Trivandrum Projects & Infrastructure :News [Archive] - Page 14

MINUS

Mar 29, 2011, 9:34 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Magic Academy is all set to strike a wonder with Mirror Museum, claimed to be the first in the State, which would house magic and only magic. The mirror museum has been named ‘Mayakannadi’ and will be opened to public on Wednesday by sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman.

According to officials of the Academy of Magical Sciences, the museum has been so designed as to attract both young and old. The first in line is the mirror room. Once you get in, it would be a real task to find the way out. For any visitor, it would gift some of the nicest moments in mystery and suspense. The room has been designed such that it mesmerises your thoughts and sights. The room, which has been built in 100 square feet, has special light and sound effects which would create wonder in the visitors, Academy officials said.

Once you get out of the mirror room, there is yet another magic world. There is a train that goes on and on and a rail track that goes along with it. It is impossible to find the end of the track or the train.

Then there is a den which has been made of halo. From the mouth of the den, looking inside, there is a mesmerising sight. According to the officials of Magic Academy, one would be able to spot the ladder to ‘hell and heaven’.

There is a wide conference room which is so full of mirrors that one would be able to converse with many number of mirror images. If the visitor wants to see himself or herself in various poses, the conference room is the best place.

A whirl of fire hanging in the air, a ring turning in the air, a top (‘pambaram’) changing colours, a king who changes his form in minutes, dolls that move by themselves - these are some of the magical sights you would witness in the Mirror Museum.

If it is not the sights but intellectual puzzles that interest you more, then there are ways for it. Many puzzles, based on science, have been introduced here, which could be solved only with your brains.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

Mar 29, 2011, 11:01 AM

Qatar social forum South Kerala Islamic Association (Skia) will set up a full-fledged shelter to meet the requirements of patients seeking medical treatment at Thiruvananthapuram’s Regional Cancer Centre (RCC). Skia officials said the first phase of the seven-storey Abhayakendram shelter, would be ready in the next two years.

The shelter would offer accommodation to patients and their relatives, especially for those coming from far-flung areas, at nominal rates. The patients would also receive free medicines. Ambulance and diagnostic services would be available at very low rates.

The Skia officials said the shelter being set up at Chalakuzhy Road in Keshavadasapuram, would mitigate the difficulties of patients and their relatives, who otherwise need to spend huge amounts for accommodation and other services elsewhere in the city.

Imam of Thiruvananthapuram’s Palayam Masjid Jamaludheen Moulavi who is the brand ambassador of the Abhayakendram was present at a meeting yesterday to announce the Skia plans.

He said several philanthropists cutting across religious barriers had pledged support to the shelter. “It will work on a no-profit, no-loss basis,” he said.
Efforts would be made to provide as much free medicines and other services as possible to those seeking treatment at the RCC, he said.
Source : Gulf Times

MINUS

Mar 31, 2011, 5:36 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The venue of the match was thousands of miles away. But on Wednesday, when the arch rivals were battling it out in Mohali, the city resembled a mini Mohali.

The crowd milled around wherever the screens were erected. All of a sudden, everybody looked smitten by the game like a city stricken by a menacing epidemic that stalked around every inch of the city.

They cheered and shrieked their throats out whenever the Indian batters touched the rope. They let off their anguish-stricken sighs in dismay whenever an Indian batter made his way back. They booed with joy when the master’s stroke slipped through the oily hands of Pakistani fielders, not once but twice. Together, they spared a prayer for the almighty when Sachin’s dismissal was reviewed and the umpire pleaded apology for his decision. Together, they went mute when the master returned to pavilion at 81, leaving his milestone of 100 centuries for the next innings.

The techies also took a day off from their sacrosanct routines at Technopark. By the time clock ticked 2 at noon, some of the office cabins had been jostling with fans, their shirt sleeves rolled up and their faces smeared with bright tricolours.

The cabins resonated with ‘expert’ comments, criticisms and some wild cheers. The techies never let their feverpitch dip down even when the Indians were left panting by the lethal left-armer Wahab. The day was such a rarity and they turned it into an absolute revelry, pinging and tapping in beautiful rhythms with empty soft drink cans and bottles.

Outside, cheers rung even louder. Shopping malls, food courts, city clubs all proclaimed their common religion. Even those who had been shrugging off all the exultation as a childlike fancy were hooked by the all-consuming spirit of the game. They waited and waited patiently in front of the screens and enjoyed the biggest of all cricket clashes. The lads and youth at beaches in the city seemed like men possessed. Every single ball was closely watched and every run was celebrated and every Indian wicket grieved sourly. They also had had their bikes ready fully decked for the rally to savour the ultimate joy at night.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

Mar 31, 2011, 5:40 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Imagine a place about thrice the size of Kerala, but whose total population numbers less than that of Thiruvananthapuram district. That’s Altai Krai for you. A place of rolling plains, meandering rivers and mountains wedged in between its sister Russian provinces and Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic. This April, Altai Krai, a federal subject of the Russian Federation, is going to become a familiar place for the people of Thiruvananthapuram city.

The Russian Cultural Centre is hosting a four-day festival showcasing Altai Krai (not to be confused with the Altai Republic) from April 2 to 5. The festival ‘Days of Altai Region in Kerala’ will feature art and cultural events, business seminars and exhibitions aimed at promoting co-operation between the Russian territory and Kerala.

‘’The idea is to promote independent business opportunities between Kerala and Altai, especially in Ayurveda and Tourism. Altai is fast developing as a vacationing spot for Russians. Spas are coming up in the West Siberian district and they need Ayurveda,’’ said Ratheesh C Nair, Russian Honorary Consul in Thiruvananthapuram.

Barnaul is the administrative centre of Altai Krai, which is one of the important agricultural regions of Russia. Russians are an overwhelming majority of the population, accounting for about 92 percent. Germans are in second place with about three percent, followed by small communities of Ukranians, Kazakhs and Tatars.

Governor R S Gavai will inaugurate ‘Days of Altai Region in Kerala’ at the Vivanta Taj, Vazhuthacaud, at 5 pm on April 2. Altai regional vice governor Iakov Ishutin and Russian consul general, Chennai, Nikolai Listapadov and the cultural department head of the Russian Embassy in India Fyodor Rozovskiy will be present on the occasion.

A series of seminars are planned on April 4 and 5 in association with the Kerala University. Another highlight is the exhibition of paintings by Larissa Putashoska, which were inspired by her visit to India more than a decade ago. On the evening of April 4, the Lariss Group will stage a cultural event at the Co-Bank Towers. Business meetings are planned between the Altai team and the Chamber of Commerce and the Trivandrum Management Association.

Passes for the cultural event will be available at the Russian Cultural Centre at Van Ross Junction.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

Mar 31, 2011, 5:43 AM

Thiruvananthapuram: Information Technology (IT) professionals on the Technopark campus here will soon have an opportunity to prove that life is not all about wrestling with the complexities of digital technology.

Those with a yen for arts and culture can use their after-office hours to indulge in their favourite creative pursuit, thanks to a novel initiative launched by Technopark, in association with the Group of Technology Companies (GTech), a strategic grouping of IT/ ITeS enterprises in the State.

On April 7, the campus will witness the inauguration of an arts and culture club named Natana. The club will serve as a platform to create an enabling environment for IT professionals to nurture their creative aspirations. The club also aims at facilitating partnerships with cultural organisations locally, nationally and internationally for cultural exchange programmes and to organise regular cultural evenings, film festivals and musicals for the Technopark community.

Actor Prithviraj is scheduled to inaugurate the club at the amphitheatre on the campus on April 7. The function will be followed by a music programme by professional band Avial and a cultural collage by employees of various firms at Technopark.

“The entire event will be managed by representatives of the Natana Club with no professional assistance. Right from script writing to choreography, direction and stage management, everything will be handled by the IT professionals themselves. All this after office hours and on weekends,” Sundari Giri, senior manager, Operations, M Squared Software and Services Pvt. Ltd., said.
Source : The Hindu

MINUS

Apr 1, 2011, 5:53 AM

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Source : Metro Manorama by Malayala Manorama

MINUS

Apr 1, 2011, 6:07 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “Those who entertain the notion of self-promotion must visit the Mirror Museum at least once. Then they will be able to identify the real him/ her,” opined sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman here on Wednesday.

He was speaking after inaugurating the Mirror Museum of the Academy of Magical Studies at Poojappura.

When Kanayi lighted the lamp at Mirror Museum marking its inauguration, his five images appeared on the mirror, “There are six me. But I am able to differentiate the real me,” he said. Knowing the difference between reality and illusion through magic will purify one’s mind, he added.

Executive Director of Magic Academy Gopinath Muthukad said the Mirror Museum was introduced to bolster scientific temperament among children. Writer Ezhuamattoor Rajaraja Varma and director of CACEE A R Supriya attended the function.

Kanayi presented mementos to Bharatarajan, Babu Varghese, Sreejith Raj and Binoop, who worked on the Mirror Museum.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

Apr 1, 2011, 6:08 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala University will soon set up a State Inter- University Centre for Excellence for Research and Development in e-Governance.

The Kerala University Computer Centre (KUCC) will be elevated as the new inter-university centre in the pattern of the Inter-University Centre for Bio-Informatics. The centre will provide facilities for research and development in e-governance in higher education and will provide ICT leadership.

As per an order issued on February 28, the State Government would provide ` 25 lakh for setting up the centre. The centre could be established once the University Senate takes a final decision on the issue.

KUCC Director V Ajayakumar, who is retiring from service on Thursday, told Express that he was happy that the various initiatives of the centre were being recognised.

The main objective of the centre included designing of IT-enabled systems for higher education and research for various functional areas of university administration and also for evaluation of performance of students.

The centre will provide technical support for institutions which share the IT-enabled models and software developed by the centre. The centre will conduct courses on e-governance at post-graduate level.

Of the total amount, Rs 10 lakh will be for setting up a web server and portal for providing online services to students, teachers and college authorities of all universities in State and an equal amount will be for the purchase of the most essential hardware and software. The centre will need ` 6 lakh as recurring grant for salary expenditure.

The decision to elevate the computer centre into an inter-university centre was taken on account of various achievements in e-governance.

Recently, thanks to the efforts of the computer centre, Kerala University has become the first University in the State to introduce e-payment facility for remitting examination fees. The facility will be available for students of all the 165 affiliated colleges under the university.

This facility was introduced following the signing of an MoU between the Kerala University and the State Bank of Travancore (SBT) for implementing currency-less and paperless system of governance in the University.

The system is being implemented through the portal of the KUCC.

The portal, had earlier received the certificate from the Software Testing and Quality Control (STQC), Chennai, of the Central Government, needed for carrying out hi-tech IT operations, including electronics payment.

The certificate is a technical authorisation which enables the portal to take up site-to-site integration with any of the nationalised banks. It is also an authorisation for banking transactions through web portals, Ajayakumar said.

The computer centre had, earlier, implemented the paperless model for examination registration from 2009. However, the web portal had only facilities for uploading the details such as the date of payment of fees for examination registration, the amount paid and challan number, along with other examination-related details.

With the integration with the bank website, the student who registers for the examination would have to simply enter the account from which the money for the examination fee had to be withdrawn along with other details of the examination.

Apart from examination registration, the e-payment facility can also be used for remitting fees for revaluation, provisional certificate and other such certificates.

Job providers will have the opportunity to verify the authenticity of any degree certificate by remitting an amount in the web portal using the facility. This will help in reducing job frauds using fake degree certificates.

The centre has also developed various softwares like SAGE and SWEET and also an anytime exam information system.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

Apr 1, 2011, 6:09 AM

THIRVANANTHAPURAM: Book buffs, there is great news. The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) is all set to enable the ‘World Public Library Online’ facility to its members from Thursday. The Educational Resource Collection, e-books and e-documents in the collection of the World Public Library could be accessed from YMCA now.

The facility would be inaugurated by National Informatics India State Informatics Officer Dr K Santanaraman on Thursday at 5 pm. For YMCA, which is moving towards attaining the virtual library status, the new facility is a shot in the arm.

It also coincides with the first anniversary of the E-j portal scheme which was started by the e-learning centre of the YMCA to enable the perusal of journals online. Under this project, more than 22,000 journals and over three crore research papers are being made available for educational and research activities. For membership and details, call 0471-2330059. Meanwhile, YMCA is gearing up to organise its summer programme for students. Prior to which it is conducting an orientation programme for parents. The coaches and teachers who will handle the classes in the summer programme would interact with parents. The interaction would be held on April 1 at 6 pm in the YMCA hall. Interested parents can call 2330059 or 2339078.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

Apr 1, 2011, 6:10 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A group of students of Mar Baselios College of Engineering and Technology, here, have developed a farming machine that integrates digging and tilling.

Designed to be used on small plots of land or in home gardens, this multipurpose machine uses a petrol engine for digging and tilling. However, the machine itself has been designed in such a manner that it has to be moved manually.

Though the machine can till and dig, there is no provision for switching over from one function to the next, on the go. The machine has to be stopped, the tiller equipment removed and the digger, has to be fitted.

The instrument has been designed by G. Rajasekharan, P. Rohit, B. Ashok, G.G. Ganesh and H. Visakh. The project was supervised by Professor K.M. Raju, Head of Department of Mechanical Engineering, K Gisuthan, Professor, V.P. Premchand, Assistant Professor and R.K. Vineetha, Lecturer.

Team member G. Rajasekharan said that tilling and digging were now being done by separate machines that cost about Rs.40,000 and Rs. 26,000, respectively. By integrating these two functions, this multipurpose machine allows huge cost savings.

The team spent just about Rs. 10,000 to develop the machine, as they built it using scrap material. For a full-fledged machine using a more powerful motor and with a more robust body, the costs would be higher. However, this machine would still be cheaper than buying two separate ones for tilling and digging. Since they had their eye on the final bill, the team also had to leave out some additions to the machine; this includes a shield which would guard against any accidental injury to the user.
Source : The Hindu

MINUS

Apr 2, 2011, 6:54 AM

Thiruvananthapuram: The KIMS Pinnacle Comprehensive Cancer Centre has acquired a sophisticated radiation therapy machine, Rapid Arc which uses IGRT (Image Guided Radiation Therapy) technology, for the treatment of cancer patients.

The newly introduced cancer care division at KIMS Hospital successfully began radiation therapy using the new technology on a patient suffering from prostrate cancer.

Rapid Arc delivers a highly precise radiation dose and is much faster than other technologies. Radiation treatments which normally takes about 15-30 minutes now takes about two minutes, with a single rotation of the machine around the patient, a statement issued by the hospital said.

The advantages for the patient are that the treatment time is reduced and that the risk of radiation scattering on to healthy tissues around the tumour is minimised. This technology can give improved outcomes for cancers of the prostate, brain, head and neck also, the statement said.
Source : The Hindu

MINUS

Apr 2, 2011, 6:56 AM

THIRUVANATHAPURAM: The population of Thiruvananthapuram district has grown by 2.25 percent during the last ten years. The Census clock has put the district’s population at 33,07,284, making it the most populous in the State. Thiruvananthapuram Corporation also continued to be the most populated among the five municipal corporations in Kerala.

Provisional Census-2011 figures released on Friday put Thiruvananthapuram as first in district population; first in Corporation region population; second in female population; third in the population of children aged between 0 and 6; third in general literacy and second in female literacy.

Thiruvananthapuram stands tenth in the State in the growth rate of population and eighth in sex ratio.

The district has 15,84,200 males and 17,23,084 females and has a sex ratio of 1088. That is, for every 1,000 males in Thiruvananthapuram, there are 1,088 females. In 2001, Thiruvananthapuram district had a population of 32,34,356.

The growth rate of 2.25 percent during 2001-2011 is quite low, compared to the previous decade, which witnessed a spurt in the population by about ten percent. But this is also in keeping with the rest of the State, which has registered a relatively low population growth rate.

Thiruvananthapuram district stands third in literacy with 27,95,195 people (92.66 percent) adjudged as being able to read and write. The district has more literate women than men, going by numbers. 13,58,924 males (94.60 percent) and 14,36,271 women (90.89 percent) are literate.

Thiruvananthapuram Corporation leads the five municipal corporations in the State in population. The Corporation has a population of 7,52,490 with 3,64,657 males and 3,87,833 females. In 2001, the population in the Corporation area had stood at 7,44,739.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

Apr 2, 2011, 6:57 AM

Thiruvananthapuram: A rash of advertisement boards, posters, flags, festoons and flex boards put up by political parties, film distributors and marketing firms is disfiguring the main road corridors, including heritage zones, in the city and often creating a hazard for motorists.

The worsening situation has forced Thiruvananthapuram Road Development Company Ltd. (TRDCL) to seek the assistance of the police to control the menace. The company has embarked on a drive to remove the advertisement material from the roads and footpaths. The situation reached tipping point on Thursday after cinema distributors and fans' associations put up posters and flex boards on electric posts, signal posts, median spring posts and other facilities on the city roads. TRDCL project director Anilkumar Pandala said as the concessionaire of the Thiruvananthapuram City Roads Improvement Project (TCRIP), the company was bound to ensure that the roads under the project were free of all material encroachments for the contract period of 15 years.

“The newly erected facilities such as electric posts, lights, signal systems, direction sign boards and traffic indicators are owned by the company until the end of the concession period. The government is expected to use its machinery to assist us to meet the contractual obligations.” Mr. Pandala said the cinema posters of new releases that appeared in large numbers over the last two days were being removed, along with other publicity material.

A pressnote issued by the TRDCL appealed to the advertisers to refrain from disfiguring the roads and footpaths along the main corridors, including the Palayam-Airport, Vellayambalam-Sasthamangalm, Kowdiar-Pattom, Kowdiar-Peroorkada, LMS-PMG and Arat roads. It added that the expenses incurred in removing the advertisements would be recovered from the advertisers.
Source : The Hindu

MINUS

Apr 3, 2011, 5:13 PM

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Source : Metro Vaartha

MINUS

Apr 3, 2011, 5:14 PM

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Source : Metro Vaartha

MINUS

Apr 3, 2011, 5:15 PM

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Source : Malayala Manorama

MINUS

Apr 4, 2011, 7:27 AM

Thiruvananthapuram: Scores of weekend holiday makers reported that they saw a “waterspout,” a rarely seen weather phenomenon, over the sea off Shanghumughom beach on Sunday evening.

V. Kannan, 24, a software engineer hailing from Sasthamangalam, were among those who captured the occurrence on their cameras.

He said at around 6.09 p.m. he saw a “funnel type formation of cloud touching the sea.”.

The waterspout caused much excitement on the beach, prompting the police and life guards to advise people to move away from the high tide line.

Indian Meteorological Department officials said the waterspout was actually a funnel shaped condensation of water, which occurred when a huge cumulonimbus cloud floated over a large water body with a high surface temperature.

The waterspout started at the sea level and was slowly drawn upward till it linked with the cloud above.

Waterspouts could prove dangerous to small craft passing beneath them.

On October 20, 2003, vacationers at Kovalam beach had witnessed a similar occurrence.

They said waterspouts do not suck up water as widely believed.
Source : The Hindu

MINUS

Apr 4, 2011, 7:30 AM

“Both wins are special. Better not compare the two, they are poles apart.” That’s what we heard from a few of those cricket lovers in the city who had seen (or heard) Indian cricket team triumph at the Lords on June 25, 1983, and on April 2, 2011, at Mumbai.

What Kapil Dev’s men did was different, felt many. For, in 1983, cricket had not yet become a religion in India, let alone Kerala. Television had not invaded into homes, hunting for a place in front of the television was the most exciting thing then. Transistors ruled the roost. In fact, there were many who didn’t even know that India had won the Cup till they saw the next day’s newspapers.

Now, 28 years down the lane, every other Indian lives and breathes cricket. “In 1983, you never expected India to reach the finals even. We were the underdogs and the win was almost a miracle. Coming to the present game, there was little to choose between the two. Both sides had great players. Nevertheless, yesterday’s win did give me special excitement. With technology being put to maximum use (like umpire review and various camera angles), you now enjoy the game in a different way,” says D Chandrasenan Nair, owner of Hotel Pankaj, himself a veteran cricketer, who watched the 1983-game at Keltron, where a screening had been arranged.

“The best thing about those games was that cricket was more genuine then, it had much more virginity. The entry for the screening was restricted. We were all excited about watching a game live. That was a period when you hardly got any family support if you said you wanted to play cricket. It was the 1983-win that got even women interested in the game. Yesterday, I was amused to see that at home the women had kept the food ready quite early to watch the match. And, when India won the game and I walked out to see the mood on the streets, over 1,000 people were there bursting crackers and there were several women in the crowd.”

It is all a different affair now, with a whole lot of commercialisation and new rules like power play, a whole lot of statistics and, of course, an extremely rich cricket board. Sharing this opinion was K Unnikrishnan Nair, a retired LIC employee who stays at Sasthri Nagar. It was at the Sree Mulam Club that he watched India upset West Indies in 1983. “I feel the excitement was more then. Now, you have too much cricket being played around and the pace of the game itself has changed over the years due to many rules,” says Unnikrishnan.

K N Anandakumar, executive director of Sri Sathya Sai Orphanage Trust, too felt the 1983-win was more exciting than the present one.

Asoka Narayanan, who works with the Central Excise Department, was doing his Pre-Degree at Government Arts College when India trounced the Windies. “We had no TV at home and there were none in the neighbourhood. We went to the house of Murali Potty, brother of ex-Speaker Damodaran Potty, at PTP Nagar and watched the match live, on a colour television. Convincing the family to go out and watch the match itself was something quite exciting. Actually, I had not seen any game prior to the finals. A win or loss didn’t matter, since, we were all thrilled about watching the game live. I don’t know whether you would understand the excitement of a 16-year-old!” he says with a laugh.

Many people came to know of the Indian victory only when the Government declared a holiday the next day, he adds. “Cricket was then looked upon as a game of the elite glass, something you now associate with golf. Now, it has changed,” he says.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

Apr 4, 2011, 7:33 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As part of its 15th anniversary celebration, Ambrosia -The Classic Bake House will host a party on April 4 as a grand finale to the 4-day long anniversary bash. The party will introduce the concept that there can be fun without booze or any other teen deterrents.

The renovated Ambrosia joint at Bakery junction, is all set to host a four-day celebrations featuring Magical and Musical enlightenment, Magic Show, Music Band and Caricature presentation. RJs from Red FM will be joining guests at the joint as part of the celebration, said a press note issued by Ambrosia.

A mega menu buffet is the highlight of the April 4 party accompanied with DJ music and dance’N fun-filled partying for the teens and families alike. An unequalled range of pastries, home-made chocolates, momo, chou mean, summer special drinks and many more munchies offered at an attractive discounts are also on the offer. The tickets for finale will be available from April 1 to 4 at the Bakery Junction and Kowdiar Joints, said the press note.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

Apr 4, 2011, 5:02 PM

Hansa Plaza
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MINUS

Apr 5, 2011, 5:06 AM

Trivandrum City also Celebrated and conveyed best wishes to each and everyone on this Historic Occation of India' World Cup Win...:banana:
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MINUS

Apr 5, 2011, 6:37 AM

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Technopark, India's largest IT park is launching a cultural club named NATANA. The club is being launched in partnership with the Group of Technology companies-a strategic grouping of IT/ITES enterprises of Kerala. NATANA will serve as a platform to create an enabling environment for the IT professionals in Technopark to nurture their artistic talents and creative aspirations. The objective of the club is to bring together professionals from the Technopark community who are keen to pursue interests in culture, music, films, dance and other forms of traditional arts. The club also aims to facilitate partnerships with cultural organizations locally, nationally and internationally to facilitate cultural exchange programs and also to organize regular cultural evenings, events, film festivals and musicals for the benefit of the Technopark community.
The Event
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More Details Here (http://natana.in)

MINUS

Apr 5, 2011, 9:34 AM

End to one of the major roadblocks in the development of MLA Hostel-Airport Road. When Archbishop of Thiruvananthapuram Latin Archdiocese Soosaipakiyam laid the foundation stone for the construction of 1,000 vaults of the Pattoor cemetery here on Monday, it scripted a new episode in the history of road development.

Widening of a stretch of the MLA Hostel-Airport became a highly sensitive issue when two cemeteries needed to be dismantled for it. Two cemeteries at Pattoor - one owned by the St Joseph’s Latin Catholic Cathedral, Palayam, and the other belonging to the St Thomas Marthoma Church, Pattoor - had to give way for the road development.

Though the government was ready to give land as compensation, shifting the moral remains became an issue which would hurt the sentiments of the relatives of hundreds who were laid to rest there. Six long years of deadlock ended when authorities of both churches agreed to the compensation deal and gave their nod to shift the remains. Delay in handing over land and construction of retaining wall caused a time lag of six more months. Finally, most of the hurdles have been cleared for the road development.

The government has given 26.74 cents as compensation to the St Joseph’s Cathedral authorities for the 22.38 cents it had taken over for the road development. The Road Fund Board has agreed to construct vaults and retaining walls. As many as 500 bodies will be shifted from the 23 cents of the 165-year-old cemetery belonging to the St Joseph’s Cathedral. These will be shifted to new vaults to be constructed on the land now belonging to the Public Health Laboratory nearby.

PWD Minister M Vijayakumar, TRIDA secretary Dileep, vicar general Fr Eugene Pereira, vicar of St Joseph’s Cathedral Fr C Joseph and officials of the Road Fund Board, among others, attended the stone-laying ceremony. The road works will begin only after shifting the remains to the new vaults. Shifting of bodies will be a tedious and time-consuming process.

Remains of each of the buried will be collected in separate caskets and transferred to a new vault with all rituals. Only two corpses will be shifted per day. The construction of vaults will take almost four months and shifting of remains will take a year.

More than two hundreds bodies interred in the 13.5-cent cemetery of the Marthoma Church at Pattoor too will be shifted to the PH Lab premises. However, Fr John Mathew of St Thomas Marthoma Church said that there was a delay on the part of the Road Fund Board in constructing a retaining wall. “Unless the construction of the retaining wall gets over, the construction of vaults will get delayed indefinitely,” he said. He expressed the hope of completing the construction ahead of the monsoon.
Source : The Hindu

MINUS

Apr 7, 2011, 3:19 PM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The new branch of DSP BlackRock Investment Managers was launched at Pattom near Axis Bank on Wednesday. On the occasion of the branch inauguration, Ajit Menon, who heads the all-India sales for the AMC, said, “Thiruvananthapuram has been rising in the list of cities with a large number of investors, and we already have a large investor-base that hails from here. We see a strong pattern of growth in investors amongst many emerging cities in India, and we plan to launch a few more branches across India over the coming months.”

DSP BlackRock Investment Managers, a joint venture between the DSP Group and BlackRock, is one of the premier asset management companies in India and currently manages assets, including offshore advisory funds of Rs 41,264 crore (as on February 28, 2010).

The DSP group has a track record of over 145 years and through its investment companies owns 60 percent stake in the joint venture. BlackRock Inc., which owns 40 percent stake in the company, is one of the largest quoted asset management companies in the world and manages assets in excess of USD 3.5 trillion as on December 31, 2010.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

Apr 7, 2011, 3:21 PM

Thiruvananthapuram: The Technopark campus here is abuzz with preparations for the formal launch of Natana, a cultural club that is expected to provide a platform for artistically inclined IT professionals to express their creative talent. Preparations are in full swing for the launch function to be held at the amphitheatre on the campus. Employees from various companies are participating in the rehearsal of a stage show to follow the inauguration.

Promoted by Technopark and the Group of Technology Companies (GTech), Natana seeks to promote creative arts among the IT professionals.

Actor Prithviraj Sukumaran is scheduled to launch Natana. He will also launch the theme song that has been composed for the inauguration.

The song has been composed by a team drawn from different companies. While professionals from MSquared composed the music and sang the theme song, a team from UST Global contributed the lyrics. Employees of IBS and Allianz Cornhill provided the background score.

The function will also witness a cultural collage of talent from Technopark, with participants from 40 companies. The grand finale will be a performance by the Avial Band.

K. Suresh Kumar, IT Secretary; Dr. Venu, Secretary-Tourism and Culture; Mervin Alexander, CEO, Technopark; and V.K. Mathews, Chairman GTech, are expected to attend the function.

Natana has been created on the public-private partnership model. It seeks to bring together IT professionals keen to pursue interests in culture, music, films, dance and other forms of traditional arts.

The club will facilitate partnership with cultural organisations and facilitate cultural exchange programmes. It will also organise regular cultural programmes, events, film festivals and musical events for the benefit of the employees on the campus.

“Natana would cater to all creative art forms from photography, filmmaking and editing, Kathakali and street hip-hop to scriptwriting and theatre arts. By conducting workshops, exhibitions, discussions and exchange programmes, the club aims at giving Technopark employees the perfect balance of life and getting them in touch with people who share their interest in the pursuit of art,” said Mr. Mervin Alexander.

“We are happy with the turnout and the enthusiasm shown by Technopark companies for the formation and the launch of Natana,” said Binu Shankar, CEO, Group of Technology Companies (GTech).

The core group of Natana comprises a handful of employees from various firms in Technopark who meet on a regular basis and plan upcoming events. A website has also been developed under the title natana.in.
Source : The Hindu

MINUS

Apr 7, 2011, 3:29 PM

Thiruvananthapuram: Innoz Technologies, a Technopark-based company specialising in mobile value-added services, has bagged the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) award for telecommunication.

The award was given away at MIT's Technology Review EmTech India Conclave held in Bangalore recently.

Innoz received the award for SMSGyan, a mobile-based search engine that can work with different Internet resources to give correct answers on cricket scores, stock market, weather and general information based on the encyclopaedia or dictionary. A user can subscribe to the service by sending GYAN as SMS to 55444. After subscription, the user can receive instant information about any topic, free of cost.

The company claims that SMSGyan has more than 10 million users in India.

Young innovators

Young innovators who come up with exciting inventions and research are elected for the award by the editors of the ‘Massachusetts Institute of Technology Review.' This year, MIT recognised TR35, a list of technologists and scientists, all under the age of 35.

Deepak Ravindran, CEO, Innoz Technologies, was rated among the 18 hottest technology innovators from India inside the TR35 for 2011 by the MIT.

Students' initiative

Rated among the Global 100 Technology companies in the world, Innoz was started by a group of engineering students from Kerala in 2008. The flagship product SMSGyan was developed while Mr. Ravindran and his partners were final semester students of engineering.
Source : The Hindu

MINUS

Apr 8, 2011, 5:11 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Drinking water fountains would soon be installed at various locations in the city zoo and the Napier museum. This would open a new front in the war against plastic; a war the zoo does not now appear to be winning.

At least 16 drinking water dispensing facilities would be installed on the zoo and museum compounds at a cost of Rs.60,000 apiece. This, the authorities hope, would give them the right to ban the entry of plastic bottles right at the Museum gates.

Director of Museums and Zoos K. Udaya Varman told The Hindu on Thursday that a government working group would meet after the elections to discuss the project. “This may be through in three to four months,” he said.

Total ban

“Once the fountains are in place, we will stop people from bringing plastic bottles into the Museum compound. If someone is insistent on carrying water, we would charge for that. If the bottle is handed back at the gate, the fee would be refunded. If bottles are not returned at the gate, the money would be used to remove the same from the zoo and museum premises,” Mr. Varman explained.

Over the past few years, the zoo has been fighting the ‘battle of the bottle.' Now, visitors to the Museum compound carry with them plastic material for snacks or meals. Bottles and carry bags are very often found littered in the compound. At the entry point to the zoo, however, visitors are asked to leave behind plastic water bottles. Though many visitors comply, some argue with the security staff. Yet others choose to smuggle in water bottles. As body search is not done, such visitors cannot be identified. The result is that a large quantity of plastic still finds its way inside the zoo premises. “We clear plastic bottles from the zoo lake every week,” Mr. Varman said. The danger posed by plastic material to the animals is often lost on many visitors. All the same, the zoo has so far failed to provide a safe alternative to visitors to quench their thirst. Officials admit that it is difficult for visitors — particularly children and the aged — to complete a round of the sprawling campus without once stopping for water.
Source : The Hindu

MINUS

Apr 8, 2011, 5:14 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Asian School of Business (ASB) will hold the fifth annual convocation of its Postgraduate Programme in Management (PGPM) at 4p.m. on April 9. The programme would be held at the School's new ‘green' campus near the upcoming Technocity at Pallippuram.

Chairman of the Board of Governors of the ASB and advisor to the Prime Minister for the National Skill Development Council, S. Ramadorai, will be the chief guest on the occasion, a press note issued here said.

Also present during the ceremony will be Samuel Paul, former Director of IIM-A; S. Jagadish, former Professor at IIM (B);George M. Thomas, Patron, ASB and Managing Director of Kenton Group of Companies; and G. Vijaya Raghavan, ember-Secretary, Board of Governors, ASB, and founder-CEO, Technopark.

The ASB campus, spread over 16 acres, is nearing completion and it would be one of the first in the country conforming to ‘Smart Building Protocols' and its specially designed architecture for energy efficiency and water conservation made it compliant for the LEED Green Campus Certification.

“Technopark-based firm UST Global has implemented the building automation, making the ASB campus one of the first ‘intelligent' campuses in India. Classrooms are equipped with advanced audio-visual equipment and video conferencing facilities. A fully Integrated building management system (IBMS), Wi-Fi, CCTV and access control cards for all rooms will make the ASB campus one of the most hi-tech academic campuses in the country,” it added.

A state-of-the-art library and residential and recreational facilities are nearing completion in the first phase of construction.

Singapore-based CPG Consultants, who designed the National University of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University, are the architects for the ASB campus.

“Placements for the Fifth batch of graduating students have seen considerable rise in the number of recruiters and the average pay on offer. The list of recruiters included companies like KPMG, Deloitte, Feedback Consulting, TCS eServe, UST Global and ICICI Securities,” the press note added.
Source : The Hindu

MINUS

Apr 8, 2011, 5:22 AM

Thiruvananthapuram: IBS Software Services, a Technopark-based company specialising in IT solutions for travel, transportation and logistics, has announced the appointment of Rajiv Shah as its chief executive officer (CEO).

He will take the responsibility for the operation of IBS' business worldwide.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Shah was with Wipro Technologies, based out of Boston, and was heading its securities & capital markets business as chief executive and later its healthcare and services business unit worldwide. He has over 25 years of experience in different companies.
Source : The Hindu

MINUS

Apr 8, 2011, 10:34 AM

"Natana" Launch : Part 1

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Image Courtesy : technoparktoday.com

MINUS

Apr 8, 2011, 10:35 AM

"Natana" Launch : Part 2

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Image Courtesy : technoparktoday.com

MINUS

Apr 8, 2011, 10:37 AM

"Natana" Launch : Part 3

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Image Courtesy : technoparktoday.com

MINUS

Apr 13, 2011, 1:48 AM

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Source : Kerala Kaumudi

MINUS

Apr 13, 2011, 5:28 AM

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Source : Malayala Manorama

MINUS

Apr 14, 2011, 11:38 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: All arrangements are in place for IT blue chip Oracle to launch its first operations in Kerala at the Technopark campus here in June.

M.Vasudevan, top official at the Technopark, told IANS: "Initially it would be an operation with around 100 IT professionals and they would be into software development. In the course of the year and later, the operations would be scaled up."

Headquartered in Redwood Shores, California , Oracle Corporation specialises in developing and marketing enterprise software products - particularly database management systems.

As of July 2010, the firm employed more than one lakh professionals across the globe.

The official announcement from Oracle is expected to be made shortly but it remains to be seen if the model code of conduct that is in force till the assembly votes are counted May 13 would act as a hindrance.

The Technopark campus has more than 200 companies that employ more than 30,000 professionals.
Source : Economic Times

MINUS

Apr 15, 2011, 5:57 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala IT sector will take a major leap forward next week with one of the world leaders in the IT sector, Oracle Corporation, inking an agreement on setting up its facility at the Leela Infopark in the Technopark campus, here.

Sources said that an agreement on allotting the space was expected to be signed between Oracle and Leela Infopark at Technopark on Monday. Technopark will be also part of the agreement.

Official sources preferred to be tight-lipped on the signing of agreement.

Oracle is expected to be represented by a delegation, led by vice president-real estate and head of infrastructure, Oracle India, Air Commodore R Jayaraman and Leela Infopark is expected to be represented by a delegation led by deputy managing director Venu Krishnan.

Technopark Chief Executive officer Mervin Alexander and other senior officials will represent Technopark, sources told Express.

The world IT major, which is planning to acquire about 50,000 square-feet space in Technopark, will be commencing operations from here in June. Initially, they will be commencing operations from about 3,000 square feet space being set up at the Park Centre of Technopark on a make-shift basis and will be moving to the Leela Infopark when the facilities are in place, sources said.

Oracle is also learnt to have already commenced a recruitment drive for its upcoming facility here. Oracle will be starting its operations with around 100 professionals and the manpower will be enhanced in a phased manner, said sources.

It may be recalled that Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor had played a key role in pursuing Oracle to set up its facility in Kerala. A state delegation, comprising Tharoor and senior officials of the Technopark, had held a video-conferencing with an Oracle delegation, led by its executive vice-president Thomas Kurien.

Sources in the IT sector said that the decision of Oracle to set up its centre here will enhance the prominence of Kerala in the global IT map.

Leela Infopark, which has a total space of 5 lakh square feet, is already housing 12 companies. The total number of companies in Technopark is around 200.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

Apr 18, 2011, 5:49 AM

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MINUS

Apr 18, 2011, 7:18 AM

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Tvm: Oracle, the world’s leading business software and hardware systems company, today became the first major US IT company to set shop in Kerala. Oracle is setting up its Kerala operations at the Leela Infopark in the Technopark campus in Trivandrum.

The lease agreement to this effect was signed today between R Jayaraman, VP (Real Estate & Facilities), Oracle India and Venu Krishnan, Deputy MD, Leela Group in the presence of Kerala Chief Minister Shri V S Achuthanandan.

Interacting with the media, Jayaraman said that they found Trivandrum suitable and hoped to start the operations at the earliest. Giving details, Venu said the lease agreement for the 36,000 sq.ft. (one floor) space at the Leela Infopark has been signed for a period of nine years. The agreement also features an option for Oracle to opt for two more additional floors within a year. The facility would be ready in about 3 - 4 months. While Oracle is planning to start with about 100 resources, the said space can seat about 350 - 400 people.

Leela Infopark is the biggest private IT park developer in Kerala with 1.7 million sq.ft built-up space already available within Technopark, Trivandrum and Infopark, Kochi. The construction for another 0.5 million sq.ft is currently underway.

K Suresh Kumar IAS, IT Secretary; Mervin Alexander, CEO, Technopark and V J Jayakumar, CEO, Leela Infopark were among those present on the occasion.
Source : Kerala IT News

MINUS

Apr 18, 2011, 12:11 PM

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MINUS

Apr 19, 2011, 6:42 AM

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Source : Metro Vaartha

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Source : Malayala Manorama

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Source : Mathrubhumi

MINUS

Apr 19, 2011, 6:48 AM

Thiruvananthapuram, April 18:

Oracle India has signed a tripartite agreement with Technopark and Leela Infopark (located inside the Technopark campus) to lease 40,000 sq ft of space to commence operations of its development centre by September this year.

The agreement was signed here on Monday by Air Commodore Jayaraman Ramamoorthy, Vice-President, Real Estate and Facilities, Oracle India; Mr Mervin Alexander, Chief Executive Officer, Technopark; and Mr Venu Krishnan, Executive Director, Leela Infopark.

INDUSTRY POLICY

The ceremony was witnessed by the Chief Minister, Mr V. S. Achuthanandan, and Mr Suresh Kumar, Secretary, IT, Kerala.

Oracle setting shop in the State amounts to recognition of the pro-industry IT policy of the State Government and continuous efforts at attracting investments in the industry, the Chief Minister said.

Oracle currently employs about 28,000 professionals and has a big presence in Bengaluru, Mr Alexander said.

“Thiruvananthapuram represents its first exposure to a tier-II city,” he added.

The company has already initiated a recruitment drive and have identified resources whose training will commence by June in Technopark.

FIRST EXPOSURE

Prior to the new facility gets fully functional at the Leela Infopark, the Oracle development centre will function out of a 3,000-sq ft office at the Park Centre in Technopark.

Mr Alexander also expressed his gratitude to Mr Thomas Kurien, Executive Vice President, Oracle Corporation, for taking the initiative to bring the global IT giant to the State Capital.

Also present on the occasion were Mr Jayanth Joseph, Senior Director, Oracle India; Ms Ishita Roy, Director, Kerala State IT Mission Director; Mr V. J. Jayakumar, Chief Executive Officer, Leela Infopark; and Mr M. Vasudevan, Senior Business Development Manager, Technopark.
Source : Business Line
T blue chip Oracle on Monday signed an agreement to open its first office in Kerala at the Technopark campus in Thiruvananthapuram, officials said.

Its office will be housed at the Leela Infopark building.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan by Oracle official R. Jayaraman and Venu Krishnan of Leela Infotech.

Jayaraman told Achuthanandan that the company was looking forward to the commencement of its Kerala operations.

Achuthanandan said he was happy that one of the world's leading IT firms was setting up a unit in the state.

"The agreement starts from today and it runs for nine years...the present space can accommodate close to 400 professionals," Krishnan told reporters.

Headquartered in Redwood Shores, California, Oracle Corporation specialises in developing and marketing enterprise software products - particularly database management systems.

As of July 2010, the firm employed more than one lakh professionals across the globe.

Leela Infotech has built up space at the Technopark and Kochi Infopark campuses and is the largest private infrastructure builder in the state with over 1.7 million sq ft of space.

The Technopark campus houses more than 200 companies that employ over 30,000 professionals.
Source : NDTV Profit
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA: IT blue chip Oracle on Monday signed an agreement to open its first office in Kerala at the Technopark campus here, officials said.

Its office will be housed at the Leela Infopark building.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan by Oracle official R. Jayaraman and Venu Krishnan of Leela Infotech.

Jayaraman told Achuthanandan that the company was looking forward to the commencement of its Kerala operations.

Achuthanandan said he was happy that one of the world's leading IT firms was setting up a unit in the state.

"The agreement starts from today and it runs for nine years...the present space can accommodate close to 400 professionals," Krishnan told reporters.

Headquartered in Redwood Shores, California, Oracle Corporation specialises in developing and marketing enterprise software products - particularly database management systems.

As of July 2010, the firm employed more than one lakh professionals across the globe.

Leela Infotech has built up space at the Technopark and Kochi Infopark campuses and is the largest private infrastructure builder in the state with over 1.7 million sq ft of space.

The Technopark campus houses more than 200 companies that employ over 30,000 professionals.
Source : CIOL
Thiruvananthapuram: IT blue chip Oracle Monday signed an agreement to open its first office in Kerala at the Technopark campus here, officials said.

Its office will be housed at the Leela Infopark building.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan by Oracle official R. Jayaraman and Venu Krishnan of Leela Infotech.

Jayaraman told Achuthanandan that the company was looking forward to the commencement of its Kerala operations.

Achuthanandan said he was happy that one of the world's leading IT firms was setting up a unit in the state.

"The agreement starts from today and it runs for nine years...the present space can accommodate close to 400 professionals," Krishnan told reporters.

Headquartered in Redwood Shores, California, Oracle Corporation specialises in developing and marketing enterprise software products - particularly database management systems.

As of July 2010, the firm employed more than one lakh professionals across the globe.

Leela Infotech has built up space at the Technopark and Kochi Infopark campuses and is the largest private infrastructure builder in the state with over 1.7 million sq ft of space.

The Technopark campus houses more than 200 companies that employ over 30,000 professionals.
Source : Manorama Online

MINUS

Apr 27, 2011, 9:56 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Much to the relief of hundreds of autorickshaw passengers, the authorities have decided to open new pre-paid autorickshaw counters in the city. Four locations have been identified by the authorities to set up the new counters. They are the Thampanoor KSRTC bus station, Pettah Railway Station, Medical College Hospital and East Fort.

The City Police have already embarked on a process of gathering data on licensed autorickshaws which ply in the city to be included in the programme. Presently, there is only one pre-paid autorickshaw counter functioning in the city, at the Central Railway Station.

The police were being flooded with complaints regarding the autorickshaw drivers demanding exorbitant fares and about their rude behaviour towards the passengers. Even though the police took stern measures, including penalising erring drivers, they could not curb the menace. There were even instances in which the victims happened to be judicial officers. A magistrate of the District Court had once filed a complaint against an autorickshaw driver for showered him with abuses.

‘’The move will not only help reduce the number of complaints to a great extent but will also help put a check on autorickshaws that ply on the city roads without permit,’’ said City Police Commissioner Manoj Abraham. It has been a long-pending demand of autorickshaw passengers in the city for opening more pre-paid counters, especially at Pettah and Medical College. This demand will be met with the opening of the new counters, the Commissioner said.

However, the Commissioner said that the public would have to wait more for the opening of a pre-paid autorickshaw counter at the Kochuveli Railway Station where passengers often face the rude behaviour of autorickshaw drivers. Pre-paid counters could be set up at the Kochuveli railway station only with the consent of Southern Railway.

Meanwhile, the autorickshaw drivers in the city are unaware of the move to open new pre-paid counters. The AITUC-led Motor Thozhilali Union general secretary Pattom Sasidharan told ‘City Express’ that the union had not been informed of the move. But he added that they would welcome the move since it will help curb the menace of unlicensed autorickshaws plying in the city.

‘’Drivers of unlicensed autorickshaws behave rudely to the passengers by demanding excess fares. Other drivers too have to suffer the disrepute because of them,’’ Sasidharan said.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

Apr 27, 2011, 9:57 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After months of wait, the traffic signal light at PMG Junction is all set to wake up from the long slumber. Maintenance works of the signal are progressing for the past three days.

The signal light at PMG Junction, along with several other traffic signal lights in the city, have been lying idle for several months after the City Corporation and the Road Fund Board failed to renew the contract with Keltron following the expiry of warranty period in 2010. The authorities have been passing the buck each other ever since. Big traffic snarls also became a common phenomena in the city, as traffic on city roads turned to be beyond the control of traffic wardens.

The officials of Keltron, who have the responsibility for the maintenance of the signal light, said that the works were expected to be completed within four days, given the rains do not interrupt the works.

Works are on to convert the light into a solar-powered one. Keltron is also working simultaneously on the maintenance of various signal lights that lie defunct and also installation of new ones in the city.

The work of a new traffic signal light at Ambalamukku is in the final stage. The installation work of another signal lamp at SMC Junction, Vazhuthacaud, will commence in a week, said George Kutty, general manager of the traffic division of Keltron.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

Apr 27, 2011, 10:01 AM

With as many as 82 patents in less than three decades, the biomedical technology wing of Sri Chitra Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) here holds the record for maximum number of patents in the state.

Since 1983 the BMT wing has filed 126 patent applications. As many as 40 applications are pending review at the moment.

The latest one is the oral insulin delivery system which has been developed by Dr Chandra P. Sharma. It is in the evaluation stage and will be subjected to safety testing and clinical trials and the process is likely to be completed by 2012.

From just two to three patent applications a year in the eighties, the number of applications from the institute faculty has now risen to seven to eight.

Most of the patents have been helpful for the medical devices industry particularly in developing and transferring technology for diverse products such as disposable blood bags, heart valve disc, heart valve designs, blood oxygenators, ophthalmic sponge and critical life saving and life supporting devices like artificial heart valves and haemodialysers.

The BMT wing head, Dr G.S. Bhuvaneshwar, who also holds as many as seven patents along with other colleagues, says the institute is planning to expand its faculty soon.

“The idea is to diversify research work,” he said. “As of now we have sanctioned faculty strength of 40 and we intend to increase it to 60 in next two years.”

Dr Bhuvaneshwar has two US, one European and five Indian patents for heart valve disk, heart valve design method, humidification equipment and pressure monitoring device.
Source : Deccan Chronicle

MINUS

Apr 27, 2011, 10:17 AM

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is all set to convert the old international terminal of the Thiruvanathapuram airport into a domestic terminal by giving it a face-lift.

The corporate headquarters of the AAI has approved this proposal forwarded a couple of days ago and tenders would be floated soon for renovation.

Considering the heavy rush at the domestic airport, even the State Government had favoured another domestic terminal.

The old international terminal had been lying idle since the inauguration of the new terminal.

“We are keen to use the building at the earliest,” said the airport director, Mr G. Chandramouli. “The estimates for the work should be ready within 10 to 15 days and the work should start in a couple of months.”

He said the construction of new domestic terminal would take at least three to four years and till then the passengers will be given high-end facilities at renovated old terminal.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

Apr 29, 2011, 5:33 PM

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Source : Malayala Manorama

MINUS

Apr 29, 2011, 5:36 PM

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Source : Mathrubhumi

MINUS

Apr 29, 2011, 5:45 PM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The doubling works in the Mavelikara-Chengannur, Kayamkulam-Cheppad, and Cheppad-Haripad sections and work on platform six at Ernakulam Junction (railway station) will be completed this financial year, Divisional Railway Manager, Rajiv Dutt Sharma has said.

Speaking at the 56th Railway Week celebrations at the Divisional Headquarters here on Thursday, Mr. Sharma said the work on the subway being constructed at Edappally, connecting the new lines with the Vallarpadom yard, was progressing. The two additional pit lines and platforms, coming up at Kochuveli, will reduce congestion at Thiruvananthapuram Central.

Although the division is running short of pit lines, stabling lines, platform lines and path for trains, more and more trains are being introduced. In the last six years, 31 new trains were introduced in this division, he said. The division is handling about 1,600 holiday special trains annually to various destinations and carries about 2.60 lakh of passengers each day.

The division had earmarked Rs.13 crore for passenger amenities during 2010-11. The work on 14 Adarsh stations had been completed. The work on new foot bridges at Thiruvananthapuram Central will be taken up this year. Work on foot bridges were in progress at Eraniel, Kuzhithurai, Valliyoor, Nanguri, and Mayyanad. The work on lift and escalator at Thiruvananthapuram and Chengannur will be completed this year. A launderette each will be commissioned in Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam, Mr. Sharma said. A drinking water plant had been proposed at Cheriyanad on a public-private partnership mode.

Mr. Sharma said a modified signal system will be installed at the Pettah railway station to enable stoppage to incoming mail/express trains there and to avoid long wait at ‘the outer' of the Central station. Six stations will be upgraded as Adarsh stations and unreserved ticketing system (UTS) had been proposed at Mulanthuruthy, Karukutty, Sengulam, Balaramapuram, Kuruppunthara, Kochuveli, and Nemom.

The Divisional Railway Manager said the track renewal train (TRT) could cover 19.557 km this year and the target was 22 km.

Intensive ticket checking with the support of the Railway Protection Force had resulted in substantial growth in ticket-checking earnings. It was Rs.393.15 lakh up to March 2011 as against Rs.345 lakh in the corresponding period last year.

Additional Divisional Railway Manager V. Rajaveen welcomed the gathering. The programme began with a cultural show. As many as 343 individual and 38 group awards were given away at the function. N. Govindan, Senior Divisional Personal Officer, proposed a vote of thanks.
Source : The Hindu

MINUS

May 3, 2011, 9:28 AM

The Cantonment branch of Canara Bank has opened a ‘locker plaza' with all modern facilities at the first floor of the Spencer Building, M. G. Road here.

The District Collector, Dr Dinesh Arora, inaugurated the facility at a function here on Monday. He also distributed keys of new lockers to customers who have requested for the facility at the Plaza. Lockers shall be allotted to the needy as per request on a priority basis.

The Circle Manager, Canara Bank, Mr T. Sreekanthan; the Deputy General Manager, Mr C. G. Nair, and the Cantonment Branch Assistant General Manager, Mr P. P. Thangavelu, were present on the occasion.
Source : Business Line

MINUS

May 4, 2011, 4:09 AM

THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Days ago, when enormous sea waves washed away precious lives and wealth in faraway Japan, a wave of panic swept across the residents of the capital city down here too. They had all the reasons to tremble in fear, thanks to their city’s proximity to the Arabian Sea.

But the threat of a tsunami will no longer disturb the city dwellers, as the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, has come up with an innovation that can forecast catastrophes like tsunamis as early as seven days before they hit the shore. The innovation is called Wave Gauge Station, developed by INCOIS in collaboration with the Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS).

The Wave Gauge Station, which is a coastal observation station, is a multi-parameter warning system which is devised to forecast catastrophes like high waves, tsunami and cyclones. The first unit of the station will be opened in the sea off the coastal ward of Valiathura in the city on Wednesday.

Addressing a news conference here on Tuesday, Balakrishnan Nair, Head of the Ocean Sciences and Information Services Group of INCOIS, said that the coastal station will give real-time data on coastal weather conditions, including wave parameters and tides. Another important application of this data which could be of great help to the fishermen community is that it can be used for identifying potential fishing zones. In addition to this, the data will be disseminated to the various scientific communities, research organisations and institutions for research work.

The station comprises of a buoy equipped with machinery for data collection and transmission, which would be deployed in the sea offshore, and an electronic display board installed at the shore that screens the forecast. Both the buoy and display board are connected to the satellite INMARSAT-C, through which the data would be transmitted.

Balakrishnan Nair said that with the implementation of the project, India will enter the list of nations, which includes the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Australia, who have developed their own tsunami warning systems.

Sheela Nair, scientist at CESS and the principal investigator of the project, said that the residents of the coastal villages in the city have been informed of the project through the local body authorities. More awareness campaigns will be conducted after the installation of the coastal station since the project directly affects their lives.

N P Kurian, Director of CESS, who was also present at the news conference, added that coastal observation stations would be set up at more districts in the State during the second phase of the project. INCOIS will establish a Wave Gauge Station at Kozhikode too as part of the project.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

May 4, 2011, 4:10 AM

The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) has granted a ‘gold' certification to the IT building of the ongoing phase-III project of Technopark here.

The certificate is given as part of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) India rating System.

This is for the first time that a Technopark facility is being awarded a green building certificate.

The construction activities on the phase-III project are progressing. It will also constitute the largest in the Technopark complex, said Mr Mervin Alexander, Chief Executive Officer, Technopark.

The building has a built-up area of 10 lakh sq.ft.

In fact, the IT building at the phase-III campus has been ‘pre-certified' by the IGBC after a two-level review system considering various factors inherent in the project design and implementation.

The green building facility would be leased out to multiple tenants from around the world and is expected to be operational by the end of this year, Mr Alexander added.

A green building uses less water, optimises energy efficiency, conserves natural resources, generates less waste and provides healthier spaces for occupants, as compared to a conventional building.

The upcoming building will be equipped with energy efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system by usage of variable frequency drives and heat recovery wheels, among others, an official spokesman said.

Water-cooled centrifugal chillers with high coefficient of performance (CoP) will be installed. Cooling system that ensures adequate ventilation and proper filtration can have a positive impact on indoor air quality.

This will not only sustain good health but also enhance productivity of the occupants. Double glazing with low ‘U value' (measure of ability to transfer heat) that resists heat transmission to building interiors will be employed.

Natural lighting will be utilised to the maximum extent. Other control devices include day light sensors and occupancy sensors which help conserve energy. Renewable energy sources would be tapped wherever possible.

The design was conceived by architect Hafeez Contractor in association with consortium partners Iyer and Mahesh of Thiruvananthapuram.

The phase-III campus will be spread over 90 acres, and will feature common facilities ranging from like electrical substation, water distribution system, sewage treatment plant, food courts and shopping malls to a bus station.

One important attraction is the rainwater harvesting facility being set up on the campus.

The pond will have a surface area of 8,500 sq m and a volume of 10,000 cu m. All these facilities have been designed in compliance with the requirements of green buildings.

Land parcels have also been allotted to few companies, including HCL, on the campus. Developmental works by these companies are also progressing.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

May 5, 2011, 12:21 PM

Trivandrum: The construction work of the new look bus bays in the city are getting completed at a fast rate. These seven bus bays will be provided with music systems, perhaps a first in the state.

The work will be over in a span of a week or two. The new look bus bays are named ‘Cosmo Shelters’ as a sign of its cosmopolitan culture."The bus bays will have 3 language (Malayalam, English and Hindi) display boards showing the name of the bus stop. This will give a cosmopolitan nature to Trivandrum’s bus stops and will be convenient for the tourists visiting our city. No other city in the country, not even Mumbai has proper 3 language display boards at present,” expressed Anilkumar Pandala, Project Director, City Road Improvement Project (CRIP) undertaken by the Thiruvananthapuram Road Development Company Limited (TRDCL) and Associate VP IL&FS.

The MLA fund of Vijayakumar is being utilised for developing the bus bays. Six bus bays are developed under this scheme in the first phase. These bus stops are in the Kowdiar-Peroorkada Road and Kowdiar-Pattom road and at Sasthamangalam Junction.

The new bays will be modelled on the new model bus bay at the Museum stop. “But as per people’s response, we modified our design for the six new bus bays. So there will be slight modifications in the basic design. So all bus bays will be provided with music systems plausibly connected to FM stations. Once the basic elements are completed, within 2-3 days it will be installed and charged with electric supply. Hence the work will take a maximum of two weeks,” added Anilkumar. Now the city commuters can rest in the shade and enjoy good music while waiting for the bus.
Source : Yentha

MINUS

May 5, 2011, 12:22 PM

The late-night rail passengers arriving in Thiruvananthapuram by Jan Shatabdi Express will not have to search around for an autorickshaw to reach their destination.

A low-floor AC bus operated by the KSRTC parked on the railway station premises will ply the passengers who would arrive by Jan Shatabdi at 8.50 pm to various points in the city from Thursday.

‘’The bus would operate from the railway station to the Medical College, covering spots like Statue, Palayam, General Hospital, Kesavadasapuram and Kannammoola,” KSRTC managing director (in-charge) S Rajasekharan Nair told Express.

He said that the KSRTC has obtained permission from the Railways to park the bus on the railway station compound, which would mean that the passengers will not have to hover around searching for the bus.

Presently, similar services are being operated from Kochuveli railway station in the early hours plying passengers to the city, which has been receiving a favourable response. The KSRTC is operating a low-floor AC bus every Friday in tandem with a train reaching the station at 3.10 am. In addition, another bus is being operated without schedule - as and when the railway authorities inform the KSRTC about the arrival of a particular train at Kochuveli.

“The transportation problem in the late-night hours has come to our notice. We would explore the possibility of diversifying the late-night or early-hour bus services in other cities like Kozhikode and Ernakulam and, if required, to more towns,” Transport Department principal secretary Tom Jose told Express.

The decision has also come in the wake of increasing atrocities against passengers, especially against women and the vulnerable, who alight at destinations during the late hours.

Presently, 18 AC low-floor buses are being operated in Thiruvananthapuram which will be increased to 20 soon. The state has received 80 low-floor AC buses under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) of the Centre.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

May 6, 2011, 5:14 AM

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Source : Kerala Kaumudi

MINUS

May 6, 2011, 5:16 AM

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Source : Metro Manorama by Malayala Manorama

MINUS

May 6, 2011, 5:17 AM

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Source : Kerala Kaumudi

MINUS

May 6, 2011, 5:18 AM

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Source : Metro Vaartha

MINUS

May 6, 2011, 5:37 AM

THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Two years ago, the IT company UST Global worked out a magic in the village of Azhinjivakkam, near Chennai.

The dried up, dusty lanes of the village were planted with new saplings. Young girls till then confined to their filth-smelling shacks were given new school uniforms and sent to school.

The old, crumbling huts slowly turned into pretty-looking homes. Small industrial units and computer education centres popped up. All of a sudden, the stinking village inhabited by weary-looking men put on a new look, so fresh and inspiring that an old villager walked up to a tall foreign lady and thanked her in chaste Tamil. ‘’I didn’t understand what he meant exactly. But I could see the happiness on his face which made me feel so good,’’ says Mary Johnson, Director, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), UST Global, who pioneered the ‘Adopt a village programme’ for UST at Azhinjivakkam.

The joy she saw on the faces of innocent villagers in Tamil Nadu has now brought her to the city with the same mission. ‘’UST will adopt two villages, the first one from Thiruvanathapuram and the other from Kochi. The adopted villages will be transformed completely in partnership with the government. The focus will be on three areas; health, environment and education,’’ says Mary.

The project will be implemented on certain criteria. ‘’We are looking for villages that would fit into our framework. We don’t want to walk into a village and create a wrong impression about ourselves. We want to make sure about factors like acceptability and feasibility before zeroing in on a particular village,’’ she says.

The project will be fully realised by December and will be finished within a time frame of 2-3 years or longer depending upon the pace at which the entire scheme works out.

In Thiruvananthapuram, a coastal village is most likely to be adopted and Mary is eager to explain the reason: ‘’When Tsunami hit here in 2004, we visited many affected villages. What we saw was simply devastating. The people told us a thousand tales about how they managed to save themselves from huge waves. They were hungry, tired and helpless. When we offered our help, they simply asked us to walk on so that we would find more deserving people. We were so moved by them and were wondering how people could be so generous and considerate in the face of adversity. We are not sure if things have improved for them and would really like to adopt one such village and bring them back to life.’’

Mary is a bit apprehensive about the official formalities. ‘’We hope that everything will work in our favour, for it is for the good of people only.’’

Once the project turns out to be a success, UST will be expanding the project to other districts as well. ‘’Currently, we are focusing on immunisation programmes in Alappuzha. We would really like to realise our vision in almost every part of the State,’’ she says.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

May 7, 2011, 9:12 AM

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Source : Malayala Manorama

MINUS

May 8, 2011, 2:09 PM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After its rather low-profile inauguration two months back, the Keralam Museum of History and Heritage opened at the Park View building near the Tourism Directorate here is buzzing with visitors and activities.

A joint venture of the Departments of Tourism, Archaeology and Museum Directorate, the Keralam Museum of History and Heritage is all set to become a template for boutique museums in the state.

The museum houses many artefacts which had been kept away from public gaze, Tourism Secretary V Venu told reporters here on Saturday while

introducing the newly-opened museum.

“It has been conceived in such a way that both a kid and a scholar would be able to enjoy it,” he said.

According to Venu, Kerala lacks museums which have a thematic integrity.

“It’s been like that for ages. But this might be the first museum which has evolved out of a theme and revolves around it. Across the globe, big museums are giving way to quality museums, in which case this one would be a

template of a boutique museum,” said Venu.

The Keralam Museum has employed some of the latest museology techniques, the Tourism Secretary said.

“The display methods and lighting are characteristics of the new techniques used in the museums across the world now,” he said.

In the days to come, the success of Keralam Museum might trigger more thematic museums in the state, he added. The Keralam Museum hosts a rich collection of artefacts belonging to the Paleolithic, Neolithic, Megalithic and Mesolithic periods, rock engravings, paintings, sculptures, idols and tools in stone, metal and wood, ancient frescoes, murals and art forms.

The touch-screens, narrative documentaries, maps, charts and beautifully-done galleries ensure that it caters to the young and the old.

Roman Dinari silver coins, the 14th century wood-carvings of Brahma, artefacts of Celts and 17th century murals are part of Keralam interactive museum.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

May 9, 2011, 5:02 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Close on the heels of the decision by Mahatma Gandhi University to institute a single-window admission system for its degree courses, the University of Kerala is understood to be actively considering switching over to a similar online system for admissions to its undergraduate programmes.

A top official of the university, while confirming to The Hindu that such a switchover was being “actively considered,” said the admission system for degree courses would be changed only after ironing out the glitches in the single-window admission system for the university's postgraduate courses. Discussions would be held at various levels before its implementation.

“There have been demands from various quarters for an immediate change to an online, single-window system. Sooner or later, that is going to be introduced in the University of Kerala,” the official said.

The ready availability of a vast database comprising the details of students who pass the Plus Two courses in Kerala will be a major plus point for a prospective single-window admission system for the degree courses.

Data collection

The IT@School project collects and maintains the data — including name, address, names of parents, religion, caste and identification marks — of students in the 10th standard in public schools. The data are used for processes relating to their study in the Plus Two courses.

“The data can form the basis of admissions to the degree courses. All that a student needs to do is to submit his or her course-college options. He or she need not take the trouble of filling up application forms and replicating all the information that is already available to the State government,” Anvar Sadath, Executive Director of IT@School, told The Hindu.

“If, for instance, the university decides that a student can apply with his or her admission number for the Plus Two course, he or she need only enter that number, along with his options. The university will be able to obtain the authenticated data about that student easily and speedily.”

Using as an opportunity the ‘Aadhaar' project to issue Unique Identification Numbers (UID) to all citizens in India, IT@School plans to collect thrice as much data about a student than what are mandated for the issue of that number. The surplus data thus collected will be fed into the School Management System being readied by IT@School. So, in the future, a student can apply for a university course by giving his UID and his course-college options.

“Alternatively, a unique identity can be generated for every student by combining the codes for the college and the course for which the student gets admission. The student can use the ID as long as he or she is there in the university system. Moreover, any employer can easily verify the details of a student — his entire academic career, including marks lists, — if he has this ID number,” Mr. Sadath said.

A university or a college can use the database in tandem with the course-college options submitted by the students to put in place an educational planning process. Through such a process, the institutions can know the educational preferences of various categories of students.

Officials of the University of Kerala who spoke to The Hindu on the subject said an online admission system would ease a lot of pressure faced by the university's personnel-starved administrative system.
Source : The Hindu

MINUS

May 9, 2011, 5:02 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Technopark-based companies Artin Dynamics and Light Logics have bagged gold medals in the India Innovation Programme-2011 organised by the Department of Science and Technology and Lockheed Martin India.

According to a press note issued here, the companies received a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh and a gold medal from Ray O. Johnson, senior vice-president and chief technology officer of Lockheed Martin.

The winners of this award also get an opportunity to launch early stage technologies into the global marketplace.

The DST-Lockheed Martin India Innovation Growth Program is a two-year nationwide project created to accelerate the launch of Indian early-stage technologies into the global marketplace.

The programme is funded by the Department of Science and Technology and Lockheed Martin Corporation and was developed with the assistance of the Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum, IC2 Institute at the University of Texas, and FICCI.

As part of programme, Indian researchers, inventors, entrepreneurs and companies with promising early stage technologies were put through very strict evaluation in an effort to give commercial value to their ideas in international markets.

Light Logics, a holography technology company, won the award for its photonic smart card named ‘HoloSecure' — a smart card that uses photonic data storage technology based on holograms to provide extremely high levels of data storage on a thin card. It is for the second consecutive year that Light Logics has won this award.

Artin Dynamics, which works in the domain of artificial intelligence, has won the award for its product SPARA, a software module aimed at reducing power wastage during non-use hours of a computer, the note said.

The product is intended for organisations dealing with large scale use of computers where manageability of power consumption is a huge concern. SPARA consists of a software module which works towards reducing power wastage on ‘idle systems' and a hardware module that cuts of ‘phantom power' loss on ‘turned off' systems.
Source : The Hindu

MINUS

May 9, 2011, 5:09 AM

KOVALAM: The Arts and Crafts Village of Kerala Tourism at Vellar, near here, will become fully functional before the next peak tourist season.

Announcing this here on Sunday, M. Sivasankar, Director of Tourism, said the Kudumbasree units would have a permanent facility to market their products at the stalls in the village.

Mr. Sivasankar was speaking at the valedictory function of a three-day workshop, “Weekend in Vellar,” for members of the Balasabha, a collective of the children of Kudumbasree workers.

The village, modelled on the lines of the Dilli Haat in New Delhi, has been set up at a cost of Rs.7 crore to promote ethnic and authentic products of the State. Kerala Tourism has got the seven-acre site from the Harbour Engineering Department.

The village is expected to give a “genuine Kerala shopping experience” with its handicrafts stalls, ethnic food joints, and recreational facilities in the leisure zone.

Mr. Sivasankar said Kerala Tourism was expecting good patronage from tourists, as the village was near the Kovalam beach. Marketing of the products of Kudumbasree units would get a fillip.

The natural features of the site, originally an abandoned quarry, have been retained. A hillock, rising 15 metres from the ground, offers a fine view of the sea. The buildings are of the Kerala style.

Three sections

The village has three sections — Travancore, Kochi and Malabar. The Travancore section, close to the reception wing, will have 14 stalls, a traditional house, and a food court, which will serve ethnic cuisine.

A vast space has been left open near the reception and the car-parking area for erecting makeshift stalls to organise crafts fairs. The Kochi section has a covered theatre aimed at imparting training in making craft items. Mr. Sivasankar said the hall, which could seat 500 people, could be used for organising workshops and ethnic fairs.

A major attraction of the village is a water-harvesting system set up using the natural resources available there. A pond on the site can hold five lakh litres of water.

The Malabar section has a food court. A pathway had been created from the entrance to the Kochi and the Malabar sections.

Sarada Muraleedharan, Executive Director, Kudumbasree, said efforts were on to organise regular art and cultural performances, including for children, so that the village would turn into a “happening place with multiple recreational facilities.”

The village will have dedicated facilities for traditional artisans to work and finish their products. The artisans can also bring in finished products for marketing at the stalls. Governmental and semi-governmental agencies, non-governmental organisations, charitable societies, and individuals having skills in handcrafts can associate with the project. The craftsmen and the artistes will be selected through a transparent process.

Balakeralam, a newspaper produced by the members of the Balasabha who attended the first of the three workshops being organised at the village, in association with Kerala Tourism, was released by Neelan, mediaperson. Baiju Chandran, Assistant Director of the Doordarshan Kendra, was present.

As many as 50,000 Balasabhas function in the State, with nine lakh children in the five-15 age group.
Source : The Hindu

MINUS

May 9, 2011, 9:33 AM

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MINUS

May 9, 2011, 9:40 AM

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MINUS

May 10, 2011, 4:32 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Muthuchipppy Park, a favourite haunt of the young and the old alike on the Sanghumughom beach, will soon get a facelift. The District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) plans to create the required infrastructure facilities in the children's play area in the park at an estimated cost of Rs. 47 lakh.

The park, spread over an area of 2.32 acres, houses a starfish restaurant, play equipment and ‘kalmandapam.' The starfish restaurant, a landmark of the beach destination, is not functioning. The lower level of the restaurant is in bad condition and the reinforcements of the slab have come exposed and corroded owing to salinity. The minimum facility required to run a restaurant is not available, and the area within the structure is unhygienic. However, the kalmandapam and the seating umbrellas are in good condition. Taking this into account, the Working Group of Kerala Tourism on Plan Schemes has given administrative sanction for the project proposed by the Director of Tourism for development of infrastructure facilities at the park. The work being taken up under the scheme for creation of infrastructure facilities at tourist centres would be executed through the DTPC, official sources said.

An entry plaza, an open-air auditorium with green room facilities, area for garden games, and a wading pool area will be the main features. An entire area has been allocated for food court. A separate area has been earmarked with beach sand for kids' activity zone. A foot overbridge has been proposed along the existing walkway.

Outdoor play equipment such as merry-go-round, seesaw, and climbers will be installed and care will be taken to ensure that the play equipment are made of fibre in view of the proximity of the park to the sea. More landscaping areas with large trees have been proposed.

Snack bar, storeroom with counter facility, interlocking tiles for the pathway, sanitary and water supply, electrification, and construction of boundary wall have been included in the scheme. Under the proposal, the existing building will be demolished. However, a decision has not been taken, as the starfish restaurant and the adjacent sculpture of a mermaid are landmarks.

A four-lane road has been developed to link the Shanghumughom beach junction with the road leading to the domestic terminal of the airport.
Source : The Hindu

MINUS

May 10, 2011, 5:17 AM

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Source : Metro Vaartha

MINUS

May 10, 2011, 6:38 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The city has wholeheartedly welcomed the first bicycle club introduced back in March. City-based engineer Athirup’s bicycle club has various kinds of users. If some are using the bicycles for daily transportation, others are opting for the service for exercise. More than 70 cycles, arranged in racks at major spots in the city, are in high demand.

You can see bicycle racks at Kowdiar, Vellayambalam, Vazhuthacaud, Museum, Sasthamangalam, Bakery Junction, Thampanoor, Pazhavangadi and Kesavadasapuram. An average of five cycles will be seen at each of these spots.

“The racks at Thampanoor and Kowdiar are the most popular ones. At Thampanoor, people reaching the city by trains and buses have started using bicycles to reach places like Statue, PMG etc. Secretariat employees, students and other officials are using the bicycles from the rack in Thampanoor,” said Athirup, who introduced the State’s first cross-city bicycle club in the capital.

He said the rack at Kowdiar is a hot favourite among health conscious men and women in the city. “Many have switched from jogging to cycling which, they say, is more refreshing,” Athirup said.

“A group of VSSC employees, including men and women, are using the bicycles on Sundays,” he added.

The specialty of the club is that users need not return the cycle to the starting location. They can park the cycles after use in a rack near their destination. The fee varies according to the use. When launched, the membership fee was Rs 2,000. The club now charges only Rs 50 for monthly users. The maximum usage time is 2 hours for the monthly users. For those who want the cycles for a week, they are available for Rs 100.

Athirup said discounts are given to users coming in groups. He communicates with users through mobile phones.

The password to open locks is sent as a message in phones.

Athirup is now engaged in discussions with the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) to arrange bicycle racks at Veli and Shangumugham. “The cycles might be useful for tourists. The rate will be comparatively higher since DTPC is asking for rent at the sites,” he said. Athirup is extending the service of the club to Kochi, which is worst affected by traffic congestion. He, together with like-minded friends, has bought 50 bicycles for the Kochi club.

The novel and unique idea has not only attracted users but also bicycle companies. Most of the cycle companies like Hercules, BSA etc are providing cycles at 50-60 percent discount. Athirup can be contacted on phone number 9645511155.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

May 11, 2011, 3:35 PM

Israeli conglomerate Elbit Imaging Ltd and its subsidiary Plaza Centers NV are making fresh investments of at least $500 million (Rs.2,235 crore) to develop real estate projects in India.

The Tel Aviv-based company is globally known for developing shopping malls, having built 84 centres in Europe, the US and Israel.

In India, it is looking to build a diversified real estate portfolio, including residential and office spaces besides shopping malls.

Elbit Plaza India Management Services Pvt. Ltd is close to signing its first residential, joint development project in Thiruvananthapuram on an 11-acre land. It will develop the project together with Pune-based Panchshil Realty and a local builder.

Property analysts say India is the foremost emerging property market along with China and Brazil. But many developers had scaled down their plans for these markets after the 2008-09 economic downturn and returned to established regions.

“We are again seeing interest slowly coming back from foreign developers in India, particularly among those who had already entered the market and got a feel of it earlier,” said Anshuman Magazine, chairman and managing director, CB Richard Ellis South Asia Pvt. Ltd, a property advisory.

Elbit entered India in 2006. It has since invested about $400 million to buy land in central and southern Indian states, said Oren Kolton, country director for Elbit.

As part of its previous investment in the country, the firm is also developing two projects in Pune—a shopping mall on its own and an office space-cum-shopping mall with Panchshil Realty. The estimated investment in the two projects is around $200 million, said Kolton.

“Someone like Elbit brings with it a lot of expertise and international quality because they have developed properties globally,” said Sagar Chordia, a director with Panchshil Realty.

In the past three years, Elbit has revisited a number of its proposed projects. It is building 1,000 mid-priced apartments in Thiruvananthapuram in a space that was earlier meant for a shopping mall. A 45-acre island property off Kochi that it was to develop through a joint venture has been put on hold.

In future, the company plans to develop projects in cities such as Bangalore, Chennai, Pune and Thiruvananthapuram through strategic partnerships.

“The group views India as a long-term growth engine, which will begin to generate positive cash flows in 2012,” Kolton said in an email reply.

Another Israeli realty firm, Levinstein Project Management India Pvt. Ltd, plans to scale up in India.

The company, which too ventured into India a few years ago, has two projects in the country—a large residential development in Mysore and a slum redevelopment project in suburban Mumbai.

Levinstein plans to choose the difficult profile of redevelopment projects and low-cost or mass housing ventures to understand the Indian property market better.

“We have good local partners, but we believe the pricing of properties is the key issue in Indian real estate,” said Yaron Gelbhart, general manager, Levinstein.
Source : Live Mint

MINUS

May 12, 2011, 11:59 AM

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MINUS

May 12, 2011, 12:12 PM

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MINUS

May 12, 2011, 12:24 PM

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biju

May 13, 2011, 4:11 PM

Kalabash Gardens http://www.kalabash.in

A unique place you can come for all your party and special event needs.
Kalabash leads every one to a different world.
It is sure that you feel a celestial experience that cannot express through simple words.

The best place in trivandrum to celebrate
Birthday party,Wedding anniversary,Office party etc..

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MINUS

May 14, 2011, 4:28 AM

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Source : Kerala Kaumudi

MINUS

May 16, 2011, 5:29 AM

Thiruvananthapuram: Important junctions, bus stops, roads and shopping localities in the city will come under the nonstop surveillance of police security cameras by September.

The Road Safety Authority will install surveillance cameras at 192 urban locations to help the police prevent crime and regulate traffic better.

The communications wing of the Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation (KELTRON) will implement the ambitious project, which is conceived for Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode cities by Additional Director-General of Police and Transport Commissioner T. P. Senkumar.

The security cameras are of high quality, tamper proof, have night vision capability and capture images in colour. They will be linked to the Police Control Room through a secure fibre optic network. Control room operators can pan, tilt, rotate or zoom the cameras.

The autofocus cameras can track and capture fast-moving objects with “exceptional clarity” up to a distance of 500 m at night, including the registration numbers of vehicles.

The police hope the expansive security camera network will work as a “force multiplier” and enhance their ability to detect and apprehend criminals, mainly drug peddlers, pickpockets, chain snatchers and those who harass women in public places.

Law enforcers say the cameras will instil a sense of security among law-abiding citizens, chiefly women and children travelling alone. Potential offenders will feel a higher risk of being caught.

S.P. Gopakumar, project manager, KELTRON, is executing the project.

The city police also want access to the video feed from security cameras installed inside bar-attached hotels, outside liquor stores and at fuel outlets, banks, ATM kiosks and jewellery shops.

They aim to implement location-specific crime prevention strategies by networking with night watchmen and members of the neighbourhood watch scheme.

Mr. Senkumar has recommended the installation of automated cameras linked to speed sensors to take snapshots of vehicles which violate traffic regulations along the highly accident prone Kovalam-Kollam national highway.

The gadget integrates vehicle speed detection radars, night vision enabled cameras with zoom-in capability, powerful flashlights and traffic signal violation sensors in a single device.

Such automated traffic enforcement devices will be installed at 30 junctions initially, mainly those near busy pedestrian crossings. One has been installed at Museum junction and more are to come up at Pattom, Kesavadasapuram, Ulloor and Karyavattom.
Source : The Hindu

biju

May 16, 2011, 3:19 PM

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MINUS

May 19, 2011, 10:47 AM

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Source : Metro Vaartha

MINUS

May 19, 2011, 10:48 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It couldn’t have been better. So say all the departments connected with the JICA-aided water supply project. The officials are on a high as the pipe-laying work from Aristo Junction to Thampanoor is going on at a smooth and fast pace.

“We started the work six days back and of the total 290 m, we have already covered 120 m. All of us are buoyed by the rate of progress” said a JICA official.

The laying of the pipelines - 1,118-mm Mild Steel - ought to have got over long back. The work, which was stopped last December at the time of the International Film Festival of Kerala, never got restarted owing to myriad reasons. Finally, when it started on May 12, it was actually a race against time and weather for the JICA team.

“Our deadline is 45 days. We have to rush as rains can arrive anytime. The L&T team is carrying out the work so well that we hope to finish it within the stipulated time, provided the weather doesn’t play spoilsport,” added the official.

Now that 120 m has been covered, the road-laying work is set to start within a couple of days. “We haven’t encountered much utilities underground. But we know there are drainage lines, water supply lines and cables going underneath. The work near the transformer close to the Kairali-Sree Theatre is not that easy. However, we have been assured all support from the KSEB as well,” an official said.

The work would continue and go on till RMS, from where the pipeline would go under the railway tracks. This would reach near Parthas on the other side. “The sanction from the Railways can come any moment. We are following it up with the Railway officials in Chennai,” said an official with the L&T. The officials have also lauded the support from the part of the Traffic Police officials.

TOUGH WORK AHEAD

The pipe-laying work is not going to be easy for the JICA team. Laying the pipes under the railway tracks itself is a tough affair.

Once it reaches Parthas, this line would split into two. One would take water to Aryasala area. The other would go to Melepazhavangadi and reach MG Road. Then it would go across the road, reach Thakaraparambu and then go to Enchakkal. “The forthcoming work is very complicated. Unless the cooperation between various departments continues and the weather stays clear, it would be

really tough,” the official said.

It is too early to say when the whole work would get over. Once it is finished, water supply in and around East Fort area would be stabilised as the water from the low-level tank in Vellayambalam would be taken through these pipelines to these areas.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

May 19, 2011, 10:49 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A weather research and forecasting model will be installed at the Met Centre in the city in a couple of days which will be used for monitoring the southwest monsoon from this year onwards.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is planning to start a ‘Numerical weather prediction model’ in Thiruvananthapuram, the entry point of the southwest monsoon on the Indian mainland, Y E A Raj, DDG, Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, said on the sidelines of a seminar on the southwest monsoon here.

He said that the monsoon is likely to set in over Kerala on May 31 or June 1. This year, the State will receive normal southwest monsoon rainfall, he said.

Experts from various universities and organisations spoke on various aspects of the southwest monsoon. The meet also provided a common platform for researchers, planners, hydrologists, agriculturists and disaster managers to share their knowledge.

C T S Nair, Executive Vice-President, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, Thiruvananthapuram, inaugurated the meet. He emphasised the importance of southwest monsoon from the agricultural point of view. Y E A Raj, Deputy Director General of Meteorology, Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, who presided over the meeting, stressed the importance of the internet in disseminating information about the monsoon among the public.

Experts spoke on various aspects of the southwest monsoon. The first session was by P V Joseph, Emeritus Professor, CUSAT, Kochi, on ‘Dynamics of monsoon onset over Kerala’; followed by the session on ‘Monsoon mission’ by Dr M Rajeevan, Scientist, NARL (ISRO), Gadanki. And the third presentation was by Dr M R Ramesh Kumar, Scientist, NIO, Goa, and he delivered a talk on the role of ‘Ocean atmospheric process’ in the break in monsoon.

G S L H V Prasada Rao, Associate Director of Research, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, spoke on ‘Impact of monsoon variability on agriculture sector in Kerala’ and N T Niyas, Scientist, IMD Pune, on ‘Long-range forecasting of southwest monsoon’. The topic on which Dr K Santhosh, Director & Head, Meteorological Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, spoke was, ‘Climate change scenario in India and its impact on southwest monsoon’.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

May 21, 2011, 5:17 AM

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Source : Mathrubhumi

MINUS

May 21, 2011, 7:23 AM

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Source : Metro Vaartha

MINUS

May 21, 2011, 7:49 AM

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Source : Metro Vaartha

MINUS

May 21, 2011, 7:59 AM

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Source : Metro Vaartha

MINUS

May 21, 2011, 9:28 AM

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Source : Mathrubhumi

MINUS

May 23, 2011, 6:56 AM

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Source : Kerala Kaumudi

English Source : The Hindu (http://www.hindu.com/2011/05/23/stories/2011052356300500.htm)

MINUS

May 23, 2011, 6:57 AM

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has introduced an automated parking facility at the new international airport terminal here to check revenue loss and illegal parking of vehicles.

The modern facility has been introduced following the award of the contract two weeks ago to a Bangalore-based firm for collecting parking fees from vehicles arriving at the new terminal that had become operational on March 1.

“With this, we are also trying to put an end to the unnecessary conflicts between the motorists and staff of the contractors over the period of parking and to ensure security of the vital installation that has come up on the city side,” a top AAI official said.

The entry to the parking lot, which can accommodate 780 cars and 20 buses, has been restricted by channelising the vehicles through a single point. Here, an entry booth has been set up to provide ‘smart cards' to the motorists. Once the vehicle enters this point, the time will be recorded in the computer and a card with the time will be handed out to the driver. The booth near the entry point will automatically open allowing the vehicle to the parking lot in front of the terminal building.

The motorists will have to show the smart card at the booth set up near the exit point of the parking lot and they will have to make payment as per the duration of parking. The driver need not have to get down from the vehicle to pay the amount.

The booth has been designed in such a way that the driver can pay it directly to the personnel sitting inside it.

‘Free time'

The minimum parking fee has been fixed at Rs.60. The vehicle can be parked for four hours on payment of the minimum fee. The parking rates of AAI are uniform across the country.

A ‘free time' of 15 minutes has been given for those who come to drop the passengers and willing to return immediately. They will not have to pay any parking fee if they move out of the parking lot within the stipulated time. Exemptions will be given to those motorists who cannot move out due to congestion.

Government vehicles have been given exception by the AAI from the payment of parking fee. “We are monitoring the working of the facility that has been installed by the contractor and the teething problems will be sorted out soon,” the official said.

It is for the first time that an automated car parking facility has been introduced in the capital. Similar facilities had been introduced in Mumbai and Bangalore airports.

With the new arrangement, the AAI hopes, the flow of vehicular traffic in front of the new terminal will be smooth and the overcrowding of the vehicles that arrive to drop and pick the passengers will end.
Source : The Hindu

MINUS

May 23, 2011, 7:24 AM

THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Imagine that you are walking along a deserted road and suddenly a robber attacks you and gets away with your valuables. You reach for your mobile phone and dial the emergency number 100 seeking police help. The call is attended and the officer on the other side of the line asks you to give an account of what has happened. And, you might be struggling to gather your breath after being driven numb by the sudden attack. By the time the officer notes down your complaint and location and informs the nearest police patrolling team, the robber might have even fled the city.

The City Police, to avert such situations and deliver help on time, is all set to introduce a new project which will bring help from the authorities on a single click on the number pad ‘2’ of your mobile phone. The project, which is included in the ‘Neighbourhood Security Scheme’ of the City Police, is expected to work faster than the existing emergency line of the police and deliver help more efficiently.

The system works on a web-based application which can be installed on any JAVA-based mobile phone. Once the application is installed, the phone would automatically alert the nearest security personnel, on long-pressing the number pad ‘2’ when you confront an emergency situation. Alerts will also be sent to the mobile phones of your friends and relatives which are preloaded in the application.

‘’We are enmeshed in a network of wireless communication systems as every individual in the society possess at least a mobile phone. So, why not use the same technology to ensure our security,’’ says City Police Commissioner Manoj Abraham. The new system is a part of the City Police’s soon-to-be-launched ‘Neighbourhood Security Scheme’.

In the scheme, the police screen and provide special training for private security personnel in the city who would be deployed in the neighbourhoods. They would be given a bicycle and a mobile phone to respond to the emergency calls. They would also reach the location within just five minutes after receiving the call.

The security personnel would be given special training to react to different kinds of emergency situations. For example, if the victim needs medical attention, he could alert the doctors and also in the meantime provide first aid. The personnel would also be given martial training to confront trouble-makers, said Manoj Abraham.

The technology used in the scheme has been developed by a Technopark-based company, Rain Concerts Technologies, and its sister concern, Eram Scientific Solutions Private Limited as part of their corporate responsibility programme. They had successfully implemented the project in a residential area in Kowdiar before the City Police decided to adopt their technology.

The City Police are planning to implement the scheme in all residential areas in the city with the cooperation of the residents’ associations.
Source : Expressbuzz

MINUS

May 31, 2011, 9:48 AM

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Source : Kerala Kaumudi

MINUS

May 31, 2011, 9:51 AM

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Source : Malayala Manorama

MINUS

May 31, 2011, 9:52 AM

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Source : Kerala Kaumudi

MINUS

May 31, 2011, 9:54 AM

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Source : Metro Manorama

MINUS

May 31, 2011, 9:55 AM

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Source : Malayala Manorama

MINUS

Jun 2, 2011, 6:17 AM

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Source : Manorama

MINUS

Jun 2, 2011, 6:19 AM

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Source : Metro Vaartha

MINUS

Jun 2, 2011, 6:20 AM

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Source : Kerala Kaumudi

MINUS

Jun 2, 2011, 6:21 AM

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Source : Malayala Manorama

MINUS

Jun 2, 2011, 6:23 AM

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Source : Metro Vaartha

MINUS

Jun 2, 2011, 9:47 AM

The Cabinet on Wednesday sanctioned Rs 1.25 crore for constructing a protection wall along the banks of the Parvathy Puthanar at Karikkakom, near Chakkai, where a school van had plunged into the canal killing six kindergarten students and their caretaker on February 17.

The decision was taken following a visit Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had made to the accident spot the other day. Chandy told a post-Cabinet briefing here that steps would also be taken to clean the canal. The District Administration will be asked to complete the work in a time-bound manner, Chandy said.

The Chief Minister said that the government had also decided to bear the medical expense of the lone survivor of the incident Irfan. Young Irfan’s family would be reimbursed the money they have thus far spent on the treatment of the boy. Oommen Chandy had also visited Irfan, who is completely bedridden, the other day.

The incident had occurred on February 17 when a school van operated by Little Flower Kindergarten, Pettah, plunged into the lake killing the children and their caretaker Bindu. The incident had led to the closure of the kindergarten and the district administration had later introduced strict guidelines for operating school buses. The tragedy had claimed the lives of Malavika, Achu, Arsha, Ujjwal and Jinu. Razik, 4, who had been in hospital with Irfan, had succumbed a few days later.

Following the tragedy, it was pointed out that the road gradually sloped into the river, and there was no protective fencing to prevent accidents. The extremely-polluted condition of the Parvathy Puthanar - much of the waste generated by the capital city is indiscriminately dumped into this water body - had also been cited as one of the causes of death. Doctors had later confirmed infection in the young victims owing to contact with the polluted water.
Source : Expressbuzz