraj has identified 50 Indian cities that are likely to witness most of the retail action over the next couple of years — both in terms of development of malls and advent of organised retailers. And Jaipur, Lucknow and Kochi find mention among cities poised for “high growth”.

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/203077.html

Its Mammoth project by HDIL. It will be developing 7 Million Sqft in Kochi

Area they have = 6.3 Million for Residential , 0.7 Million Retail Space.

Refer the HDIL prospectus for details. Its really overheating stuff in Kochi .
Govt needs to seriously take care of the infrastructure development of this City .

http://www.bullishindian.com/housing-development-and-infrastructure-limited-ipo-hdil-ipo/365/

orginally posted by KMC @ SSP

KOCHI: The Teheran-based Mahan Air has added one more service to its weekly schedule from the Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery with effect from July 9. The airline operates services between Kochi and Dubai via Bander Abbas.

The new service will be operated on Mondays. With this the airline will have five weekly services on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays operating from Kochi.

Source: hindu.com

Spice Jet to fly Delhi,Bangalore

Spice Jet will start non-stop flights to Delhi from Kochi, August 15 onwards. They are also starting Bangalore service from the same date.
With that Kochi gets many direct non-stop flights to Delhi - Indian, Sahara, SpiceJet, Indigo.
orginally posted by ReNik @SSP

Smart! The word played on every Malayalee lip as the evening of May 15, 2007 reluctantly faded out. It was as if Kerala's tech history was undersigned by an ideology-bound, hardcore Marxist-led government.

The state got even smarter as the people, the residents as well as the many Keralites among the Indian diaspora shot off short messages and lengthy e-mails to the man who managed to do what onlookers thought he never would. The Smart City deal has everything in it to log Kerala into a broader tech horizon.

In V S Achuthanandan, Kerala, suddenly saw a techie leftist they could bank on. So did the business community. Playing the state's boss and IT minister to perfection, the left veteran who once, as opposition warhorse, yelled out in his inimitable style that the Smart City proposal was just another real estate deal, just did a U-turn.

And the state rejoiced. Kerala -- and Kochi in particular -- saw itself being elevated to the rank of being talked about among infotech circles.

Just over a month after the Smart City agreement was formally inked between the Kerala government and Tecom Investments, a Dubai Internet City company, talk rages on the number of IT companies that are to flow in to set up shop here and the number of jobs they would churn out. That isn't all. Another segment had already begun working overtime to ensure all is well and profitable -- the realtors.

For the proposed Smart City can never be just another IT zone. Rather, it will be Tecom's dream project that should translate into a pioneer component of a network of similar projects planned across the globe. Going by what the Tecom brass had hinted after the deal was signed, the Kochi Smart City would be the DIC company's first such Indian facility and only the second in the world.

The Smart City project, which will involve an investment of $350 million, will boast of 88 lakh sq ft of built-up space and supporting infrastructure for IT and ITeS companies. The whole project will be spread across 246 acres of land.

The project promises to generate as many as 90,000 high-paying jobs over a 10-year period. A master-plan for the development of the project will be drawn up and it is expected to take a year to start work. An elated CM points out, "The Smart City project will play a key role in tapping Kerala's enormous potential for the development of key industries like ICT and media."

Not surprisingly, the real estate sector in and around Kakkanad, the Kochi suburb where the Smart City will come up, had been waiting in the wings to explode to higher price levels.

It was as if the realtors were waiting for the Smart City deal to be signed. Kakkanad, which till recently used to be a quiet, sleepy part of Kochi, woke up when the Infopark came into being. Individuals who had owned most part of the area in the form of paddy fields realised that they too were becoming part of the booming realty scenario. With the Smart City agreement in place, the real estate business is experiencing a new buzz.

Mathew Chakola, chairman of the Kerala Builders' Forum (KBF), illustrates a clearer picture. "A closer look will clarify that more than the land prices, the apartments scene is seeing a boom. For instance, completely-built apartments near the proposed Smart City site currently quote prices up to Rs 2,000 a sq ft. A year ago the prices had stood around Rs 1,450 a sq ft. Land prices, however, have not shown growth of this magnitude," he said.

The reason for the boom in apartment prices is being attributed to the number of jobs to come and the accommodation possibilities for the new professionals who will move to Kochi for good.

Elaborating on the scene, Chakola adds that if Kochi's land prices saw a boom, it was due to speculative moves by brokers who played smart in the middle. They had bought land for cheaper rates when the first rumours about Smart City had arisen, and then through speculation driven up the prices.

"See what the real scene is now," he points out. "In real terms, land prices may be said to have shown a drop of 30 per cent. The prices, which were Rs 2 lakh a cent a year back, saw speculation driving them up to triple the amount. However, as the deal got inked, the price level can be explained as only double or even less. The prices are currently hovering around the sub Rs 4 lakh a cent level."

Interestingly, a large number of north Indians who are currently settled in the UK and the US are increasingly looking at investing in apartments in and around Kochi. This is apart from the Gulf Malayalee investments in apartments here.

Statistics reveal that the number of north Indians from the US and the UK who formed just 5 per cent of the individuals who booked apartments in Kochi around a year ago has grown to around 25 per cent now. Apartments and villas are the clear winners here, compared with just open spaces.

The proposed Smart City project, in which the Kerala government is to have 16 per cent stake in the initial stage and 26 per cent after five years, is seen by one and all as a revolution that would spawn better growth prospects across the spectrum, from ICT to realty.

As V K Mathews, chairman and managing director of IBS Group, an IT company, commented: "With around 1 lakh new jobs coming up in the Smart City and around Kochi, it is only correct to estimate that we would need about 50,000 new apartments or other housing facilities. Also, this project will bring an additional 1 lakh new vehicles to our already congested roads. Technology jobs are well paid jobs and IT professionals need relatively better social facilities. In other words, there will be a lot of demand for both general basic as well as social infrastructure, such as roads, water, power, waste management and housing, hotels and markets."

Mathews concludes: "When demand increases, the price and inflation goes up, especially for land and real estate. The government must ensure that there is no real scarcity for land. This can be done by making the lands in the interiors useful for urban consumption, by making such areas accessible by creating roads. Unnecessary restrictions should be removed, thereby stopping middlemen from exploiting the situation and causing cost escalation to decelerate growth."

Doesn't that ring a bell?

http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/jun/30kochi.htm

Orginally posted by emprasanth @ SSP

The first cruise terminal in the country will come up in Kochi, if everything goes right, reports Priyadershini S. The blueprint is ready and tourists the world over may drop anchor here


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/189/509430479_1aac76c565.jpg

The glamour capital of the State, Kochi, is poised for bigger things. The face of tourism in the State will change when Kochi port gets its star facility, the cruise terminal, the first in the country. With plans past the conceptual stage and with th e tying of loose ends Kochi may see a top-of-the-pops cruise terminal by 2009. The chairman of the Port Trust, N. Ramachandran says, “We have very ambitious plans for a cruise berthing terminal and we are confident that the project will be viable and be ready by 2009.”
Mega project

The increase in the number of cruise liners making Kochi their port of call has necessitated this mega project. With high profile travellers, the rich and the famous, the retirees and the leisurely, the tourism aspect of this new trend cannot be overlooked.

In fact, the port is capitalising on this very aspect and is ready to have a terminal that will compel cruise travellers to enlist Kochi as a must-see destination on their wish list.

With over 40 bidders responding to the global tender floated by the port, it is the consortium of Transystems of USA, Virginia and Mir Projects & Consultants Pvt.Ltd. of India that has been chosen to conceive the project. Mir Projects & Consultants is the Asian partner for Transystems Corporations.

Arun Kumar K, MD, Mir Group says, “Cruise tourists are the richest in the world and they don’t travel much in the port of call. The liner is in the port for not more than 10 to 12 hours, so we need to have a very attractive facility that will draw them out from the ship into the terminal.”

And so the cruise terminal is planned as a glitzy public plaza that will have facilities ranging from large immigration halls to shopping malls, trade centre, food plaza, ayurvedic spa and even a star hotel attached to it. “We have earmarked 12 hectares of land near the Port Trust Guest House and with possibility of more land in the vicinity for this project, plus a deep water front to make the jetty. As of now Kochi gets cruise ships only during the tourist season, from August to April. We must have a facility that will generate enough revenue to maintain and set off the investment that we have made,” says Mr Ramachandran,

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/156/426725402_258d585326.jpg http://farm1.static.flickr.com/206/443248504_bd5697f6bd.jpg

And to make this a profitable venture the terminal is to be an attractive round-the-year spot for both travellers and locals. To make it so, Mr. Arun Kumar says, “We have envisaged something like the ‘chaukidhani’ in Jaipur that showcases Rajasthan in its entirety, at a point.

We are planning something unique like that. It should truly reflect Kerala. From large scale shopping malls selling handlooms, cashew, coir that will promote our own trade to large food plazas serving ethnic foods from all over India will be an attraction.

As these cruise liners have restaurants serving different continental foods we have to provide them with local cuisine. We are also planning high-end office spaces to lease out for the Port to earn revenue.

As this will be the first cruise terminal in India there are plans for a five star hotel on the premises. This should become a brand like Miami or the Aloha terminal in Honululu, to be included in International tourist maps.”

Mir Group says it envisages this 500 crore mega project as a Public Private Partnership( PPP)venture.
Viable

Excited at the prospect of such a terminal says, Sejoe, Director Marvel Tours, a company which handled the Queen Elizabeth 11 and Queen Mary passengers this past season, “There is a huge need for this. It will definitely be viable as more passenger ships will dock once this facility is available. As of now the QE11 took the extra effort to come to Kerala because Kerala is a hot destination. Such a terminal will attract more such ships. It will ease the present problems, like now, often, unloading of coal goes on the other side when the passengers are disembarking.”

But the nagging question that remains is whether Kochi will attract this many cruise liners after all, to make this a viable project. People from the shipping community seem upbeat. Says Rajesh Asher, President Cochin Steamer Association, “In 2005-06 we had 26 cruise vessels which became 38 the very next year. For 38 to become 72 will be easy if such an attractive terminal comes up. If 26 can become 38 without facilities why not 38 turning 72 with facilities?” With the general cruise business increasing the world over the timing to drop anchor for a cruise terminal in Kochi port is perfect.

by cochin guy

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/202/443279429_4cbb9bb541.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/194/443279439_51ac126ff4_b.jpg

by yamanoorsai

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/173/426725731_8fb5d55d22_o.jpg

KOZHIKODE: If everything goes right, the work of Kochi metro rail project will commence within a span of six months and the project will be completed in the stipulated three-year period, said E Sreedharan, Chairman, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.

He was speaking at a discussion organised by Malabar Chamber of Commerce on suburban railway for the development of Kozhikode region here on Sunday.

He said Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, Minister for Law M Vijayakumar and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister T K A Nair held a meeting in Delhi last week to discuss the issue.

He said the plan of the Kochi metro rail project has been given to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd, and a draft in this regard is being under preparation.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd will submit the draft before the cabinet to take a final decision on the proposed Kochi metro rail project, said Sreedharan, who is also the Advisor, Transportation, Government of Kerala.

He said survey work on the possibilities of suburban rail at Kozhikode and Kochi is on, and the project on suburban railway at Thiruvanthapuram has already been submitted.

He also favoured a suburban railway from Thalasseri to Tirur in Malabar region.


http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IER20070702030529&Page=R&Title=Kerala&Topic=0

^^ KOZHIKODE: If everything goes right, the work of Kochi metro rail project will commence within a span of six months and the project will be completed in the stipulated three-year period, said E Sreedharan, Chairman, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.

He was speaking at a discussion organised by Malabar Chamber of Commerce on suburban railway for the development of Kozhikode region here on Sunday.

He said Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, ...............................]

:banana: nice find.. good to know something is really happening about this project.. the sad part about infrastructure wise is that everything is real slow.. or whenever something is done its not done with a vision where they want it to last another 10-20 yrs.. no quality in the works carried out... all this works out gr8 for all those taking bribes...:ohno:

What will be the price of an apartment ( rs/sqft) at Chembumukku ?.

The state got even smarter as the people, the residents as well as the many Keralites among the Indian diaspora shot off short messages and lengthy e-mails to the man who managed to do what onlookers thought he never would. The Smart City deal has everything in it to log Kerala into a broader tech horizon.

In V S Achuthanandan, Kerala, suddenly saw a techie leftist they could bank on. So did the business community. Playing the state's boss and IT minister to perfection, the left veteran who once, as opposition warhorse, yelled out in his inimitable style that the Smart City proposal was just another real estate deal, just did a U-turn.

And the state rejoiced. Kerala -- and Kochi in particular -- saw itself being elevated to the rank of being talked about among infotech circles.

Just over a month after the Smart City agreement was formally inked between the Kerala government and Tecom Investments, a Dubai Internet City company, talk rages on the number of IT companies that are to flow in to set up shop here and the number of jobs they would churn out. That isn't all. Another segment had already begun working overtime to ensure all is well and profitable -- the realtors.

For the proposed Smart City can never be just another IT zone. Rather, it will be Tecom's dream project that should translate into a pioneer component of a network of similar projects planned across the globe. Going by what the Tecom brass had hinted after the deal was signed, the Kochi Smart City would be the DIC company's first such Indian facility and only the second in the world.

The Smart City project, which will involve an investment of $350 million, will boast of 88 lakh sq ft of built-up space and supporting infrastructure for IT and ITeS companies. The whole project will be spread across 246 acres of land.

The project promises to generate as many as 90,000 high-paying jobs over a 10-year period. A master-plan for the development of the project will be drawn up and it is expected to take a year to start work. An elated CM points out, "The Smart City project will play a key role in tapping Kerala's enormous potential for the development of key industries like ICT and media."

Not surprisingly, the real estate sector in and around Kakkanad, the Kochi suburb where the Smart City will come up, had been waiting in the wings to explode to higher price levels.

It was as if the realtors were waiting for the Smart City deal to be signed. Kakkanad, which till recently used to be a quiet, sleepy part of Kochi, woke up when the Infopark came into being. Individuals who had owned most part of the area in the form of paddy fields realised that they too were becoming part of the booming realty scenario. With the Smart City agreement in place, the real estate business is experiencing a new buzz.

Mathew Chakola, chairman of the Kerala Builders' Forum (KBF), illustrates a clearer picture. "A closer look will clarify that more than the land prices, the apartments scene is seeing a boom. For instance, completely-built apartments near the proposed Smart City site currently quote prices up to Rs 2,000 a sq ft. A year ago the prices had stood around Rs 1,450 a sq ft. Land prices, however, have not shown growth of this magnitude," he said.

The reason for the boom in apartment prices is being attributed to the number of jobs to come and the accommodation possibilities for the new professionals who will move to Kochi for good.

Elaborating on the scene, Chakola adds that if Kochi's land prices saw a boom, it was due to speculative moves by brokers who played smart in the middle. They had bought land for cheaper rates when the first rumours about Smart City had arisen, and then through speculation driven up the prices.

"See what the real scene is now," he points out. "In real terms, land prices may be said to have shown a drop of 30 per cent. The prices, which were Rs 2 lakh a cent a year back, saw speculation driving them up to triple the amount. However, as the deal got inked, the price level can be explained as only double or even less. The prices are currently hovering around the sub Rs 4 lakh a cent level."

Interestingly, a large number of north Indians who are currently settled in the UK and the US are increasingly looking at investing in apartments in and around Kochi. This is apart from the Gulf Malayalee investments in apartments here.

Statistics reveal that the number of north Indians from the US and the UK who formed just 5 per cent of the individuals who booked apartments in Kochi around a year ago has grown to around 25 per cent now. Apartments and villas are the clear winners here, compared with just open spaces.

The proposed Smart City project, in which the Kerala government is to have 16 per cent stake in the initial stage and 26 per cent after five years, is seen by one and all as a revolution that would spawn better growth prospects across the spectrum, from ICT to realty.

As V K Mathews, chairman and managing director of IBS Group, an IT company, commented: "With around 1 lakh new jobs coming up in the Smart City and around Kochi, it is only correct to estimate that we would need about 50,000 new apartments or other housing facilities. Also, this project will bring an additional 1 lakh new vehicles to our already congested roads. Technology jobs are well paid jobs and IT professionals need relatively better social facilities. In other words, there will be a lot of demand for both general basic as well as social infrastructure, such as roads, water, power, waste management and housing, hotels and markets."

Mathews concludes: "When demand increases, the price and inflation goes up, especially for land and real estate. The government must ensure that there is no real scarcity for land. This can be done by making the lands in the interiors useful for urban consumption, by making such areas accessible by creating roads. Unnecessary restrictions should be removed, thereby stopping middlemen from exploiting the situation and causing cost escalation to decelerate growth."

Doesn't that ring a bell?

http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/jun/30kochi.htm

Orginally posted by emprasanth @ SSP[/QUOTE]

http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/5629/mavelyyonly12ij9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Skyline Corona apartments at Mavelipuram , Kakkanad

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/7369/rivervillexx4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

River Ville apartments at Aluva....

some of the shots r real blurry....

Y Junction, 1 KM from Airport Sea Port Road (Civil Station)

http://www.exclventures-kerala.com/images/gb101/june07/1-Y-JN%20toInfoPark-Brookside.jpg

View of InfoPark as we drive from Y Junction

http://www.exclventures-kerala.com/images/infopark/image001.jpg

http://www.exclventures-kerala.com/images/infopark/image002.jpg

http://www.exclventures-kerala.com/images/infopark/image004.jpg

http://www.exclventures-kerala.com/images/infopark/image007.jpg

View of InfoPark Main Gate. Smart City Land is right Opposite to the Gate. As of June 07, its thickly wooded with Rubber and other Trees.


http://www.exclventures-kerala.com/images/infopark/image009.jpg

http://www.exclventures-kerala.com/images/infopark/image010.jpg

Source: exclventures-kerala.com

http://www.exclventures-kerala.com/images/cochin/june07/imageLL003.jpg

http://www.exclventures-kerala.com/images/cochin/june07/imageLL004.jpg

http://www.exclventures-kerala.com/images/cochin/june07/imageLL005.jpg

New Buildings Coming Up @ Marine Drive

http://www.exclventures-kerala.com/images/cochin/june07/imageLL006.jpg

http://www.exclventures-kerala.com/images/cochin/june07/imageLL007.jpg

http://www.exclventures-kerala.com/images/cochin/june07/imageLL008.jpg

http://www.exclventures-kerala.com/images/cochin/june07/imageLL009.jpg

Neptune's Court Under Construction...

http://www.exclventures-kerala.com/images/cochin/june07/imageLL010.jpg

http://www.exclventures-kerala.com/images/cochin/june07/imageLL018.jpg

Goshree Bridge

http://www.exclventures-kerala.com/images/cochin/june07/imageLL012.jpg

Vallarpadam Site...

http://www.exclventures-kerala.com/images/cochin/june07/imageLL013.jpg

http://www.exclventures-kerala.com/images/cochin/june07/imageLL014.jpg

DLF Site...

http://www.exclventures-kerala.com/images/cochin/june07/imageLL017.jpg

http://www.exclventures-kerala.com/images/cochin/june07/imageLL019.jpg

Source: exclventures-kerala.com

MUMBAI: The Tata Group has announced its foray into the processed foods business with the acquisition of a majority stake in Innovative Foods Ltd. (IFL) from the Amalgam Group for an undisclosed sum. According to a company release, the acquisition of IFL has been made through Residency Foods and Beverages Ltd. (RFBL), a subsidiary of Indian Hotels.

The Tatas are already present in various food segments through various group companies like Tata Tea, Tata Coffee and Tata Chemicals (Tata Salt). As part of its plans to diversify into various sub-segments in the foods business, RFBL has recently entered into an exclusive agreement with Jasper Aqua Exports Pvt. Ltd., a seafood company based out of Visakhapatnam. Jasper Aqua will make products exclusively for the RFBL product portfolio. This is significant for the company’s plans for exports to the East Asian markets among others. IFL is now present in the frozen and ambient, ready-to-eat (RTE) and ready-to-cook (RTC) categories under the brand Sumeru.

IFL’s processing facilities are located in Kochi, Kerala. The Tata Group is investing in IFL to upgrade the plant to world-class standards. IFL now plans to enhance the distribution network, logistics, product range, and brand building by leveraging the expertise of the new management team led by Sheila Nair, CEO, IFL.

Armia starts new facility at Infopark

Our Bureau


Kochi, July 3 Armia Systems Private Ltd, the Indian subsidiary of Armia Systems Inc., US, has started its development facility Vismaya Building at Infopark here.

The centre was previously located in the Thapasya building of the Infopark.

According to Mr Nishanth, Business Development Manager, Infopark, the shift to the new facility is part of the company’s strategy to upgrade its current infrastructure and expertise.

The new facility can accommodate more than 250 engineers.

The Vismaya building already houses renowned software companies.

Armia Systems provides innovative software and technology support to many prominent companies around the globe.

The company has a variety of solutions focused on Web applications and owns brands such as SupportPRO, iScripts, EasyCreate, eSwap, Socialware, Backup2Net, etc.

Armia Systems is also the industry leader in providing advanced technical support services to web hosting and software industry.

Armia Systems is planning to increase its talent pool by 60 in the areas of software development and server administration. This will be done by the end of the year 2007.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/07/04/stories/2007070451212100.htm

Singapore-based low-cost airline, Tiger Airways, announced its first flight between Chennai and Singapore on Tuesday at a cost of Rs 1,600 one-way.
Tony Davis, CEO of Tiger Airways, said that the airline would operate four flights per week from Singapore to Chennai from October 28 and three flights per week from Singapore to Kochi from October 30.

The Tiger Airways CEO said that it will operate the most comprehensive international network of any low fare airline in the region, with services to countries with a combined population of over 3 billion.

One-way fare for both routes starts from Rs 1,600, he said, adding, "with its low-fare model, which offers prices that are almost half of the current published fares of other airlines, we are confident of strong demand for our services."

"The airline has now established an extensive network of low-fare routes across the Asia-Pacific region offering services from as far as Melbourne to Chennai," he added.

"Tiger Airways is now the only low-fare airline to offer services across the whole of Asia, encompassing China, South East Asia, India and Australia," he said.

The strategic location of Singapore as an operating hub means that the entire Tiger Airways network could be operated using a single fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft, providing cost efficiencies that translate into lower costs for the customers, he said.

The airline had concluded an order for an additional 50 new Airbus A320 aircraft, bringing its total fleet to 70, he added.

http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/jul/03tiger.htm

orginally posted by emprasanth @ SSP

The land reclaimed by the Goshree Islands Development Authority will open up yet another development front for Kochi.

Ready for take-off: The reclaimed land.

The 53.54 acres of land reclaimed from the Vembanad Lake by Goshree Islands Development Authority (GIDA) in one of Kerala’s first example of a project being financed by sale of land owned by a Government agency, is set to witness changes that will give a new face to Kochi and will one day be the showcase of Kerala’s capabilities.

An amount of Rs.340 crore realised from the sale of the land went into building the trio of Goshree bridges that link the Vypeen and Mulavaukadu Island to the Ernakulam mainland. A portion of the money also went into infrastructure development on the islands neighbouring Ernakulam that were a picture of neglect in the past.
Vital link

The three Goshree bridges will be the mainstay of land link between the Vypeen and Mulavukadu Islands to Ernakulam. These islands and their neighbouring areas like Puthyvype will see investments to the tune of Rs.10,00 crore over the next five years.

The establishment of the International Container Transshipment Terminal project on Vallarpadam will be the single most important project that will alter the land use pattern on the Goshree land. The land was acquired by Puravankara property developers, Hotel Venus International, Venugopalan Nair, Ansu Enterprises and Prestige Properties.
Great impact

While these groups are finalising plans for their waterfront property, the speed with which several new projects are being implemented close to the property will have a definite impact on the developments on Goshree land.

The transshipment terminal project is India’s first grassroots hub terminal and will host India’s maritime business once it is commissioned.

The road and rail link to the project site are already being taken up with the District Administration already having initiated the process of land acquisition for the rail and road links.
A major project

The LNG terminal being planned by Petronet LNG Limited (PLL) is another major project that will have an impact on the land development of the area. The project is coming up on land leased out by Cochin Port Trust.

A bunkering terminal, India’ s first port-based special economic zone and a ship repair facility along with a world-class marina will be the other major projects that will change the face of Kochi. Just more than four years, the land north of Marine Drive was considered unimportant. The announcement of the new projects, beginning with the ICTT project turned the scene around to bring the Goshree land to its rightful place.

Developmental activities have had a headstart with Bharat Petroleum-Kochi Refinery on the verge of completing its single point mooring facility for servicing very large crude carriers off the Kochi coast.

GIDA has taken up the work of developing infrastructure on the islands which will benefit at least six grama panchayats that come under the purview of the projects being planned by the authority.

FACT, NHAI to sort out dispute over land acquisition

Work to be expedited

Collector to submit report in a week

KOCHI: Rail and road connectivity for the Vallarpadam International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT) will be commissioned by April 1, 2009, as per the original schedule. This was decided at a meeting held in Delhi recently.

The Union Shipping Secretary presided over the meeting. It evaluated the progress of the work on the Vallarpadam project and decided to expedite it, Ernakulam District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish, who participated in the meeting, said. The Cochin Port Trust Chairman and representatives of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) attended the meet.

An understanding was reached to hold a discussion between the NHAI chairman and the Union Fertilizer Secretary to sort out the dispute between Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd. (FACT) and the NHAI over the acquisition of road on the premises of the former. The District Collector has been asked to submit a report to the Union Shipping Secretary within a week.

Initial valuation has been completed in four villages through which the rail line passes — Edappally North and South, Cheranalloor and Mulavukadu — and the draft declaration has been published.

hindu.com

Draft of master plan to be ready by July 10

Digital survey for master plan completed

Plan to be based on international specifications

KOCHI: The master plan for the renovation of M.G. Road in the city will be implemented by the end of this month, Ernakulam District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish said on Friday.

Mr. Hanish said the draft of the master plan would be ready by July 10. The details will be submitted to the High Court.

The public will be given one week to submit their comments and suggestions. The implementation of the final plan would begin any time after July 20, he said.

The district administration hit upon the idea of a master plan after the illegal structures built on encroached land on M.G. Road were pulled down.

The Collector said the objective behind the drawing up a master plan was to give a facelift to the premier road, considered to be the commercial nerve centre of the district, and to upgrade it on a par with international standards in style and facilities. The concept is to ensure universal and free access to M.G. Road, the District Collector had said while stressing the importance of the master plan.

Meanwhile, the digital survey, considered vital for the preparation of the master plan, has already been completed.

Work on the master plan is fast progressing, S. Gopakumar of Kumar Group, which is entrusted with the drawing up of the master plan, said. Talks with various Government agencies and the Corporation authorities would be held in the coming days, he said.

The plan will be based on international specifications with the primary objective of ensuring smooth flow of traffic.

He said one of the major highlights of the master plan was to make the entire stretch of M.G. Road wheel-chair-friendly.

At present, the footpath is laid in a haphazard manner, creating difficulties for pedestrians.

The plan is to even out the pavements, making passage smooth for pedestrians as well as differently-abled persons on wheel-chairs.

The height of the footpath will also be streamlined, which at present, is quite unscientific making it difficult to even disembark from a four-wheeler parked by the pavement.

Spacious parking lots will be designed in such a manner that traffic is not held up. Road signage will be given a facelift making them visible even at night.

Footpaths will be lit up separately to improve visibility for pedestrians at night.

Bus bays will be designed, wherever possible.

hindu.com

Kochi, July 7: Kerala Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Vijayakumar today said the state government had decided to hand over the execution of the Kochi Metro Rail Project to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

Speaking at a function here, he said a decision to this effect was taken after a recent meeting of Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan and DMRC Managing Director E Sreedharan.

Stressing that there was no uncertainity in the project, Mr Vijayakumar said the government was expecting to start the project work and complete it as early as possible.

He also informed that a Rs 16 crore 'model court complex' with various facilities for litigants and lawyers would be set up here.

The government was also planning to start two maritime academies in Kasargode and Thiruvananthapuram to impart training to the young aspirants, he said.

The effort will be to provide more employment opportunity for the young population and it would be commissioned by year-end, Mr Vijayakumar added.

source: newkerala.com

Santhi Hill View

Category : Apartment
Location : kakkanadu, Cochin
Total Floors : 19


http://www.santhihomes.com/images/ongoing/kakkanad_hill-view.jpg

Construction Photo..

http://www.santhihomes.com/images/gallery/Img_9845%20copy.jpg


Santhi Lotus

Category : Apartment
Location : Periyar River front, Aluva, Cochin
Total Floors : 20

Scroll if needed---->>>>>
http://www.santhihomes.com/images/ongoing/CABEA5RR.jpg

http://www.teamregal.com/DispalyPhotos.aspx?Projectid=3

Monday, July 09, 2007

Muthoot Leisure & Hospitality, part of the Kerala-based Muthoot Group, plans to invest Rs.500 crore in putting up two five-star hotels and a resort.
The project to be spread over 2.5 acre of land in Kochi will have 250 rooms, entailing an investment of Rs.200 crore. A five star beach resor will also be developed at Rs.90 crore on 25 acres of land in Mararikulam.
The company also plans another five star business hotel at Rs.200 crore in Coimbatore and has acquired 2.5 acres on the Coimbatore bypass for the purpose.

Work on both these projects will begin by September 2007 and will be completed within two to three years. The Muthoot group currently owns and operates one four-star resort - Muthoot Cardamom County in Thekkadi, and Gold Star - rated luxury houseboats in the backwaters of Kumarakom. That apart, it owns a five-star property in Thiruvananthapuram called - The Muthoot Plaza, run by Sarovar Hotels, and another five-star resort in Kovalam run by the Taj group - Taj Green Cove.



Source: PT

Tiger Airways to operate services to Singapore from October

Airline to set up shop at Cochin airport

3 services a week between Kochi and Singapore

KOCHI: Come this October and the air passengers from Kochi can fly to Singapore at low fares. Tiger Airways, the Singapore-based low-cost carrier, is about to set up shop at the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) at the onset of this year’s winter schedule. This will take the number of foreign carriers operating out of Kochi to 13.

The airline would start with three services in a week between Kochi and Singapore, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, Shriram Bharath, Managing Director of CIAL, said. As per schedule, the flight would arrive here at 10.55 p.m. and would depart for Singapore at 11.45 p.m.

The airline would deploy Airbus-320 aircraft for operating the service, and 180 seats would be on offer.

Being a budget carrier, it would be an all-economy class service.

Ticket fares would start from Rs.1,600 depending on the time of reserving the ticket, Mr. Bharath said.

The airline received approval from the Government of India to operate services linking Singapore with Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Chennai, Goa and Kolkata, he said.

Initially the airline planned to launch services from Kochi during July-August and sought a slot at 8 p.m. “As it was midway through the summer schedule, that slot was already filled,” he said.

Regarding the preparedness of the airport in terms of infrastructure to host more airlines, he said that the new parallel taxi track would go a long way in boosting the airport’s potential to handle more services. “Besides, construction of four new parking bays would be undertaken immediately after monsoon, taking the total number of bays to 14.”

He expected the arrival of new airlines to propel the Kochi airport as a big player in the global aviation scene.

“With more aircraft taking to the Indian skies the Maintenance-Repair-Overhaul facility the airport proposes to set up would be much in demand,” he said.

At present, only Silk Air operates in the Kochi-Singapore sector.

Asked about the scope for another airline in the sector, Mr. Bharath said that being a budget carrier Tiger Airways would be able to attract its own passenger base.

Moreover, Singapore is a main point offering connections to various other destinations.

Besides, the passengers could benefit from the budget carrier’s own services to various destinations in the Asia Pacific region. Tiger Airways, which is a major player in the region, started off in 2004 with a fleet of two aircraft operating in three routes. The airline now operates to 18 destinations.

The carrier has placed an order for additional 50 new Airbus A320 aircraft.

hindu.com

Mahindra Logistics, a part of IT-to-tractor conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra is planning to invest Rs.400 crore by 2010 for setting up greenfield warehouses across the country.

Of the total investment, it has already invested Rs.100 crore in rolling out 10 warehouses across the country. The company is planning customised cold and dry warehouses and fruits and vegetable processing centres for corporates in major cities, including Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi and Kolkata.

With two warehouses already operational, it is planning to convert interim warehouses taken on lease into greenfield facilities depending on client requirements such as material handling, storage and packing.

PT

TransAsia Tech Park on Seaport-Airport corridor
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/7987/imagell002yf2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Originally posted by ReNik @ SSP

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/1852/image01ib4.jpg (http://imageshack.us) http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/8439/astranewkn6.gif (http://imageshack.us)

An array of 26 storeys. Kakkanad continues to awe !!!

Originally posted by ReNik @ SSP

http://www.hindu.com/pp/2007/07/14/images/2007071450360101.jpg

Every square inch of land on M.G. road is worth its weight in gold. Literally. According to the latest real estate trends from the commercial hub of Kerala, one cent of land on the busy M.G. road is worth Rs.1 crore or more. But there is a catch to it. Even if you are affluent enough, you are unlikely to succeed in buying a plot on M.G. road. Because, those owning the plots are not willing to sell their holdings and as a result, no major sale has been effected for quite so me time on this most expensive stretch of Kochi.

All that has been sold anywhere near M.G. road are plots on the by-lanes on either sides of the road that houses most of the key commercial institutions in Kochi. And those plots fetched between Rs.40 lakh and Rs.80 lakh a cent.
Rs.1-crore club

Besides M.G. Road, Marine Drive too belongs to the Rs.1-crore club, where the land value has been skyrocketing over the years. At Marine Drive, it is not just the land that is fetching the astronomical amount of Rs.1 crore. Housing units also fetch these prices here. In one of the biggest real estate deals in the apartment segment, a construction company successfully sold most of its premium luxury flats priced at near Rs.1 crore there recently.

Some of the biggest real estate deals in the city in recent times also took place near Marine Drive. The exact location is the newly developed land near the Goshree bridges. A real estate developer from Mumbai recently purchased 25 acres of the newly developed land for a price of Rs.112 crore. Before this deal was inked, the biggest deal that was struck in Kochi was the purchase of 70 acres at Edapally at the cost of Rs.91 crore by a Mumbai-based company, say officials at the Ernakulam Registrar office.
Diamond mines

Real estate prices are shooting through the roof in Kochi and holdings at prime locations are no longer being described as gold mines, but diamond mines.

Here are some of the diamond mines in the city. The prices of holdings in these sectors are supposedly considered as the guideline values for registering documents. Guideline value is the price or rather an understanding regarding the price of land reached between the officials of the registrar offices and the document writers for registering land deals.

The document writers are expected to brief their clients regarding the guideline value of the property which they intend to deal with. For the officials of the registrar office, it is also considered as an index of the revenue they plan to generate for the Government from the real estate deals.
Treasure spots

Ernakulam South and Ernakulam North are treasured centres in the real estate map of Kochi. Here the indicative price of a cent is half-a-crore. Shanmugham Road, Panampilly Nagar and Kaloor also figure in the half-a-crore club. Owning a cent of land at Chittoor road would make you poorer at least by Rs.30 lakh. The indicative price for Palarivattom Junction is between Rs.25 lakh and Rs.30 lakh. It is also the price index for Thevara, another favourite spot of the real estate sector. The estimated land price at Vyttila is between Rs.20 lakh and Rs.30 lakh.

One needs to spend anything between Rs.15 lakh and Rs.20 lakh for a cent at Kakkanad. These days, the buzzword in all real estate advertisements for plots in Kakkanad is the ‘proximity to Smart City.’ The value of the land in Kakkanad, it seems, is solely determined by the fact that how close or far is your plot from the new IT project. Even the ads for the remotest places in Kakkanad now come with the Smart City tag.

But here is a note of caution for those who intend to buy land at these centres. These are just the indicative prices for the purpose of registering the document. The real rate of transaction would be much higher than what has been quoted in the documents. Millions will be exchanged in the course of thousands of land transactions that take place in the district. People inclined to buy any holding, which they feel like buying, would be spending the amount that is demanded without even bargaining, it is pointed out.
Real figures

Annually, around 1.68 lakh documents relating to land transactions are registered in Ernakulam district alone involving a sum of Rs.3790 crore. This, according to the officials of the Registration Department, is the tip of the iceberg as the real value of transactions is not reflected in the documents. According to the officials, the real value of annual land transactions in Kochi would come to a whopping Rs.40,000 crore.

To get an idea of the extent of undervaluation in Kochi, one should take a look at the number of cases that are pending here. There are 1.75 lakh cases of undervaluation of documents in Ernakulam district alone. These are the figures since 1986, said an official of the Registration Department. In Kerala, they said, there are 12 lakh cases of undervaluation pending. The department sources pointed out that hardly 10 to 15 per cent of the real value of the transactions was indicated in the documents relating to land deals.
Fair value

The black money regime thriving on account of the undervaluation of documents can be curbed with the fixing of fair value, the process for which has been set into motion. The concept of fair value has been fixed so as to reflect at least 50 per cent of the market value of the land in a given area. However, there are complaints that the fixing of fair value of land at the lowest level has not been appropriate enough to reflect the market realities. At the ground level, the fair value is fixed by village-level committees. The values fixed by these committees will be submitted to the taluk committees and then to the Revenue Divisional Officers (RDO).

It will be the RDOs who will be publishing the fair value for the public to submit their comments and complaints, if any. Any interested party can submit his views on the value of the land and a period of 60 days will be allotted for filing the complaints. The Government had also listed 15 criteria for classifying the land in the State for the purpose of fixing the fair value.
Criticisms

Even while going ahead with the fixing of fair value, there have been criticisms that the value of buildings on the land that is sold is not taken into account while fixing land value. A mechanism should be evolved for assessing the value of the buildings based on the type of construction and the nature of materials used for construction, it has been pointed out.

hindu.com

^^ - Interesting news. The real estate prices in Cochin are indeed zooming up, but the rates mentioned in this article are nowhere close to being actually transacted. Working closely with the real estate industry, I believe the actual rates are closer to the Rs 30-plus lakh range for major transactions. It may spike for smaller purchases, but these are of little commercial significance. In fact, if one is to believe this article, these rates would exceed those of South Mumbai which we all know is not the case! ;) I would like to know the source of this report, lol!

But it is encouraging to see high street rates going up across Kerala, including at M.G Road and Kowdiar Avenue in Trivandrum and Mavoor Road in Kozhikode! I just hope that it doesn't restrict growth by impacting the viability of commercial projects. :okay:

^^ - Interesting news. I would like to know the source of this report, lol!

KS Sudhi
http://www.hindu.com/pp/2007/07/14/stories/2007071450360100.htm

^^ - Interesting news. The real estate prices in Cochin are indeed zooming up, but the rates mentioned in this article are nowhere close to being actually transacted. Working closely with the real estate industry, I believe the actual rates are closer to the Rs 30-plus lakh range for major transactions. It may spike for smaller purchases, but these are of little commercial significance. In fact, if one is to believe this article, these rates would exceed those of South Mumbai which we all know is not the case! ;) I would like to know the source of this report, lol!

But it is encouraging to see high street rates going up across Kerala, including at M.G Road and Kowdiar Avenue in Trivandrum and Mavoor Road in Kozhikode! I just hope that it doesn't restrict growth by impacting the viability of commercial projects. :okay:

^^ Ajay.. about the 30+lak... i m a little doubtful as i have had a few acquaintances inform me about property deals happening in closer range to what is mentioned in the article... another info i have for sure is the prices of retail outlets sold in Mall O.. heard some spaces went for 85Lac.. and this is not a big one.. just an average.. but then again.. i cannot confirm any of these as i myself am not involved in any of this..

Like you said lets hope the soaring prices don't hinder the development...

@ Sun - I was talking about the source of the info, not of the post. But, thanks for the link. :)

@ Dr_know - We cannot compare cost of built up space with land cost. Will try and revert with market info soon. :)

Grandpalms at Edappally ..........

http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/7282/dsc00612pk0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

just saw this hording at edappally , anybody having idea about this big project ?? its having 4-5 towers with 35- 40 floors!!!!!!

^^ ^^

Goodness gracious!:applause: :applause: :applause:

Cochin is breaking all barriers... This certainly seems to be around 40 floors. And since it is Puravankara it is surely going to materialse. I wonder how Cochin is going to deal with is explosive growth. These kinds of projects are going to exert enormous pressure on Cochin infrastructure, and local bodies, state and central govts have to work hand-in-hand to ensure that Cochin wont turn into another Mumbai like mess..

KOCHI: The Public Works Department (PWD), which is facing people’s ire over regular traffic hold-ups between Palarivattom and Kacheripady, has come up with a proposal to widen the Ernakulam North overbridge into a four-lane one.

The bridge and the narrow stretch from Ernakulam Town Hall to Kacheripady Junction are the two main bottlenecks on the route. A senior PWD engineer said he had submitted a report to the Advocate-General in this regard, following complaints that people were unable to reach their destinations on time because of serpentine traffic snarls.

The existing two-lane bridge (and three-wheeler bays on either side) will have to be widened to at least 19 metres to convert the bridge into a four-lane one. Though there is need for a small footpath on only one side of the bridge, there are footpaths on both sides, as per the PWD’s proposal. The Department does not seem to have taken note of the precious space (three-metre wide) on both the Ernakulam North and South overbridges.

The Revenue Department will have to demolish encroachments on the southern side of the North bridge if there has to be a lasting solution to traffic hold-ups. Only then can the bridge be widened.

The PWD engineer said the existing bridge would have to be pulled down and a new one built in its place. “The bridge, except the three-wheeler bays, is weak and there is vibration over the permissible limit.

The horizontal span over the rails has started deflecting and the safety of the bridge is in question. The top layer is giving away because of water seeping into the portion between the tarred layer and concrete,” the engineer said.

Any repair or widening work on the bridge would be impossible unless the Railways completed work on the 25-metre-long rail portion of the Pullepady overbridge. While many vehicles will have to be diverted through the Pullepady bridge, others will have to use Kaloor-Kadavanthra road, which is not in a motorable condition.

The Ernakulam South overbridge is the main bottleneck in the arterial Sahodaran Aiyyapan Road and Chitoor Road.

The District Administration’s promise of widening the bridge by three metres is yet to bear fruit.

A lasting solution to the problem would be to build a railway overbridge at Atlantis which could be used by vehicles to enter MG Road., said RBDCK sources.

hindu.com

Tiknar Olina, 16 floors
Off Pookattupadi Road, Edapally Toll

http://i8.************/63w6mtw.jpg

http://www.tiknarhomes.com/

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JULY 16 : Dubai-based Tecom's $360-million SmartCity project in Kochi has announced plans to go for green practices. The company will design, construct and operate developments in its knowledge-based industry clusters according to the guidelines of 'Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design' (LEED), a release here, has said.
LEED is world's premier certification programme for sustainable buildings. SmartCity in Kochi is a newly formedJV between Tecom Investments and Sama Dubai.

'Going green' also makes sound economic sense and enhances the long-term profitability and productivity of a SmartCity project," Fareed Abdulrahman, executive director, SmartCity said in the release.

SmartCity will partner with TECOM Investments' subsidiary company Sustainable Design Consultants (SDC) to implement sustainable development practices in a range of areas that will enable it to achieve LEED certification.

SmartCity is seeking to create a large network of industry clusters that will support the growth and development of knowledge-based companies across the world, the release has said. Last April, it signed its first agreement with the government of Malta to develop SmartCity Malta. This was closely followed by the signing of another agreement with the Kerala government for setting up SmartCity Kochi.

SmartCity's 'green' buildings will be highly energy and resource efficient, non-wasteful and non-polluting as well as flexible and adaptable for long-term functionality. In addition, energy and resource efficiency will considerably reduce the 'carbon footprint' of the buildings, the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the buildings in their daily operations.


This is a great news. i hope all infra develiopment companies in kerala follow this STD^^

Malaysia's Air Asia planning to fly in India by end 2008

EAW Staff - Mumbai

Air-India Express, a low cost subsidiary of Air India, will soon have a competitor on the southeast Asian routes. According to Tony Fernandes, CEO of Air Asia, the designated low cost carrier of Malaysia, the airline is planning to fly to Indian destinations like Kolkata, Cochin, Amritsar by end of 2008. In riposte Air India Express too, is planning to fly to destinations like Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Korea.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 4th Annual Low Cost Carrier Symposium in Mumbai, Fernandes said, "Malaysia has a bilateral agreement with India to fly to Indian destinations. We are awaiting permission from the Indian government." Currently, Air Asia has a fleet of 19 A320s and 35 Boeing 737-300s and has placed orders for another 150 A320s and 50 A330s.

However, it is to be noted that Malaysian Airlines had recently objected to the landing rights to airlines from India like Sahara (now JetLite) and Air India Express in Malaysia. Referring to this controversy, Fernandes further added, "Under the bilateral air agreement signed between India and Malaysia both the countries can fly to each other's destinations."

On an average, the fares on Air Asia are about 80 per cent lower than the economy class fares on Malaysian Airlines. There is even a buzz in the industry that the price of a Bangkok-Cochin ticket may not be more than US$ 50. An aviation sector analyst said, "Air Asia is one of the most competitive low cost airlines, the fares will be attractive."

Fernandes has been monitoring the growth of the low cost airlines in India. "Despite the growing competitions, Air Asia would focus on providing the cheapest fare," he said. If Air Asia is given the rights to India, it will be the first low-cost carrier to fly to the country.

http://www.expresstravelworld.com/200707/aviationworld22.shtml

The civil work of the sunrise infrastructure project, Vallarpadam International Trans-shipment Container Terminal (VITCT), in Kerala, will start in the last quarter of current year, according to sources at India Gateway Terminals Private Ltd (IGTPL), the Indian arm of Dubai Ports World (DP World).

DP World has short listed six companies, from India and abroad, for submitting the tender document. The company is planning to complete the tender filing process by August and the contract will be awarded soon, sources said.

The Rs 2,118-crore project, designed to be developed on a Build-Operate-Transfer basis, will be a boon to the export industry not only of Kerala, but all south Indian states. It is estimated that the project cost might escalate to Rs 3,000 crore thanks to the time lag and extra piling work needed.

The Cochin Port Trust (CPT) had mooted the idea of an international terminal way back in the early 1990s. CPT had estimated a savings worth Rs 6,000 to Rs 16,000 per container for Indian exporters.

Currently, a substantial percentage of India’s container traffic is trans-shipped via third country load centres at Colombo, Singapore and Dubai. Interestingly, the port had invited Expression of Interest for the project in 1998 for establishing the terminal on joint venture basis. But due to a bunch of reasons including absence of political will, the back waters of Kochi still flow quietly.

According to DP World officials most of the issues has been sorted out and some solution would be reached by the end of the current year. The deadline for commissioning the terminal is April, 2009.

Meanwhile, the earth-filling work in the project area has been completed and 275,000 cubic metre of earth has been filled so far, which is the base for commencing the construction work.

There are bottlenecks in Kerala’s mega project like acquisition of land for rail and road connectivity to the terminal. According to the agreement CPT has to provide such connectivity before the commissioning of the terminal.

Meanwhile, the performance of the Rajiv Gandhi Container Terminal (RGCT) has improved considerably due to better deployment of work-force and availability of more equipment.

The terminal has handled 56,362 twenty feet equivalent units (TEU) between April and June, up by 9 per cent over the same period in the previous year.

A sharp reduction has been attained in the turnaround time of vessels at the terminal, according to a top officer. Turn around time had been reduced from 35 hours in March, 2005 to 19 hours now. IGTPL plans to achieve 23 per cent increase in container handling during the current fiscal.

In total, the terminal handled 226,571 TEU, up by 13 per cent in 2006-07.

by Peter Fristedt

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/159/360870141_9bbef141cd_o.jpg

Master plan envisages food kiosks, parking spaces and underground ducts for cables

KOCHI: If the ambitious master plan drawn up by the district administration for the modification of Mahatma Gandhi (M.G.) Road is anything to go by, Kochiites could soon boast of a road with international standards.

The master plan not just concentrates on M.G. Road but proposes to develop its immediate side roads like Chittoor Road, TD Road and Banerji Road. One of the proposals is to widen Chittoor road to a four-lane one.

One of the highlights of the plan is the recommendation for an evenly-laid footpath all along M.G. Road ensuring smooth movement of even wheelchairs.

Considering the garbage problem in the city, the plan provides for waste bins all along the road.

Pay and use toilets, including ones for physically challenged people, has been envisaged.

Bus bays, three each on the western and eastern sides, have been proposed in the distance between the Shipyard and Banerji road. Better road signage is another proposal.

The plan, presented by S. Gopakumar of Kumar Group, recommends a complete ban on roadside parking along M.G. Road. It calls for the creation of new parking areas in the pocket roads connecting M.G. Road with Chittoor and TD Roads.

A multi-storey parking facility between Padma and Shenoys Junctions has also been included in the proposal.

The first floor of this facility would accommodate those who operate roadside food kiosks.

Transformers and protruding electricity cables would become a thing of the past. The Electricity Board has agreed to lay underground ducts for the cables, and to either keep the transformers at a safe distance from the footpath or to place them above the footpaths at a considerable height, Mr. Gopakumar said.

Flyovers are recommended at Pallimukku and Banerji Junctions in a way that would not obstruct the proposed metro rail facility. Enough space is set apart for ensuring greenery.

hindu.com

New Boat Jetty and some shots of Marine Drive by Dream.Chaser

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1260/842617403_b118f4ab69_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1059/842557683_d5b9b0dfee_b.jpg

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http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1255/844130144_b703fecb45_b.jpg

Kochi, July 18 IndiGo, the low-fare domestic airline, will start daily services connecting Kochi to Delhi and Hyderabad from July 27.

The company will serve these routes by using its eleventh brand-new Airbus A320, which will be delivered to the airline next week.

Mr Bruce Ashby, President and CEO of IndiGo, said in a release that the company would now connect 15 Indian cities, offering 78 daily flights, after taking delivery of the eleventh aircraft.

Since its launch in August 2006, IndiGo has carried over 1.75 million passengers and this number is increasing every day.

hindu.com

photo copyright devilindisguise

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/8416/mathootitparkdevilindislz2.jpg

I am back to start the arguments ;)
^^ - Interesting news. The real estate prices in Cochin are indeed zooming up, but the rates mentioned in this article are nowhere close to being actually transacted. Working closely with the real estate industry, I believe the actual rates are closer to the Rs 30-plus lakh range for major transactions. It may spike for smaller purchases, but these are of little commercial significance. In fact, if one is to believe this article, these rates would exceed those of South Mumbai which we all know is not the case! ;) I would like to know the source of this report, lol!

But it is encouraging to see high street rates going up across Kerala, including at M.G Road and Kowdiar Avenue in Trivandrum and Mavoor Road in Kozhikode! I just hope that it doesn't restrict growth by impacting the viability of commercial projects. :okay:
Just 30 lakhs per cent at MG Road? May be true some years back.
Isn't kowdiar avenue a residential area whereas MG Road and Mavoor road are commercial hot spots. Is the land prices comparable? Correct me if I am wrong.

I am back to start the arguments ;)

.


Please don't.

This thread is just for projects and photos. I suggest that all forumers stick to that. No Trivandrum - Cochin quarrels.

Please don't.

This thread is just for projects and photos. I suggest that all forumers stick to that. No Trivandrum - Cochin quarrels.
Hahaha I was just kidding. :lol:

Small brief about the project leaning to be ready by 2008 in Cochin.....



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MM TECH TOWERS
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Heera Waters
at Kadavanthra
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/4646/watershr2.jpg

by ashcochin

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1137/858358582_1785829112_b.jpg

woah that is a whole lotta projects, amazingly fast growing city this! love it!


Small brief about the project leaning to be ready by 2008 in Cochin.....



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by ashcochin

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1137/858358582_1785829112_b.jpg

Just look at that! Now tell me another Indian city with a waterfront as classy as that! If i remember correctly, its Alliance Towers, DD Samudra Darshan and Kerala Trade Centre which are coming up to join the arrays of impressive Buildings in Marine Drive. But the real action is in the Northern part of the road, whats named as Marine Drive Extension...Puravankara, DLF, Dewa Projects, Prestige, Abad, KM Trading, Swapnil...to name a few.


The Muthoot Tech Towers also could be seen in the frame...

^^ - Lol, Mumbai is a world apart in that sense, with the original Marine Drive. :) Hyderabad is also getting there with the area around the Lake. But, Cochin sure has a point when it comes to a back water avenue. Looking forward to new projects like Prestige and Puravankara. :)

Btw, I do hope MM Tech Towers gets some tenants soon. It has been standing empty, except for some apartments in the upper floors, for over a year now.

^^ Just look at that! Now tell me another Indian city with a waterfront as classy as that! If i remember correctly, its Alliance Towers, DD Samudra Darshan and Kerala Trade Centre which are coming up to join the arrays of impressive Buildings in Marine Drive. But the real action is in the Northern part of the road, whats named as Marine Drive Extension...Puravankara, DLF, Dewa Projects, Prestige, Abad, KM Trading, Swapnil...to name a few.


The Muthoot Tech Towers also could be seen in the frame...

^^ - Lol, Mumbai is a world apart in that sense, with the original Marine Drive. :) Hyderabad is also getting there with the area around the Lake. But, Cochin sure has a point when it comes to a back water avenue. Looking forward to new projects like Prestige and Puravankara. :)

Btw, I do hope MM Tech Towers gets some tenants soon. It has been standing empty, except for some apartments in the upper floors, for over a year now.

I guess scorpiogeni should have asked about the cities in Kerala rather than cities in the whole of India.. cos its illogical to compare Cochin or for that matter any other southern state to be compared with the usual biggies of north as all knows the center just doesnt do justice when it comes to backing majore investments down here....

the recent denial for Air Kerala is just another example.. the whole idea is to provide cheaper service to citizens.. an issue which the central govt seems to be ignoring.. look the high ticket rates to gulf which is hardly 4-5hrs.. and the rates to US or Europe..

or you can look the rail projects... of which we are rudely ignored...even when some projects does happen.. nothing comes here i mean Kerala..it goes to either one of our neighboring states...

Even if people dont agree to this. .its is the sad truth.. there is a never ending divide between the North & South...

@ Dr_know
We all agree with you about that statement Dr_know. Whatever has been given by the Centre to the southern states, it all goes to Chennai. Many North Indain people still consider Kerala to be a part of Madras, and I do really feel pissed off when some odd people address me as ''he is from Chennai'', when I have clearly told that Im from Kerala.

There is no point in blaming anyone as it is our own dear MPs whose inefficiency have led to Kerala losing many projects like IIT extension centre, Maritime University and a number of Railway projects. See the recent affair of the Palakkad vs Salem division...Where were our representatives? And now Velu has set his green eyes on Trivandrum division to form the Tirunelveli division. Our politicos will react when everything is over.:mad2: :mad2: :mad2:

Taking the politics out of this forum, I did mean comparing Cochin with the so- called biggies in the North. They must know that there are places like Kochi and Trivandrum apart from one Chennai in peninsular India. Considering the pace at which these cities are growing it is not very far when Cochin becomes a Tier I city in India. Already it is showing on the real estate scene, where 25% of buyers in Cochin are from North India!!:lol: :lol: Signs that things are changing!

@Ajay
Sad to hear about the MM Tech Towers. I feel they went horribly wrong in choosing the location for the IT park, in the middle of a chaotic urban bottleneck, where you have traffic blocks all times of the day. Such a major landmark having problems with occupancy, where there is no such issues for Muthoot Technopolis and other private IT Parks in Kakkanad.

Kochi's Marine Drive may not be as 'pretty' as that of Mumbai, but surely gives an outsider the big city feeling.

It is not entirely true that Kerala or the South is being ignored by the Centre. Look at TN, they get away with a lot of goodies irrespective of who is ruling in both state & centre. You & I voted the wrong people to Parliament, let us just wait another x years for a change in govt and hope things will change. Our politicians are busy mudslinging each other trying to prove why his/her party is better & that is the only reason they come to power...Maybe they should spend more time for development efforts, which is why we voted these goons to power...
Ok, i will stop the politics with that, i might just get carried away.

^^



I guess scorpiogeni should have asked about the cities in Kerala rather than cities in the whole of India.. cos its illogical to compare Cochin or for that matter any other southern state to be compared with the usual biggies of north as all knows the center just doesnt do justice when it comes to backing majore investments down here....

the recent denial for Air Kerala is just another example.. the whole idea is to provide cheaper service to citizens.. an issue which the central govt seems to be ignoring.. look the high ticket rates to gulf which is hardly 4-5hrs.. and the rates to US or Europe..

or you can look the rail projects... of which we are rudely ignored...even when some projects does happen.. nothing comes here i mean Kerala..it goes to either one of our neighboring states...

Even if people dont agree to this. .its is the sad truth.. there is a never ending divide between the North & South...

Wow, there are some awesome towers coming up!

Kochi is definately going to be one of the best and most unique looking Indian cities in 5 years!

Kochi's Marine Drive may not be as 'pretty' as that of Mumbai, but surely gives an outsider the big city feeling.

It is not entirely true that Kerala or the South is being ignored by the Centre. Look at TN, they get away with a lot of goodies irrespective of who is ruling in both state & centre. You & I voted the wrong people to Parliament, let us just wait another x years for a change in govt and hope things will change. Our politicians are busy mudslinging each other trying to prove why his/her party is better & that is the only reason they come to power...Maybe they should spend more time for development efforts, which is why we voted these goons to power...
Ok, i will stop the politics with that, i might just get carried away.

@ Dr_know
We all agree with you about that statement Dr_know. Whatever has been given by the Centre to the southern states, it all goes to Chennai. Many North Indain people still consider Kerala to be a part of Madras, and I do really feel pissed off when some odd people address me as ''he is from Chennai'', when I have clearly told that Im from Kerala.

There is no point in blaming anyone as it is our own dear MPs whose inefficiency have led to Kerala losing many projects like IIT extension centre, Maritime University and a number of Railway projects. See the recent affair of the Palakkad vs Salem division...Where were our representatives? And now Velu has set his green eyes on Trivandrum division to form the Tirunelveli division. Our politicos will react when everything is over.:mad2: :mad2: :mad2:

Taking the politics out of this forum, I did mean comparing Cochin with the so- called biggies in the North. They must know that there are places like Kochi and Trivandrum apart from one Chennai in peninsular India. Considering the pace at which these cities are growing it is not very far when Cochin becomes a Tier I city in India. Already it is showing on the real estate scene, where 25% of buyers in Cochin are from North India!!:lol: :lol: Signs that things are changing!

@Ajay
Sad to hear about the MM Tech Towers. I feel they went horribly wrong in choosing the location for the IT park, in the middle of a chaotic urban bottleneck, where you have traffic blocks all times of the day. Such a major landmark having problems with occupancy, where there is no such issues for Muthoot Technopolis and other private IT Parks in Kakkanad.

^^ very nice to see that a lot of people do share this point of view.. which is the real truth...

SEZ status will attract investments to the projects of the airport company

KOCHI: Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) at Nedumbassery is all set to approach the Central Government seeking Special Economic Zone (SEZ) status.

Shriram Bharath, the managing director of CIAL, placed such a proposal before the director board meeting held at Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. The meeting, chaired by Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan, accorded an in-principle approval to such a proposal and authorised Mr. Bharath to apply to the Centre for a SEZ status to the airport and its surrounding premises.

Mr. Bharath said that the proposal, if approved, would be the first airport-based SEZ in the country and would give a fillip to the various projects conceived by CIAL, especially the Information Technology (IT) and IT-Enabled Services Park and other knowledge-based projects.

Besides accruing huge benefits in terms of tax exemptions, the accordance of SEZ status would attract huge investments to the various projects of the CIAL making them more cost effective. This would also enhance the revenues prospects of the airport, he said.

The board was informed that the Cochin International Aviation Services Limited (CIASL), a subsidiary company formed for the implementation of the proposed Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility and Aviation Academy, has appointed Aerobiz International as the consultant for the project.

Civil works for the aircraft maintenance hangars and the Academy have already been started. Mr. Bharath told the meeting that the invitation of bids to form joint ventures has evoked good response among national and international MRO and Airline Companies as well as international aviation academies.

CIASL is in the process of evaluating the technical aspects of the large number of bids received from national and international players. The aim is to work out a joint venture model most favourable to the airport, he said.

The director board meeting of Air Kerala International Services Limited (AKISL), another subsidiary company formed for launching the low cost airline proposed by CIAL in association with the State Government, was also held on the same day to assess the future of the ambitious project.

The meeting authorised Mr. Bharath to explore the possibility of a joint venture with domestic airlines as the original proposal to launch an independent airline in the Gulf and Middle East sectors could not take off owing to the strict stipulations of the Civil Aviation Ministry.

According to the existing stipulations, only an airline with at least 5 years’ experience in domestic sector operations would be allowed to fly abroad. Mr. Bharath and M.A. Yousuf Ali, a member of the director board, were asked to hold discussions with domestic airline companies on the scope for a joint venture so as to kick-start the airline project.

The possibility of launching dedicated cargo services to national and international destinations from Kochi airport would also be explored during these discussions.

hindu.com

Same News.. different site..

SEZ status planned for airport city

KOCHI: Managing Director S Bharat, said the board decided to apply for Special Economic Zone (SEZ) status for the airport city, spread over some 1000 acres. “If the federal government grants permission it would be the first airport-based SEZ in India and would be a big boost to the projects being taken up by CIAL as part of its land utilization plan,” Bharat said. The CIAL also plans several non-aviation projects like a Software Park , shopping malls, hotels and a golf course on the airport premises. “This would entail the company to avail a large number of tax exemptions and benefits offered by the federal and state governments for the SEZ resulting in huge inflow of investments into the projects and make them cost effective. This would also provide a huge boost to the shareholding value,” he said.
The company registered a profit before tax of Rs444mn on a total turnover of Rs1.12bn, resulting in a profit before tax ratio of almost 40 percent on the total turnover last fiscal year. Some 30 percent of its revenue came from its duty free business, mostly through the sale of liquor.
“The financial performance of the company can be acclaimed as one of the best in the logistics industry, especially in aviation in the world. Huge profit ratio earned by CIAL for the current financial year reiterates the tremendous success story of CIAL as the first public private partnership initiative in the aviation infrastructure industry in the country,” he said.
Bharat said the products retailed at the CIAL duty free shop was among the cheapest in the south Asian, South East Asian and the Middle east region. The sales revenue grew by around 48 percent to Rs325mn for the financial year ended March 31.He said the dividend to the shareholders was reduced to eight percent as against the previous year’s ten percent because of the rights issue at the ratio of 1:1. The eight percent dividend will entail all shareholders, in effect, to get a ratio of 12 percent return on their equity capital investment which is two percent more than the previous year, he said. Many an eyebrow was raised when the non-listed company’s shares, which fetch around forty times the issue price now, were given away at the face value without any premium.

New route for budget airlines
KOCHI: Air Kerala International Services Limited (AKISL), a subsidiary of the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), has decided to explore possibility of tying up with a domestic airline with five years of flying experience, to launch low-cost flights on the Kerala-Gulf sector.The AKISL project could not takeoff as the federal aviation authorities refused to waive conditions on the five-year domestic flying experience and a fleet of 20 aircraft.
Former chief minister Oommen Chandy had demanded waivers on these conditions as in the case of Air India Express, a subsidiary of government-run Air India , since the state government is the single-largest shareholder. But that was also rejected.
“The AKISL board that met last week has authorised me and director MA Yousuf Ali to explore the possibility of starting the project as a joint venture.
We’ll hold discussions with other domestic airline companies to try and kick start the airline project with a view to form a low cost airline company to start both domestic and international operations,” S Bharat, managing director of the CIAL and its subsidiaries, said.
During these discussions, the company would also explore the possibility of starting dedicated cargo services to national and international destinations from the Cochin airport. Chief Minister V
A large number of national players have responded to these bids and CIASL is in the process of an evaluation ” he said.

gulf-times.com

Rajya Sabha

The Minister for Civil Aviation, Shri Praful Patel told the Parliament today that the Government of Kerala has informed that a public limited company, ‘Air Kerala International Services Ltd.’, has been registered by the State Government as a Special Purpose Vehicle for a budget airline project. The Government of Kerala has requested the Ministry of Civil Aviation for exemption to the proposed airline from stipulated conditions relating to fleet size and length of operation in the domestic sector for an airline to be considered for international operations.

The request was however, not considered by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, as the existing provisions of minimum fleet size of 20 aircraft and experience of five years of continuous operations in domestic sector for permitting an Indian schedule carrier to operate international services, are considered essential for safe and reliable operations on international routes.

Further, the Minister informed, the Gulf routes are presently reserved only for Air India and Indian Airlines.

MC/GK

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=25852

a news release from PIB... see the last statement... its reserved for AI and IA.... which has one of the most pathetic and oldest aircrafts and charges exhorbitant rates... the way these are run is more of a joke.. you have stewardess that are old enough to be nannies... and seats worse than the autoriksha's.. and they charge the rate of British Airways and et all.

anyway i m stopping with this post about the discriminations:ohno: we as Keralites face.. lets focus on those skyscrapers!!:)

a news release from PIB... see the last statement... its reserved for AI and IA.... which has one of the most pathetic and oldest aircrafts and charges exhorbitant rates... the way these are run is more of a joke.. you have stewardess that are old enough to be nannies... and seats worse than the autoriksha's.. and they charge the rate of British Airways and et all.

anyway i m stopping with this post about the discriminations:ohno: we as Keralites face.. lets focus on those skyscrapers!!:)


Well said !!! I have been abroad for a long time and had only once flew in AI. Yes the service is mediocre and don't be shocked to find the dentures of the stewardess in your lunch !!!

^^ - It is likely that the Gulf routes will soon be opened up, especially post the completion of the AI-IA merger. :) However, the minimum qualifications for an airline to commence international operations is a wise move. This ensures that all Indian airlines registered in India have a minimum quality when they operate to foreign shores. After all, running an airline is not like running a local bus service! :lol:

I think it will be far more practical to press DGCA to allow more routes to Kerala. Competition will automatically reduce rates to an financially feasible minimum. Already, the arrival of budget airlines like Air Arabia and Jazeera to Trivandrum and Cochin has helped to bring down fares significantly. :)

Air Kerala probably would be better placed as a cargo carrier. After all, the airports in Kerala are major sources of export cargo to the Gulf. AAI statistics show that Trivandrum is placed sixth in India and CIAL is also in the top ten. A cargo airline will not face the tough hurdles that an international passenger airline does and will help to expand trade between Kerala and the Gulf. :okay:

AI has been looting kerala bound passengers even in the US-India sector all the while, so the merger will not do any good.

For US bound passengers doing vacation travel each year back home with family, it will be a godsend if AI gets some competition from BA, AF etc to begin with. There is a lot of tourist traffic to Kochi which is currently getting routed through Mumbai, due to the AI monopoly to Kerala.

I think Air Kerala being a government owned public sector entity had every chance of being another mediocre airline like Air India.

AI has been looting kerala bound passengers even in the US-India sector all the while, so the merger will not do any good.

For US bound passengers doing vacation travel each year back home with family, it will be a godsend if AI gets some competition from BA, AF etc to begin with. There is a lot of tourist traffic to Kochi which is currently getting routed through Mumbai, due to the AI monopoly to Kerala.

only competition b/w airlines can bring the airfares down. look what happened to the domestic sector in india.once there was only Indian airlines and now due to the presence of a dozen airlines the prices are only 1/10th of what it was then.

I think Air Kerala being a government owned public sector entity had every chance of being another mediocre airline like Air India.

I think Air Kerala is percieved not entirely a govt undertaking. Its on the lines of the Cochin International Airport Limited(CIAL). Kerala Govt will only have a stake in the company, as like the CIAL. So it is sure to better, anyway far better than the Air India and Indian Airlines. The example set by CIAL is encouraging, as it is one of the best run and managed airport in the country.

AI has been looting kerala bound passengers even in the US-India sector all the while, so the merger will not do any good.

For US bound passengers doing vacation travel each year back home with family, it will be a godsend if AI gets some competition from BA, AF etc to begin with. There is a lot of tourist traffic to Kochi which is currently getting routed through Mumbai, due to the AI monopoly to Kerala.
^^
Very true...

Because of this atrocious fare charges in the Gulf sector, even the European and US travellers are suffering. It is not only because of the AI monopoly that Kerala bound tourists are opting Mumbai Airport, but also due to this insane charges currently existant in the Kerala route.

Just imagine, a Heathrow-Mumbai ticket can cost around 740 Euros even in Air France, Swiss Air and BA, and for Heathrow-Trivandrum in any Airlines connecting through the Gulf sector is over 1100 Euros!!! Its all because of the Middle East- Kerala sector, which alone consumes more than 50% of the total fare.:ohno: :ohno: This looting has got to stop, especially it is usually the poor labourers in the Gulf which has been bearing the wrath of this unfair business.

^^
Very true...

Because of this atrocious fare charges in the Gulf sector, even the European and US travellers are suffering. It is not only because of the AI monopoly that Kerala bound tourists are opting Mumbai Airport, but also due to this insane charges currently existant in the Kerala route.

Just imagine, a Heathrow-Mumbai ticket can cost around 740 Euros even in Air France, Swiss Air and BA, and for Heathrow-Trivandrum in any Airlines connecting through the Gulf sector is over 1100 Euros!!! Its all because of the Middle East- Kerala sector, which alone consumes more than 50% of the total fare.:ohno: :ohno: This looting has got to stop, especially it is usually the poor labourers in the Gulf which has been bearing the wrath of this unfair business.

Forget Air India. What about Emirates, Gulf Air, Sri Lankan, Kuwait Airways, Singapore/SilkAir and several other Mid east airlines which come to Kochi, Trivandrum? Are they cheaper?

I think Air Kerala is percieved not entirely a govt undertaking. Its on the lines of the Cochin International Airport Limited(CIAL). Kerala Govt will only have a stake in the company, as like the CIAL. So it is sure to better, anyway far better than the Air India and Indian Airlines. The example set by CIAL is encouraging, as it is one of the best run and managed airport in the country.

^^ - For the record, it is a misconception that CIAL is a private entity. 36% is owned by GoK. 18 % is owned by the PSU, Air India. Another 25% is owned by public sector banks and Hudco. A further 12% is owned by large private investors like the MFar group, which has a director on the board. Only less than 10% is owned by the general public. And in fact, these retail investors have been clamouring for a better divident, even at the latest AGM.

I am not sure that in times when the airline sector is collectively making huge losses, an airline is a wise investment for a cash-strapped Government.

Sun, flag carriers like Emirates, Etihad and so on which fly to Trivandrum, Cochin and Calicut are usually priced at a premium or on par with AI/IA, but they are much better in terms of quality of service, I guess. The budget carriers like Air Arabia, Jazeera and so on are priced lower.

And Scorpio is spot on, due to the slowness with which permits are allotted to foreign carriers in the sector despite packed flights, international connectivity to Kerala from the US and Europe is below par. Most of the tourists flying to Kovalam, which attracts the most foreign tourists in the State, often have to fly via Delhi and Mumbai.

It is sad indeed that foreign carriers like Emirates, Etihad, Silk Air, Qatar and Gulf provide better international connectivity to Kerala than the flag carrier Air India, which at one time, made most of its money in the Gulf sector.

Now that AI is investing in a major base at Trivandrum and has ramped up operations to Cochin, Calicut and Trivandrum, things seem to be getting better. Fingers crossed! :)

^^ - For the record, it is a misconception that CIAL is a private entity. 36% is owned by GoK. 18 % is owned by the PSU, Air India. Another 25% is owned by public sector banks and Hudco. A further 12% is owned by large private investors like the MFar group, which has a director on the board. Only less than 10% is owned by the general public. And in fact, these retail investors have been clamouring for a better divident, even at the latest AGM.

I am not sure that in times when the airline sector is collectively making huge losses, an airline is a wise investment for a cash-strapped Government.

Sun, flag carriers like Emirates, Etihad and so on which fly to Trivandrum, Cochin and Calicut are usually priced at a premium or on par with AI/IA, but they are much better in terms of quality of service, I guess. The budget carriers like Air Arabia, Jazeera and so on are priced lower.

And Scorpio is spot on, due to the slowness with which permits are allotted to foreign carriers in the sector despite packed flights, international connectivity to Kerala from the US and Europe is below par. Most of the tourists flying to Kovalam, which attracts the most foreign tourists in the State, often have to fly via Delhi and Mumbai.

It is sad indeed that foreign carriers like Emirates, Etihad, Silk Air, Qatar and Gulf provide better international connectivity to Kerala than the flag carrier Air India, which at one time, made most of its money in the Gulf sector.

Now that AI is investing in a major base at Trivandrum and has ramped up operations to Cochin, Calicut and Trivandrum, things seem to be getting better. Fingers crossed! :)


Kuwait airlines is comparable to the old KSRTC buses. There is hardly any leg room ( I think boeing has put extra seats in those planes ) . The staff is very arrogant ( I think the old hags with their shining dentures of AI are better !!! ) . Once I asked for a glass of water and stewardess responded with a 'NO' and realizing her blunder came back to me and assured me that she will get it as soon she put away the food cart The inflight entertainment is to take a couple of sleeping pills and snore all the way because the video/audio do not work. To top that they do not serve booze.

By paying an extra 100-130$ more on a NY to TVM trip you can fly royaly by Emirates. Compare the airports too. Kuwait airport is just like a bus stop with no good shops or facilities an you will be dying to catch the next flight out. While you will just enjoy the stop-over time in Dubai Duty Free ( In fact you would wish you had a little more time there). The fares are too high ; no doubt about that

Air Kerala - Political gimmick by a Government who is incapable to operate even a small transport bus !!!!!.

Air Kerala - Political gimmick by a Government who is incapable to operate even a small transport bus !!!!!.

Kuwait airlines is comparable to the old KSRTC buses. There is hardly any leg room ( I think boeing has put extra seats in those planes ) . The staff is very arrogant ( I think the old hags with their shining dentures of AI are better !!! ) . Once I asked for a glass of water and stewardess responded with a 'NO' and realizing her blunder came back to me and assured me that she will get it as soon she put away the food cart The inflight entertainment is to take a couple of sleeping pills and snore all the way because the video/audio do not work. To top that they do not serve booze.

By paying an extra 100-130$ more on a NY to TVM trip you can fly royaly by Emirates. Compare the airports too. Kuwait airport is just like a bus stop with no good shops or facilities an you will be dying to catch the next flight out. While you will just enjoy the stop-over time in Dubai Duty Free ( In fact you would wish you had a little more time there). The fares are too high ; no doubt about that

@Jaleelmalik...you missed the whole point.. even if GoK is got a share in Air Kerala it will be not run by them.. just look at CIAL.. that is the model they will be adopting.. but what you said about KSRTC is very much true....

@ hkaran07.. you too are very much right.. all the international operators are not nice or gr8.. not just Kuwait airline.. even gulf air comes par with them.. like you said when there are better airlines like emirates which offer pretty much the same price and way better quality then such stuff should be opened up.. we the customers should be allowed to choose..

another post was saying about opening up the sky... yes that is very much true.. more competition.. reduced fares.,..usually.. lets hope it doesn't backfire in time...

Its just not the issue of flight rights: Airlines of the UK have permission to fly to any airport in Kerala, and Airlines of Germany have rights to fly to Kochi. Lufthansa's intentions to fly to COK has been rumoured around for sometime, as also has been BA's. We could see one of the operating to Kerala by 2008, but in this case its not a problem with the government of India, but the perceived profit of airlines in flying to Kerala.
The Columbo market is similar to that of Kerala, with more tourist traffic and enough expartiate population, but the only European airlines that fly there are the leisure or low cost variants - Condor and LTU from Germany, and MartinAir from Holland.
With more business traffic headed to Kerala, this could surely change.

KITCO to execute work with foreign help

http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/24/images/2007072458530301.jpg

KOCHI: Work on the much-awaited marina project in Kochi will start by the end of August. The first of its kind in the country, the marina will come up on the north-eastern part of Bolghatty Palace Hotel, on the land owned by the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation.

The first phase of the project, which is estimated to cost Rs.6 crore, will be over by January 2009.

The Kerala Industrial and Technical Consultancy Organisation (KITCO) will carry out the work with the help of experts from London. The marina will be built based on St Katherine Haven, a London marina, with necessary changes based on geographical and other requirements. A high-level team from the KTDC visited the London marina during the World Travel Mart.

KTDC chairman Cherian Philip said that 30 yachts would be able to berth, once the first phase of the marina was ready.

Facilities would be made for berthing 60 yachts, in the second phase.

He said that utmost care would be taken to preserve the trees in the area where the facility would come up.

Necessary repairs would be carried out on Bolghatty Palace Hotel and the golf course on the adjoining land, with the help of the Corporation’s engineering wing, so that the area got a facelift. Efforts were on to identify freshwater sources.

A restaurant, marina house, hotel rooms, locker facility etc., would be made available in the first phase.
Dutch architecture

The marina house would be built in Dutch architecture, bearing resemblance to the Bolghatty Palace which was built in the 17th century. There would also be facilities for shopping, aimed at high-end tourists converging in Kochi in yachts.

Aimed at ensuring better road connectivity, work would begin shortly to build a new road from the first Goshree bridge to Bolghatty. The road would pass through the land reclaimed from the backwaters by the Cochin Port Trust.

Even sans a marina, dozens of yachts sail to Kochi and remain berthed here for weeks, all through the tourist season.
Ideal location

Strategically, Kochi is the ideal place for a marina, as compared to Mumbai or even Colombo.

This is because the city is located on the shipping route between Britain and Australia, where there is heavy traffic of luxury yachts but no good marina. The marina will also help allied activities like boat-making and repairing. It will also give an impetus to leisure boating in this part of the world.

The KTDC also plans to strengthen its boat clubs and transportation division, which are not performing well at present.

hindu.com

photos copyright jackson

1
http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/2225/cochinbuilding2jacksonje6.jpg

2
http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/807/kochibuildingjacksonxd0.jpg

Hotel Mercy

photos copyright renny

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/537/cochinhotelmercyrennysvb6.jpg

http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/3755/cochinmercyhotel2rennysnc4.jpg

NTPC's electric supply subsidiary NESCL has been entrusted by Cochin Port Trust with the work of studying feasibility and preparing a detailed project report. This is for providing electric supply arrangements to the port based SEZ at Vallarpadam and Puthuvypeen. CPT is under obligation to the promoters of the PBSEZ to make power available in the area by April 2009. The DPR has become essential to pursue a suitable course of action. Two options have been identified, namely laying overhead transmission lines to bring power from Kalamassery and setting up a captive power plant on BOT basis. The latter is likely to be too expensive in view of limited size involved. Power from Kerala State Electricity Board should have been the best option because of its long standing and size. But, KSEB wants Rs 110 crore for making power available through a 110 KV substation. Besides, it projected land requirement of 7+ acre at Vallarpadam, Puthuvypeen and Chathiath to set up the facilities. Besides it needs a timeframe of 2-1/2 years to start supplies. Co-developers of the SEZ project, like DP World, Petronet L NG and BPCL -KRL are reluctant to do business with KSEB with such terms.

constructionupdate.com

L& T Tejomaya; Structure getting completed

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/3088/ltsa5.jpg

Regal Palms at Chembumukku will be completed by end of next month as per the builder. Are there any major infrastructure/residential/business complexes nearing completion or about to launch at Chembumukku.

@Jaleelmalik...you missed the whole point.. even if GoK is got a share in Air Kerala it will be not run by them.. just look at CIAL.. that is the model they will be adopting.. but what you said about KSRTC is very much true....

@ hkaran07.. you too are very much right.. all the international operators are not nice or gr8.. not just Kuwait airline.. even gulf air comes par with them.. like you said when there are better airlines like emirates which offer pretty much the same price and way better quality then such stuff should be opened up.. we the customers should be allowed to choose..

another post was saying about opening up the sky... yes that is very much true.. more competition.. reduced fares.,..usually.. lets hope it doesn't backfire in time...

For CIAL's success,there was a very good formula under the leadership of K Karunakaran. Though he was / is corrupt - he had a very strong will power. Plus that the administration skills of VJ Kurian lead to the success of CIAL.
But what is happening @ CIAL during the post Kurian era is not that good. So let us wait and see how the proposed Air Kerala work.All the best.

Cheers

Kochi port is likely to be benefited by cargo diversion from Tuticorin following the decision of PSA Terminal to restrict its operation in the container terminal there.

“There is every possibility of a cargo diversion from Tuticorin to Kochi and we are preparing ourselves to grab the opportunity arising out of it,” a senior official at the DP World, which operates the container terminal in Kochi told Business Line.

To exploit the situation, he said the DP World has initiated measures to woo cargo by organising trade meets at the hinterland centres of Karur, Coimbatore and Tirupur of late. “We are all aware of the situation at Tuticorin and have taken steps to enhance our visibility in the market,” he said.

Restricting operations

It may be recalled that the PSA Terminal had taken a decision to restrict its operations to handle only three lakh teus per annum with effect from July 1 in protest against the TAMP order on reducing handling rates.

The DP World official said that they had already started discussion with the shipping lines with regard to spill over cargo from Tuticorin to Kochi. Already there is a movement of cargo diversion to Kochi and a clear picture will emerge within a couple of weeks. Many of the leading shipping lines have started accepting bookings to West African ports either through Chennai or Kochi and they have started enquiring about the facilities offered at Kochi, he added. The company has taken steps to enhance market coverage, shipping line discussions etc. in its efforts to attract cargo. Moreover, the introduction of 24x7 work hours with hot seat exchange system in Kochi will be an added advantage to get a sizeable portion of cargo from Tuticorin, he said.

Benefits

However, sources in the shipping fraternity said that as the shippers in Tuticorin had enjoyed various benefits while carrying out their operations, the terminal operator here should also extend the same benefits for the diverted cargo. Citing an instance, the sources pointed out that there is no cut off for export containers at PSA Terminal and they are not even collecting any additional charges for the late arrival containers.

Besides, the vessel operators should also take steps to increase the tonnage to accommodate the diverted cargo from Tuticorin. Currently, Kochi is facing heavy congestion due to raw cashew imports and the transportation of nuts from the port to processing centres is in a slow pace due to monsoon.

hindu.com

The Vallarpadam International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) road connectivity project has been awarded to Soma Enterprise Ltd. The project will be taken up in joint venture with Sunway Construction Sdn Bhd (SunCon), a Malaysian construction company. An agreement has been signed with NHAI for the Rs 329.4 crore road contract.
"With the signing of the agreement with NHAI, we would be commencing work on the project in full swing. This is one of our most challenging road projects that involve the construction of 11 bridges on a single stretch," Ankineedu Maganti, Director, Soma Enterprise, said. "We would be deploying the best technology and engineering for this vital project and are confident of completing it well within the scheduled completion period."
The project involves the construction of a 17.2-km highway which will include one flyover, 12 bridges, one railway under bridge, seven underpasses and one toll plaza. The project is scheduled for completion over 30 months.

DP World has shortlisted six companies, including foreign companies, for submission of tenders for undertaking civil works at Vallarpadam ICTT near Cochin Port. The company plans to complete the tendering process by August and award the contract soon so that work can start by this year-end. The ICTT is scheduled for completion by April 2009.

by lensalive

Vallarpadam work in progress...

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1382/938335383_a9aa91f4c6_o.jpg

Marine Drive

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1028/938335417_4cea7eb4d1_o.jpg

T'PURAM: After months of internal wrangling within the LDF, the State Government has finally given the green signal to Sobha Developers for the creation of the Rs 5000-crore Hi-tech City at Maradu in Kochi, the highest ever private investment in the state.

The memorandum of understanding between the state government and Sobha Developers is expected to be signed during the second week of August. The draft of the MoU has already been prepared and will be sent to the Industry Department for final approval this week.

Though the government's role will only be that of a facilitator, the Cabinet has decided to enter into an MoU with Sobha Developers.

An MoU with a State government, official sources said, is mandatory for a private party to secure Special Economic Zone status.

The proposal but did not have a smooth passage. There was vehement opposition right from the moment the proposal was tabled in the Cabinet by Industry Minister Elamaram Kareem.

It is learnt that the proposal was given the green signal after repeated, often animated, discussions at least in four cabinet meetings. The project is supported by the Industry Department and hence it is learnt that the IT Department has not seen the file.

This would be the highest ever investment the state has ever witnessed in the private sector. The Smart City deal, which is a private-public partnership, is estimated at Rs 1400 crore.

Sobha Developers have purchased 400 acres of land at Maradu island in Kochi for the setting up of the knowledge-based Hi-tech city. The plan is to set up a satellite township with commercial and residential blocks along with the participation of knowledge-based industries including IT.

by lensalive

Vallarpadam work in progress...

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1382/938335383_a9aa91f4c6_o.jpg

Marine Drive

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1028/938335417_4cea7eb4d1_o.jpg

cudnt view this imgs

dr_know...kool updates dude....

kothamangalam
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t70/sanjupalayat/31052007203.jpg
from skyscraperpage

It is learnt that the proposal was given the green signal after repeated, often animated, discussions at least in four cabinet meetings. The project is supported by the Industry Department and hence it is learnt that the IT Department has not seen the file.


See how party factionalism is affecting Kerala development. :bash:

LuLu mall construction works started -
notice their webpage, it's under construction too :)

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/4632/lulukk9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
photo : VenuThomas (http://www.cybervenuthomas.com/)

orginally posted by ReNik @ SSP

I don't get it. On one hand the govt tries to chase away a completely Indian retail brand like reliance and then allows a mid east shopping chain like Lulu to be set up here.
Maybe Reliance should try entering through Dubai.

^^ @ Castlerock - Lulu might be based in Dubai, but it is mallu owned. That might have something to do with it. Kerala already has the highest penetration of organised retail in India. Last time I saw a study, Trivandrum and Cochin had the highest % of trade through modern retail channels in India.

As for Lulu, they have had land and been proposing a mall in Kochi for 3-4 years now. They have more recently acquired land at Trivandrum and Thrissur as well. Let's see what happens.

Thanks for the clarification Ajay, but where does that leave their policy vis-a-vis the other retails chains in India like Reliance, Bharati etc. Frankly, one would expect a little more consistency and transperancy from the govt in this regard. How can the govt discriminate between the two groups just because one happens to be from Kerala. I believe Lulu also is a part of a large business group.

Thanks for the clarification Ajay, but where does that leave their policy vis-a-vis the other retails chains in India like Reliance, Bharati etc. Frankly, one would expect a little more consistency and transperancy from the govt in this regard. How can the govt discriminate between the two groups just because one happens to be from Kerala. I believe Lulu also is a part of a large business group.

yea. Govt cant do much on LULU. As the LULU (EMKE Group) have employed a lot of indians in Middle east largely keralites. they aslo have many investment in TCR and Cochin(as of now) including share in Cochin airport.....I dont know how long GoK can restrict other Retail chains though kerala have strong Traders unions who opposes Retail chains

yea. Govt cant do much on LULU. As the LULU (EMKE Group) have employed a lot of indians in Middle east largely keralites. they aslo have many investment in TCR and Cochin(as of now) including share in Cochin airport.....I dont know how long GoK can restrict other Retail chains though kerala have strong Traders unions who opposes Retail chains

Do you know whether Walmart-Bharti JV has any plan to open Stores in Kerala ?

Do you know whether Walmart-Bharti JV has any plan to open Stores in Kerala ?
I dont think Walmart or its colligates can ever start or even keep-in-line any shop kerala....:lol: :lol:

the wake of complete breakdown of the garbage disposal system in Kochi, Kerala Builders Forum (KBF) proposes to introduce bio bins in its present and future housing projects in the state.
In the intial phase, 50 residential complexes would be covered in Kochi and within 3 years, 200 housing projects would have bio bins, KBF Secretary, George E George told a press meet here.

The 'Clean Kochi' project would be inaugurated by Local Self Government minister, Paloli Mohammed Kutty on August 4 at Marine Drive.

With the help of natural micro organisms, the technology called bio-trigger mechanism (BCM), will break down biodegradable waste in about 15 to 20 days. This natural way of aerobic microbial composing of biodegradable waste was the most convenient one for cities like Kochi, which churns out about 250 tonnes of household garbage every day, he said.

Giving details of the project, Jose, who has undertaken the projects at several places of the state, said a mix of soil bacteria in the liquid solution, is sprayed into the waste in six feet long, three feet wide and 2.5 feet deep bio bins.

The process was natural and does not cause pollution. Moreover, high quality manure could be produced. About 150-200 kg of waste could be handled everyday.

The project has been successful in Calicut Medical college, Ernakulam General hospital, Government Hospital at Koothattukulam, Karakkonam Medical college and Thrikkara grama panchayat.

The material could be powdered and re-used for tarring roads, instead of bitumen, and was more long lasting. The project was under discussion with the PWD, Jose said.



The city has seen a real estate boom in recent years. The market has grown by 35 per cent, of which 70 per cent growth was in Kochi, George said. In Infopark itself, there would be a demand for 65,000 jobs, triggering more housing projects.

Several important projects, including the Rs 2000 crore Smart City project, LNG Terminal and Vallarpadam container terminal projects are also lined up in Kochi.

The Ernakulam district administration has already warned that housing colonies and flats should themselves find a solution to the garbage disposal problem.

The aim is to recruit about 1000 women from 'Kudumbashree' and other self help groups and give them technical training. This would also generate employment. The 'Clean Kochi' project will also impart technical and practical training in operating household appliances, house keeping, cooking and gardening.

By employing 1000 unemployed women, they would be linked to one lakh residences and organisations in the city.

A nodal agency has been formed under the KBF financial support for the smooth running of the project.

** CIAL complete tenders for appointing consultants for IT park project.

** Apollo to start a super speciality hospital at Nedumbassery

originally posted by ReNik @ SSP

** CIAL complete tenders for appointing consultants for IT park project.

** Apollo to start a super speciality hospital at Nedumbassery

originally posted by ReNik @ SSP

Gud news.:banana: but
Land has been already purchased from CIAL?

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/4862/ivyleagueck9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



SKYLINE IVY League, coming up at Edachira Junction, about 1.3kms from InfoPark, just adjacent to the proposed SMART City.

plain political hypocrisy, that is why this happens...why are they scared of big names/national players like reliance and at the same time allow regional folks like Spencers, Varkeys etc?
those guys in power dont just make sense, never did, did they?


yea. Govt cant do much on LULU. As the LULU (EMKE Group) have employed a lot of indians in Middle east largely keralites. they aslo have many investment in TCR and Cochin(as of now) including share in Cochin airport.....I dont know how long GoK can restrict other Retail chains though kerala have strong Traders unions who opposes Retail chains

good stuff this! skyline comin back with some biggies! this is probably second only to the shobha project in trichur?

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/4862/ivyleagueck9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



SKYLINE IVY League, coming up at Edachira Junction, about 1.3kms from InfoPark, just adjacent to the proposed SMART City.

plain political hypocrisy, that is why this happens...why are they scared of big names/national players like reliance and at the same time allow regional folks like Spencers, Varkeys etc?
those guys in power dont just make sense, never did, did they?

Most politicans are basically petty people. That's all. If you hear a politican rallying against the big business houses, be sure that his party accepts funds from big business houses on the sly. If you see a politician weeping for the poor, be sure that his party loots most of the money intended for the poor.

:lol:

http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/02/stories/2007080255312100.htm

Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Kinfra) and Delhi-based Aerens Goldsouk International Ltd. is all set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for developing a gem and jewellery park as part of the hi-tech park being developed by Kinfra in association with various private companies.

The proposal is before the Board of Directors of Kinfra, said an official of the Corporation. Its approval will pave the way for signing the MoU for the project, which has received a major boost with Indian gem and jewellery exports for the first quarter of the current financial year growing 13 per cent despite a strengthening rupee.

The growth in gem and jewellery exports complements late last year’s projections that global sales will grow to touch $230 billion in 2015 and that India and China will be big-time players in the growth.

The gem and jewellery park is part of Kinfra’s plans to open a hi-tech park spread over 240 acres in Kalamassery of which the proposed gem and jewellery park will occupy 33 acres.

136 acres of property acquired

KOCHI: District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish said here on Wednesday that handing over of the land acquired for the proposed Smart City project to the Information Technology (IT) Department had started.

The land acquired by the Revenue Department would be first handed over to the IT Department, which would, in turn, hand it over to TECOM, promoters of the project.

In the first phase, 100 acres (1 acre = 0.4 hectares) of Kerala State Electricity Board land had been handed over, the Collector said.

So far, 136 acres had been acquired. Disputes regarding 10 acres in Edachira had been settled. Another 13 acres would be available when the compensation package was drawn up.

hindu.com

plain political hypocrisy, that is why this happens...why are they scared of big names/national players like reliance and at the same time allow regional folks like Spencers, Varkeys etc?
those guys in power dont just make sense, never did, did they?


probabaly kerala is left aligned state. even INC -led UDF is no exemption. Big retails chains might threat to small time traders. thats the reason they r opposing.....probably Gok cant stop them in long run i think as local players r also in the league

good stuff this! skyline comin back with some biggies! this is probably second only to the shobha project in trichur?

It is probably similar to the Skyline SFS Cyber Palms project in Trivandrum. In fact, they both look wierdly similar both in layout and architecture....hmmmmm! :)

True, the surroundings and the building design look similar, although i would think this one has a tower or 2 more...

It is probably similar to the Skyline SFS Cyber Palms project in Trivandrum. In fact, they both look wierdly similar both in layout and architecture....hmmmmm! :)

True, the surroundings and the building design look similar, although i would think this one has a tower or 2 more...

Certainly, I also felt the same way when i saw it first! same layout, same elevation and even same colours...:) :) :) Well, may be its the same architect behind those 2 projects...

Yes:) , one tower more for Skyline IvyLeague than SFS Cyber Palms, but one floor less for the towers.

M/s Sony Mathai Lalichan Associates are the Architects for both the projects. But for SFS Cyberpalms, the masterplan & common amenity features are by M/s Surbana of Singapore. The Apartment designs are by Mr. Mathai of Sony Mathai Lalichan Associates

Yes:) , one tower more for Skyline IvyLeague than SFS Cyber Palms, but one floor less for the towers.

M/s Sony Mathai Lalichan Associates are the Architects for both the projects. But for SFS Cyberpalms, the masterplan & common amenity features are by M/s Surbana of Singapore. The Apartment designs are by Mr. Mathai of Sony Mathai Lalichan Associates

both designs looks alike i mean cyber palms and ivy league....but shoba city is unique....:)

Bangalore-based real estate company Puravankara Projects (PPL) is in talks with major local and global hotel players to set up a chain of hotels in South India.

The company intends to set up either 5-star or business hotels in cities like Bangalore, Chennai, Kochi and Hyderabad where it has its operations at present.

“We are in talks with all the major hotel operators to set up either a 5-star or a business hotels in some of the cities where we are operating currently. We would like to set up a chain of them but will also depend on the feasibility factors of such business in each of these cities. If the economies of scale do not permit, then we might set up only one or two,” said Puravankara.

He further added that the company will be signing the deals in near future.

The company is also in talks with major cement manufacturers in China, Ukraine and Pakistan to import cement.

“The Centre has given its nod and with the scarcity in the Indian market, we are planning to import cement. We have also begun talks with players in China, Ukraine, Pakistan and some other countries,” said Puravankara.

Lately, PDL has been experimenting with the latest technology for construction. The company recently imported the Miwan technology from Malaysia which involves using aluminium panels in construction and results in speedy work.

PDL has used the technology for two of its residential projects in the south. The company also claims to be the only real estate company to be using end-to-end ERP system for its business.

Puravankara informed that the company has been acquiring land for its upcoming residential and commercial projects in Chennai. It has identified 43.56 million sq ft of land worth Rs 363 crore.

To fund these acquisitions and to repay certain loans, PDL will be entering the capital market on July 31, with a public issue of 21,467,610 equity shares of Rs 5 each at a price band of Rs 500 per equity share to Rs 525 per equity share. The issue will be closing on August 3.

PDL has been into property development, real estate and construction sector since 1975 and has a land asset of approximately 95.60 million sq.ft. of saleable area. It earned a topline of Rs 417 crore and a bottomline of Rs 130 crore in FY 2006-07, reports Business Standard.

http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/news/ipo-issues-open/puravankara-to-setchainhotelssouth-india/11/13/295652

Sobha Developers is planning hospitality projects in South India with an investment of around Rs.600-720 crore.

The company has acquired land in Bangalore, Mysore, Kochi and Thrissur for setting up luxury hotels with a total of 600 rooms. The hotels are expected to be operational within a period of three years.

Source: PT

CIAL to have a new 300,000 sqft departure terminal from October. The total
terminal area of CIAL will be a whopping 800,000 sq ft

New check-in area, counters from today

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: A portion of the new international departure block of Cochin International Airport Ltd.,
comprising the check-in area and counters, will be opened on Thursday.

During the one-week trial of the counters, the existing departure block will also be operational,
A.C.K. Nair, Airport Director, said.

Thereafter, the operations will be fully shifted to the new block, as extensive works have to be
carried out in the existing block. The new block, when fully operational, will have a built-up area
of about 3-lakh sq.ft, he said.

originally posted by ReNiK @ SSP

http://img467.imageshack.us/img467/761/palaceviewmainld7.jpg

Please note:

While posting any news or information about a project please DO MENTION the source of information as a courtesy to others. If quoting another blog or forum, please also mention their source of information as well.

:)

Wipro's first block completed. Leela infopark under construction at the right
http://img471.imageshack.us/img471/3066/wiprokx0.jpg

originally posted by Sathyalal @ SSP

^^ ^^

is that white and brown concrete structure really the Wipro building??? Thats a disappointing architecture, i must say for such a biggie in Indian IT field. They could have opted for a more glass-chrome building to keep up with the current structures of Infopark..

^^ ^^

is that white and brown concrete structure really the Wipro building??? Thats a disappointing architecture, i must say for such a biggie in Indian IT field. They could have opted for a more glass-chrome building to keep up with the current structures of Infopark..

u r right scorpio...the building is not impressive at all:ohno: