CIBER City Cochin India

Visit KochiNow

2008-08-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

This blog compliments the new initiative KochiNow. We look forward to more activities.

HPCL & property consultants Trammell Crow Meghraj (TCM) Cochin project to come in 60 acres with mall, residences and other entertainment facilities

2008-06-25T16:58:00.000-07:00

State-owned oil marketing firm Hindustan Petroleum Corp (HPCL) has lined up its retail foray in Cochin and Jaipur with assistance from property consultants Trammell Crow Meghraj (TCM).

HPCL plans to build malls with multiplexes, food courts, hotels, convention centres, amusement parks besides commercial complexes and premium residential apartments at the 60-odd acres of land available with it in the two cities.

The Cochin project will be the first to get off the ground and the projected yield from this project, excluding the sale of residential flats, is pegged in the range of Rs 30 to 40 crore annually. Sale of flats is estimated to add another Rs 100 crore to the company’s bottomline.

Of the four models proposed by its consultant, HPCL has zeroed in on the joint venture partnership model with a private developer for development and management of the property.

The JV partner will construct and market the retail facilities and HPCL will bring in land as equity. The net revenues will be shared between HPCL and the other party in proportion of HPCL equity (including land cost) and partner’s equity construction cost.

This arrangement, according to HPCL, offers the highest value for HPCL as it gives it proportionate profit sharing without any capital investment. However, a final decision in this regard will be taken only after the approval of the company’s board.

HPCL currently owns huge chunks of prime real estate in several cities in the form of oil depots, terminals, LPG plants, housing colonies and retail outlets. At many such places, the operations have been shifted to other locations resulting in vacant land lying unused.

The other three options proposed by TCM were: forming a joint venture with a real estate fund, tie-up with integrated retail developers on BOOT basis and investment by HPCL itself in the development and construction of the property besides carrying out its own marketing and management of the complex. HPCL’s retail consultant, TCM has been associated with leading malls in the country like High Street Phoenix, Centre One, InorbitCentral Mall, Forum, Metropolls and Inox.
Indian Reality News

BlueLabs Technology a UAE based tech company with Swedish partner plans to set up office in InfoPark and come up with their own campus in Cochin!!

2008-06-13T07:04:00.000-07:00

Kerala is blessed with a high density of science and technology personnel in India and has a low employee attrition rate in the country (less than 5%).

There are lot of IT parks coming up in Cochin. With the advent of Major IT parks like, Techno Park, Smart city, L&T, Muthoot, Leela Info Park, Kerala is to be the epicentre of the next IT boom.

BlueLabs Technology Solution is a leading supplier of high quality software development services, specialising in enterprise application development, system integration and business automation tools. Located at the Leela Infopark, they give access to professional solutions and expertise to the high standards required in international business. They follow high-end operations procedures to provide both intricate and simple software development services to a wide range of companies; with everybody receiving the same high level of professional service and having extensive experience in scientific, telecoms (VOIP), financial and process automation environments.

"We aim to make working at BlueLabs as rewarding and enjoyable an experience as possible. For our colleagues this means providing the benefits, rewards and recognition that makes BlueLabs such an amazing place to work. For our customers, it means an enjoyable experience, with friendly attentive colleagues, low prices and great services", says Mr. Mathews Jose, CEO, BlueLabs Technology Solution. Mr Jose who has just returned after attending CeBIT Australia added, "CeBIT lives up to the hype. It was an amazing experience at the CeBIT Australia. We had a great opportunity to put our organization in limelight. The business opportunities and brand exposure gained over the course of the event has been outstanding".

A technology driven company based out of UAE and having partner based in Sweden, they plan to have 250-300 employees by 2009 and around 1000 employees by 2011. They also have plans to set up a large office in Info Park and to come up with their own campus in Cochin

. "We're preparing for the future, examining every aspect of our business, from employing as many local people to recycling and use of less energy and reduction in our carbon footprint. Take a look at the people who work at BlueLabs and you'll notice, they all have one thing in common - we smile a lot. Not every minute of every day of course, but lots more than people in other companies. This is because we're an extraordinarily good company to work for", Mr. Jose feels.
Express Computer Online

Zoom developers to build 100-storey office in Kochi

2008-06-07T08:25:00.000-07:00

India would soon have a 100-storeyed building. The New Delhi-based Zoom Developers has planned to build a 100-storey office complex in Kochi, Kerala.

At Rs 1 crore per acre, the 40-acre tract has been purchased by the Zoom Developers from the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure development (Kinfra) to build an international trade and convention centre at Kochi.

The 100-storey building developed as a part of the project will be around 1,640 ft (500 metres) in height. As per the mandate from the state government of Kerala the project should have convention halls and exhibition halls on an area of 2.5 lakh sq ft.

The mandatory requirements need to be completed by the end of this year. “The work is on full swing and we are confident of meeting the mandatory requirements by December 2008,” says Rumneek Bawa, managing director Zoom Infraestates. The total cost outlay of the project would be Rs 1,000 crore, which the company plans to fund through a mix of internal accruals and bank loans.

Zoom Developers has also roped in the Singapore-based CPG consultants for the architectural design of the project. The project will also include a five-star hotel comprising 31 floors and a total of 400 rooms. The unique 100-storey tower apart from offices would also have a shopping mall spread over six floors.

The other structures in the convention centre would include a trade centre, service apartments, restaurants, a post office, and a multilevel car parking.

The project will be completed in three phases. The first phase would involve the building of convention and exhibition halls, which will be completed by the end of this year. The second phase would involve the construction of a five-star hotel and shopping mall, while the third would involve completion of the office tower.

The development is located at a distance of 25 km from the Cochin airport and 26 km from the sea port.

Source: Financial Chronicle

Property Bytes

Kochi's Marine Drive is costliest realty in Kerala

2008-06-07T04:50:00.000-07:00

By Amrita Martin, CNBC-TV18

Marine Drive in Kochi is the costliest kilometer and a half in Kerala. NRIs seems to be flocking to it, driving prices up to USD 1-2 million per apartment.

The Price of being posh

A gorgeous sunset view, boat jetties bobbing in the water, the famous Chinese fishing nets and the gentle breeze from Vembanad Lake. All this has made Marine Drive in Kochi one of the costliest piece of land in Kerala. And non-resident Indians are the ones who are shelling out the big bucks for the luxury apartments. Real-estate prices have risen from Rs 2,500 per square feet from three years ago to Rs 11,000 per square feet.

BR Ajith, Chief Executive Architect of Ajith Associates said ,"Kochi has the potential for another 30 years. If a foreigner investor internationally can think that way, there should be some reasons for that. The most important reason is that it is a beautiful location of Kochi, in the midst of beautiful trees, lots of greenery around and one of the best airports in the country. It means we are well connected and have a beautiful port with a lot of international passenger vessels calling on the port."

More homes in the offing

About 15 or more construction projects are going on. Developers like Prestige, Dewa Projects, EMAAR Group and DLF have pumped in an estimated investment of Rs 1,500 crore into these constructions. Prestige is offering 3 tier triplex and two tier duplex versions of pent houses with a personal swimming pool for a neat sum of Rs 8 crore and above.

According to developers, most of the apartments seem to be out-of-reach for the average Kochiite. Marine Drive certainly seems to changed the dynamics of realty prices in Kerala.
Money Control.com

School of Communication and Management Studies (SCMS), Cochin has become the largest business school in the country in the autonomous sector

2008-06-05T10:57:00.000-07:00

SCMS becomes 'largest autonomous B School' in India

KOCHI: School of Communication and Management Studies (SCMS), Cochin has become the largest business school in the country in the autonomous sector with the sanctioning of 60 seats in its P G Programme in Management, a SCMS release claimed on Monday.

'The campus of SCMS at Cochin and the high quality level of professional education offered coupled with placement in top multinational corporate houses made the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) increase the intake to 330 seats in its PG Dioploma in Management programme from this academic year onwards, it said.

SCMS Cochin is the only business school in Kerala that is accredited by the National Board of Accreditation with A Grade, it said.

The P G Programme of SCMS is ISO certified as the most industry relevant management programme. The Association of Indian Universities, Government of India has recognised the PGDM programme as equivalent to MBA with all attendant benefits, it said.

With the 120 seats in the MBA programme of SCMS School of Technology and Management, SCMS Group has 450 seats in its management programme.

Established in 1976, SCMS Cochin has the distinction of being the first professional institution in the self-financing sector in Kerala,the release said.
Economic Times

Bangalore, Hyderabad lose IT jobs to Kochi

2008-05-31T05:42:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-30T15:59:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-29T18:39:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-29T18:19:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-05-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

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
Projects Monitor.com

Alfa Horizon Vallarpadam Cochin the finest commercial property in COCHIN

2008-05-28T15:11:00.000-07:00

Overlooking the bay and the proposed Vallarpadam International Container Terminal to be run by Dubai Ports (D.P World).
Office blocks -3 Towers.

Area :-
Tower1
Modules of 1000 sqft, 950 sqft,2375 sqft, 2000 sqft and 1950 sqft on each floor.
Tower 2 Modules of 1800sqft,1350sqft, 900 sqft and 450 sqft on each floor.
Tower 3 For rental purpose(not for sale).

75,000 sq.ft. Commercial shopping space for rent(not for sale).
Assured appreciation on investment .
High Rental Income
ALFA VENTURES

Kerala to spin land from Vaiga Thread Processors to IT park

2008-05-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-05-21T05:52:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-20T07:11:00.001-07:00

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

2008-05-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

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

DEWA GROUP to invest Rs 3,000 crore in 'Dewa Royale', spread across six acres of premium property at the Marine Drive in COCHIN

2008-04-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

The world's finest in living spaces. At Marine Drive, Cochin(KOCHI).

Dewa Royale is a premium apartment project coming up on a 6-acre waterfront property at Marine Drive, Kochi. The apartment project itself will be the first stage of a groundbreaking, multi-phase development – including an exclusive shopping mall and a world-class hotel – which the company plans to execute on its 18-acre property at Marine Drive.

DEWA PROJECTSKochi (PTI): Leading real estate and infrastructure development group, Dewa Group is foraying into the real estate sector in Kerala with a Rs 3,000 crore project, which includes a super luxury apartment complex.

The complex 'Dewa Royale', spread across six acres of premium property at the Marine Drive in the city, will be launched on Saturday, Group Chairman K Venugopalan Nair told reporters here on Thursday night.

The group would set new benchmarks for residential space creation in the state in terms of quality of construction and construction material, he said claiming it would be the first apartment venture in the country, which would be providing a 10 year warranty for the entire complex.

The warranty would be applicable for electrical installations, bathing systems and a slew of instruments, which includes even screws used for fixing doors and windows.

The entire project will come up in a 22.5 acres land. The first phase, being built at an estimated cost of Rs 1,500 crore, will have six towers comprising 400 apartments surrounded by four acres of landscaped garden.

This is expected to be ready by 2011, Nair said adding each apartment would be approximately priced at Rs 3.25 crore.

The project also includes a five star hotel and a convention centre.

Dewa Projects Private ltd is a venture promoted by a group of NRIs based in Kuwait.

The group and its allied companies had substantial real estate holding in the major cities of India, including Bangalore, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, he said.

The Hindu

COCHIN(Kochi ) Duty Free Shop wins best Indian retailer award

2008-04-24T14:22:00.000-07:00

Kochi wins best Indian retailer award

CIAL has the best duty free shop

Press Trust of India / Kochi April 24, 2008

The Cochin Duty Free shop at the Nedumbassery airport has won the 'Best Indian Duty Free Retailer' for 2007-08 from among 11 international duty free shops in India.

The award, conferred by the UK-based Mars International Travel Retail (MITR), would be received at the Tax Free World Association (TFWA) asia pacific retail conference at Singapore on May 13, CIAL Managing Director S Bharat said at a function at the Cochin Duty Free yesterday.

The Cochin Duty Free shop at the Nedumbassery airport here, which accounts for 30 per cent of CIAL's annual revenue, has registered a 44 per cent growth in revenue in 2007-08, netting Rs 42 crore turnover against the previous year's Rs 32 crore, he said.

An additional 5,000 square feet of duty free shop space would be added at CIAL's new international arrival terminal getting completed soon, he said.

Many promotional schemes launched by the Duty Free had helped boost its sales, of which foreign liquor accounted for a major chunk, he added.

Business Standard

Volvo Ocean Race: A big opportunity for business community in COCHIN

2008-04-20T17:21:00.000-07:00

KOCHI: The Kochi stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race will offer a big opportunity for the business community, especially the tourism sector, said N Ramachandran, chairman of the Cochin Port.

He was making a presentation at the discussion session on `Volvo Ocean Race- Business Opportunities’ organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry(CII) on Friday.

“CEOs and other top business leaders of sponsor brands visit the stopover ports to witness the race and cheer up their team. Ericsson, one of the major sponsors of the race, alone will bring a 500- member team of corporate guests.

The corporate world will be looking to Kochi during the days of stopover. In addition to the global exposure, the race provides a platform for the business community to interact with the leaders of major brands and networking,” the chairman said.

Since the race is being held with international standards, we have to arrange all infrastructure here, he said.

“It is expected that around 5,000 hotel rooms will be needed during the days of the race. At present we don’t have this capacity. It is expected that this shortage can be filled by using houseboats and by setting up more homestays. Restaurants and eateries are another sector.

Since the people roaming with the race are capable of high spending, restaurants with good amenities have to be set up. In addition to this, there will be various programmes such as food festivals, exhibitions, cultural and entertainment programmes,” Ramachandran said.

He said that the facilities at the Willingdon Island would be upgraded. During the discussion, there were suggestions that `Keep Kochi and Backwaters Clean’ would be the theme of the event.
NEW INDIAN EXPRESS.COM

Muthoot Technopolis: A model that clicks

2008-04-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

A project wherein the private sector set up IT infrastructure in a Government-operated Special Economic Zone could be a trendsetter, say the developers.

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

C. J. Punnathara

A novel experiment at setting up IT infrastructure by the private sector in a Government-operated Special Economic Zone has proved to be a resounding success.

“Within six to seven months of completing the project, all the 3.5 lakh sq.ft area at the Muthoot Technopolis found occupancy. But what is even more heartening about the whole project is that clients who had already occupied space are clamouring for more,” Mr George Muthoot, Managing Director of Muthoot Pappachan Group, says.

The uniqueness of the project lies in the fact that it came up in the government-run multi-speciality Cochin Special Economic Zone and was the first of its kind in a government-run SEZ, he adds. The project, started in 2004, was completed in 20 months. Muthoot Technopolis today houses some of the country’s top IT majors, such as Cognizant, Sutherland and Wipro. The availability of state-of-the-art facility was a major draw for Sutherland and Cognizant to make their maiden foray into Kerala, according to Mr Muthoot.

There are tremendous advantages to setting up such infrastructure in a SEZ — the cost of construction dips by 20-30 per cent on account of the reduced taxes on common building materials such as cement and steel. And the company has passed on these cost advantage to the clients, Mr Muthoot says. Sadly, constraint of space is already blocking expansion possibilities at CEPZ.

Advantage clients

The advantages to clients arise from other avenues as well. “With around 80 engineering colleges in and around Kochi, the city is indeed a rich reservoir of entry-level talent. While the availability of mid-level and high-level talent continues to pose a challenge, we see a growing number of Keralites increasingly keen to return to the State and settle down in a fast-growing city like Kochi, which is highly cosmopolitan, well-connected nationally and internationally, and offers a great standard of living. The attrition rate here is low. In addition, by virtue of Kochi being a landing point in India for the submarine cable, connectivity is good and is a major marketing advantage for IT companies operating out of here,” Mr T.P. Vincent, Assistant Vice-President and Head of Kochi Operations of Cognizant, says.

Tapping into places offering a good talent pool and creating opportunities for broad-based and diversified growth have always been an important part of Cognizant’s growth strategy, say company sources. Because of its educational infrastructure, the availability of skilled resources, and favourable real-estate options, Kochi has become an ideal destination for IT companies looking to enhance their return on investment.

More importantly, “expanding our presence across smaller towns helps us become more inclusive and take the benefits of our growth to more people,” the sources said.

Mr Vincent adds, “We are happy with our experience in Kochi.” The response time from government officials and the support offered by the Cochin Special Economic Process Zone (CSEZ) authorities have been a big support, he says.

Muthoot Technopolis offers the best of plug-and-play facilities and a secure environment. Such infrastructural and location advantages have prompted majors such as Larsen and Toubro to set up similar facilities in Kochi, he says.

The Hindu Business Line

New Cochin Housing Project

2008-04-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

COCHIN(KOCHI): APPLE a Day properties have launched a new project, `New Cochin: The real metro.’ Spread over 54 acres of land just 20 km from Vyttila and 12 km from Aroor NH bypass,New Cochin will be a waterfront residential township that boasts of 6-m wide roads and more than 100 common amenities, including shopping centres, indoor stadium, modern security systems, health club, centralised gas supply etc.

Residential plots of 5 and 10 cents are ready for sale at Rs 5 and Rs 15 lakh respectively. In the first phase of the project, New Cochin will also feature state-of-the-art villas and studios. The second phase will have 1,2 and 3 bedroom apartments. The project will be complete in the third phase with added attractions like commercial area, business centres and service apartments.

NEW INDIAN EXPRESS

Smart City project at COCHIN promoted at Outsource World London

2008-04-18T09:17:00.000-07:00

The proposed Rs.15-billion Smart City project at Kochi had its first marketing event at Outsource World London, a premier business trade platform, the company said here Friday. Outsource World London brought top executives, who are looking to outsource business services, face-to-face with exhibitors. The expo was held in London Wednesday and Thursday.

“Our participation served to raise awareness and interest about Smart City among local, regional and international audiences and at the same time engage stakeholders. This will further enhance credibility and awareness of Smart City locations,” a company press release said.

It added that Fareed Abdulrahman, CEO of Smart City and a board member of Smart City, Malta and Smart City, Kochi, made a presentation.

Smart City is based on the successful models of Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City and Dubai Knowledge Village and provides state-of-the-art infrastructure, environment and support systems that promote the growth of knowledge-based companies.

Smart City hopes to create a global network to assist companies to tap into various markets, opportunities and talent.

Work on the project at Kochi, being built by Dubai Internet City, is to begin in October.

Smart City Kochi will offer a host of business support services as well as residential, hospitality, retail and recreational facilities. The project has an employment generation potential of over 90,000 jobs.

The project was cleared last May, nearly three years after it was first mooted. When complete, it would have 8.8 million square feet of building, of which 70 percent would be for IT and IT-enabled services.

Thai Indian News

Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) are churning the oceans for Disease fighting drugs

2008-04-17T14:21:00.000-07:00

By KUMAR CHELLAPPAN

Chennai, April 17: Mythology speaks about devas (Gods) and asuras (devils) churning the sea for amrit that will give them immortality.

Today, scientists at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) are churning the oceans for drugs capable of fighting many terminal diseases, including HIV and cancer.

"The sea is a treasure house of healing," says Prof. Muthusamy Chandrasekaran, the Cuddalore-born bio-technologist at Cusat. Impressed by the systematic research done by Prof. Chandrasekaran and his team of young researchers, the ministry of earth sciences has approved a project for exploring the oceans for new drugs, in collaboration with the Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE) of the ministry.

"Watch out. You are in for big surprises. The next two to three decades will certainly be an era of marine biotechnology. We will rule the pharma world," says Prof. Chandrsekaran.

The professor has reasons to be elated. Samples of microbes, organisms, invertebrates and sponges collected by Sagar Sampada, the ministry’s 72-foot-long fisheries oceanographic research vessel (FORV), were tested at the hi-tech labs of Cusat. "We have found that the bio-active compounds extracted from these organisms have anti-cancer, anti-viral and anti-depressant characteristics. Firm conclusions will be arrived at once their structural studies are completed," says Dr Soorej M. Basheer, a leading member of the research team.

Instructed by the ministry, Cuddalore-based Centre for Advanced Studies in Marine Biology (CASMB) has also been conducting research for developing drugs from the sea.

The scientist team led by director Dr T. Balasubramanian has already succeeded in extracting heparin from mollusc found along the east coast. Arguing that the sea is richer in bio-diversity than the earth environment, he says anti-cancer drugs have been isolated from toxic blue-green algae found in the South Pacific Ocean.

HOWRAH.ORG

SmartCity Kochi inducts two new Board Members

2008-04-16T12:48:00.001-07:00

KOCHI, Kerala: SmartCity Kochi, a self-sustained township for knowledge-based industry here, held its first meeting of the Board of Directors.

Speaking to mediapersons after the meeting, Kerala Fisheries and Registration Minister S Sarma, who is also the Chairman of SmartCity Kochi project, said the construction work of the project will start in October end.

He said four firms were short listed after calling global tenders for the master planners. Negotiations with two firms were in progress for the project, he said.

The signing of the lease agreement for an additional 11.79 acres land was not done today, he said.

Recently the Board for Approval for SEZ at the Centre had accorded SEZ status for 136 acres of land for the project. Necesary steps have already been initiated to obtain the formal SEZ status for the remaining 100 acres of land, which had accorded the SEZ status in principle by the Board.

The Board has also decided to induct Anirudha Damkey, Director of Finance TECOM Investments and Dr Ajay Kumar, Secretary, Information Technology, Department, Kerala, as Board Members of SmartCity Kochi, he said. MORE PTI TKK SmartCity Kochi, to be developed by Dubai-based SmartCity, the joint venture company promoted by TECOM Investments and Sama Dubai, in partnership with the Government of Kerala, will be one of India's largest business parks. The project has an employment generation potential of over 90,000 jobs.
Kerala Next.com

Hi-tech parks power COCHIN( Kochi’s) metromorphosis

2008-04-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

VISMAYA
HI-TECH parks are powering Kochi’s industrial development. Starting from the Rs 2,400 a Smart City Project, which the state government approved on Wednesday, the city would see the launch of more than half a dozen industrial infrastructure parks in the coming months.

The state government and the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority are expected to ink the pact for Smart City project in a few days.

The Smart City Project, by facilitating the growth of IT industries, would create dose to 90,000 jobs within a few years. Another hi-tech city project is being planned by the Shobha Group over4p0 acres in Kochi.

The Rs 5,000-crore project would provide facilities for knowledge-based industries. The self-sufficient city will have a residential section, shopping malls and even a green belt. Meanwhile, the government-owned Infopark is in it’s final stage of development as it has already used up most of its land.

Infopaxk’s own buildings, the 1.25 lakh sq ft Tapasya and 2.5 lakh sq ft Vismaya have been completed. A third one with 4 lakh sq ft is under construction.

Infopark’s co-developer Leela Group has started work on a 3.3 lakh sq ft project after completing a 1.25 lakh sq ft building. The other co-developer L & T has started work on a 3.5 lakh sq ft project. Wipro, TCS and IBS are the companies that are developing own campuses in Infopark.

Source: The Economic Times
Property Bytes

SMART CITY COCHIN INDIA (Construction work will commence in 6 months)

2008-04-13T08:49:00.000-07:00

Two consultants short-listed

Staff Reporter

To prepare master plan for Smart City project in Kochi

KOCHI: Giving impetus to the proposed Smart City project, a director board meeting of the company here on Wednesday short-listed two consultants for drawing up a master plan for the project. The names of the consultants would be announced as soon as the formalities in this regard are over.

“The short-listing of master planners for SmartCity Kochi is a defining step towards our commitment to the fulfilment of the project. The master plan will focus on creating complete business and community infrastructure keeping in mind the requirements of high-quality work environment for knowledge-based industries and the experience of a rich community lifestyle for its workers,” Fareed Abdulrahman, Chief Executive Officer of SmartCity, said.

Lease agreement

The company had received proposals from four national and international players for preparing the master plan last year.

Though the lease agreement for the remaining 12 acres, which were excluded from the lease deed signed last November owing to the presence of inhabitants, was to be signed on Wednesday, it did not materialise.

New directors

The meeting inducted into the board as directors Anirudha Damkey, Director of Finance, Tecom Investments, and Ajay Kumar, Secretary, State Information Technology.

The company has taken steps for securing the Special Economic Zone status for the remaining 100 acres. In addition to this, efforts are being made to obtain another 167 acres for future development of the project.

The Board decided to participate in the forthcoming OutsourceWorld Exhibition in London to promote Kochi as a major centre of Information Technology and IT Enabled Services. Kochi will be showcased to the world as a hub for knowledge-based excellence.

The Hindu

India: Jewelry Spurs Rise in Exports at Cochin SEZ

2008-04-08T14:49:00.000-07:00

By Avi Krawitz Posted: 04/06/08 07:27

RAPAPORT... India's gem and jewelry products were the main catalyst for the sharp rise in exports from the Cochin Special Economic Zone (CSEZ) in the year ending March 31, 2008.

The CSEZ’s export earnings more than tripled to INR 4,652 crore ($1.16 billion) in the fiscal year 2007-08, from INR 1,037.52 ($259.54 million) the previous year.

According to local media reports, CSEZ Development Commissioner C J Mathew said gem and jewelry exports accounted for approximately 77 percent of the total at INR 3,600 ($900.56 million.)

The CSEZ, which initially emphasized areas such as rubber and rubber products exports and electronics hardware, is designed to facilitate foreign direct investment and is run by the government of India.

RAPAPORT
Information that means Business

CSEZ achieves 70 per cent growth in exports

2008-04-04T12:25:00.000-07:00

COCHIN(Kochi): The Cochin Special Economic Zone has registered a 70 per cent growth in exports during 2007-08, while its earnings stood at Rs 4,652 crore as against Rs 1037.52 crore in the previous year.

The earnings were mostly from gems and jewellery exports, which touched Rs 3,600 crore, CSEZ Development Commissioner C J Mathew told a press meet here.

At present, there are 119 units in the zone of which 101 are in operation and remaining 18 units are under various stages of implementation. The units in the zone manufacture a wide range of products in various sectors like software, electronics, textiles, engineering, ceramic and food, he said.

MNCs like Tyco, Baird McNutt and Indian groups like Hindustan Lever, Tatas, AVT, Leela and Nest have set up their units in the zone. CSEZ has opened its doors to a British company M/s Magnum Aviation for the manufacture of aircraft engines and components.

The zone is also the largest employment destination in the state giving jobs to around 11,358 persons, including 5,034 women.

The 63 Export Oriented Units (EOUs) in Kerala, 526 in Karnataka, one in Lakshadweep come under the CSEZ's jurisdiction. EOUs in Kerala recorded exports of Rs 1,079.76 crore during 2006-07 and EOUs in Karnataka recorded exports of rs 17,656.11 during 2006-07, he said.

Notifications have been issued for 20 SEZs in Karnataka, including 13 in IT/ITeS sector and eight in Kerala.
Economic Times/ India Times

State-of-the-art airport in Cochin

2008-04-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

NOT A FLIGHT OF FANCY: The Cochin International Airport is all set to change the way one looks at civil aviation.

Cochin: There is good news for travellers who put up with the daily hassles of international airports in India. The Cochin International Airport, the country's first joint public-private venture in civil aviation, is close to setting a benchmark.

The airport will soon emerge as India's first airport township with an investment of just Rs 300 crore.

“The government is there to give the policy support. The delays of red-tapism and bureaucratic functioning are not here. So, decisions are taken quickly. This is something which you won’t find in any other airport in the country,” MD, Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), S Bharath says.

Ten years down the line, the airport will have 18 different sub-projects including, a 6.4 crore IT park, a golf course, a perishable cargo unit, half a dozen five-star hotels and an aviation academy spread out over 1,300 acres of land.

And to top it all, there's going to be a state-of-the-art maintenance and hanger unit exclusively for Airbus 380.

This airport township will be funded by Kerala NRIs, the state government and other financial institutions. Not only will this be the first of its kind in the country, the project will also have a huge employment potential.

“The idea is to capitalise on Kerala's strengths. Employment generation is the key and with the state having such a huge human resource potential it will not be a problem. Instead of people going all the way to the Gulf to find a job let’s have viable employment here,” Bharath says.

The CIAL success story has already become a case study for professionals at the Harvard School of Economics. The Sri Lankan government has also approached CIAL to replicate the Cochin model for them.

Having made a huge successful economic model, the CIAL with its new value added services hopes to make this airport the gateway to Kerala. With plans for an airport township already in place, the Cochin International Airport is all set to change the way one looks at civil aviation in the country.

IBN NEWS
VIDEO LINK

Dubai group to set up ‘MedCity’ in COCHIN( Kochi)

2008-04-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

Dr Moopen ... new health facility
Published: Tuesday, 1 April, 2008, 02:13 AM Doha Time
By Ashraf Padanna
KOCHI: The Dubai-based Dr Moopen’s Group has announced plans to set up ‘MedCity’, a complex of hospitals and allied services spread over 30 acres in the Kerala port city of Kochi, targeting a growing number of medical tourists to the southern state.
“We hope to start construction on the Rs15bn project within six months. With 2.5mn sq ft built-up area, the MediCity will have a large 500-bed anchor hospital as the fulcrum and around it some ten smaller hospitals of 100 to 200 beds for specialties in a spacious well-laid master-planned campus,” group’s chairman Dr Azad Moopen said.
The group, which hopes to complete the first phase by 2010, has sought speedy clearance from the state government.
“The availability of comprehensive international quality healthcare in the state will elevate Kerala to a higher pedestal in delivery of advanced hi-tech treatment,” Moopen said yesterday.
The group has set up its Indian arm called DM Healthcare Ltd with India Value Fund Advisers as a strategic partner for the MedCity. About one-third of the investments will come from DM Healthcare while the remaining will be from national and international healthcare operators who will also bring in expertise and technology.
“We have already acquired about 20 acres of land near the Airport-Seaport road and are looking for another ten acres. We are also in talks with major players in India and abroad to run the specialty hospitals in the MedCity,” he said.
The project is expected to generate 15,000 jobs for doctors, nursing and paramedical staff.
Kerala, which is already attracting some 100,000 overseas medical tourists a year, hopes to increase the number to 500,000 by 2012.
“We are already receiving a very good flow of tourists for ayurveda wellness treatment but have not taken off well in illness-related health tourism. The MedCity will act as a catalyst to start this flow and Kochi is expected to become a gateway for medical tourists to the country,” he said.
“Patients from the Middle East, Europe and the US and the rest of the world will start flowing into Kerala once there is a facility available because of the huge cost advantage.”
The group, which registered a turnover of Rs5bn last year, has a network of about 50 establishments in the Gulf, including two hospitals, clinics and pharmacies. It also runs the Malabar Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS) in Kozhikode and another 300-bed hospital is expected to open at nearby Kottakkal in six months.
The group was also looking at acquiring three hospitals in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra this year.
GULF TIMES

COCHIN(KOCHI'S) REAL ESTATE BOOM Kakkanad and Nedumbassery,cousins going classy

2008-03-31T16:44:00.000-07:00

COCHIN(Kochi)
It happened in several major cities like Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad . And now it’s the turn of Kochi to follow suit. Yes, this time around, the real estate boom in Kochi is for real and is here to stay. The prices of land, villas and apartments have gone up significantly and in certain areas it has even toppled the expectations of all. In spite of the prices having gone up steeply, hectic activities in every aspect of realty business is taking place, especially in places like Kakkanad and of late in and around Nedumbassery.

As is evident in every respect, it is the IT sector that has worked as a catalyst for the entire construction sector. This apart, a number of mega industrial projects that are expected to come up centering Kochi have also inspired many to take a plunge into the construction scene in Kochi .

IT centre
Due to a number of favourable factors, Kochi is fast becoming an important IT hub in the country. And in Kochi it’s Kakkanad that’s hogging all the limelight. With several IT and ITES companies having already come up in Kakkanad more such players are planning to make Kochi as one of their predominant operational centres.

Finding a very prospective market, several nationally renowned realtors have also joined the existing city-based builders with plenty of projects. All these have further enhanced the fortunes of not only Kakkanad but also several other areas surrounding it. In the real estate segment, if one is to evaluate the growth rate, it would not be difficult to find that most of the towns enveloping Kochi have witnessed amazing growth in more ways than one.

International airport
For instance Nedumbassery which, till the other day, was rather a sleepy village is now in the midst of hectic construction activities. Several projects have been announced centering Nedumbassery and according to market men more are in the offing. They are working overtime to meet the ever spiraling demand for quality housing and in the process; the skyline of this otherwise rustic region is witnessing a revolution in the true sense of the word.

Factors like huge growth prospects, serene ambience, easy availability of drinking water and good connectivity are just some of the reasons that are prompting people to buy properties in places like Nedumbassery. Realising the immense potential for growth, several leading builders have announced their upcoming projects centering Nedumbassery.

And in the process, the fortunes of the entire region surrounding Nedumbassery will take a turnaround in near future. For more reasons than one, Nedumbassery surely is going to be one of Kochi ’s trump cards in the days to come.

Taking a definite cue from the likely developments that will take place in future in and around airport, numerous housing projects are in the offing. And if the responses to the already announced projects are any indication, the future looks too bright. IT boom has changed the fortunes of Kakkanad, in the case of Nedumbassery it‘s the presence of the Cochin International Airport.

Set for takeoff
The CIAL having become one of the busiest airports in the country in terms of both traffic and turn over, the entire region of Nedumbassery and its neighbourhood areas are on a fast developmental track today.With the pendulum of fortunes increasingly swinging in its favour not only Kakkanad but also Nedumbassery is all set for a great take off.

It is believed that in almost all spheres of entrepreneurship like housing, information technology, healthcare and tourism, Nedumbassery has immense growth potential in its fold. Resultantly, along with Kakkanad, Nedumbassery is also fast turning out to be the fountainhead of all developmental activities in the city.

KERALA.COM

COCHIN(KOCHI) suburbs a hot destination for land developers& Individual and Corporate Investors

2008-03-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

Kerala - Kochi

Investment in real estate makes sense

Finding it difficult to find ample space to live, more and more number of people are heading for the suburbs and the land developers have also moved away from the city limits to more greener pastures.

The number of people willing to make investments in land is increasing by the day and both individuals and corporate buyers are eyeing Kochi as one of their most sought after destination. Reason, Kochi is a place where one can have the best bet for the money invested. And with every factor becoming quite conducive, both the land developers and builders in Kochi are enjoying the feel good factor. With the industrial scenario changing rapidly, the horizons of Kochi are fast expanding and the growth is getting reflected both horizontally and vertically.

"With the IT based employment opportunities rising in Kochi, the housing sector is bound to grow by leaps and bounds", says a leading Kochi based builder. Truly, the enthusiasm is not only felt in the buying of apartments and villas but also in plots of land. The sudden enthusiasm in buying plots of land can be attributed to the fact that the prices of land have multiplied several times within a very short span of time in Kochi. Many of those who have bought plots in and around Kochi a couple of years back for few lakhs have become millionaires today.

"Of late, Kochi has turned out to be one of the safest places in the country to invest", observes Victor of UXL Marketing. According to him premium townships with standard infrastructures is the latest trend in real estate segment and there are ready takers for the same. UXL Marketing with years of experience in the realty segment has several completed projects to their credit. He is also of the opinion that since the city has saturated it’s the suburbs that’s going to witness hectic activities in the days to come.

According to many Kochi based land developers, small square plots of land ranging from 4 to 7 cents have the maximum number of takers. "Plots of 4 cents always have ready takers in Kochi", says a leading Kochi based land developer. And today, with numerous land developers having surfaced in the real estate scene, the competition has become very intense too. Each and every land developer has their own schemes to offer. Some arrange free trips to their sites while others arrange for home loans and assists in getting a legal clearance.

Nishad of Tercel Developers is also of the view that Kochi has huge investment prospects and as such the land prices are all likely to go up further. Tercel Developers, a relatively new entrant in the realty sector has come up with their maiden project at Aluva and has ambitious future plans to launch apartment and villa projects soon. "We will be announcing two more gated colony projects - one at Pallikkara and the other one at Kakkanad – soon and are also into the construction of customised villas", reveals Nishad of Tercel Developers.

The ongoing project of Tercel Developers is located at Asokapuram near Aluva and is spread over more than 6 acres of land. The project has 67 plots and 10% of the total area is allocated for common amenities like club house, children’s play area and party area. The 6 meter wide tarred road is said to be one of the major attractions of the project. The developers are also making provisions for round-the-clock security, compound wall, provision for water supply, rainwater harvesting and electricity connections for every owner. The project is located quite close to the proposed Seaport-Airport Road and lie in close proximity to places such as KINFRA, Cooperative Medical College, Cochin International Airport and Infopark at Kakkanad.

Projects like International Container Transshipment Terminal and LNG terminal getting streamlined in a row and several such projects set to flock Kochi, the city has hit the big league, feels many. And as such, Kochi is witnessing tumultuous activities in the sale and purchase of land. Already scores of IT majors and other multinational companies are planning to begin their operations in Kochi and are in the lookout for large measure of land which has again resulted in the escalation of land prices.

Aurora Developers is yet another land developer who has made a mark of its own in the real estate scenario of the state. With almost a decade of existence in the industry Aurora has several successful projects to its credit. In the recent past, they have developed a number of residential colonies in cities like Mumbai, Bangalore and Coimbatore. "With Kochi having become a major destination, of late, we are putting much focus to projects in and around Kochi", remarks Dairish of Aurora Developers. Kochi is a place from where we took off with a project called Santi Nagar at Tripunithura way back in 1999 when the very concept of land development and housing colonies was at its infancy", adds Jojus of Aurora Developers.

Apart from developing gated colonies Aurora also undertakes to build villas on being asked by the clients. The ongoing project of Aurora is located at Sasthamugal near Thiruvamkulam. Spread over 3 acres of land, the project titled Golden Enclave has 38 plots and comes with all standard amenities like common boundary wall, rubble foundation for each plot, security, well-designed garden, clear tittles, children’s play area, club house, tarred roads, provision for water and electricity among others.

It is the factors like affordable pricing, abundance of water and good connectivity that are giving the suburbs too many takers. Home finance companies are also contributing their bit with schemes that allows one to buy a piece of land other than buying an apartment or a villa.
The Hindu

Image makeover in COCHIN(KOCHI) and the rest of KERALA

2008-03-30T06:26:00.000-07:00

Wipro Technologies is a global services provider delivering technology-driven business solutions that meet the strategic objectives of our clients. Wipro has 40+ ‘Centers of Excellence’ that create solutions around specific needs of industries. Wipro is fast progressing with the development and setting up of their private IT campus inside Infopark. On completion Wipro’s campus at Infopark would be approximately 1 million sq ft with 8000 seats. The construction activities are expected to be completed by the year 2010.

R. KRISHNAKUMAR

As IT moves out of the metros to Tier-II cities, Kerala emerges as the most attractive destination for the knowledge industry.
MOVE over spice merchants, Gulf emigrants, tourists from around the world: Kerala is shedding its traditional image and gearing up for a grand makeover. Its epithetic slogan, “God’s Own Country”, is passé and may soon give way to another, symbolising the distinction – man-made, no doubt – of its coming into being as a knowledge hub.

“The State has quietly established an efficient IT [information technology] infrastructure and has become one of the most sought after IT destinations in India,” Kris Gopalakrishnan, CEO of Infosys, said recently at a ‘Kerala IT.Com 2008’ valedictory event in Thiruvananthapuram. He should know. Infosys, a world leader in consulting and IT services that employs over 17,000 people in 30 centres worldwide, has been operating in a leased facility at Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram since 2004. A 30-acre (1 acre is 0.4 hectare), Rs.306-crore, state-of-the-art Infosys campus is under construction nearby and is set to start functioning very soon.

Kerala’s IT Secretary Ajay Kumar told Frontline: “Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi have been ranked as the most attractive IT and ITES [IT-enabled services] destinations in India. CIO.com [United States] recently captioned in an editorial relating to outsourcing from the U.S., ‘Bangalore out, Kochi in’, highlighting the movement of IT outsourcing industry from the metros to Tier-II and Tier-III cities in which both Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram stand out. Many nationally and internationally renowned companies have already come forward with requests for built-up space and land. We are also developing hub-and-spoke model [IT] parks in all districts of Kerala – the hubs in the three major cities, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode, and the spokes in the remaining districts so that there would be even growth throughout the State.”

No doubt Kerala has earned every bit of its new-found popularity with IT and ITES companies. In December 2007, when UST Global, a leading provider of IT services and business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions for Global 2000 companies, announced that it was opening a new office in Kochi, in addition to Thiruvananthapuram, it listed four reasons on its choice for expansion of its services.

It said, almost echoing the State IT Department’s everyday mantra: “Kerala is the only State in India that has a 100 per cent literacy rate; Kerala is home to a significant number of IT professionals in South India. There are more than 15 top institutions in Kerala offering quality education and specialised IT degrees that make this an ideal region in which to base offshore development centres. In terms of climate and lifestyle, Kerala offers one of the best environments in India. The State is ranked as one of the top 50 places to visit in the world by National Geographic. The standard of living in Kerala is among the finest in the country and its civic, health and social services are highly rated, which makes it an attractive destination not only to work in, but also to live in.”

The company website quotes its chief operating officer Sajan Pillai as saying: “For IT service providers such as UST Global that are in a growth mode, there are a multitude of cities in India in which to choose from. Yet with so many cities plagued by limited bandwidth, we consciously avoid those areas and instead choose cities that will support our, and our clients’, best interests. Kochi is one of three cities in India that are hubs for the undersea cable, which gives UST Global better connectivity and less competition for that bandwidth. This location aligns well with our client-centric Global Engagement Model by helping us expand our services in an economically viable way for our clients.”

UST Global’s new office is located at a 24,000 sq ft development centre at Infopark, a 100-acre, rapidly growing IT park established by the State government in Kochi in 2003. Already 39 companies, including several IT majors, have started operations at Infopark, employing 5,000 people.

No doubt Kerala was blessed with the most critical factors required for knowledge-based industries – quality manpower and social infrastructure. As any IT professional would vouchsafe, it has efficiently built on them, brick by brick, a state-of-the-art IT infrastructure and physical and digital connectivity.

It is today one of the best networked States in the country. The State’s tele-density is double the national average and all the 988 telephone exchanges are digital and connected to the National Internet Backbone (NIB). All the 1,468 village panchayats in the State are within 3 km of a digital exchange and connected to the NIB. Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited’s (VSNL) International Communications Gateway, with two high-speed submarine cable landings (SEA-ME-WE-3 and SAFE) offering 15 Gbps bandwidth support, is in Kochi, currently handling more than two-thirds of India’s data traffic. Optical fibre connectivity up to the village level makes high-quality, reliable bandwidth available in all parts of the State.

But perhaps the biggest advantage Kerala provides to IT companies is the cost factor. According to the State government, the start-up and operational costs are less than 50 per cent and the rentals/real estate costs are less than 60 per cent of those in other major IT parks in India. Business space is available at Technopark and Infopark at rates that are nearly half of those in cities such as Chennai and Bangalore. Power and water tariffs are among the lowest in the country. Kerala sells itself today by arguing: “A low cost of living means lower cost to company per employee.” Employee attrition is very low in the State.

Nothing better illustrates Kerala’s success story today than the glint in the eyes of the top executives of the State’s home-grown IT companies, which have hugely benefited from these unique advantages and the State government’s policies. S. Sasi Kumar, president of NeST, perhaps the first software company in Technopark, which was established as a modest initiative providing network solutions to the government, told Frontline: “When we started in 1995, indeed, we had a ‘locational disadvantage’. Nobody had heard of Thiruvananthapuram as a product development destination. R&D outsourcing was then not considered a popular or profitable venture. But with our roots in Kerala, we have now spread globally as a total solutions provider across the IT spectrum, designing, manufacturing and building systems and support, especially in four key areas, health care, industrial automation, embedded communications and automobile technology. Today we employ over 3,000 people in Kerala alone; we have high-tech manufacturing units in the Cochin Export Processing Zone, Bangalore and Mysore; our worldwide revenue has exceeded $200 million. We are contract manufacturers for some of the world’s leading companies such as GE, Hitachi, HP, Brooks Automation, Toshiba, Fujitsu, Areva, Roboticsware, and so on, and it has been so for the past 10 years. We have several customers that are in the Fortune 500 list.

“In 2001, we also acquired a U.S. company, AM Communications, a provider of high-technology system level products for the broadband communications industry, and have moved the product development activities of that company, too, to Technopark. Our disadvantages have become our advantages. Our competencies are all home-grown. We became the first CMM Level 5 company in Technopark and the 18th in the world to have the Level Five rating.”

There are several such exciting success stories in Technopark, the first such electronic park in the world established with 100 per cent government equity, home today to 140 IT and ITES companies, together employing 17,000 IT professionals. Over 30 per cent of the companies are U.S.-based, 40 per cent are from Europe, 5 per cent are from West Asia, 20 per cent are based in Kerala and 5 per cent in other States. From small beginnings on a 50-acre campus, Technopark, too, has grown along with the companies to a bustling, beautiful campus spread over 228 acres, with more than 3.2 million sq ft of built-up space.

But the real Kerala IT story is in the demand it has created. The State government is, therefore, preparing a master plan to develop an IT infrastructure to match the growing demand for space and has established the Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure (KSITI) Company. “It is a private-public partnership company and is expected to mobilise Rs.2,000 crore on IT investments in the next five years. It would have 49 per cent private participation and 51 per cent participation from the government,” IT Secretary Ajay Kumar said.

One of the first commissions of the new company would be to build the government’s prestigious ‘Technocity’, a global IT/ITES/Knowledge township project proposed to be developed as several SEZs on nearly 507 acres, close to the Technopark campus. This is in addition to Technopark’s own expansion plans on about 100 acres adjacent to the existing campus.

In addition to the government initiatives, several private sector electronics parks are also being built. On March 16, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan inaugurated the latest of the private ventures, Phase One of the ‘L&T Tech Park’ on leased land inside Infopark. Construction will begin soon in Kochi for one of India’s largest business parks, the 246-acre Smart City, a joint venture between the Kerala government and the Technology, Electronic Commerce and Media Free Zone Authority (TECOM), Dubai.

The government expects the Rs.17,000-crore project to make Kerala the leading IT destination in the country and Kochi, particularly, a member of the global network of knowledge-based industry townships that its Dubai-based developers seek to create.

The government’s target is to create over two lakh new job opportunities by 2012. For every direct employment opportunity created in the IT/ITES sector, it believes, three indirect employment opportunities will also be generated. That will be the way out for Kerala from the jinx of low investments, low growth, and low levels of employment opportunities, which have forced Malayalees to leave their beautiful State in large numbers even as tourists from all over flock in.
FRONTLINE

The Cochin Special Economic Zone boasts one of the best infrastructure facilities among its peers in India.

2008-03-25T13:04:00.000-07:00

K.K. MUSTAFAH
The Cochin Special Economic Zone is relatively small but artistically laid out.

SPECIAL FEATURE: KERALA FUTURE PERFECT

Free territory

R. KRISHNAKUMAR

The Cochin Special Economic Zone boasts one of the best infrastructure facilities among its peers in India.
WHAT strikes visitors at the 103-acre, artistically landscaped Cochin Special Economic Zone (CSEZ), about 6 km from Kochi, is perhaps its small size compared with the six other special economic zones (SEZs) established initially by the Central government.

The CSEZ is one of the single largest employment destinations in Kerala, with a diversified export product catalogue, including software, hardware, garments, processed food, rubber products, gems and jewellery. It started functioning as an export processing zone (EPZ) in 1986, about the same time as the EPZs in Noida, Madras and Falta (near Kolkata) and long after the Kandla Free Trade Zone in Gujarat (1965) and the Santa Cruz Electronics Export Processing Zone (near Mumbai, in 1974) were established. The seventh such zone approved by the Central government became operational in Visakhapatnam in 1994. The Cochin Export Processing Zone became an SEZ in 2000.

The Centre has so far invested Rs.95 crore, out of which Rs.55 crore was invested in the zone in the past five years. The CSEZ pioneered public-private participation in developing infrastructure for information technology, and a Rs.40-crore software park, Technopolis, is nearing completion on its premises.

The CSEZ has its own power station, an integrated water management plant with a 1.5 mld (million litres per day) water supply system and a 1 mld common effluent treatment plant. VSNL’s 15 Gbps (Gigabytes per second) gateway provides internet connectivity; the zone has a state-of-the-art telephone exchange, a video conferencing studio, a “foreign” post office, an off-shore banking unit and a dispensary.

Special economic zones are primarily meant to provide an operating environment free from legal hassles relating to import and export, boost manufacturing and augment exports, earn foreign exchange and generate employment opportunities. SEZ units are allowed to import construction material, capital goods and raw materials without paying duty or import licence. They are exempt from Central and State sales tax and service taxes.

SEZ projects have only to ensure that their export earnings exceed foreign exchange outflows (by way of imports and import content of sales to the Indian market). There is no need for prior approval to bring in foreign equity. SEZ units in manufacturing are exempt from paying corporate tax on their export income – 100 per cent for the first five years and 50 per cent for the next two years. Fifty per cent of profits reinvested in the SEZ for the next three years also enjoys such exemption.

CSEZ units can also import plant and machinery (including second-hand equipment), the only stipulation being that they have to be utilised within five years. Indian-made capital goods and raw materials meant for the SEZ are exempt from duty. Supplies from within India are considered “exports”, allowing domestic suppliers to obtain export-related benefits.

SEZ units are permitted to maintain foreign currency accounts and hold the entire export proceeds in foreign currency. There is no time limit to bring export proceeds to India. These units can resort to external commercial borrowing for funding and running projects without prior approvals, and have preferential access to the Indian market for their products and services.

According to a 2006 study, the nature of major exports from the CSEZ was as follows: electronics hardware, 28.3 per cent; food and agro products, 22.3 per cent; plastic and rubber goods, 10.3 per cent; engineering goods, 8.3 per cent, gems and jewellery, 6.2 per cent; textile and garments, 5.9 per cent; and electronics software, 3.4 per cent. The CSEZ (then not an SEZ) registered only $0.2 million in the first five years of its establishment but the average investment rose to $58.6 million during 1998 to 2003. Average employment generated during the same periods were 1,050 and 4,962, respectively.

According to State government figures, export earnings of the 85 units employing over 7,800 people in the CSEZ during 2006-2007 amounted to Rs.1,037.52 crore as against Rs.696 crore the previous year, a growth rate of 49.07 per cent.

Union Commerce Ministry figures indicate that in India, after the notification of the SEZ Act, 2005, 439 SEZs have been given formal approval, 138 SEZs have in-principle approvals, while 195 are notified SEZs. The current investment in SEZs is Rs.67,347 crore and the employment generated is 61,015.

In Kerala, the CSEZ was the only such zone before the SEZ Act, 2005, came into being. After the Act came into force, 11 SEZs received formal approval, two got in-principle approval and eight were notified.

Of the eight SEZs that have already been notified, two are port-based (under the Cochin Port Trust in Puthuvypeen and Vallarpadam islands); three are IT/ITES SEZs (two under the Electronics Technology Park in Thiruvananthapuram and one under Infopark, Kochi) and three are under Kinfra (one each for animation and gaming in Thiruvananthapuram, for food processing in Kakkancherry near Kozhikode, and for Electronics Industries in Kochi).

On March 21, the Board of Approval for SEZs of the Union government also announced the granting of SEZ status to 136 acres (of a total of 236 acres) of the Kerala government’s prestigious joint venture IT project in Kochi, Smart City.

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http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/stories/20080411250711400.htm

COCHIN(KOCHI) in Kerala is expected to have 13 malls by 2010 just one less than a shopping hub such as Bangalore.

2008-03-24T06:02:00.000-07:00

Bangalore: Some 328 new shopping malls are expected to come up in metros and so-called tier II and III smaller cities over the next two years, forcing developers to find innovative ways to attract stores and maintain foot traffic from shoppers.
A report titled Upcoming malls—2008 and beyond, compiled by real estate consultancy firm Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj, says northern India will lead the retail boom, with 136 new malls by 2010.
While New Delhi is expected to get 15 malls, its suburbs, Faridabad and Ghaziabad, will get seven new malls each. Mumbai leads the pack among individual cities with 30 malls planned in the next two years. Real estate firms, such as DLF Ltd, Akruti City Ltd, Nirmal Lifestyle Ltd and Oberoi Constructions all have retail plans in the western and central suburbs of the country’s financial centre.
Kolkata, probably one of the last metros to be hit by the retail boom, has 18 malls lined up. The landmark Statesman House in central Kolkata, which would be turned into a 2 million sq. ft shopping destination by Emaar MGF Land Ltd, is one of the biggest malls coming up in India.
“This new breed of malls is expected to have facilities that were lacking in the earlier malls. Developers will now give more importance to determining factors like parking, mall design and soft strategies like customer relationship to make these malls work,” said Bappaditya Basu, a vice-president at Jones.
Some experts are sceptical about the numbers.
Retail consultants note only 22 new malls became operational in 2007 nationally. For example, just three of the slated 15 malls opened in Mumbai last year, because the others are still in various stages of completion.
Still, the Jones report points out a large number of emerging hot spots—smaller cities and towns that will get their first malls by 2010.
For instance, with 15 new shopping malls being set up by film director Prakash Jha, who has ventured into mall development, several areas in Bihar and Jharkhand, such as Patliputra, Sitamarhi, Hazipur and Bettiah, would soon feature for the first time on the Indian organized retail map.
In southern India, Kochi in Kerala is expected to have 13 malls by 2010, just one less than a shopping hub such as Bangalore.
With huge townships and residential ventures, such as Sobha Developers Ltd’s largest township in Maradu, Kochi developers are upbeat about the city prospects.
The study forecast both local and national developers setting up malls in previously unlikely places. The business strategy of EWDPL India Pvt. Ltd, a three-year-old developer, revolves around setting up first-time malls in small towns.
“We are finalizing a deal in Kottayam which would be the smallest town to get a shopping mall, and scouting for land in Alleppey in Kerala,” said Avnish Hasija, a director. The firm is developing malls in Belgaum (Karnataka), Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) Kolhapur and Nanded (both in Maharashtra).
“Organized retail in India constitutes only 2% of the global retail industry. So new mall developers here are still going through the learning curve and trying not to repeat past mistakes,” notes Jones’ Basu.
http://www.livemint.com/2008/03/24002940/328-new-malls-by-2010-retail.html

Infrastructure Kerala Ltd may double paid up capital

2008-03-21T17:26:00.000-07:00

The board of directors of Infrastructure Kerala Ltd (InKel), a new infrastructure company that has been formed under public-private partnership, is likely to double its paid up capital from Rs.1 billion to Rs.2 billion. Chief of InKel C.G. Gopala Pillai told IANS that this would come up in the next full board meeting of InKel to take place here next Monday.

“It would help more and more individuals especially non-resident Keralites (NRKs, who live outside India) to invest in Kerala through us. There are many NRKs who have taken shares in the company,” said Pillai.

InKel is different from the state-owned Kerala State Industrial Infrastructure Ltd and Kerala State Industrial Development Corp.

The Kerala government currently hold 26 percent stake in InKel.

InKel has already identified locations in capital Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and other places, where it would set up basic infrastructure for investors interested in starting sunrise industries.

“In the meeting I will be presenting a few business proposals for consideration, which would help us to go forward with our plans,” said Pillai.

In the board are five leading NRK businessmen including M.A. Yusuf Ali (UAE), Galfar Mohammed Ali (Oman), C.K. Menon (Doha), Varghese Kurian (Kuwait) and C.M. Rappai (Doha). There are four government nominees.

Source : IANS
http://finance.indiainfo.com/2008/03/11/0803111414_infrastructure_kerala.html

Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) to host Seminar on logistics management

2008-03-21T16:52:00.000-07:00

Business

Seminar on logistics management

Staff Reporter

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Cusat to host seminar on

March 28, 29

Logistics management vital in international trade

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KOCHI: The School of Management Studies, Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat), will organise a national seminar on Logistics Management on March 28 and 29. Top managers and professionals from CIAL, Railways, Cochin Port Trust, DP World and Reliance Retail will discuss logistics issues in their respective areas. Vice-Chancellor of Cusat Gangan Pratap will inaugurate the seminar.

The performance of a logistic system depends on the effective collaboration and integrated functioning of many elements and service providers. There is need to bring the professionals working in different areas of logistics to share their knowledge. This is one of the areas in which academics have a lot to learn from practice.

Logistics management is an interconnecting function that helps move materials from one department to another or one firm to another in a supply chain. It consists of a network of storage, handling and transportation systems.

A decade back we would not have expected to see Californian oranges, and Australian fruits in our supermarket shelves. In international trade, the share of logistics is around 28 per cent of the final product cost. In large countries like India, the domestic logistics cost for agricultural products is in the range of 20 to 25 per cent of the final cost.

Logistics has long been handled by small and less organised set-ups. Hence its efficiency has been poor. There is need to improve logistics system performance in terms of speed, response time, flexibility, cost and reliability. A lot of attention is being devoted in recent times to improving logistics system performance, by improving infrastructure, carriers and collaboration between different agencies providing different logistics services.

The School of Management Studies, Cusat, has been involved in teaching and research in the area of Logistics Management for over a decade now. Courses on Logistics are gaining popularity in Management Schools in Kerala.

Development in the area of logistics in Kerala has been tremendous. Projects such as the Cochin International Airport, Vallarpadom transshipment terminal and LNG project have changed the level of logistics-related activities in Kerala.

For registration and details, contact M. Bhasi, Professor, Coordinator: National Seminar on Logistics Management, School of Management Studies, Cusat, Kochi 682 022, E-mail: mbhasi@cusat.ac.in, drbhasi@yahoo.com, Phone 9447419863. Details are also available on the web site of Cusat: www.cusat.ac.in

http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/21/stories/2008032151731900.htm

Indian Commerce and Industry Ministry grants formal approval for SEZ status for SMART CITY COCHIN

2008-03-20T05:11:00.000-07:00

Ministry of Commerce & Industry

BOA FOR SEZS GRANTS 5 FORMAL AND 1 IN-PRINCIPLE APPROVALS
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16:22 IST
The 23rd meeting of the Board of Approval for Special Economic Zones (SEZs) was held on 20th March, 2008 to consider proposals for setting up of Special Economic Zones and also approve other miscellaneous requests pertaining to SEZs.

Chairman informed the members of the Board that so far formal approvals have been granted for setting up of 449 SEZs out of which 206 have been notified as on date.

In this meeting, 9 proposals for setting up SEZs, including 1 proposal for conversion of In-Principle approval to Formal Approval were considered. The Board recommended grant of 5 Formal approvals and 1 In-Principle approval as follows:

Formal approvals:

1. IT/ITES SEZ in Karnataka by Brigade Enterprises Private Limited

2. Biotech SEZ in Andhra Pradesh by Vivo Bio Tech Limited

3. IT&ITES SEZ in Haryana by Wellgrow Buildcon Private Limited

4. IT/ITES SEZ in Haryana by M/s. Sunwise Properties Private Limited

5. IT/ITES SEZ in Kerala by Smart City (Kochi) Infrastructure Private Limited (Conversion of In Principle approval to Formal approval)

In-Principle Approval:

1. Engineering SEZ in Maharashtra by Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC)

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=36790

In COCHIN(KOCHI) IT’s happening !!!!!! Leela & L&T join bandwogon

2008-03-18T05:45:00.000-07:00

IT’s happening in Kerala also
Friday March 14 2008 02:42 IST
ENS Economic Bureau

KOCHI: Kerala is conducive for running IT business. The availability of trained manpower, friendly people and low cost make the State an ideal location for business.

Yet the technoscape of the State is not dotted with much IT firms. Barring technopark in Thiruvananthapuram, Infopark in Kochi, the units of Infosys, Wipro and some other major players, the State's IT map looks vacant.

Though slow, things are changing steadily now. L&T and Leela group, two big names in Indian Inc, are making fresh investments in the IT sector.

L&T, which is a partner in Infopark, has set up a 4-lakh sq ft IT park in Kochi. The project, Tejomaya, would be inaugurated by the Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan on March 15.

Company sources said that over 70 per cent of space in the building was rented out even before the inauguration. Enthused by the brisk response, L&T had decided to go ahead with it plan to set up the second shop.

Achuthanandan will lay the foundation stone for the second project - Signature Tower - at Infopark campus on the same day.

Being the co-developer of the Infopark, the company has got 7.3 acres in Infopark. Tejomaya has come up in this space. It is the first IT infrastructure project of L&T in the State.

Leading names in IT sector in the country such as TCS, IBS and Arbitron Technology Services have already taken space in Tejomaya.

Meanwhile, Leela Group is setting up a Rs 150 crore IT infrastructure projects in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. It has also plans to invest in Palakkad.

The group is planning through its subsidiaries Leela Soft and Aushim Soft to set up four IT parks in Kochi at a cost of Rs 100 crore.

Of the four parks, one with 1.32 lakh sq ft has already been commissioned and other three having SEZ status are at various stages of implementation.
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEB20080313162037&Page=B&Title=Business&Topic=0

200,000 Information Technology Jobs will come to COCHIN(KOCHI)

2008-03-18T05:37:00.000-07:00

Government to form IT infrastructure company

Staff Reporter

VS opens first phase of L&T Tech Park

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Steps to acquire 507 acres for Technocity

Initiatives on for IT parks in Kozhikode, Alappuzha, Palakkad

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KOCHI: The State government has decided to form an infrastructure company to develop IT infrastructure. The capital for the company will be raised through equity. The new venture would give a boost to the IT sector, said Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan.

He was inaugurating the first phase of the IT project, L&T Tech Park, at the Infopark here on Saturday. He also laid the foundations for the second phase of the project.

The Chief Minister said several development projects were under way in Kochi. The hurdles in the way of Vallarpadam International container terminal project had been cleared and the work for the road and rail connectivity had been started. The contract for LNG terminal work had been issued.

As a result of the new projects, the city’s infrastructure had been experiencing tremendous pressure.

As part of measures to ease traffic congestion in Kochi, the government decided to start a metro rail project. Estimated to cost over Rs.3,000 crore, it was envisaged as a combined project of the Union and State governments. The construction activities would be started after getting the Union government’s approval. Preliminary steps for acquisition of land had already begun.

LDF’s job promise

The LDF government had promised to create 2 lakh job opportunities in five years, but within 22 months of its rule, the government could prepare the background for creating more than 2 lakh job opportunities in the sector in Ernakulam district alone.

He hoped that the L&T venture would be helpful in achieving the target. The Chief Minister said the government was taking steps to acquire 507 acres for setting up an IT park called Technocity, near Technopark in the capital. Preliminary steps had been taken for establishing IT parks at Kozhikode, Alappuzha and Palakkad.

Fisheries Minister S. Sarma, K.Chandran Pillai, MP, and K. Babu, MLA, were among those present. K.V. Rangaswami, president, Construction, Larsen & Toubro, welcomed the gathering.

With a total built up area of 1.1 million sq.feet coming up in two phases and spread across 7.5 acres, the L&T Tech Park provides world class space for IT companies. IT majors like TCS, IBS, Arbitron have already booked space at Tejomaya, the first phase of the project, consisting of ground plus nine floors. It also houses a cafeteria, health club, gymnasium, business centre and ATMs. Over 3,500 employees are expected to work at the facility.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/16/stories/2008031658930600.htm

COCHIN's eminent architect firm Ajit Associates combine forces with Palmer & Turner (P&T) Architects a leading firm in Hong Kong

2008-03-15T09:51:00.000-07:00

Hong Kong & Kochi Architects combine forces
Palmer & Turner (P&T) Architects a leading firm in Hong Kong has entered into a collaborative agreement with one of Kochi’s eminent architect firm Ajit Associates joint venture operation to bid for mega projects in the South India, announced BR Ajit, CEO of Ajit Associates. “The purpose of the venture is to bring international design and architectural techniques to India.”

P&T, the largest and oldest architectural firm in Asia has a history going back over 100 years, dating back to 1868 with the arrival in HK of the British architect William Salway, en route from England to Australia.

Hong Kong then had a population of 100,000, but consisting of only 500 Europeans. Development post 1842 has been rapid but relatively unplanned, known more for utility than architectural greatness. The great fire of 1867 changed all that. HK’s status prompted the local traders to seek grander structures.

Realising the potential, William Salway stayed on and opened an office on 1st October, 1868. P&T Architects is currently designing the largest shopping mall and hotel in Dubai and has been responsible for designing many landmarks in Hong Kong, Shanghai and across the region.

“The expertise of P&T is expected to bring innovations in the architectural space”, says Ajit. The joint venture is planning to bid for mega projects and jointly design a five star hotel, international restaurant and club and arts village, in 25 acres in their possession in Kochi. They have also quoted for a major IT project in Kerala.

Ajit Associates, established in 1978, pioneered the first multi-storey complex Kairali, and has a long string of landmarks to its credit like Catholic Syrian Bank, North Malabar Gramin Bank, and Group Housingin Yelahanka (Karnataka). It has expanded to include all the related engineering branches, in-house.

The office was shifted to new premises accommodating all the divisions- consultancy, electrical, mechanical, air-conditioning, public health, urban planning, landscaping et al under one roof.

T K A Nair, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, inaugurated the new 6500 square feet office on the 3rd & 4th floor of Puthuran Plaza, M G Road, in the presence of Justices V R Krishna Iyer and T L Viswanatha Iyer, T Balakrishnan, N Ramachandran, Principal Secretary Industries; Chairman, Cochin Port Trust; Managing Director, Kochi Airport Society; CEO, Infopark and Director, Aerens Gold Souk International and many others.
http://propertybytes.com/?p=893

First phase of Larsen and Toubro Tech Park Tejomaya and second phase of the project 'Signature Tower', at Infopark COCHIN(KOCHI) by Kerala CM

2008-03-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

Signature Tower (Phase - 2)

The 6.75 Lakh sq.ft, multi-tenanted facility scheduled to be
operational 2009.
More to the IT of Kerala, Signature Towermarks its uniqueness. Loacted in the most serene professional space the design combines ecosensitive architecture and energy conservation system. Upon completion in 2009 this milesone in IT will be a combination of intelligent space and world class facilities

First project of L&T Tech Park, 'Tejomaya'
Tejomaya has a total built up area of 4 Lakh sq.ft.Experience the beauty of bountiful nature within L&T Tech Park. As the name TEJOMAYA suggest, the building is resplendent with the effulgent energy pervading all over. Green-Tech in character, they are replete with energy efficient systems and state-of-the-art Technology

COCHIN(Kochi), Mar 14: Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan will inaugurate the first project of L&T Tech Park, 'Tejomaya', and launch the work for the proposed second phase of the project, 'Signature Tower', at Infopark tomorrow near here.

With a total built up area of 1.1 million sq ft coming up in two phases and spread across 7.5 acres, L&T Tech Park is set to catalyse the IT boom in the city by providing world-class work-space for companies having Tier-2 City expansion plans, according to an official release today.

'Tejomaya' is ready for occupation and offers column free space with larger floor plates, high-end security systems and infrastructure facilities for continuous IT/ITES operations.

The interiors and exteriors of the building are designed for a congenial working environment with modern lifestyle.

IT majors like TCS, IBS, Arbitron Inc and L&T Infotech have already booked space in Tejomaya and over 3500 technocrats will be expected to be working out of the facility.

'Signature Tower', to be completed by 2009, envisages the development of the 21-storey twin-tower of 6.75 Lakh sq. ft area.

--- UNI

http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?action=fullnews&id=35235

INFO PARK COCHIN(KOCHI) ONE OF THE MAJOR IT PARKS

2008-03-11T16:57:00.000-07:00

Infopark located at Kochi, is the new IT Park being developed by the Government of Kerala. To set up this project, Government has transferred 100 acres of land which is now under the ownership and possession of Infoparks Kerala, which is an independent Society fully owned by the Government.

Infopark has ambitious plans to become one of the major IT Parks in the country. With this vision, it has been growing fast ever since its inception in 2004, and within a short period of time, has attracted investments from IT majors like Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, Affiliated Computer Services, OPI Global, IBS Software Services and US Technology. Because of the fast growth rate achieved and strategic positioning of the Park in the upcoming city of Kochi (previously known as Cochin), Infopark is well known among the IT/ITES investors as a very potential destination.

Infopark has infrastructural development in three categories. Infopark provides incubation facility to start-up firms on a short term basis.

Infopark also provides space to SME and large companies on a long term lease, through Infopark’s own and co-developer buildings. Office buildings are also available on a built-to-suit (BTS) for specific company requirements.
Infopark located at Kochi, is the new IT Park being developed by the Government of Kerala. To set up this project, Government has transferred 100 acres of land which is now under the ownership and possession of Infoparks Kerala, which is an independent Society fully owned by the Government.

Infopark has ambitious plans to become one of the major IT Parks in the country. With this vision, it has been growing fast ever since its inception in 2004, and within a short period of time, has attracted investments from IT majors like Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, Affiliated Computer Services, OPI Global, IBS Software Services and US Technology. Because of the fast growth rate achieved and strategic positioning of the Park in the upcoming city of Kochi (previously known as Cochin), Infopark is well known among the IT/ITES investors as a very potential destination.Kochi (formerly known as Cochin) is located in the Indian state of Kerala. The city is one of the principal seaports of the country and is located in the district of Ernakulam, about 220 kilometers north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram. It has an estimated population of 600,000, with an extended metropolitan population of about 1.5 million, making it the largest urban agglomeration and the second largest city in Kerala after the capital

Cochin Special Economic Zone (CSEZ) IN THE VANGUARD OF PROGRESS

2008-03-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

Within an arm's reach from the hustle and bustle of a vibrant city, right on the corridor connecting a strategically positioned seaport and a busy international airport, one locates the Cochin Special Economic Zone (CSEZ), the landmark industrial township in KochL Spread over a sprawling I 03-acre area and home to 55 enterprises in diverse sectors of industry, CSEZ wields the status of a 'foreign territory' within India. Free from Customs intervention, the Zone also enjoys special policy support to stimulate NRI and Foreign Direct Investments.

From electronic hardware to readymade garments, an assortment of value added products from the CSEZ find their way into a diversified international market comprising primarily, the USA, Europe and the Middle East. Multinationals including Tyco and Advanced Lighting Resources Inc have set up their manufacturing base within the Zone as joint ventures or otherwise. Not to mention successful Indian majors like the Tatas, Leela Group, Hindustan Levers, and the NeST Group. Besides, steadily increasing contract manufacturing activities by global giants like GE Group, Lucent, Hitachi etc., have been paving the way for major investments in the Zone.

The infrastructure within.the CSEZ perhaps matches the best in the world. Factory Modules built to international standards, high- bandwidth international connectivity, top class electric power distribution system, an integrated water supply system, excellent telecommunication network, video conferencing facilities and a well laid out landscape are hallmarks of the Zone. In a path-breaking initiative, the Zone authorities have recently teamed up with KSIDC and a leading private-sector property developer to establish state-of-the-art, 'plug-n-play' modules for IT units, encompassing built-up area of about a quarter-million square feet. Negotiations have also been kick-started with private businessmen to establish a captive power station to feed the units within the CSEZ.

A 'free economic zone' positioned within an international logistic hub, CSEZ is also the gateway to a storehouse of highly productive, yet cost-competitive, manpower and Kerala's rich natural resources. "We are in the process of developing the Zone as a brand by itself. Kochi emerging as a major logistic hub, several MNCs are likely to relocate their South Asian businesses to the CSEZ in the coming years", says Mr. Paul Antony, Development Commissioner, CSEZ.

As mounting demand for built-up space prompts the Zone authorities to add another half a million to the existing half-million square feet of standard factory area, industry sources foresee manifold growth in foreign exchange earnings by CSEZ units from the present level of about Rs. 3000 million.

http://www.ksidc.org/infinity/infinity_nov02.htm

Kerala to sign IT agreements with two German states

2008-03-09T15:31:00.000-07:00

Monday March 10 2008 01:07 IST
SAJIMON P S

KOCHI: In a major initiative to spread its IT wings across the globe, the Kerala Government is signing agreements with two state governments in Germany to facilitate IT ventures.

The agreements with the states of Niedersachsen and Bavaria are aimed at allowing companies from both to start IT ventures without any impediment.

Preliminary discussions between the governments in this regard are over. Delegations from the German state governments will visit Kerala shortly to continue the discussions and to get a better understanding of the scope of IT industries here, Ajayakumar, state IT Secretary, told this website's newspaper.

Ajayakumar said that he had held preliminary discussions with Walter Hirche, Deputy Prime Minister of Niedersachen and with the IT secretary of Bavaria during Cebit-2008, a leading international IT exhibition held in Germany.

Technopark CEO Radhakrishnan Nair also attended the exhibition representing the State Government. The exhibition was organised by Deutsche Messe AG, a trade fair company, from March 4 to 9, 2008.

“Though there are companies from the USA and the UK operating here, we don’t have many IT ventures from German companies one reason for which could be the problem of communication.

The agreement is expected to be a milestone in the IT scenario of the state, said Ajayakumar. “The agreement will of course improve bilateral relations between India and Germany.

The arrival of companies from Germany will see another IT boom here. Hirche and the IT secretary of Bavaria expressed support and showed interest in signing agreements with Kerala.

They expressed satisfaction at the IT development of the country, and particularly of Kerala. They have agreed to support IT ventures by Indian companies in Germany,’’ he said.

In addition to the state governments, a number of German companies have expressed an interest in starting IT companies in Kerala, he said.

Ajayakumar and Nair also had discussions with representatives of various international IT companies.

Ajayakumar said that the German-Indian Business Centre had expressed its willingness to extend its cooperation with Kerala and had showed keen interest in the agreement.

Bitcom, an IT association of Germany, also held discussions with the State Government.
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEX20080309144600&Title=Kochi&Topic=0

New Vice Chancellor backs CUSAT upgrade to IIEST

2008-03-08T13:34:00.000-08:00

Located 10 kms north of COCHIN CITY and 20 kms south of COCHIN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT,on about 180 acres in Thrikkakara, the main campus is serene and beautiful.

The Ministry of Human Resources Development, Govt. of India has adjudged CUSAT as an institution to be upgraded to the level of IIT. The first installment of the development aid has been received by the University during April 2006 and the modification works to upgrade CUSAT as the new breed Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) are going in full swing
Kerala - Kochi

New VC backs Cusat upgrade

Staff Reporter

Says everyone stands to gain with an IIEST

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

Says character of an institution need not change by a change in its name

“Cusat’s target should be excellence”

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KOCHI: Gangan Prathap, new Vice-Chancellor of Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat), said here on Monday that “everyone stands to gain” from the proposed upgrade of the university into an Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST).

Mr. Prathap, formerly scientist in-charge of the Centre for Mathematical Modelling and Computer Simulation of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in Bangalore, said the Ananthakrishnan committee’s (which short-listed the IIESTs) proposed allocation of Rs. 80 crore to Rs. 100 crore would be greatly beneficial to Cusat.

A renowned scientist with an excellent academic and research track-record, Mr. Prathap said the character of an institution need not change just by a change in its name.

“I believe Cusat has a special character,” he said.

Pointing out that the best research came from the science departments even in Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Mr. Prathap said Cusat’s target should be excellence.

Objective

“Cusat has to take a decision whether it wants excellence or relevance,” he said referring to the ongoing debate on whether the institution should be upgraded.

“The policy (regarding the upgrade) is made by the political process. We are only the executives,” he said.

Huge funding

Noting that the IITs had benefited from the huge funding they received every year, Mr. Prathap said the annual budget of an IIT was in the range of Rs. 100 crore to Rs. 150 crore.

“On the other hand, the budget of a National Institute of Technology was between Rs. 20 crore and 30 crore. Cusat’s fund is only Rs. 22 crore,” he said.

Saying that the best students here would not go to the IITs, if Cusat got that kind of budget, Mr. Prathap said the institution was already one of the best to be brought into the higher level.

Step up research

Highlighting the need to step up research on the campus, Mr. Prathap said, “If you want to be a centre of excellence, it should need more research.”

He said the engineering faculty in most of the foreign universities did a lot of research, while here “it is more teaching.” “Teaching is being driven by good research. That is what IITs do,” he said.

Elaborating on the rapid educational progress being made by countries such as South Korea, Mr. Prathap said it had invested a lot in education.

“Seventy per cent of students there get a chance to go to a university, while it is only seven per cent in India,” he said. Mr. Prathap said that Finland, which had a population of five million, had 20 universities. “Going by that rate, Kerala should have 120 universities,” he said.

A researcher who bagged the S.S. Bhatnagar Prize in Science and Technology (1990), Mr. Prathap said the State did not have a tradition where industry was linked to universities. “It is not an easy issue to resolve. Most of the technology that we use here is absorbed from abroad,” he said.

A native of Kollam, Mr. Prathap had served as scientist at the National Aerospace Laboratories at Bangalore (1980-2000) before joining the CSIR centre.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/05/stories/2008020560940300.htm

Cochin skyline rises to the IT boom

2008-03-07T18:09:00.000-08:00

We see a trend of modern age luxury homes in India. The IT boom has brought with it many new age developments – large, multi-storied, elite complexes being one of them. Here’s a look at some of Cochin’s best.

The city of Cochin is not far behind the Indian metros such as Delhi and Mumbai when it comes to the real estate boom. In fact, the Cochin Export Processing Zone and projects like ’Smart City’ have fueled the real estate boom in Cochin and its suburbs. Matching other Indian cities, the land and housing prices in Cochin have more than doubled in a short span of time.

If you’re looking for a home in Cochin (Kochi), make sure you consider these options:
Marine drive - An up-market part of Cochin. Investments by NRIs and residents have added to the demand of residential schemes in this part of Cochin. Several multi-crore projects have been launched in this vicinity. Homes in the Prestige Neptune courtyard were priced in the range of Rs. 1-7 crore. The sea-facing locations of Marine drive add to its luxury!

Thevera - Another locality that boasts of elite residential complexes. Thevera offers opulent accommodation for its residents.

Panampilly Nagar - An aristocrat residential and commercial area in Cochin. It hosts chic housing complexes and several corporate offices. One cannot miss the glamour and glitz of this part of Cochin.

Kakkanad suburb - This suburb of Kochi has grown at a tremendous pace due to the smart city project and IT boom. SRK group has launched a Rs. 200 crore project called ‘Skywings’ at Kakkanad. Its residents can enjoy amenities like clubhouse, health club, supermarket, professional service management, and most importantly, excellent security facilities. The apartments are pegged at as high as Rs. 3 crore.

Edappally - This location has seen a dramatic change in recent times. Good education opportunities and accessibility to the highway have made residences in this area much sought after. If you are looking for a high value investment, this could be the place for you.

The suburbs of Ernakulum, Kadavanthra, and Cheranelloor have also greatly appreciated in value in a short period.

Property developers like Skyline, Meridien Homes, Puravankara, and SRK group have investments in swish projects in Kochi. Planned development and good infrastructure have added to the magnetism of Kochi.
http://www.window2india.com/cms/content/article11092007.jsp?aid=3615

Development off to a flying start in the region around the Cochin International Airport

2008-03-07T17:55:00.000-08:00

CIAL and adjoining areas are witnessing a flurry of construction activity
The value of the Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery is being felt more than ever before now - about seven years after it started functioning. The airport will be celebrating its seventh anniversary in a month with verve, since it has been one of the main factors that brought life to many a sleepy village around it.

Going by the huge swing in the property market in the area, the development around the airport is going to completely change the surroundings. It has already changed the face of the place, says V.J. Kurien, Managing Director of Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL).

People visiting the area after a long gap would not recognise the place, he said. There are 3,100 people working on the premises of the airport. Housing needs of these people has been a major catalyst in the development of the area, said Mr. Kurien.

CIAL project

The passenger traffic has increased to about 5,500 daily. But it is not this alone that has triggered development. CIAL has embarked on a major development project.

Out of the 1,300 acres of land with CIAL, 400 acres lying unutilised by the airport would be used commercially. There are at least five hotels around the airport, which include three-star hotels too. CIAL is planning to set up four hotels, of which two will be five-star and two will be three-star.

The company is also planning a convention centre, an exhibition hall and a shopping complex with an eye on the number of people who visit the airport for sending of or receiving guests and relatives.

According to Mr. Kurien, 15,000 people are estimated to come in and out of the airport in a day. CIAL is planning to develop a small township of its own which will bring in more people residing in nearby areas for their shopping needs.

The multiplexes and food court will be ideal to give meaning to their idle time, Mr. Kurien says.

Golf course

Another project that the airport is planning to come up with is a golf course. About 100 acres in the flight path cannot be utilised for anything else. The Union Government has already sanctioned Rs.10 crore for the Rs.13-crore project. The rest of the amount will be raised through membership, Mr. Kurien says.

Another employment opportunity will be coming up from CIAL, when it sets up a maintenance hangar here. Work will be started soon on the project. About 100 people will get employment in the beginning and eventually it is likely to provide employment to about 4000 people, says Mr. Kurien.

The needs of these people converging on Nedumbassery will have to be met locally. From Athani to Sreemoolanagaram panchayat, the impact is direct. The related small and remote areas have been witnessing a real estate boom.

All this is propelled by real time development and real investors, said Paul Iyyampally, proprietor of Pen Books, who has entered the real estate business with Pen Properties. One of the biggest projects of the area is the development of about 400 housing plots in 56 acres lying adjacent to the airport.

Calling it Pen Airport Village Nedumbassery, Mr. Iyyampally, believes that by the time the property is fully developed, the cost of the land is likely to go up several times. The cost of the land here is at Rs.75,000 a cent, because the direct access from the main road leading to the airport is yet to become a reality. A small bridge connecting the land to the airport road, now separated by a canal, would push up the land value several times.

G. Krishna Kumar, who is familiar with the land transaction patterns in the area, feels that the boom in land value is felt in a bigger radius beyond Nedumbassery.

Rising value

While the land lying near to the airport has appreciated nearly 500 per cent over the last one year, remote areas have gone up by even 400-500 times the price that was prevailing a year ago.

Land at Athani Junction (from where the road to airport takes a turn away from the highway) and the near by areas is as much as Rs.4 lakhs to Rs.4.5 lakhs a cent.

The price of land here had hovered around Rs 90,000 per cent a year ago. Price of land on VIP Road has gone up from Rs.40,000 to Rs.1.5 lakhs a cent.

The real estate brokers play a vital role in upping the land value too.

There is speculation. There are many around the area who have left their existing job to take up real-estate business, said a broker.

However, the speculation is not without substance. There are real buyers, unlike the property boom earlier.

Housing plots have been developed and sold by many real estate developers here. Most of the investment here has come from he non-resident Indians.

Two-pronged

The developments here are two pronged, says Mr. Krishna Kumar. One is the airport-related development and the other is the tourism-related development. As for the first reason, the growth of the area is fuelled by the demand created by the staff attached to people in the airport. Housing demand is the prime reason.

Another is tourism. Two four-star hotels are coming up at M.C. Road in Kalady and one on the Airport to Kalady road. Kalady, famous for its association with saint Adi Sankaracharya, is considered a pilgrim centre.

Close to the place, about 10 km, lies Malayattoor, the place which has been granted international pilgrimage status because of its association with St. Thomas. Now these places have gained more visibility because of the airport's proximity.

Infrastructure

Accessibility to the places has increased thanks to the other developments related to infrastructure.

A lot of basic infrastructure is being developed here. What used to be a two-lane main road to Kalady town, is now a four-lane road. Increasing road traffic necessitated the development.

All the housing plots being developed here would definitely bring in construction majors. There would build shopping malls and other basic facilities to serve the population.

A school too would increase the land value, said Mr. Krishna Kumar.

When the basic facilities such as school, college and hospital come up in the area, the land value is bound to rise, he said. Nedumbassery and its surrounding has been marked well by many who will be taking up its development.

http://www.hindu.com/pp/2006/04/22/stories/2006042200580100.htm

Cochin Chamber welcome Budget proposals Tourism and IT find special mention

2008-03-07T14:42:00.000-08:00

Trade, industry welcome Budget proposals

Staff Reporter

Tourism and IT find special mention in the budget

KOCHI: Finance Minister Thomas Isaac has helped dispel certain ‘myths’ about Kerala economy and its performance through the Budget 2008, said Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry here in its reaction to the Budget proposals by the Finance Minister.

Chamber President Jose Dominic said that Kerala had always been known for its achievements in the social sector and welcomed the initiatives and emphasis by the government on the social sector.

Following the Union Budget 2008, the State Budget too has emphasised agriculture.

The State has also focussed on traditional sectors such as coir, cashew, fisheries and handloom.

The government’s intention to promote infrastructure development in the State and the sectors focussed on are welcome, said Mr. Dominic in his statement.

However, he said that much more needed to be done if “we are to keep pace with the times.”

Tourism and Information Technology find special mention in the Budget and they hold tremendous hopes for the State, he added.

While there is a need for taking care of the environment in Kerala, the Budget should have given greater importance to “sustainable and green growth pattern of Kerala.”

The Chamber welcomed the development package for North Kerala and expressed surprise at the “silence” on the development of Kochi, barring a passing reference to the metro rail project.

Reforms

The Cochin Chamber also welcomed the government’s move for administrative reforms, which were long overdue. Cochin Oil Merchants’ Association (COMA) has welcomed the Budget proposal for tax exemption to coconut-based units.

M.J. Kuriakose, president of COMA said here in a statement here on Thursday that the proposal would help coconut farmers realise higher prize for their produce.

The Association also said that the relief on tax arrear collection would go a long way in helping industrial units that are sick.

Land bank

Kerala State Small Industries Association welcomed the Budget proposal for forming a land bank to make available sufficient land for industrial purposes.

A.P.M. Abdul Rahim, president of the association also welcomed the Budget proposal for one-time settlement of tax arrears.

The Association welcomed the move to exempt paper bags from the purview of taxes but said that the proposal to raise tax on plastic carry bags to 12.5 per cent would affect the business and that this would prompt merchants to bring in plastic bags from other States by paying two per cent CST.

The proposal to simplify the provision for compounding for works contracts, to extend benefits to dealers who voluntarily come forward to take registration, reduction of tax on aviation fuel, and so on, are welcome steps in the State Budget 2008, said the Indian Chamber of Commerce in a statement here.

The Chamber also welcomed the proposal for continuing Grand Kerala Shopping Festival to promote trade and tourism and to protect and expand commercial centres, including Fort Kochi.

Amnesty scheme

The Finance Minister had also responded positively to a suggestion to introduce an amnesty scheme for disposing of arrears of all taxes to be collected by the Commercial Tax Department under the Kerala Government Sales Tax Act, said the statement. It also expressed hope that fiscal deficit would be fully under control by 2010-2011.

Ernakulam Merchants’ Union has said that the Budget 2008 had not taken into consideration any of the suggestions put forward by traders. A statement from the Union described the Budget as disappointing.

The Budget had no proposal for resisting the big players in the retail sector and that the Finance Minister had disappointed the small retailers.The Merchants’ Union welcomed the proposal for one-time settlement of tax arrears as it also called for mechanisms to settle the disputes on the tax arrears.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/08/stories/2008030856302100.htm

InKel Attracts Investors, NRKs(Non Resident Keralites)

2008-03-07T08:38:00.000-08:00

Kerala’s Minister of Industries Elamaram Kareem, (sixth from the right), members of his delegation, and Consul General Dr. Ausaf Sayeed with Indian businessmen and other dignitaries in Jeddah. (AN photo

P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News

JEDDAH, 5 May 2007 — The south Indian state of Kerala offers an investor-friendly climate not only for NRIs (non-resident Indians) but also for global investors, Elamaram Kareem, the state’s minister for industries, said while addressing a group of Indian businessmen here.

The minister was in Jeddah to promote InKel (Infrastructures Kerala Ltd.), a government sponsored company designed to undertake the state’s development plans in the industrial and business sectors.

“We have started attracting a large number of global investors who feel their investment is safe and secure in Kerala with promising returns since the state offers expert human resources at comparatively cheaper rate,” said Kareem, who left the Kingdom Thursday night after visiting Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam as part of his Gulf tour.

The Kerala government has splendid schemes in the pipeline such as the container transshipment facility at Kochi and Vizhinjam, he said. The Info Park project at Kochi has been finalized with Dubai Tcom. Several info parks, rubber parks, tourism villages, medical cities, etc are on the cards. Kannur has been tipped as a textile city, Kollam as cashew nut valley and Idikki as a spices park, he pointed out.

“Any entrepreneur, individual or collective, can get single window clearance instantly and proceed with their project with full government support,” Kareem told the meeting, which was organized by the Indian Consulate in Jeddah and the World Malayalee Council. Consul General Dr. Ausaf Sayeed presided over the function.

The work force in Kerala is now well-disciplined, the minister said playing down negative propaganda about labor militancy in the state. “Some industrialists who left the state previously such as Gwalior Rayons have expressed their interest to return to the state now. The atmosphere is definitely congenial to them; otherwise they wouldn’t have returned,” the minister asserted.

“While unveiling the details of the offer, the minister clarified that his team’s main objective was to spread the message that the investment climate in Kerala had been upgraded and modernized to facilitate every kind of industry,” said George Tharakan, coordinator of the business meet.

The minister’s delegation consisted of John Mathai, managing director of InKel, T. Radhakrishnan, principal secretary at the Industries Ministry and N. Sasidharan Nair, private secretary to the minister.

Mathai gave a presentation highlighting the company’s features and prospects. Radhakrishnan spoke on the industrial situation in the state. He also underlined the historical trade relations between India and Arabian Gulf countries.

InKel’s equity stands at Rs.1 billion of which the Kerala government will have a 26 percent stake. The remaining 74 percent has been offered to public. Government will have four directors in the board whereas the shareholders can select eight members.

According to the minister, major investing companies and mutual fund managers have already offered to take the 74 percent stake in the company. But, Kareem said the government is inclined to favor small investors, especially non-resident Keralites (NRKs) in the Gulf who can buy up to 50 shares, each valuing Rs.10,000.

Kareem announced that the government has already transferred its share of Rs.260 million to the InKel’s bank account. Prospective investors can apply directly through InKel’s bankers — State of Bank of India and State Bank of Travancore. Every branch of these banks will accept deposits till the end of May. Representatives of the banks Purushothaman and Ranjit Thomas, who were in the minister’s delegation, distributed share application forms.

Kareem and his team arrived in the Kingdom after visiting Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. They will leave for the UAE after meeting businessmen in Bahrain.

Dignitaries who attended the Jeddah meeting included: K.M. Kurian, regional manager of Air-India, Western Region, Mohammed Alungal and Samad of Al-Abeer Medical Group, Abdul Salam K.P. of Alpha Cargo, M.V. Saleem of Dauhat Al-Uloom International School, Seiko Hamza of Al-Yasmin Polyclinic, V.K. Samad of Rabeeh Al-Jazeera Polyclinic, Mansur Koroth of E-peace, and Shuhaib of Al-Ryan Polyclinic. World Malayalee Council hosted a dinner in honor of the delegation and participants.

Some participants complained that they were not given time to ask questions related to the project. “It’s a good project as it offers shares to the public, especially NRKs in the Gulf. But we want to get assurance that it would not be affected by the change of governments in the state,” said Salah Karadan, a member of the managing committee of the International Indian School, Jeddah.

One businessman said he believed that the capital was meager and would not be enough to carry out big infrastructure projects. Despite the minister’s assurance many businessmen feared labor militancy would put their investment in jeopardy.

InKel has already identified locations in capital Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and other places, where it would set up basic infrastructure for investors interested in starting sunrise industries.

The new company registered two months ago will be formed as a public-private partnership and will be different from the state-owned Kerala State Industrial Infrastructure Ltd and Kerala State Industrial Development Corp.
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=95804&d=5&m=5&y=2007

GREEN METROPOLIS by Mir Realtors in COCHIN,KERALA,INDIA

2008-03-04T18:47:00.001-08:00

Mir Realtors COCHIN(Kochi)
This is new project of 6 acres with
villas of different sizes and flats and is situated 3 kms away from the proposed Smart City
COCHIN(KOCHI)

Corporate film:Lakeshore Hospital Kochi

2008-03-04T18:40:00.001-08:00

The film is aimed to attract investors and shareholders to the hospital project. So while conceiving and making the video, the director focused on project the infrastructure and business potential instead of its contribution in health care and treatments.
.
Project: Lakeshore Hospital COCHIN (Kochi)
Direction: Ram Mohan
Editor: Joseph MC
Shot on Beta Cam.
Email:kgrammohan@gmail.com (less)

Sharjah company wins Kochi marina contract

2008-03-03T17:11:00.000-08:00

By Ashraf Padanna
By Ashraf Padanna
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A United Arab Emirates company has won the contract to build Indiaâ€™s first marina in Keralaâ€™s port city of Kochi.
Gulf Marinas is based in Sharjahâ€™s Hamriyah Free Zone.
On Saturday, Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan laid the foundation for the marina to be built between Kochiâ€™s Bolgatty Island and Marine Drive, with a capacity to house 50 luxury yachts at a time. It will be the worldâ€™s only marina with a golf course.
â€œThe first phase of the project will be completed in less than a year at a cost Rs80mn, half which will be provided by the federal government,â€‌ Cheriyan Phillip, chairman of the state-owned Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC), which is building the marina, said.
The KTDC has floated a subsidiary, Tourists Resorts Kerala Limited, to implement the project. The consultants were picked up through a competitive bidding process.
There will be two-dozen state-of-the-art rooms and recreation facilities built along with the marina to accommodate seafarers who make Kochi a stopover between the Middle East and the Far East.
Currently, at least 60 yachts call at the Kerala port city during the tourist season and remain berthed there for periods ranging from two weeks to six months despite poor berthing facilities.
The marina will accommodate fuel stations, restaurants, health clubs and a car-parking area and a boardwalk â€” a wooden structure protruding into the backwaters. The marina is expected to provide job opportunities to hundreds of people who are skilled in repairing boats and communication equipment such as GPS, sonar and VHF radio sets.
Currently, there are no intermediate berthing facilities for the yachts leaving Dubai until they reach their destinations in the Far East. Situated just 11 nautical miles away from the international maritime route, Kochi has one of he best natural ports in Asia where Dubai Ports World is building an international container transshipment terminal. The Cochin Port Trust is also building a cruise terminal on nearby Willington Island.
The construction of a two-lane road connecting the Bolghatty Palace and Goshree Island is already underway. The KTDC plans to complete the first phase before the Volvo Ocean Race in December.
â€œOne completed, Kochi would emerge as the gateway of Indiaâ€™s tourism. Since tourists who travel by the sea are on the rise, the Kochi marina will boost the tourism prospects of the state,â€‌ Philip said.
Most of the yachters arriving in Kochi, many of them aged couple, have been from European countries such as the UK, Finland and Norway apart from New Zealand and Australia.
â€œKerala has already become a high-quality destination like the Maldives, where hotels are priced very high, and not Goa and Sri Lanka where cheaper hotel rooms are available. The marina would give further boost to this segment,â€‌ Philip said.
The Kerala Tourism authorities feel the Kochi marina could well become what Florida is to the US where lifestyle tourists converge. The idea is to make them fly down to Kochi, take a cruise in yachts berthed here and fly back to their city, Philip said.
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=205157&version=1&template_id=40&parent_id=22

Invest in Realty Booming IT city, COCHIN(KOCHI)Malayalee NRIs from across the globe are starting to invest in Kochi

2008-03-02T14:06:00.000-08:00

Invest in Realty Booming IT city, Kochi
Sunday, Nov 4, 2007

This small town on the south-west coast of the Indian peninsula was the site of the first European colonial settlement in India by the Portuguese, way back in 1503. Kochi (Cochin) was occupied by the Dutch as well as the British. Some of that colonial heritage still lives on in its buildings.
Lately, however, this sleepy trading town has woken up. Dubai Port International, in a joint venture with the Cochin Port Trust, is handling the Container Transshipment Terminal at Vallarpadam.

There is an international bunkering terminal, a ship repair facility, a CNG terminal as well as an international cruise ship terminal at Kochi port. Kochi was also the first city in India to have an international airport built under public-private partnership.

Today, Kochi is a growing centre for information technology, tourism and international trade. All of these factors have fuelled the demand for more accommodation, office space, retail space as well as hospitality services.

Which is the best city in India? Tell us

According to Knight Frank Research, there is a demand for 50,000 apartments, which should be met in the next 2-3 years. There are various residential projects, some under construction and others at planning stage. Most major national players are already in Kochi.

This includes the likes of Puravankara Projects, Sobha Developers, Prestige Group, Emaar-MGF and Brigade Group, apart from several local players like Abad, Skyline Builders, Mather, JCB Estates, Great India Estates. Sahara Infrastructure & Housing and Unitech have both acquired land in the city but have revealed no fixed plans.

The city is seeing many new developments. A new ring road, a coastal highway and the new airport-seaport road are some of the developments that Srinivas Anikipatti, regional director, Colliers International talked about.

The poshest area in Kochi is its Marine Drive, some parts of MG Road, which is also the retail and hospitality hub of the city, Chittoor Road and Shanmugham Road.

The off-prime locations are Thevara Junction, Panampally Nagar, Edapally Junction and Palarivattam Junction. A lot of new residential activity is happening in the emerging areas of Kakkanad, Kelamassery Road, the NH-47 bypass, Thirupunithura and Mardu Junction.

Some of the very high-end properties are coming up on Marine Drive. Puravankara Projects has the Grand Bay at Marine Drive where the rates are already Rs 4,000-4,500 per sq ft and apartments cost Rs 80 lakh upwards.

"These are large units with marble flooring, a suspended pool on the fifth floor, a triple height lobby and huge balconies to enjoy the sea," says Naina Cariappa, VP, sales and marketing, Puravankara Projects.

They have another project planned at Marine Drive called Oceania. Other areas where they have residential projects are Kakkanad and Edapally. "At Kakkanad, the cost is about Rs 1,800-1,900 per sq ft," she says.

Others on Marine Drive include the Bangalore-based Prestige Group, which has a project called Neptune Courtyard, and the Abad Group.

Local player Skyline Builders too is in the high-end game. Their project at Kaloor called the Imperial Garden has 300 apartments, which cost between Rs 1,700-2,600 per sq ft (roughly Rs 40-60 lakh for 3-4 bedroom apartments).

Great India Estates is also planning 4-bedroom apartments of over 3,000 sq ft space at Kakkanad. "These will be priced at over Rs 3,000 per sq ft," informs managing director E M Najeeb.

There is rising demand for new houses from NRIs. Malayalee NRIs from across the globe are starting to invest in Kochi. Abdul Azeez, MD Skyline Builders, informs that about 60 per cent of all their projects has been booked by NRIs.

At Puravankara, the figure is even higher. "Eighty per cent of our bookings are coming from NRI clients who are either looking at investing here or getting their second home," informs Cariappa.

Kochi currently has no malls; however, by 2009, the city is expected to have six malls covering a built-up area of 1.60 million sq ft, according to Cushman & Wakefield. Malls like Forum (expected to have 1 million+ sq ft of space), Lulu Mall, Aerens Gold Souk, Abad Mall, Metro One, Mall O, The Summit (to be spread over 12 floors) and Kalyan Mall are being planned. There have been reports that DLF too is looking at a mall-cum-hotel project in the city, near Marine Drive.

One can only hope that developers will not turn parts of Kochi into replicas of Gurgaon, what with all these malls and apartment complexes being developed in the city.

1. Flair Water Face : River View luxury Villas facing Ernakulam - Perumbavoor main Road, Kochi from Flair Homes

Features : Starting price Rs.5610000 for 1870 square feet 3 Bed room Villas

Flair Waterface offers a good opportunity for those who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life, yet want to be close enough to the city. A river at one side and a mountain across adds to the beauty of the site and to the cool and serene atmosphere of your villas - makes you feel away from the hot and sultry days. Flair Homes provides unique villas which worths your choice and suits your status in a multifaceted residential township and a hygienic, pollution free zone 4.5 Km east of Ernakulam Collectorate.

Prominent institutions

Civil Station, CEPZ, NPOL, AIR, Doordarshan, IMG, Info Park, KINFRA, Export processing Zone Italian Fasion City, Export Promotinal, Cochin international airport, Veega Amusement Park - the largest amusement park and holiday place in Kerala.
Prominent housing projects
Central Excise & Customs Quarters, Central Govt. Staff Quarters,NGO Quarters, GCDA Housing Complex and many private housing projects.

Educational Institutions
Bharathmatha College, Model Engineering College, St. Paul's College, Vidyodaya School, Marthoma Public School, Kalabhavan Talent School, Carmel School, Press Academy, Cochin University and Cochin Medical College

Amenities :

* Swimming pool * Riverside park * Club House * Boat Club * Health Club * Gymnasium * Own water treater plant
* Indoor Shuttle court * Shop Rooms * 24 hour security * Fishing deck

2. Tedros, Luxury apartments from Flair Homes in Kakkanad, Kochi :

Features : 1480 square feet 3-bed room luxury flat starting price : Rs.44,00,000(inlcuding all taxes and registration charges)

Flair Homes is giving shape to Tedros at the most sophisticated residential enclave of the city at Kakkanad. Location-wise, you will be right in the middle of all happening places. On comfort levels, you'll have luxurious facilities to pamper your lifestyle

For further details and other ongoing projects, please call 09963355667 or visit www.freewebs.com/kochirealestateproperties

06:31 AM (UTC -5)
http://www.freewebs.com/kochirealestateproperties/investinkochi.htm?blogentryid=2467544

Manipal group to buy 40% in stake and management control in Kochi-based Lakeshore Hospital for Rs 100 cr

2008-03-02T09:57:00.000-08:00

Manipal group to buy 40% in Kerala hospital for Rs 100 cr
3 Mar, 2008, 0029 hrs IST,Boby Kurian, TNN

BANGALORE: The Manipal group is close to acquiring a substantial stake and management control in Kochi-based Lakeshore Hospital, a super-specialty medical centre and a pioneer in medical tourism initiatives.

Sources said Manipal is likely to pick up around 40% stake for about Rs 100 crore, thus putting up a tough fight against Thailand’s healthcare tourism major Bumrungrad and at least two private equity players.

The deal is yet to be ratified by the board of Lakeshore Hospital, which was originally conceived almost a decade ago by a group of senior medical professionals. It is believed that Manipal Health Systems, a part of Manipal

Education and Medical Group (MEMG) which operates a chain of tertiary- and secondary-care hospitals, has emerged as the front-runner to acquire the stake in Lakeshore. Nevertheless, interest from Bangkok-based and public-listed

Bumrungrad International shows the growing importance of South India on the medical tourism map.

The multi-specialty Lakeshore is one of the few hospitals to have air, water and surface ambulance services.

The hospital’s roof-top helipad is pressed into service to help critically-ill patients while water ambulance service caters to people living in islands around Kochi.

Manipal’s likely stake buy may see it taking over administration and management duties of the hospital, which also has investments from NRI investor and promoter of Dubai-based Lulu Group, MA Yousaf Ali.

Sources said some of the original medical professionals who conceived the project may exit as shareholders.

Dr Ranjan Pai, CEO of MEMG, declined to comment on the impending transaction at this point of time. When queried on the possibility of a takeover by Manipal, Lakeshore Hospital finance director AJ Pai said the board of directors had not taken any decision.

Sources said Manipal may have offered Rs 53 per share, which was below the asking price of Rs 60/65 per share. But what could have tilted the deal in its favour may be the fact that it did not insist on a majority stake straightway, like Bumrungrad or PE investors such as India Value Fund or IVEN Medicare.

MEMG runs a chain of at least 12 hospitals in South India both in the tertiary- and secondary-care segments, with Manipal Hospital, Bangalore, being the flagship. It has two more hospitals in Bangalore, besides some primary care facilities.

M&A action has been seeing a spurt in South India, with a spate of deals involving strategic players as well as private equity funds.

Fortis recently snapped up Malar Hospital in Chennai; IVEN Medicare, part of ICICI Ventures, invested over Rs 100 crore in Mysore-based Vikram Hospitals and India Value Fund infused around Rs 200 crore into Kochi-based DM Healthcare, which plans to set up a network of hospitals nationally.
--------- http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Healthcare/Manipal_group_to_buy_40_in_Kerala_hospital_for_Rs_100_cr/articleshow/2831781.cms

Boston-based Visual IQ begins India operations in COCHIN(KOCHI)

2008-03-01T16:35:00.000-08:00

COCHIN (KOCHI): Visual IQ, a Boston-based leading provider of digital Marketing Business Intelligence (MBI), has commenced its Indian operations from Kochi.

The company expanded its global support resources in the US and abroad, including a new 24/7 client services centre here, President and CTO of Visual IQ, Anto Chittilappilly and Vice President Vincent Chittilappily told reporters here.

Vincent is heading the Indian operations in Kochi. The company has started operations in the country, with its first office at Trans Asia Corporate Park here and is planning to treble the office space and staff in the next 12 months. There are about 30 staff in Kochi office, Vincent said.

Kochi has been selected as the primary R&D and production centre due to the growing infrastructure and availability of technical skills in the city, he said.

Visual IQ's unique platform offers a visual and interactive experience that helps marketers quickly discover new and actionable media and customer insights across online, offline and mobile marketing channels, Chittilappilly said.

By unifying marketing data and results, the Visual IQ intelligence platform provides organisations with a consolidated view of consumers behaviour and how various marketing channels influences their decisions. The information allows businesses to refine their marketing strategies and tactics to make the greatest impact with their audience.

The new IQ platform has an RIA (Rich Internet Application) infrastructure that allows marketers and ad agencies to access data in a visual way. The company has developed a unique system to measure the influence of each ad exposure to a single consumer and their purchasing behaviour, Anto said.

He said in the next 24 months top Indian and Chinese companies would use their services.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News_by_Industry/Boston-based_Visual_IQ_begins_India_operations/articleshow/2829338.cms

COCHIN (Kochi) - Real Estate Projects

2008-03-01T11:28:00.000-08:00

Apart from the upcoming projects listed above, investors can explore quality projects furnished by Kochi-based real estate developer Abad Builders. Deluxe apartments are available at Sunshine Court in Vazhakkala, Lotus Lake in Chilavannoor, Green Terrace in Kakkanad, Aquarius in Ernakulam, Olympus in Edapally, Harmony on Paradise Road, Vyttila, North Star on SRM Road, Cloud Nine in Panampilly Nagar, Marine Plaza on Marine Drive, Oriental Gardens on the Mamangalam-Pottakuzhy Road and Silver Crest in Jawahar Nagar, Kadavanthra. Rainbow Retreat offers 2-5 bedroom villas at Irumpanam near the Smart City project.

Skyline Builders have 9 residential projects in Kochi located in Kakkanad, Alwaye, Kaloor, Edapally, Ernakulam North, Panampilly Nagar, Padivattom and Kadavanthara.

Mir Realtors have concentrated their activities on 3 projects in Kakkanad offering villas and apartments, while Mather Projects are located in Kakkanad, Vytilla, Chembumukku and M G Road. Jewel Homes have 6 residential properties in Kakkanad, Palarivattom, SRM Road, Kacheripadi, SRM Road and Janatha Road.

Other real estate developers with projects in Kochi include: Clearway Builders, Happy Constructions, National Builders, Star Homes, Ambady Constructions, Business India Builders, Relcon Properties, Kristal Group, Tanzeel Builders, K P Varkey, Jairaj Designer Homes, Jomer Properties, Desai Homes, Bavasons Constructions, Regal Projects, Jain Housing and Constructions, Flair Home Projects, Good Earth Homes, Chakolas Habitat, Kuruvila Homes, Galaxy Homes, M J K Group, Panjos Builders, Nagarjuna Construction and Heera Constructions.

With returns on commercial property in Kochi higher than returns on residential property, investments in commercial projects have seen a marked increase. Commercial properties are more in demand on Marine Drive, sections of MG Road, Chittoor Road and Shanmugham Road.

The Kaloor- Kadavanthra Road and Seaport Airport roads offer potential avenues for investment, being developed as alternatives to M G Road.

The Greater Cochin Development Authority is undertaking shopping mall projects on the Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road, Manappattiparambu and Marine Drive. 6 malls are under construction, and are expected to open in 2009. The Forum will span 1 million sq. ft while the Summit Mall will rise up to 12 floors. The Lulu Mall, Aerens Gold Souk, Abad Mall, Metro One, Mall O and Kalyan Mall would cater to the growing affluence of the city.

While DLF plans a hotel-cum-mall on Marine Drive, the KGA Group from Kuwait has decided to set up a hotel in Kochi too. Satra Properties is setting up a five star hotel on Bolgatty Island on 1.63 lakh sq. ft area which would be completed by 2010.

http://www.nrirealtynews.com/kochi/real-estate-projects.php

Real Estate Developments in COCHIN (Kochi)

2008-03-01T11:25:00.000-08:00

With no industrial history to speak of, the current developments in Kochi are driven by the thrust from NRI remittances and the tourism sector. Restricted by the sea on its western coast, Kochi is spilling over to the neighbouring towns and villages, where land prices have made impressive gains. Once considered distant, neighbourhoods like Edappally and Tripunithura have appreciated from Rs.25, 000 to Rs.2 lakh for a cent.

The growing demand for housing units and the constraints on space have induced city builders to focus on building apartments in Kochi. Local builders are offering top-of-the line fittings and lifestyle add-ons like clubs and swimming pools to apartment complexes to woo home makers who prefer these homes for the security and convenience they offer.

The Kochi real estate market has prompted national level developers like Puravankara Projects, Sobha Developers, Prestige Group, Emaar-MGF and Brigade Group to invest in the city. Unitech with 670 acres, Sahara Infrastructure & Housing and L&T have also pitched for Kochi property with niche projects.

Appreciation
Satellite townships are being absorbed into the city as better connectivity gives them easy access to the new IT locations. As large-scale companies relocate to the city and NRIs pour their dollars into luxury projects, real estate prices in Kochi have been zooming upwards.

In 2005 almost a 400 % appreciation in land prices in Kochi was observed, especially on the NH 47 Bypass Road. This locality is proving to be a strong contender for M.G. Road, the city’s business district. Property prices in Kochi start at the upper end of Rs. 1 crore a cent on M.G.Road, though no transactions are taking place in this area. Property sales are happening only in the by-lanes of M.G.Road, fetching between Rs.40 lakh and Rs. 80 lakh a cent.

Property prices in Kochi’s Marine Drive have also skyrocketed over the years to Rs.1 crore a cent, and luxury apartments in the neighbourhood are commanding similar rates. Real estate deals for 25 acres and 70 acres have been struck at Rs.112 crore and Rs.91 crore respectively near Goshree bridges by Mumbai real estate developers.

In Ernakulam South and Ernakulam North, a cent fetches half a crore, as do Shanmugham Road, Panampilly Nagar and Kaloor. Chittoor, Palarivattom Junction and Thevara fall in the Rs. 30 lakh range, while Vyttila is available between Rs.20 lakh to Rs. 30 lakh. Kakkanad’s proximity to the Smart City is being used to advantage by owners wishing to sell their property where land rates range between Rs.15 lakh to Rs.20 lakh.

Places to look out for are Puthiyakavu, beyond Thripunithura and Chottanikkara where land values will show much appreciation after the airport-seaport road is completed. Thripunithura, Kakkanad and Alwaye are safe bets for investment in property in Kochi

NRI Real Estate Trends
NRI investments in Kochi have propelled the demand for residential flats in Kochi – almost 60 to 80% of all residential properties booked in the city are registered by Keralites living overseas.

A range of premium residential properties in Kochi by local and national real estate developers are in various stages of construction to cater to the aesthetics of the returning NRI.

Kakkanad is Kochi’s most preferred destination, with DLF, Sahara, and Great India Estates amongst others establishing their presence. Puravankara’s Eternity is available from Rs.27 lakh upwards, and is likely to be completed by December 2009. Purva’s Grandbay project on Marine Drive is also likely to come up by then, but starts with a hefty price of Rs.68 lakh. The builder has recently launched its 3 bedroom apartment complex on the Seaport-Airport Road at a price of Rs. 47 lakh.

Skyline Foundations would be launching their Silicon Park apartments in Kakkanad shortly while their Silicon Drive project in Kakkanad and Eternia in Edapally are under construction. Aqua Greens in Alwaye is expected to be launched soon, while luxury apartments are coming up in Kallor priced between Rs. 1,700 to Rs. 2,600 per sq. ft.

For those looking for luxury villas, Anzera Properties has Brookside under construction at Kakkanad in the range of Rs.48 lakh to Rs. 82 lakh. The Lavender is another premium residential project from the builder. Anzera has also announced a premium residential project for senior citizens in Chengannassery.

http://www.nrirealtynews.com/kochi/real-estate-kochi.php

A proposal for connecting Cochin with the IT hubs at Bangalore and Hyderabad a Golden IT corridor connecting three nerve centres of IT in south India

2008-02-29T15:39:00.000-08:00

New Delhi: Seeking a special package for Kerala in the coming railway budget, a high-level delegation led by Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan met Railways Minister Lalu Prasad in the national capital on Wednesday.

"It was promised to us that a special package would be considered for Kerala when the Salem division was created. But till date nothing has been done in this regard and we want a special package in the coming railway budget," Kerala MP PC Thomas said.

Thomas was part of the high-power delegation consisting of 15 MPs and two state ministers from Kerala who had an hour-long meeting with Prasad at Rail Bhawan.

A separate zone for Kerala is our long standing demand and it should be fulfilled, Thomas said.
Besides a new railway zone for Kerala, the delegation demanded a coach factory at Palakkad. The coach factory is to manufacture ICF design fabricated bogies for passenger coaches to meet the requirement in future.

Demanding a "Golden IT corridor", the delegation has submitted a proposal for connecting Cochin with the IT hubs at Bagalore and Hyderabad. This route will reduce the distance between Bangalore and Cochin by around 120 kms.

"It could become a Golden IT corridor connecting three nerve centres of IT in south India and lead to development move," a member of the delegation said.

© Copyright 2008 PTI. All rights reserved.
http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1228863

Model Engineering College,COCHIN(KOCHI)Thrikkakara signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with WIPRO(it's 1rst in KERALA)

2008-02-29T13:11:00.000-08:00

Wipro Technologies is the No.1 provider of integrated business, technology and process solutions on a global delivery platform.
Wipro Technologies is a global services provider delivering technology-driven business solutions that meet the strategic objectives of our clients. Wipro has 40+ ‘Centers of Excellence’ that create solutions around specific needs of industries. Wipro delivers unmatched business value to customers through a combination of process excellence, quality frameworks and service delivery innovation. Wipro is the World's first CMMi Level 5 certified software services company and the first outside USA to receive the IEEE Software Process Award.

About MEC
Model Engineering College, Thrikkakara is a premier institute of engineering that has carved a niche for itself in the field of technical education in a very short span of time. Since its inception in 1989, under the aegis of the Institute of Human Resource Development for Electronics, IHRDE (now IHRD,Government of Kerala undertaking), the college has made its presence felt in the technical horizon of the state.
The college offers engineering courses in Computer Science & Engineering, Electronics & Communication Engineering and Electronics & Biomedical Engineering. Unique in its structure, methods and goals, the college is strongly rooted in a philosophy of training and research that emphasizes the intimate relationships between knowledge and its application and seeks to promote the creation of an ideal society.
Situated at Thrikkakara, an idyllic spot in the fringes of Kochi, the location offers an advantage as it is just a stone's throw away from industrial centres including Aluva, the industrial capital of the state and Cochin Export Processing Zone(CEPZ) yet sufficiently far enough from the hustle of Kochi city, providing a congenial atmosphere for diligent academic pursuit.
The college has been selected for financial assistance by TEQIP (Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme), a World Bank Project. As part of the scheme, it is expected to receive around Rs10 crores . An amount of Rs 4.3 crores has already been sanctioned. For more details log on to www.npiu.nic.in
The college is affiliated to the Cochin University of Science and Technology, which confers the degree of Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech) in various disciplines.

Wipro signs first MoU in Kerala with Model Engineering College, Kochi

Wipro has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Model Engineering College, Thrikkakara, to take its ongoing collaboration with the Institution to the next level. This MoU is the first of its kind that Wipro is signing in Kerla.

Source: k2communications
Feb 27, 2008 01:20:19
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(PRLog.Org) – Feb 27, 2008 – Wipro has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Model Engineering College, Thrikkakara, to take its ongoing collaboration with the Institution to the next level. This MoU is the first of its kind that Wipro is signing in Kerla.

Wipro has chosen to partner with Model Engineering College, Thrikkakara as they are among the premier engineering institutes in the country. The MoU envisages a set of planned activities and interactions addressing various stakeholders namely students, faculty and the management. These activities and interactions include faculty development programs, technical sponsorships and student workshops and many more. For instance, one of the programs is a student workshop that is structured with the primary goal of emphasizing on the importance of creative thinking that is paramount to succeeding in corporate world today.

Commenting on the occasion Ms. Priti Rajora, General Manager – Talent Acquisition said, “the objective of this MoU is to build industry-academia relationship and empower students to gear up for the challenges of the corporate world."

Prof. Subramani, a renowned academician and IHRD Director was witness to this event. He stressed that the brand name of MEC is due to the quality of students and that this academy industry interaction will further help in creation of knowledge based society. This relationship is bound to be mutually beneficial and everlasting one. MoU was signed by Principal Dr. P. Suresh Kumar.

For Further Information, please contact:

Wipro Limited

Media: Radha Radhakrishnan +91 – 80 – 25056159
Investors: Aravind Viswanathan +91 – 80 – 25056143

About Wipro Limited
Wipro Limited (NYSE:WIT) provides comprehensive IT solutions and services, including systems integration, information systems outsourcing, IT enabled services, package implementation, software application development and maintenance, and research and development services to corporations globally. Wipro Limited is the first PCMM Level 5 and SEI CMM Level 5 certified IT Services Company globally. In the Indian market, Wipro is a leader in providing IT solutions and services for the corporate segment in India offering system integration, network integration, software solutions and IT services. In the Asia Pacific and Middle East markets, Wipro provides IT solutions and services for global corporations. Wipro also has profitable presence in niche market segments of consumer products and lighting. Wipro’s ADSs are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and its equity shares are listed in India on the Stock Exchange - Mumbai, and the National Stock Exchange.
For more information, please visit our websites at www.wipro.com, www.wiprocorporate.com , and www.wipro.in

Wipro’s forward looking and cautionary statements
Forward-looking and cautionary statements Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects and our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions are forward looking statements, which involve a number of risks, and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding our ability to integrate and manage acquired IT professionals, our ability to integrate acquired assets in a cost effective and timely manner, fluctuations in earnings, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Wipro has made strategic investments, withdrawal of fiscal governmental incentives, political instability, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Wipro may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. Wipro does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the company.
# # #

K2 – the name has been evolved from Knowledge Kingdom: The larger goal and aspiration of the organisation in as much as it is the foundation of our activities. Because knowledge and its dissemination is critical to the success of all businesses across the globe, its the beginning and end of all communication, and information.

K2 is also a motif taken from the awe-inspiring mountain peaks in the Karakoram range in the Himalayas. The second highest peak in the world is far more treacherous and difficult to ascend than the Everest. And there-in lies our goal – To be second to none!

http://www.prlog.org/10053394-wipro-signs-first-mou-in-kerala-with-model-engineering-college-kochi.html

COCHIN(KOCHI) best Indian ITES destination

2008-02-28T07:42:00.000-08:00

COCHIN(Kochi) is emerging as attractive ITES destinations primarily due to rapid improvement in infrastructure (power, international bandwidth and urban transportation) and lower manpower costs due to lower cost of living and lack of alternative employment opportunities. It was asessed on factors such as assessed on factors such as manpower availability, real estate, telecom infrastructure, policy initiatives, power infrastructure, city perception and entrepreneurial history.
The growth has been largely driven by three factors. First is the desire of by state governments to attract entrepreneurship, which has resulted in attractive policy environments and incentives being offered.

The second is the rapid improvement in key infrastructure areas like power, telecom bandwidth and real estate in newer locations.

The last is the need for ITES companies to lower operating costs, especially employee costs and transportation.

Kochi

Kochi is an upcoming city in Kerala and is aggressively being promoted by the state government as an IT destination. Though it doesn't have any ITES companies of significance yet, it holds a lot of potential to attract many.

But the city needs to address the following infrastructure issues: Though it has the lowest power tariff among all the cities surveyed, it still experiences some power cuts. Like most cities in India, Kochi lacks a decent public transport infrastructure

Compared to the larger cities, Kochi has only a few colleges. As ITES companies would mainly hire graduates, the state needs to ensure abundant supply of trained manpower.

Kochi too loses out in the perception game. The government needs to ensure that the city moves up this scale to start attracting new businesses

Power The variance in the ranking comes due to the tariffs existing across various cities. Kochi has a low tariff of Rs 3/unit and it goes as high as Rs
4.97/unit in Mumbai Kochi experience pre scheduled power cuts
Manpower Manpower cost varies depending on the city's cost of living. The city's attractiveness also depends on the number of trained manpower. Manpower cost is as high as Rs 51.59/hr in Mumbai as compared to Rs 17.04/hr in Kochi.
Perception Perception plays an important role while deciding the location of a new unit. Bangalore ranked high because of the state's IT policy. Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Kochi lag behind in the IT initiatives undertaken by the government. Recent riots at Ahmedabad has harmed its perception even more as a business centre.
Entrepreneurship Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi have a large number of start- ups and have more entrepreneurs hailing from the city who in turn set up base in the
city. Kolkata, Pune and Kochi don't score very that high, as they do not have many start-ups. REDIFF.COM

COCHINITES(Kochiites) to move to a healthier life in the suburbs

2008-02-28T07:24:00.000-08:00

Moving to cleaner, greener pastures

Traffic blues, heavy pollution, peak hour rush, water scarcity and rising noise levels are forcing many Kochiites to move to a healthier life in the suburbs, says HEMJITH BHARATHAN. They lament the deteriorating quality of life in the city

This might be something right out of fantasy or a fairy tale. No traffic lights, horns, pollution and lots of parking space. Life is tranquil and moves at a leisurely pace. Whatever be it this is what many residents of Kochi, maddened by the commotion and chaos on the roads, desperately long for today. Kochi too, like other cities, is turning into a city of excesses forcing many to move to the less congested, neighbouring areas like Aluva, Poothotta etc.

The city maybe an investor's paradise, but the consumer boom does not suit everyone. Many who prefer peace and live with certain ideals are apprehensive about the future of Kochi. There are many who fear that the city will be taken over by the gangs of software engineers who are out to transform Kochi into an automated roller coaster.

Latheef, an NRI says, "Dubai is getting more and more congested by the day. The traffic moves at snail's pace. But when we come home on holidays, to escape the rush there, we find that Kochi is the same. Crawling traffic, crowded, polluted streets and lack of parking space. I will be shifting from my apartment at Kaloor to a river-view apartment at Aluva to enjoy the quietude and scenic beauty."

Choking smog

Kochi is slowly turning into an environmentalist's nightmare. The car boom, due to man's unending love affair with automobiles, has polluted and crammed the city. Car exhaust, multiplying in proportion with our passion for anything on wheels, is blanketing the city with thick smog. The fumes get trapped among the mushrooming tall buildings. Are we moving into the dark ages?

Bhaskaran, who sold his flat off M.G. Road to settle down in the lush, surroundings of Silent Valley says, "Kochi is becoming uninhabitable due to the grime, dust and pollution. Lack of proper drainage adds to its woes. Its narrow infrastructure cannot contain its rapid development. On certain mornings one sees a mysterious fog with a strange chemical odour that obscures the atmosphere. Doctors have warned that this can be harmful for respiratory organs. The city is thus choking in its own growth."

Seeking a cleaner atmosphere is what makes many leave the city. According to a recent report breathing the polluted air in Mumbai is equivalent to smoking two packets of cigarettes a day. Will Kochi be trailing far behind? Sapna Prabath, a homemaker who has shifted to Poothotta says, "the air is definitely cleaner here than the polluted city roads. While Kochi is reeling under water scarcity we get pure drinking water from a well in our compound. Though we are away from the city we do not lack in anything as the transport system, new bridges and roads have made the city easily accessible. A CBSE school nearby takes care of the education of my children.

We go to the city occasionally, perhaps once in a week, for shopping, movies or eating out with the children." But for many the city is home. Shifting has never crossed their minds even in their wildest dreams. They are used to the din, excitement and fervour. They feel part of it. To them Kochi is brimming with unlimited possibilities. The city is acquiring a character. It is grooving to the tune of the global beat. "Why move out when everything is so convenient here? The city is the most happening place and I love to be part of its jostling and opportunistic crowd," says Kailash.V. Rajan. He adds, "Pollution levels will come down once the focal point shifts and expands from M.G. Road up to as far as Nedumbassery Airport. Educational institutions and super-specialty hospitals have sprung up in the outskirts broadening the city limits. The fixation with M. G. Road may thus diminish with shops and buildings coming up on suburbs and fringes of the city."

Geena Matthew, a homemaker, who stays in an apartment off M. G. Road is also unaffected, optimistic and feels that things, though slow, will improve. She says, "with proper planning and better utilisation of water transport the crowds and traffic can be streamlined. Bridges and flyovers, which we hope will be constructed soon, can reduce traffic congestion to a great extent. Though Kochi is expanding with projects on the outskirts, M. G. Road will always be the focal point of the city like Mount Road in Chennai. There is always something happening here. New shops and stores spring up out of the blue replacing old structures. Living in the heart of the city is thus being part of its pageant and parade."

Thriving city

However, Vasanth Sukumaran, an architect, who too lives in the heart of the city, is uneasy about the future. "The city is expanding at such a fast rate that for even for those who shift, there will be only a short respite before they find that pollution has spread to their areas too. The road from the city to Nedumbasserry is getting to be as crowded as M. G. Road. The city's infrastructure is miserable. Cities are usually planned taking into account its growth for at least 30 to 50 years. But in Kochi, constructions spring up daily without any forethought and planning. In the years to come there will be total chaos and residents will suffer."

With such views expressed one cannot make sense of the future of Kochi. With a catch-me-if-you-can attitude the city swells at an alarming rate challenging environmentalists, town planners, engineers and architects. Unmindful of tomorrow it lives each day to the fullest. New stores, franchises spring up every day, jostling with high-rise apartments, restaurants, and business houses for precious space. The urban crowd loves its ambiance. Their senses soar. They are pampered with comfort and ease with eating joints competing, catering to every taste, pocket, and racing for the quickest home delivery. The city moves on. Live for the day is its message to its residents. The future will take care of itself. So for now, lets keep our fingers crossed.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2006/07/24/stories/2006072400940100.htm

COCHIN (Kochi) one of the fastest growing cities in India

2008-02-28T07:19:00.000-08:00

The city of Kochi (formerly Cochin) prominent as the port city of Kerala is one of the fastest emerging cities of India. As a port city, it has always been the proclaimed economic capital of Kerala with trade and retail being its fundamental business sphere. However, in the recent times, since NASSCOM ranked it as the second potential city for investments in the IT sector, Kochi has emerged as a favored destination for the IT & ITES industry. Also, Kochi shows vast potential for economic growth and industrialization based on norms such as real estate growth, available work force, overall infrastructure, policy initiatives and commercial history. However, the accessibility of cheap bandwidth through undersea cables and lesser operational costs in comparison to other key cities in India has proved to be of major advantage.
Kochi is one of the few cities in India, which has the best connectivity to the outside world through sea, air and road. This is also one of the reasons for Kochi being identified as an attractive destination for investments. Moreover, this inflow of investments has created realty prospects in the city, both residential and commercial as the IT firms are bringing in more and more people into the city. And with the coming up of Cochin Special Economic Zone (CSEZ) the economical capital of Kerala is now even more attractive to the investor counting on economic and realty prospects. The CSEZ apart from catering to the business growth and industrialization with the investments in IT and Business parks has also been responsible for growth of Kochi real estate.

Besides the Technopolis developed at the CSEZ, the setting up of a software productivity center by Wipro in Kochi is considered as one of the variable factors in the evolution of Kochi as an upcoming city. Major IT firms such as US Software, IBS, Sun Tec, Gemini, NeST, Ernst and Young, Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, ACS Inc. and Allianz Cornhill are only some of the IT firms gradually making their presence felt in the business prospect of Kochi.

As the graph of Kochi real estate takes an upward move, top real estate developers from within the country are vying up to the city with interesting projects. A spectacular development in the Kochi real estate market is with the Rs. 950 million-joint venture projects between HDFC and Larsen and Toubro (L&T). However, the project that Kochi real estate can consider as the mother of all investments is the Rs. 1500-crore`Smart City' project proposed by the Dubai Internet City (DIC). Moreover, with city administration providing the investors with the basic infrastructure like power, international bandwidth and urban transportation, industry experts expect a capital appreciation of around 12-15 per cent in the next two-three years. All these factors are contributing factors in creating a congenial environment for making Kochi one of the fastest growing cities in India.

http://www.earthspace.in/news_cochin.php

COCHIN(KOCHI) see spurt in Real Estate Activity

2008-02-28T07:13:00.000-08:00

A city with almost every household having one family member working in the Gulf(Middle East), Kochi or Cochin’s resident population is waking up to new business avenues. The growing business needs are seen translated into a growing demand for commercial and residential property.

The Cochin Port Trust has entered into a joint venture with Dubai Port International and is handling the Container Trans-shipment Terminal (ICTT) at Vallarpadam. The Cochin port houses an international bunkering terminal, a ship repair yard, a CNG terminal and an exclusive berth for international cruise ships. Interestingly, Kochi also has an international airport built under public-private partnership.

Commercially, the city is growing with tourism and international trade. The IT industry is establishing a sound base here, and the demand for office spaces, hotels and retail outlets is increasing.

As a result, the need for residential apartments in Kochi is estimated at 50,000 in the next 2 - 3 years. Builders are catching up with the demand with a choice of residential projects. Real estate developers Puravankara Projects, Sobha Developers, Prestige Group, Emaar-MGF and Brigade Group have established their presence in Kochi. Sahara Infrastructure & Housing and Unitech have also purchased property in Kochi for development.

Infrastructure in Kochi has been strengthened accordingly. A new ring road skirting the city, a highway running parallel to the coast, and a new airport to seaport road have speeded up intra-city movement.

Commercial properties are more in demand on Marine Drive, portions of MG Road, Chittoor Road and Shanmugham Road. Puravankara’s Grand Bay luxury apartments at Marine Drive fetch rates of Rs 4,000-4,500 per sq ft and apartments cost over Rs 80 lakhs. The developer’s upcoming projects include Oceania, again on Marine Drive, and one each at Kakkanad and Edapally. The last two are more moderately priced as in these localites the land rates are lower.

Prestige Group of Bangalore with Neptune Courtyard, and the Abad group also have residential apartments coming up in Marine Drive.

Local real estate developer Skyline Builders have premium apartments coming up in Kallor priced at Rs. 1,700 to Rs. 2,600 per sq. ft. Great India Estates has fixed rates for its forthcoming residential apartments at Rs. 3000 per sq.ft, at Kakkanad.

The NRI community is funding and fueling the demand for residential flats, as is borne out by the high percentage (60 to 80%) of flats booked by them.

As for commercial properties, 6 malls are on the anvil, and would be ready by 2009. Forum will cover 1 million sq. ft. of space. Others are Lulu Mall, Aerens Gold Souk, Abad mall, Metro One, Mall O and Kalyan Mall. The Summit Mall will stretch vertically to 12 floors. Sources also reveal DLF’s plans for a hotel-cum-mall on Marine Drive.

Not known for any significant commercial or industrial activity in the past, the upward trend in real estate in Kochi is an indicator of a healthy and reviving economy.

http://www.indianrealtynews.com/real-estate-india/kochi-sees-spurt-in-real-estate-activity-2.html

COCHIN ( Kochi ) an E-Tourism Destination

2008-02-27T09:19:00.000-08:00

Kochi (Cochin) is the cosmopolitan and the computer capital of Kerala, " The Land of Coconuts", so called because of her natural spendour. ( Cosmopolitan means a citizen of the Cosmos ). The Landing point for all visitors visiting this tiny state, this strategic center was a major center of trade & commerce with the Arabs, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch and the British in the past.

Housing one of the finest natural harbors in the world, Kochi is strategically located on the East - West sea trade route from Europe to Australia.

The 15th Century saw the advent of the Europeans and Kochi's trade links with the Chinese and Arabs were said to be 2000 years old. Trade links with the Portuguese developed and Kochi soon became a Portuguese colony. Overthrowing the Portuguese, the Dutch arrived towards the end of the 15th century.

Kochi houses the main Stock Exchange of Kerala and she has undergone periods of colonization. She has been exposed to diverse cultures and different types of businesses. The city has Ayurveda, Heritage tourist centers and numerous water sports. Different varieties of merchandise are available to the shopper. Kochi is a major auction center for spices like cinnamon, pepper and cardamom, ginger, and tea.

More than 200000 tourists visit this city annually and her tourism industry has developed remarkably. There is still scope for further development in the tourism industry in Kochi because of her strategic location and the state-of-the-art facilities offered here. A reasonably warm weather characterises this Arabian Queen.

SAFE Optic Fibre Cable Project:
Kochi is the only Internet Gateway in South Asia because of the South Africa Far East (S A F E) Submarine Cable Project (length 28800 kms) for high Speed Net Access and Communications, giving state-of-the-art communication facilities. Like Bangalore, the Silicon Valley of Asia, Kochi has prospects for being the next IT Center in South Asia due to the SAFE Project and the abundant scientific & tech manpower available.

The SAFE project has enhanced the bandwidth for the mushrooming telecom, Net and Mutimedia traffic. Also improved are the security and availability of telecom links between Asia and Europe. With a major landing point in India at Kochi, SAFE Cable Project's other landing points are Cape Town ( South Africa ), Bay Jacote ( Mauritius ), Penang ( Malaysia ) and St Paul ( Reunion Island ).

The initial equipped capacity of the SAFE Project will be 80 GB expandable to 120-160 GB 1.5 Million hi-speed data channels (64K equivalent) and 12,000 (8MB) digital video channels. The Cable System has a capacity of 7.3 Million simultaneous telephone calls.

Kochi is adorned by a state-of-the-art Software Export Zone & a most modern Port. A major Container Port will be in operation after 3 years ( The Vallarpadam Container Terminal ). Compared to the infrastructure in other South Indian cities, the Infrastructure in existence here is modern & state-of-the-art.

The International Airport at Nedumbassery is connected to all parts of the world. Air India, Oman Air and Kuwait Airways, along with the domestic Indian Airlines operate here.

The opportunities for investing in the ICT sector and Tourism Industry are considerable as Kochi is the only Gateway in South Asia equipped with a sophisticated, speed telecom SAFE Cable Project, excellent infrastructure and a fairly well-developed Tourism Industry.

By implementing and commissioning its E-Tourism projects, we are committed to making Kochi "The Queen of the E-Tourism Industry". We seek active participation from you.

Contributing Writer : G Kumar, astrologer, writer and programmer of
www.eastrovedica.com He has 15 years research experience in Stock Market Astrology and in various other branches of Astrology. Recently he was awarded a Certificate by the Planetary Gemologists Association as a Planetary Gem Advisor.

http://www.contentwriter.in/articles/travel/kochi-etourism.htm

FS2004 Cochin to Dubai B777 Emirates

2008-02-26T13:26:00.001-08:00

Flight video
from Cochin international (VOCI:india) to Dubai international(OMDB:UAE)
B777-200ER Emirates Airlines
This is a simulated flight from Cochin,Kerala India to DUBAI in the UAE. Modern technology has been used to simulate this flight. Enjoy your HI TECH trip folks!!!!!

COCHIN(KOCHI) has emerged as a frontrunner in real estate business

2008-02-26T06:56:00.000-08:00

KOCHI: The changes brought in by the Land Reforms Act in Kerala a few decades ago are back in focus of late. The real estate has become a hot topic for debate across the State. Kochi, the so-called commercial capital of Kerala, has emerged as a frontrunner in the real estate business. A number of large investment projects and the objections raised by various stakeholders here have given way to a new approach to the use of land in the State.

The State had a primary agrarian status, but farming activity had decayed over the years.

Today, the majority among the farming community is struggling to make both ends meet. About 75 per cent of the farmers in Kerala have additional sources of income, points out P.H. Kurien, a senior government official. How many people among the young generation would like to take farming as a profession, he asks, driving home the point that land should not be allowed to remain idle.

Arguing strongly for changes in the land reforms Act, Mr. Kurien said at a seminar in Kochi recently that a transparent policy was required for land use. Exemptions to land ceiling need to be provided in deserving cases, according to him.

Townships mooted

It is time to make maximum utility of the land. Houses situated amidst vast arable land contribute to wastage of land. Instead, townships should be constructed where the land wastage is minimum.

The ceiling of 15 acres, as per the Act, proves a hindrance to genuine projects initiated by individuals and groups. It is ironical that occupants of houses situated in large compounds need to pay less tax than flats which utilise common facilities, he points out. Mr. Kurien observes that Singapore, with about 100 sq km area lesser than that under the Greater Cochin Development Authority, is able to generate about 1,000 times the revenue generated by the latter, thanks to the optimum utilisation of land and adoption of appropriate income-generating schemes.

The National Textile Corporation had allowed sale of land by sick industry in Maharashtra, a step which helped textile industries to set up units which prospered, said N. Sreekumar, head of operations, Apollo Tyres, Kerala.

Despite inadequate infrastructure, top real estate companies have been heading towards Kochi, observes V. Suresh, former Managing Director, HUDCO. Real estate is one of the drivers of the economy, he says. The floor area ratio (FAR) needs to be increased for facilitating the setting up of more townships.

One of the key initiatives that led to the development of Hyderabad city was the removal of FAR restrictions, according to him.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/26/stories/2008022655781700.htm

Israeli real estate developers ELBIT enters COCHIN'S real estate market with its COCHIN ISLAND project!!!

2008-02-26T04:37:00.000-08:00

Real estate developer Elbit Medical Imaging is betting on India: Elbit subsidiary Plaza Centers will be investing $1.2 billion in 50 shopping and entertainment centers.Elbit is controlled by religious businessman Moti Zisser.
Cochin Island Project
The site is located on a back water island overlooking and a minute drive from the administrative, commercial and retail hub of the city of Cochin. The proposed project will be comprised of a high-end residential apartment buildings, office space, hotel complex, and a marina with a total built up area of approximately 800,000 square meters.Bangalore developer Salarpuria Group was partnering with the Israeli firm for the project that includes high class residential neighbourhoods with amenities like golf course, IT parks, five-star hotel, hospital and a major retail facility.
SOURCE FINANCIAL EXPRESS

UAE-Kerala in Dh1.8bn Sky City COCHIN Plan

2008-02-24T08:11:00.000-08:00

UAE officials are working with the Government of the Indian state of Kerala to develop a Dh1.8 billion Sky City project at the coastal city of Kochi. The proposal involves building an eight kilometre-long elevated highway above an existing 4.2km bridge that carries traffic over water.

The new road would be lined on both sides with 20,000 square metres of residential and commercial space.

Kochi is a booming commercial city in the southwest of the state flanked by the Arabian Sea on one side and hills on the other.

Sky City has been proposed as a solution to the city’s growing traffic congestion problems, which would not put pressure on the limited land resources in the area.

Three-storey apartments, shopping centres, leisure facilities and other amenities such as pedestrian paths and car parks would be built on the highway platform. There could also be helipads and marine transport.

“The UAE Government is currently studying the Sky City project in Kochi,” said Ashok Lal G, general manager of projects at the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation.

“The project involves the construction of a bridge up to eight kilometres long over an existing bridge and will use the space above it to build shopping complexes, offices and residential buildings.

“There is an acute shortage of land in Kochi to develop new roads and people are reluctant to give up their land for road development.

“Last December, a UAE delegation led by Younis Al Khoori, secretary of the UAE Ministry of Finance and Industry, and other senior government officials visited Kerala to boost UAE investment.

During their visit it was announced a new investment company, a joint venture involving the governments of the seven emirates, would invest in Kerala projects.”

The UAE has experience of reclaiming space for construction through projects, such as Dubai’s Palms and the World and Abu Dhabi’s Breakwater and Al Raha Beach development.

“We are trying to use Dubai’s expertise in growth and infrastructure development. Part of Dubai is reclaimed from the sea and we are confident Dubai companies will be actively involved in the development of the 20m to 30m high bridge above the existing Maradu-Thevara bridge and the development of residential and commercial buildings.”

The official said the Kerala chief minister’s office had approved the Sky City proposal.

Once the feasibility study is completed a memorandum of understanding would be signed by the two governments setting out details of the project’s structure and financing.

“The Government of Kerala will have to grant rights to build over the existing bridge and the Coastal Zone Authority will have to approve the project.”

The proposed development would have supermarkets, community halls, entertainment centres, restaurants, hotels, garment and jewellery shops, car showrooms, offices and business centres.

The plan also involves provisions for amusement centres, healthcare facilities, water sports, an oceanarium and a theme park.

The state government is working with Tecom to develop Kochi SmartCity, an information technology infrastructure project.

http://www.business24-7.ae/cs/article_show_mainh1_story.aspx?HeadlineID=2748

Last Update at 11:28 pm on February 23, 2008

Bangalore based Nitesh Estates building Wimbledon Gardens at Kakkanad,COCHIN

2008-02-21T15:25:00.000-08:00

According to present plans, there is a 900,000 sq ft residential complex a
500,000 sq ft IT park and a 100,000 sq ft mall. These have been scaled up
later. The total built up space is over 2,000,000 sq ft.
http://www.niteshestates.com/niteshwimbledonpark.htm

Cochin Real Estate and Property Market Sizzling

As Cochin makes huge strides in the field of IT and Shipment, it is also experiencing a great improvement in its Real Estate sector. The Real Estate in Cochin is sizzling up. This is mainly owing to the rising demand from foreign and domestic customers. The city has many IT organizations. The IT jobs allow the middle class youngster to earn high income. As a result they buy a house quite early in life. This demand for real estate is also due to the starting up of many projects in the city which has attracted global attention. The investors across the world have identified this fact and have come forward to make investment in property while the prices are still within reach. The city has also attracted many firms seeking expansion. Many reputed organizations have to set up their base here. Some of the leading national real estate developers like DLF, Sobha Developers, Ansals, Purvankara, Confident Group, Oceanus, Unitech, Nitesh Estates, Housing Development and Infrastructure (HDIL), Prestige Group, Emaar MGF and Parsvanath Developers have all descended upon Cochin. The investment they are planning in the financial and industrial capital of Kerala, during the last 6-8 months is over $2.5 billion. Prominent among the Middle East-based business groups that have forayed into Cochin are KGA Group of Kuwait, EMKE Group of Abu Dhabi and Indroyal. The city of Cochin is expanding to take in the outskirts. As the city prepares itself to become one of the leading ones in India, apartments and offices in the business districts and affluent areas are shooting up. The local municipal corporation has been making efforts at better planning and infrastructure and emphasizing on Cochin’s attractions including the marine drive. All of these should bring in much needed growth and influx of outside population which has been low so far. The city has many renowned builders and construction companies in its vicinity. The Cochin builders have the right resources and talent to get the work done on time. These builders work in tandem with the investors to ascertain their needs and desires to come up with a plan.

http://board.russwhitney.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=26090&get=last

Cochin Media City(CMC)

2008-02-21T05:34:00.000-08:00

Cochin Media City(CMC) is a pioneering initiative, poised to be the region’s most comprehensive, cost effective and technically advanced services provider for the media, entertainment and communication industry.

Harnessing the best available technologies and platforming premium infrastructure, CMC is committed to facilitating a slew of world-class services for the media industry - the electronic media in particular, besides the burgeoning ITES sector.
CMC is a pioneering initiative, poised to be the region’s most comprehensive, cost effective and technically advanced services provider for the media, entertainment and communication industry.

Harnessing the best available technologies and platforming premium infrastructure, CMC is now busy crafting its advanced facilitation platforms for a vital slew of services for the media industry; the electronic media in particular.

CMC’s geographical reach, from its strategic location at Cochin in southern India extends to the rest of India, Asia, Middle East, Europe, and the US.

Yet, the CMC’s repertoire is not limited to being a global services provider. It covers a whole spectrum from world class media education facilities to unique event management concepts, to leveraging ITES, and much more.
Vision and Mission

CMC’s vision pivots a phased and realistic leveraging of the vast pool of talent, expertise and professional resources at its command, and its unique locational advantages. CMC aims to create an institution that would be south Asia’s best one-stop point offering comprehensive support services for the global media and entertainment industry, riding an unwavering growth curve.

Broadly, CMC’s vision is built on a carefully firmed and multi-pronged approach. Its many plan components are spaced out, updated and error proofed constantly to leave little to chance, from concept, to execution, to sustenance.
Advantages

Cochin, indisputably, has everything to be South Asia’s communication hub for the future. Its unique locational and infrastructural and advantages easily assure broadcasters a very simplified and highly cost-effective global distribution. CMC is strategically placed at a prime location in Cochin, to make the best of it. Consider some definite pluses:

The Connectivity advantage

VSNL's primary international gateway is just a stone’s throw away.
'SEA-ME-WE-3' and 'SAFE' submarine cable landings are adjacent.
Assured 15 GBPS bandwidth support

Ready OFC backbone connectivity offered by VSNL, BSNL, Reliance, Bharti

The HR advantage

High density of skilled science and technology personnel

Lowest employee attrition rate in the country - <5%

Readily employable trained professionals

A fully burdened cost of just $8 per hour (global average- $15)

Salaries - 1/5th of the international average

Operational costs - less than 50% compared to major other Indian cities.

Rentals lower by more than 60% in comparison to other cities

Power and water tariff among the lowest in the country

Services

Teleport & Technical services

Production House

Digital Cinema

Media School

Theme Festivals

Production studios

Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES)

Projects

A glipse of some of CMC’s current projects _ some on the anvil, others already off the block

Television transmission hub

Broadcast Engineering services

International Media School

Production & Post Studios

Production House

IT Enabled Services (ITES)

Theme Festivals

Animation Zone

Digital Cinema

http://www.cochinmediacity.com/index.html

NRI Interest Sets Kochi Real Estate on Fire

2008-02-20T20:24:00.000-08:00

While a considerable number of Kerala residents dwell in foreign countries, real estate in Kochi has always been the subject of NRI interest. Of late, the surge created by influx of IT/ ITeS based companies in the property markets has also resulted in soaring property prices in Kochi.

A large number of employees are settling in the city and the demand has visibly impacted the capital prices and rental values of properties here. Nevertheless, the NRIs have no pangs over the same and property investment in Kochi is still their one of the favorite options, sources informed.

Demand pattern

According to the property dealers in Kochi, most of the NRIs look for sea-facing residential properties in the city. Perhaps, that's why localities around Marine Drive and MG Road are the most premium residential locations in the city.

However, the vacancy rates in these areas are at rock bottom and hardly any properties are available for the sale. Also, the markets experts feel that the prices are too high now and do not offer room for further growth from investment point of view.

Consequently, NRI investors have been reportedly taking interest in sub-urban locations like Kakkanad, Edappally, Kalamssery, Ankamali and Thripunithura.

Extensive construction activities are underway in these areas, and real estate majors like DLF, Puravankara, Sobha, Prestige, and Brigade Group have lined up their ambitious projects across these areas.

Given the demand for higher-end residential properties, international players too are eyeing the Kochi Property markets. Recently, Dubai-based Emaar Group has also launched its project in the city.

Of Property Values in Kochi

Given the boom in Indian real estate in the past couple of years, prices of apartments at Marine Drive shot up by almost 300 per cent from Rs 1,500-Rs 2,400 psft to Rs 5,000-Rs 7,000 psft, in the period between 2005 and 2007.

The capital values for apartments at the aforementioned suburban locations are in the range between Rs 1,500 and Rs 4,000 per sq. ft. (Source-MagicBricks.com).

http://ezinearticles.com/?NRI-Interest-Sets-Kochi-Real-Estate-on-Fire&id=798085

Cochin Real Estate It is the fastest growing city and the real estate market in Cochin is booming today

2008-02-20T20:17:00.000-08:00

Cochin Real Estate

2008-01-01 18:32:49 - The city of Cochin is also identified as 'Gateway to Kerala- and often known as 'Queen of Arabian Sea-. When compared to other Indian tourist places, Cochin is quite and cleaner. June to September is the rainy season and the average temperature is around 22 to 34 ° C. It is the fastest growing city and the real estate market in Cochin is booming today, flats near Cochin International Airport starts from 2.50 lakhs, there are hotels up to 4 star, beautiful villas and not to mention Panchakarma therapy centers. These could best of the few reasons why to own a property in Cochin! In fact for most of the people today, wealth remains in land and building. And with development of private real estate property ownership, it has become major business area for many.

Cochin is otherwise recognized as Kochi; a beautiful city located in the south west cost of India. This city is situated in the God's Own country of Kerala, with breathtaking sceneries of Arabian Sea, coconut trees and lovely boats. The city of Cochin is also identified as 'Gateway to Kerala- and often known as 'Queen of Arabian Sea-. When compared
to other Indian tourist places, Cochin is quite and cleaner. June to September is the rainy season and the average temperature is around 22 to 34 ° C. It is the fastest growing city and the real estate market in Cochin is booming today, flats near Cochin International Airport starts from 2.50 lakhs, there are hotels up to 4 star, beautiful villas and not to mention Panchakarma therapy centers. These could best of the few reasons why to own a property in Cochin! In fact for most of the people today, wealth remains in land and building. And with development of private real estate property ownership, it has become major business area for many.

When explored more you can come across great luxury apartments, plot for both residential and commercial uses, estates, sea and outstanding lake front properties and gorgeous farm houses. Cochin's residential market is appreciating 15 to 20 percent annually, fueled primarily by the outsourcing boom and this trend is likely to continue for upcoming years. Many commercial and residential properties across Cochin have been developed tremendously and they are all still in the process of development. In recent times, new IT and other companies are establishing their bases in Cochin and they require both residential and commercial spaces for their employees. Real estate investment in Cochin is now an attractive investment opportunity. New apartment units in Cochin is expected to reach around 100,000 in the next few years, hence this has encouraged many real estate developers across India to launch their projects in Cochin.

India growth story is associated mainly with metropolitan real estate sector and Cochin real estate had contributed a lot to the economy. The story has become established now and finally captured the mind of rest of the globe as well. The flow of money from Cochin real estate has prompted developers to get more organized themselves and become more apparent. Not only Indians, but Cochin real estate has attracted many foreigners as well for investment. However, buying a property is a huge step for anybody and need to be as cautions as possible. You can check out some of the real estate investment resources online for getting the best price of property in Cochin. There are yet various ways you can find best real estate property at affordable price. The most convenient is to go with city home loans. You can make cash flowing in to your account with Cochin real estate, even if you cannot afford to pay full amount, go with city home loans as that is the best financing option. The expansion time, which Cochin is going through these days, has well tagged the city among the most potential real estate spots as well.

http://www.pr-inside.com/cochin-real-estate-r367287.htm

Stone laid for Heera global city COCHIN

2008-02-20T20:02:00.000-08:00

Heera Global city, Kakkanad
37 floors, 1200 apartment units
COCHIN(KOCHI)
The foundation stone for Heera global city was laid at Kakkanand on Saturday. The integrated project, one of the largest of its kind in the area, will see Heera offering the entire range of housing solutions — from villas to large scale projects to a customer base of more than 15,000 families, a press release said.

The ceremony was attended by Heera Group managing director A.R. Baby and general manager (projects) A.R. Nair.

Global City, a world within itself, is located opposite the upcoming Smart City project. Located on a sprawling six-acre plot, the 36-storey structure will have 464 apartments in the first phase with a dedicated 5-floor car parking area.

It is slated to be one of the tallest apartments in Kochi. The apartment is being built in compliance with Vaasthusashtra principles, a press release said.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/22/stories/2008012255631900.htm

A new frontier of investment

2008-02-20T19:53:00.000-08:00

With a number of mega projects on the cards, the demand for adequate housing in Kochi is likely to grow manifold in recent future. The already announced projects like Smart City, Apparel Park, Container and LNG Terminal have escalated the prices of land and equally, the demand also has gone up.
In Kerala, as far as the real estate business is concerned, the notions are fast changing. Till the other day apartments and villas were well received in the market and to some great extent, they are still continuing to get good response. And if you still thought that that is the only persisting trend, then you are wide off the mark.

With everything and anything connected to the real estate having brightened up significantly, the craving for dwellings apart, people are also opting for land, in a big way. This is being considered, by many, as an emerging trend. And more and more investors are turning towards land to safely park their money.

Malayalees are a lot, who traditionally, had a strong penchant for landed property. In Kerala it was always considered a matter of pride to own vast areas of landed property. But, with a radical change in the social pattern of the state, the concept of joint families waned and sprawling lands of tharavads were either sold out or were compartmentalized with partition walls.

Reckonable aspects like great climate, serene surroundings, good communication network, easy accessibility, pollution free zones, lack of political unrest and better living standards in Kerala has transformed the state as one of the most sought after destinations in the country. Together with these supportive factors and an expanding market, Kerala has become an investor's choice, especially for those who are looking at large scale and long term investment.

As such, not only the builders but also the developers are also eyeing Kerala as a place with good growth potential. Prompted by these factors, almost all the major operators in the real estate business in the country have started full-fledged operations here. They are not only concentrating in raising luxury apartments, ultra-modern villas and resorts but also in procuring huge areas of land in various parts of the state.

"These days, even though there are ready takers for ready-made homes, an equal number of people are also looking at buying plots only because the value appreciation of plots are growing at an amazing speed", says Rekha Jacob of BCG Estates. BCG is perhaps one of the few builders who runs the concept of offering not only villas and apartments but also plots of land for buyers.

Be it the mist-laden hills of Munnar or along the banks of River Periyar or even the alluring backwaters of Kuttanad, the investors are venturing into even the remote corners of the state. Besides, plantations, especially the rubber, also have grabbed the attention of real estate developers and consultants. Finding the market very promising the number of people providing real consultancies have also proliferated much in the recent past. "Today literally everyone has become a real estate consultant especially in places like Kochi and you get really tired of calls at the end of the day", remarks a builder in Kochi.

The extensive waterfront is yet another trump card that puts Kochi in an advantageous position when compared to many other places in the state. "NRIs and foreigners are so fascinated by the enchanting beauty of Kerala's backwaters that, they are ready to pay even a higher premium for properties with a waterfront", reveals another prominent builder.

Today, the market is in such a good form that the plots in prime areas and upcoming residential colonies are getting sold like hot cakes. The land prices also have shot up even by three to four times in places like Kakkanad and Vennala. And still, the craving for buying a piece of land has not subsided with a Malayalee.

People who already own a house or a flat also consider buying a plot of land as a wise investment these days. With the housing finance companies having simplified the loan procedures, many feel that it is the apt time to invest in real estate. Many loan providers also have designed special schemes that allow aspirants to avail loan exclusively for buying land.

Most investors who opt for a plot of land do it with an expectation of assured returns in the long run. Investors feel that by putting their money in land, that too, in places like Kochi, the returns can be quite fascinating. The capital appreciation of land has gone up drastically in Kochi. Land developers feel that this is one important reason why the people are increasingly investing in plots in a big way.

Another important reason for growing demand for buying plots is that people are beginning to identify the advantages of community living and the concept of townships is catching on. Understanding this change in the attitude of customers, several builders have launched their own townships in and around Kochi.

With a number of mega projects on the cards, the demand for adequate housing in Kochi is likely to grow manifold in recent future. The already announced projects like Smart City, Apparel Park, Container and LNG Terminal have escalated the prices of land and equally, the demand also has gone up.

It's true that the invasion of the younger generation, especially those with enhanced earnings, into the housing scenario has contributed to the growth of the real estate sector. The concept of townships and the virtues of secured community living have caught their fancy in a big way. And because of all these reasons, the investors are no more skeptical and they are more sanguine that the value appreciation is bound to happen. In Kerala, needless to say, Kochi is leading the way both in terms of demand and supply.

http://www.hindu.com/2005/12/20/stories/2005122003140500.htm

AQUA City(ALWAYE)COCHIN A complete Metro City recreated on the Bank of Periyar River

2008-02-20T19:29:00.000-08:00

The largest township in cochin in 17 acres with Apartments, Pool Villas, Villas & Sky Villas

Enjoy good life for here we have every thing you expect in a metro city. Places to dine and shop, to watch new movies, throw garden parties, and to stroll along on lazy evening through waterfront walkways…

Have fun with your kids in the wide open, join the heated debates with elders at the gazebo, or glide along with the silvery waves. Here the days are vibrant and the nights exciting.

Biggest project in Cochin
Water front city
City wide spread in 1 7 acres
65% out of 1 7 acres kept for recreation S greenery
Water body through out the city
Landscaped thick vegetation through out the city
Majestic entrance to city
15 mm wide road with fountains and palms
Food court
Large Space for Discotheque
Jogging tracks
Traditional lotus pond
Boat club with peddle boats
River side walkways
River side elder's lounge / gazebo
River side boat house restaurant
Spectacular open aquarium
Multiplex
Swimming pool [ladies &. gents]
Kid's pool
Multi gym
Club house

http://www.shwashomes.com/acuacity_project.html

JTL City - A Mega Township in Kochi, KERALA with Tourist Village & Herbal Garden

2008-02-20T13:54:00.000-08:00

haven by the cosy blue waters of Tripunithura,Kochi is what we unfold this time of season.. At a 1 km stretch, away from the loud and noisy Tripunithura municipal bus-stand, is this 48.67 acres nature studded property, with crystal clear backwaters being its closest companion on three sides. This vast property, very adjacent to the proposed Kochi-Madurai National highway-KERALA, is an ideal locale houses,bungalows, resorts, apartments, corporate bodies etc..promoting a blissful atmosphere full of freedom with 5-12 mtrs wide well-tarred roads criss - crossing it and is easily accessible as it's merely a 6 kms drive from Vytilla,Kochi-KERALA.

We intend to build a Satellite Town ship with Tourist Village with all facilities like Shopping Malls, Multiplex Theaters, Clinics, Apartments/Flats, Waterfront Bungalows/Villas, Boat yard, Play ground, Kinder Garden, Swimming Pools, Club House, etc.. wherein all extra-curricular luxuries like fishing,angling, boating, & water sports are provided making this project Kerala's one of the most renouned residential avenues. A glimpse of the glorious mega township project

There will be total 35 water front villas/bungalows with independent boat jetty & 5-20 cents individual house plots with 5-8 Mts. well connected Tar road.

The JTL City Township project will have the following features:
Customised waterfront villas of your choice.
Exclusive recreation Zone & Club House.
Green Landscaped Garden
Health Club
Family Restaurant
Swimming Pools.
Shopping Complexes
Convention Centers
Apartments/Flats Complexes
Yacht Club
Play ground
Kinder Garden.
Church
All extra-curricular luxuries like fishing, boating, House Boats & water & adventure sports

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

Sobha City World-Class Township in Thrissur(COCHIN) KERALA

2008-02-20T13:27:00.000-08:00

Project Details
Sobha Developers launched its first integrated township “ Sobha City ” in Thrissur, Kerala on 13th May 2007 .

This will be developed in 55 acres of land with a developable area of over 3.50 million SFT.
This integrated town ship will have Super Luxury Apartments, Villas, Shopping Mall, Office Complexes, Hotel, Multiplex, and Convention Centre with Multi Speciality Hospital , located on the Thrissur – Guruvayoor highway.
This project is expected to be completed over a period of five years.
A man made lake, covering 6.5 acres with a long walkway around the lake is one of the features of the project.
Truly a global city

Restaurants and Food Courts
Luxury Business Hotel and Spa
Club house
Gymnasium
Convention Center and Offices

http://www.sobhadevelopers.com/projects/city/index.html
Thrissur, Kerala’s cultural capital has been selected for the setting up of a township by Sobha Developers at a cost of Rs. 850 crore.

Often referred to as the golden capital, dealing in almost Rs. 700 crore worth of gold every year, Thrissur is a cash rich city, with a large concentration of NRIs To capitalise on the NRI wealth, Sobha City will be built on a 55 acre township, covering 3 million sq. ft around a 6.4 acre man-made lake, with 78% and 22% of area devoted to residential and commercial spaces.

The high-end customer is the target of the Sobha City, with residential properties ranging from Rs. 2 crore for a villa to Rs. 67-85 lakh for a 3-4 BHK apartment. 25 exclusive villas would be built with 640 apartments.

Sobha Developers chose Thrissur over Kochi for this project to avail of the price advantage and the NRI strength of the city. Located on the Guruvayoor highway, the project will bring a world-class lifestyle to this "global city" when it is completed in 5 years.
http://www.nrirealtynews.com/stories/may07/world-class-township-thrissur-kerala.php

Smart Village(COCHIN) Malayalee Realtors India Pvt. Limited (Maa), a leading property company promoted by prominent NRIs from the Gulf and the US

2008-02-18T18:52:00.000-08:00

http://www.smartvillaage.com/location_map.htm

NRIs launch Smart Village in Kochi
Source: www.khaleejtimes.com
DUBAI — Malayalee Realtors India Pvt. Limited (Maa), a leading property company promoted by prominent NRIs from the Gulf and the US, is developing a state-of-the-art township in Kochi.Spread over 55 acres of prime land near Kochi International Airport and the Smart City project, the self-contained township — Smart Village — will feature 1,668 housing units, including luxury villas, row houses and apartment complexes in the first phase. The construction of this phase is to begin next month, said B. Sreekumar, a director of the company, who is based in Dubai."In the second phase of the project, which is on the drawing board, Maa proposes to construct healthcare, educational and technology complexes, in addition 10 acres of Ayurvedic herbal garden in line with the company's vision to provide quality living units and modern infrastructure in an eco-friendly setting," Sreekumar said.Sabu Karikkassery, Chairman of Maa said his company is pondering a joint venture with foreign investment companies to develop and promote the township. The second phase will focus on buildings suitable to the IT industry.He said Kochi's property sector is poised to sustain the current vibrancy and growth given the predicted population growth and economic developments. By 2011, the city's cosmopolitan population is projected to grow seven per cent. "Apart from the Smart City project, which promises to transform the city dramatically, the city has several other mega projects under way including the container transshipment terminal being developed by Dubai Ports World, Sobha Hi-Tech City in Maradu.He said real estate prices have gone up by 25 per cent over the past one year. The increasingly high cost of property in the city is driving many buyers to the suburbs. "With city becoming more and more congested with heavy traffic movement, deamnd for proeprties on the city outskirts is on the upswing," a property analyst said.The first phase of the Smart Village was launched in 2006 by former Maharaja of Travancore, Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma.The promoters of the company, which is committed to facilitating quality living and infrastructure development, mostly comprise members of World Malayalee Council, said Karikkassery.
http://dubaiseeker.com/forums/991-nris-launch-smart-village-kochi.html

COCHIN(KOCHI) A Lucrative Destination for India and Abroad

2008-02-18T18:42:00.000-08:00

The industrial capital of Kerala, Kochi is attracting a lot of NRI’s. The city offers grand investment opportunities for real estate and immense number of NRI’s are interested to buy homes in Kochi. One of the major contributors in the city’s fast growth is the increasing number of IT jobs.
Not only this, real estate developers from within the country and abroad see Kochi as the new investment hot spot. The city has attracted not only real estate developers from the country but also from the Middle East. Realty biggies like DLF, Sobha Developers, Ansals, Purvankara, Confident Group, Oceanus, Unitech, Nitesh Estates, Housing Development and Infrastructure (HDIL), Prestige Group, Emaar MGF and Parsvanath Developers have made a cumulative investment of over $2.5 billion in Kochi, the industrial capital of Kerala.
The most reliable names from the Middle East-based business groups that have ventured into Kochi are KGA Group of Kuwait, EMKE Group of Abu Dhabi and Indroyal. Some of them are also investing in the hospitality sector to set up luxury hotels chains.
Kochi has witnessed a price hike of around 60% in 2007 in the real estate sector. In the last six months, half-a-dozen developers have announced their plans to enter Kochi; many have already acquired huge parcels of land. “Property development and real estate activities have overshadowed the state’s booming tourism sector. This boom witnessed the emergence of many developers and projects,” an industry observer and a former builder said.
http://www.indianrealtynews.com/real-estate-developers/kochi-a-lucrative-destination-for-india-and-abroad.html

Infrastructure majors flock to Kerala city(COCHIN)

2008-02-18T12:22:00.001-08:00

By Ashraf Padanna
KOCHI:
Kerala's port city Kochi is becoming the new destination for infrastructure majors both from India and the Gulf.Two years ago, the Dubai Internet City signed a memorandum of understanding with the state government to develop the Rs15bn SmartCity, a self-sustained township for knowledge-based industries.Thought the project is yet to takeoff, thanks to the governments failure to handover the designated 256 acres of land, a slew of infrastructure majors announced their Kochi plans similar to SmartCity. At least Rs150bn is projected to be pumped into the real estate market here within the next three to five years.Housing Development Infrastructure Limited (HDIL) is the latest to join the bandwagon offering similar township offering spaces for office, living, education, shopping and leisure.Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan will lay foundation stone for HDILs Rs40bn Cyber City which is projected to create 7.9mn sq ft built-up space in 70 acres and 60,000 new jobs within the next four years. HDIL has purchased 70 acres from the government-owned Hindustan Machine Tools at Kalamassery to build the facility.The biggest of the projects is the 500-acre Hi-Tech City of the Sobha Group headed by P N C Menon, a Oman-based Malayali businessman.Work on the Rs50bn project, which claims will create 75,000 direct jobs and seven million sq ft of developed space for research, trade and development in information technology, bio-technology, electronic hardware and other knowledge-based services is fast progressing.Menon also set a record by offering some 100 quality apartments to those displaced by the project.Besides Emaar MGF, the Indian arm of the Dubai-based construction major, other prominent investors from the Gulf are the KGA Group of Kuwait, the EMKE Group of Abu Dhabi and Indroyal.Property prices have shot by around 60% from the last year.â€œKochi is fast becoming the preferred destination for high-paid executives and NRIs, said K Arun Kumar, managing director, Mir Realtors.
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=196531&version=1&template_id=40&parent_id=22

COCHIN(KOCHI) Hot new destination for REAL ESTATE GIANTS

2008-02-16T17:27:00.000-08:00

The industrial capital of Kerala, Kochi is attracting a lot of NRI’s. The city offers grand investment opportunities for real estate and immense number of NRI’s are interested to buy homes in Kochi. One of the major contributors in the city’s fast growth is the increasing number of IT jobs.
A city with almost every household having one family member working in the Gulf, Kochi or Cochin’s resident population is waking up to new business avenues. Commercially, the city is growing with tourism and international trade. The IT industry is establishing a sound base here, and the demand for office spaces, hotels and retail outlets is increasing and Kochi has become a new realty hotspot.
Leading real estate developers like DLF, Sobha Developers, Ansals, Purvankara, Confident Group, Oceanus, Unitech, Nitesh Estates, Housing Development and Infrastructure (HDIL), Prestige Group, Emaar MGF and Parsvanath Developers have all descended upon Kochi, the financial and industrial capital of Kerala, during the last 6-8 months with a cumulative investment of over $2.5 billion.
Prominent among the Middle East-based business groups that have forayed into Kochi are KGA Group of Kuwait, EMKE Group of Abu Dhabi and Indroyal. Some of them are also investing in the hospitality sector to set up luxury hotels chains.
Dubai Internet City has picked up Kochi to set up a Smart City project, and IT and media hub. The initial investment for the Smart City, being executed by the DIC management will be over $400 million. The Smart City would come up in a vast, 1,000 acres of land on the outskirts of Kochi.
Property prices in the city have appreciated by around 60% in 2007. During the past six months, half-a-dozen developers have announced their plans to enter Kochi and many have already acquired huge parcels of land.
An industry observer and a former builder said, “Property development and real estate activities have overshadowed the state’s booming tourism sector. This boom witnessed the emergence of many developers and projects”.
Not known for any significant commercial or industrial activity in the past, the upward trend in real estate in Kochi is an indicator of a healthy and reviving economy.
http://propertybytes.com/?p=1845

COCHIN(KOCHI) IS THE NEW REALITY HOTSPOT

2008-02-16T17:22:00.000-08:00

The queen of the Arabian Sea is now a hot destination for real estate giants. What is unique to Kochi is, the city has attracted almost every domestic property developer worth its salt, and a slew of foreign companies, mostly from the Middle East.
Leading real estate developers like DLF, Sobha Developers, Ansals, Purvankara, Confident Group, Oceanus, Unitech, Nitesh Estates, Housing Development and Infrastructure (HDIL), Prestige Group, Emaar MGF and Parsvanath Developers have all descended upon Kochi, the financial and industrial capital of Kerala, during the last 6-8 months with a cumulative investment of over $2.5 billion.
Prominent among the Middle East-based business groups that have forayed into Kochi are KGA Group of Kuwait, EMKE Group of Abu Dhabi and Indroyal. Some of them are also investing in the hospitality sector to set up luxury hotels chains.
Property prices in the city have appreciated by around 60% in 2007. During the past six months, half-a-dozen developers have announced their plans to enter Kochi; many have already acquired huge parcels of land. “Property development and real estate activities have overshadowed the state’s booming tourism sector. This boom witnessed the emergence of many developers and projects,” an industry observer and a former builder said.
Recently, HDIL purchased a 70-acre plot from the government-owned HMT and announced its plans to set up an IT park at Kalamassery, near Kochi.
HDIL is also setting up a Cybercity in the HMT land, which will have IT space, hospitality, retail and entertainment projects. The total investment in the project is estimated to be around Rs 2,000 crore.
According to Kerala Builders Forum chairman George E George: “Till a decade ago, real estate activity of each city was driven by local builders.” The bigger players acquired the financial muscle to launch multi-city operations after they raised resources through public issue route. “Even then, many of them missed the bus in Bangalore and Chennai as the rates peaked before their entry,” he said. “I think they have spotted the opportunity in Kochi and are moving in early,” he added.
Sobha Developers is setting up the largest township in Maradu, Kochi, called the Sobha Hitech City. Maradu is a high-potential suburb of Kochi with commercial projects, 5-star hotels, shopping malls and IT projects. The total investment in the project is estimated at around Rs 5,000 crore.
Nitesh Shetty, CMD of Bangalore-based real estate firm Nitesh Estates, said the Kochi skyline has changed dramatically over the last few years and today it is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. “The city offers grand investment opportunities for real estate mainly due to reasons such as large NRI population who want to buy homes in Kochi and increasing IT jobs in the city,” he said. His company recently acquired around 5 acres of land in Kakkanad near Kochi.
Similarly, in 2006, India’s real estate giant DLF purchased 3.78 acres in Kochi from the state government for Rs 78 crore. The DLF Group is planning to build a shopping mall, a multiplex and a 250-room deluxe hotel in Kochi.
“Cochin is poised for a quantum leap. The commissioning of Vallarpadom international container tenninal and numerous IT parks will make Kochi the preferred destination for highly-paid executives,” a senior HDL official said.
Source: The Economic Times
http://propertybytes.com/?p=1825

The Bangalore-based Sobha Developers Ltd is setting up a Rs 5,000-crore hi-tech city project in Kochi

2008-02-16T17:11:00.000-08:00

The Bangalore-based Sobha Developers Ltd is setting up a Rs 5,000-crore hi-tech city project in Kochi to create an integrated city of world class standards with a focus on R&D, knowledge dissemination, electronics, IT and pure and applied sciences.
A memorandum of understanding in this regard will be signed between Mr J.C.Sharma, Managing Director, Sobha Developers, and Mr T. Balakrishnan, Principal Secretary, State Industries Department in the presence of Sobha Group Chairman, Mr P.N.C.Menon, and the Industries Minister, Mr Elamaram Kareem, at Thiruvananthapuram on Monday.

PPP INITIATIVE
Initiated by the Department of Industries and Commerce, the MoU seeks to reinforce the PPP (public private partnership) initiative by the Kerala Government to bring the highest-ever investment in the State, Mr P. Ramakrishnan, Regional Director (Kerala), Sobha Developers Ltd, said at a press meet here on Saturday.
The project, which will be developed in 8 years, will come up in Maradu near Kochi in an area of around 400 acres. It will include a 7 million sq ft knowledge park, retail shopping malls and avenues, hotels, resorts and other leisure facilities, residential complexes and all related infrastructure including a marina.
Source: The Hindu Business Line
http://propertybytes.com/?tag=kochi
A new hi-tech city on the anvil
Sobha Developers has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Kerala Government to build a Rs.5,000-crore hi-tech city in Kochi. The Sobha Group will develop an area of 400 acres under the brand name ‘Sobha Hi-Tech City’ and the Government has agreed to bring the project under single window clearance through which the Government will play the role of a facilitator for the implementation of the project.
The memorandum of understanding was signed on August 20 in Thiruvananthapuram. As per the agreement, the Government will also facilitate provisions for necessary utilities such as electricity, gas, water, sewerage system, communication, etc. Sobha Hi-Tech City will be an integrated city of world-class standards with focus on research and development, knowledge dissemination, information technology and pure and applied sciences.
The high-tech city will be located close to National Highway 47 bypass near Maradu in Kochi. It will have 7 million square foot of knowledge park, commercial space to provide business-friendly ambience within the city, hospitality and leisure projects, entertainment and amusement facilities, a marina of international standards and residential complexes with world-class amenities to provide work-life balance.
The Sobha Group will construct 30-meter-wide and 545-meter-long road connecting the existing main road to the Hi-Tech City. When completed, the Sobha Hi-Tech City would generate 75,000 direct jobs.
The project has been designed by a team of in-house architects at Sobha.
The project is expected to be complete in eight years depending on factors such as approvals and availability of materials, workmen etc.
The Chairman of the Sobha Group welcomed the Kerala Government’s support for the project expressed confidence that the hi-tech city would fulfil the aspirations of the people.
The project is expected to generate substantial employment opportunities apart from attracting fresh investments.
http://www.hindu.com/pp/2007/08/25/stories/2007082550360200.htm

UST Global Expands Operations with a New Office in Kochi, India

2008-02-12T17:51:00.000-08:00

CIO Magazine Writes "Bangalore is out. Kochi is in."
ALISO VIEJO, Calif. -- UST Global(SM), a leading provider of IT services and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) solutions for Global 2000 enterprises, announced today that it opened a new office in Kochi, Kerala to further expand its Indian operations. The company's strategic focus on Tier 2 cities and the announcement of its new office in Kochi appears timely. CIO Magazine writes "Bangalore is out. Kochi is in." in a November 5, 2007 online article titled Outsourcing to Bangalore?The new 24,000 square foot development center at the Kochi Business Centre in InfoPark will offer IT, infrastructure management and business process outsourcing services. It will initially accommodate 250 people and up to 2,000 people when fully staffed. The company is committed to strengthening its operations in the Kerala region and cited four reasons why the area is ideally suited for IT service expansion: "For IT service providers such as UST Global that are in a growth mode, there are a multitude of cities in India in which to choose from. Yet with so many cities plagued by limited bandwidth, we consciously avoid those areas and instead choose cities that will support our, and our clients', best interests," said Sajan Pillai, president and COO, UST Global. "Kochi is one of three cities in India that is a hub for the undersea cable, which gives UST Global better connectivity and less competition for that bandwidth. This location aligns well with our client-centric Global Engagement Model by helping us expand our services in an economically viable way for our clients." InfoPark, an information technology park promoted by the government, is situated in a 100-acre campus. The new UST Global office is located on the first floor of the new Vismaya building which has an intelligent building management system, multi-cuisine food vendors, health club, medical facilities, travel desk, ATMs and covered parking. The new Kochi office is located at: 1st Floor, Vismaya Building
Infopark, Kusumagiri PO
Kakanad, Kochi- 682030
Phone: +91 484.404.0000
About UST Global UST Global(SM) is a leading provider of end-to-end IT services and BPO solutions for the Global 2000 market. UST Global offers a client-centric Global Engagement Model that provides the optimal mix of senior local resources with the cost, scale and quality advantages of offshore operations for each client. The company is known for its relentless focus on clients, flexibility, and commitment beyond contract. Headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, UST Global has more than 5,000 employees worldwide and is certified globally as CMMI([R]) Level 5, P-CMM([R]) Level 5, and ISO 27001. For more information visit: www.ust-global.com.
http://www.allbusiness.com/technology/computing-information-technology-overview/5329378-1.html

California-based IT major Digital Liberty Group (DLG takes over Cochin(KOCHI) based IT Firm

2008-02-09T10:49:00.000-08:00

Digital Liberty Group (DLG), Friday announced it taking over 55 percent stakes in the Kochi-based Comprehensive Software Solutions and Services (CS3).
DLG, one of the world's fastest growing companies, has diversified business interests across the globe and is operating in the fields of IT, real estate, hospitality, global investments and genetic engineering.
CS3 has been instrumental in providing high-end software solutions to leading utilities and vertical markets ever since its inception in 2002.
Announcing the takeover, O.K. Sanjit, chairman of DLG, said they have been pursuing global investment opportunities, especially in the emerging markets.
The company is committed to maintaining its active presence in the most vibrant markets such as India, China, Japan and the Gulf countries apart from the US, he added.
'We are strengthening our presence in the Indian IT sector with this takeover and many more will come in the next few months,' said Sanjit.
B. Vinoj, managing director, CS3, said this was an opportunity for CS3 and its customers to gain access to global quality software solutions and services.
'This will also provide CS3 workforce an opportunity to be part of global software initiatives, including prospect to work on live onsite projects,' said Vinoj.
Both DLG and CS3 are working towards consolidating the merger process and once it is through, CS3 will go in for a re-branding exercise targeted towards positing it as a DLG group company.
CS3 will also undergo a revamp by adding 150 top quality IT professionals.
http://www.indiaenews.com/business/20080208/96587.htm

Kalamasserry(COCHIN) HDIL Cyber City Issue - Minister K.P Rajendran Interview

2008-02-07T14:03:00.001-08:00

This IT project was under alot of controversy generated by the broadcat media. Controversies like this are nothing new in KERALA.Its just something that investors have to get used to. There is always a initial resistance after that they will embrace. Bad publicity is better than no publicity.

Rs.4,000 crores Cybercity planned at Kalamasserry(COCHIN)State’s first integrated information technology (IT) township

2008-02-07T06:05:00.000-08:00

KOCHI, Kerala: Housing Development and Infrastructure Limited (HDIL), through its subsidiary Blue Star Realtors Private Limited, has announced plans to construct HDIL Cybercity at Kalamasserry here. This will spread across an area of 70 acres (which belonged to the public sector Hindustan Machine Tools ) and will be the State’s first integrated information technology (IT) township, having besides IT/ITES, residential apartments, villas, schools, shopping malls, multiplex, club house, service apartments and a star hotel.
The foundation stone will be laid by Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan on January 19. HDIL plans to invest Rs.4,000 crores in this project over a four-year period, said Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan, chairman. “By constructing HDIL Cybercity at Kalamasserry, HDIL proposes not only to create a world class IT hub in Kerala, but also to provide 60,000 direct and 1,50,000 indirect jobs at Kochi,” Mr. Wadhawan said. The Cybercity will have a built up area of 80 lakh sq. ft. It is the first flagship IT project of the company in Kochi. When completed, it will be the first and only integrated IT township in Kerala, claims a press release. The mega city of 70 acres will be developed into various zones of residential, IT, commercial, hotel, social and infrastructural amenities. The press note pointed out that Kochi has been ranked as the second most favoured IT & ITES destination by NASSCOM and is a bustling industrial centre with industries ranging from ship building to handicrafts and petro-chemical, and refining to spice trading. Some of the top IT companies have plans to set up campus in Kochi in the next three to five years. NASSCOM has projected about five lakh IT/ITES job opportunities in the State.
http://www.keralanext.com/news/?id=400252

Group from Taiwan visits Cochin for site for 2,000 acre Electronics City.

2008-01-10T06:31:00.000-08:00

KOCHI: After Smart City, now it is the turn of Electronic City. Representatives comprising high officials of AmerAsia Ventures Corporation visited a few locations in Kochi to set up the endeavour.

The seven-member Thai team, led by Michael Chan, held talks with government officials at Infopark on Monday.

IT Secretary AjayaKumar, Industrial Secretary T.Balakrihnan, District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish, KSEB Chief Engineer Girija Devi, Pollution Control Board Chief Engineer Maithili and Infopark officials attended the meeting.

Sources said that the team was looking for a place having airport within 25 to 35-km diameter.

Thai team planning to establish hardware industries, including semi-conductor and allied industries, is known to have expressed their positive approach for setting up the project in Kochi.

The team will hold discussions with the government officials in Thiruvananthapuram and New Delhi later.

The Rs 3,000 crore Electronic City is being planned to be set up in 2,000 acres. IT Secretary told this website's newspaper that it is nothing but a primary meeting. “The government is yet to take a decision in this regard,” he said.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEX20071217223854&Page=X&Headline=Thai+team+visits+Kochi&Title=Kochi&Topic=0&

“Bangalore is out. Kochi is in,” writes Stephanie Overby, Senior Editor of CIO Magazine, in an article on business process outsourcing (BPO) trends

2007-12-12T04:15:00.000-08:00

IT’s glorious opportunities and daunting challenges STATE TRENDS

T. Ramavarman P. Venugopal

There are jobs aplenty and lots to ponder as the State rides the information technology boom

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With IT companies beginning to look at Kerala as a potential investment destination, the State is in for major investment and employment generation and this is likely to bring in its wake major challenges for the government.

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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “Bangalore is out. Kochi is in,” writes Stephanie Overby, Senior Editor of CIO Magazine, in an article on business process outsourcing (BPO) trends in India in a recent issue of the widely read IT journal.

As real estate prices and cost of living skyrocket in big cities and high cost of talent and infrastructure squeeze chop off chunks from profit margins, BPO companies are turning to smaller cities and towns and Kochi, Kerala’s emerging IT hub, figures at the very top of their priority destinations.

“The Smart City issue might have helped a bit,” says Joseph C. Mathew, IT Adviser to the Chief Minister of Kerala. “Why should an international infrastructure provider such as the Dubai-based TECOM come to Kochi despite some hard conditions set by the State government if not for the several pluses we have,” asks Mr. Mathew.

Talent on offer

The industry sees very good talent on offer here at a cost much lower than that in the big metros, good communication connectivity, a society quite cosmopolitan in attitude, the best of living conditions and, of course, sparkling environs. And it will not be just Kochi, or the capital city Thiruvananthapuram. The State is more of a sprawling town homogeneous all over in attributes attractive to the IT industry, unlike most other States with disconnected urban pockets in rambling landscapes of backward villages.

Experts believe that there are at least a dozen towns in the State ideal for IT companies. The Government’s IT Policy aims at developing all such towns for the industry along with Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi in a hub-and-spoke model so that the trickle down effect of prosperity too will be distributed evenly across the State. New IT parks at Palakkad, Kozhikode, Alappuzha and Kollam are already in the sprouting stage.

The IT industry employs over 30,000 professionals in the State at the moment, 17,000 of them at the Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram, and 5,000 at the Infopark in Kochi.

The State’s software exports were in the region of Rs.800 crore last year, according to the estimates of Software Technology Parks of India. “This is a gross underestimation, probably because many companies report their turnovers from their headquarters outside the State. The turnover per IT professional cannot be lower than Rs.20 lakh a year. The Technopark and the Infopark, employing more than 22,000 professionals, should by themselves be having more than Rs.4,000 crore of annual export business,” says N. Radhakrishnan Nair, Technopark Chief Executive Officer.

“We are looking at something like one lakh new IT jobs in the State in the next two years. Leading firms such as Infosys, Wipro, TCS, L&T and the Leela Group are working on building facilities here. Some of them want to set up parks as Special Economic Zones,” says IT Secretary Ajayakumar.

Sajan Pillai, Chief Operating Officer of the UST Global, which employs the largest number of IT professionals in the State, and the company’s Technopark unit chief Alexander Verghese say that the present trend will take the number of IT jobs in the State to nearly one million in the next four or five years. They base their forecast on a surmise that at least 10 per cent of the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) projection of IT job generation in the country during this period will be in Kerala.

Soft skills

The opportunities also throw up big challenges. The first concerns training the youth in skills beyond the ones they imbibe in the colleges to make them ‘employable’ with the necessary communication and computer skills, aptitude for IT and a ‘global attitude’ to the profession because IT is a global business.

“Finishing schools have to come up in a big way across the State to help us make the best of the opportunity. The times to come will see not just engineering graduates, but also a large number of graduates in other disciplines getting jobs in the IT sector,” says Mr. Sajan Pillai.

The curriculum will have to be revised and constantly put through fresh revisions in tune with the job market needs, he feels.

The Chief Minister’s IT Adviser feels that the government and the industry will have to show the way with right models of finishing schools and he is confident that private entrepreneurship will do the rest.

Entrepreneurship is waking up in Kerala, one can see it happening all over the State, he says. Ashokan Njarackal, a free software campaigner, is of the view that entrepreneurial skills too require nurturing.

Private players

Then there is the challenge of infrastructure and finding the resources to build it. Industry leaders suggest a string of self-contained ‘techno-cities’ in the State with good road and air connectivity.

Should it be the government’s own responsibility or should the private sector also be asked to chip in?

Ideological confusions, if any, may have to be sorted out fast. At the same time, the State has to guard against the danger of throwing the field totally open to real estate exploitation.

“The government knows the danger,” says the Chief Minister’s political secretary K.N. Balagopal.

“A joint sector company, with majority stake for the government, is being set up to facilitate investment and build IT parks all over the State. In Smart City’s case, we insisted that 70 per cent of the built-up space should be exclusively for the IT industry. Such safeguards may become necessary for other private parks too.”

On road to changes

The State is on the threshold of a change, the nature and scale of which have no precedents. The change that happened when the Gulf job market opened up in the 1970s was of a different nature altogether because a bulk of its beneficiaries belonged to the rural working class. Ultimately, it was more of a levelling process that happened in society through the Gulf boom.

In the present case, the so-called digital divide will take quite some time to vanish, notwithstanding the ‘Akshaya’ computer literacy programme of the government. Also, income divide will be a stark reality.

The emerging new section will also pressurise the system for a higher and higher share of the resources, from the government and society.

The State is entering uncharted seas. Somewhere out on the unfolding expanse, glorious promises await it; as also unknown dangers. This is the time when those who steer the ship will have to keep a very tight vigil.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/10/stories/2007121055190500.htm

Three new projects fuel boom in Kochi

2007-12-08T06:24:00.000-08:00

A move by the Kerala state government to set up a Smart City at Kochi has triggered off a fresh rally in real estate prices in the central districts of Kerala, especially in and around Kochi.

The real estate and construction business in Kerala have been passing through a dull phase after new and stringent norms on registration and stamp duty were introduced some months ago.

The announcement of the Smart City project has added life to the segment recently.

The government will soon tie up with the Technology and Media Free zone Authority of Dubai to set up the Smart City, one of the largest IT infrastructure projects of India at Kakkanad, near Kochi city.

Around two years back, the UDF government had announced the project and this had led to a surge in real estate prices in Kochi and surrounding areas.

Almost all the major builders of India had acquired land at Kakkanad area and the value of land had increased by manifolds.

Thereafter, LDF had swept to power in the elections and work on the project was slowed down.

Now after a year, the project is about to take off.

The project was expected to create jobs for 90,000 professionals in the city and this would create demand for apartments.

According to major builders, around 30,000 apartments and flats would be needed in Kochi in three years.

By 2015, Kochi would need more than 100,000 plus apartments.

Three mega projects, the Vallarpadam International Container Terminal, Petronet's LNG terminal and the Smart City, were expected to lead to 200,000 jobs while related projects like the bunkering terminal, single point mooring and new hotels would add to demand for apartments.

In the last few months, land value in Kochi's Kakkanad area climbed 75 per cent.

A large number of land deals were being done in Kochi localities like Vyttila bye pass (NH 47) and the Sea Port to Airport Road.

Prices per centiare near NH 47 was Rs 20 lakh and on the Sea port -- Airport Road it was Rs 600,000 to Rs 800,000.

According to K A Mohammed Salim, managing director of Asset Homes, land prices in Kochi were lower than most other tier-II cities and hence the interest among builders.

Salim said that the construction of flats would surge in the coming years and investments to the tune of Rs 6000 -7000 crore (Rs 60 to 70 billion) would be required in the next three years.

Villas were also in demand in major towns in the average price band of Rs 50 to Rs 70 lakh (Rs 5 to 7 million) per unit.

But major builders agreed that demand for apartments would drive growth in the future with prices being in the Rs 15 -25 lakh (Rs 1.5 to Rs 2.5 million) band, affordable for professionals.

Salim said the surge in land prices could derail plans to build villas as unit prices could soon exceed Rs 1 crore (Rs 10 milion) per unit.

Demand for flats, especially from NRIs, was already high and most flats were being booked as soon as bookings opened.

Major builders were concentrating on sales in the Persian Gulf region and around 50 per cent of flats were being sold within a month of announcement of a project.

In Kochi city, around 5,000 flats were under construction at present.

Demand was so high that extension of the city outwards in all directions was inevitable.

In the north, land upto Thrissur 80km away on NH 47 was now being described as being suitable for apartments in future and land value was rising in areas like the Nedumbassery-Angamally area where the international airport was situated.

In the south, the road to Cherthala was suitable and in fact, in Cherthala, some large apartment projects were coming up.

Other areas to see development included the south-eastern suburbs of the Thripunithura-Chottanikkara and the north-western areas of Varapuzha, North Parur and Vypin Island.

The city of Kochi was at present slowly spreading to around 70 per cent of the land area of Ernakulam district as very little land was available within the city limits.

The city was already extended upto the Kalamassery and Aluva municipalities since these were areas adjacent areas of the old city.

Hectic construction was also going on the reclaimed land near Goshree bridges connecting the city with Vypin island.

The development of infrastructure projects and the new road-rail connectivity would revive the fortunes of the city and a number of big hotel projects had been announced recently.

However, the unique eco-system of the city was under threat as a major portion of the paddy fields were now being taken over and developed into flats and housing projects.

High real estate prices was likely to edge out many of the older residents of Kochi city and its suburbs to other districts.

http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/may/01kochi.htm

COCHIN(Kochi) to have global trade centre

2007-12-07T03:55:00.000-08:00

100 storey office tower,one of the tallest towers in South Asia, the International trade and exhibition centre whose construction began in January 2008, is expected to be complete in 3 years.

Renu Rajaram
Infotech
The Board of Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Kinfra) has appointed Mumbai-based Zoom Developers to provide full design consultancy services for the proposed International Exhibition and Trade Centre at Kalamasserry near Kochi. The trade centre is planned in the prestigious Kinfra Hi-tech Park cluster and is expected to be operational in three years."The hi-tech park, spread over 240 acres, includes a cluster of biotechnology, electronics, ITES, gem and jewellery parks in addition to the trade centre," said A.S. Suresh Babu, Managing Director, Kinfra.Singapore-based CPG Consultants India has been chosen by Zoom to provide full design consultancy services. The centre, being envisaged as one of international class, will be a permanent venue for trade fairs, exhibitions, conferences and other business activities."The project is coming up on BOOT basis: 90 years lease which is renewable for another 90 years. The construction work will start by the end of January 2008," said Kshitija Mandvilkar, Finance Executive, Zoom Developers.The project is coming up on 40 acres of Kinfra land at Kalamasserry, 25 km from Cochin International Airport and 26 km from the seaport. The site, proposed for the centre, is 3 km off NH-47. Cochin SEZ is within 10 km of the proposed site. The trade centre is to have world-class facilities and will be built in Kerala style of architecture, according to Kinfra officials. The exhibition hall and the convention centre are expected to have an area of 5.6 million sq. ft. The convention centre will be designed to be used as a theatre, if required.The project will also include a 5-star hotel of 31 floors providing 400 rooms, a 100-storey office tower which will be one of its kind in India, and a shopping mall spread on six floors. The trade centre is coming up in a five-storey building. Other amenities include a club house, service apartments, restaurants, ATM centres, a post office, Internet café and multilevel car parking.The project will be completed in three phases. The first will comprise the exhibition and trade centre and the food court which will be completed by October 2008. The second includes 5-star hotel and shopping mall, and the third will consist of the office tower.Kinfra, which facilitates the development of industrial infrastructure in Kerala, has made remarkable achievements in just 13 years and has catered to industry-specific infrastructure requirements by setting up a number of industrial parks, townships and zones across the state.Contact: Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Kinfra), TC 31/2312, Kinfra House, Sasthamangalam P.O., Thiruvananthapuram 695010. Tel: 0471-2726585; Fax: 0471-2724773; E-mail: kinfra@vsnl.com
[December 3-9, 2007]
http://www.projectsmonitor.com/detailnews.asp?newsid=15010

Cochin needs a 100+ acre financial and business district

2007-12-05T04:45:00.000-08:00

A separate city called The Cochin Financial and Business District should be created it should contain a brand new Cochin Stock Exchange Tower on the line on Wall Street in New York and Dalal Street in Mumbai. It should be somewhere in the interior maybe Pallikara or Choondy or Edathala in Alwaye taluk. Architects from outside should be hired to draw the plans. The district should also have a Trade Tower like the one coming up in Hyderbads proposed business district.Shaik Ahmed AliCNN-IBNPosted Monday , May 07, 2007 at 11:17Email Email Print PrintTALLER THAN THE REST: The construction of tower will start by July is likely to be ready in the next three years.Hyderabad: The historic Charminar might soon lose its status as Hyderabad's most famous structure.The state Industrial Infrastructure Corporation has given the final nod to the city's skyscraper zone, and a landmark building, to be located in a 100-acre Business District in Manchirevula near Hyderabad."In the area that the building is coming up, the minimum height of a building should be 30-storeys. The building that we are making will be 100-plus storeyed building surrounded by a series of 10-12 30-storeyed towers. It will be a compact business district like Manhattan or Nariman point," said APIIC Vice-Chairman, B PAcharya.The proposed Trade Tower will house corporates, hotels and other establishments. 22 international players participated in the recently-concluded bidding process."We have kept very stiff pre-qualification norms and 10 were finally selected in the pre-qualification round. Ultimately two parties have responded and we are going to finalise them shortly - one from Israel, one from India," said Acharya.The APIIC had initially proposed to build 60-floor twin towers. Teams were sent to study the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Sears Towers in Chicago and high-rise buildings in Dubai.Based on their reports, a single trade tower was approved. At present, the 16-storey Babu Khan Estate, built in 1987, is the tallest commercial building in Hyderabad followed by the 13-storeyed Haj House.Since the proposed trade tower will be located in the skyscraper zone, getting clearances from the municipal and fire services authorities will be just a formality.According to the APIIC, the construction of the trade tower will start by July this year and it is likely to be ready in the next three years. http://www.ibnlive.com/news/indias-t...d/39902-3.htmlAnil on top of 100-storey tower Hyderabad, July 6: Anil Ambani’s Reliance Energy has bagged the 100-storied trade tower-cum-business district project at Manchirevula on the city outskirts. Reliance Energy quoted Rs 6.57 crores per acre while its competitor Elbit Medical Imaging, an Israeli firm, quoted Rs 6.10 crores per acre. The upset price was Rs 6 crores per acre and the project is estimated to cost Rs 5,400 crores.Noted architect Hafeez contractor also favoured the design for the tower submitted by Reliance Energy. In all, the overall marks given to Reliance were 75.40 out of 100 while Elbit got 71.29. Reliance Energy will start construction by September and will engage the services of world renowned architect Norman Foster. Company officials expressed happiness at getting the contract since the opening of financial bids coincided with the death anniversary of founder Dirubhai Ambani.The tower with 100 floors will be about 450 metres tall and will accommodate offices, hotels and malls. “The company will be given the confirmation letter in a few days,” said Mr B.P. Acharya, managing director of the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation. “The trade tower has to be constructed in three years and the business district in five years.”APIIC put a pre-bid condition that the company which bagged the contract should first construct the trade tower in 30 acres and would be given the remaining 50 acres after that. A special purpose vehicle will be set up to execute the project in which Reliance Energy will have 66 per cent equity, Bangalore-based Sobha Developers 23 per cent and APIIC 11 per cent. http://www.deccan.com/home/homedetai...storey%20towerREL, Sobha win Rs 6,400cr project in Hyd BS Reporter / Hyderabad July 7, 2007 A consortium led by Reliance Energy has emerged as the successful bidder for the Rs 6,400 crore business district project proposed in Hyderabad by the state-owned Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation(APIIC).The project will have three modules, including a 100-plus storied tower, and is scheduled to be completed in three years. The project is expected to be completed in five years. According to an official of Reliance Energy, the business district project will have a built-up area of about 11 million square feet. This is the first major infrastructure project being taken up by the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group in Andhra Pradesh.Reliance Energy will hold 66% equity in the project while its joint venture partner, Sobha Developers, will hold 23% stake. The remaining 11% equity is held by APIIC towards the land component of the project. http://www.business-standard.com/com...N&autono=25195I know the ideal location for a similar project if it were to come up in Cochinhttp://www.kochi.co.in/property_info?pid=123

Why cant we have a Mini-City project too????

2007-12-05T04:09:00.000-08:00

Tishman Speyer Properties LP, which owns New York’s famous Rockefeller Centre and Frankfurt’s MesseTurm, said it, along with ICICI Bank and Nagarjuna Construction Co, will build a $2 billion residential and commercial township for 30,000 people, spread over 400 acres near Hyderabad.It would be great something like that came somewhere in Cochin's periphery.I know an ideal property listed on the web for it.550 Acres land for sale at Irinjalakuda (Thrissur District) - Asking price - Rs.20,000/cent Property Features:6kms from Irinjalakuda Town, 15kms from NH47, 35kms from Angamaly and 40 kms from Kochi International Airport. Full of coconut trees, 6 side roads, canal with lot of water, tarred bus route road front. Suitable for commercial/residential purpose. Nearest landmarks:Irinjalakuda Suitable for: Corporates Expected price: Rs. 110 crores (Negotiable) http://www.kochi.co.in/property_info?pid=91

Rs.20-billion IT park to come up in Kochi

2007-11-30T08:44:00.001-08:00

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 13 (IANS) Mumbai-based Housing Development and Infrastructure Limited (HDIL) will build an IT Park in Kalamassery, Kochi. The 70-acre IT Park, named HDIL Cybercity, will be built at a cost of Rs.20 billion.
HDIL, a part of the Wadhawan group, is investing in HDIL Cybercity through its subsidiary company Blue Star Realtors Pvt Ltd, HDIL chairman Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan told reporters here.
'The park would be spread over 70 acres and would have a total built up area of 7.9 million sq feet, of which 5.4 million sq ft will be used for IT ventures. The remaining will be for hotels, service apartments, shopping malls, clubhouses, schools and residential structures,' said Wadhawan.
HDIL Cybercity will be a catalyst in Kerala's economic growth and is expected to generate 65,000 new jobs. The project is expected to require 9 million man-days to build.
HDIL has already appointed well-known architectural firm Aedas as consultants for the project.
Aedas, currently the fourth largest architectural practice in the world, were consultants to many large-scale infrastructure projects. These include the international cruise terminal, Xiamen, China, Crossrail in London, and Pentominium Tower, the world's tallest residential tower in Dubai.
HDIL is the flagship construction and real estate development company of the Wadhawan Group with market capitalisation of over Rs.100 billion.
The company focuses on construction and development of IT Parks and integrated IT cities. It is developing 115 million sq ft in Mumbai metropolitan region, Hyderabad, Pune and Kochi.
http://in.news.yahoo.com/070913/43/6kpqe.html

Anzera plans IT shopping mall in Kochi

2007-11-30T08:38:00.000-08:00

Our Bureau
Kochi, Nov. 20 Anzera Properties plans to build a Grade-A exclusive IT shopping mall for retailers and wholesalers of IT products in Kochi. Developed along the lines of IT malls in Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, this will be the first IT mall in Kerela, said a press release issued here .
Once completed the project would be a one-stop shop for both individual customers and corporate clients. The mall would encompass modern facilities, ensure availability of hardware and software products across brands and offer an ideal shopping experience. Focus on brand equity
Mr Ziad A. Rahman, CEO of Anzera Properties, said that the company has planned an ambitious growth strategy for the next five years and will focus on building a brand equity in the State.
The company plans to build two million sq. feet of residential and commercial properties in Kochi by 2009-10, the release said.
http://www.blonnet.com/2007/11/21/stories/2007112151712300.htm

First integrated township launched at Thrissur

2007-11-30T08:29:00.000-08:00

V. Sajeev Kumar
The project will be located in 55 acres of land in Puzhakkal with a man-made lake covering 6.5 acres with a 10 miles walkway around the lake.
Thrissur May 13 The Bangalore-based Sobha Developers Ltd (SDL) has announced the launch of its first integrated township "Sobha City" in Kerala at Thrissur on Saturday.
Mr P.N.C. Menon, Chairman, Sobha Developers Ltd, said at a press meet that the company would be investing Rs 850 crore towards the project and aims to complete it by May 2011. Apart from being the first integrated township by SDL, Sobha City is also the largest project by the company till date, he said.
The project will be located in 55 acres of land in Puzhakkal with a man-made lake covering 6.5 acres with a 10 miles walkway around the lake. The company plans to construct 3 million sq ft, which will comprise 2.5 million for residential purpose and the rest for commercial.
According to Mr Menon, tier II cities offer tremendous potential for real estate development. "We aim to capitalise on the growing demands of Tier II cities by offering the best of facilities to the consumers. Sobha City is our effort to fulfil the aspirations of people and will be able to generate substantial employment opportunities for local apart from attracting investments in the region," he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr J.C. Sharma, Managing Director, Sobha Developers, said that company also had plans to develop properties in nine cities in different parts of the country. The properties, which would be developed in the current fiscal, would be in Pune, Mysore and Coimbatore.
A team of in-house architects at SDL has designed Sobha City. It will house 423 apartments, 216 four-bedroom apartments and 13 villas in the first phase. It will also house a world-class business hotel with six floors, global mall and entertainment centre.
http://www.blonnet.com/2007/05/14/stories/2007051401731900.htm

India Plans High-Tech 'Smart City'

2007-11-28T04:07:00.000-08:00

India Plans High-Tech 'Smart City'
Zone To Encourage Foreign Companies' Operations, With Few Hassles
COCHIN, India, Nov. 19, 2004
(CBS/AP) Southern India's Kerala state plans to create a 1,000-acre zone called "Smart City," where technology companies from around the world will be invited to set up operations, an official said Friday. Some of the companies lured to Smart City are likely to American. The area, outside Cochin city, will include office space, residences, schools and an entertainment complex, said Kerala's Industry Minister P. K. Kunjalikutty. It will include software developers and call centers — two of the Indian economy's fastest growing sectors. Indian programmers earn roughly one-sixth the $60,000 U.S. average. "Smart City ... will be an exclusive IT zone where foreign companies can easily set up shop without any stringent formalities of registration and licensing," Kunjalikutty said. Indian states are competing with each other to court investments from information technology companies, trying to emulate the success of the southern technology hubs of Bangalore and Hyderabad, which have spearheaded the country's IT boom. Kerala, known for its highly educated work force, has been trying to make up for lost time after India's economic boom of the past decade largely bypassed the state because potential investors were frightened away by its powerful, militant labor unions. But Kunjalikutty said his state's labor force has been changing fast, and information technology companies had not faced any union troubles. Smart City will be created and managed by Dubai's Internet City, a free trade zone backed by the Middle Eastern country's government. It is being built with an initial investment of $400 million. It was not yet clear whether Smart City would be a free trade zone, or would simply offer assistance to potential investors. Dubai's Internet City offers foreign companies 100 percent tax-free ownership, no currency restrictions, easy registration and licensing and protection of intellectual property, its Web site said. Cynthia Kroll, senior regional economist at the University of California, Berkeley, said U.S. policymakers can't afford to ignore outsourcing. "If R&D is coming out of India, will the next wave of growth bypass us entirely?" Kroll asked. "We need to pay attention to what India and China and these other countries are doing to get these new rounds of investment." American workers may be among the most productive in the world, but they also make on average $16 an hour, and benefits add another six bucks on top of that, reports CBS News Correspondent Anthony Mason. A foreign worker with comparable skills comes at a fraction of the cost. "Protecting jobs leads to job destruction, because if we try to prevent outsourcing, it'll just make American business less competitive in the world market. And that will lead to overall job destruction. So for me there's no choice here. We have to outsource," said Marc Andreesen, head of the California-based software company Opsware, which helps businesses cut costs by automating. Last March, Andreesen said he was planning to hire workers in India or Brazil. "By doing that, what I want to be able to do is get more bang for the buck out of those jobs, so that I can grow faster and so I can hire more people in the U.S.," he said. The Information Technology Association of America, in a survey last March, acknowledged that the migration of tech jobs to low-paid foreigners has eliminated 104,000 American jobs so far, nearly 3 percent of the positions in the U.S. tech industry. "The myth is that we've started this long decline into the midnight of the technology work force," ITAA president Harris Miller said. "Assuming the recovery continues, the number of IT jobs will actually increase." According to the report, savings from outsourcing allowed companies to create 90,000 new jobs in 2003, with more than one in 10 of them in Silicon Valley or elsewhere in California, researchers said. The report predicts that in 2008, outsourcing will create 317,000 jobs - 34,000 in California. The ITAA describes itself as a trade group for IT industries ranging from computers, software and telecommunications to the Internet and professional services. Its board of directors includes representatives of major IT firms including AT&T, EDS, Northrop Grumman, and Amazon.com, and its members include Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard.
©MMIV CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/11/19/tech/main656681.shtml#share