ISP provider ? Like Hathway,Sify.. etc ?
Okay.. I just spotted it on wikimapia. Its marked "Spectrum softech".
Was thinking its some small tech firm.
Thanks for the info, Rajkrish.

:previous: yea what i have heard is that they dont rely on the local gateway VSNL.. and they have their own direct satellite link.. now i m not sure of this..when i was in college a friend had told me that they have this setup and that they provide highspeed internet to corporates and that they also have a net cafe along with their office and all...and that this firm is owned by some guy from cochin but is based in US... now this is a little old news which was passed on to me around 2001.. now i dont know if it has changed..

edit: just got their site.. check it out http://www.spectrum.net.in

does Spectrum own the whole building?

It was one of the first IT companies in Kerala. They were always a fore runner among our local IT companies. Nice to see they have grown this big... Another Kerala based firm growing big after Us Software, IBS and co...:tup:

Construction Updates
 

Abad Builders

Olympus

http://www.abadbuilders.com/admin/up...mages/2784.jpg

Sunshine Court

http://www.abadbuilders.com/admin/up...mages/2810.jpg

Mather Projects

Plum Flower

http://www.matherprojects.com/ishowc...6406302145.jpg

Leisureville

http://www.matherprojects.com/ishowc...0920189432.jpg

Berrywoods

http://www.matherprojects.com/ishowc...0484073433.jpg

http://www.matherprojects.com/ishowc...0051921770.jpg

Kalpaka

Blue Diamond

http://www.kalpakabuilders.com/image...lery13_big.jpg

SRK

Skywings

http://www.srkconstructions.com/imag...imgs/site1.jpg

http://www.srkconstructions.com/imag...imgs/site3.jpg

LuLu Hyper Market
 

Full Story
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...ow/2153081.cms

Waaawww atlast the Giant Mall is coming . Here is more news.
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_f...tent_id=168462

Well , If sources are to be believed , Forum mall will give strong challenge to lulu.

To quote your news pieces
Great finds, KMC, Roshan LuLu Kochi is taking off - and that too this is their
anchor-store in India !! :cheers:

thoppumpady
 

hi guys,
reliance fresh is opening its 4th store in cochin in thoppumpady today..

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

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

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

http://www.bullishindian.com/housing...-hdil-ipo/365/

Mahan Air to increase services
 

Source: hindu.com

50 cities seen as hub of retail space boom
 

Whopping... HDIL will not be left behind with all the other biggies already jumping into the ring. Their focus on Kochi is already on par with metros. Govt really has to wake up
as no place in Kerala comes anywhere near in attracting big investments like this
and need urgent infrastructure upgradation.

Nice updates, vineeta. There seems to be lot of protests around the state. Ultimately Reliance may win
as govt is bound to provide security.

Santhi Lotus - Alwaye
 

http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/1555/cabea5rreu0.jpg

Source: www.santhihomes.com

Kochi: Building up to a smarter city
 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Doesn't that ring a bell?

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

With all these Mega Projects coming up is any one caring about our roads? I have been to TVM recently, GOD how clean and wide the roads are! It is high time that Cochin corporation / GCDA comes up with a master plan for road widening and garbage handling. Hope booming Kakkanad never becomes another garbage Bin like Ernakulam City :(
And request not come up with stupid ideas like what they with the North Over Bridge. lol

Good post Prasanth... actually I have come across a few such north Indians who are planning to invest in Kochi real estate even though they had no association with Kochi or Kerala hitherto. Didn't realize that it is really a phenomenon happening in thousands.
Solid pointer to Kochi's growth as an investment destination.

Spice Jet to fly Delhi, Bangalore

Spice Jet will start non-stop flights to Delhi from Kochi, August 15 onwards. They are also starting Bangalore service from the same date.
With that Kochi gets many direct non-stop flights to Delhi - Indian, Sahara, SpiceJet, Indigo. Kochi is the only city connected non-stop with Delhi from the state.

Now after everything is alright, Iam worried about two things:-

1) Infrastructure:- As of now our infrastructure is very poor. The condition of roads and garbage dumping facility should improve more. Hope this wont be a deterrent for the growth of the city.
2) Hartals and Bandh:- Even though there is no hartal and bandh in the city limits. i heard from an unofficial source that there is frequent hartal and bandh in the outskirts. So the companies which provide transport to those areas are finding it difficult because it is their responsibility to pick them up safely from those areas.I also heard even though our communist government now pretends to be very investor friendly, there is another segment which always start strikes. Hope everything comes out well.

There is also another good news. Land acquisition of Smart City is almost over. Land will be handed over to TECOM authorities in two weeks.
This is another unofficial information which I got from Infopark authorities. This is not there in newspapers

Waiting for the first cruise terminal
 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kochi metro rail in three years
 

Work on the Kochi metro rail will begin in 6 months, and is expected to be completed in 3 years!:banana:
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems...Kerala&Topic=0

But sad news from our govt. Plan to stop all corporate retailers in the the state:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/203538.html