[Sathyalal]

Toonz Academy bullish on Chinese animation market

Thiruvananthapuram-based training institute in 2D and 3D animation, Toonz Academy, sees vast opportunities in the niche Chinese market, which holds a $10-billion potential for animation training.

The academy had recently signed MoUs with various Chinese universities including the Beijing University, Shengyang University and Dalian University to start centres of excellence in animation. As part of this, a student exchange programme will facilitate 50 Chinese students to study in India from this August.

Toonz Academy, part of animation studio Toonz Animation India, is also exploring possible avenues in geographies like West Asia, Europe and Africa. It had initiated a deal with the Abu Dhabi Media Zone to set up an academy in West Asia, which would start operations in July this year. "Negotiations are in advance stages to set up animation training centres in Maldives, Sri Lanka and Africa," Ramaprasad said.
http://www.business-standard.com/common/news_article.php?autono=322959&leftnm=1&subLeft=0&chkFlg=

[Sathyalal]

Mathrubhumi reports..

IT exports from the state reaches 1300 crores(official figure)

Infosys leads with 250 crores.
UST global is second
IBS,TCS,Nest, Allianz Cornhill,SunTec,RM,Assist etc contributes more.

Most of these firms are incubated in Technopark.

Technopark receives the best incubation centre in the country


IBM & Oracle to Kerala..


Technocity

The largest IT Township planned in Kerala. 2crore sqft planned.

http://www.mathrubhumi.com/2008_customimages/news/PF12893_41bis1.pdf

[chandrurajan]

http://i32.tinypic.com/eil7qs.jpg

http://i25.tinypic.com/2rzuds9.jpg

http://i28.tinypic.com/kanvd5.jpg

[chandrurajan]

http://i30.tinypic.com/10xd0t4.jpg

http://i29.tinypic.com/2lnyas7.jpg

[chandrurajan]

Rs.2-crore project to be taken up under Tsunami Rehabilitation Project

More facilities: A design of the proposed beautification project for Shanghumughom beach.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government has finalised a project to restore and beautify the Shanghumughom beach that was ravaged by waves during the last monsoon.

The Rs.2-crore project would be taken up under the Tsunami Rehabilitation Project, Thiruvananthapuram West MLA V. Surendran Pillai said here on Saturday. The existing road would be moved back from the beach, leaving a wide swathe open for the creation of a leisure and recreation zone on 26 acres of land.

The project would be implemented in two phases. In the first stage, the football ground would be restored and equipped with a perimeter walkway and a gallery. “The area will be developed as a major tourist attraction. Apart from a restaurant and coffee shop, there are plans to provide five kiosks. The Star Fish Restaurant will be retained and equipped with a playground for children,” Mr. Pillai said.

The project also involved the realignment of the beachfront road along a distance of 600 metres skirting the perimeter of the airport from the area in front of the children’s traffic park to the South Palace. The realigned road would be 20 metres in width and would be equipped with a footpath and central median. Segregated bus bays and parking facilities would be constructed at both ends of the stretch.

Pedestrian zone


The beautification programme revolved around the creation of a central pedestrian zone. It envisaged extensive landscaping and renovation of the existing facilities.

The walkway along the beachfront would be extended towards the Arattu Palace to form a perimeter lane. The stretch facing the beach would be reconstructed in a terraced fashion to create a gallery facing the sea, with pavilions at intervals. This work would be taken up by the Harbour Engineering Department with assistance from the Kumar Group and the Tourism Department.

The area in between the two Mandapams near the mermaid statue would be developed as a public square with a fountain at the centre. The square would have a paved floor and a raised platform at one end, enabling it to be used as an open-air auditorium to host cultural events.

Visual effect


The zone around the Arattu Palace would be landscaped using sand and grass to create a lively contrast. More trees would be planted to create the visual effect of a wooded area.

“The project is aimed at creating a well-planned leisure area capable of accommodating a large number of people.

The realignment of the road leaves the land open for an exclusive pedestrian zone with the perimeter walkway doubling as a jogging circuit,” said a spokesman for the Kumar Group, the project designers.

A major part of the project involved landscaping with structural work kept to a minimum.

“The first phase is expected to be completed in six months,” Mr. Pillai said.

[rajkrish]

249 rooms, 25 cottages.
3 halls with seating capacity of 2500.
Ayurvedic spa,marina,water sports,gym

Foundation stone to be laid on june 4th.

http://www.prd.kerala.gov.in/news/shonws.php?tnd=1&tnn=59967&ln=Thiruvananthapuram

[rajkrish]

Fillip to State’s science and technology sector

S&T institutions coming up after 25 years

State to be promoted as centre for research

Thiruvananthapuram: The Science and Technology sector in Kerala is set to receive a fresh impetus with four new research institutions scheduled to become functional over the next month.

While the inauguration of the Kerala School of Mathematics in Kozhikode is set for June 3, the Centre for DNA Barcoding of Life Forms in the Western Ghats and Kerala will become operational at Puthenthope, Thiruvananthapuram, on June 11.

The government has also cleared proposals for the establishment of a Centre for Traditional Knowledge in Food and Medicine and a Centre for Advanced Research in Environmental Science and Engineering. Another major project is a new campus for the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC) at Aakulam in Thiruvananthapuram.
Beginning of new era

Executive vice-president of the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) E.P. Yesodharan told The Hindu that the new facilities would signal the start of a new era for the Science and Technology sector in Kerala. “It is after 25 years that new institutions are being set up in the sector. We have ambitious plans to promote Kerala as a major centre for scientific research.”


The Centre for DNA Barcoding is part of a major initiative by the KSCSTE to promote research activities in biotechnology. The facility is being set up on a sprawling campus at Puthenthope that will be developed as a biotechnology hub. The proposed relocation of the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC) from the KSCSTE headquarters to new premises at Aakulam will provide the institution with facilities for research and scope for future development.

Apart from a new building, the waterfront site facing Aakulam Lake will also house an open air museum and an eco-biopark where each institution under the council would have an area to showcase their achievements.

The Chief Minister is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the new campus on June 4.
Collaboration

Mr. Yesodharan said the Centre for Traditional Knowledge is expected to be launched soon. The Government of Sweden has expressed willingness to collaborate in the establishment of the Centre for Advanced Research in Environmental Science and Engineering.

“We have drawn up plans to set up a Centre for Minerals and Nano Technology in Kollam and a Centre for Bamboo under the Kerala Forest Research Institute. All the new institutions will become fully operational within the next four years,” he added.

Source : Hindu Online

[Sathyalal]

One more animation studio to the city.


IndiaTales Media Pvt Ltd, a new media company with a mission to take Indian folklore and culture to a global audience, on Monday announced the launch of its India operations.

Headquartered in Bangalore and with animation studios in Thiruvananthapuram, the first venture of the company is a full length animated feature film `Manikantan'.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Media__Entertainment_/Media/IndiaTales_kicks_off_India_operations/articleshow/3054327.cms

[Sathyalal]

Puthenthope to emerge as biotechnology research hub

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Council for Science Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) has drawn up an ambitious project to develop a biotechnology research hub at Puthenthope here.

The Centre for DNA Bar-coding of life forms in the Western Ghats and Kerala, which is scheduled to be inaugurated by Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan on June 11, will be the first research facility on the campus. Moves are afoot to make it functional within two years.

“Over the next five years, the complex will be developed as the biotechnology hub of Kerala. We have plans to establish a biotechnology resource and instrumentation centre with state-of-the-art laboratories where individuals and institutions could do research work,” E.P. Yesodharan, executive vice-president, KSCSTE, said.

The Centre for DNA Bar-coding is being set up under the Scheme for Augmentation of Research and Development (SARD) with P.N. Krishnan of the Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (TBGRI) as coordinator. “We hope to get funding from the Department of Science and Technology under the government of India for the subsequent phase of development,” Dr. Yesodharan said.

The institution is expected to become a key facility to identify and distinguish biological species in threatened natural habitats such as rainforests and tropical ecosystems.

“Our scientists have already developed expertise in the sophisticated bar-coding technique. The rich diversity of flora and fauna in the Western Ghats makes the facility relevant for a State like Kerala,” Dr. Yesodharan said.

R. Prakashkumar, principal scientific officer, said the barcoding of zingiber and piper species endemic to the Western Ghats would be the first programme to be taken up by the centre.

According to D. Chandramohan, marine microbiologist and a consultant to KSCSTE, the facility at Puthenthope had the potential to be developed as part of a global network for the study of marine life and micro organisms.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/21/stories/2008052152200400.htm

[Sathyalal]

KOCHI: The biggest- ever IT project of the Kerala Government, Technocity is taking wings. The Kerala State IT Infrastructure Limited (KSIIL), the implementing agency of the Technocity, will invite tenders from IT developers and companies on May 28 for starting the Rs 8,000-crore project of the State Government.

The project will come up near the Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram.

The KSIIL will issue the 49 percent equity of Technocity to the public, private investors, banks and other financial institutions by September this year. The 51 percent equity will be owned by the KSIIL.

“The Technocity project will be the biggest ever IT project of Kerala. The project is expected to create around two lakh job opportunities within 10 years and by issuing the share to the public and others, government can start the project with the participation of people,” IT Secretary Ajay Kumar told this website’s newspaper.

The bidding process will be conducted in phases. In the first phase (Request For Qualification) qualified IT companies will be short-listed.

In the second phase (Request for Proposal) will be invited and tender will be finalised in December. Different IT companies and IT developers will set up buildings in an area of 2-crore sq ft in the park.

The state government will have a stake of 26 percent in the proposed companies. Companies can use 70 percent of space for IT processing and the remaining for other purposes.

“We are trying to sell our project across the globe and attract IT giants to the state. The project will generate more job opportunities than the Smart City Kochi. More IT giants can start their ventures at the Technocity than the Smart City Kochi,” said Ajay Kumar.

The estimated infrastructure of the project will be Rs 800 to 1,000 crore. Of this, 500 crore will be utilised for purchasing land near the Technopark and Rs 300 crore will be spent for the infrastructure like water and power supply.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEX20080521010750&Page=X&Title=Kochi&Topic=0&

[chandrurajan]

PIC Courtesy : RamKumarRajan SSC

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/4770/picture098rh1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/8246/picture086kx6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

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http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/8229/picture112xq7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[chandrurajan]

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/4029/picture100yn8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/7449/picture060it3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

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http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/3531/picture092fu3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[chandrurajan]

Leela Hotel Kovalam Contd....

View Of Surya Samudra From Leela Hotel

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/3776/picture094qf1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[chandrurajan]

Tides Restaurant At Leela Kovalam and Part of Rajiv Gandhi Convention Center can be seen

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/9526/picture111nl9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Vizhinjam Calling

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/716/picture153tf1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Sathyalal]

Tata Elxsi is planning to add another 1500 people in Trivandrum

Tata Elxsi announces development centers in Hyderabad and Coimbatore; expands facility in Thiruvananthapuram
General Press Releases May 22nd, 2008


The new development centers with well-articulated IT focus will significantly drive up productivity and efficiency for customers globally

New Delhi, May 22, 2008: Tata Elxsi Limited, the technology arm of the multi-billion USD Tata Group, today announced the setting up of two new development centers in Coimbatore and Hyderabad; while further expanding its facility in Thiruvananthapuram to meet the scale-up requirements of the clients. The new development centers will assist customers worldwide on product design and development and provide them with high quality and time-to-market solutions through a highly skilled and motivated workforce. These development centers will be an addition to the Tata Elxsi’s existing design centers in Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, and Chennai.

Together these two state-of-the-art design centers with world-class facilities, satellite links, training and recreational facilities will accommodate over 700 engineers and designers. The facility in Thiruvananthapuram, which currently houses 582 engineers, has been expanded to accommodate another 1500 engineers.
“Hyderabad has over the years evolved as a vibrant IT destination and the development center here with its advanced facilities and full- fledged infrastructure along with the centers in Coimbatore and Thiruvananthapuram, the two emerging technology hotspots will complement the existing centers in India. Connectivity and human resource advantages including the availability of a huge talent pool, good engineering colleges and R&D institutions are critical for the growth and development of the technology industry and all three cities have these in the right measure,” said Mr. Madhukar Dev, MD & CEO, Tata Elxsi ltd.

“We will continue to invest in our processes and design tools to make them even more efficient, and constantly seek newer ways of adding value to our customers’ business globally,” Mr. Dev further added.

About Tata Elxsi

Tata Elxsi is the technology arm of the Tata Group, one of India’s largest and most respected business conglomerates with US$ 76.3 billion in market capitalization. The company’s core practice areas cover embedded product design services, industrial design & engineering, animation & VFX services, and systems integration services.

With high quality, cost effective, time-to-market solutions across the product design lifecycle, Bangalore-headquartered Tata Elxsi serves verticals such as networking & communication, automotive, consumer electronics, media & entertainment, semiconductors, and scientific instrumentation. The company’s strong and multi-faceted team provides expertise in VLSI design, embedded software, networking, telecom, multimedia, storage, visual & high performance computing, mechanical product design and digital content creation services.

Tata Elxsi draws on its knowledge base of over fifteen years in delivering product designs, and a large talent pool of over 3500 technologists. The company’s passion for excellence is backed by SEI CMMi Level 5, ISO 9001: 2000 and BS 7799 certified processes. Tata Elxsi has 13 sales and support offices in India and 20 international offices. This is supported by India development centers in Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Pune and Thiruvananthapuram, and a near-shore center in Japan.

Contact information

Sanaj Natarajan

Tata Elxsi Limited

Tel: 91 80 2297 9250

[Sathyalal]

Nasscom suggests Trivandrum to set up IIIT

Nasscom suggests 20 cities to set up IIITs

Sandeep Joshi

Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, among those named

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

Proposal to set them up as fully autonomous institutions

Envisioned to become world class institutes


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



NEW DELHI: The National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) on Thursday suggested the 20 cities for setting up new Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT).

Delhi, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Bangalore and Jammu are among the cities suggested.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced the initiative during the 11th Five Year Plan.

In its model detailed project report (DPR) presented to the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Nasscom, the trade body representing the Indian information technology and business process outsourcing (IT-BPO) industry, has also included the names of Chandigarh, Dehra Dun, Lucknow, Patna, Shillong, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Indore, Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Pune, Visakhapatanam, Mysore, Mangalore and Coimbatore for establishing new IIITs.

PPP model


In its model DPR that will serve as a template for preparation of the DPR for each individual IIIT, Nasscom has proposed that the new IIITs be set up as a fully autonomous institutions, through public-private partnership (PPP). The partners should be the Ministry, the respective State governments and industry members.

National importance


According to Nasscom president Som Mittal, each IIIT has been envisioned to become a world-class academic institute and evolve into 0a technology and functional ‘Centre of Excellence’ through a strong focus on research in frontier technology areas.

Attracting best faculty


To achieve this, it is imperative to attract the best-in-class faculty, and students; develop sustainable linkages with industry; and provide an environment conducive to research excellence.

To justify the large investments being made in the IIITs, it is important that they provide a sufficient scale at the undergraduate, post-graduate and doctoral research levels, he added.

“We recognise that this was an initiative of national importance and of great significance not only for the Indian IT industry but also for the other sectors of the Indian economy.

It is also a critical focus area for Nasscom as part of its education and skill building initiatives,” he said.

Autonomy


“The model for the new IIITs proposed in the DPR focusses on both academic and research excellence through innovative governance and operational approaches and a strong and sustained participation from the IT industry.

“However, achieving this will not be easy and it is important that each institute is supported, especially in the initial years, and is also allowed complete autonomy to define its road map and implement it,” Mr. Mittal added.

The IT industry was very keen to work with the government and other stakeholders to realise the objectives of this initiative.

http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/23/stories/2008052360101400.htm

[rajkrish]

Carmel Towers - 50000 lakh sq.ft commercial/office space

Photo credits : SHELLY, SSC

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/8828/home025pg2.jpg

[rajkrish]

Creations Nakshathra
13 floors
Kazhakkoottam

http://i31.tinypic.com/i6f88j.jpg


Creations Amritha
10 floors
Vellayambalam

http://i25.tinypic.com/4vpukm.jpg

Pics and text courtesy : scorpiogenius, SSC

[Sathyalal]

Tata Elxsi is planning to ramp up to 3500 seats in Trivandrum. This 3500 is very significant since the work is in high end technology.

Thiruvananthapuram, May 22 Tata Elxsi, Tata Group's embedded technology subsidiary, is ramping up its engineering manpower in South to match the automotive design needs of its overseas clientele. While a Rs 100-crore own facility is nearing completion in Thirunavanthapuram..
..
Some of the high-end automotive design products in pipeline are night vision system, headlights that adapt to the light intensity in the night roads, sensor system that studies and automatically adjusts to each traveller's mood in seating position, lighting and air conditioner-settings.
..
Tata Elxsi, Thiruvananthapuram, said. This design centre focuses on automotive, multimedia and digital signal processing domains.
..
now has 700 seats in its 52,000 sq feet facility. Another 1500 engineering seats will be added in a year or two at a 2-lakh sq ft facility, ramping up the manpower to over 3500 seats, Natarajan said.

The Bangalore-headquartered Tata Elxsi claims the highest ROCE (return on capital employed) among India's IT firms and the lowest attrition rate.

The two new development centres at Coimbatore and Hyderabad will be set up in addition to the existing design centres in Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune and Chennai.

About 20% of the staff are postgraduates or Ph.D holders. Since the focus is on niche technology, the company nurses no big-city centric expansion plans. "We hire from wherever there is talentpool in embedded product design, industrial design and engineering, animation and VFX services," the company officials said.

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Tata-Elxsi-to-triple-manpower-on-overseas-design-orders/313385/

[chandrurajan]

Courtesy : Holyghost SSC

http://i26.tinypic.com/axk5cp.jpg

:cheers:

[Sathyalal]

Trivandrum Pallippuram(Technocity) area has the highest land value in Kerala according to Kerala Gov website

[chandrurajan]

Invitation Letter For Stone Laying Function On June 4th.

Promoters : Chalet Hotels And Properties (Kerala) Pvt Ltd.

http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/241/pic2my8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[chandrurajan]

:cheers::cheers:

http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/3926/pic1cc3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[chandrurajan]

Convention and Exhibition Centre
Plenary Hall to Accommodate 1500.
Hi-tech Hall
3 Meeting Rooms, each to accommodate 75 persons
8 Meeting Rooms, each to accommodate 30 persons
A VIP room to Accommodate 50 persons


Five Star Hotel with 250 rooms.
Marina & Water Sports Facilities
25 Luxury Cottages
Gymnasium and SPA
Retail Area

[Sathyalal]

Costliest piece of land in Kerala; 2.77 crores per cent. Survey 209 in Pallippuram(around 20 kms from city center)
Courtesy: Sreejith

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/7714/pallipuramresidentialgj5.jpg

[elm07]

looks awesome ... a golf course needs to be added too.

:cheers::cheers:

http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/3926/pic1cc3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[PLUS]

Plus, I am sorry. I have accidently edited your post, thinking that it is my post. Please edit to put your own content here. I Should be more careful since I will see 'edit' for all posts in admin mode:)

Sathya

[Sathyalal]

The costiliest transactions in Trivandrum are currently happening near Pazhavangadi, 60-100 lakhs per cent. All are commercial space. Secreatariate area will have less value compared to Pazhavangadi/Pattom/Medical college area.



According to revenue dept, the MG Road near Secretariat will have the highest fair value
in Thiruvananthapuram. :cheers:

[Sathyalal]

City set to become ‘global epicentre of business meets’

Work on Rs.805-cr. convention centre begins tomorrow

Rs.205-crore first phase to be completed in 2011

State to have 26 per cent and K. Raheja Corp 74 per cent equity participation

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The first phase of the International Convention Centre Complex (ICCC) coming up near Akkulam tourist village here under the public- private partnership initiative will be completed in 2011.

Announcing this at a press conference here on Monday, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs M. Vijayakumar said work on the ICCC would start with Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan laying the foundation stone on June 4.

With an approximate investment of Rs.805 crore, the project would be the biggest investment in the tourism sector of the State so far.

The convention centre would be an asset to Kerala and would come in handy for the development of the proposed IT-Tourism Corridor between Kazhakuttom and Kovalam, he said.

Being set up in 18.61 hectares of land, the ICCC is a joint venture between Kerala Tourism and Chalet Hotels Limited and K. Raheja Corp. A joint venture company, Chalet Hotels & Properties (Kerala) Pvt. Ltd., had been formed for executing the ICCC project.


In the Rs.205-crore first phase, an area of 3,10,000 sq.ft would be developed. This would include a convention centre which could accommodate 1,100 persons and a 249-room five star hotel, 25 poolside luxurious cottages, marina, jetties, water sports facilities and parking facilities.

Chief Operating Officer, Chalet Hotels Ltd., Ramnidhi Wasan, said the State capital would become the “global epicentre of business meets” once the soft opening takes place in January 2011.

Apart from giving a fillip to MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Convention and Exhibition) tourism, Mr. Wasan said, the ICCC would be an icon project in the region. It would attract international as well as domestic events and the unique facility would act as an anchor for other projects to develop and foster tourism in the region.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/06/03/stories/2008060358260300.htm

[Sathyalal]

courtesy: scorpiogenius

NATPAC centre & Butterfly Park

http://i28.tinypic.com/14o9j01.jpg

[Sathyalal]

ICCC
Courtesy: Ramkumar

http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/4061/picture4lh9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/5437/picture5sm5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

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http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/5189/picture7iw6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[chandrurajan]

Builder - Clarity constructions

Pic Courtesy-Nishant SSC

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/1434/11ip2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Night view

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/8753/12lz1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)[/QUOTE]

[chandrurajan]

Pic Courtesy : AjayPP SSC

A massive crane is erecting the second of the giant steel ribs which will support the main canopy of the terminal.

http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/3984/img3210rsvm8kz9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[chandrurajan]

]NEST Campus
Technopark
10 floors
3.5 lakh sq ft

http://i32.tinypic.com/25gw8ed.jpg

http://i32.tinypic.com/s5czlx.jpg[/QUOTE]

[Sathyalal]

MICE tourism to take off from a new runway in Kerala


The picturesque lakeside of Aakkulam, at a stone throw away distance from the Thiruvananthapuram international airport, is all set to don a new look.

The lakeside destination will soon house one of the Kerala's biggest international convention centre, complete with a five-star resort hotel, luxury villas, spa and a marina. It is expected to provide a shot in the arm for Kerala's efforts to promote MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibition) tourism.

Roped in to build the project is Raheja group company Chalet Hotels, which forays into God's own country at a time when the state's tourism is experimenting with unique aspects.

In an exclusive interview with Business Standard, Ramnidhi Wasan, chief operating officer (business development), Chalet Hotels, sounded upbeat about the whole project. Fetching the bid to build the state capital's most prestigious convention centre project is seen as driving the group's foray into the state in a big way.


The location is ideal, the state is open to good investment and we are looking at the project as one of great importance. An area spread across 46.6 acres would, in a few years time, be home to a picturesque complex on a picturesque location," he said.

The group is pumping in Rs 805 crore into the project in two phases. "The first phase will see an investment of Rs 205 crore, while the second phase is expected to attract Rs 600 crore. This might even go up as more features are likely to be added," Wasan said.

"On a proposed built-up space of 310,000 sq ft in the first phase, the international convention centre itself is going to be huge with a 1,500-seat plenary hall. This apart the centre would house as many as 3 meeting halls to accommodate 75 people, 8 smaller halls with a capacity of 30 seats and an exclusive VIP hall for 50-people," he said. Besides the convention centre, the site would house a 249-room hotel and 25 ultra luxury villas.

Adding to the charm would be a marina close to the entrance of the hotel complex. The hospitality giant is also including water sports facilities to add to the excitement the convention centre can offer.

Spreading the word that there would be a new fully equipped international convention centre in Thiruvananthapuram to the global clients would be the Marriot group.

"We have entered into an exclusive marketing tie-up with Marriot, and are sure that this alliance would make the Thiruvananthapuram international convention centre a preferred destination for global corporate houses," Wasan added.

With the first phase of the convention centre to be ready by the beginning of 2011 and the entire project to be complete in five years time, MICE tourism in Kerala will have a new runway to take off from.

http://www.business-standard.com/common/news_article.php?leftnm=lmnu4&subLeft=4&autono=325652&tab=r

[sakrishna]

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/06/11/stories/2008061156350500.htm


Rs.2.75-crore project to beautify Ponmudi
S. Anil Radhakrishnan
Thiruvananthapuram: The idyllic hill resort of Ponmudi in the district would get a face-lift with the Rs.2.75-crore beautification project to be taken up by Kerala Tourism with the assistance of Union Ministry of Tourism.
Construction of walkways, play area for children, parking area, landscaping, beautification and electrification will be taken up in the hill resort under the centrally-funded project.
View towers will be set up to enable tourists to view the tiny springs, rivulets and the tea estates en route and to enjoy the panoramic view from Ponmudi, a tourism official told The Hindu.
Located 915 metres above the mean sea-level and two-and-a-half hours’ drive from the city, Ponmudi is perhaps second only to Munnar in scenic beauty. The conical green roof of the granite cottages and rooms, designed by architect Laurie Baker, blends with the scenery and resembles small hillocks themselves.
Minister for Tourism Kodiyeri Balakrishnan will kick off the beautification work at a function in Ponmudi on June 18. The beautification work would be executed by KITCO.
Premium resort
The Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) is to set up a premium resort in Ponmudi to solve the accommodation problem, according to Chairman of KTDC Cherian Philip.
For this, the KTDC will renovate the newly constructed 13 wooden cottages and the old six granite cottages at a cost of Rs.2 crore. The resort will have 30 rooms with all modern facilities.

[PLUS]

The costiliest transactions in Trivandrum are currently happening near Pazhavangadi, 60-100 lakhs per cent. All are commercial space. Secreatariate area will have less value compared to Pazhavangadi/Pattom/Medical college area.

I dont know about Pazhavangadi, you may be correct on ground realities. But fair value
goes partly on the basis of the highest recorded registration data. That may be how
Secretariat got the highest value. This is how MG Road at Kochi got better value
that Marinedrive. At the same time, neither are anywhere near market prices.
On both stretches you wont get land even if you pay Rs.5 crore/cent. The last
known transaction in 2006 was for around Rs.3 crore/cent.

But the amount specified in Fair value draft notification at Pallipuram has been admitted
to be wrong by revenue dept. This error will be removed in the final notification. The news you edited out was saying that. I guess the person who found this on draft notification obviously saw this in newspaper first. The news came because local people complained
about this unreasonable amount. Ultimately they will have to cough up the taxes
according to this value even when the market prices are way below that.
( I may not be having a copy of that to repost. If I find I will repost).

[PLUS]

Environmental clearance to Infosys.

This is the first project at Trivandrum getting environmental clearance.
5 more are waiting for clearance - TCS building, a Convention centre,
and three apartment projects AWHO, Confident group and Olive group.

Details of the project below:

To

M/s. Infosys Technologies Ltd.,
Electronics City, Hosur Road,
Bangalore - 560 100.

Subject: Construction of a Software IT Park (SEZ) at Sy. No. 143 part, 190 part, 191 part, 192 part, 200 part, 203 part, 204 part, 224 part, 180 part & 181 part, 183, 184, 186, 188, 194, 201, 202, 195, 199, 196 & 197 of Block No. 18, Attippara, Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala by M/s. Infosys Technologies Ltd. ? Environmental Clearance ? Reg.

Dear Sirs,



This has reference to your application No. NIL, dated 04.07.2007 and subsequent letter dated 20.03.2008 seeking prior Environmental Clearance for the above project under the EIA Notification, 2006. The proposal has been appraised as per prescribed procedure in the lights of provisions under the EIA Notification, 2006 on the basis of the mandatory documents enclosed with the application viz., the Questionnaire, EIA, EMP and the additional clarifications furnished in response to the observations of the Expert Appraisal Committee constituted by the competent authority in its meetings held on 20th ? 21st November 2007 and 1st ? 3rd May, 2008 and awarded ?Silver? grading to the project.



2. It is, interalia, noted that the project involves construction of Software IT Park on a plot area of 2,02,343.6 Sq. mts. The total build-up area proposed is 1,36,566 Sq.mts. with 3 blocks (Ground + 6 floors), food court, customer care centre (G+4 floors), employees care centre complex/hostel block (G + 13 floors). It is likely to provide working space for 9000 employees. The total water requirement during construction is 150 KLD & operation phase is 685.5 KLD (fresh water ? 435.5 KLD and treated waste water - 250 KLD). The capacity of STP proposed is 1000 KLD. Treated waste water to be used for flushing of toilets ? 145 KLD, AC chillers ? 105 KLD and horticulture ? 169 KLD. The total solid waste generation will be 1800 kg/day (1350 kg/day ? organic waste + 450 kg/day ? inorganic waste). Total power requirement proposed is 8 MVA (Kerala PTCL). Total Parking spaces proposed are 1024 cars, 559 - two wheelers & 33 buses. The total cost of the project is Rs. 305.25 Crores.


http://164.100.194.13:8080/allied_envclr/showApprovedletters1994.do?projectCode=21-567/2007-IA.III

[Sathyalal]

Plus
Secreatariate area is not that commercial compared to Pazhavangadi, Pazhavangadi is the commercial hub of the city and also close to Bus/Railway terminals. Currently transactions are going at around 1 crore per cent. This is evident from real estate classifieds(Obviousely this will not be the real price shown in papers). Technocity prices do not appear as a bug, since almost all the survery numbers are highly priced. Starting from 10 lakhs to 370 lakhs. May be more than 50 lakhs is too unrealistic at this stage. But may be they are considering the future scenario.




I dont know about Pazhavangadi, you may be correct on ground realities. But fair value
goes partly on the basis of the highest recorded registration data. That may be how
Secretariat got the highest value. This is how MG Road at Kochi got better value
that Marinedrive. At the same time, neither are anywhere near market prices.
On both stretches you wont get land even if you pay Rs.5 crore/cent. The last
known transaction in 2006 was for around Rs.3 crore/cent.

But the amount specified in Fair value draft notification at Pallipuram has been admitted
to be wrong by revenue dept. This error will be removed in the final notification. The news you edited out was saying that. I guess the person who found this on draft notification obviously saw this in newspaper first. The news came because local people complained
about this unreasonable amount. Ultimately they will have to cough up the taxes
according to this value even when the market prices are way below that.
( I may not be having a copy of that to repost. If I find I will repost).

[PLUS]

Plus
Technocity prices do not appear as a bug, since almost all the survery numbers are highly priced. Starting from 10 lakhs to 370 lakhs. May be more than 50 lakhs is too unrealistic at this stage. But may be they are considering the future scenario.

What came out was a draft notification. They are receiving feedbacks on this draft.
The price at Pallippuram was a glorious bug. People complained against this and that is why it came in newspaper.
Important thing is this is a residential land and can never have such a price when
commercial land nearby has less price
For example all the nearby survey numbers have just 4 to 7 lakhs per cent. It looks like a case of wrong
decimal place. Anyway, registration authorities confirm that this is an error. The final ones will not have it.
Within one month when the final fair value notification comes,
you can confirm that Pallipuram prices are a fraction of the number in the draft.



http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/2451/20080530aa001103007bs8.jpg

[ani07]

:previous: It was reported by both newindpress and hindu that MG Road Kochi has the highest land value in kerala-
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEO20080528230929&Page=O&Title=Thiruvananthapuram&Topic=0

http://www.hindu.com/pp/2008/05/17/stories/2008051750550101.htm

[PLUS]

Jet starts code sharing services from Thiruvananthapuram

Jet Airways adds two more India destinations

By MANDEEP SINGH

JET Airways, which began operating flights between Bahrain and India earlier this year, has added Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram to its list of destinations, it was revealed yesterday.

"We have entered into a code share with the national airline of Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways, which will enable Bahrain passengers bound for Delhi to fly to the UAE capital on Etihad Airways and then connect to Jet Airways flights to Delhi," he told the GDN.

"Also, Jet Airways ticket holders will be able to fly from Bahrain all the way to Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi on Etihad via Abu Dhabi. http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=220103&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=31085

[Sathyalal]

:previous: It was reported by both newindpress and hindu that MG Road Kochi has the highest land value in kerala-
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEO20080528230929&Page=O&Title=Thiruvananthapuram&Topic=0

http://www.hindu.com/pp/2008/05/17/stories/2008051750550101.htm


The specified site (Gov site ) is telling a different story. You can check it. I have already posted the image. There are places around Technocity ranging 15 lakhs, 61 lakhs and one particular survey crossing 3.7 crores(which is near the entrance of the proposed Technocity). One thing is sure that it is not a typo since allmost all the survey numbers are going to double digits in lakhs.

Any way why should we waste time on this? My personal opinion is that thoses prices are highly unrealistic. Now let the gov fix it.

[PLUS]

The specified site (Gov site ) is telling a different story. You can check it. I have already posted the image. There are places around Technocity ranging 15 lakhs, 61 lakhs and one particular survey crossing 3.7 crores(which is near the entrance of the proposed Technocity). One thing is sure that it is not a typo since allmost all the survey numbers are going to double digits in lakhs.

Any way why should we waste time on this? My personal opinion is that thoses prices are highly unrealistic. Now let the gov fix it.


Thats right. Irrespective of a typo or bad arithmetic, Registration dept has announced that
these will be corrected way downwards in the final notification. Actually such mistakes have come up in many districts even though revenue minister
announced that highest value is at MG Road Kochi.

[Sathyalal]

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An operating centre for trains starting from and terminating in the city would come up in the 12.14 hectares of land owned by the railways adjacent to the Nemom railway station.

Designed on the lines of Basin Bridge coaching depot, all the coach maintenance activities carried out in Thiruvananthapuram central will be shifted to Nemom. Commercial activities like shopping mall in the proposed world class railway station will be set up in the southern side of the central station.

Once the operating centre comes up, Thiruvananthapuram central will become a wayside station. Mainline Electric Multiple Units (MEMU) to take care of short distance travellers will commence operations from the central station. The car shed for MEMU operations will be in Kollam and Palakkad. Trains via Nagercoil will start operations from Kochuveli.

Estimated to cost over Rs.250 crore, the railways are planning 10 pit lines to take care of the maintenance of 30 trains, 12 stabling lines, sick lines and staff quarters at Nemom. “The concept is ready and had been cleared by the Chief Operations Manager, Southern Railway, Abraham Jacob. We now have to translate it into paper and funds is not an issue,” Divisional Railway Manager Titus P. Koshy, told The Hindu.

The central station is saturated and is handling trains two-and-a-half times more than the sanctioned capacity. Along with this, the delay in acquiring land at Kochuveli for creating more facilities has forced the railways to utilise the land at Nemom.

“As the existing land owned by the railways at Nemom lies in the form of an unwieldy triangle, we would have to acquire another 28.33 hectares along the track,” Senior Operations Manager J. Vinayan said. One more line will be laid from Nemom and Kochuveli to Thiruvananthapuram central to ensure smooth train operations.

The railways have initiated steps to set up an island platform (to receive trains on both sides), two more pit lines and a sick line at Kochuveli. With this, the number of platforms will go up to three. Already, a pit line and two platforms have been set up. The railways will be able to handle nine originating trains from Kochuveli once the minimum infrastructure is created at a cost of Rs.29 crore. The proposed operating centre at Nemom, the central station and the satellite terminal at Kochuveli would together constitute world class railway station of the capital, Mr. Vinayan added.
http://www.hindu.com/2008/06/15/stories/2008061554210400.htm

[chandrurajan]

Kristal tech park view(5 towers together)

Pic Courtesy : Nishant Nair SSC

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/6688/arealfinal2editedqb0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)[/QUOTE]

[PLUS]

TCS building - I guess this has been exempted from environmental clearance.
Can someone confirm ?
http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/3600/tcsnbigyq9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



An upcoming govt building
http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/7526/ksieml6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Sathyalal]

International food chains are setting up shops inside Tejaswini
Dominos, Chick King,Subway,Pappa Panjo,Kabab house, Coffee Beans, Coffee day etc.
http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/6154/thejaswanift1.jpg


Some article on the changing life style of youth.

http://img398.imageshack.us/img398/9799/tvmcshangoutvp8.jpg

[Sathyalal]

Metro Manorama says..


1. Technopark contributes 80 % of the software exports from Kerala. 1050 out of 1300 crores(official data).
2. 140 out of 180 ITcompanies are operating from Technopark
3. It is growing in a such way to provide employment for all the students passing out from Engineering colleges in Kerala.
4. Tejaswini is the largest office building in Kerala
5. Leela is completing its IT park
6. Tata elxsi is completing 4 new buildings
7. Peepul park is TCS ‘s global training centre
8. Hotels, Apartments, Car showrooms, Shopping malls etc mashrooming around the park will shift the commercial nerve from the city to Technopark Area.
9. Infosys & US Tec campuses are under construction.


http://img398.imageshack.us/img398/6696/technoparkturnover1pl0.jpg

[chandrurajan]

Pic Courtesy & Info provided By Shafi in SSC

Total Area : 2,50,000 Sqft
Land Area : 2 Acres
Location : Near Ananthapuri hospital
Floor Plan : G+6 Floors
Status : Work to commence with in 2 weeks time
Architects : Fersh Ambience Architectural Design Firm, Palayam
Builders : Alfa Group

http://i27.tinypic.com/1z6bj1x.jpg

[rajkrish]

:worship: Cool one :tup:

[elm07]

any idea on when they are planning to start the MEMU services? Originally it was supposed to be Kollam-Neyyattinkkara, but the latest railway budget didnt allocate much for the Kollam MEMU stabling operations. Are they initially planning something within Trivandrum district? There was also a plan to have 4 railway lines from Trivandrum to Kollam, but I think this currently ends in Murukkumpuzha if I am right.


Once the operating centre comes up, Thiruvananthapuram central will become a wayside station. Mainline Electric Multiple Units (MEMU) to take care of short distance travellers will commence operations from the central station. The car shed for MEMU operations will be in Kollam and Palakkad. Trains via Nagercoil will start operations from Kochuveli.

[Sathyalal]

Rs.500-crore project for national games in State capital

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government has drawn up a Rs.500-crore plan for hosting the next national games in the capital, Sports Minister M. Vijayakumar has said.

He was inaugurating a development seminar organised by the city corporation for putting together the development schemes for the 11th plan period.

This plan includes setting up new stadia, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and other infrastructure facilities — outdoor and indoor — required for the national games. The Centre would provide Rs.100 crore for the Games.

“This is the first time that I am announcing that Thiruvananthapuram would be the main venue for the national games,” Mr. Vijayakumar said.

The Left Democratic Front government had democratised sports in the State. Sport has been placed on the forefront of the development agenda for the State, the Sports Minister said.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/06/30/stories/2008063058970400.htm

[chandrurajan]

Pic Courtesy:Sidewinder SSC


Varkey Mall : Next To Press Club and Opp To Central Stadium

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/7883/camera3daybrightnedwf1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Sathyalal]

Youngters preparing for moon mission.

Last October, when former President A P J Abdul Kalam lectured at the Indian Space Research Organisation’s fledgling space technology institute in Thiruvananthapuram, he picked a Ned Washington-Leigh Harline number from the ・0s to pep up the eager-faced youngsters facing him. The lyrics are meant to ignite・

Then you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are/Anything your heart desires will come to you.・Prakhar Agarwal, 20, concurs. youngsters dreaming of a space career, you won’t get a chance like this anywhere else in the country. We are called the youngest members of the ISRO family, says the youngster from Lucknow.

Prakhar is one of 138 wannabe space techies handpicked by the ISRO for the inaugural batch of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) last year. All of them had figured in the 2007 IIT-JEE rank lists, but chose the IIST over the glamorous Indian Institutes of Technology.

by September, 2009, the ISRO plans to shift the facility from its temporary home at the VSSC, Thumba, to a permanent campus next to the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Valiyamala ・also in Thiruvananthapuram.

IIST is unique in the sense that it is the only academy dedicated to space science and technology, he says

http://www.newindpress.com/sunday/sundayitems.asp?id=SEG20080628125150&eTitle=Spotlight&rLink=0

[Sathyalal]

9 IT majors in the race for developing Technocity
Wednesday July 2 2008 10:17 IST
Arjun Raghunath

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Larsen & Toubro, Raheja and Suzlon are among the nine major groups whohave come forward for developing the Technocity, the-state-of-the-art IT township being set up by the State Government on 500 acres in the state capital.

Emaar MGF, Maytas, Sun Forrester, SREI, Brigade and Ramki are the other major groups that have responded to the request-for-qualification’ (RfQ) invited by the Kerala State IT Infrastructure Limited (KSITI) for developing IT and IT-Enabled Service projects at the Technocity as well as the third-phase of the Technopark. The RfQ was released on May 28. The last date for submitting applications was June 30.

A committee headed by Chief Secretary P.J.Thomas will scrutinise the applications. The committee will have secretaries of IT, Industry, Finance and Law Departments and chief executive officers of the Technopark and the Infopark as its members. Those who do not satisfy the conditions prescribed in the tender notice would be rejected. The Cabinet should approve the final list of developers for the Technocity.

IT Secretary Ajay Kumar said that the land acquisition process for the Technocity at Pallipuram, around five km away from the Technopark, was progressing and the construction works were expected to begin within six months. The Technocity would have all the facilities of a town, including a school and a hospital, on its premises.

While 70 percent of the space would be utilised for IT-related activities, the remaining area would be utilised for other supporting infrastructure. The projects would be developed on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP)-basis with the KSITI holding 26 percent equity.

The developers will have to form a `special purpose vehicle’ (SPV) for executing the project. The SPV will be responsible for designing, engineering, financing, procurement, construction, marketing, operation and maintenance of the project.

The project will be carried out in three different ranges - IT/ITES project for parcel size up to 50 acres; IT/ITES Project for parcel size greater than 50 and up to 100 acres; IT/ITES Project for parcel size greater than 100 acres.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEO20080701235607&Page=O&Title=Thiruvananthapuram&Topic=0&

[SREEKUMAR]

Great News.. Looks bigger than smart city.. 500 acres .. I read recently that total area of Technocity will be 20 million Sq.ft which is huge…

God knows when this will happen? We are hearing about Smart city for the last 5 years and is not yet started. We have to wait another 10 more years for the completion..


9 IT majors in the race for developing Technocity
Wednesday July 2 2008 10:17 IST
Arjun Raghunath

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Larsen & Toubro, Raheja and Suzlon are among the nine major groups whohave come forward for developing the Technocity, the-state-of-the-art IT township being set up by the State Government on 500 acres in the state capital.

Emaar MGF, Maytas, Sun Forrester, SREI, Brigade and Ramki are the other major groups that have responded to the request-for-qualification’ (RfQ) invited by the Kerala State IT Infrastructure Limited (KSITI) for developing IT and IT-Enabled Service projects at the Technocity as well as the third-phase of the Technopark. The RfQ was released on May 28. The last date for submitting applications was June 30.

A committee headed by Chief Secretary P.J.Thomas will scrutinise the applications. The committee will have secretaries of IT, Industry, Finance and Law Departments and chief executive officers of the Technopark and the Infopark as its members. Those who do not satisfy the conditions prescribed in the tender notice would be rejected. The Cabinet should approve the final list of developers for the Technocity.

IT Secretary Ajay Kumar said that the land acquisition process for the Technocity at Pallipuram, around five km away from the Technopark, was progressing and the construction works were expected to begin within six months. The Technocity would have all the facilities of a town, including a school and a hospital, on its premises.

While 70 percent of the space would be utilised for IT-related activities, the remaining area would be utilised for other supporting infrastructure. The projects would be developed on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP)-basis with the KSITI holding 26 percent equity.

The developers will have to form a `special purpose vehicle’ (SPV) for executing the project. The SPV will be responsible for designing, engineering, financing, procurement, construction, marketing, operation and maintenance of the project.

The project will be carried out in three different ranges - IT/ITES project for parcel size up to 50 acres; IT/ITES Project for parcel size greater than 50 and up to 100 acres; IT/ITES Project for parcel size greater than 100 acres.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEO20080701235607&Page=O&Title=Thiruvananthapuram&Topic=0&

[rajkrish]

Petition against the award of tender to Lanco has been rejected by the High court today morning. So decks are cleared for construction.:notacrook:

[scorpiogenius]

Buil-Tech Vista
10 floors
Mangottukonam

http://i31.tinypic.com/91i61d.jpg


http://builtechengineers.com/

[Sathyalal]

Toonz Infrastructure is co-developer for Kifra Animation Zone.
First animation SEZ in India.

Toonz will immediately start construction once co-developer status is approved in Jul 18th meeting.
Accel is building its studio
Compact Disk had requested one acre and 10000 sq feet built up space.

Kerala animation-gaming exports will increase exponentially once the park is ready.




http://www.mathrubhumi.com/php/newsFrm.php?news_id=1236420&n_type=HO&category_id=7&Farc=&previous=Y

[rajkrish]

Tamara Properties

Pic courtesy : sidewinder, SSC

http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/7771/56790750ur8.jpg

http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/8278/26324498tz0.jpg

http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/4641/30107872ji6.jpg

[elm07]

http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/6736



The Central government on the advice of University Grants Commission (UGC) has decided to award a renowned space institute of Kerala into ‘Deemed-to-be-University’, the autonomous granted university that has the right to set up own guidelines for the admissions, fees and instruction to the students but it can not award degrees under its own name, as per under Section 3 of the UGC Act 1956.

The Union Ministry of Human Resource and Development on Monday has released a press statement quoting to transform Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IISST), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala into ‘Deemed-to-be-University’ as per under Section 3 of the UGC Act 1956.

[Sathyalal]

Infosys is No 1 among the IT companies in Kerala(in terms of exports)
20 % of the total IT exports from the state is by Infosys,TVM.
Trivandrum centre has the lowest attrition rate. 7%. This is one of the best in IT industryTrivandrum centre has 40% female professionals.

http://www.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/malayalamContentView.do?contentType=EDITORIAL&programId=1073753761&articleType=Malayalam%20News&contentId=4315450&BV_ID=@@@

[Sathyalal]

Courtesy Vital Links & Services Pvt. Ltd, food major Planet Yumm International has set up its first state-of-the-art food court on the IT park campus in the Kerala capital.
Planet Yumm International's new food court has begun operations on a centrally air-conditioned space spreading across 20,000 sq ft on the seventh floor of Thejaswini building in the Technopark campus.

The latest addition in Technopark is a new concept aimed at incorporating a mix of various food outlets and to ensure variety in food served.

Currently about 10 counters are open for lunch and dinner on weekdays and serves everything from quick bites, local delicacies, authentic north Indian, south Indian, Chinese and continental food, kebabs and ice creams.

Well-known brands like Dominos, Papa Poncho of Prahlad Kakar, Chicking, Kebab House, Quickies Coffee, Mother's Kitchen, Wangs Express, Zero Degree, and Passion Fruit have set up their outlets under Planet Yumm International umbrella to cater to the variety of palates.

http://www.ciol.com/News/News-Reports/Technopark-techies-welcome-Planet-Yumm/29708108424/0/

[antonypr]

Kochi: The Kerala State Information Technology Mission is keen to set up the proposed International Centre for Free and Open Source Software (ICFOSS) by December this year.

In order to achieve this, M. Arun, secretary, Free Software Foundation of India and coordinator, Society for Promotion of Alternative Computing and Employment (SPACE), has been appointed its ‘special officer.’ The Centre will be located in Thiruvananthapuram.

Concurrent with the launch of the Centre, the government will hold an international seminar on ‘Free Software, Free Society: Freedom in Computing, Development and Culture’ with a view to highlighting the State’s feats in FOSS. It is also aimed at formulating a consortium of FOSS-related organisations the world over.

“We expect several developing countries in Asia and Latin America, especially countries like Brazil and Venezuela that have some experience of developing free software for public/private sectors, to participate in the seminar,” said Mr. Arun. Naturally, collaborative development of commercial Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages will be high on the agenda of ICFOSS.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/08/02/stories/2008080253780400.htm

[Sathyalal]

Here we go...

Toonz Animation India is rated as the number one animation studio in Asia

http://specials.rediff.com/money/2008/aug/04sl1.htm

[Sathyalal]

Centre Gov cleared Vizhinjam Project. Now the biggest infrastructure project will be awarded formally to the consortium.

[Sathyalal]

August 5, 2008, Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Lootah IT Solutions (LITS)Lootah IT Solutions (LITS)Lootah IT Solutions

the information and communication technology arm of the UAE based business conglomerate S.S. Lootah GroupS.S. Lootah Group, announced the signing of a cooperation with Technopark, Kerala based IT park located in the capital Trivandrum. The signing ceremony was held at the Taj Mansingh Hotel, Delhi. Mr. Abdullah Saeed Lootah, CEO of Lootah IT Solutions

LITS has established itself as a key solutions provider in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region and has been working with several companies operating from Technopark. As a natural progression, we are now looking to establish our permanent base in India, known for its IT stronghold and skilled manpower, which will provide us with a gateway to reach out to a larger market in the subcontinent and other parts of Asia. We are very happy to be looking at Technopark as one of our key basis in India, with the knowledge that it is among the largest IT and Technology parks in South Asia."

http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20080805085520/secIndustries/pagTelecoms%20&%20IT

[Santhosh]

Satyalal,

Any update on the Satyam in TVM? Did they started operating from TVM?

[Sathyalal]

Not yet. They are promised land in third phase. Still land allocation is not started for third phase.Satyalal,

Any update on the Satyam in TVM? Did they started operating from TVM?

[antonypr]

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Cabinet on Wednesday decided to take steps for the development of roads, railway lines, warehouses, parking areas and other infrastructure for the proposed Vizhinjam international transhipment terminal in view of the clearance for the project from the Union Defence Ministry.

Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said 1,088 hectares would have to be acquired. Security clearance for the project from the Union Home Ministry is pending.



http://www.hindu.com/2008/08/07/stories/2008080756690100.htm

[antonypr]

Anybody have any idea of the infrastructure for the 2009 National Games?

[Sathyalal]

Lootah IT Solutions plans to set up a full-fledged development and operations center at the Technopark campus to provide a modern information infrastructure for service industries, the company said.

According to LITS, the new setup at Technopark, Kerala, is yet another important milestone in the operations of S.S. Lootah Asia, a wholly-owned subsidiary of S.S. Lootah Group, based in India.

“Lootah IT Solutions has established itself as a key solutions provider in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region and has been working with several companies operating from Technopark,” said Abdullah Saeed Lootah, CEO, Lootah IT Solutions, in a statement.

“As a natural progression, we are now looking to establish our permanent base in India, known for its IT stronghold and skilled manpower, which will provide us with a gateway to reach out to a larger market in the subcontinent and other parts of Asia. We are very happy to be looking at Technopark as one of our key bases in India, with the knowledge that it is among the largest IT and Technology parks in South Asia,” Lootah said.
http://it.tmcnet.com/topics/it/articles/36798-lootah-it-solutions-sets-up-development-center-india.htm

[Sathyalal]

Jet to fly between Thiruvanathapuram & Muscat from Sep 15

Jet Airways, India`s premier international airline, will connect the capital cities of the Indian state of Kerala and the Sultanate of Oman, Thiruvanathapuram and Muscat respectively, with daily, direct flights, effective from Sep. 15, 2008.

http://www.myiris.com/newsCentre/newsPopup.php?fileR=20080902194656121&dir=2008/09/02&secID=livenews

[Sathyalal]

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA: The technology destination in the Kerala capital is to see more investment soon as the Technopark is all set to leap frog into a Phase-III expansion, starting Thursday.

The Phase-III of the Thiruvananthapuram Technopark would involve private participation and is being mulled over as a special economic zone in the IT and ITeS space. The expansion would be undertaken on an area of 92 acres and would incur a cost of more than Rs 3500 crore, Technopark sources said.

The Phase-III of Technopark is expected to be completed in year 2012.

V S Achuthanandan, Chief Minister of Kerala, will formally open the third phase of expansion of Technopark on September 4. The inauguration will mark the commencement of construction of the new 110 KV sub-station at a cost of Rs. 10 crore.

The work on the sub station will be undertaken by power distribution and transmission giant Asea Brown Boveri and funding for the project would come in from South Indian Bank. The third phase promises to provide employment opportunities to over 35,000 professionals when completed.

According to R K Nair, CEO, Technopark, "This is a giant step towards our aim in putting Kerala among the top 5 IT destinations in the country by 2012."

Technopark, set up in July 1990, with the objective of creating the infrastructure and providing support required by hi-technology IT-ITeS companies in Kerala, was formally dedicated to the nation by the then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao.

The Technopark has grown to be the largest IT Park in the country with 150 nationally and internationally reputed companies having set up shop in 4 million sq.ft.of built-up area and over 20,000 IT-ITeS professionals employed directly.

The first phase is expected to provide additional employment opportunities for 15,000 professionals when the Special Economic Zone campuses of Tata Consultancy Services, IBS Software Solutions and buildings of Aushim Soft, Tata Elxsi, NeST and Case Consult are fully operational.

The second phase will provide employment to 30,000 professionals by Infosys Technologies and UST Global when their campuses go on stream. The first building of Infosys Technologies is expected to be operational by March 2009 in this campus.

The third phase 92 acres will provide employment opportunity to 35,000 professionals when it is fully ready.

It is expected by 2012, with these three phases fully operational, Technopark will provide direct employment opportunities to 100,000 IT-ITeS professionals and 400,000 indirectly.

The major companies currently in the campus include Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys Technologies, Toonz Animation, Ernst & Young, Mckinsey & Co, Allianz Cornhill, Collabera, RM Educational Software, Alamy Images, Kanoo Group, Saudi Engineering Group, and home grown companies like UST Global, IBS Software Solutions, NeST, SunTec, Accentia Technologies and Seaview Support Systems.
http://www.ciol.com/News/News-Reports/Technopark-to-get-more-investment/4908109928/0/

[PLUS]

Costliest piece of land in Kerala; 2.77 crores per cent. Survey 209 in Pallippuram(around 20 kms from city center)
Courtesy: Sreejith

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/7714/pallipuramresidentialgj5.jpg

I had promised to get the corrected version of the fair value for this land when the final list comes out. It is available now.

209 4 Residential Plot with NH.PWD road access 162500

The value recorded first seems to be a ridiculous error. Now it costs just Rs.65000 per cent.

http://igr.kerala.gov.in/

[Sathyalal]

courtesy: Sudheesh Nairs

From ET-Business Spaces-india Expo at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai There were two projects from Kerala, showcased there, both in Trivandrum, Commerce Zone from Raheja and 'Treasure Market City' by Pheonix Mills Realty.

Treasure Market City is the top end among the four classifications of developement. It is a mixed use development with a destination Mall.

http://i35.tinypic.com/358qdf5.jpg

The total development is 26, 49, 200 sft.

http://i33.tinypic.com/u4oj7.jpg

Trivandrum ,Bangalore and Chennai from south

http://i36.tinypic.com/6hqe4h.jpg

http://i35.tinypic.com/2znyhq9.jpg

The Treaure Market City in Trivandrum at Chakka could be on these lines

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

[rajkrish]

Vizhinjam gets all clearances.:cheers:

http://www.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/malayalamContentView.do?articleType=Malayalam+News&contentId=4516150&contentType=EDITORIAL&BV_ID=@@@

[Sathyalal]

http://i33.tinypic.com/14lbty.jpg


Trivandrum soon to be known as India's Aerospace city.
Airport Terminal, Air Force Base and Air India Hangar which can service 5 aircrafts at a time will make it a destination for Aeronautical Engineering students.
VSSC and Brahmos Missile Centre will add to the strategic importance of the city.
ISRO(Valiyamala) and the Space Institute completes the list

courtesy: Scorpio

Along with this Southern Air Command, Aero Space Command and IIST.

[PLUS]

http://www.desaihomes.com/images/DIAMOND-LOGO.jpg

17 and 13 storey blocks

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/1677/daimondelemj6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/5816/daimondviewoj9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Sathyalal]

On November 10 or 11, the national flag will be hoisted on the Moon. When the Moon Impact Probe (MIP), bearing the Tricolour, ejects from the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft and crashlands on the lunar surface, it will mark India’s leap into the club of countries aiming for the Moon.

“A small Indian flag (4 inches by six inches) has been painted on the moon impact probe. This is a matter of pride and honour, and when the MIP lands on the Moon, it will signal India’s entry into one of the intriguing aspects of the universe,’’ ISRO officials told TOI.

The 29-kg MIP, which was not part of the project initially, was inducted into the spacecraft at the insistence of former President A P J Abdul Kalam.

The payload developed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre at Thiruvananthapuram will help identify future landing sites on the Moon and will also aid scientific exploration of the lunar surface.

When the MIP crash-lands on the Moon, it will kick up dust. The mass spectrometer on the payload will gather scientific details from the dust and send them back to the earth. The MIP is one of the 11 payloads on Chandrayaan-I and one of the five instruments indigenously designed and developed in India.

Read more.. (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/ET_Cetera/Payload_bearing_Tricolour_will_land_on_Moon/articleshow/3598032.cms)

[Sathyalal]

Big Salute to the scientists

Chandrayaan probe to demonstrate tech for softlanding missions


Bangalore, Oct 21 One of the key payloads (scientific instruments) being carried by Chandrayaan-1 lunar spacecraft is a Moon Impact Probe (MIP) whose objective is to demonstrate the technologies required for landing a probe at the desired location on the moon.

Through this probe, it is also intended to qualify some of the technologies related to future softlanding missions. This apart, scientific exploration of the moon at a close distance is also intended using MIP, according to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The 29 kg MIP consists of a C-band Radar Altimeter for continuous measurement of altitude of the Probe above lunar surface and to qualify technologies for future landing missions.

It also has a Video Imaging System for acquiring images of the surface of moon from the descending probe and a Mass Spectrometer for measuring the constituents of extremely thin lunar atmosphere during its 20-minute descent to the lunar surface.

MIP has been developed by Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre of Thiruvananthapuram.

Chandrayaan-1, India's first bold step beyond earth orbit into deep space, would be followed by Chandrayaan-2 which features a lander and a rover.

ISRO officials say studies are being conducted by the Bangalore-headquartered space agency on sending unmanned spacecraft to planet Mars as well as to asteroids and comets.(Agencies)

[Sathyalal]

http://www.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bi...6344&BV_ID=@@@

Central govt asks for 1500 acres for shipyard.

[Sathyalal]

Technopark Phase III design by Haffez Contractors

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/953/slide1rser6.jpg

http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/6694/slide2rsld5.jpg

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/6537/slide11rsni3.jpg

http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/9669/slide9rswd2.jpg

http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/6236/slide10rsqx5.jpg

http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/4770/slide3rsln0.jpg

http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/3411/slide5rsft8.jpg

http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/8930/slide6rssh7.jpg

http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/9957/slide8rsdt2.jpg

http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/1671/slide7rssc7.jpg

http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/249/slide4rspa5.jpg

[Sathyalal]

BANGALORE: India marked its presence on Moon on Friday night to be only the fourth nation to scale this historic milestone after a Moon Impact Probe Chandrayaan-I Impact Probe lands on the moon surface (Times Now)
More Pictures
with the national tri-colour painted successfully landed on the lunar surface after being detached from unmanned spacecraft Chandrayaan-1.

Joining the US, the erstwhile Soviet Union and the European Union, the 35-kg Moon Impact Probe (MIP) hit the moon exactly at 8.31 PM, about 25 minutes after the probe instrument descended from the satellite in what ISRO described as a "perfect operation".
Miniature Indian flags painted on four sides of the MIP signalled the country's symbolic entry into moon to coincide with the birth anniversary of the country's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, observed as Children's Day.

"It will signify the entry of India on Moon," an ISRO official said.

The MIP is one of the 11 scientific instruments (payloads) onboard Chandrayaan-1, India's first unmanned spacecraft mission to Moon launched on October 22 from Sriharikota spaceport.

Developed by ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre of Thiruvananthapuram, the primary objective of MIP is to demonstrate the technologies required for landing a probe at the desired location on the moon.

The probe will help qualify some of the technologies related to future soft landing missions. This apart, scientific exploration of the moon at close distance is also intended using MIP.

ISRO officials say that Chandrayaan-1 detached Moon Impact Probe as planned

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Chandrayaan-I_Impact_Probe_lands_on_moon/articleshow/3714245.cms

[Sathyalal]

SBT gets 829 crores increase in deposit (in last 6 months). Boom time for this city based bank

http://www.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/malayalamContentView.do?contentType=EDITORIAL&programId=1073753761&articleType=Malayalam%20News&contentId=4764696&BV_ID=@@@

[Sathyalal]

PM gives excellence awards to scientists, technologists


The others who were awarded were Upinder Singh Bhalla of the National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bangalore, Amalendu Chandra of the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur and A. Ajayaghosh of the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology in Thiruvananthapuram.

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/PM_gives_excellence_awards_to_scientists_technologists-nid-50185.html

[PLUS]

M Mall Tiruvananthapuram

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/1580/mmallhe0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Sathyalal]

Technopark pictures

http://i41.tinypic.com/e0pjja.jpg

http://i42.tinypic.com/fvl1yf.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/kdnx39.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/2i0dhki.jpg

http://i42.tinypic.com/ek2peq.jpg

[Sathyalal]

Based on the request from PLUS I am undeleting one of the negative postings here. I think it is better to avoid unneccessary debates on news paper links. I think all forumers will agree on this. Hope that now forumers are more matured to accept both negative and positive news. But the bottom line is the news item should be from a relaible source like prominent dailies.

[rajkrish]

Technopark Phase III design by Haffez Contractors

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/953/slide1rser6.jpg

http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/6694/slide2rsld5.jpg

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/6537/slide11rsni3.jpg


Cool, radical design. I hope this is going to induce a paradigm shift in the development of IT Infrastructure all over India.

[Sathyalal]

Thiruvananthapuram: Southern districts of the State — Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Alappuzha —have topped the Grand Kerala Shopping Festival sales, accounting for the distribution of 4.5 lakh coupons at the end of the fourth week of the fete.

Thiruvananthapuram accounted for the highest sales

http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/29/stories/2008122954100400.htm

[rajkrish]

:previous: Well nothing surprising. TVM boasts having one of the highest dispensable income earning population in the State if not the country. What it lacks is hype :(

[Sathyalal]

TCS to focus more on centres like Pune and Trivandrum

http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/news/current-affairs/tcs-infy-shift-to-tier-ii-iii-cities-to-save-cost/373086

[rajkrish]

:previous: That's great news. Now the majors have realized the importance of moving to tier II cities like TVM because that cuts down the cost a great deal and they can find talent much cheaper. Meanwhile there have been instances where companies found it difficult to retain people in some places and many are thinking about downsizing their workforce there and freeze further investments.

[Sathyalal]

Reality hot spots of the city

http://www.hindu.com/pp/2008/11/08/stories/2008110850250100.htm

[Sathyalal]

Rennovation works for first synthetic track of Kerala. Once updated it will be the first in the country with Olympic Standards. It is in Final Touches @University Stadium.
http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/29/utystadiumwn3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Sathyalal]

Humboldt Club opened
Express News Service
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Deputy Consul General of Germany Friedrich Rahn on Sunday inaugurated the Humboldt Club Kerala at the Max Mueller Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram.

The Humboldt Club in Thiruvananthapuram, the 16th in the country, will serve as a platform for people to exchange of views on science, also to share their experiences of Germany, Rahn said. The German Government runs the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation - memorialising the German naturalist and explorer - for promoting international co-operation in scientific research.

The foundation sponsors postdoctoral fellowships and senior scientist fellowships for foreign scientists to finance their stay and research in Germany, usually for a period of six to 24 months. The Club at the Max Mueller Bhavan will also provide information on the fellowships and the foundation.

GERMAN FILM CLUB: A German Film Club is being planned at the Max Mueller Bhavan

[Sathyalal]

Indian Army to have amphibious force soon

New Delhi (IANS): The Indian Army is all set to get next month its own amphibious brigade, modelled on the lines of the Indian Navy's marine commandos and specialising in land and marine warfare. Experts see it as a “necessary adjunct” to meet India's security challenges.

"The amphibious brigade of the army has been undergoing training for over a year at Thiruvananthapuram and will be formally launched by the defence minister (A.K. Antony) next month," a defence ministry official told IANS.

Named the 91 Infantry Brigade, the amphibious force has a strength of 3,000 personnel.
“The soldiers have been drawn from the Sikh, Gorkhas and Madras regiments,” the official added.

"Dedicated ships and aircrafts would be needed to make it (amphibious brigade) fully operational. But it is a good beginning for the augmentation of the maritime security of the country," said Major General (retired) Ashok Mehta.

Amphibious warfare is the utilisation of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to send troops ashore. In the modern era, amphibious warfare persists in the form of commando insertion by fast patrol boats and mini submersibles.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200901291651.htm

[rajkrish]

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/3281/ksrtcig6.jpg
Highlights:

* 10 storeyed building with a total area of 35,000 sq.m with semicircular shape.
* Its a shopping come bus station, constructing on BOT basis.
* Electronic control system
* Multilevel parking upto 3rd floor.
* Work will start within 3 months after getting the sanction from the govt
* Project estimation 65 crores
News link (http://news.keralakaumudi.com/news.php?nid=8cad7770bea867c44a6cd63bae19903d)

Image and News Clip courtesy Sajith Vijayan@SSC