Bangalore, Hyderabad lose IT jobs to Kochi

Kochi, May 29 In five years, 1.7 million jobs in Information Technology (IT) sector in India will move out of tier 1 cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad, to tier 2 cities, Siddhartha Bhattacharya, Infopark's chief executive officer, said here.

Bhattacharya was speaking Wednesday at a discussion organised by The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), a global not-for-profit organisation promoting entrepreneurship. Infopark at Kochi is a state government-owned IT Park.


It is the better quality of life and lower operating cost that are attracting the IT companies to these cities, he said quoting research reports.


He said among the upcoming IT destinations, Kochi has many inherent advantages.


'The data transmission cost from Kochi is low. Seventy-five percent of the country's data traffic goes out from Kochi. VSNL has a 15 gigabyte gateway here. The electricity and water tariffs are one of the lowest among all the states. Compared to Bangalore, house rent is low in Kochi. The attrition rates in IT companies are below 10 percent.'


At present around 40 companies in the Infopark employ around 7,000 people. 'In next four years we expect the number of companies to go up seven to eight times.'


He said that Kerala has the highest density of IT and science professionals. 'The state's infrastructure is pretty strong, especially in telecommunication sector,' he added.


Infopark is in the process of coming out with a dedicated incubator to help start up companies. 'This is an early life support system for start ups. We will help them with issues like government clearance, finance and also help them expand,' he added.

Addhra Cafe.com

COCHIN among 10 southern cities EmaarMGF plans to invest $3 billion in

EmaarMGF, one of India’s leading real estate developers, Friday announced plans to invest $3 billion at 10 cities in south India over the next few years. It plans to develop over 31 million square feet area in Hyderabad, Tirupati, Chennai, Coimbatore, Cochin, Mysore and Mangalore.

The plans span residential, commercial and retail, IT parks and special economic zones (SEZs) and hospitality sectors.

The company made the announcement while unveiling an integrated world-class leisure and residential community around an 18-hole golf course built with an investment of $1.4 billion (Rs.56.10 billion) here.

The unique project, first among several projects planned in south India, boasts of world-class golf course, luxury residences, large format retail facility, luxury and boutique hotels and IT SEZ.

EmaarMGF, a joint venture of Dubai-based Emaar Properties and MGF Development, developed the ‘Boulder Hills Golf & Country Club’ on 531 acres in the heart of the IT corridor in Gacchibowli.

The picturesque golf course, spread over 192 acres, is dotted with the peculiar Deccan plateau rocks and several lakes.

The project will have 110 luxury villas with a price tag of Rs.150 million to Rs 240 million. The integrated township will have 2,700 units, with 703 units in the first phase. The developers said many luxury units were already sold out.

“The most unique thing about this community is this is the only one of its kind in the country to be built around 18-hole golf course,” said EmaarMGF CEO William R. Rattazzi.

The IT SEZ called “IT Green” will have a built-up area of three million square feet and was expected to provide 37,000 jobs.

In the special purpose vehicles (SPV) for the project, EmaarMGF holds 74 percent stake while Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corp (APIIC) holds 26 percent.

EmaarMGF (south) CEO Srikant Joshi said the company has a land bank of 13,000 acres in 26 cities across India. It has 1,500 acres in south India alone.

To a query, Rattazi said EmaarMGF might revive its plans to go public in 12 to 18 months.


Thai Indian

Cochin is the clear leader as Tier 2 cities take IT jobs away from tier 1 cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad

Tier 1 Indian cites to lose IT jobs to tier 2 cities’

Kochi, May 29 (IANS) In five years, 1.7 million jobs in Information Technology (IT) sector in India will move out of tier 1 cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad, to tier 2 cities, Siddhartha Bhattacharya, Infopark’s chief executive officer, said here. Bhattacharya was speaking Wednesday at a discussion organised by The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), a global not-for-profit organisation promoting entrepreneurship. Infopark at Kochi is a state government-owned IT Park.

It is the better quality of life and lower operating cost that are attracting the IT companies to these cities, he said quoting research reports.

He said among the upcoming IT destinations, Kochi has many inherent advantages.

“The data transmission cost from Kochi is low. Seventy-five percent of the country’s data traffic goes out from Kochi. VSNL has a 15 gigabyte gateway here. The electricity and water tariffs are one of the lowest among all the states. Compared to Bangalore, house rent is low in Kochi. The attrition rates in IT companies are below 10 percent.”

At present around 40 companies in the Infopark employ around 7,000 people. “In next four years we expect the number of companies to go up seven to eight times.”

He said that Kerala has the highest density of IT and science professionals. “The state’s infrastructure is pretty strong, especially in telecommunication sector,” he added.

Infopark is in the process of coming out with a dedicated incubator to help start up companies. “This is an early life support system for start ups. We will help them with issues like government clearance, finance and also help them expand,” he added.
ThaiIndian.com

Cochin pins revenue growth aims on duty-free

The airport hopes that its duty-free operation will soon account for 40% of total airport revenues
Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) is hoping to attract new airlines by reducing landing charges with the help of its growing duty-free business. Speaking at the Gate One2One conference at the TFWA Asia Pacific show earlier this month, CIAL general manager commercial V Suresh Babu reported that duty-free revenue at the Kerala airport accounts for 30% of total airport revenues at present, and that the airport hopes to grow that figure to 40% with planned changes to the airport layout.

Babu said: “We want to be the first airport in India with no landing charges…Indian airports on average generate 70% of revenues through aeronautical operations and 30% through non-aeronautical operations. At Cochin we generate 42% through non-aeronautical. We have identified three areas to grow non-aeronautical revenue, of which duty-free is one. We are aiming to increase dwell time by redeveloping the airport layout, and to expand the area devoted to duty-free.”

Alpha Asia operates the duty-free business at Cochin under the Alpha Kreol fascia, through a management contract with CIAL. Alpha Asia managing director Paul Topping told DFNIonline that the business has been achieving “phenomenal” growth as a result of extending its product offer and improving customer service. He also attributed growth to the big space CIAL had given the retailer. Alpha Kreol grew sales by over 40% last year, while traffic at the airport grew by about 25%.

Cochin is the fourth biggest airport in India, behind Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai, and was the first greenfield airport operated by a private company in India.

DFNIonline.com

ETL Infrastructure Services Ltd Cochin project will be a leisure township.

ETL Infrastructure Services Ltd, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, is developing several projects in the south at an estimated cost of Rs 14,262 crore.
"We have plans to execute nearly nine projects in Chennai, Erode, Chengalpet, Madurai and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, Cochin in Kerala, and Bangalore in Karnataka," says K. Sriram, Head - Finance, ETL.
According to Sriram, the two major projects, one in Cochin and the other in Bangalore, entail an investment of Rs 10,221 crore and Rs 1,670 crore respectively.
The Cochin project will be a leisure township comprising residential, educational, health and hospitality developments spanning 1,000 acres with a waterfront. Work has started and will be complete by the end of 2008.
The Bangalore DRC/IT park entails the development of the first private disaster recovery centre, IT park and apartments, spanning an area of 66 acres and located three km from the new international airport at Devanahalli. The centre will come up on 5.75 million sq. ft built-up area and will be one of the most secured buildings in the subcontinent. It will also include world-class social infrastructure like healthcare, clubs, bars, restaurants, health clubs, tennis and squash courts, swimming pools, and convenience stores. Work on this project will commence from November this year and complete by mid-2009.
Also on the cards is the Perundurai-Textile special economic zone, a textile park and commercial space for a power project that requires about 258 acres in Perundurai in Erode. The textile SEZ is estimated to cost Rs 855 crore and will come up on 6.3 million sq. ft built-up area. Work on the SEZ will start from October this year and complete within 14 months. The project will offer industrial, commercial and residential plots.
The company will set up a captive power plant of 18 mw in two phases of 9 mw each, which will be used for the company's captive use, said Sriram.
The company's upcoming SEZ in Chengalpet will serve residential, commercial, educational, health and hospitality needs with a golf course spanning 252 acres. This project will cost around Rs 897 crore. Work is expected to complete by the end of 2008. The project will also house India's first factory outlet mall of one million sq. ft and a golf resort.
Chennai One, an IT/ITES special economic zone that houses one of the largest gold-rated green buildings, is situated in the heart of the IT corridor of Chennai city. The company will develop phase-II of this project on about 2.4 million sq. ft that will include service apartments at a cost of Rs 358 crore. Construction work will start in October and take 15 months to complete.
Similarly, the IT park and retail mall with service apartments in Coimbatore are coming up on a built-up area of 1.5 sq. ft, entailing an investment of Rs 198 crore, and will be ready by end-2008.
Sriram said the company had planned to develop Heritage Hotel in Madurai along with a retail mall on 0.3 million sq. ft built-up area. Work on the Rs 62-crore project is expected to commence in March 2008 and take a year to complete.
ETL has acquired land and necessary clearances for the above projects
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Kerala to spin land from Vaiga Thread Processors to IT park

The Kerala government is readying to spin an IT infrastructure out of a former cotton sewing threads unit. The proposed land for the IT park had been used on lease by Vaiga Thread Processors, formerly Yamuna Coats.

An IT park, yielding 10,000 direct jobs will be set up at Koratty (near Kochi and Trissur), state revenue minister KP Rajendran confirmed, when contacted. This is part of the initiatives from the 'land bank' that the state government is culling together for development projects, he said. About 45 acres for the new IT park will be from the excess land procured from the Koratty unit of Vaiga Thread Processors last year.

A small portion of the land from Vaiga Thread Processors was given to National Highways and one acre to Kerala State Electricity Board for infrastructure development.

The land bank is envisaged considering the development of the state in the next 25 years, the minister said. The land needs for many crucial infrastructure projects coming up in the state, including the new bypass in Kochi, ring roads, Kochi Metro Rail and IT Parks, are factored in, while detailing the land bank project. Construction of office and commercial complexes on BOT (build-operate-transfer) basis with State-run outfits like KSIDC, Kinfra, Kerala Power Finance Corporation and Kerala Tourism Finance Corporation are also in consideration. State Planning Board is considering whether the land bank can get more operational efficiency if it takes a company form.
Financial Express

After Club FM, Radio Mango hits Cochin airwaves

Cochin is witnessing some FM action this week. Close on the heels of Mathrubhumi Group’s Club FM going on air in Cochin, Radio Mango, the FM venture of Malayala Manorama Publications, has also launched its operations there. Radio Mango is already present in Kozhikode, Thrissur and Kannur – all in Kerala.

As part of the Cochin launch, Radio Mango has undertaken an intensive multimedia campaign along with innovative on-ground promotional activity, christened ‘Nattile Tharam’ (Star of the State). The on-ground activity covered over 800 panchayats throughout Kerala.

Besides Malayalam music, Radio Mango would play Tamil, Hindi and English songs. Commenting on the launch, Amit Mathew, General Manager, Radio Mango, said, “Coming from the house of Malayala Manorama, we have in-depth understanding of the lifestyles, tastes and preferences of the listeners in Kerala. This has enabled us to formulate the right programme mix and marketing strategies. The recent IMRB study has ranked us as No. 1 at the three stations we currently operate in. We are confident of replicating the success story in Cochin as well.”

Targeted at not only the youth, but also the youthful, Radio Mango was the first private FM station to go on air in Kerala.

Exchange4media.com

Genovate Solutions which is already in Cochin plans to invest around $3-5 million to open eight new centres.

IT and training solutions company, Genovate Solutions, plans to invest around $3-5 million to open eight new centres across the country within the next 12 months, a top company official said.

"We will be investing $3-5 million for opening eight new centres in various parts of the country," Genovate Group's CEO J Anton Ravindran told PTI on the sidelines of a conference here today.

The company, in the last 12 months, had invested a similar amount in infrastructure upgradation and renovation of its existing centres.
Genovate, currently operates in Mumbai, Cochin, Trichy, Ahmedabad, Pune, Lucknow, Mangalore, Baroda, Hyderabad and Bangalore.

Out of the eight centres, two centres would be opened in the next three months in Lucknow and Thane, he said. "The remaining would be set up by April next year".

The company has not yet decided the cities where it would be opening its other six centres but would target the northern part of the country, he added.
Business Standard

Sun TV launches FM station at Kochi

Sun TV Network, a television broadcasting company based in South India, announced the launching of its FM Radio Station at Kochi under the brand ``S FM`` from May 21, 2008 through its Subsidiary Kal Radio. This Station can be heard at 93.5 MHz frequency in Kochi and will cater to the audience of all age groups.

Sun TV will be operating in seven stations, as it already operates FM stations in Chennai, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli and Visakhapatnam. Work on 38 FM stations is in progress, as the company has retained 45 FM radio stations across India out of 68 FM stations successfully bid.

The SunTV Network originally began as a Tamil satellite channel. It has expanded with other channels in other languages including Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. The channels offered are SunTV, KTV, Sun Music, Sun News, Chutti TV, SuryaTV, GeminiTV, Teja News, Gemini News, Gemini Music, Gemini Cable Vision, UdayaTV, Udaya Movies, Udaya News, etc.

The SunTV Network is available in Asia, South Africa, Australia, Europe and USA. The company has hiked its advertisement rates by 5% to 27% with effect from January 2007. The corporate and registered office is located at Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Shares of the company declined Rs 7.7, or 2.17%, to settle at Rs 347.2. The total volume of shares traded was 12,851 at the BSE. (Tuesday)


MY IRIS.COM

Club FM’s fourth station goes on air in Cochin

May 19 2008


Club FM, the FM venture of the Mathrubhumi Group, hit the Cochin airwaves on May 16. With this FM station, Club FM has completed the launch of all its four stations. Apart from Cochin, Club FM is present in Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Kannur.

Shreyams Kumar, Director, Electronics Media, Mathrubhumi Printing and Publishing Co, is gung-ho about the Cochin market, which is considered to be the fiefdom of the Matrubhumi Group.

Club FM will be on air from 5 am till midnight everyday. Apart from regular interactive and live shows, the FM station has lined up some live road shows as part of its exclusive ‘connect to people’ marketing strategy.

Kumar feels that the three RAPA Awards for station anthem, humour programme category and best female radio jockey is a reiteration of the fact that Club FM’s programme quality is the ultimate differentiating factor for its success.

Meanwhile, adding to its medley of music and game shows, Club FM will be coming up with a new lunch time show, ‘Meals Ready’, especially crafted to capture the distinctive eating-out habit of the people of Cochin. The show will cover various eateries and food joints of the city.

Exchange4Media.com

30 Acre Residential Township by Jairaj Builders to come within 2 km from COCHIN Seaport-Airport Road

Residential Township from Jairaj Builders

Matching the contemporary industry standards and customer response, Jairaj Builders has its seventh project fast progressing. The proposed project is a residential township, comprising of villas and apartment homes ranging from economy to super-luxury. To be launched in an expanse of over 30 acres, the township will promote the following features, including a fully-equipped private club with a thousand-seater auditorium, a banquet hall, health club, swimming pool and other recreational facilities. The site located within 2 km from seaport-airport road will also boast of well-planned layout and excellent sewage system. Having completed 6 projects - 5 deluxe residential apartments at Padamugal, Kakkanad and one commercial building complex at NH-47 by-pass Edapally, this residential township from Jairaj Builders too will be a promising deal to home buyers!

Jai Raj Builders