Brigade Gateway update from Brigade group website (http://www.brigadegroup.com/apartments/gateway/status_Photos.htm)

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/4526/63119912hc0.jpg http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/6672/37781934ng2.jpg

The 30 storey North Star office tower and The Columbia Asia Hospital

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/6083/officedp7.jpg http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/4062/hospitalwu3.jpg

Brigade Metropolis update from Brigade group website (http://www.brigadegroup.com/apartments/metropolis/status_Photos.htm)

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/7060/96005638wj3.jpg http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/7295/77722860vc8.jpg

Mantri Greens update from the Manti Group website (http://mantri.in/Greens/Green_Status.htm)

Towers A,B,C & D

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/929/greentowaac1.jpg http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/3849/greentowbco6.jpg

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/9315/greentowcgd5.jpg http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/7136/greentowdfd0.jpg

Ya, I know, I was saying that Altura is in South Bangalore..while mentioning about the 24 floor tower Bearys Lakeside habitat in Hebbal.

^^Sudheeshji, Hebbal is in the North of Bangalore.

hi people....can any one post the latest construction photos of MANTRI ESPANA...

^^oh..I must've read it wrong.. thought you were refering Lakeside habitat as tallest in South Bangalore. That Altura render is awesome...simple architecture, but looks good....any idea when is it expected to complete?Ya, I know, I was saying that Altura is in South Bangalore..while mentioning about the 24 floor tower Bearys Lakeside habitat in Hebbal.

Suncity, thanks for the updates on Brigade and Prestige buildings..that hotel building in Shantiniketan is coming up nice.

great update, thanks suncity!

Innovative Film City

http://www.innovativefilmcity.in/

Vidyashankar also announced that the much-awaited IT park in Bidadi, which occupies 10,000 acres of land and has 25000 sq. ft. build in space, will be functional within 18 months after the date of hand over by DLF builders. DLF has invested over Rs 50,000 crore in this project.

The first stage of Biotech Park, spread over 109 acres, will be inaugurated by end of February this year. The second and third stage will be ready in the next 18 months.

US- based builder Alexandria Equity Group has invested Rs 60,000 million for the second and third stage of the Biotech Park.

Source (http://www.ciol.com/News/News-Reports/Aussie-varsity-to-invest-in-Bangalore/31108103316/0/)

To address the employable talent crunch and to fill the skill gap in the IT industry, the government of Karnataka is in talks with Australia’s Deakin University to set up Deakin India Research Initiative (DIRI) in Bangalore.

^^ In continuation to Robin's post,

Aussie varsity to invest in Bangalore

Source (http://news.indiamart.com/news-link.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Echennaionline%2Ecom%2Ftechnology%2Fdetails%2Easpx%3Fsectid%3Ditnews%26linkid%3D%252FNews%252FNews%2DReports%252FAussie%2Dvarsity%2Dto%2Dinvest%2Din%2DBangalore%252F31108103316%252F0%252F)

BANGALORE, INDIA: To address the employable talent crunch and to fill the skill gap in the IT industry, the government of Karnataka is in talks with Australia’s Deakin University to set up Deakin India Research Initiative (DIRI) in Bangalore.

DIRI would involve an investment of Australian $76 million. Deakin would contribute 50 per cent while Karnataka and the government of India would put in 25 per cent each.

“This will be the first major foreign university to be set up in India. Once the institute is set up, it will be able to produce over 300–400 PhDs in biotech sector,” said MN Vidyashankar, secretary, information technology and Biotechnology, government of Karnataka.

Vidyashankar made the announcement after inaugurating the Confederation of Indian Industry Global Enterprise Product Support (CII-GEPS) forum in Bangalore. He said that though there are bottlenecks, the brand Bangalore story still continues. However, there is lack of employable talent.

“Currently, IT contributed 4.9 per cent to the national GDP. In Karnataka IT contributes over 26 per cent to the GDP. The GoK (government of Karnataka) targets to increase it to 50 per cent by 2011,” said Vidyashankar.

Bidadi park after DLF handover

Vidyashankar also announced that the much-awaited IT park in Bidadi, which occupies 10,000 acres of land and has 25000 sq. ft. build in space, will be functional within 18 months after the date of hand over by DLF builders. DLF has invested over Rs 50,000 crore in this project.

The first stage of Biotech Park, spread over 109 acres, will be inaugurated by end of February this year. The second and third stage will be ready in the next 18 months.

US- based builder Alexandria Equity Group has invested Rs 60,000 million for the second and third stage of the Biotech Park.

He also announced that government is planning to set up the second IISc campus in the city to coincide with the 100 years celebration of the IISc.

Volvo inaugurates new bus plant in India
(http://www.easier.com/view/Trucks/Volvo_News/article-159386.html)
Volvo Buses has inaugurating a new body plant in Bangalore, India. This means that the company gains a base for production of complete buses for India and other strongly growing markets in Asia.

Since the first introduction in India in 2001, Volvo Buses has manufactured chassis together with Volvo Trucks in an own plant in Bangalore. The bodies were produced by an external body builder, Jaico Automobiles.

Now, when Volvo Buses takes the step to start its own body plant adjacent to the chassis plant, it is to increase flexibility with regard to production capacity and to further improve quality.

The body plant is being operated in a new joint-venture company with the cooperation partner Jaico Automobiles. The company is named Volvo Bus Body Technologies India and Volvo Buses holds a 70% ownership interest.

The new plant has a capacity of 1,000 buses annually and the company expects to have about 600 employees at the end of this year.

The plant will primarily build Volvo Buses for the Indian market, but the company expects to be able to export complete buses to other markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

“The traffic situation in the steadily growing cities in the area is an increasingly greater problem,” says Håkan Karlsson, President of Volvo Buses. “This increases the demand for modern buses and efficient bus-based mass transit systems.”

Volvo Buses is the market leader in India with regard to luxury, air-conditioned coaches. In conjunction with the inauguration of the plant, the company is launching an updated version of the Volvo 9400 coach. The Volvo B7RLE city bus is also sold in India.

New Reva plant at Bangalore for electric cars (http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1148733)
Bangalore-based electric car maker Reva has built a new 33,000 capacity plant in Bommasandra, Bangalore, to meet the increased demand in foreign markets and gain a foothold in the Maharashtra market.

''Most of the electric cars produced will be exported abroad where they have a good market. 80 per cent of our cars are sold in 21 markets abroad including the UK and Japan where there is more awareness about the environment and our electric cars are more acceptable'', Indian Operations President Mr Girish M Rakhe said.

He said talks were on with the Maharashtra government for subsidies and tax breaks to enable Reva to enter the state market.

''We are starting to get subsidies and tax breaks from the Central government for our environment-friendly electric car, which should bring down the price from the current Rs 4.5- 5.5 lakh range and make it more attractive for the domestic market,'' Mr Rakhe said

Innovative Film City

http://www.innovativefilmcity.in/

Wow..good news for all those looking for weekend entertainment in Bangalore. Any news on the opening date...have they started operations already?
Tussad's Wax museum, Ripley's Believe It or Not, Guiness World Records, 21-screen multiplex, Cartoon city, Go karting, Miniature City, Snow park, shopping malls, Aqua kingdom, film studios, etc..should be good fun :cheers:

Wonder La water park and Eagleton Golf Resort are close by too!

2008-02-02 12:14:28 Source : CNBC-TV18

You may be stuck in traffic but Bangalore is not. Bangalore is the fastest metro. No we are not looking at the speedometer of your car. We are talking about economic growth.

The country's IT hotbed has zoomed past the other metros with a growth rate of 10.3 percent to become the fastest growing region in terms of economic prosperity. That’s according to a study released by research firm - Indicus Analytics that calculates GDP figures at district and city-levels.

Bangalore recorded the highest growth over the last 7 fiscal years. The rest of the urban regions saw a growth rate of less than nine percent.

It was the highest in the south too, ahead of Hyderabad and Chennai by almost 4 percent. in fact the closest was Coimbatore which registered a growth of 7.8%

The credit for Bangalore's stellar numbers goes to the i-t industry that continues to boom.

" I don't think there is a parallel to the ecosystem in Bangalore. Its not roads and metro it's the entire ecosystem starting from schools to colleges to institutions its only Bangalore that can give that ecosystem that it requires" says MN Vidyashankar, IT Secretary, Karnataka.

Bangalore continues to reap the benefits of an aggressive state government that has been quick to clear investments worth Rs 100000 crore in IT and ITES in the last 5 months.

But it’s not all-good news. Economists in the city fear that if physical infrastructure does not improve drastically Bangalore may begin to lose out to competition and will not be able to sustain its double-digit growth.

" Over the next 3-5 years if they do not act on the transport infrastructure they will lose their edge" adds Rupa Chanda, Prof-eco & social sciences, IIM (B)





So the good times may not last as increasing costs of real estate and skilled manpower may make Bangalore lose its top spot.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2280/2246112295_d041bbe320.jpg

3.4 lakh Sq.Ft IT space

This is good news considering the BMTC buses clogging the roads specialy at bus stops by creating traffic mess.

8 Feb 2008, 0316 hrs IST,Amit S Upadhye,TNN

BANGALORE: Policing at 60? Well, that's the BMTC way. With the increasing traffic and commuter problems plaguing the transport corporation, the BMTC has decided to hire retired police officials.

This move comes in the wake of increasing accidents and complaints against the public sector city bus operator. The idea is to regulate bus and commuters' movement at the bus stops. About 100 retired policemen will be exclusively hired to man the bus stops and help in reducing the traffic congestion, P Sandhu, director vigilance, BMTC explained.

The novel policing will include guiding the buses to their designated parking space, ensuring that the male commuters get inside the bus from the rear door, driving away the autorickshaws and cabs who park in the bus stop space.

"By having retired policemen, we can not only regulate the traffic, but also also ensure that the bus stop area is free from other vehicles. This will help in the smooth flow of traffic," Sandhu told The Times of India.

According to chief security and vigilance officer S K Bellatti, the recruitment will be taken up under four categories. The retired PSIs, ASIs, head constables and constables can apply for the new job.

"We are yet to finalise the mode of work, timings and bus stops for the newcomers. The BMTC has already appointed the retired policemen for line checking activities. A PSI level retired officer takes home about Rs 8,500 per month which is as good as that of any other BMTC line checking officer," the official added.

In Bangalore, the traffic department had identified 350 major bus stops. In the last one year, the BMTC reach has expanded and more number of bus stops have been added to the list.

"Many of the bus stops in Bangalore do not serve the purpose. Unruly driving by some of the BMTC drivers throws an entire stretch of traffic out of gear. Since most of the major bus stands are situated on the main roads, the new recruitment might help the police in traffic management. Moreover, the BBMP has proposed more number of bus bays in city, which will also ease the congestions near bus stops," said traffic police officials.

Satish Shile
Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) had proposed a higher Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for both commercial and residential constructions.

For years, Bangalore stood vertically challenged, with the Public Utility Building jutting out like a sore thumb. But the City’s explosive growth -- both in terms of population and buildings -- forced planners, builders and architects to look up skyward. That effectively triggered a literal upwardly push in building heights. Deccan Herald does a reality check on this relatively new trend, the proposed rules for highrise structures, the safety issues involved and the unique experience of this “highrise lifestyle.”

Bangalore’s skyline is suddenly upwardly mobile. Dwarfing Public Utility Building, the City’s erstwhile king of tall buildings, many new apartment blocks are on the rise across town. Forget the independent houses -- the average Bangalorean’s dream of owning them died young years ago --, residents now want to be up right there on the 30th floor, staring down on the vast expanse of the metropolis.

Putting an official stamp to this push upwards and address the non-availability of space, Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) had proposed a higher Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for both commercial and residential constructions, in its revised master plan 2015 to tackle urban growth. This is bound to boost the vertical push of buildings in Bangalore’s Central Business Area (CBA) in the next 10 years.

Highrise apartments and commercial blocks are mushrooming thick and fast. And that has triggered a “highrise culture.” Many highrise residential blocks have even attained the status of villages with all facilities available under one roof. As denizens of these highrise blocks declared, the biggest contribution of such highrise living is “a sense of oneness and belonging.”

On the rise is a new sense of social responsibility. Dr Somash ekhar M, who owns a flat in Mantri Altius on Cubbon Road, prefers highrise apartments to independent houses. Those living on the top floors are lucky, he is convinced. “They could breathe fresh air and be protected from all types of pollution,” he explains.
Higher F.A.R.

Here’s another reason why the vertical growth of Bangalore will be widespread: BDA has decided to do away with allotment of sites for one or two-room houses. In its place ground plus three or ground plus 4-storeyed structures will come up. However there will not be elevator facility. For those who demand higher-category houses need to go for higher storey buildings with lifts.

BDA’s skyward vision is a response to the City’s increasing demand for dwelling places. According to the revised master plan, the total residential area in Bangalore went up by 44 sq km between 1990 and 2003. Residential area increased by 2.89 per cent while population grew by 3.28 pc during the period.

For the record, BDA proposes to construct housing units for employed but poor families in the form of two-room units with total area not exceeding 50 sq mtr. The authority has also planned to involve private agencies for construction. Private companies wou ld get benefits in the form of higher FAR. However they have to allot either 15 per cent of the total FAR or 35 per cent of dwelling uni ts to economically weaker sectio ns.

Architects are convinced that vertical growth will benefit the city. Architect K Jayaram explains that at present, occupancy is more in ground and first floors. Population density is very less. People are thus forced to travel long distances to reach their destination. But once the number of high-rise buildings go up, population density increases and transportation problem can be tackled easily.

Jayaram feels vertical growth will also help find green spaces. “If vertical growth is promoted the city will get ample space for parks. With that, the rate of pollution will also comes down and improve health,” he explains.

HIGHLIGHTS

North Star, Brigade Gateway, Whitefield - 30 floors
Jain Swadesh, Banashan-kari 6th stage - 30 floors
Utility building, M G Road - 25 floors
Lakeside Habitat Aplha, Hebbal - 24 floors
Lakeside Habitat Omega, Hebbal - 24 floors
South City Towers, Kanakapura Road B5 - 22 floors , B1 - 22
Floors, B3 - 20 floors, B2 - 20 floors, B4 - 20 floors, C3 - 21 floors
V V Towers, Ambedkar Veedhi - 21 floors
UB Towers, UB City - 20 floors
Barton Centre, MG Road - 15 floors

Here comes one more promise from over scaped underground high speed tunnel

13 Feb 2008, 0432 hrs IST,TNN
BANGALORE: For the traffic-weary, here is some cheering news. To reduce traffic congestion and travel time in Bangalore, the authorities have planned to build three elevated high-density corridors (road-over-roads) stretching 21 km. But wait. The much-hyped Rs 800-crore tunnel road proposed between Minsk Square and Hebbal flyover may give way to one corridor.

BDA commissioner M K Shankarlinge Gowda told TOI: “If the BBMP takes up the proposed elevated corridor from Minsk Square to Hebbal flyover, there will be no need for a tunnel road on the stretch. Moreover, a tunnel road project is time-consuming and a costly affair.’’

The corridors have been planned between Minsk Square and Hebbal flyover — covering 7.9 km; Kodihalli, off Airport Road, to Kundalahalli junction — covering 7.2 km; and Silk Board junction to Vellara junction, covering 5.9 km. These four-lane corridors will decongest North, East and Central parts of Bangalore and improve connectivity to the international airport and IT firms in Whitefield. The corridors will be access-controlled to ensure free movement.

A BBMP engineer said: “Anybody using the corridor will have to pay. The width of the road below won’t be altered and motorists can use it without paying a fee.’’ The IDEB-Shanghai Urban Construction Group consortium has shown interest in the project and submitted a detailed project report to the BBMP.

Based on the proposal, BBMP commissioner S Subramanya conducted a spot survey of the alignment of the three corridors. However, the BBMP has to acquire land at the entry and exit points. Utilities too have to be shifted to raise piers. The consortium has promised to execute the work using the Swiss Challenge method.

Minsk Square-Hebbal is a bad idea. :ohno:They already have 7 underpasses planned on this route along with the proposed hi-speed elevated rail and the on-going road widening. I wonder where is the space to build the elevated road. Moreover, this is the only connecting road to the new airport. Any new construction activity on this stretch will throw the traffic out of gear.

The Kodihalli-Whitefield corridor and the Silk Board-Vellara junction corridors are very much welcome:) and looks physically feasible. This will bring relief to daily office-goers.

The Kodihalli-Whitefield corridor and the Silk Board-Vellara junction corridors are very much welcome:) and looks physically feasible. This will bring relief to daily office-goers.

Silk board - Vellara junction is feasible? There is very less road space below at many areas - some locations this road narrows to just about 2 lanes. It will be a nightmare to road users of this stretch during construction period.

Silk board - Vellara junction is feasible? There is very less road space below at many areas - some locations this road narrows to just about 2 lanes. It will be a nightmare to road users of this stretch during construction period.

This section is proposed to be widened to 6-lane by BBMP and some of the land is already acquired for road-widening. Check out detailed plans of road widening projects (http://www.thejackol.com/hasiru/) (.dwg format source: BBMP/Hasiru Usiru). There is plenty of open space at the Military Police grounds, Dairy institute campus, St. John's campus and Adugodi Police quarters. Only the Madivala section is narrow, otherwise this road is fine.

These jokers are the limit... so, now the tunnel is being replaced by an elevated road between Minsk Square and Hebbal F/O??? I recall reading in today's TOI that some VIP (Corporator) was questioning about the need of the Cauvery underpass (which is nearing completion since the last two weeks), instead of which a flyover could have been built. The project in-charge responded that a flyover was out of question as it would be in the way of the high speed train to BIAL. Sounds like the familiar story of left hand not knowing what the right is up to... Mr. Shanker Gowda, the BDA Chairman, should check his facts before spouting about hair-brained schemes like this...various govt bodies seem to keep announcing projects in isolation and there seems to be no central think-tank and coordinating entity... this is leading to unholy mess in Bangalore.

Source (http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IE120080101203806&Page=1&Headline=NHAI+to+build+airport+expressway%2C+ring+road&Title=Bangalore&Topic=0&)In a major decision, the State Government on Tuesday gave a green signal to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to execute its ambitious projects- peripheral ring road (PRR) around Bangalore city connecting Tumkur Road and Hosur Road through Old Madras Road and an expressway providing connectivity to Devanahalli International Airport.

The decision was taken at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Governor Rameshwar Thakur here. The Cabinet also decided to upgrade 20 state highways under its Karnataka State Highway Improvement Project (KSHIP) at a cost of Rs 1,200 crore.

Briefing the media on the decisions of the meeting, Thakur said the decision to hand over the PRR and expressway projects was taken as the NHAI evinced interest to build these roads thinking it would gel well with its plan to develop a network of highways around Bangalore.

“Both the roads will be built by NHAI from its own funds besides bearing cost of acquisition of lands,’’ he added. While 21.2 km of expressway starting from Horamavu on outer ring road will be built at a cost of Rs 1,020 crore, the 65 km of first phase of PRR will cost Rs 1,600 crore.

The expressway, which is planned to provide quick and hassle- free connectivity to Devanahalli Airport from the City, ought to have been completed by March 2008 according to earlier plans. But the inordinate delay on the part of the government and legal battles over land acquisition led to the slowing down of work.

Other projects: The Cabinet has also decided to upgrade 20 major roads with a total length of over 580 km in 8-10 districts at a cost of Rs 1,200 crore in the second phase of KSHIP scheme.

Giving details of the scheme, Governor’s Advisor Krishnakumar said the World Bank had agreed to provide about Rs 900 - Rs 1000 crore loan for the project.

“In all the government intends to upgrade 3,400 km of roads under KSHIP-II scheme but in phases. We are trying for loans from Asian Development Bank and Japanese Bank,’’ he added.

The roads to be upgraded are: Gangavati- Kampli-Kudathini, Dharwad-Saudatti, Haveri-Hanagal, Bagewadi-Bailhongal, Chowdapur- Gulbarga, Mundaragi- Hadagali, Hadagali-Harapanahalli, Koudli-Mandya, Hoskote-Hindaganala Cross, Hindaganala Cross- Chintamani, Bantwal- Beltangadi, Malavalli-Maddur, Maddur-Huliyurudurga, Huliyurudurga-Kunigal, Kunigal- Tumkur, Tumkur- Koratagere, Hassan-Arakalgud, Koratagere- Madhugiri, Madhugiri-Pavagada, Chikkodi-Nippani.

This is the best that could happen to Bangalore! President Rule. :banana::banana::banana:
Quick decisions are being taken by the Governor which would have been painfully delayed if elected Govt of MOFos - DeveLouda and Co had stayed!

God Exists!:cheers:

Other day I read anarticle in India Today about how female KAS officers are manking difference in weeding out corruptionin Mandya Dist, thanks to the absence of an elected govt!

Also heard, Elections will not be hel until Nov 2008 due to delimitation coming into effect and extra time rquired for revised electoral rolls!

God Exists!:cheers:

Gov. Rameshwar Thakur ab saare tere haath mein hai!:dance:

Home Dept OK; Over To Excise Dept

TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Bangalore: One more hurdle for a longer nightlife in Bangalore has been cleared. The home department has given the green signal for the proposal to extend the deadline for pubs from the existing 11.30 pm to 1 am.
Now, the ball is in the court of the excise department, which is the authority to effect the change by an order.
Last year, citing floating and foreigners’ population, the tourism department had submitted a memorandum to the government urging it to extend the deadline. But the short-staffed city police had then opposed the move fearing probable law and order problems.
Now, finally, the home department has given its consent, but at the same time asked the government for more staff. “We have no objection to extending the deadline. We have communicated our willingness,’’ said state home secretary Vatsala Watsa.

Shortage of employees

“The city police are severely short-staffed. the proposal is implemented,
then the police have to work in three shifts.
So, we need more staff. However, if it is implemented immediately, then we will adjust with the existing staff for the time being,’’ said Vatsala Watsa.
“The excise commissioner can extend the deadline by issuing a notification. As the issue is sensitive in nature, the excise department will seek governor’s advice and consent on the issue,’’ said an officer.
Once the pubs get the green signal to remain open till 1 pm, the next in line waiting for an extension in working hours are shops and malls.
A move had been initiated by the JD(S)-BJP government to keep shops open till 11 pm, but the idea was not pursued.
The proposal to keep the malls and shops open was made on grounds that many office-goers would welcome the idea as the timings suited them.

Bands bring in eunuchs

The live bands have decided to go strictly by the rulebook. Fighting desperately for their cause, the Live Bands Association has decided to rope in eunuchs and send them to discos running in the city. The logic: “If there is a ban on women dancing in bars, we will make eunuchs dance as there is no ban on them,’’ says president of the association Sanjay Kochhor. | P3

State not to relax rules

More bad news for live bands. The state administration does not want to budge from its strict stand against allowing live bands as the issue is being politicised. It has realised that any move to relax the rules will lead to a controversy. As the state is under President’s rule, the administration does not want to risk it.

I do not know this is the right thred to post this article. It is a good one considering the recent circus over Mumbai.

It is everyone’s city — from the Kannadiga to the Kashmiri. People have been coming in for years and more are expected to come in the future. What are the newer, younger people hoping to find here? And how are the earlier migrants faring? Prashanth G N reports on migration trends in Bangalore

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Melting Pot: The concept maybe old, even cliched, yet it describes best the idea of communities pouring into an urban locale. New York was first described as a melting pot. It still is. Closer home, Mumbai is India’s first melting pot. But what about Bangalore?
Bangalore carries something of the character of the great city. Just as the world’s communities walk into New York or Mumbai, much of India’s communities walk into Bangalore.

Bangalore is special

What’s special about Bangalore? A whole lot of cultures and communities coming in over the years: Kannadigas from coastal and North Karnataka, Tamilians, Telugus, Rajasthanis (Marwaris and Rajputs), Gujaratis, Sindhis, Bengalis, residents of Bihar, Oriyas, Sikhs, Kashmiris and Malayalees. Many have trickled in over 100 years, some 50 years, and others as recently as 20-25 years. While the older communities continue to stay and grow, Bangalore expects to see in the next 10 years a rapid migration of newer communities. The melting pot will get bigger.

Higher migration

What are the indicators for this expected rise in migration? Two major ones: Nasscom has predicted that India requires 5 lakh IT professionals by 2012. And 30% of them are expected to settle in Bangalore — roughly 1.5 lakh professionals, and their families, on an average four members.
The construction industry has been growing at more than 100% every year over the past 5 years and is expected to grow anywhere between 50-80% over the next 5 years. “This means a high requirement for construction workers or manual labour — 1 lakh at least,’’ says a real estate observer. Their families would also come in. Bangalore then is expecting to see well over 2 lakh people in the next 5-8 years.

The future beckons

On the one hand, highly educated and skilled professionals are coming into the IT, ITeS and services sector, and on the other, non-educated, skilled but poor workers are entering the construction and taxi driving sectors.
While Bangalore’s IT companies have a significant percentage of professionals coming in from north Indian states, more than 70% of the labour for the city’s construction sites is from Orissa, Bihar and MP, according to an NGO study.
The unorganized construction sector, however, attracts migrants from North Karnataka too — Gulbarga, Bidar, Raichur and Bellary. “After workers from North India, North Karnataka workers form the largest composition in Bangalore’s labour scene,’’ points out Mohan Rao of an NGO studying construction trends.
The unorganised cab drivers’ sector attracts people from suburban/rural Bangalore. “A lot of people working as cab drivers for tech companies come from Channapatna, Mandya, Tumkur, Ramanagaram, Bidadi and Yelahanka. They settle down in the peripheral parts of Bangalore, paying low rents,’’ says Raman, a cab agency owner.
What does all this mean? “Bangalore is attracting a lot of people from North India, North Karnataka and rural Bangalore to its huge organized and unorganized sectors. This has been happening after the 90s. Given the trends in these sectors, you can expect more people to come in,’’ social scientists point out.

Earlier migrants

But Bangalore is also a city of older migrant communities, those that came in much before the 90s — in fact, as early as 1900.
These are traditional communities wellsettled in petty trade, community-driven business — cloth, jewellery, hardware, electrical — which is also highly organized. “This traditional business has a lot of older people continuing with it. Among the younger generation, half of them come to run the traditional business and half move into new sectors like management and IT,’’ says businessman Bharath Lal.
“While migration into the new IT and construction sectors is more than migration into the traditional-community sector now, the latter too lend a great cosmopolitan character to the city,’’ says jeweller Amrith Lal.
Bangalore has seen Bengalis, Marwaris, Sindhis and Gujaratis settled for over 50 years. These are the traditional migrant communities and not the new migrant communities of the late 90s and post-2000. They are essentially bi-lingual communities, undergoing generational changes.
Bengalis came to Bangalore in the 50s and 60s with the rise of the PSUs in the city. A number of them worked in ITI, HAL, BEL, BHEL, HMT and the like. But their children, the generation after, are now into IT, ITES and BPO. “The floating population of Bengalis is around 3.5 lakh. A significant marker of their presence in the city is the Durga Puja, organized by the Bengali Association set up in 1949. The older generation has retired from PSUs and the young people are getting into IT and engineering now,’’ says Arundhati Biswas.
Gujaratis have been in Bangalore for almost 80 to 100 years. “One of the early mayors of Bangalore was a Gujarati. From early on, they’ve been into cloth, jewellery and hardware business. While the older generation follows traditional business, some among the younger generation too continue with this — cloth and jewellery. There are some others who are getting into IT,’’ says Nitin Shah.
Marwaris too came in 80 years ago. F R Singari, one of the senior members of the community, says the early Marwaris served the British military in the cantonment for a long time. “Then they slowly began to get into the small businesses — steel, hardware, jewellery, paper, plywood, textile, iron and auto. Many have also got into electrical and computer business. Every second shop in Chickpet and SP Road is an electrical store. The younger generation is divided — 60% of them continue parents’ business, while the rest are looking at IT and MBA. We were the first to launch organised money-lending, but we are not much into that now. We are into trading now.’’
Sindhis, similar to Gujaratis and Marwaris, have been around for more than 80 years. Ram Narain Chellaram is the most famous Sindhi name in Bangalore. They too are into electrical engineering goods, cloth and automobile business.
Biharilal Mehnda says: “We are no longer into money lending. Petty business and trade continues to be our strength. The younger generation, like the Marwaris, is divided — some continue with business, others go into MBA and medical. There are still others who take up higher education but come back to run the home business.’’ Apart from these communities, Bangalore also has a significant presence of Rajputs, Tuluvas and Malayalees. Tamilians and Telugus have also historically been in Bangalore in the intellectual and skilled professions. Then there are Kashmiris in Bangalore who moved in at the height of insurgency in the Valley. They have been traditionally into handicrafts — a highly skilled enterprise.

SOCIOLOGIST’S PERSPECTIVE



SUDHA SITARAMAN


There’s been steady migration into Bangalore. You can trace it from the Tigala community who came during Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan’s time to the present new communities coming in to the booming IT and construction sectors. Undoubtedly, Bangalore has been a cosmopolitan city with influences also of the Madras Presidency, Hyderabad-Karnataka, Kerala-Kasargod areas. People have always been coming in and there has always been co-existence. The problem arises only when there is perception and anxiety that locals are not getting adequate representation in the economy of Bangalore. The anxiety, true of all great cities, is not misplaced, because it could actually be true that locals don’t find adequate or proportionate representation in jobs. But the point, therefore, is not to turn into a Raj Thackeray. It’s certainly not right to kick out people. You have to negotiate in reasonable, democratic ways to ensure that causes for the anxiety are rooted out. If there is space for every community in the economy of a city, what’s better than that? An equal cosmopolitanism is what we should work for.

URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/20/stories/2008022053380100.htm
One lakh apartments may remain vacant in Bangalore by April
45 to 50 per cent slump in registration * People choosing only property with clear titles
BANGALORE: Is Bangalore’s real estate market heading for a slump? Such is the impact of the real estate slowdown in Bangalore that the number of unoccupied apartments in and around the city is expected to touch nearly one lakh by April.

Citing the outcome of an “informal survey,” Inspector-General of Registration and Commissioner of Stamps H. Shashidhar told ... that these indeed were the current market trends.

Later, speaking to The Hindu, he said that the figure included both old and new apartments, i.e., those that had not been sold, those that had not been rented out and those now under construction... registrations of property in the State had reduced by 45 to 50 per cent ...

Feroze Abdullah, realtor and proprietor of Feroze Estates, confirmed the slump in the sales of apartments, particularly on the outskirts of Bangalore in areas such as Whitefield and Marathahalli, over the last three months...

Unrealistic prices, poor infrastructure and traffic problems had also contributed to the slump in sales of apartments, Mr. Feroz said. However, the builders have not reduced the prices of apartments hoping that they may pick up once the new airport commences its operations.

President of Karnataka Ownership Promoters Association A. Balakrishna Hegde maintained that the industry was expected to grow at a rate of 15 per cent this year and refuted any suggestion of a slump...
just view points ...

PRESTIGE SHANTINIKETAN COMMERCIAL CRESCENT

The Commercial Crescent at Prestige Shantiniketan is situated in Whitefield - 10 kms from Bangalore Airport and 18 kms from the city center. As with all features at Prestige Shantiniketan, the business precinct is large than life, spanning about 35% of the land extent of the townscape. This is the power center of this 105 acre haven.

http://www.prestigeconstructions.com/shantiniketan/images/crescent.jpg

A first for Bangalore. And we make sure it happens at Prestige Shantiniketan. The two signature franchise Business Center towers, standing tall at 16 levels each reaffirms Bangalore's status as one of the foremost economic hubs of the country. Set in luxuriously landscaped surroundings, the looming structures have a New Age facade to them. Anchored at both ends by the Business Center towers, is an imposing crescent shaped block. A large reflective pool on the side completes this architectural marvel, giving the entire precinct a large than life feel.

The crescent itself stands 12 levels tall and combined with another 16 level Signature Tower; the commercial precinct offer a mind-blogging 3 million plus sq.ft. of office and commercial space.

AERIAL VIEW
http://www.prestigeconstructions.com/shantiniketan/Images/big-c6.jpg

PROJECT PROGRESS
http://www.prestigeconstructions.com/shantiniketan/progress/commercial/COMMERCIAL%20VIEW%20FROM%20CR1.jpg

^^^^^^^^ beautiful...

that is massive! :eek:

gorgeous is that...
do we have more details on this project... i see a car going in to a tunnel or something like that... is it going to a underground parking or taking an exit from the main road?

Stunning project!

lot more project progress pictures on this site
http://www.prestigeconstructions.com/shantiniketan/progressc.htm

renders :
http://www.prestigeconstructions.com/shantiniketan/photogallery-c.htm


check these few out ;)

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/big-c8.jpg

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/big-c4.jpg

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/big-c5.jpg

That is huge. looks like its half way there.

to me it looks like they are more than half way there...
these people seem very professional... they are working with speed and updating the website with good pictures constantly...
i wish more people did that..

Note: checkout their website for other projects. they have done very neat projects including UB City...

to me it looks like they are more than half way there...
these people seem very professional... they are working with speed and updating the website with good pictures constantly...
i wish more people did that..

Note: checkout their website for other projects. they have done very neat projects including UB City...

the owner of the company is seen around town a lot in his shiny Rolls:cheers:

Karnataka to build Rs 200 cr stadium, aims to host Super Slam (http://sports.in.msn.com/tennis/stories/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1262880)
Bangalore: Karnataka has proposed to build a Rs 200 crore "world class stadium" here to host the first 'Super Slam,' a combined men's and women's tennis event, by 2011-12 with prize money of over $5 million.

The Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association, the Department of Youth Services and Sports Authority of Karnataka announced today they have joined together to build the stadium and host the event.

The overall aim is to popularise, promote and take the game of tennis to the next level, and the three organisations would work closely to make the State an "exciting" sporting centre and Bangalore as one of the most sought after tennis destinations in the world, officials told a news conference.

"Our aim is to produce top tennis players in the country and this partnership is a step towards making this a reality", KSLTA Secretary Sunder Raju told a news conference here.

Commissioner, Department of Youth Services and Sports, Government of Karnataka, Amar Kumar Pande, said, "it is important that we as a country should aspire and create platform for our sportspersons and athletes to compete and excel on world stage".

AT&T will speed up India operations (http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1154563)

AT&T Inc, which on Wednesday announced an investment of $1 billion in global network and services for MNC customers in 2008, said the company would accelerate its investment in India to enhance physical networks in the country. The US-based communication major didn’t elaborate on the quantum of investment planned for the India market.

However, AT&T global network services India managing director Sanjiv Bhagat said India tops the list of countries in terms of revenue growth within AT&T’s Asia-Pacific region.

India’s growth was 85% in 2007 over 2006, while China was second with a growth rate of just 31%. Asean countries recorded a 9% growth, South Korea 3%, Australia-New Zealand 2% and Japan 2%. The total Asia-Pacific region recorded a growth of 22% in 2007 over 2006.

Interestingly, India’s growth rate in 2007 at 85% (in Asia-Pacific) is much higher than what the country recorded in 2006 at 40%. Even at 40% growth in 2006 over 2005, India was still top of the list among the Asia-Pacific countries.

This year, three new IP network access nodes will be added in the India market-in Delhi, Pune and Kolkata. With that, the country will have a total of 10 nodes-Delhi-2, Bangalore-2, Mumbai-2, Pune-1, Kolkata-1, Hyderabad-1, and Chennai-1.

Also, an Internet data centre is expected to be set up in Bangalore by the end of this calendar year. Other India plans for the year include customer centres for product demos, and enhanced focus on integrated solutions.

India is a major driver in the fastest growing region of AT&T-that is Asia-Pacific, said company officials. Besides India, China is the other major important market in the region.

Yahoo! Launches New Lab in Bangalore (http://internetcommunications.tmcnet.com/topics/enterprise/articles/22278-yahoo-launches-new-lab-bangalore-india.htm)
Yahoo! Inc. has announced the expansion of its India R&D operations with the launch of Yahoo! Labs - Bangalore, its first in India.

Dr. Rajeev Rastogi will be the vice president and head of the new lab.

The company has recently given the pink slip to 40 of its Bangalore employees and the opening of another R&D center will more than likely be viewed with mixed feelings.

Dr. Prabhakar Raghavan, SVP and Head of Yahoo! Research, said, “Yahoo! Labs - Bangalore intends to build its world-class team, which is focused on delivering the most valuable insights and leading edge technologies to delight all of our customers worldwide. Rajeev's background and expertise in product development, as well as his deep experience in research will strengthen our leadership in international research and technology and leverage knowledge from across the region.”



Focusing on making the Web more relevant and simple for users and advertisers, Yahoo! Labs - Bangalore will be a center of excellence for next generation search and advertising technologies. In spite of the layoff of its employees just a few weeks ago, Yahoo has appointed Rastogi to assemble a world-class team of scientists and engineers to focus on new approaches to information extraction and machine learning, multimedia and query processing.

Yahoo runs a series of quarterly public lectures on science, technology and the Internet, called Yahoo! Big Thinkers India. This is a part of Yahoo!'s (News - Alert) thought leadership efforts and Rastogi will be instrumental in continuing this success. The 2008 India series kicks off tomorrow with Dr. Preston McAfee, Research Fellow and VP, Microeconomics, Yahoo! bringing together the academia, scientists, industry and media, this series will feature international subject matter experts from within Yahoo! the speakers will shed some light on the constantly changing world of technology, online products & communities and the Internet industry.

URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/11/stories/2008031157960300.htm
Only Rs. 5 cr. for high-speed rail link to Devanahalli
BANGALORE: Some of the important infrastructure projects taken up in the State have received inadequate funding in the budgetary proposals for 2008-2009 placed before Parliament on Monday.

The outlay for the Infrastructure Development Department has gone up from Rs. 418.45 crore in 2007-2008 to Rs. 449.21 crore, an increase of a mere Rs. 31 crore.

Sources said that the department had sought nearly Rs. 600 crore towards the funding of high speed rail link to the Bangalore international airport, development of minor airports across the State and several railway projects. Sources told The Hindu: “We were expecting more than what has been allocated for the department, as important projects are in the initial stage, but the allocation has gone up by only about 10 per cent.”

High-speed rail link : An allocation of Rs. 5 crore has been made as the State’s initial equity for the special purpose vehicle to undertake work on the high-speed rail link to the new international airport at Devanahalli. “We had asked for Rs. 100 crore, as we have the target of completing the project by 2011 to enable passengers to travel from B.R.V. Grounds to Devanahalli in 23 minutes,” sources said.

The State’s investment of Rs. 93 crore in the Bangalore International Airport Ltd. (BIAL) has also been provided in the budget. “This portion is the additional equity of the State Government towards the expansion plan of BIAL and contingency fund,” sources said.

Land acquisition : An allocation of Rs. 100 crore has been made towards setting up and upgradation of 10 airports in the State, which will be utilised mostly for acquiring land...

Railway projects : The vote on account has earmarked Rs. 200 crore as the State’s share in the railway projects taken up under cost-sharing arrangements. While some projects have been taken up under 50:50 cost sharing basis, the State Government is funding two-thirds of the project cost in some.

Karnataka clears industrial projects worth over Rs 49,000 cr (http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=71417)Karnataka's High Level Clearance Committee today approved 28 proposals to set up new industries involving an investment of Rs 49,054.89 crore.

The areas of investment are in IT, cement, steel, education and electronics, a release by the Governor's Secretariat said.

The industrial units after commissioning would generate employment to 4.19 lakh people, the release said.

The investments are being made in tier II cities, including Hiriyur, Gulbarga, Mysore, Mangalore, Muddebihal, Gamanagatti, Hospet, Hassan, Afzalpur, Yadgir, Kunigal, Koppal, Sandur, Haveri in addition to some in Bangalore rural district.

The projects included an airport-based multi-product special economic zone at an investment of Rs 3,384.65 crore to be established by the Bangalore International Airport Ltd, which has built the new airport in Devanahally here.

Limitless Properties Ltd has got the approval for setting up a multi-product SEZ in Hiriyur in Chitradurga district at an investment of Rs 4,164.40 crore.

R M Steels Ltd will be setting up a Rs 15,700 crore integrated steel plant in Koppal while XINDIA Steels a similar plant in the same district with an investment of Rs 8,735 crore, the release said

URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/19/stories/2008031958130100.htm
High-speed rail link on slow track
Bangalore: The commencement of work on the proposed high-speed rail link between Bangalore city and the new international airport at Devanahalli will be delayed as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has forced a change in alignment for the second time.

The NHAI, on Tuesday, asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which will be implementing the project, to shift the alignment to the right side of NH 7.

The NHAI had first asked the DMRC to keep the alignment on the median of NH 7. But a few weeks ago, it said that the alignment should be kept to the left of the highway, as it proposed to construct an elevated highway between the Hebbal flyover and Yelahanka. After the DMRC prepared a detailed project report keeping the alignment to the left side of the highway, the NHAI has come out with a plan to construct an elevated highway between the Hebbal flyover and Yelahanka-Kogilu Junction.

The NHAI placed its suggestion during a meeting of the taskforce on airport infrastructure held in Bangalore on Tuesday. Even the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has suggested a change in the alignment between Minsk Square and the Hebbal flyover. It is studying a proposal by Delhi-based IDEB Inc. and Shanghai Urban Construction Group to construct an elevated road corridor between the two points above the existing stretch of the road. The BBMP wants the DMRC to change the alignment to suit the elevated road project. In its project report, the DMRC had aligned the rail link to the left of the existing road. The BBMP wants the alignment on the median so that elevated roads can be build on both sides.

The Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which has agreed to build a rail link and related infrastructure within its premises, informed the meeting that it has been working on its expansion plan and will come out with a feasibility study report by April-end.

The DMRC has now been forced to rework on its design and come out with a revised project report. All these developments are likely to delay work on the rail link...

Hey, does anyone have in news about the "tallest tv tower" proposed to be built in bangalore?

http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Mar182008/scroll2008031858082.asp?section=frontpagenews

The State High Level Clearance Committee (SHLCC) chaired by Governor Rameshwar Thakur on Monday approved 28 mega projects, including seven new special economic zones (SEZ), five IT parks and two integrated townships, worth over Rs 49,000 crore in one go.

INDIALAND MIXED-USE PROJECT - DEVANAHALLI

Specification
Location: Chikkajala (Located near the new International Airport coming up at Devanahalli)
Land Area:8.65 Acres
Project Description: 4 Star and 5 Star Hotel and Convention Center, Retail and Commercial Office Space

http://www.indialand.net/images/top-hotel.jpg

Total Constructed Area :10.30 Lakh Sq.ft
Hotel and Serviced Apartments :4.00 Lakh Sq.ft
Retail and Entertainment :1.00 Lakh Sq.ft
Convention Center :50,000 Sq.ft
Commercial Office Space :4.80 Lakh Sq.ft
Nearest Towns : Devanahalli - 5 Kms, Yelahanka - 12 Kms
Project Completion : December 2013

^^ ugly!

Karnataka ignores low-cost connectivity to new airport

Aravind Gowda in Bangalore | March 24, 2008 08:44 IST

Even as the Karnataka government is planning to invest Rs 3,716 crore (Rs 37.16 billion) over the next three years to provide dedicated railway connectivity to the new international airport near Devanahalli from the city, experts feel that the Indian Railways' network in and around the city can be utilised to ferry passengers at a fraction of the cost.

This network does not offer a perfect solution but an attractive intermediate one that can ease some of the load from the highway that will now be the only link and reduce journey time, by rail or road, to 50 minutes from the current 90 minutes or more.

As to why state politicians and government officials are not interested, a source familiar with the decision-making process said, "Please realise where the incentive lies. Spend Rs 3,000 crore (Rs 30 billion) or more on your own -- imagine the contracts that can be awarded -- or give the Railways Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) or maybe less to do the job."

At present, two railway tracks (towards Hyderabad and Hindupur) run close to the new international airport, just 4 km from it. To use these tracks the government has to lay only 4 km of fresh track to connect to the new airport. In contrast, the high-speed link proposed by the state government will involved laying 34 km of fresh tracks.

Both existing tracks touch the Yelahanka railway station, which is well connected to all four corners of the city, including Whitefield, Sharjapur Road and even Electronics City, which hosts most of the IT offices.

The time required to travel between Electronics City to the new international airport can currently be approximately 80 minutes.

"However, we can augment the tracks for optimum use by trains and cut down the journey time to 50 minutes," sources in the South Western Railway (SWR) headquartered in Bangalore pointed out.

From the west (Rajajinagar and Malleshwaram), a track running from Bangalore City railway station through Malleshwaram joins Yeshwanthpura railway station, which is linked to Yelahanka railway station.

From the south, the Salem railway track running close to Electronics City, crosses Sharjapur Road and then bypasses Krishnarajapuram railway station (easily accessible from Whitefield), eventually connecting the Yelahanka railway station.

From the south west, the Mysore railway track passing through Kengeri and Vijayanagar connects to the Bangalore City station, which connects to Yalahanka and goes on to Hyderabad.

From the east, the Bangarpet railway line connects to Krishnarajapuram railway station, which connects to Yalahanka.

These apart, a railway track originating from the Cantonment railway station and passing through the city, connects to the Yeshwanthapura-Yelahanka railway track.

"It is essential to work on multiple fronts to improve connectivity to the airport in the short term. Solutions like a high-speed rail link will take time and are expensive," said V Ravichandar, former member, Bangalore Agenda Task Force.

There are two near-term fixes, he said. One, ask the Indian Railways for incremental investments to double tracks in places and run trains close to the airport. "The current railway tracks here are grossly underutilised," said Ravichandar.

Two, fix the road link by creating junction overpasses at 16 identified locations across the ring and approach roads.

According to a rough estimate prepared by SWR, a minimum investment of Rs 100 crore is required to strengthen the existing railway network to provide hassle-free connectivity to the new airport. The entire work can be completed within six months. But high-speed trains cannot be run on the existing railway tracks.

Another option is to lay a dedicated track next to the existing railway network, which will require in excess of Rs 3,000 crore investment and one year to implement.

The SWR, however, is not keen on taking up the project since the state government has not consulted them. "Intra-city transport issues do not come under the purview of Indian Railways. If the state government makes a formal request, we will take up the project," a senior SWR official added.

"We have the necessary infrastructure to complete the project on time. It will greatly reduce the vehicular traffic on National Highway 7 (existing connectivity to new airport)," he added.

The SWR was consulted five years ago by the state government on providing connectivity using the existing infrastructure.

"We had come to a conclusion that connectivity can be provided to the new airport since the railway network in the city touches all parts. We were ready to implement the project, but the government did not show any interest subsequently," the official stated.

Incidentally, the State Executive Committee, headed by Governor Rameshwar Thakur, had initially proposed to utilise the existing railway network to provide connectivity to the new airport. But the plan was dropped at the last minute due to various reasons.

One major reason was the journey time since high speed trains cannot be run on the existing railway network.

"It will take at least 50 minutes from the Cantonment railway station to reach the new international airport using the existing railway network. Our plan is to reduce the travel time to under 30 minutes by deploying high-speed trains," a top official in the state's Infrastructure Department said.

To run high speed trains by using the existing tracks, close to 45 km of new tracks will have to be laid next to the existing tracks.

"This was not acceptable to us since we have land in our possession to lay fresh track along a shorter route (34 km) that passed through the city. Besides, the gauge was an issue. Therefore, we went ahead with our own plan," the official noted.

Last week, the government floated a special purpose vehicle -- Bangalore Airport Rail Link Ltd (BARL) -- to design and implement a dedicated high-speed rail network between the city centre (BRV Grounds on M G Road) to the new international airport passing through Raj Bhavan Road, Bellary Road, Cauvery theatre junction, Mehkri underpass, Hebbal and Yelahanka.

Assuming this takes off in three years, it will still take two hours to go to the new airport from the main IT hub at Electronics City -- 90 minutes to get to the Cantonment station and 30 minutes by high-speed rail thereafter.

http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/mar/24karna.htm

I dont understand one thing. If Electronics city connectivity is SO IMPORTANT, then why does the proposed Airport Metro stop at the BRV Grounds and not extend all the way upto Electronics City?

In fact, i am sure lots of techies living around there would be interested in such a high speed connect to the city centre - in fact they may not mind using the link even if they are not going to the airport. A quick, fast and reliable link to the happening place i.e. MG Road is always good!

STOCKHOLM, Sweden--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:

Volvo (STO:VOLVA) (STO:VOLVB):

Volvo Buses has received an order for an additional 240 city buses to Bangalore, India. The 70 Volvo buses already in traffic in the city have enticed many inhabitants to park their cars and take the bus instead.

Many global companies have chosen to start operations in Bangalore, which today is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. This provides many advantages for the city, but is has also resulted in a highly congested traffic situation. One way to improve the traffic situation is to entice the inhabitants to leave their cars and two-wheelers at home and take the bus instead. Bangalore’s city bus operator, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), decided two years ago to invest in modern, air-conditioned city buses from Volvo and the experiences have been highly favorable.

“Passengers are very satisfied with the comfort provided by the Volvo buses,” says Upendra Tripathy, Managing Director of BMTC.

Half of the passengers in the Volvo buses previously traveled by car or two-wheelers, but have now chosen to ride the bus instead. As a result of the favorable experiences, BMTC has now placed an order for an additional 240 city buses from Volvo for delivery during 2008 and the beginning of 2009. 40 of the buses will be placed in traffic between the city center and the new airport. The remainder will operate on various routes in Bangalore.

The buses will be built in Volvo’s plant in Bangalore. Precisely as previously, the chassis will be produced in the joint plant with Volvo Trucks and the bodies in Volvo’s new body plant that was inaugurated at the end of January. Volvo’s city bus in India is built on the B7RLE chassis and the body is designed after the Volvo 8700 European model. It features low entry, a wheelchair ramp and air conditioning. The 290-hp engine meets the Euro III emission standard.

“BMTC’s decision after two years of testing to now make a larger investment is an important step in our company’s development,” says Akash Passey, Managing Director Volvo Bus Body Technologies India. “Currently, we are the market leader with regard to luxury, air-conditioned inter-city buses and we are now also making a major advance in the city bus segment. In addition to Bangalore, we have sold city buses to Pune, Chennai and Mysore. When we now have opened our own body plant, we have all the possibilities to grow, in India as well as on export markets.”

In a bid to keep pace with the rapid growth of Bangalore, the Karnataka Government has decided to invest Rs 46,994 crore on urban transport over the next 18 years.



Read more here ... (http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IE120080325235112&Page=1&Title=Bangalore&Topic=0)

Sobha Developers Ltd has announced the launch of its first presidential villas project, Sobha Lifestyle, in Devanhalli in Bangalore. Apart from being the company's first such project, it is also its largest villa project in Garden City. The launch was announced recently in Bangalore by J.C. Sharma, Managing Director.
The 165 villas will be spread across 58 acres on sites measuring from 5,000 to 10,000 sq. ft. Each villa will have an open space ranging from 50 to 52 per cent of the total plot area. The project has 20 per cent of the total land dedicated to open space resulting in 10 acres of green space and 17 acres of paved open space.
Located just 8 km from New Bangalore International Airport, the site has a panoramic view of Nandi Hills. The project cost is estimated at Rs 250-260 crore. SDL aims to complete the luxury complex by 2010-end.
"With Sobha Lifestyle, the company would be setting standards for construction excellence. The project has been conceived as an urban development scheme with focus on environmental concerns. Each villa has been designed in harmony with natural features and resources," said Sharma.
During construction, Sobha will adopt eco-friendly measures like usage of local building materials and onsite renewal energy mechanism.

Source : Projects Monitor

TANDBERG HAS launched its first Research and Development (R&D) centre in Bangalore, India. The Indian R&D centre would be the fourth Tandberg facility worldwide, with the others operating in Oslo, London and New Zealand.

It marks a significant milestone in its research and development efforts and is a strong step towards the expansion of its global presence, as quoted by Odd Johnny (OJ) Winge, executive vice president, Products, at Tandberg. He further added that new intellectual properties for Tandberg would be created and the development of next generation video communication solutions would enable organisations to increase productivity, reduce travel costs and contribute to greener world by reducing unnecessary business travel.

About Tandberg Technology India Private Limited
Tandberg Technology India Private Limited is already incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Tandberg. The state-of-the-art facility located in the central business district of Bangalore would have world-class equipments and infrastructure.

Last but not the least, the R&D facility will showcase Tandberg’s entire range of tele-presence and high definition video conferencing solutions and house audio, video and hardware labs.

http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=132161

Bangalore: German measuring technology major Carl Zeiss inaugurated its first Tech center in the country today at Bangalore. The inauguration was preceded by an interactive seminar on “Trends in Metrology” which was attended by representatives from leading automotive, aerospace and component manufacturers.

Dr. Rainer Ohnheiser, President and CEO of Carl Zeiss Industrielle Messtechnik GmbH and Mr. Ven Raman, Managing director – Carl Zeiss Group (India and South East Asia) along with a team of delegates formally inaugurated the Tech Center with a ribbon cutting & unveiling ceremony and a traditional pooja.

http://machinist.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1160&Itemid=2

By Jean Chua

April 9 (Bloomberg) -- Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Plc, the U.K.-based operator of about 110 properties in 18 countries, plans to open hotels in Chennai and Bangalore, marking its first entry in India.

Millennium & Copthorne will form a partnership with Rakindo Developers Pte, a venture set up by the government of United Arab Emirates sheikhdom Ras-Al-Khaimah, and Chennai-based Trimex Group. Millennium & Copthorne will inject $100 million into the venture, the company told reporters today in Singapore.

Millennium & Copthorne's new Chief Executive Officer Richard Hartman will lead the company's expansion in new markets after previously heading InterContinental Hotels Group Plc's Europe, Middle East and Africa unit. India, the world's second-fastest growing major economy, is seeing strong demand for accommodation from business travelers.

Millennium & Copthorne is 53 percent owned by City Developments Ltd., Singapore's second-largest real estate company.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601091&sid=aOEP5smJt.6I&refer=india

Bangalore, Apr 8 Even as recession clouds in the world's largest Economy looms over Indian IT firms, Bangalore-based mid-cap software services firm Sonata Software Ltd has said that the company is expanding its facility in the Silicon Capital of India by investing Rs 20 crore. The company will set up its fourth facility in Bangalore in phases that will accommodate an additional 800 employees.

Currently, the company has three facilities in Bangalore with a combined area of 1.24 lakh sq ft and 1,200 employees, while the Hyderabad centre with an 800-seat capacity is nearing full capacity.

The fourth Bangalore centre will initially be a 20,000 sq ft facility and when fully developed will have 1 lakh sq ft. It will come up 12 km from the city at the Global Village SEZ. In Hyderabad, Sonata will develop another facility in a seven-acre land in an SEZ that will accommodate 2,000 people.

"To enable growth both from existing as well as new customers, we have embarked on this expansion. The Sonata Software campus at the Global Village will have world-class infrastructure," president and managing director B Ramaswamy said in a statement here on Tuesday.


http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Sonata-to-expand-Bangalore-facility/294445/

The Gardens U/C on Magadi Road by ETA Star group. The ad said they'll be ready by Sept 2008.

http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/2386/bloreetabk7.jpg


_______
x-posting from the auto thread -

Toyota to set up 2nd plant in Bangalore (http://www.business-standard.com/common/news_article.php?leftnm=lmnu1&subLeft=1&autono=319835&tab=r)

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM), the Indian arm of Japanese auto major Toyota Motor Corporation, the world’s second largest automaker, on Friday said that it will invest Rs 1,400 crore to build its second car plant at Bidadi near Bangalore adjacent to the existing plant.

This new unit will also be the base for a new ‘strategic small car’. According to Toyota, the second plant, which will begin operations by 2010, will have an initial annual production capacity of around 100,000 vehicles, with plans to increase that over time.

Tata Housing aims to develop Bangalore’s tallest building (http://www.livemint.com/2008/04/14001619/Tata-Housing-aims-to-develop-B.html)

Bangalore has few tall buildings compared with larger metros such as Mumbai, which boasts of buildings that rise beyond 600ft

Bangalore: India’s silicon city is growing taller. A planned 32-storey tower in Jalahalli, once completed, will surpass the 24-storey twin towers of Bearys Lakeside Habitat in Hebbal as the city’s tallest residential building.
The 344ft (105m)-tall structure is one of the three towers of the Aquila Heights project that will be launched April end by Tata Housing Development Co. Ltd on land earlier owned by state-owned watch and tractor maker HMT Ltd.
Designed by Singapore-based architects Ong and Ong Ltd, the Aquila Heights project is said to have retained 89% of the 6.3-acre project as open space. “The reason why we decided to go so tall is to make sure that we keep maximum ground space,” said a Tata Housing spokesperson from Mumbai. The project will be completed by 2010.

BANGALORE'S TALLEST RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

http://www.tatahousing.in/images/floorplan/48.jpg

TATA HOUSING AQUILA HEIGHTS -32 Storey Residential Building, Jalahalli.

BANGALORE'S TALLEST RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

http://www.tatahousing.in/images/floorplan/48.jpg

TATA HOUSING AQUILA HEIGHTS -32 Storey Residential Building, Jalahalli.

That's cool. Is that a helipad at the top?

^^yep

any news abt the film city......i heard its opening is in this month or something....??? correct me if im wrong.....

^^ Yup, innovative film city was supposed to be opening in April. Not sure what's the update though!

New project by the prestige group
http://www.prestigeconstructions.com/golfshire/

new IT park
http://www.assetz.co.in/vtv.pdf

pretty good....

Marriott signs New Hotel in Bangalore (http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news08/214-HotelinBangalore.shtml)

Marriott has signed a management contract with Prestige Estates Projects Private Limited, for a 300-room golf resort, spa, and convention center in Bangalore, India.

When opened in 2012, the Bangalore Marriott Golf Resort & Convention Center at Nandi Hills will be Marriott’s fifth property in Bangalore and 30th in India.

The Bangalore Marriott Golf Resort & Convention Center at Nandi Hills will be part of a 300-acre, mixed-use project in the city’s Nandi Hills area, approximately 10 kilometers from the airport. The project will also consist of a first-class 18-hole golf course and a residential community comprised of approximately 225 single-family homes.

India's silicon hub Bangalore dominates not only in IT, but also in biotechnology, accounting for about 60 percent of the country's export pie, an official said here Thursday.

'As a sunrise industry, he biotechnology sector's growth is on track to achieve the target of $5 billion (Rs.200 billion) by 2010. With about 30 percent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) growth, the sector's revenue increased to $3 billion (Rs.120 billion) for fiscal 2008. About 50 percent ($1.5 billion) of the total revenue is generated from exports, with Bangalore again driving the growth,' Biotechnology Department Secretary M.K. Bhan said.

In the case of investments, Bangalore accounted for 12 of the 24 biotech firms set up in the last fiscal (FY 2008). Top five biotech firms such as Serum, Biocon, Shantah, Wockhardt and Panacea accounted for a third of the total pie. Revenue from research activities touched $500 million and from bio-informatics $200 million.

Source (http://www.indiaenews.com/business/20080424/113642.htm)

Wienerberger forays into Indian market (http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage_c_online.php?leftnm=10&bKeyFlag=IN&autono=36618)

Setting up Asia's first manufacturing plant near Banglore

Wienerberger Brick Industry Pvt Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Weinerberger, 'world's largest' producer of clay hollow bricks, today announced its foray into the Indian market with an initial investment of Rs 90 crore.

The first investment by the company in Asia would be utilised for setting up a manufacturing plant in Kunigal, near here.Wienerberger India's Kunigal plant which spreads over 30 acres of land, would have an output of 100,000 tonnes per annum in phase one.


The euro 2.48 billion company, number two on the clay roof tiles market in Europe, already has government approval to double the capacity in phase two

Multi-brand car mall coming to city
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bangalore/Multi-brand_car_mall_coming_to_city/articleshow/3013321.cms

Concept City Plaza by Concept City Developers coming up in Electronics City. It's designed by Jurong International.

website-> http://conceptcity.in/ccp.aspx

Hotel + Shopping Mall + IT Park
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/4223/aerial20plazafo3.jpg


Hotel
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/913/hotelgk0.jpg


IT Park
http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/1959/itoq5.jpg


Shopping Mall
http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/509/mallct3.jpg

very creative. I like it.

Rohan Vasantha
http://www.rohanbuilders.com/vasantha.htm

photo copyright docsaneesh

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/9827/roshanvasanthadocaneeshds3.jpg

^^ The coconut trees/Shuttle Court are part of Purva Riviera.

The u/c building after Rohan Vasantha is Purva Fountainsquare.

All the three projects are at HAL Airport Road, Marthahalli

Malleswaram underpass to be opened soon

The Malleswaram underpass seems to be ready at last. The road has been neatly laid for vehicles to ply on, with no construction activity in the area. But when will it be inaugurated? After encountering many hurdles along the way, including questions over alignment, appropriateness and its utility in easing congestion, the underpass has been completed after two-and-a-half-years. The foundation stone was laid in November 2005, but the green signal came only in May 2006, and work began a month later. However, construction work was stalled many a time owing to political factors, and recommenced only in December 2006. By May 2007, work on Sampige Road was completed and the road was thrown open for motorists.

Now, the underpass is ready and the road tarred. With elections due to be completed in the next couple of weeks and a new government expected to be in place soon after, the underpass could be opened in a month

[TOI]

After inconveniencing the public for two years to complete a project that should have taken six months max, these idiots are now holding it up awaiting the new govt to form after elections to cut a stupid ribbon and provide access to beleaguered road users. What a bunch of fools!! Only in India do you come across moronic situations like this.

Concept City Plaza by Concept City Developers coming up in Electronics City. It's designed by Jurong International.

website-> http://conceptcity.in/ccp.aspx

Hotel + Shopping Mall + IT Park
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/4223/aerial20plazafo3.jpg


Hotel
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/913/hotelgk0.jpg


IT Park
http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/1959/itoq5.jpg


Shopping Mall
http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/509/mallct3.jpg

That looks great. A great example of making the most with a limited amount of space. The architecture is audacious enough (wacky but not to the point of tacky!) that it makes the development look a lot bigger than it is.

Bangalore: The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike on Wednesday evening opened three underpasses built at Malleswaram Circle, BDA Junction and Anandanagar for traffic. However, only the road over the underpass was opened for traffic at Anandanagar junction as minor works are still pending inside the pre-cast elements used for constructing the underpass, said the officials.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/22/stories/2008052260790400.htm

GL Hotels Pvt Ltd to open five-star hotel in Bangalore (http://www.hospitalitybizindia.com/detailNews.aspx?aid=1249&sid=1)

GL Hotels Ltd Pvt Ltd will open a five-star boutique hotel in Whitefield by the end of 2009. The company has already acquired the land and work on the project will start by the end of 2008. The 70-room property will have two restaurants, a swimming pool, a fitness centre and other amenities.

Bangalore takes action to prevent traffic seizing up (http://www.itexaminer.com/PCs/tabid/75/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/343/Default.aspx)


Bangalore has become the first city in India to address the issues of traffic congestion, safety etc. ‘Bangalore Traffic Improvement – Project B-TRAC 2010’ is an initiative taken by the Bangalore police to ensure smooth traffic.

The latest traffic management technology and techniques will be used to deal with congestion problems in Bangalore. The project will not only focus on minimising traffic congestion but it will also ensure safety on the roads. Bangalore traffic police has handed over Zicom Electronic Security system Ltd, the job to undertake the traffic surveillance.

The task will be done with the help of a CCTV surveillance system consisting of high speed PTZ cameras. This set-up will be connected to a monitoring station via IP connectivity provided by BSNL, the set-up help in monitoring the traffic and intended to improve traffic mobility.

The CCTV surveillance system has already been set-up at 40 important junctions and will monitor the traffic 24X7.
Seeing the traffic congestions in the city because of metro dig-ups and population influx this project needs to be applauded. We wish the surveillance could also monitor the ruthless auto-drivers who charge three times more than the meter reading.

Similar improvements to be thought over for Mysuru well in advance as well,
as it is just another hub not that far from Bangaluru though

For those who invested in Royal Indian Raj International at Bangalore:

Just read the following link (courtsey to www.canada.com)

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=636d74b6-8f89-49cc-a816-f7edef61d3ec

One more found on Royal Indian Raj International project at Bangalore:

Link: http://www.nri-worldwide.com/cgi-local/ts.pl?action=fetch&area=nrialert
(Courtsey to: www.nri-worldwide.com)

Beware, better put your investment in local reputed developers at Bangalore
(an overseas investor)

Unsure where else to put this article!

BJP gives BMIC a NICE hope
(http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IE120080530004610)

THE change of guard in the State politics, has brought smiles to the promoters of the controversial Bangalore- Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project (BMIC), as they feel that the new government to be headed by B S Yeddyurappa will help them steer all hurdles to complete its first phase.

NICE MD Ashok Kheny, was however, guarded in his statement. ‘’I prefer to wait for the government to take shape and comment a day after it is formed,’’ he said, and added that he did not believe in counting eggs before they hatched.

On Wednesday, former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy had threatened that the JD(S) would protest any attempt to give additional land to the BMIC. He had even alleged that the BJP was getting ready to give additional lands to the BMIC.

The Rs 3,500 crore BMIC project promoted by the NICE, landed in a string of controversies and legal wrangles ever since the work started 11 years ago. The project aims to construct 111 km of expressway between Bangalore and Mysore, besides promoting five townships.

It was given a green signal during the H D Deve Gowda government and allowed to acquire 18,313 acres, including 5,119 acres for road construction and the remaining land for five townships across the expressway.

Gowda, however, turned his guns on the NICE promoters during the 2002 Kanakapura by-election, where he alleged that the NICE had been given an additional 2,800 acres by the subsequent S M Krishna government for the construction of a peripheral ring road around Bangalore at a throwaway price.

The project landed in fresh controversies after the Dharam Singh-led Congress- JD(S) coalition government assumed office in 2002, as the JD(S) continued its tirade against NICE MD Ashok Kheny.

Later in 2007, the JD(S) attempted to table a Bill to take over the BMIC project from NICE. But Kheny had managed to find support in coalition partner BJP leaders, who boycotted the Cabinet meeting convened by Kumaraswamy, to discuss the proposed Bill. It was from here on that the relations between the JD(S) and the BJP went from bad to worse, before calling it quits in October 2007.

Recently, the Election Commission had stayed the Governor’s decision to release land for the completion of the first phase project, citing moral code of conduct.

Software dragon to strengthen hold on India

Bangalore: The Chinese software giant Huawei Technologies is deepening its India foothold by infusing an additional investment of $100 million. The company is setting up a large R&D and software development facility in Whitefield.
George Huang, chief operating officer, Huawei Technologies India, told TOI that the company has acquired a 20 acre land on which a world class R&D facility will come up in the next 18 months. The company has already invested $100 million in the country in the last 7 years. “The target is to gain significant size in India as the geography is expected to be a key contributor to Huawei’s global revenues, expected to cross over $40 billion by 2012, a quantum jump from $20 billion this year.’’
Huang said India is emerging as a critical market for Huawei, second only to China, which brought in $5 billion last year. In 2008, India is expected to bring in revenues of $1 billion, from $600 million in 2007.
Its foray into India opened up several English speaking markets for Huawei. “India has given us unmatchable language capability, which would not have been possible as a Chinese company,’’ said Huang.
Huawei globally has 82,000 employees with half of them in the R&D space. It annually invests 10% of its revenues into its 12 R&D centres around the world.
The India centre has 1,600 engineers and by December the figure is expected to be 2,500. Huawei designs and develops GPRS, GSM, CDMA, WiMAX solutions for over 35 top telecom service providers in the world.

Government to decide soon on BMIC project
(http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/04/stories/2008060452400300.htm)

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government in the State is expected to take an early decision on the controversial Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project, which faced several roadblocks during the past four years.

“Our Government will take up the issue soon after the allocation of portfolios to the newly inducted Ministers,” said the BJP MLA for Krishnaraja Assembly constituency, S.A. Ramdas.

The Government would accord top priority to infrastructure projects, and the BMIC project figures prominently among them, he said. “An early decision can be expected on it,” he said.

The public and industries are looking forward to the completion of the BMIC, which envisages a 111-km-long state-of-the-art expressway between Mysore and Bangalore. The access-controlled expressway will reduce the travel time between the two cities to about 70 to 80 minutes.

However, Mr. Ramdas said the Government would look into all aspects of the project, including the legal issues, before a final decision was taken.

The BMIC project, executed by Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE), had generated much heat during the coalition rule in the State with the Janata Dal (S), which was part of both the coalition Governments, accusing the promoters of acquiring excess land.

The H.D. Kumaraswamy-led Government had not only stalled the handing over of land for the project but also decided to terminate NICE’s contract and invite fresh bids in a global tender to implement the project, in August 2007. But NICE moved the Supreme Court and secured a stay on the tender process a month later. After the State came under President’s Rule, the Executive Committee of Governor Rameshwar Thakur overturned the Government’s decision and cleared the decks for NICE to implement the project. The Governor’s decision taken on April 25 when the code of conduct was in force incurred the wrath of not only the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda but also the Election Commission.

The Chief Election Commissioner, N. Gopalaswami, asked the Governor to keep the committee’s decision in abeyance till the election process was over as such a “major policy” decision was in violation of the code of conduct. Hence, the Government froze its April 25 decision to allow NICE to go ahead with the implementation of the project.

With a new Government assuming office, industries in Mysore are looking forward to the early completion of the project.

“Industry needs an expressway that can transport workers and material to Bangalore fast. An expressway can work as a catalyst to develop industries in Mysore,” said general secretary of the Mysore Industries Association Suresh Kumar Jain.

:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

L.A. no longer a 'Top 10' city (http://www.presstelegram.com/business/ci_9523838)

The number of high quality universities in the Southland was number three in the world, behind New York and Bangalore, India

I would advise exercising caution since Southland or Greater Los Angeles Area has some of the worlds best universities such as UCLA,Caltech,USC,UCI etc...

Im guessing(i have absolutely no idea) the criteria used was the number of students graduating each year...so dont read too much into this...Indian universities on the whole(including IITs) are simply not in the same league as American ones...

But this is good news anyway.

Some more from the same study

3 Indian cities in world's top centres of commerce (http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/3-Indian-cities-in-world--s-top-centres-of-commerce/320627/)


eflecting the growing global economic clout of the Asian region, three Indian cities -- Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore have been ranked among the 75 top centres of commerce in the world.

In 2008, three Indian cities have been ranked in the index of 75 cities with Mumbai at the 48th position, New Delhi at 61 and Bangalore at 66th place, the report revealed.

:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

L.A. no longer a 'Top 10' city (http://www.presstelegram.com/business/ci_9523838)



I would advise exercising caution since Southland or Greater Los Angeles Area has some of the worlds best universities such as UCLA,Caltech,USC,UCI etc...

Im guessing(i have absolutely no idea) the criteria used was the number of students graduating each year...so dont read too much into this...Indian universities on the whole(including IITs) are simply not in the same league as American ones...

But this is good news anyway.

i didn't know bangalore was top 3 even in india.

i didn't know bangalore was top 3 even in india.

I know...i thought the software companies came here for the weather.

‘Bangalore innovation centre to develop tech for emerging markets’ (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/06/09/stories/2008060950710200.htm)


How is India involved in your globalisation strategy?

In the last three months, we have transformed our India business. Our organisation here will be responsible for our business within the country.

Cisco’s globalisation centre in Bangalore will develop solutions for the emerging markets and be responsible for new innovation, talent and growth.

We plan to take the headcount to 10,000 in a span of five years. We have scaled it to 4,000 over the last nine months.

Our talent pool at the Bangalore globalisation centre is a mix of people from Europe, China, West Asia, Africa and Asia. A number of Indians have sought relocation from California to our centre here.

Why did Cisco decide on an innovation centre in Bangalore and what have you done since the establishment of this facility?

The market is moving towards the emerging markets, and these are growing rapidly.

These markets demand a certain kind of technology. One cannot push the developed countries’ technology.

For instance, the units here may not need the same technology as in the US.

The model has to be created for India (specific markets) and it does not have a legacy. Further, the country has been progressive in the adoption of technology. Bangalore is well connected.

We will drive partnerships with mega players such as TCS, Infosys, Satyam, HCL and Wipro to develop solutions for other emerging markets.

Any plans of setting up similar centre of excellence in other emerging markets?

We are looking at China. It may not be on the likes of the Bangalore Globalisation centre, but some kind of investments is bound to happen.

We have committed $ 1 billion investment in India.

I know...i thought the software companies came here for the weather.


Does this even make sense? :ohno: I hope you were just being humorous :)

Does this even make sense? :ohno: I hope you were just being humorous :)


that was sarcasm:lol:

BANGALORE: After dilly-dallying over whether to sell or lease out the 413 acres of excess land acquired for the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA), the State Government has decided against selling the land. The land will be leased out to a private developer where a business park will be developed on a public-private partnership (PPP).

The proposed park, called Devanahalli Business Park, will come up on 263 acres of land and will include space for two information technology parks, two central business districts, a finance district, an international convention centre and hotel, an aviation academy, three health care units, a goods assembly centre, retail and entertainment, hospitality and office complexes.

Land allotment



Land will also be allotted to 14 departments of the State and Union governments to establish their offices and utility service centres.

About 84 acres of land will be allotted to the Police, Fire Force, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation, Bangalore Customs, Karnataka Beverages Corporation, Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation, Posts and Telegraphs, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, New Mangalore Port Trust, Forest Department and Mysore Sales International.

Land for government agencies (which are not commercial and business in nature) will be sold at Rs. 3 crore an acre. The excess land was identified while surveying the land acquired for handing over to the Bangalore International Airport Limited, promoters of BIA, during 2005-06.

The lease rental agreement with the private partner will be for 30 years with a provision for extension for another 30 years.

Also, the private developer of the park has been permitted to sub-lease a portion of the land.

However, the extent of the portion to be subleased will be determined by the Government on the basis of pre-bid negotiations.

The developer has to construct a direct unhindered access road from NH-7 to the park at his own cost.


Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/06/15/stories/2008061560040100.htm

Rs 25,000-cr plan to develop Bangalore infrastructure


Bangalore: The state government has drawn up a master plan to develop infrastructure in Bangalore by spending Rs 25,000 crore over seven years.
This will include an elevated rail, ring roads, ring railways, underpasses, surface passes, multi-level parking lots, and efficient water supply and sewage systems.
The state will pump in two-thirds of the amount and seek the rest from the central government, according to sources.
Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who met Union finance minister P Chidambaram on Monday, submitted a demand for Rs 5,000 crore. He asked him to release at least Rs 1,000 crore immediately. “Chidambaram was receptive to our plea and invited us to New Delhi for discussions,’’ Yeddyurappa told reporters. According to him, a core committee will monitor infrastructure development in the state at regular intervals.

The state government plans to hold an investors’ meet to attract more industries and investment to the state.

CtrlS going to open its centre in Bangalore. (http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1171885)
CtrlS, the Hyderabad-based tier IV data centre firm, is in “advanced talks” with private equity investors for a $40 million investment in the company, a source close to the deal said.

However, the source did not reveal the name of the investor or the percentage of the stake. “CtrlS is currently doing a closure to the tune of $40 million for the private equity investment, which is expected in two months,” the source told DNA Money on condition of anonymity.

P Sridhar Reddy, chairman and managing director, CtrlS data centres, didn’t confirm or deny the swap, but said they will invest around Rs 1,000 crore in the next 2 years. This will include some private equity investment.

The company plans to invest around Rs 700 crore this year to ramp up growth in the country. It would invest additional Rs 300 crore in 2009. “We are in the process of tying up the entire Rs 700 crore, which is a combination of debt, equity, promoters and other sources. We are expecting a closure in the next two months,” Reddy said.

The firm plans to increase the capacity of the Hyderabad centre and to open centres in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai. It plans to hire 400 employees in the next two years. It has invested Rs 25 crore so far this year and has 30 employees.

Tier IV data centres are expected to generate revenue of $2 billion in the next 2-3 years, in India. CtrlS is targeting about 50% market share of this segment. The firm, which started commercial operations early this year, was already doing pilot projects in the country for 10 customers including Nowpos, Hartex and Metaminds.

Apart from India, it plans to set up data centres in regions such as Europe and Singapore for expansion. Tier IV data centres provide 99.995% availability and are the most advanced data centres available. CtrlS serves customers that use the internet as the predominant delivery medium.

Link:http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/18/stories/2008061859430100.htm

Citrix plans $ 200 mn investment in Bangalore R&D centre (http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/006200806181522.htm)


Bangalore (PTI): Citrix Systems, Inc., a global leader in application delivery infrastructure, today announced it plans to invest around USD 200 million in the second R & D facility opened here on Wednesday, over the next five years.

The NASDAQ-listed, USD 1.2 billion company expects to add 500 engineers in the new facility in the next five years, and will house teams performing core development across the Citrix Delivery Centre product line.

Based on the full cycle of development work, the new 110,000 square feet facility handles all aspects of research including design, coding, functional testing, documentation, engineering, management and escalation, officials said.

"It will enhance Citrix's ability to create synergies across its various product lines by tapping into the growing pool of engineering talent available in India", the company's Senior Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, David J Henshall, told a press conference here.

The new centre will work in the areas of application networking, desktop and application virtualisation, 3-D graphics, multi-media an voice-over IP technologies.

In addition to product development, the centre would also provide customers with sales and technical support, as well as offer market analysis, testing and quality assurance.

Henshall said the company aims to double the sales from Asia Pacific region from the current level of 10 per cent of the overall revenues, in the next five years.

Company officials said sales in India has recorded a compounded annual growth rate of 33 per cent in the last five years. In fact, sales in India grew by 47 per cent in the last calendar year, and by 120 per cent in the first quarter (Jan-March) of this year, they said.

Syrian Prez visits India's IT hub (http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080053811&ch=6/21/2008%2012:37:00%20AM)


Visiting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Friday had a first-hand view of the progress and achievements made by India's IT hub in space research, IT and management on a day-long tour of the city.

Accompanied by his wife and a high-level delegation, Assad's first port-of-call was the satellite centre of the state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), where he showed keen interest in knowing about India's first moon mission - Chandrayaan-1 - and various technologies deployed for space applications and programmes.

Assad was treated to a visit of the satellite centre where the lunar orbital spacecraft is being integrated and tested for its maiden launch later this year.

ISRO director TK Alex made a presentation on India's space activities to Assad and the delegation.

''Appreciating the development of India in science arena, Assad said his country was looking forward to cooperating with India in space applications for societal needs.

He also expressed interest in collaborating with India to use its space expertise for the socio-economic development of his country,'' an ISRO official told IANS.

Later, Assad visited Infosys Technologies in electronics city, on the outskirts of Bangalore, to see the IT bellwether's global delivery model and how it serves clients worldwide in bits and bytes.

Top Infosys officials took the Syrian president and the first lady on a guided tour of the sprawling green campus and its world-class facilities where about 23,000 engineers write software codes to develop products and solutions.

Assad also interacted with the faculty and students of Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT-B) and Indian Institute of Management (IIM-B) for a first-hand account of their activities, programmes and projects.

Karnataka Governor Rameshwar Thakur hosted a dinner for Assad and his delegation at Raj Bhavan late Friday.

Assad will leave for Syria Saturday at the end of his five-day maiden visit to India.

Mega sports city to come up near BIA
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Karnataka will have its own sports city in the coming years. A new satellite township with world-class sports facilities and residential spaces has been planned near Chikaballapur.
“We have already started the process of identifying 700 acres of land on the Bangalore-Chikaballapur road,” minister for sports and youth affairs Goolihatti D Shekar told reporters here on Friday. “The township will be situated close to the BIA.”
The township is being planned keeping in mind the needs of the city for the next 20-25 years. Apparently, the Department of Youth Services and Sports has been working on the project for the past five months.
“Bangalore requires high quality sports facilities to match the growth in the coming decades,” DYSS sources told TOI. “That is exactly why the city has been planned near the international airport. World over, airports determine the growth of cities and we are sure this world class infrastructure will add to Bangalore’s profile.” The government is yet to estimate the funds required for the project. “We are yet to work out a comprehensive plan for the city and its various components. Our officials are interacting with sports infrastructure professionals, architects, town planners and engineers,’’ Shekar said.
With the accent being on integrated growth — industrial units producing sports goods and sports tourism being part of the plan — the government plans to invite private investment for the project.
Apart from promoting sports in a big way — facilities are being planned for both Olympic disciplines and indigenous games — the city will also aid the country’s bid to host the 2020 Olympics, the minister said.
Youth Games
The government has decided to hold the National Youth Games on schedule from July 22. The decision comes after meteorologists said that the rains would not be intense in the last week of July. “We have to make some preparations like relaying the synthetic track. We are taking up these works at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore. We have already called tenders for the purpose,’’ he said.
An international standard swimming pool will come up in the Sree Kanteerava stadium complex, Shekar said.

:cheers:

URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/22/stories/2008062254600500.htm
‘Traffic slows down expressway work’
9.5 km-long expressway will be delayed by six months, says Union Minister
NH 7 stretch between Hebbal and airportto be upgraded
Six-lane elevated expressway to come up between Hebbal and Yelahanka

Bangalore: Those travelling to Electronics City from the city limits will have to wait for nine more months to fulfil their dream of travelling on an elevated expressway. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) announced on Saturday that it will take six more months to complete work on the expressway.

The 9.5 km-long toll expressway from Central Silk Board Junction to Electronics City being built under the build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis, was scheduled to be completed by July.

Union Minister of State for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways K.H. Muniyappa, who inspected the progress of work on the elevated expressway on Saturday, said that work had been affected owing to heavy traffic on Hosur Road, and the expressway would be ready only in February or March next.

Airport connectivity: With regard to improving connectivity to the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) at Devanahalli through the highway, Mr. Muniyappa said the NH 7 stretch between Hebbal and the BIA would be upgraded at an estimated cost of Rs. 450 crore and the request for pre-qualification had been invited. The NHAI will build a six-lane toll elevated expressway between Hebbal and Yelahanka (Kogilu Junction) to eliminate traffic signals as part of the upgradation project, said NHAI chairman N. Gokulram. An additional lane would be added on both the sides of the main carriage way of the highway, while providing a two-lane service road on either side. This will make the stretch between Hebbal and the BIA a ten-lane corridor, Mr. Gokulram added. Construction work would commence only early next year as the bidding process would take at least six months to be completed, he said.

Referring to other projects taken up by the NHAI in the State, Mr. Muniyappa said that work on widening and development of national highways — NH 17 between Mangalore and Kerala border (18 km); NH 17 between Suratkal and Kundapur (71 km); NH 13 between Bijapur and Hospet (194 km); NH 4A between Belgaum and Goa border (84 km); and NH 4 between Mulbagal and Andhra Pradesh border (21 km) — are at various stages of implementation.

The portion of the NH 4, which was being developed as part of the Golden Quadrilateral project that connects Chennai and Mumbai through Karnataka, would be completed by the end of 2009. The work on this stretch had been affected, particularly at Haveri and Hubli, as some cases were pending in court, the Minister said...

June 18 - Construction galore in Whitefield
Copyright strobie42
http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/4116/76917406gn6.jpg

Mega sports city to come up near BIA
TIMES NEWS NETWORK



:cheers:

Planning early for the olympics 2020 will definitely bear its fruits. It would be so awesome to have the Olympics in my own city!

Now, BIA charts an Airport City (http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Jun232008/scroll2008062374918.asp?section=updatenews)


As the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) gets into an expansion mode, the promoters of the new greenfield aerodrome have announced grandiose plans to construct an ‘Airport City’ within the premises of BIA.

Mega sports city to come up near BIA
TIMES NEWS NETWORK



:cheers:

wow, bangalore will probably be ready by then since the airport and the metro will be completed

Planning early for the olympics 2020 will definitely bear its fruits. It would be so awesome to have the Olympics in my own city!

wow, bangalore will probably be ready by then since the airport and the metro will be completed

Yea isnt that insane?Thats some good PR for bangalore...

London: Hibernian, one of Ireland’s largest financial organisations, has announced plans to move nearly 600 jobs to Bangalore, where its parent company Aviva already has a major back office operation.
In the first phase, 80 jobs will be lost in Cork, Galway and Dublin. As many as 500 more jobs will be transferred over three years, with the bulk of these due to come out of Dublin.
The workers’ union, Unite, expressed shock and anger at the loss of such a large number of good quality jobs, reports from Dublin said.
“There has been intense speculation but very little information since the decision was announced in the UK that Hibernian would be seeking savings of £50 million from its European base,” said Unite national officer Jerry Shanahan.
Speaking after a meeting with management, he said the news was “a hammer blow to staff who have dealt with two previous reorganisations of the company in 2000 and 2004”.
He said the staff had been “wholly accommodating” in the development of significant operations outside Dublin, in Cork and Galway. He added: “We now face a greater challenge as the company has seriously narrowed the options.” Ireland’s minister for enterprise, trade and employment Mary Coughlan expressed regret at the decision. She welcomed the phased nature of the job losses and called on FS, the national training and employment agency, to respond immediately to assist workers whose jobs are on the line.
Dublin will remain Hibernian’s corporate headquarters with overall responsibility for group strategy.
Under the reorganisation Galway will be the main customer contact and call centre for general insurance. Group chief executive Stuart Purdy said the loss of nearly 600 jobs was driven by cost considerations. AGENCIES

..

First Impression of Bangalore

I came to Bangalore, infact India for the first time last week due to project related work for my client. I am originally from Bangladesh but living in US..

Similarities to Dhaka :

The infrastructure is very similar- roads, buildings, drainage system to traffic flow. This means both the good and bad side. Lot of new highrises under construction just like Dhaka but at the same time the traffic is as crazy as back home.

Infact if someone blindfolds me and drops me in Bangalore, I will pronably think that I am somewhere in Dhaka. Only the occassional signboards in Kannada will give it away eventually..

Differences to Dhaka:

There are many more IT parks, which are worldclass and completely out of place from the rest of the city. From Accenture,Capgemini to CISCO all companies are there. This is a really good sign, as this is employing lot of young people getting out of college. I would love to see Bangladesh picking up from this aspect.

Dhaka has many more highrises (buildings over 30 storied), the skyline is much more extensive compared to Bangalore. One colleague of mine told me that this is because Bangalore has some restriction on floor levels.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=602088

The shopping malls in Dhaka are bigger, the 2 largest shopping malls in South Asia are both over there. Bashundhara city and Jamuna Future Park.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=265014

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=513812

Bangalore also has very nice malls but they are relatively smaller. I am sure the city will soon get better in this aspect. I see many places under construction..

Bangalore has a very vibrant movie culture. Young people go to theatres for Hindi and other movies. In Dhaka it is restricted to very few upper class theatre, the rest are very rundown. People usually prefer renting DVD and watching at home. This is basically because our local movie industry is not as big as Bollywood.

Bars/clubs are more prevalent. In Dhaka, alcohol is confined to 5 start hotels and posh clubs. The young crowd usually hangout at hookah/sheesha lounges, that have live music and food.

People's wish list given to CM (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Bangalore/Peoples_wish_list_given_to_CM/articleshow/3161960.cms)


BANGALORE: It is not every day that the electorate set an agenda for development. On Tuesday, chief minister B S Yeddyurappa received a specific 120-point agenda Namma Ase - Nimma Bhashe (Our dreams - your promise) from the people. This was an initiative by Vijay Karnataka, a Times Group publication.

Readers from districts like Gulbarga, Bidar and Mangalore travelled to Bangalore to participate in the event. Yeddyurappa thanked Vijay Karnataka and its readers for drafting an agenda. He felt it was like an extension of the BJP's Sankalpa vision document. "We are already implementing some portions of this agenda," he said and assured that he would work sincerely towards the development of the state with special focus on Bangalore.

"I assure you that in two years we will change the picture of Bangalore. We will make the dream of former president A P J Abdul Kalam come true. The whole world is looking at Bangalore. Many people including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have been speaking of the bad state of infrastructure in Bangalore. We will improve it in a fixed time-frame. We are confident our performance will surpass your expectations," Yeddyurappa said.

Bangalore's software exports to touch $13.5 billion in the current fiscal (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Infotech/Bangalores_software_exports_to_touch_135_billion/articleshow/3160347.cms)


BANGALORE: Unperturbed by the US economic recession, the software exports from Bangalore is expected to touch 13.5 billion dollars for the current fiscal.
...
According to him (Ashok Manoli, Karnataka Principal Secretary for Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science and Technology), 116 IT companies have been added to a total of 2000 IT companies.

"Bangalore has 248 Business Process Outsourcing (BPOs) and 183 bio-technology companies with a work force of 5.5 lakhs techies," he said.
...

Bangalore to get more elevated city roads

BANGALORE: The Karnataka government is all set to improve the road network in Bangalore to enable faster movement of motor vehicles, and towards this end it is expected to clear a nearly Rs. 2,800-crore project to construct an elevated expressway linking Bangalore South (Madivala) with Bangalore North (Hebbal) and another elevated road to link Bangalore East (Marathahalli) with the north-south elevated corridor.
Sources in the Government told The Hindu here that a detailed project report had been received from an international consortium (IDEB), which has a Chinese construction company and three others.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/06/27/stories/2008062754410600.htm

Goldman to launch Four Seasons in B’lore

Goldman Sachs is believed to be investing around $80 million (over Rs 320 crore) in a joint venture with Dubai developer ETA to launch luxury Four Seasons hotel in Bangalore. Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Saudi prince Alwaleed bin Talal-owned Four Seasons has unveiled aggressive expansion plans in India, even as fears of a slowdown in hospitality sector are being raised.
Goldman Sachs is expected to hold a majority stake—up to 76%, but this could not be confirmed—in the JV estimated at about $150 million, including debt. The deal marks one of the biggest PE plays in a single hospitality project in the country.
Sources said Goldman Sachs will be financing bulk of the project through a combination of equity and debt. ETA owns 4 acre adjacent to Mekhri circle, a mid-point between the city and the recently-opened greenfield airport. Further details of the project could not be ascertained. A formal announcement on the JV is expected soon.
Last year, Citigroup said it was investing in a joint development with Nitesh Estates for India’s first Ritz Carlton property in Bangalore, expected to be completed by June 2010, signaling PE interest in highend luxury hospitality segment.
Four Seasons spokesperson said: “We are looking at various properties across India, and Bangalore is one of them. Currently, we can’t say much as no official details have been announced.” The Canadian hospitality giant, which manages 74 luxury hotels across the globe, agreed early this year to be taken private for $3.8 million by Bill Gates, prince Alwaleed bin Talal and Four Seasons chairman & CEO Isadore Sharp. In India, Four Seasons has identified six locations in metros and tier-I cities. It is looking at a mix of management contracts and equity investments. “We are very optimistic about the Indian market having a sustained period of growth. We are planning with a long-term vision,” Mr Sharp had said ET.
Goldman’s interest in the project comes even as inflationary pressures and economic slowdown are believed to be impacting India’s hospitality sector in recent times. But, sources said, the luxury segment may remain insulated for the time being at least.
Four Seasons recently opened the 202-room hotel in South Mumbai, and is working on projects in Gurgaon, Hyderabad and Kerala. It is also looking to set up a resort hotel in Goa. Though BRIC countries are not contributing significantly to the Four Seasons kitty, the rate of development and growth, said Mr Sharp, in the next few years would grow substantially.
Founded in 1960, Four Seasons has followed a targeted course of expansion, opening hotels in major city centres and destinations around the world. Currently Four Seasons has 75 hotels in 31 countries.

source economictimes epaper

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/02072008003.jpg

Entegris Expands Presence to India (http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/technology/entegris-expands-presence-india/)

CHASKA, Minn., Jul 1, 2008 (PrimeNewswire via COMTEX) ----Entegris, Inc. (Nasdaq:ENTG), a leading provider of products and systems that purify, protect and transport critical materials used in manufacturing of semiconductors and other microelectronics, announced the opening of a wholly owned subsidiary in Bangalore, India.

"Entegris has served the Indian market since 2001 through distributor relationships," said Jerome Couelle, vice president and general manger, Entegris Europe. "We are excited about the prospects of the new team led by Badarish Appanna, which brings considerable experience to the company. This expertise and the location in Bangalore, at the heart of India's high-tech center, will enable us to address growing opportunities in India's rapidly emerging semiconductor and photovoltaic industries."

'Elita Promenade' by KEPPEL PURAVANKARA at JP Nagar 7th Phase

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/02072008003.jpg

Goldman to launch Four Seasons in B’lore

Last year, Citigroup said it was investing in a joint development with Nitesh Estates for India’s first Ritz Carlton property in Bangalore, expected to be completed by June 2010, signaling PE interest in highend luxury hospitality segment

source economictimes epaper

Here is the rendering...Itll be 16 floors.

cc WATG
http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/ritzblr.jpg

Proteans opens new devp center in Bangalore (http://news.oneindia.in/2008/07/03/proteans-opens-fourth-development-center-bangalore-1215065100.html)

News Gallery
Bangalore, Jul 3: Proteans Software Solutions (www.proteans.com), a leading provider of outsourced product development services has set up its fourth software development center in Bangalore. Prashant Singh, COO, Proteans Software Solutions said, "We have been growing consistently, and have in fact been recognized as one of the fastest growing technology companies in India.

To meet our growth needs, we setup our fourth center, which can take care of the growth needs of the current financial year. We are looking to add over 200 people in India by 2009." Currently, Proteans is 300 strong, and now has four development centers in Bangalore and sales offices in US, UK and Norway. Proteans has built over 100 globally successful products working with over 60 software product companies in the past five years.

Currently, the company is engaged with around 35 active customers in US and Europe. Proteans has significant position in Microsoft ISV space as a key OPD provider, and Microsoft dynamics CRM space as an OPD and solutions provider.

PICTURES TAKEN BY ME YESTERDAY ON THE WAY TO CALICUT FROM BANGALORE.
Towards hebbal flyover.
http://i31.tinypic.com/oa16qh.jpg
Entering flyover.
http://i32.tinypic.com/egwn41.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/2eyjsj8.jpg
http://i31.tinypic.com/hx3vko.jpg
http://i32.tinypic.com/ne7uv7.jpg

Its me on bangalore-mysore highway.
http://i25.tinypic.com/28tf1js.jpg

COOL TWIN TOWERS
http://i30.tinypic.com/2cz3ibo.jpg

Cool pictures!

:cheers:

cool pic of scaled down petronas

^^haha

http://www.thehindu.com/pp/2008/07/05/stories/2008070550480100.htm

^^The state govt, in partnership with IR, should seriously conside the above proposition for a circular railway around B'lore. This city is suffering hugely due to terrible planning, lack of vision and official and political apathy. There is nobody who will take the bull by the horns and get cracking on the crumbling infrastructure. On going projects are slow and prone to political interference causing minimal progress. The city is developing in haphazard fashion with no major plan or vision in place. Look at any of the newly developed areas around bangalore, they are all a mess, with narrow lanes, bad layouts, lack of parks or gardens and play grounds. :bash:Some areas are like over-grown slums, even though populated by middle and upper middle class people. Residential layouts are slowly turning commercial, with no infrastructure to handle the consequences.

Sigh... as a Bangalorean it breaks my heart when I recall the beautiful city with well-planned layouts, even up to the early to mid 80s.... its an unholy mess now....:ohno:

Rs 25,000 cr set aside for Bangalore (http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IE120080707002951&Page=1&Title=Bangalore&Topic=0&)

Bangalore: “Continuing its tradition of innovation and attracting foreign investors, the Government will spend Rs 25,000 crore to develop Bangalore’s infrastructure in the next three years by constructing a North-South Corridor connecting Electronic City and BIAL and an East-West Corridor connecting Hoskote and Tumkur,’’ Minister for IT and BT Katta Subramanya Naidu said.

The Leela Palace, Bangalore wins best business hotel award (http://www.hospitalitybizindia.com/detailNews.aspx?aid=1586&sid=1)

The Leela Palace, Bangalore has been chosen as ‘India’s Leading Business Hotel’ by the World Travel Awards for the second time consecutively. Hailed as "the Oscars of the Travel Industry", by the Wall Street Journal, WTA is the travel industry's most prestigious and comprehensive awards programme.

Receiving the award in Shanghai, Charles de Foucault, General Manager, The Leela Palace, Bangalore said, “We are humbled by this award. More than 167,000 travel professionals voted us to be the best in India for the second time in a row and we strive to delight and satisfy our guests. ”

The hotel was voted the ‘World’s No.1 Favourite Overseas Business Hotel 2007’ by Conde Nast Traveller, UK. The Leela Palace, Bangalore has also been declared by Forbes as one among the 10 hottest wedding destinations in the world while its signature Indian restaurant, ‘Jamavar’ features in the Forbes list of top ten power dining spots in the world.

Hotel Leelaventure Ltd. owns and operates The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa and in Kovalam (Kerala). It also plans developments in Gurgaon, Udaipur, Chennai, New Delhi, Hyderabad and Pune and have marketing alliance with US based Preferred Hotel Group, Kempinski and are members of Global Hotel Alliance headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

IEEE Computer Society adds Bangalore chapter (http://www.ciol.com/Semicon/Biz-Watch/News-Reports/IEEE-Computer-Society-adds-Bangalore-chapter/8708107760/0/)

BANGALORE, INDIA: The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE), an organization working for driving new standards in key areas of technology, has announced the inception of its Bangalore chapter.

^^The state govt, in partnership with IR, should seriously conside the above proposition for a circular railway around B'lore. This city is suffering hugely due to terrible planning, lack of vision and official and political apathy. There is nobody who will take the bull by the horns and get cracking on the crumbling infrastructure. On going projects are slow and prone to political interference causing minimal progress. The city is developing in haphazard fashion with no major plan or vision in place. Look at any of the newly developed areas around bangalore, they are all a mess, with narrow lanes, bad layouts, lack of parks or gardens and play grounds. :bash:Some areas are like over-grown slums, even though populated by middle and upper middle class people. Residential layouts are slowly turning commercial, with no infrastructure to handle the consequences.

Sigh... as a Bangalorean it breaks my heart when I recall the beautiful city with well-planned layouts, even up to the early to mid 80s.... its an unholy mess now....:ohno:


Lack of leadership is very evident - just see that Hyderabad has a MRTS and Bangalore none. An MRTS for Banglore would be such a boon for commuters from Whitefield in the east or from Bidadi etc for the mysore side. About the other infrastructure that you mention, less said the better.

Every city in India is facing issues and its stunning how the problems keep mounting. Lack of leadership aside, common city governance is where the problems start occurring in repeated fashion. Every city can be divided into manageable chunks and 1 person can be appointed to take care of the small chunk. What the person/team needs to accomplish is not much but these people are negligent, don't do their job. A small chunk, needs roads maintained, water supplied and electricity/phone services in place. How long does this take. For every quarterly time period, every neighborhood should be reviewed for performance against set goals. But what we see everywhere, in any city, garbage strewn around, roads in disrepair, street lights inoperable, electricity transformers blowing out, water supply sporadic, etc. No one seems to be in charge. In Bluru all the new developments are happening without the basics in place. Roads are unpaved, dug, up everywhere, electricity supply is sporadic, water supply sometimes non-existent, but buildings and dwellings sprouting up like weed everywhere. There is a breakdown in civic amenities and governance. Where is the person in charge of the area? Probably in siesta or lounging at home. The city creaks and rumbles along. A new set of Netas come in and promise the moon.

When are they going to get to brass tacks and get down to the business of civic governance. If they can accomplish these basics they would have done immense service for the nation and the state. Forget about all the grandiose plans. Basics please.

Symbiosis to open Bangalore campus (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Symbiosis_to_open_Bangalore_campus/articleshow/3220704.cms)

PUNE: The city-based Symbiosis International University's (SIU) newly set up campus at Bangalore will be inaugurated by minister for human resource development Arjun Singh at 5 pm on July 11.

Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa will preside over the function, while Karnataka minister for higher education Aravind Limbavali, Karnataka state planning board's deputy chairman D.H. Shankaramurthy and MP Ananth Kumar will attend the ceremony. The campus, with a total construction area of 3.5 lakh sq ft, is spread over a four-acre expanse located at the electronic city, better known as Bangalore's IT hub.

The campus will house Symbiosis Institute of Business Management and the Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning. The facilities on offer include well-equipped classrooms, auditorium, library, computers, laboratory, gymnasium, indoor sports centre, yoga and aerobic hall besides separate hostel facilities for boys and girls.

Is Vijay Mallya doing a Mukesh Ambani in Bangalore? (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Mallya_planning_Ambani-type_highrise/articleshow/3220486.cms)

The word is that the ‘King of Good Times' is getting set to build a massive multi-storey complex for himself in Bangalore on his ancestral property on Vittal Mallya Road, adjacent to UB City. Sources say the plan is to have a designer skyscraper apartment with possibly even a helipad on the four-acre property.

Real estate sources told TOI that the UB Group chief has roped in global real estate consultancy DTZ to do the ground survey and planning.

Mallya's plan sounds similar to what Mukesh Ambani is doing: building a $1-billion 60-storey place in Mumbai that sports a helipad, health club and six floors of car parking. Named Antilla, after a mythical island, the complex will be Ambani's new home.

Several leading Indian developers are said to have approached Mallya to be part of his home-development plan. However, sources said Mallya is keen to hire an overseas developer. It is believed a Singapore-based developer would undertake the work.

It's not clear what the height of the apartment would be: one source said it would be 16 floors, another said 30 and yet another put it at 37.

When TOI contacted Mallya through the UB Group's media relations officer, the response was Mallya wasn't planning to build a 37-storey apartment. But he didn't deny or confirm the plans for a makeover of his ancestral home.

Real estate developers say with FSI (floor space index) going up, Mallya could go well beyond 30 floors. At present, one can get anywhere between 2.5 and 3.25 FSI on Vittal Mallya Road. In terms of value, land prices on the road range between Rs 20,000 and Rs 25,000 per sqft.

URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/12/stories/2008071258170100.htm
Road to international airport, or a veritable highway to hell?
BANGALORE: Manjula (58) has sold fruits by the side of Bellary Road (National Highway No.7) for 18 years. She now talks of the other side of the road as if it were a different town: “People like me cannot cross the road carrying our goods and have to rely on autorickshaws to just get us across.” She witnesses accidents at the Vidyanagar crossing every day. Not surprising, since the continuous stream of vehicles touches speeds of up to 150 kmph.

The Vidyanagar cross is among three key intersections on the road to the new Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) that has turned overnight into a death trap, say the traffic police. The University of Agricultural Sciences and Chikkajala Cross share this dubious distinction. The police records reveal a staggering loss of life within just the first five weeks of the grand inauguration of the BIAL in Devanahalli: 17 people have been killed and 36 injured in 66 accidents. This translates to one person killed every two days — and all this on the 19-km stretch between Yelahanka and the airport. No fewer than 550 motorists have been penalised for speeding.

More signals: Authorities are now scrambling to address the collateral damage of the much hyped “signal-free” road. The traffic police have asked for three more signals to add to the existing five, five pelican lights and 40 blinkers, to be installed within a month. “The signal-free concept is not feasible unless there is proper infrastructure for pedestrians, with skywalks and underpasses,” Praveen Sood, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic and Security), told The Hindu. “We have been raising this issue in every meeting, but not enough is being done,” he said.

The city traffic police placed front page advertisements in newspapers urging motorists to stick to the speed limit of 80 kmph. Most of the accidents occur between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. Complicating the problem of speeding cars is the absence of streetlights on large stretches of the highway, according to the police. Negotiating the traffic has become a daily ordeal for residents. For 13-year-old Komala, just getting to school at Chikkajala Cross involves the risky task of crossing a very busy part of National Highway.

Pedestrians overlooked: In the rush to ensure connectivity to the airport, the needs of pedestrians and residents of the area have been all but overlooked, said Mr. Sood. He attributed this apathy to the involvement of multiple agencies including the National Highways Authority of India and the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike. While the BBMP maintains that the highway beyond Hebbal is not within its jurisdiction, National Highways Authority of India sources say proposals for underpasses have been made, but not yet been approved by the Centre. However, barricades, medians and streetlights are being erected now. This infrastructural oversight violates the National Urban Transport Policy which places the rights of people above motorists. ...

Continental inaugurates India R&D, manufacturing facilities (http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=209000119)

MUNICH, Germany — Automotive parts supplier Continental AG has launched an electronic parts manufacturing site and an R&D center in Electronic City near Bangalore (India). The move reflects the significance of the Indian market for future automotive developments, the company said.

cross posting from the aviation thread


Air Works to launch MRO facility

In a bid to build a strong platform for aviation services infrastructure in India, Air Works on Tuesday announced plans to launch a commercial maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Hosur near Bangalore.


With five modern and fully-equipped hangars, Air Works' MRO will offer services like airframe, engine and APU maintenance, aircraft paint shop, engine repair and overhaul, passenger-to-freighter conversion, interior completions, avionic upgrades, aircraft component repairs and spares.

The MRO facility will support a wide variety of commercial aircraft certified to DGCA, FAA and EASA standards. At present, Air Works' MRO at Hosur can accommodate the landing of all narrow and wide body aircrafts.

The company plans to start operations by September 2008 with one existing hangar. Air Works will complete two additional hangers by the year-end, designed to accommodate wide body aircraft, and two more by end of 2009.

Going forward, Air Works India plans to invest 50 million dollars (about Rs 200 crore) for setting up the infrastructure to support the commercial MRO initiative.

source economictimes.com (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Transportation/Air_Works_to_launch_MRO_facility/articleshow/3237264.cms)

Sanra Software sets up animation studio in Bangalore (http://www.myiris.com/newsCentre/newsPopup.php?fileR=20080716174609043&dir=2008/07/16&secID=livenews)

Sanra Software has setup a new animation studio in Bangalore. The studio covers an area of 5000 sq. ft. with state-of-art facilities.

The company proposes to increase its work force to around 500 and said it will also focus on companies with strong IP creation base and also companies abroad with excellent marketing tie-ups.
Sanara is planning to acquire some companies in Gaming Field in the next six months and hope to expand the service business to around USD 8 to 10 million in the next year, the company said in a release.

The company with its unique business model currently recorded a turnover of around Rs 135 million for the year ended March 2008.

Shares of the company declined Rs 2.05, or 4.98%, to settle at Rs 39.15. The total volume of shares traded was 3,916 at the BSE (Wednesday).

A boost for nano research
Bangalore To Get One Of Country’s Three Centres
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Two years from now, a vast expanse of land, complete with state-of-the-art facilities, will solidify the city’s footprints on the global science and technology map.
As part of a Government of India initiative, Bangalore will have one of the three nanoscience centres in the country. IT-BT secretary Ashok Kumar C Manoli said on Wednesday that the state government has granted 14 acres of land in Dasanapura hobli along Bangalore-Tumkur Road. The Indian Institute of Nanosciences and Technology is expected to be completed within two years. Ajay Sood, professor at department of physics, Indian Indian of Science (IISc), is tipped to be the director of the new centre.
Manoli said the centre will be on par with IISc. “The central government’s contribution towards the centre is Rs 100 crore,” he added.
Bangalore Nano
The second Bangalore Nano will be held from December 12-14 this year. Jagadish Matenkar from MM Active, one of the organizers of the event, said there is a need to focus on products and nano-research all over the country. “The theme this year will be nanotechnology for the future. Bangalore Nano will include a forum for research, partnership and exchange of ideas. A conference and exhibition will be part of the event,” he said.
Ajay Sood said the five-year nano mission, chaired by C N R Rao, launched a few months ago, hoped to make headway in nano technology research. “There will be more sophistication in use of nanotechnology with time,” he said.
Anand Vasanth Asnotiker, minister for fisheries and science & technology said the application of nano technology in various products was estimated to be worth $ 15 billion and increased usage and applications will take this figure to a trillion dollars by 2015.
Bangalore Nano will include stalls on various nano materials, semiconductors, energy and environment, R&D industry, defence, aeronautics and aerospace, etc. It will also include a Research Industry Collaboration Hub (RICH), a platform for emerging technologies from government organizations, private companies and individuals to seek investment and partnering opportunities. It will be jointly organized by IT-BT department, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research and MM Active Sci-Tech Communication Company.

The other 2 are in Mohali and Kolkata:)

Alliance launches mega integrated township (http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=137431)

THE RS5000-crore Bangalore-based Alliance Group today announced the launch of the city’s first mega ultra-modern integrated township, El Dorado Park, spread over 275 acres, close to the Electronic City.

Making the announcement here, the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Alliance Group, Manoj Namburu said that El Dorado Park will have 1100 premium villas and 200 row houses—ranging from 2400 sq ft to 15,000 sq. ft, in the price range of Rs1.15 crore - Rs7 crore. In the second phase it plans to offer 500 high-rise luxury apartments.

More talk... hopefully things follow on the ground...

Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has promised to spend a whopping Rs 3,120 crore for the infrastructure development of the city...


Bangalore’s development dreams got a big boost on Thursday when Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa proposed an increased allocation of funds for the all-round development of the City in his budget speech.

http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Jul182008/scroll2008071879505.asp?section=frontpagenews

^^^^
Good start, but the magnitude of funds (the "whopping" part notwithstanding) required is perhaps 10x the figure proposed. I hope they attack the major arteries first and spruce up the bottlenecks, pronto. Encroachment and random parking are the bane. Next, there are way too many non-BDA layouts around bluru without proper access roads. First step is to have tar/concrete roads, dirt filled roads are a nightmare during rains. All of them are paying taxes and deserve proper attention by the civic authorities.

^^^^
Good start, but the magnitude of funds required is perhaps 10x the figure proposed. I hope they attack the major arteries first and spruce up the bottlenecks, pronto. Encroachment and random parking are the bane. Next, there are way too many non-BDA layouts around bluru without proper access roads. First step is to have tar/concrete roads, dirt filled roads are a nightmare during rains. All of them are paying taxes and deserve proper attention by the civic authorities.

Barrykul, 2 things-

1)Yediyurappa thinks PPP will take care of a major chunk of the financing needed...PPP was ignored by the last 2 governments and many *experts*(Mohandas Pai,Kiran Mazumdar Shaw) think this is crucial

2)This is an election year budget...Yeddy wants BJP at the center...so he is trying to please the farmers...expect even more funds for Bangalore the next year

Even i wasnt completely happy even though its a large amount.

If the BJP wants to make a difference in Karnataka, maybe it should give more power to the local bodies - Corporations in cities and gram panchayats in villages. If the mayor of Bangalore had more powers, as well as a responsive, responsible city council, then Bangalore could develop more. Just look at Delhi. It has a state government for itself. While Bangalore does not need a state government in name, it could have one in practice.

Gitanjali plans Rs 1k cr diamond jewellery SEZ (http://www.business-standard.com/common/news_article.php?autono=329080&leftnm=1&subLeft=0&chkFlg=)

Gitanjali Group, the Rs 4,500-crore diamond-studded jewellery manufacturing firm, has evinced interest in setting up a special economic zone (SEZ) for diamond processing industry near Bangalore.

The company aims to invest around Rs 400 crore on its own, apart from bringing in a bunch of other diamond jewellers from across the country and a couple of global firms to invest another Rs 500 crore to Rs 700 crore.

Mehul Choksi, managing director, Gitanjali Group, said, "Bangalore is third-best modern city in the country suitable to set up an SEZ for diamond processing. We need about 50-100 acres for it and the area around the new Bangalore International Airport would be suitable for us as we will be exporting a lot."

Not exactly an update, but I thought this is the closest forum to post this interesting article. Shows how lucky we were to have visionary statesmen in the past. We need a couple or so of them now...

Link:

http://www.livemint.com/2008/07/19000058/Long-live-the-king.html?pg=1

Not exactly an update, but I thought this is the closest forum to post this interesting article. Shows how lucky we were to have visionary statesmen in the past. We need a couple or so of them now...

Link:

http://www.livemint.com/2008/07/19000058/Long-live-the-king.html?pg=1

Great article...but another important reason for the presence of these industries in Bangalore is simply that it is at a safe distance from China and Pakistan

yup, good read

Yash opens development centre in Bangalore

Yash Technologies, an IT consulting and services firm based at Illinois (US), has opened a new development facility in Bangalore. This is the company's fifth development centre in the country, and would house about 200 people by the end of this year, the company said in a statement.

Yash Technologies' other development centres in India are located in Hyderabad, Indore, Pune and Mumbai.

Manoj Baheti, president & CEO of the company said, "The investment in infrastructure is in line with global plans and essential for us to cater to our global offshore business with India being a country of focus."

The company aims to use the Bangalore centre for its SAP service offerings. Yash Technologies which recorded $100 million in revenue in FY08-09, employs about 2,000 people.


source business standard (http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage_c_online.php?leftnm=10&bKeyFlag=IN&autono=42734)

http://www.7starsdubai.com
Property Scandal in Dubai. Indian investors beware of Schon Properties

Bangalore to have Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/business/bangalore-to-have-institute-for-stem-cell-science-and-regenerative-medicine_10075484.html)

New Delhi, July 24 (ANI): The Union Cabinet today gave its approval for the establishment of an Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (SCSRM) in Bangalore.

The SCSRM institute would be an autonomous institution of the Department of Biotechnology and would be set up at a total cost of Rs. 203.10 crores.

Flexibility in management function like hiring qualified manpower based on selection by a selection committee, offering one scale higher than a level of an available post to a candidate of exceptional merit by the Governing Board and appointing overseas Indian scientists as an adjunct faculty, would be extended to the institute.

The institute will help in developing policies relating to stem cell technologies, identify needs, facilitate conceptualisation and design of new technologies. (ANI)
:cheers:

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/Picture6.jpg

^^yep seen those evrywhere.....is it for rising the peoples spirit??

^^yep seen those evrywhere.....is it for rising the peoples spirit??

yeah hehe

u ppl r gone mad...that is for advertising that new newspaper DNA
the next advertisement will be bangalore is in my DNA

u ppl r gone mad...that is for advertising that new newspaper DNA
the next advertisement will be bangalore is in my DNA

thats a shame

Sitting in the foyer, Lakshmamma proudly opens the gate on hearing the sound of her husband’s bike. She switches on the fan and goes inside to prepare coffee for him on her brand new LPG stove. Life for Lakshmamma has taken a dramatic turn after Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) built a new concrete house for her. Earlier, she used to stay in a thatched mud house which neither had a compound nor a toilet! But NICE has now shifted her to a pucca concrete house with a compound wall around it. In the true sense of the word, Lakshmamma now leads a city life.

Link: http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Jul292008/spectrum2008072881426.asp

The humane side of NICE - looks like the infrastructure project is a win win stituation for all- the general public, those who lost their land - not so sure baout the govt.

I do hope the the townships NICE develops will be of international standards.

BANGALORE: Badly caught in the rush of Bangalore roads, the traffic police is pitching for an intelligent transportation system as a way out. It will implement an area traffic control (ATC) project , under the BTRAC 2010. Tenders have been floated and the project will be completed in eight to nine months. The ATC tracks traffic volume and direction at signals and updates timing for the signals ahead. According to traffic experts, the success of ATC, which has been implemented in Delhi and Pune, will depend on adherence to lane discipline and traffic mix. Praveen Sood, ACP (traffic), said the city could also have its first variable message system (VMS) signal in the next six months. "We have floated global tenders and will be able to get the project rolling soon. The budget for VMS is about Rs 10 crore,'' he says. With the VMS in place, commuters will know the estimated time to reach their destination . Fifty locations will be covered under the project.

Intelligence in-built

The intelligent transport system (ITS), planned on a budget of Rs 150 crore, will be implemented at about 125 signals. Part of the BTRAC 2010, the ITS has four components , the first - upgrading of existing signals - is already in an advanced stage. About 80 signals in the city are being upgraded to a vehicle-actuated system.

It enables the signal identify periods with no vehicular movement and, subsequently, cuts the green signal's duration and allows vehicles from other directions to pass. Sood says the vehicle-actuated system has great utility during lean hours and on Sundays. Signals like the ones in Attiguppe, Ashok Nagar and at the Ambedkar veedhi-Cunningham road junction have been upgraded under the system. Apart from these, 30 new locations are being identified.

The traffic police has placed orders with Bharat Electronics Limited for 500 blinkers in the city. The blinkers - to be installed on major roads that have approach roads on the flanks - will warn commuters of changing their path.

THE ATC MODEL

In Pune, the ATC experiment ran for about a year, after which average traffic speed was found to have increased by 2% to 12%. The system was put to use at 39 junctions. The ATC consists of vehicle detectors which track vehicles that are on exit loops at signals and pass the information to a signal controller. It will update the signal timings based on traffic volumes and the direction in which the traffic is heading.




TOI (http://http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bangalore/Green_light_for_hi-tech_signals_/articleshow/3322460.cms)

Govt plans park for IT majors (http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Aug72008/scroll2008080783251.asp?section=updatenews)

The government is setting up a sprawling IT park on 2,000 acres around the City to create the much-needed space for IT firms to expand their activities.


IT companies jostling for space in Bangalore can hope for better days ahead. The government is setting up a sprawling IT park on 2,000 acres around the City to create the much-needed space for IT firms to expand their activities.

Disclosing this to reporters here on Wednesday, IT and BT Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu said besides IT companies, BT, nano, hardware and aerospace firms will be accommodated in the proposed IT park.

But the park will not be in one particular location. It will be spread around Bangalore, wherever land is available. The IT park would be developed under public-private partnership and nobody will be forced to part with their land for the purpose, he said.

The minister said IT and BT companies, including Infosys and Wipro, have been requesting the government to allot land for their expansion activities. “The government, therefore, has decided to develop an exclusive park for them,” he explained.

Knowledge Park

Besides, plans are on the cards to develop an IT Knowledge Park for SMEs (Small and Micro Enterprise) in Bangalore. It will come up in around 25 acres of land and an estimated Rs 10,000 crore investment is expected from SMEs in the proposed park, the minister said and added that the government was yet to finalise the location.

Already, 300 SMEs have approached the government with a demand to set up this park, which would be based on “plug and play” system. This will help SMEs conduct experiments and innovations at a cheaper cost. An expression of interest will be called from the private sector to set up the park and the Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation will be appointed the nodal agency to implement the project. The entire project cost will be borne by the promoter, he said.

‘No IT migration’

Naidu further claimed that of late no IT firm based in Bangalore had moved out of the State. “In fact, Karnataka is a better place than others for investment and do business. For instance, those who tried to set up shop in Tamil Nadu have had a bitter experience.

No plan gets clearance easily there. They (companies) realised that there are traffic jams in other cities also,” he stated.

He said he held a meeting with representatives of IT firms recently and that they have assured him that they would not move out of the State. The government on its part has committed that it will do all that is necessary, he added.



Coming soon: new version of an IT park (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bangalore/Coming_soon_new_version_of_an_IT_park/articleshow/3335354.cms)

Coming soon: new version of an IT park

BANGALORE: The IT City will soon have another IT park, but with a difference. The 2,000-acre facility housing IT, BT, hardware, nano and aviation industries, will come up not on a single piece of contiguous land but will be more like a chain of industrial areas linked by good roads. It will be set up under the public private partnership (PPP) mode.

IT-BT minister Katta Subramanya Naidu told reporters here on Wednesday that such an effort will not only retain industries in Bangalore, but also invite more industries to the city. “We have received several requests for large tracts of land by many industries. This project will fulfil all their needs,’’ Naidu said.

According to him, the government plans to drop the process of compulsory land acquisition for this park and explore other options. A smaller IT and small and micro industries park will come up in Bangalore on a 25-acre area. Nearly 300 firms have already submitted requests for land in the park. It will be taken up under the PPP model by the state-run electronic industries corporation Keonics.

The state also plans to set up a 500-acre IT park in Hubli and a 200-acre IT park in Belgaum. The minister has already met representatives of the chambers of commerce and industries from Hubli and Belgaum.

“IT parks will also come up in other tier-II cities like Shimoga, Gulbarga, Mangalore and Mysore. The state is considering a request by Wipro technologies for a 100-acre land in Mysore for a faculty training university,’’ he said.


:cheers:

Get a load of this...

ANY SUGGESTIONS?
CM to hold ideas’ meet on August 13
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa’s dream brainstorming session with his cabinet colleagues and officials is set to take place on August 13. The venue is IIM-B.
All the ministers and around 50 senior IAS officers will be present at the session. The officials will make presentations and ministers will give their reply.
Yeddyurappa has written letters to each of the 50 principal secretaries and secretaries. He has asked them to come up with new ideas, programmes and methods of implementation that will help Karnataka top the country.
Interestingly, officers need not have to speak about their d e p a r t m e n t s alone. They can give ideas about any department. “I need your creative ideas, active cooperation and initiative to take this state forward,’’ he said in the letter.
As per the plan, each officer will get seven minutes to speak and will have to come up with seven ideas.. They should make seven-slide presentations to put their point across.
:lol:

Get a load of this...

As per the plan, each officer will get seven minutes to speak and will have to come up with seven ideas.. They should make seven-slide presentations

:lol:

The 777 formula!

So is this a one day affair?

Look at the math:

For 50 IAS officers speaking/presenting for 7 mins each that means 350 mins. If there is two mins between each presentation, then that is 98 mins. That is roughly total of 7.5 hours. Do you think the netas will be awake that long?

Looking at the bright side we may get 350 bright ideas from 50 bright men that will enlighten the CM and his team.

Slum dwellers to get Duplex houses (http://www.hindu.com/2008/08/11/stories/2008081158080100.htm)

....for 240 families now residing at two slums — Basaveshwara and Jai Bheem — just behind the Bangalore City Railway Station, this could well be a reality. The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC), which will be taking over these slums for the East-West line, will construct 160 dwelling units at Kottigepalya, Magadi Road, and 84 units at Peenya.

Get a load of this...


Brilliant. Out of box thinking and brain storming. Way to go. If the rest of the nation follows this concept that would be 350 x 30 = 10500 ideas! India will be transformed for the better.

well it is a step in the right direction. nice innitiative by the CM

At last! (http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/13/stories/2008081353470300.htm) Hopefully there are no more delays!

The much-delayed work on the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) is scheduled to begin from Mysore-end on November 1. Announcing this to presspersons in Mysore on Tuesday, Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) Managing Director Ashok Kheny said his company proposes to complete the 110-km-long BMIC expressway between Bangalore and Mysore by December 2009....

Avesthagen Limited Breaks Ground For Corporate Headquarters And New R&D Facility in Bangalore (http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/biotechnology/2008081312060.htm)

Avesthagen Limited, India’s leading knowledge based Life Sciences Company, today broke ground for its new corporate headquarters and R&D campus. This new fourteen storey campus spanning 400,000 sq ft will be built on a 2.63 acre plot in the International Technology Park Bangalore (ITPB). The new campus is expected to be ready by June 2010. The campus will house the company’s lab and research facilities, work stations, auditorium, service block and other facilities.

Dr. Villoo Morawala-Patell, Founder & CMD, Avesthagen Limited, said, "We are delighted to commence work on the new campus. Along with Ascendas we are proud to begin work on enhancing infrastructure facilities at Bangalore to make it a premier biotechnology destination globally. The center will provide a fully integrated technology platform and turnkey solutions for the production of various products to the biotech industry and the scientific community. "

The design is in sync with firm’s philosophy and will emphasize on natural elements such as trees, fountains, natural lighting and ventilations, etc. The new campus will house state of the art research & development facilities; the research facilities on the campus will go a long way in supporting high end global research in the field of bio-technology. Avesthagen is designing this campus on best-in-class sustainability principles to achieve energy efficiency, water sustainability, preservation and promotion of biodiversity and effective waste management.

This campus will be developed along with Ascendas, Asia's leading provider of business space solutions. Avesthagen will tap on Ascendas’ expertise in creating world-class business space and develop this project into one of the most preferred destinations in India.

Mr. Lim Sin Tiow, CEO, India Operations, Ascendas said, “It gives us great pleasure to work with Avesthagen Limited to build this new world class campus for biotechnology. This project reiterates our commitment to provide a wider range of business options to our customers for their expansion in India’s booming life sciences industry.”

The 777 formula!

So is this a one day affair?

Look at the math:

For 50 IAS officers speaking/presenting for 7 mins each that means 350 mins. If there is two mins between each presentation, then that is 98 mins. That is roughly total of 7.5 hours. Do you think the netas will be awake that long?

Looking at the bright side we may get 350 bright ideas from 50 bright men that will enlighten the CM and his team.


BSY unveils roadmap to weed out corruption (http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Aug142008/state2008081384420.asp)

The CM, who held a day-long brainstorming session - Manthana - with top bureaucrats of the Government on transforming Karnataka into a prosperous State at Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore on Bannerghatta Road, assigned specific tasks to officers from taluk level to the State level -- Tahasildars to Chief Secretary.

He was speaking after giving a patient hearing to all officials for nearly six hours. Heads of all departments gave a power point presentation to the CM on how to improve the performance of the department. The CM jotted down important points during the session. The officials were given full freedom to speak about any problem they are facing in the department.

In fact, this was the reason the media was barred from covering the meeting.

Yahoo! to hire 400 employees this year (http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=331663)

Yahoo! India is expected to hire some 400-odd personnel over the next one year and most of them for its Centre of Excellence in Bangalore which caters to Yahoo’s emerging markets like India, Singapore, South East Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. This centre, according to sources, employs around 1,500 people.

This centre, for its expansion, is looking to hire architects, user experience designers (UEDs), programme managers among others.

Yahoo! India kept a low profile over the last few months when the takeover threat by Microsoft loomed over it and it had also gone slow on recruitment.The Yahoo! India centre is taking up more and more end-to-end product development and, “The personnel in India now have the power to influence products.”

Pranesh Anthapur, COO, Yahoo! India Research and Development, said, “Yahoo has been able to rollout its public Beta for Glue, which is an alternative search. India is now a favoured market for rolling out products for many firms today.”This new product was developed at Yahoo!’s US headquarters and at its Bangalore centre.

Many of its young employees, those with one to three years of experience often leave for higher studies. Hence, like other firms, Yahoo! has developed a curriculum in partnership with BITS-Pilani for an MS programme and the classes would be held in Bangalore.

This is in addition to some classes conducted by BITS’s faculty who will visit Bangalore occassionally. Some 40-odd employees are said to have signed up for the course that is expected to help with work on the Internet.

Tech capital B'lore takes lead in fighting terror (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Infotech/Tech_capital_Blore_takes_lead_in_fighting_terror/articleshow/3374583.cms)

BANGALORE: A network of 500 surveillance cameras will be installed in India’s technology capital—the biggest such deployment in any Indian city—as Bangalore steps up its guard against terror attacks of the type which hit it last month.

A total of Rs 25 crore will be spent to set up the system, which will include a central control room to monitor and analyse the massive amount of video feeds that are expected to be generated, the state’s top police official said.
The government is expected to invite bids for the establishment for the surveillance network soon and the system is seen being in place by the end of this year, Karnataka’s director general & inspector of police R Srikumar told ET.

Vidhana Soudha, the seat of power in the state, and the Karnataka High Court were recently fitted with closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras but the large-scale deployment of such a system in the city of six million has been prompted by the July 25 serial bomb blasts which killed one person and injured more than a dozen.

Malls and office complexes in the city have already been directed to set up their own video surveillance systems. The system that is planned for the city will be equipped with high-tech features for video analysis and be capable of automatically generating alerts when it spots suspicious objects or when it captures the image of a face matching that of a known crime suspect, Mr Srikumar said. “The system will also lock on to moving vehicles and switch between cameras for continuous tracking,” he added

Bangalore to host Asia's largest entrepreneurial summit (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News_by_Industry/Bangalore_to_host_TES_2008/articleshow/3385321.cms)

BANGALORE: TiE Entrepreneurial Summit (TES 2008), a top-ranking global entrepreneurial event positioned as the largest in Asia, would be held here from December 16 to 18, it was announced here on Wednesday.

More than 1400 delegates and 100 speakers would attend the event, which would be a meeting place for entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, academia, industry, thought leaders and other stakeholders from various industries and verticals, organisers TiE said.

TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) was founded in 1992 in Silicon Valley in the US by a group of entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and senior professionals with roots in teh Indus region. TiE's mission is to foster entrepreneurship globally through mentoring, networking, and education.

Pradeep Kar, President TiE Bangalore Chapter, said the summit features successful and experienced entrepreneurs, sharing their knowledge on global entrepreneurship over three days across 50 sessions.

"After two very successful shows in the past, this year's summit will be more comprehensive. More so because it will involve a wider segment of the entrepreneurial landscape, be more global, as well as encourage the participation of other start-up support organisations", he told reporters.

According to TES 2008 Chairperson Ravi Narayan, the theme of TES 2008 is "inclusive entrepreneurship". More than 30 entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and thought leaders including Prof. C K Prahalad, Carl Schramm, Nandan Nilekani, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Apurv Bagri, J P Solomon, Prof Martin Haemmig, David Brophy, Naren Gupta and Nirmal Jain have confirmed participation.

Govt okays 3 SEZs in Bangalore (http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Aug222008/beijingolympics20082008082285906.asp?section=updatenews)

The State Government has given its approval for setting up two integrated townships and three Special Economic Zones (SEZs) on the outskirts of Bangalore city.

This was decided at the 15th State High Level Clearance Committee meeting held on Thursday. Though the promoters are yet to get consent from land owners regarding the transfer of land required for these projects, the committee gave its in-principle approval for the two townships.

The government will fulfil needs of land and water as per the requirement. However, promoters have to get clearances from different agencies such as the Forest Department and the Pollution Control Board depending on the nature of the industry, before starting the ground work.

NEC Real Estate Pvt Ltd and Cornerstone Shelters Pvt Ltd are the promoters of the two townships, which are coming up in Devanahalli taluk. NEC Real Estate Pvt Ltd has proposed to develop a township in an area of 500 acres, while Cornerstone Shelters will develop another one in 200 acres. The former will develop a tourism complex, commercial space, financial hub, R&D facilities, service apartment and medical city, while the latter will develop info-tech/hardware bio-tech park. Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) will acquire land for these projects.

Gulf Oil Corporation has proposed an SEZ for IT/ITES at Kattiganahalli in Yelahanka hobli. The company is proposing to develop the SEZ on 30 acres of land, which is expected to provide employment for 40,000 people.
Poornimadevi Tech Park Pvt Ltd, a new company, has proposed to develop another SEZ for ITES in an area of 32 acres and 16 guntas in Sulikere in Kengeri Hobli (Bangalore South). The project is located adjacent to the proposed peripheral ring road of BDA. Promoters of the project, whose total investment is Rs 55 crore, are M C Shivakumar and L Umadevi.

The project is expected to provide employment for 25,550 people.

Another SEZ, exclusively for bio-technology, has been proposed by Gopalan Enterprises (India) Pvt Ltd with total investment of Rs 190 crore.

The SEZ is proposed to come up in Kundanahalli and Nallurahalli villages of Bangalore East taluk. The project is proposed to provide employment for 45,000 people. Main promoters for the project are C Gopalan, C Pramod and C Prabhakar. Land for the project has already been acquired.

Apart from this, the committee has cleared two projects dedicated to promote medical tourism. Dr Devi Shetty of Narayana Hrudayala has got approval to set up Super Speciality Hospital, star category hotel and serviced apartments in 30 acres of land near the Bangalore International Airport. The total investment for the project is Rs 990 crore. Land will be acquired by the KIADB. Similarly, Sri Sathya Sai Narayana Hospitals Ltd is setting up a Health City in an area of 25 acres near BIA in Devanahalli. The total investment is Rs 430 crore and the project is expected to create jobs for 6,750 people. V Umesh, Principal Secretary (Industries Dept), said that the hospitals will be providing treatment to patients referred by the state government at subsidised rate.

Star hotel
SHLCC has also cleared setting up of a 5 Star hotel in Industrial Area, whitefield in Bangalore. M/S Dan Hospitality India Pvt Ltd, an Israeli firm has come forward to set up the hotel at a cost of Rs 201 crore in 2 acres and 1 gunta.

The project is expected to provide employment to 540 people.
:cheers:

Elita Horizon - 20 Floors

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/Picture12.jpg

Purvankara Mallasandra

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/Picture13.jpg

Renaissance Hotel, Whitefield

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/Picture15.jpg

Elevated road lets you zip to new airport
Centre Plans Six-Lane Track From Yelahanka To Hebbal
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Driving to the Bengaluru International Airport could soon be a stress-free ride. You will be able to zip by on a huge network of gigantic elevated and signal-free highways.
A six-lane elevated highway will connect Yelahanka to Hebbal and a network of eight highways will connect Yelahanka to BIA. The central government is building the superstructure at a cost of Rs 450 crore. In the project’s second phase, the number of lanes will be increased to 12.
“This will not only reduce congestion on the road to the international airport, but also take care of growth of traffic in future,’’ Union minister of state for surface transport K H Muniyappa told reporters here on Saturday.
According to him, the Centre had extended its plans of building a dedicated elevated corridor between Hebbal and Yelahanka to the BIA. As per earlier plans, the Hebbal-Yelahanka corridor was to have six elevated lanes and eight roads beneath. The stretch between Yelahanka and BIA will be similar except that it will not be elevated. It will have eight surface roads and be built such that there’ll be scope for expansion. “To start with, it will have six lanes and two service roads. However, its design will be flexible and another six lanes will be added in a few years,’’ Muniyappa said. Work will start by November and completed in 24 months.
Significantly, the elevated corridor will be built with just one pillar as the base. “It will be built with state-of-the-art technology, the minister said, adding, “The project has got Centre’s administrative and financial approval.’’
New surface and service lanes will be built all along the corridor. These will have interchanges that allow people to change lanes and use alternative roads. “The corridor and the highway will have extra land for possible expansion in future,’’ Muniyappa said.
He admitted that work on the Hosur Road elevated expressway was slow. “However, we are taking it up on priority and hope to complete the work in one year,’’ he said.

Ajmera Infinity l 17 Blocks X 19 Floors l Electronic City l Under Construction

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/enlarged.jpg

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/layout.jpg

Thought that the top picture was real for a second.
Anyways the project does seem awesome but I doubt it will be surrounded by that much greenery.
Why Is it in Electronic City?
Residential buildings should not be built in SEZ and IT areas such as the Electronic City.

^^Why? I would say it is better to have integrated enclaves. It is always better to stay near your work place, have shopping and entertainment centres near by, isn't it?

There are several mega projects shaping up in Bangalore which are based on this theme as well as well received. Brigade Gateway, Brigade Metropolis, Prestige Shantiniketan etc are examples.

Thought that the top picture was real for a second.
Anyways the project does seem awesome but I doubt it will be surrounded by that much greenery.
Why Is it in Electronic City?
Residential buildings should not be built in SEZ and IT areas such as the Electronic City.

The way i see it, investors who are put off by Bangalores infrastructure will invest anyway because these integrated complexes make sure employee productivity is not compromised...so all in all, its good for namma bengaluru.

kool ones yaar!!!! i wish i would stay in like these houses!!! it will be so nice the gym,clubs,swimin pools!!! sheesh!! i live in malleswaram...wen i c frm the terrace the whole BLR skyline has changed!! any idea how much these will be costs incl all membership??! in crores?

kool ones yaar!!!! i wish i would stay in like these houses!!! it will be so nice the gym,clubs,swimin pools!!! sheesh!! i live in malleswaram...wen i c frm the terrace the whole BLR skyline has changed!! any idea how much these will be costs incl all membership??! in crores?

They are not that expensive...odds are, you can sell your Mvm home and buy one of these u/c on the outskirts(outskirts today but they will be well within Bangalore by the time the construction is complete)...for example, apartments in the 32 floor Aquila Heights start from 60 Lacs if you can book them right away....

Bangalore: IT hub Bangalore has decided to put plans in place to thwart terror attacks.

The garden city will not let a false sense of complacency hurt its security prospects.

Cameras will now monitor every suspicious movement at traffic junctions, market places and vital buildings across the IT city.

The Bangalore police plan to install 500 such eyes in the sky in the next six months.

The idea is to monitor suspicious persons and objects.

DG & IGP of Karnataka police, R Srikumar said, ”With video cameras, more number of areas can be patrolled by a single policeman sitting at his desk and viewing all things. Morever, when u combine video analytics with it, you also have alert generation for certain unattended objects.”

The cameras are being installed primarily due to the serial bomb blasts that rocked Bangalore in July.

The culprits are still at large and sadly, the police have not a clue as to who were the perpetrators of the ghastly acts.

The cameras will operate on high resolution so that observing even minute details of suspicious people and objects will be possible.

The other benefit is drawn from the fact that these cameras are on a network, thus facilitating continuity.

So, should the police want to track a particular car that has moved away from one camera, the camera at the next junction could pick it up and track it.

The government has asked malls and IT companies in the cities to install their own video surveillance systems on the lines of the one done at the state assembly, the Vidhana Soudha.

The fact that the July 7 blasts of London were cracked due to inputs derived from the surveillance cameras is not lost on the Bangalore police.

These cameras could also help track other crimes in the city.




ibnlive.com

Bangalore 47 l 47 floors l165m l Residency Road (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=696064)

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/ba637cfa-7467-11dd-8a4f-000b5dabf61.jpg

:cheers:

Bangalore slums set to go vertical (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bangalore/Bangalore_slums_set_to_go_vertical_/articleshow/3414634.cms)

BANGALORE: The horizontal Bangalore slums may go vertical, with parks, grounds and schools around them. All this at no cost to the government!

This proposal based on public-private partnership has been mooted following the success in Dharavi (Mumbai), Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.

"We are thinking of this to make urban areas slum-free. Each house costs Rs 2.5-3 lakh. The developer will be responsible for the project and pay premium to the government,'' Karnataka Housing Board (KHB) chairman G T Devegowda told TOI.

After attending a presentation on the proposal, chief minister B S Yeddyurappa showed interest in taking up a pilot project in a few Bangalore slums.

New sites and houses

The KHB on Wednesday announced the allotment of 5,426 sites in 21 places and 654 houses in 10 places. It also launched 11 new projects consisting of 1,719 sites and 284 houses.

The sites and houses allotted are in Chitradurga, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Haveri, Uttar Kannada, Belgaum, Bidar, Bellary , Raichur, Dharwad and Mysore districts . The new project will come up in Koppal, Belgaum, Bidar, Bellary, Kodagu, Chamarajanagar, Dakshina Kannada and Shimoga districts.

The urban poor will get 20% of KHB houses/apartments at 50% subsidy. Gowda said the government had planned to build 300 apartments at Allalasandra .

KHB's ambitious 100 housing projects and 50 Suvarna Karnataka Housing projects in 87 locations across the state is under way. This will provide 15,000 sites and 13,500 houses at an estimated cost of Rs 850 crore with assistance from several financial institutions .

Shobha Magnolia l Bannerghatta Road l 19 Floors (http://www.sobhadevelopers.com/projects/magnolia/)
http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/magnolia.jpg


Shobha Amethyst l Whitefield l 18 Floors (http://www.sobhadevelopers.com/projects/amethyst/)(I can count 25 floors in the render)

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/big_amethyst.jpg

Hiranandani Upscale l Electronic City (http://www.hiranandaniupscale.com/projects/bangalore.asp)

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/Picture25.jpg

Bangalore slums set to go vertical (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bangalore/Bangalore_slums_set_to_go_vertical_/articleshow/3414634.cms)

They talk about a success in Dharavi. Did I miss something here?

They talk about a success in Dharavi. Did I miss something here?

Do the indian journalists really surprise you?

Doosan Machine tools Technical Center inaugurated in Bangalore (http://machinist.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1593&Itemid=2)

Minda Industries opens unit in Bangalore (http://www.myiris.com/newsCentre/newsPopup.php?fileR=20080829111733193&dir=2008/08/29&secID=livenews)

Karnataka govt sets up task force for Bangalore development (http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1851786/)

Karnataka Government today set up a task force under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to chart out a road map for infrastructure development of the city.

The task force named "ABIDE" (Agenda for Bangalore Infrastructure Development) will have BJP National General Secretary and Bangalore South Lok Sabha MP, H N Anantkumar as Vice-President and Rajya Sabha member Rajiv Chandrasekhar as Convener, an official press release said here.

Ministers Katta Subramanya Naidu, R Ashok, former Chief Secretary A Ravindra, Chairman of the Narayayna Hrudayala Devi Shetty, Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and commissioners of civic bodies like Bangalore Development Authority, Bangalore Mahanagar Palike and others would be its members.

During the Congress party rule between 1994-2004, the then chief minister S M Krishna had established a similar task force-- Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF), under which several works were initiated.

During the two coalition governments-- Congress-JDS and JDS-BJP-- the infrastructural woes of the city increased, with members of the IT and BT sector attacking the governments on the issue.

Bangalore 47 l 47 floors l165m l Residency Road (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=696064)

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/ba637cfa-7467-11dd-8a4f-000b5dabf61.jpg

:cheers:
Freakin awesome :cheers:

Microchip Tech to invest $65 million in Bangalore unit (http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=12&theme=&usrsess=1&id=220354)

BANGALORE, Aug. 29: The $1-billion turnover company, Microchip Technology, is investing $65 million on its India Development Centre in the IT capital besides raising its staff strength to 500 from 200 at present.
The US-headquartered company's full-fledged development centre here works on integrated circuit development and marketing, microcontroller development tools and corporate information systems.
According to Mr Ganesh Moorthy, executive vice president of the company, the India centre is a state-of-the-art facility that plays a major role in the development of world leading 8,16 and 32 bit microcontrollers and digital signal controllers.
The Centre, he told newsmen here, has already delivered many technology innovations including work on the PIC 18 and PIC24 microcontroller designs.
He said the investment underlined Microchip's long term commitment to India besides building on the foundation that the company created over the last 12 years in the country.

Vrindavan Tech Village (http://www.vrindavantechvillage.com/User/TechVillageTour.aspx) update

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/project_pro3.jpg

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/project_pro2.jpg

Divyashree Technopark (http://www.divyasree.com/dstechnopark_ud.asp)

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/Picture29-1.jpg

Gopalan Fortune City (http://www.gopalanenterprises.com/projects_com_ongoing_fortune.htm)

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/softwarecomplex_big.jpg

Mallya opposes ban on Bangalore's night life (http://www.saharasamay.com/samayhtml/articles.aspx?newsid=104853)

Liquor baron Vijay Mallya has opposed the "Cindrella rule" of the city police imposing restrictions on night life in country's IT capital.

Known for his lavish lifestyle and late night parties, Mallya described the ban as "dictatorial and utter rubbish" and said he was ready to join the protests by different groups.

"I am on the party side... Drinking and dancing is legal everywhere in the world except in a few countries, so why not here in Bangalore?," the industrialist questioned during a function here last night.

Citing the examples of Kolkata and Delhi where the night life continued till the wee hours, he said "You can't have a cosmopolitan city like Bangalore, the knowledge capital with large IT industry shut up by 11.30 pm".

Opposing the method of clamping down night life, he said, "People should have the right to party and have a good time". He opposed ban on what he described as "clean entertainment" "Those who violate the law under the influence of alcohol should be booked, but the police could not impose a ban on dancing, drinking in the name of protecting citizens," Mallya said.

Several socialites, disco jockeys, pub-hoppers and members from the entertainment industry had staged a protest earlier last month opposing the ban on dancing and live music at places that serve alcohol and also the 11.30 pm deadline for the liquor serving.

The Cops/Police in cities are increasingly neglecting their duty and becoming rank lazy. Whenever there is traffic problems on highways or large roads their favorite solution is to introduce speed breakers. These solutions are brain dead and counter intuitive to the intent of roads. Similarly, these lazy cops do not want a mid night beat patrolling the streets. Instead they came up with the solution to clamp down on late night partying. Very convenient for the slobs but they are not doing their duty. We see this behavior repeated in other areas. The judiciary is another molasses like efficiency dept. None of judges do their duty of effective justice. A favorite pastime for lawyers is to file stay orders which puts the case in limbo mode. No wonder cases pile up in courts. The easy way out is not the answer to governance. In a democracy the people are entitled to freedom, pursuit of happiness and well being of its citizens. I agree with Mallya, having a good time is part and parcel of the activities of life in a big city and Bangalore should be no exception either.

The Cops/Police in cities are increasingly neglecting their duty and becoming rank lazy. Whenever there is traffic problems on highways or large roads their favorite solution is to introduce speed breakers. These solutions are brain dead and counter intuitive to the intent of roads. Similarly, these lazy cops do not want a mid night beat patrolling the streets. Instead they came up with the solution to clamp down on late night partying. Very convenient for the slobs but they are not doing their duty. We see this behavior repeated in other areas. The judiciary is another molasses like efficiency dept. None of judges do their duty of effective justice. A favorite pastime for lawyers is to file stay orders which puts the case in limbo mode. No wonder cases pile up in courts. The easy way out is not the answer to governance. In a democracy the people are entitled to freedom, pursuit of happiness and well being of its citizens. I agree with Mallya, having a good time is part and parcel of the activities of life in a big city and Bangalore should be no exception either.

^^I do sometimes get the impression that some of the traffic cops have given up on bangalore. I agree that speed breakers are not the solution and along with rumblers are extremely dangerous at night in the absence of proper marking and street lights especially on the ORR

InfoSpace opens R&D center in Bangalore (http://www.ciol.com/Developer/News-Reports/InfoSpace-opens-RD-center-in-Bangalore/5908109992/0/)

BANGALORE, INDIA: InfoSpace, Inc., developer of metasearch products, today reinforced its commitment to innovation by opening a R&D center in Bangalore, India, their first such office in India.

The Bangalore office will be InfoSpace's largest R&D center outside Bellevue, Washington, and will focus on enhancing the development and delivery of InfoSpace's world-class consumer products and business solutions.

Jim Voelker, chairman and chief executive officer, InfoSpace, Inc said, "We are extremely pleased to have set-up InfoSpace's first R&D center in Bangalore, India. India's high growth and depth of technology talent make it an exciting location to expand our global research capabilities."

He added, "As a fully operational R&D facility, the India development centre will significantly contribute, strengthen and drive innovation at InfoSpace."

"In a very short span the Bangalore R&D center has developed 2 products end to end for DNS & portal solutions. Having such a kick start, I believe the Bangalore R&D center will significantly contribute & augment InfoSpace's globally distributed R&D network. Thus it will allow InfoSpace to access research talent anywhere enabling it to collaborate around the world to create new technologies for our customers." said Srishti Sofat, country manager, InfoSpace, India.

Located in the centre of Bangalore city, the new R&D centre offers a full range of amenities to provide work-life balance for employees while maintaining close proximity to their homes. The center is spread over 4000 sq ft, with a current headcount of 18. The center will focus on development work for a wide range of products in the areas of private label search, private label portal, DNS error services, etc. In addition to product development, the Research and Development centre will also work on the emerging technologies in the search domain.

Bangalore to host India's maiden space exposition (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Bangalore_to_host_maiden_space_exposition/articleshow/3447784.cms)

BANGALORE: Confederation of Indian Industry in association with Indian Space Research Organisation and its marketing arm Antrix is organising India's maiden space exposition here from November 29 to December 1.

To be held at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), the Bengaluru Space Expo (BSX) 2008 will showcase the latest in technology and products from various space agencies, entrepreneurs and industries focusing on areas such as space science, space technology, infrastructure, space application and space exploration items, according to an ISRO announcement on Friday.

A concurrent two-day international conference "world Space-Biz" would be organised to highlight the achievements of the industry and to discuss its future requirements and deliberate on commercialisation of space.

Presentations will be made by experts from the space industry from India and overseas.

Speakers from global space agencies and industry would discuss on agendas such as access to space, space commercialisation, space adventure and exploration, space vendors and suppliers and risk management.


:cheers1:

Will US team solve city's traffic woes? (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bangalore/Will_US_team_solve_citys_traffic_woes/articleshow/3454023.cms)

BANGALORE: Tested transportation solutions from the US, custom-made for Bangalore. That's the offer a group of experts is making to a city caught up in ambitious projects such as long-term traffic plans, when basics like sidewalks are still missing.

The Bangalore transportation summit - on September 10 and 11 - brings civic stakeholders, planners, business leaders and NGOs together to chart a way out of the logjam. The focus will be localization of measures that have worked elsewhere, says David Faria, CEO, Technology Solution Providers (TSP), a summit partner.

"Prior to the summit, the experts from the US will tour the city over two days to understand the ground situation. They will interact with the residents and analyze local conditions before initiating the dialogue," says Faria......

erm, as of all indian cities. Build some more roads,enforce the road rules.Easy but dull.

For me the BEST thing 2 solve these kinda problems is tht people shd learn to follow rules....traffic rules.....!!! i kno its difficult but thts the way.............im sure if they do...then there will be SOME improvement atleast in the traffic.

I notice steel barricades normally used for controlling crowds being put up in middle of roads and highways to slow down drivers. This is also extremely unscientific and dangerous just like speedbreakers.

Extreme DA opens new R&D centers in Bangalore and Noida (http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/extreme-da----technology-leader/story.aspx?guid={BA2E9EBE-5E01-4F42-9E4A-B48B6573A24A}&dist=hppr)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. & BANGALORE, India, Sep 09, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- To serve its growing global customer base, Extreme DA(TM) has opened two Research and Development (R&D) centers in India. One of the new centers is located in Bangalore, the fastest growing metropolis in India, and includes sales and support staff for its Asian clients in India, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. The other new R&D center is located in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Both centers are staffed by experienced engineers who are developing integrated circuit (IC) sign-off tools for digital, analog/mixed-signal, and memory designs.

I agree with u.The motorists although educated lacks discipline while driving.

For me the BEST thing 2 solve these kinda problems is tht people shd learn to follow rules....traffic rules.....!!! i kno its difficult but thts the way.............im sure if they do...then there will be SOME improvement atleast in the traffic.

cc irumuruhcchurumuri
http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/2845303085_9c610d8175_o.jpg

double post

^^^^ Where the hell were these clowns when Bird Flu lead millions of chickens to be shot dead, burnt or buried alive. I guess back then they were only worried about their health & well being & safety first & foremost before poor chickens being killed by terrorist humans. They should get a life !!! :bash::bash:

they should get a job instead of making a fool out of themselves like this. :ohno:

cc irumuruhcchurumuri
http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/2845303085_9c610d8175_o.jpg

CM’S DAY OUT
Convenient commute is new mantra
BSY leads the way as government lines up a slew of initiatives to upgrade transport and other services
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: An integrated terminal for Metro Rail, BMTC and KSRTC will be constructed at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore. The first-of-its-kind terminal in Asia will be designed to have 45 floors. This was among the slew of services promised by the government on Wednesday to make commuting a convenient affair.
Maxi cabs and goods carriers operating without a licence cost the transport department a loss of tax to the tune of Rs 60 crore annually. If transport minister R Ashok keeps his word, this will be completely eliminated in the next one year.
Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for five traffic and transit management centres (TTMC) at Banashankari, Shantinagar, Koramangala, ITPB and Yeshwantpur. He also inaugurated a community centre at Katriguppe. The centres will have facilities like multi-level two-wheeler and four-wheeler parking, a public health centre, cyber cafes, food courts and ATMs.

Convention centre gets govt go-ahead
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: The proposal to construct a modern convention centre of international standards near Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) will become a reality.
The tourism department, after inviting tenders for the Rs 1,050-crore project, has awarded the contract to Soma Builders, who will execute the project on build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis. “The foundation stone will be laid within a fortnight,’’ tourism minister G Janardhan Reddy said on Thursday.
The centre to be built in three years will have five-star as well as economy class hotels, exhibition halls, retail space and other facilities. Reddy said the centre will be set up in a 35-acre plot of land out of the 400-acre surplus land from the airport project.

San Francisco, Bangalore to become tech ‘sisters’
Anil Kumar M | TNN

Bangalore: Acknowledging its pre-eminence in information technology, San Francisco, home to Silicon Valley, has offered sister-city status to India’s Silicon Plateau, Bangalore.
With many things in common, these cities will forge a relationship and facilitate better trade, cultural and educational opportunities. San Francisco’s mayor Gavin Newsom offered chief minister B S Yeddyurappa this sister city status, second only after Shanghai.
Interestingly, there was talk of sister-city status between Bangalore and ‘Frisco last March too.
Yeddyurappa has agreed to sign the MoU in November-December.
“Such a relationship will go a long way in understanding and exchange of thoughts, introduction of innovative technologies, know-how in infrastructure and biotechnology, among others. I am looking forward to your visit for the signing of necessary MoU during November-December,’’ Yeddyurappa replied.
Considering this a positive development, the Centre gave the state a no-objection certificate to the proposal. Bangalore and Cleveland (Ohio) and Minsk (Russia) are already ‘sisters’.
Newsom stated that the coming together of two Silicon Valleys can enhance job creation and economic growth, develop knowledge partnership that promotes innovation and technological advancement and promote opportunities for long-term community partnership.
“We have laid out a vision for the sister-city relationship that will encompass infrastructure, education, finance, the arts, health, biotech and medical fields,’’ he said in a letter.
An official delegation will travel to Bangalore “to acquire the appropriate signatures from your government,’’ Newsom added.
:cheers:

Bangalore 47 l 47 floors l165m l Residency Road (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=696064)

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/ba637cfa-7467-11dd-8a4f-000b5dabf61.jpg

:cheers:

awesome, more updates on ^^ pls......

Where the hell were these clowns when Bird Flu lead millions of chickens to be shot dead, burnt or buried alive. I guess back then they were only worried about their health & well being & safety first & foremost before poor chickens being killed by terrorist humans. They should get a life !!! :bash::bash:

they should get a job instead of making a fool out of themselves like this. :ohno:

you sure about shooting the chickens?
there is nothing left if you shoot a chicken and imagine the cost:lol:

Mantri Flora - under construction near ORR/Sarjapur Rd crossing

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/9473/floramk4.jpg

Shoba Magnolia - Three towers (G+19) each under construction on Bannerghata Road

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/29/shobamagnolianx5.jpg

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/8166/shobamagnolia1qa2.jpg

This building under construction is not Mantri Flora. The building next to it is Mantri Flora.

Mantri Flora was completed few months back.

Nortel setting up virtual network centre in Bangalore (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/09/15/stories/2008091550350200.htm)

Bangalore, Sept. 14 Telecom equipment maker Nortel Networks, as part of a strategy to consolidate its global networks operations, is setting up a virtual network operations centre in (V-NOC) in Bangalore to manage the backbone network and switches of its customers in North America and Europe.

Nortel is currently restructuring its business with an aim to reduce cost and turn profitable.

Mr Dietmar Wendt, President (Global Services), Nortel, said the virtual NOC in Bangalore is expected to go live by December and would support about 140 customers including carriers and enterprises that are currently being serviced from NOCs in Rayleigh and London.

The V-NOC in Bangalore, which will employ up to 100 people, is the second such centre for Nortel in India, which already runs a NOC in Gurgaon that manages the telephone networks of customers such as Bharti Enterprises and CLSA in India and the Asia-Pacific region. “Besides reducing the cost structure, the V-NOC helps Nortel to leverage available skills and be closer to customers in Asia Pacific, the fastest growing region,” Mr Wendt said.

Logica Opens Innovation Center in Bangalore (http://www.cxotoday.com/India/News/Logica_Opens_Innovation_Center_in_Bangalore/551-93197-912.html)

Logica has launched the second in a series of Spark Innovation Centers in Bangalore, India. The centre focuses on mobility solutions of the future in the areas of intelligent transportation, wireless monitoring of vehicle emissions, dynamic vehicle insurance, and targeted interactive advertising solutions.

Andy Green, chief executive of Logica said, "Logica's Spark innovation centers enable us to work in partnership with customers to create ideas for the future that will directly impact their bottom line. Mobility solutions are increasingly important and a focus area for almost every industry. Innovation in thinking, solutions and partnerships will ensure that our customers build and maintain a competitive advantage. "

GBS Bindra, global innovation director of Logica said, "It is a tremendous feeling to watch the future unfold in the specially designed Spark centre - seeing how wireless technology can be applied to existing markets and situations in a totally new paradigm can be a digital experience that inspires the mind to anticipate tomorrow in a new light."

Intel's new six-core Xeon developed in Bangalore (http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2008/sep/16/computing)


Intel changed its x86 processor design thanks to its lab in Israel, and now it has unveiled a chip developed in Bangalore

A few hours ago in San Francisco, Intel unveiled the Xeon 7400 family of server processors, code-named Dunnington, including its first six-core design. The range includes three low-voltage versions, whereas the 7300 range had one, and Intel is claiming "the lowest watts-per-core usage of any device in their category", reports EE Times.

And according to the Financial Times, reporting from Mumbai, it's "the first microprocessor for the mass market that Intel has developed almost exclusively at its design centre in Bangalore in a milestone for the research and development of computer hardware in India."

Bangalore designs Intel's first quad-core processor (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Bangalore/Bangalore_designs_Intels_first_quad-core_processor/articleshow/3489132.cms)

Intel engineers in Bangalore have added a feather to their caps by designing from scratch, Intel’s first ‘true’ quad-core processors.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bangalore round-up: Hoskote gets Indias largest feed mill (http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=93292)

B N Bache Gowda, Honorable Minister for Labour, Karnataka, inaugurated the state-of-the-art feed mill at Hoskote which was established with an investment of Rs.55 crore.
This modern feed mill will benefit about 2000 farmers in Karnataka while providing direct employment to over 800 people and indirect employment to about 2000.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bangalore a global fashion hub? (http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=334567)

Karnataka ready with 50 acres to bag the prestigious project.

In its continued endeavour to sell ‘Brand Bangalore’ to the international community, the government of Karnataka is learnt to be vying for the international fashion hub status, for which Delhi is also in the race.

Since quite some time, the Centre is keen on setting up an international fashion hub in the country. Delhi has shown interest in the project. However, due to the lack of suitable land, the project has not yet taken off. Meanwhile, the government of Karnataka, which has got suitable land in its possession, is trying to grab this opportunity, sources in the state government told Business Standard.

Considering a proposal to push for the international fashion hub status to Bangalore, the government of Karnataka has conceded to make an initial allotment of 50 acres of land for the project, as against the requirement of 100 acres. The land is situated at the state-developed Doddaballapur apparel park in the outskirts of Bangalore. Due to its proximity to the new international airport and NH-2, the land is ideally located for the project, said a government official.

The detailed project report is under preparation. Once the report is ready, the state will take it forward to the Centre and will try to sell the idea ahead of any other state, the official said.

The fashion hub is envisaged to involve an investment of Rs 500 crore, to begin with. Grants and investments will be sought from the Centre, respective state governments and other stakeholders. The idea is to seek representation from all states of the country to showcase their specialty products. World-class restaurants, hotels, convention halls and many other facilities will feature in the fashion hub. It will be a one-stop solution for brands, suppliers, manufacturers, designers and models from all corners of the world.

Bangalore is fast emerging as an important sourcing hub for international top brands in apparel and accessories. There are more than 2,000 textile and garment units in Bangalore. The city is also the silk capital of India accounting for about 50 per cent of country’s silk output. Bangalore has also achieved fame for its gold and diamond jewellery. Being an IT/BT hub, and a medical tourist destination, the city attracts people from different countries. All these factors, along with the pleasant climate strongly favour Bangalore’s development into a fashion hub, feel designers and style experts.

About 30 companies have bought land in the Doddaballapur apparel park and a few of them, including Everblue Apparel Ltd, Bombay Rayon, Himatsingka Seide, and Amtek industries, have already moved in. The park is spread across 187 acres and the government is planning to go ahead with the second phase of expansion. However, there are several infrastructure issues that need to be addressed before any expansion takes place, say industry experts.

Hello people of Bangalore,
Got some mindblowing news for y'all.
A couple of days back a got a mail from the Bangalore Development Authority, giving us permission to go ahead with the Trump Tower in the heart of the city.
The mail was immediately sent to Mr. Trump. Within a minute of sendin the mail , i get a call from Mr. Trump. He was happy to say the least. Said he wanted the project up & running in a couple of months.
Getting into the Indian Market has always been a dream for the Trump Organization.
Will keep all of you informed about the progress of the project.

So long,
Cheers.

Carl Cox

^^ Some exciting stuff there...:cheers1:...its extremely convenient to have someone from the inside providing us with updates....check out the Bangalore 47 thread (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=696064)(I tried renaming it the Trump Tower but didnt work:) )

Btw, any info on the Trump Golf Village and Trump Hotel(one near the airport)?

India gets its first Smartesting Centre (http://www.bbsindia.com/node/444801)

Bangalore, July 9, 2008 – Smartesting, France-based developer of software test automation solutions, has announced Qualitree as the first “Smartesting Center” in India. Qualitree is a Bangalore-based value added reseller which specializes in software qualification. Under this partnership, Qualitree will distribute the Smartesting automatic test generation to the Indian market. With the help of Smartesting technology, certified partners will be able to offer new services in software qualification to their clients.

Yeah!
The Trump Golf Village is up and running. Trump Organization & Prestige Group are doing it together . Its a Joint Venture. We have taken about 300 hectres of land for the golf resort.
Prestige Group is building high-end villas in the property.
The Golf resort is about 2.5 miles from BIA.
Cheers

the lowest watts-per-core usage of any device in their category

The above article on Intel 6 core processor has the above line. I think this is very crucial since 6 cores would dissipate a whole lot of heat running at high GHz. I remember in the 90s the core power reduction team at Intel Head Quarters in Santa Clara, California was mostly Indian- Indian team lead, Indian engineers. Great job!

Welcome to Bangalore..:)

Hello people of Bangalore,
Got some mindblowing news for y'all.
A couple of days back a got a mail from the Bangalore Development Authority, giving us permission to go ahead with the Trump Tower in the heart of the city.
The mail was immediately sent to Mr. Trump. Within a minute of sendin the mail , i get a call from Mr. Trump. He was happy to say the least. Said he wanted the project up & running in a couple of months.
Getting into the Indian Market has always been a dream for the Trump Organization.
Will keep all of you informed about the progress of the project.

So long,
Cheers.

Carl Cox

Thank You sudheeshnairs .
Appreciate it. Trump has some massive plans for India, especially Bangalore.
Right now the focus will be on Bangalore & Mumbai. We have planned atleast 9 massive projects in these two cities.
For the last 15 months i have been travelling across India (Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Goa & Cochin) looking for prime land & studying the markets in these cities.
Bangalore & Mumbai were always on our radar. Unfortunately none of the other cities got our attention. We had plans of starting a Casino & Resort in Goa, but talks with the Government failed. Same was the case with Cochin.
It will take atleast 7-8 years to set foot in other Indian cities.
You have no idea how happy we are on getting all the neccesary approvals for the Trump Tower in Bangalore. It really has been 15 months of absolute hard-work.

So Long,

Carl

Thank You sudheeshnairs .
Appreciate it. Trump has some massive plans for India, especially Bangalore.
Right now the focus will be on Bangalore & Mumbai. We have planned atleast 9 massive projects in these two cities.
For the last 15 months i have been travelling across India (Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Goa & Cochin) looking for prime land & studying the markets in these cities.
Bangalore & Mumbai were always on our radar. Unfortunately none of the other cities got our attention. We had plans of starting a Casino & Resort in Goa, but talks with the Government failed. Same was the case with Cochin.
It will take atleast 7-8 years to set foot in other Indian cities.
You have no idea how happy we are on getting all the neccesary approvals for the Trump Tower in Bangalore. It really has been 15 months of absolute hard-work.

So Long,

Carl

It took you 15 months to get your approvals? So I guess our reforms are still just talk. So pathetic. It is surprising you are not totally disgusted after having to cut through all that red tape.

Hi Carl, this is certainly a landmark project in Bangalore Realty. Bangalore needs many more skyscrapers. Could you shed some light on the other Forthcoming Projects in Bangalore?

Really appreciate your hard work. It is not easy getting approval for a 165m tower in downtown Bangalore.

The site, I believe is on the intersection of Brigade-Residency roads, and is close to my office and on my drive back to home. Hope in a few years time, I would be able to see that magnificient skyscraper on my way:)

Thank You sudheeshnairs .
Appreciate it. Trump has some massive plans for India, especially Bangalore.
Right now the focus will be on Bangalore & Mumbai. We have planned atleast 9 massive projects in these two cities.
For the last 15 months i have been travelling across India (Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Goa & Cochin) looking for prime land & studying the markets in these cities.
Bangalore & Mumbai were always on our radar. Unfortunately none of the other cities got our attention. We had plans of starting a Casino & Resort in Goa, but talks with the Government failed. Same was the case with Cochin.
It will take atleast 7-8 years to set foot in other Indian cities.
You have no idea how happy we are on getting all the neccesary approvals for the Trump Tower in Bangalore. It really has been 15 months of absolute hard-work.

So Long,

Carl

THE COMMUNE - Low Cost Housing Project from GG Properties

The Commune is a self-sufficient 30 Acre community created for easy living.

The buildings are constructed using the latest construction technology which makes it possible to target the delivery of the project in half the usual time. This technique also leads to safe concrete structures with stringent quality tolerances.

Facilities: Mini Stadium , Football, Cricket and other sports facilities to a Bal Bhavan, Primary school, Creche, Shopping Centers, Amphitheatre, Clinic and Med Shop, Restaurants and Cafes, Multiple Club Houses, Health Club, Spa, Yoga Center, Golf Putting Range etc

Location: Near Banashankari 6th phase and just off the NICE Corridor

Aerial View:
http://thecommune.in/Commune/images/aerial_view.jpg

Dusk View:
http://thecommune.in/Commune/images/dusk_view.jpg

Phase 1 Elevation:
http://thecommune.in/Commune/images/phase1_elevation.jpg

The above article on Intel 6 core processor has the above line. I think this is very crucial since 6 cores would dissipate a whole lot of heat running at high GHz. I remember in the 90s the core power reduction team at Intel Head Quarters in Santa Clara, California was mostly Indian- Indian team lead, Indian engineers. Great job!

Yes so does that mean we can now maybe hit 4 gigahertz with each core?Theyre starting with 2.6....

A. O. Smith to Locate India Headquarters, Manufacturing in Bangalore (http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/a-o-smith-to-locate-india-headquarters-manufacturing-in-bangalore,545077.shtml)

A. O. Smith today announced plans to locate the headquarters of its A. O. Smith India Water Heating Private Limited venture in Bangalore and begin construction of a residential water heater manufacturing plant.

Design work on the 76,000 square foot facility will begin in the fourth quarter; construction is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2010. The plant will initially employ approximately 100 employees, according to Ajita G. Rajendra, president of A. O. Smith Water Products Company.

"Bangalore also has extensive engineering and technical resources which will be essential to the success of our new venture. As the business expands, we envision adding engineering and procurement resources to the operation."

Thats awesome News CARL!!!.... abt TRUMP organisations seting up in INDIA especialy bangalore...!!!! I want to see Mr Trump inaugrating it HERE in bangalore!!! can any one give the project info ......i mean like the scale of the project n like when the construction will start...etc etc...!!!

DuPont Opens India Corn Research Facility to Boost Productivity (http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/dupont-opens-india-corn-research-facility-to-boost-productivity,550048.shtml)

BANGALORE, India, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- DuPont today opened a corn research center here to help farmers in India increase productivity to meet growing demand for grain. The new center is the fifth research facility in India for DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred and will develop high-yielding
hybrids adapted to the unique growing conditions in the area.

The $2.5 million center consolidates and strengthens research activities
Pioneer has been conducting in and around Bangalore. The new facility
increases research capacity by adding lab space for molecular breeding and
expands comprehensive breeding, testing and disease characterization programs
in corn.

The new Bangalore research center is part of a larger increase in research
and development across India to speed delivery of new, improved products to market and meet the growing demand for food and feed. DuPont has increased its research investment in India by more than 55 percent in 2008 and has increased capacity for product development and evaluation across the country.

SocGen double headcount, invest €5 million (http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14764505)

Bangalore: French financial services group Societe Generale said it would more than double the headcount at its Global Solution Centre in Bangalore and invest about €5 million to develop a new campus.

The turmoil in the financial markets has prompted many banks to cut operational costs, and has also given an added boost to Societe Generale’s goal to expand the Centre in India, said Ramesh Kumar, Chief Executive, Societe Generale Global Solution Centre.

Companies, faced with tighter budgets due to the financial meltdown in the US, are expected to offshore more work to less expensive destinations such as India to cut costs.

The company at present has about 900 employees in Bangalore. It said the number would touch 2,500 within the next three years. The new centre would be operational by the first quarter of 2009. It would initially have 50,000 sq.ft. of space, which later could be scaled up to 2 lakh sq.ft.

Divyashree North Gate (http://www.spacematrix.com/architec05.htm) - 600,000 sq ft.

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/Divya_Shree02.jpg

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn150/2paise/Divya_Shree03.jpg

Eastern Silk to invest Rs 80 cr in Bangalore plant (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blnus/02241535.htm)

KOLKATA: Eastern Silk Industries Ltd would invest Rs 80 crore at its Bangalore plant for manufacturing velvet and jacquard fabrics, a company official said.

Talking to reporters after the company's annual general meeting here on Wednesday, CEO of Eastern Silk, Mr G Venkatesh said that the new plant would be operational by May 2009.

He said that these fabrics were needed for home furnishing, the market size of which was around Rs 1,000 crore. Major players in the home furnishing sector were Bombay Dyeing and Welspun.

Mr Venkatesh said that this new plant would result in 10 per cent to 15 per cent higher sales value realisation of the company.

IBM launches four new cloud computing centers (http://www.nytimes.com/idg/IDG_852573C400693880002574CE003392E8.html?ref=technology)--- New York Times

---------

IBM launches Cloud Computing Center in Bangalore (http://www.ciol.com/Enterprise/Biztech/News-Reports/IBM-launches-Cloud-Computing-Center-in-Bangalore/24908110816/0/)

ANGALORE, INDIA: IBM today announced the launch of its first Cloud Computing Center in Bangalore to enable businesses to pilot cloud infrastructures and applications for their clients.

The new facility will give enterprise customers including mid market, universities and government bodies in India to access the resources they need to pilot cloud infrastructure and applications and deliver new and innovative services to their customers, said Dr. P Gopalakrishnan, vice president, IBM India Software Lab.

"Today, we have a very highly competitive environment and the customer expectations are higher that ever before. In such a scenario innovations can no longer be confined to four walls of a room. The new facility will help amalgamate need-based ideas to develop new technologies", Dr. Gopalakrishnan said.

Dr. Gopalakrishnan said the India center would help enterprises looking to transform their data center for service delivery and innovation as well as startup businesses or organizations that do not have infrastructure. There will be a special focus on the fast growing communications industry including content providers, Internet service providers and telecom companies.

ITI to come up with its advanced data centre in Bangalore (http://www.telecomtiger.com/fullstory.aspx?storyid=4054&passfrom=vasstory)

Indian Telephone Industry (ITI) is reportedly coming up with its next generation data centre at Bangalore within the next 6 months. The centre is being set up in assistance with a consortium of companies from Hyderabad.

ITI will provide infrastructure including land and building space for the centre while the partner companies will provide the required technology and equipment support to the centre.

While the current investments in the 40,000 sq ft centre total Rs 100 crore, ITI aims to increase it to Rs 400 crore and the centre space to 100,000 sq ft.

ITI aims to serve the government as well as private enterprise segment through the centre.

FTVentures Commits $30 Million to Mu Sigma (http://www.pr-inside.com/ftventures-commits-30-million-to-mu-r823528.htm)

Mu Sigma, the leading independent provider of high quality analytical decision support services, today announced that FTVentures, a growth capital investor with over $1 billion in assets under management, has committed $30 million to the Company. The funding will support the further expansion of Mu Sigma's high end analytics capabilities delivered from its Bangalore, India delivery center.

"Mu Sigma is at the forefront of helping corporate clients cost-effectively deliver analytics within their firms," said Brad Bernstein, FTVentures Partner and new member of the Mu Sigma board of directors. "The company recruits and trains the best and brightest mathematicians in India and provides cutting edge analytics and a client partnership approach to business decision support.Mu Sigma's capabilities have been vetted by some of the most successful companies in the world and are in high demand by FTVentures' strategic limited partners, who are seeking a long-term partner to help more efficiently analyze and leverage the massive amounts of data being generated by their organizations. Mu Sigma integrates quantitative analytics and deep domain expertise to provide more than a dozen fortune 500 clients, such as Microsoft, Wal-Mart, and Pfizer, insightful and actionable results."

"Analytics is the next significant frontier in outsourcing; at Mu Sigma, we are leveraging the exceptional talent available in India and offering a convincing value proposition to leading global corporations. The investment by FTVentures will help Mu Sigma continue its momentum in penetrating the financial services, health care, retail/consumer packaged goods, and technology verticals.Mu Sigma currently employs 400 highly educated and well trained analysts and we are looking to more than double in size over the next two years."

'Studio i' to handle architectural KPO (http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=335270)

Gensler, the San Francisco-based architecture design company, and Singapore-based architecture firm, Space Matrix, have set up their joint venture — ‘Studio i’ in Bangalore. ‘Studio i’ has been set up to handle architectural and interior design knowledge process outsourcing (KPO).

The company’s operations will be carried out from its facility at Divyashree Park SEZ in Whitefield, Bangalore.

Initially, the company plans to recruit about 20 persons to begin operations and gradually increase the strength to 150 to 200 by end of first year of operations depending on the projects to support Gensler requirements.

sorry gents i do not beleive carlcox is who he says he is.At first he says he was an interior design consultant.Now hes trumpies mate
And carl cox is a UK DJ.

sorry gents i do not beleive carlcox is who he says he is.At first he says he was an interior design consultant.Now hes trumpies mate
And carl cox is a UK DJ.

And the two are incompatible how?

Just go through his posts....either he directly works for trump or he has an intimate knowledge of the donalds plans in India...*carlcox* may be a handle, but there is absolutely no reason to doubt any of his inside information...check this out---

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=17804857&postcount=714

And the two are incompatible how?

Just go through his posts....either he directly works for trump or he has an intimate knowledge of the donalds plans in India...*carlcox* may be a handle, but there is absolutely no reason to doubt any of his inside information...check this out---

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=17804857&postcount=714

i did go through his posts.
But am more than willing to be proved incorrect and if so hope it causes no offence to those concerned.
if he realy is who he says he is than thats a realy good asset for the forum.
D

i did go through his posts.
But am more than willing to be proved incorrect and if so hope it causes no offence to those concerned.
if he realy is who he says he is than thats a realy good asset for the forum.
D

I shouldve been more clear...

This (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=17804857&postcount=714) post was 9 months before this one (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=25411062&postcount=13)

So there really is no reason to doubt him:)

HaHa 'dreadathecontrols ',
You just made my day. The only thing i can do is laugh off your 'allegations'.
Okay , if you blokes dont believe, i will stop updating this forum.
BTW '2Paise' thanks for your help.
So Long,
Carl.

^^Hey carl, we need you:). I remember you from the time you were searching for land in Bangalore and your posts about your stay in Leela Palace

iSoft opens global product development centre (http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?tp=on&autono=47163)

iSOFT, an Australian leading provider of healthcare software solutions, today announced the opening of its global product development centre here.

Govind S, Managing Director, iSOFT said: "The new facility will double our capacity in Bangalore, which is an important market for us both because of its strategic location and the knowledge-base that is available".

"iSOFT will be undertaking high-end product development at its centre of excellence, providing unique and exciting opportunities to work on cutting-edge technology for a select number of Bangalore's most innovative IT individuals", he said.

Beary's lake front.
http://i34.tinypic.com/2ppauly.jpg

Oh dear.
If your genuine, as I said u can be a great asset.
Dont listen to me I'm just a grumpy old man . .
BTW mods i've PM'd him an apoligy.

RFMD(R) Opens New Customer Support Center in Bangalore (http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/rfmdr-opens-new-customer-support-center-in-bangalore,558269.shtml)

RF Micro Devices, (Nasdaq: RFMD), a global leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance semiconductor components, today announced the opening of a customer support center in Bangalore, India. The new customer support center in Bangalore highlights RFMD's large presence in Asia and underscores the Company's commitment to one of world's fastest growing markets for RF semiconductor components.

RFMD's Bangalore customer support center houses applications engineering, customer service, sales management and technical sales. The Bangalore center significantly expands RFMD's ability to support regional manufacturers in Greater India, who are increasingly developing leading-edge products for wireless and other applications

HP ProCurve Opens Proof of Concept Lab in B'lore (http://www.channeltimes.com/India/News/HP_ProCurve_Opens_Proof_of_Concept_Lab_in_Blore/551-93759-783.html)

HP ProCurve Networking has opened a Proof-of-Concept (POC) Lab in Bangalore. The lab will enable enterprise customers to simulate and test secure standards-based unified wired and wireless network infrastructure.

The POC Lab will showcase live demonstrations of ProCurve's networking hardware and software solutions based on the ProCurve Adaptive Networks architecture. With this lab, enterprise customers can conduct pre-deployment testing of new networking capabilities and solutions in controlled simulated environments before making a purchase decision, the company said.

"The Proof-of-Concept Lab is another measure of ProCurve's support and service to customers in India. Our solutions are based on open standards, and adapt readily to the changing needs of users, applications and businesses," said Louis Au, VP and GM (Asia Pacific and Japan), HP ProCurve.

Experts hope for IIT in Bangalore (http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1194964)

State woos the Centre for setting up an Indian Institute of Technology campus in Karnataka. City-based educationists vouch for Bangalore as a deserving destination for the premier institute.

BANGALORE: The state government has been actively lobbying with the Centre to set up an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Karnataka, with Bangalore being considered as a front-runner among possible locations.

"There is no dearth of talent in Bangalore and it deserves an IIT campus. But a new IIT should not become another government instrument to further reservation," Prof T K Devidas, additional professor, National Law School of India remarked.

Its hilarious that Blore doesnt have an IIT

Honeywell Aerospace Announces Expansion of Indian Operations (http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/honeywell-aerospace-announces-expansion-indian/story.aspx?guid={AE130525-5A0B-47DB-B793-D0D3B314A058}&dist=hppr)

BANGALORE, INDIA, Oct 03, 2008 -- Honeywell Aerospace, a business sector of Honeywell International is planning to expand its operations in India. The global provider of integrated avionics, engines, systems and service solutions for aircraft manufacturers currently has design and development centers in India in Bangalore and Hyderabad. The company intends to ramp up its personnel in the country to 6,000 over the next three to four years at its present locations.

Metro alignment to be extended (http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Oct72008/city2008100794024.asp)

The alignment of Namma Metro will be extended from Electronic city to Kadugodi (Whitefield) so as to provide connectivity to these parts of the City.

Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, speaking after laying foundation stone for construction of two new flyovers at the Iblur and Agara junction here, said that the alignment of metro corridor will be extended to cover these parts of the city as well. “A decision has already been taken to address connectivity and infrastructure problems in southern parts of the city”, he said.

He disclosed that government has already released a sum of Rs 300 crore for the metro project out of Rs 700 crore allocated towards the Mass Transit Project. “We will complete phase one of the Metro Rail by 2010.”, he claimed.

He said, Race Course would be shifted to the outskirts of the City within a year. “ We are keen to shift Race Course about 20 kms away from the City. The government will accord priority to development of roads and infrastructure so as to make Bangalore comparable to international standards.

A sum of Rs 700 cr has already been released to upgrade 1,187 roads. Work on 23 roads has already begun, and 231 lakes in the City will also see improvement. We will also install a bronze statue of former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in a prime locality of the City,” he detailed.

News From Webindia123.com
K'taka CM holds discussion with Tata officials
Hubli | Sunday, Oct 5 2008 IST
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddiyurappa today held discussions with the top officials of the Tata motors regarding the setting up of the Nano car unit at Dharwad in Hubli.

Talking to newspersons after the meeting, the Chief Minister said the government was ready to provide all facilities to the car unit. The industry atmosphere in Dharward was congenial to launch the most ambitious project there, he added.

Now the Tata Motors had an Excavator Production unit near Dharwad, he said, adding, the government had already provided sufficient land to the company for establishing a motor unit there.

The Chief Minister, along with Major Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani, Pralhad Joshi, MP, Karnataka Assembly Speaker Jagadish Shettar and KIADB officials, held talks with the company officials for more than 20 minutes. He also assured the officials that sufficient power and water would be provided to the company. The company officials would also visit the area specified for the unit and submit their report to the management, the Chief Minister said.