Trivandrum Projects & Infrastructure :News [Archive] - Page 5

rajkrish

Oct 8, 2007, 5:26 PM

I agree but look who started. We don't maintain a hate blog or tarnish any city like others do every now and often. But the lies spread by some people here just crosses all the limits that we thought of setting the record straight.
If you see, hate campaigning has been going for a long time in all available avenues and people have been chucked out of other forums, getting accounts banned for doing so. And we get to see some 'recycled' guys spewing venom against a particular city for no reason and people are bound to react as every one loves their place.

Get some sense, people. It is shameful that people are being overly emotional about such a silly thing. I would go to the extend of saying that such egoistic patriotism is the bane of our state. Such narrow mindedness among Keralites themselves will ensure that other states will progress while we are engaged in kiddish street fighting.

Grow up and learn to appreciate the bigger picture. I'm plain sick of seeing this sort of negative comments everywhere on the internet. Fighting on orkut, on skyscrapercity.com, on blogger.com, on livejournal, on wordpress, on tripod.com and now here as well.

Rejoice that something is happening in our state after so many years of being described as an industrial desert. Learn to appreciate, and stop finding fault just for the sake of it.

Darn! I feel like a kindergarten teacher. Shame on you guys!

rajkrish

Oct 8, 2007, 5:28 PM

Shut up u TYLPMMPKOPLM
shut up TYLPM...:hell: :hell:

rajkrish

Oct 8, 2007, 5:34 PM

Sky Line Fair Mont, Vazhuthacaud

Pic courtesy : Sudheesh Nair, SSC

http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/8153/sfsfairmonthi5.jpg

rajkrish

Oct 8, 2007, 5:35 PM

SFS Vasantham, Ambalamukku

Pic courtesy : Sudheesh Nair, SSC

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/3259/sfsvasanthamyc0.jpg

rajkrish

Oct 8, 2007, 5:37 PM

Artech Lake View, Aakkulam

http://i21.tinypic.com/35cmu8m.jpg

Artech Venpakal Heights, PMG Junction

http://i23.tinypic.com/2r76c28.jpg

http://www.artechrealtors.com/

Pictures courtesy : Nishanthnair, SSC

rajkrish

Oct 8, 2007, 5:39 PM

Department of Forests Head Quarters, Vazhuthacaud

Pic courtesy : ChandruRajan, SSC

http://i20.tinypic.com/2zh1sgp.jpg

viperpaul22

Oct 8, 2007, 5:39 PM

Get some sense, people. It is shameful that people are being overly emotional about such a silly thing. I would go to the extend of saying that such egoistic patriotism is the bane of our state. Such narrow mindedness among Keralites themselves will ensure that other states will progress while we are engaged in kiddish street fighting.

Grow up and learn to appreciate the bigger picture. I'm plain sick of seeing this sort of negative comments everywhere on the internet. Fighting on orkut, on skyscrapercity.com, on blogger.com, on livejournal, on wordpress, on tripod.com and now here as well.

Rejoice that something is happening in our state after so many years of being described as an industrial desert. Learn to appreciate, and stop finding fault just for the sake of it.

Darn! I feel like a kindergarten teacher. Shame on you guys!

well said Thunder! Well said!
Now if only we could shift our attention to skyscrapers, infrastructure and development..

rajkrish

Oct 8, 2007, 5:41 PM

Heera Gate, M.P Appan Road, Vazhuthacaud

Pic courtesy : Nishanthnair, SSC

http://i21.tinypic.com/2mwtd93.jpg

rajkrish

Oct 8, 2007, 5:42 PM

Heera Central, Pattom

Pic courtesy : nishanthnair, SSC

http://i23.tinypic.com/2hoy9lt.jpg

rajkrish

Oct 8, 2007, 5:46 PM

Kowdiar Square

Picture courtesy : Sudheesh Nair, SSC

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/4994/tvmkowdairsquareba5.jpg

rajkrish

Oct 8, 2007, 5:47 PM

Pazhavangadi, M.G. Road

Picture courtesy : Sudheesh Nair, SSC

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/9859/tvmmgroadzn9.jpg

Santhosh

Oct 9, 2007, 1:43 AM

I never seen any thread regarding the ISRO institute in this forum? Why? I heard that it is going to shift to AP? Is it right?

Sathyalal

Oct 9, 2007, 1:56 AM

NO Santhosh, It is already functioning in VSSC and due to some specific importance to the place they found, they can not shift it(at least that is what the latest status)
I never seen any thread regarding the ISRO institute in this forum? Why? I heard that it is going to shift to AP? Is it right?

Rummy_123

Oct 9, 2007, 3:21 AM

I never seen any thread regarding the ISRO institute in this forum? Why? I heard that it is going to shift to AP? Is it right?

Santhosh .. you must be kidding man!!!. VSSC is well established in Trivandrum. Strategically its the ideal place for such an institution. ISRO is a big organization and has its leg in AP as well.

Rummy_123

Oct 9, 2007, 3:33 AM

Here is some news about IIST .. Excuse if its a recurrence.

Trivandrum is Home to one of the most prestigious Institutes in India ..The first of its kind.

Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) Inaugurated
------------------------------------------------------------------

Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), an institute of excellence being established with the objective of offering high quality education in space science and technology to meet the demands of Indian Space Programme, was inaugurated by Dr G Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO, today (September 14, 2007) at Thiruvananthapuram. Dr B N Suresh, Director, IIST, Prof D Samchandran, Principal, College of Engineering and Rev. Fr. Mathew Mankkarakkavil, Principal, Mar Ivanious College, were also present on the occasion. Dr R Krishnan, Dean, IIST proposed the vote of thanks.

The institute offers Bachelors Degree in Space Technology with specialisation in Avionics and Aerospace Engineering as well as Integrated Masters Programme in Applied Sciences with special emphasis on space related subjects.

The curriculum for the four year undergraduate programme in technology in two streams has been developed keeping the high technology requirements of ISRO in mind. The first year syllabus will be common to both the streams. Second year and third year will have engineering stream curriculum and the fourth year curriculum will be developed as optional credits by careful selection of credits in specialised areas such as propulsion, aerodynamics, communications, embedded systems, software etc. Optional credits during the final year will be specialised subjects that are relevant to Space Technology.

The curriculum for the five year Integrated Masters in Applied Sciences will have rich content of theoretical science in first three years while last two years will have specialisation in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Atmospheric Science, Material Science and Remote Sensing & GIS with stress on experimental studies.

IIST will create its own full-fledged infrastructure to develop an excellent research atmosphere. Apart from this, students will have privileged access to advanced facilities of ISRO to carry out high technology research in space technology and science. IIST will be a residential institute and is being developed on a picturesque site in Ponmudi near Thiruvananthapuram.

One hundred and forty students from various parts of the country have enrolled for under graduate and masters courses. The courses are now being conducted at the alternate campus developed at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram.

Sathyalal

Oct 9, 2007, 5:56 AM

Firms waiting for land in Technopark
http://www.technopark.org/landr.htm

Waiting for built up space
http://www.technopark.org/spacer.htm

Commercial
http://www.technopark.org/commercialr.htm
Incubation
http://www.technopark.org/incubationr.htm
Smart business center
http://www.technopark.org/sbcrequestr.htm

See the list is growing..

Gov has to act...
Racently heard a funny thing. Since more firms are competing for Technocity, they are planning RFP :) . Whatever is it /RFP or some thing else,but do it without delay. Now in the name of RFP, they will delay it for another..

Santhosh

Oct 9, 2007, 6:41 AM

If more firms for technocity, then they should provide land for good players to start more technocities here.

Our policians will try all the best way to slow down the progress.

venadu_king

Oct 9, 2007, 7:54 AM

If more firms for technocity, then they should provide land for good players to start more technocities here.

Our policians will try all the best way to slow down the progress.

Land is a big issue in kerala

Santhosh

Oct 9, 2007, 8:41 AM

I do not think so.. It is just an excuse

venadu_king

Oct 9, 2007, 9:14 AM

I do not think so.. It is just an excuse

Its a High density area. if u need land u need people to b relocated to another place which is another issue

Sathyalal

Oct 9, 2007, 9:23 AM

Near Trivandrum Tennis Club
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/9660/jan5130gg0.jpg

rajkrish

Oct 9, 2007, 11:28 AM

Land is not an issue but the lack of will from govt.

rajkrish

Oct 9, 2007, 12:15 PM

Technopark firm renamed UST Global.

Source: http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14539534

Thiruvananthapuram: US Technology International Pvt Ltd, a California-based IT firm that has its Indian headquarters in Technopark here, will now be known as UST Global.

In a statement to the press issued here Monday by Dan Gupta, chairman and CEO of UST Global, the company said that this reflects the company's mission to bring new standards of best offshore IT sourcing and delivery services to enterprises throughout the global marketplace.

UST Global started eight years ago as a provider of software outsourcing services, with a focus on the Fortune 500 market in the US. As worldwide enterprise demand for its services grew, the company expanded its operations into several countries in Europe and Asia.

"Since the company maintains a strong focus on its values and culture, it was important to ensure that the new brand retains the trust and professional identity that it has developed since its inception. The decision was made to adopt a market name that blended the original charter with its current global business model," said Gupta.

venadu_king

Oct 9, 2007, 12:16 PM

Land is not an issue but the lack of will from govt.

Lack of Will
Lack of Land
Abundance of Political Man power

all are major issues.

rajkrish

Oct 9, 2007, 1:10 PM

TVM has abundance of land, resources and some horrible neighbors :haha:

Santhosh

Oct 10, 2007, 1:40 AM

We have enough land in Kerala. You go and approach our politicians to start a resort, land will come automatically. Noone will oppose.. Acres of land will be available in Kerala for resorts. But if you request land for IT park, or any other companies, land will not be available.

I thing, you guys might have heard about the answer to ISRO request for land by the TVM collector.

Sathyalal

Oct 10, 2007, 2:01 AM

Envestnet Asset Management and Fixed Income Securities, LP Team Up to Offer Customized Fixed Income Solutions

Envestnet Asset Management, one of the largest providers of wealth management solutions in the industry, delivers separately managed accounts, mutual funds and alternative investments to independent financial advisors. Envestnet’s investment offerings are supported by a proprietary technology platform that delivers customized advisor web sites, consolidated views and comprehensive reporting abilities to the nation’s independent investment advisory firms. Envestnet is headquartered in Chicago with offices in Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Silicon Valley and Trivandrum, India.

Envestnet has more than $45 billion in assets under management and administration with over 440,000 investor accounts.*

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20071009005968&newsLang=en

Sathyalal

Oct 10, 2007, 5:31 AM

Kaudiar square
http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/5250/jan5125sn3.jpg

Sathyalal

Oct 10, 2007, 5:34 AM

Museum park

http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/244/jan5051tj4.jpg

rajkrish

Oct 10, 2007, 6:48 AM

MASCOT Hotel, built during the First World War, will be converted into a heritage hotel by the KTDC.

As part of the move, 27 rooms in the old building of the hotel, built 90 years ago in the Indo-Anglican style, are being renovated so as to maintain them in their pristine form. The work will be completed within six months, KTDC chairman Cheriyan Philip said.

The rooms, which are presently unused, will be opened to tourists once the work is over. The hotel is already in the heritage list of the Kerala Archaeology Department.

KTDC entered the hotel business in 1966, when Mascot Hotel was handed over to it by the government. ‘‘Now, foreigners prefer heritage hotels to business hotels. All over the world, a revival of culture is taking place. Tourists are now more attracted to tradition and culture,’’ said Cheriyan Philip.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEO20071009223358&Page=O&Headline=Mascot+of+city%92s+cultural+heritage&Title=Thiruvananthapuram&Topic=0&

rajkrish

Oct 10, 2007, 6:50 AM

The decks have been cleared for the setting up of a Centre for Geo-Information Science and Technology at the University of Kerala – a centre of excellence designed to develop advanced capabilities in managing and analysing spatial information for scientific and socio-economic purposes.

The Natural Resources Data Management System (NRDMS), a wing of the Department of Science and Technology, government of India, is understood to have issued the formal sanction for setting up the centre and is expected to release Rs.1.45 crore as grant for this purpose, shortly.

Click here... (http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/10/stories/2007101054440500.htm)

rajkrish

Oct 10, 2007, 7:11 AM

The premier Cancer Institute of South India gets another first in Kerala

The state-of-the-art bone marrow transplant (BMT) unit has started functioning at the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) here tomorrow, Kerala Health Minister P K Sreemathy informed today.

Talking to mediapersons here, she said the RCC became the first hospital in the government sector in the country offering the expensive transplantation.

The unit, the fifth centre in the country, setup at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore using the State government's Plan funds, is equipped with sophisticated machinery and patient care units that meet international standards. Once the unit was commissioned, the RCC would have the facility to perform transplantation on four patients at a time, she said.

Though the transplantation expense would be between Rs 15 and Rs 20 lakh in other hospitals, the RCC would provide the faciility at one-third of the amount, she said adding that it would immensly help poor patients.

rajkrish

Oct 10, 2007, 6:35 PM

Technopark view

Photo courtesy : Ajaypp, SSC

http://i9.tinypic.com/6aik9xi.jpg

rajkrish

Oct 10, 2007, 6:49 PM

Leela Towers- 2 more to go

Photo courtesy : Sudheesh Nair, SSC

http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/2682/dsc04281ip9.jpg

View from Bhavani

Photo courtesy : Sudheesh Nair, SSC

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/537/dsc04283kj7.jpg

rajkrish

Oct 10, 2007, 6:50 PM

IBS First block

Photo courtesy : Ajay PP, SSC

http://i16.tinypic.com/62zlw10.jpg

rajkrish

Oct 10, 2007, 6:55 PM

Thejaswini - The biggest single office building in India

Photo courtesy : Ajay PP, SSC

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/7097/picture013rsrb1.jpg

rajkrish

Oct 10, 2007, 6:56 PM

TCS Peepul Park - The new global training centre of Tata Consultancy Services

Photo courtesy ; Ajay PP, SSC.

http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/3859/picture021rsiv1.jpg

Sathyalal

Oct 11, 2007, 7:35 AM

PMG junction

http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/1235/img04495sg.jpg

Santhosh

Oct 11, 2007, 7:44 AM

Guys,

Why are you posting the photos of same TECHNOPARK all the time? Please post photos of new buildings .. no need of PMG jn etc.

Sathyalal

Oct 11, 2007, 7:54 AM

Santhosh,
The building you have seen above(Peepul park) is completed racently, so natuarally it deserves posting.. Technopark is a generic name there are so many individual buildings coming up.. similar to IBS shown above.

Samudra
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/6997/img02553eh.jpg

Sathyalal

Oct 11, 2007, 10:30 AM

Gorkhi bhavan(Russian cultural centre)

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/7571/img05226ri.jpg

Sathyalal

Oct 12, 2007, 3:32 AM

Road near to Rajbhavan
http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/2893/img05020ei.jpg

rajkrish

Oct 12, 2007, 5:54 AM

Another feather in the cap of Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS)- one of the best hospitals in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: The KIMS hospital has started a specialised thrombolysis (therapy to dissolve blocks in major arteries using medicines) unit. According to studies, over 50,000 people die in Kerala annually due to heart attacks or strokes.

This is often because people seldom reach hospitals within the ‘golden hour,’ when thrombolytic therapy can be used to dissolve the clots in arteries, thus restoring blood supply.

KIMS is now providing free ambulance service within the city limits to help people in the event of chest pain.

The service can be reached at the phone no. 24485856.

Sathyalal

Oct 13, 2007, 8:40 AM

Some pictures from http://www.theleela.com/hotel-kovalam.html
Courtesy to Leela Kempiniski

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/9436/36529571nw4.png

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/6301/55287291yy4.png

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/5184/65731330wp4.png

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/769/18520952gu6.png

Sathyalal

Oct 13, 2007, 3:59 PM

Technopark is planning additional 39.5 million Square feet by 2013Trivandrum Technopark by 2013
Shalini Nair
Technopark in Trivandrum is planning to develop its third and fourth phase within three months, for which negotiations are going on with parties involved at different stages of development.
The two phases have got in-principal approval and finalisation will be undertaken within three months. PricewaterhouseCoopers will design the master plan. The entire Technopark will be ready by 2012-13, says a company official. The 205 acres out of 507 in phase-4 will be acquired within three months and the remaining land will be in possession after 8 to 9 months.
The third phase developed on 100 acres will have 3.5 m sq.ft. The fourth phase is in Pallipuram, 5 km away from the Kerala university campus, where other three phases are developed. It consists of 507 acres with 36 m sq.ft, and includes an integrated township with IT offices, hotels, hospitals and R&D centres. The employment level will rise to 2,00,000.
When asked if they are looking out for more phases to be developed, the official told Projectmonitor, "For Technopark, we are not planning further development due to space crunch, but surely looking out for hub & spoke model in Kochi, Calicut and Thiruvananthapuram. We are eyeing 11 districts for KPOs which will employ 3,000 to 5,000 people. The lands have been identified in Calicut, Alleppey, Cannanore and Palakkad. All other KPOs will have around 42 to 50 acres, except Calicut with 80 to100 acres."
There are already water treatment plants for three phases even with the World Bank-funded project, wherein the Japanese government in association with the government of Kerala will make the way smoother. For phase-4, a reservoir already exists in the area; however, water from the project will be made available for future use. Technopark is in talks with KSEB and NTPC for receiving more electricity for the coming up phases, which will provide 50 mw. As KSEB is cheaper, it seems to have bagged the project.
The first phase comprises 242 acres with 126 companies and the second with 86 acres has two companies.

http://www.projectsmonitor.com/detailnews.asp?newsid=14639&secid=80

Sathyalal

Oct 14, 2007, 2:36 AM

The first chartered flight with 258 tourists from the United Kingdom will touch down at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport on November 2 to kick off another peak tourist season in ‘God’s Own Country.’

All the seats in the first flight have been sold out and the response to the other flights is encouraging

Another chartered flight from Sweden is also scheduled to arrive here at 9.30 p.m. on November 5. The 270 Swedish tourists in the first flight from Sweden after 11 years are being brought by ‘Sol Resor’ and the ground handling is done by Go India Holidays

The flight will operate every Monday till April end

http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/14/stories/2007101458720300.htm

rajkrish

Oct 14, 2007, 3:49 AM

This is an informal news. UST has booked 2 floors in Leela IT Park and the rest has been blocked by a 'blue colored global MNC' :)

And now some official news

The ground-breaking ceremony of UST's new campus will be held on 24th October. The first tower will be 70 M high having more than a million square feet. The completion date of the first tower is December 2008. The architects are CPG, Singapore, Project management consultants, Synergy, Bangalore.

Subin

Oct 14, 2007, 5:05 AM

This is an informal news. UST has booked 2 floors in Leela IT Park and the rest has been blocked by a 'blue colored global MNC' :)

IBM ? :rolleyes:

Now, Yet another highrise near Technopark :tup:

Confident Althena - Menamkulam, Near Technopark

It comprises 525 exquisite living spaces with Lifestyle amenities spread over 2,17,800 sft of prime land.

http://i24.tinypic.com/2vs3qk5.jpg

Credits : Nishanth((SSC)

List of highrises coming up near Technopark

SFS - Cyber Palms - 5 towers of 21 storeys each.
SKYLINE - Domain - 21 storey
OLIVE - Cressidia - 3 towers of 21 storeys each.
HEERA - Infocity - 17 storey
CORDIAL - Cyber Castle -17 & 14 storey towers
CONDOR - Cyber Gardens -5 towers of 15+ storeys
CONFIDENT - Althena - towers up to 15 storeys
PTC - Aquavista - 15 storeys
SFS - Waterscapes -15 storeys
HEERA - Towers -15 storeys
KRISTAL - Onyx -15 storeys (Tech park)
OCEANUS - Bluemount - 15 storeys
OCEANUS - Bliss - 16 storeys
RDS - Tranquil - 15 storeys
ARTECH - Lake view - 14 storeys
OCEANUS - Serenity - 11 storeys

Apart from this other developers are finalizing their projects :

Emaar MGF- May have the first project in about 12 acres.
PRESTIGE GROUP- Aquired two parcels of land, 17 acres & 4 acres.

Credits: Sudheesh(SSC)

Sathyalal

Oct 14, 2007, 12:50 PM

Japan Cultural centre is following French, Russian and British,Maldives,Srilankan Cultural centres in the city...

Japan Festival begins today

Started organizing cultural functions.

It is jointly organised by the Japan Cultural and Information Centre and the Consulate-General of Japan.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: This weekend, city residents will have an opportunity to experience Japanese culture and cuisine.

The VJT Hall is being decked up as the venue for the Japan Festival 2007 jointly organised by the Japan Cultural and Information Centre in association with the Consulate-General of Japan in Chennai, Alumni Society of AOTS (Association of Overseas Technical Scholarship), Thiruvananthapuram, and the Global Regionalist Initiative Projects (GRIP), Kerala.

Established in 2004 in Thiruvananthapuram, the Japan Cultural and Information Centre seeks to promote technical and cross-cultural cooperation between the two countries and foster friendly relations between the people

http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/13/stories/2007101351290200.htm

Sathyalal

Oct 16, 2007, 1:52 AM

Music college Jn
http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/6617/jan6050fo9.jpg

rajkrish

Oct 16, 2007, 6:07 AM

IBS Main Building - Inauguration 22nd October .

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/5214/ibsau8.jpg

rajkrish

Oct 16, 2007, 6:08 AM

Leela Scottish Lace IT Park

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/6493/leelais6.jpg

Sathyalal

Oct 16, 2007, 3:24 PM

There are so many places to fly into in India, which are more promising, like Trivandrum: CEO of AirAsia
http://www.expresstravelworld.com/200710/market15.shtml

Santhosh

Oct 17, 2007, 1:57 AM

Sathyalal

Oct 17, 2007, 3:30 AM

Hi All

See the news on TVM international airport, it is now under the control of Chennai and may loose its international airport position. Tamilians are very clever, they will always drag kerala behind TN.

http://www.keralakaumudi.com/

I do not think they will ever dare to do it. Will be taken care by the people. Even though it is exaggerated, Kerala kaumudi did a good thing in diggiing it out, now it is peoples turn.

Sathyalal

Oct 21, 2007, 7:28 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: State Bank of Travancore on Saturday posted a 12.84 per cent growth in net profit at Rs 154.09 crore during the half-year ended September 30.

The bank's total income increased by 30 per cent in the six-month period to Rs 1,807.20 crore from Rs 1,387.16 crore in the corresponding period last year, an SBT release said.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Company/Earnings/SBT_H1_net_profit_up_by_13/articleshow/2477220.cms

chandrurajan

Oct 22, 2007, 4:34 AM

Pallivetta (Royal Hunt) and Arattu (Holy Bath) are part of the rituals of the festivals of some of the major temples of Kerala. The Arattu at the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Trivandrum is very special that the head of the royal family of erstwhile Travancore still provides escort to the procession of idols. The two annual ten-day festivals of the temple fall in October- November and March- April.

http://i24.tinypic.com/33vcj1t.jpg

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http://i20.tinypic.com/25hk16r.jpg

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http://i23.tinypic.com/b7b59v.jpg

http://i21.tinypic.com/2yy16cx.jpg

Sathyalal

Oct 22, 2007, 3:02 PM

UST Global announces Rs 500 cr expansion plan
Monday, 22 October , 2007, 18:21

Thiruvananthapuram: UST Global, a California-based IT firm that has its Indian headquarters at Technopark here, Monday announced expansion plans involving an investment of $130 million (about Rs 500 crore).

Speaking to reporters here, Sajan Pillai, president and chief operating officer of the company, said the development strategy would be rolled out in three phases.

"We are building our own campus at the 36 acres that Kerala government has given us inside Technopark. After it is completed, we would have 1.3 million sq. ft. of campus that would employ 10,000 professionals," said Pillai.

UST Global began its operations in 1999. Today it is the biggest software employer in Kerala with a total business of $250 million (about Rs 1000 crore) last fiscal.

Currently UST Global employs 5,500 professionals, out of which close to 3,500 works at Technopark.

"Our expansion plans include investments of $60 million, $40 million and $30 million in the first, second and third phases, respectively. We expect our total revenues to touch $500 to $650 million by 2009," added Pillai.

Pillai said the company works for 42 Fortune 500 companies, which is expected to increase to 75 in the next two years.

http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14547202

rajkrish

Oct 23, 2007, 6:29 AM

IBS Inauguration

Photo credits : Sudheesh Nair, SSC

http://img250.imageshack.us/img250/8774/dsc04443gi9.jpg

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/2918/dsc04445lj1.jpg

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/4927/dsc04446vk4.jpg

http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/2921/dsc04448bt3.jpg

rajkrish

Oct 23, 2007, 6:32 AM

UST Global takes hub-and-spoke route

Sanjeev Ramachandran / Chennai/ Thiruvananthapuram October 23, 2007

UST Global, a Kerala-based provider of end-to-end IT services and BPO solutions, is adopting the hub-and-spoke model to expand its presence in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

According to Sajan Pillai, president and COO, UST Global, the company would soon set up centres across tier-II and tier-III towns of Kerala and Tamil Nadu as per the plan.

“The centre in Thiruvananthapuram would act as the hub, with the proposed centres in different smaller towns being the spokes. The idea of bringing jobs to where the talented professionals are will materialise with the realisation of this plan,” he said.

UST Global, which has 42 Fortune 500 companies in its client list, will also have its exclusive campus in a few years. This would be in addition to its current centre at the Technopark campus. The ground-breaking ceremony of the $130-million campus, which will come up adjacent to the Technopark, will be held on October 24, 2007.

“The campus will be set up in three phases. While the first phase of the project would involve an investment of $60 million, $40 million and $30 million will be infused in the second and third phases respectively. The first phase of the 36-acre campus, which has already been accorded approval by the Technopark authorities, will be completed by the first quarter of 2009, and we expect the campus to be fully operational by the first quarter of 2011, Pillai said.

The new campus as well as the expansion plans have spurred the company to go in for a massive recruitment drive, which has been kicked off. The company's existing facility at Technopark currently houses 3,000-odd professionals. Close to 6,000 professionals would be required additionally as and when the new campus comes up.

UST Global has also lined up plans to go public by the first quarter of 2009, if the conditions are conducive at that time, Pillai said.

Stating that a new centre will also be opened at Kochi in the beginning of next month, Pillai said the centre would employ 300 professionals initially. The number will be scaled up to 2,000 in two years' time, he added.

rajkrish

Oct 23, 2007, 6:34 AM

KINFRA at Kazhakkoottam beckoning animators

T'PURAM: Animation film projects from the US and the UK, which were dependent on the ‘Motion capture facility’ in Malaysia and Singapore, are now turning to India’s first sector-specific Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for Animation and Gaming in the KINFRA Film & Video Park (KFVP) at Kazhakkoottam.

The reason: Its standard design modules with quality at relatively cheaper rates. Though a similar facility was available in Chennai earlier, that was closed down.

Now this facility stands out unique in the country. Set up in April this year by Accel Animation Studios, a division of Accel Transmatic Ltd, the motion capture facility has already received a project from the US-based Motion Analysis, and expects orders from France. Accel has also tied up with US-based Long Tale International to develop, co-produce and distribute animation movies for the global market.

What is the essence of motion capture facility? Visible infrared rays from the master camera hits the actor from among the 32 juxtaposed cameras in a special animation studio to capture the actor’s movements. Automatically, the captured motion gets recorded directly as an image which pops up on the computer screen in a three-dimensional effect, which is then animated in scale to suit various characters for the animation film.

Apart from Accel, three leading animation companies - Toonz Animation, Compact Disc India and Dimensions are in the process of setting up export-oriented animation units (EOU). KINFRA has allotted land for all the four units and of that Accel’s is already operational. Compact has obtained the approval from SEZ regional development commissioner to set up an EOU, while Toonz and Dimensions are awaiting the approval.

These units within the Animation and Gaming Park will be housed in a four-floor imposing structure named ‘Drishya’ in a 1.5-lakh square feet air-conditioned studio space. The Animation and Gaming Zone has 10 lakh sq ft built up area in the 25-acre land within the sprawling 75 acres of KFVP, the first Infotainment Industrial Park in the country.

Having provided world-class infrastructure facility for EOUs, KINFRA has forayed into its plan to open up an International Animation School by the coming academic year. The Union Ministry of Commerce has given the approval for the school and has released the initial instalment grant of Rs 2.2 crore.

Conceptualised as per the recommendations of the NASSCOM report to develop animation industry in the state, the Animation school will be set up at a total expenditure of Rs 20.5 crore under the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) mode. In that, one third of the cost will be shared by the Centre, one third by the state and rest by private entrepreneurs. The one third share from the Centre will amount to about Rs 6.8 crore, KFVP project manager K.Sudhakaran said.

Modelled on similar theme parks in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, the KFVP, as KINFRA’s managing director AS Suresh Babu puts it, "has a wide range of investment options such as video studios, facilities for digital cinema, animation and special effect studios, DVD and CD replication service providers, teleport and outdoor shooting facilities that one can choose from."

rajkrish

Oct 23, 2007, 6:37 AM

Technopark third phase.

Picture credits : Sidewinder, SSC

This is the perspective of the one of the several blocks which are being planned

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/8007/lastprintcy3.jpg

rajkrish

Oct 23, 2007, 6:38 AM

Panchakarma Hospital turning world-class

T扨URAM: The Panchakarma Hospital at Poojappura is all set to achieve world-class standards with the Health Minister laying the foundation stone on Monday for the state-of-the-art international centre.

The new centre having the facility for research and treatment purposes will be completed within 18 months and is being constructed at an expense of Rs 4 crore. The State Government has already sanctioned Rs 2 crore for the construction of the five-storeyed new block.

The new block is being constructed as per the traditional 憊astu?style by the Habitat group. The centre will have exclusive treatment facilities for foreigners for which VIP suites are being constructed.

Apart from general wards and paywards, facilities will also be set up for research purposes. An exclusive library for research purpose will also be set up here. There are also plans to shift all the PG courses to the new centre and to start new speciality courses.

Once completed, this will be the biggest Ayurveda centre in the state matching international standards.

Health Minister P K Sreemathi will lay the foundation stone for the centre on Monday at 4.30 pm at a function in which V Sivankutty MLA, Mayor C Jayan Babu, Pannyan Raveendran MP, Health Secretary Vishwas Mehta, Ayurveda Medical Education Director Dr K Sankaran and Ayurveda College Principal Dr M R Vasudevan Namboodiri will attend.

rajkrish

Oct 23, 2007, 6:40 AM

Telecom City news update

Employment Oppurtunites(Direct) - More than 10,000
Land Area - 30 acres of Aspirin plant has been acquired.
Total Investment - Rs 600 crores
Technological partner - ITI
The project will be done by the Private companies in BOT method.

This is what SIDCO MD had said to latest Mathrubhumi Dhanakariyam

rajkrish

Oct 23, 2007, 6:43 AM

TECHNOPARK-based Accentia Technologies has acquired Denmed Medical Transcription, a US-based BPO company operating in Portland.

According to a statement here on Wednesday, the Denmed Medical Transcription with an employee base of 120 professionals, was acquired for 3 million US $. This is the third BPO unit in the US that Accentia has taken over.

‘‘We are happy to become part of a company that represents India’s superiority and long-term experience in the BPO zone,’’ said Scott Schram and Debbie Schram, president and CEO respectively of Denmed .

‘‘Though we have taken over the company, Denmed’s directors will continue to be part of Accentia as shareholders and officials,’’ Accentia’s CEO Pradeep Viswambharan said.

Accentia will soon acquire one BPO company each in Minnesota and Florida in the US and Hyderabad, Belgaum and Hubli in India, he added. Negotiations are underway and the details will be concluded by the end of this month.

robin

Oct 23, 2007, 11:35 AM

Sathyalal

Oct 23, 2007, 12:29 PM

First let us understand the one who is writing this?

Did they ever give deserving importance to Technopark?

They are very good at removing Technopark and Technocity from the news items.Also good at creating their own versions of the stories
G-TECH seemed to have questioned, one of such creations.

Now this is their reaction due to the same.

Now coming to the point

GTECH is formed, when Technopark was small. There was an informal agreement among them(related to the candidates working less than 3 years). Similar kinds of agreement were existing there in Hyderabad too.
Did it affect Technopark so far?

Also many new entrants such us Infosys are not following this. Also not applicable to the new phases.

The surprising thing was they just digged it out after 12 years. They are bringing it up(that is too removing 3 year clause, new entrants, Infosys etc), when it is developing too fast.Buildings are getting housefull. Only space crunch is there. But I have never seen them giving a single line, for the lots of campuses under construction.
My advice: Understand the intensions and ignore them.

:sathyan
some days before there was a news in malayala manorama abt the reformation of an entreprners foroum in technopark,and there deision not eploy professionals from other member companies.
what is ur opinion on his WHEATHER THIS WILLEFFECT THE DEVELOPMENTS OF TECHNOPARK.

sudheeshnairs

Oct 24, 2007, 11:16 AM

:sathyan
some days before there was a news in malayala manorama abt the reformation of an entreprners foroum in technopark,and there deision not eploy professionals from other member companies.
what is ur opinion on his WHEATHER THIS WILLEFFECT THE DEVELOPMENTS OF TECHNOPARK.

I was working with GTECH as the Manager-Operations, about 5 years back. Yes, what Sathyalal said is very much true. It is for new entrants to a company. Those who are seniors, were free to move. And the companies were mostly homegrown. Companies like Infosys, Tata Elxsi, Allianz Cornhill, Ernst & Young are not GTECH members. Now not even half of the companies in Technopark are part of GTECH.

sudheeshnairs

Oct 24, 2007, 1:25 PM

UST Global Trivandrum campus first phase was unvieled today.

The foot print of the first tower is occupying an area of 5 acres.
It is having an atrium of the size of a 'Foot Ball stadium'.:nuts: Bhavani atrium would be a liliputian then.

The tower would be having a height of 70 m (That of a 23 floor residential apartment).

Seems it would be the one of the single largest buildings of that kind in India.

Stay tuned for more details:)

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/6633/usflexprintingsamplenh8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

nisanth

Oct 25, 2007, 10:32 AM

Work on Vizhinjam to start in 2009
Construction work on the Rs 2,390-crore Vizhinjam International Deepwater Seaport and Container Transshipment Hub at Trivandrum in Kerala will commence in early 2009, said L. Radhakrishnan, Secretary to Government (Ports) and Director and CEO, Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd. He was speaking at the 2nd Southern Asia Ports, Logistics and Shipping 2007 held in Mumbai recently.
The Government of Kerala set up Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd as the nodal agency to execute the deepwater seaport and container transshipment hub on public-private partnership basis. The seaport and container transshipment terminal is located at Vizhinjam, seven km south of Trivandrum. The implementation and operation of the port will be on build-operate-transfer (BOT) model with a post-construction license period of 30 years. The project will be developed in three phases (see table).
In August this year, VISL floated global tenders inviting private developers and investors to develop the project. October 31 is the last date for submission of bids. "So far we have received nearly 25 domestic and international bids for the tender floated," Radhakrishnan stated. Of these, a Chinese consortium has emerged as the lowest bidder. This bid is, however, likely to be turned down for several reasons one of which is the sensitive nature of the project.
The bids will be evaluated by the end of this year. Thereafter, the technical and financial closure by the selected bidder will take a year to complete. Construction work is expected to start in 2009 and take 36 months for completion of engineering, procurement and construction activities. As of now, the port is scheduled to start commercial operation by 2012.
But why is the Kerala government offering a 30-year concession period when the Maharashtra government has announced a 50-year period for a similar project? The VISL chief replied that 30 years were more than sufficient for the private developer to recover the money invested. Further, Radhakrishnan said the state government could extend the concession period if the developer was interested in maintaining the seaport beyond three decades.
The Government of Kerala has appointed IL&FS Infrastructure Development Corporation (IL&FS IDC) as the strategic advisor and L&T-Ramboll Consulting Engineers Ltd, Rogge Marine Consulting GmbH, Germany, Ramboll, Denmark, and L&T Capital Company Ltd as technical consultants for the project. The state government will provide financial support for the project by way of state debt at zero coupon rate to meet any shortfall, if any, in the viability of the project.
On completion of phase-I of development, the seaport will be able to receive ships of up to 8,000 TEU (Twenty Equivalent Units). The project is conceived in such a way that, in the subsequent phase of its development, ships of even 12,000 TEU could easily berth at the port. The projected traffic for Vizhinjam Port under a moderate scenario is six million TEUs by the year 2042.
On the selection of Vizhinjam as the location of the deepwater seaport and container transshipment hub, Radhakrishnan said, "Vizhinjam is located eight km south of Thiruvananthapuram (the new name for Trivandrum) and the biggest advantage of the location is its proximity to international shipping routes and the east-west shipping axis with a natural seawater depth of 20 metres." Because of its depth the port can handle supertankers and the biggest container mother ships with ease and unlike east coast ports or those in Gujarat, the Kerala coast suffers comparatively little disruption from cyclone activity, he explained.
Once the port starts operation, it is expected that at least 50 per cent of the nearly 20,000 ships that pass through Suez Canal (per annum) will anchor at Vizhinjam Port. The port is also expected to give stiff competition to the ports of Colombo, Singapore and Dubai, and also boost trade and commerce.
Vizhinjam Port is slated to be 150 metres in width. About 250-275 hectares (600 to 700 acres) will be made available through reclamation of the sea. The port will have two breakwaters of 1.5 km and 6 km with harbour basin and wharfs. There will be about 30 berths, most of which will be capable of handling mother vessels. The port's handling capacity is envisaged at 4.1 million TEU per annum once complete and will cater to 12,000 TEU vessels.

Courtesy : Projects Monitor

Sathyalal

Oct 26, 2007, 5:39 AM

Good updates, Nisanth

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

Keltec will build bramhos missiles

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/8779/brahmosrl3.png

Texport - global apparel company is investing Rs 20 crores in Apparel park which will provide employment oppurtunities to around 1200 people

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/8968/texportho3.png

rajkrish

Oct 26, 2007, 6:20 AM

Rs 1000 cr Indian Institutes of Science in MP, Kerala

New Delhi, Oct 25 : The Union Cabinet today approved setting up of two Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) at Bhopal and Thiruvananthapuram at a total cost of Rs 1,000 crore.

''Each institute is expected to have nearly 2,000 undergraduate students, postgraduate students and research scholars, and about 200 faculty members, across disciplines,'' Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.

The Bhopal and Thiruvananthapuram institutes are fourth and fifth in the chain of IISERs to be set up in the country by the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

The two IISERs, each costing Rs 500 crore, will have programmes of study called Schools in various interdisciplinary areas of Biological Sciences, Mathematical and Computer Sciences, Physical Sciences, Chemical Sciences and Material Sciences, he said.

The proposed IISERs are to actively forge strong relationship with existing universities and colleges and network with laboratories and institutions, in order to share and complement faculty resources as well as research, library and computational facilites.

rajkrish

Oct 26, 2007, 6:22 AM

Three cheers :notacrook:

This emphatically proves that Trivandrum indeed is the knowledge capital of Kerala

Decision on land to be allotted for the institute at the next Cabinet meeting

Big leap forward for science education: Baby

Academics welcomes decision

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), sanctioned by the Centre here, will, in all likelihood, be located on the Government Jersey Farm land at Vithura. A final decision on the location and the extent of land to be allotted will be taken at the next State Cabinet meeting.

The State government has welcomed the decision of the Union Cabinet on Thursday to allow the fifth IISER (after Pune, Kolkata, Mohali and Bhopal) to be set up in the State capital. Education Minister M.A. Baby told The Hindu here that the institute would result in “a big leap forward for the higher-, specialised- and science-education sectors in the State.”

“It will certainly help to elevate educational standards in the State,” he said.

Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, in a press note here, said the State would make available land and take steps to ensure that classes begin at the institute in the next academic year.

The State had been constantly asking the Prime Minister and the Union Human Resource Minister for an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and an IISER. During the last Kerala formation day celebrations, the Prime Minister promised both.

He must now keep his word on setting up the IIT by including the proposal in the 11th Plan, he said.

The State government, he said, has already decided to hand over in two phases 200 acres (80 hectares) of land for the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology in Thiruvananthapuram.
Academics upbeat

The academic community too has welcomed the clearance for setting up the IISER. Radhakrishna Pillai, Director of the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB), termed it a “tremendous development.”Kerala, he told The Hindu, produces the largest number of postgraduates.

With the coming of the institute, such students will have an excellent opportunity to do research in an ambience that matches international standards.

“Though we have many national-level institutes here, we have not been able to offer inter-disciplinary courses. This will change now. In fact, the RGCB stands to benefit the most. “We are working on nanotechnology care for cancer and we do not have physics and chemistry backup for making nano-scale products. The IISER will create that pool of talent that the State lacks now,” he said.

M. Baba, Director of the Centre for Earth Science Studies, is of the view that the institute will attract to Kerala world-class talent, both students and teachers, in basic sciences and inter-disciplinary studies.

rajkrish

Oct 26, 2007, 6:29 AM

25 bids already received for Vizhinjam Transhipment terminal

Work on Vizhinjam to start in 2009

Lalitha Rao

Construction work on the Rs 2,390-crore Vizhinjam International Deepwater Seaport and Container Transshipment Hub at Trivandrum in Kerala will commence in early 2009, said L. Radhakrishnan, Secretary to Government (Ports) and Director and CEO, Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd. He was speaking at the 2nd Southern Asia Ports, Logistics and Shipping 2007 held in Mumbai recently.
The Government of Kerala set up Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd as the nodal agency to execute the deepwater seaport and container transshipment hub on public-private partnership basis.
VISL floated global tenders inviting private developers and investors to develop the project. October 31 is the last date for submission of bids. "So far we have received nearly 25 domestic and international bids for the tender floated," Radhakrishnan stated. Of these, a Chinese consortium has emerged as the lowest bidder. This bid is, however, likely to be turned down for several reasons one of which is the sensitive nature of the project.
The bids will be evaluated by the end of this year. Thereafter, the technical and financial closure by the selected bidder will take a year to complete. Construction work is expected to start in 2009 and take 36 months for completion of engineering, procurement and construction activities. As of now, the port is scheduled to start commercial operation by 2012.
But why is the Kerala government offering a 30-year concession period when the Maharashtra government has announced a 50-year period for a similar project? The VISL chief replied that 30 years were more than sufficient for the private developer to recover the money invested. Further, Radhakrishnan said the state government could extend the concession period if the developer was interested in maintaining the seaport beyond three decades.
The Government of Kerala has appointed IL&FS Infrastructure Development Corporation (IL&FS IDC) as the strategic advisor and L&T-Ramboll Consulting Engineers Ltd, Rogge Marine Consulting GmbH, Germany, Ramboll, Denmark, and L&T Capital Company Ltd as technical consultants for the project. The state government will provide financial support for the project by way of state debt at zero coupon rate to meet any shortfall, if any, in the viability of the project.
On completion of phase-I of development, the seaport will be able to receive ships of up to 8,000 TEU (Twenty Equivalent Units). The project is conceived in such a way that, in the subsequent phase of its development, ships of even 12,000 TEU could easily berth at the port. The projected traffic for Vizhinjam Port under a moderate scenario is six million TEUs by the year 2042.
On the selection of Vizhinjam as the location of the deepwater seaport and container transshipment hub, Radhakrishnan said, "Vizhinjam is located eight km south of Thiruvananthapuram (the new name for Trivandrum) and the biggest advantage of the location is its proximity to international shipping routes and the east-west shipping axis with a natural seawater depth of 20 metres." Because of its depth the port can handle supertankers and the biggest container mother ships with ease and unlike east coast ports or those in Gujarat, the Kerala coast suffers comparatively little disruption from cyclone activity, he explained.
Once the port starts operation, it is expected that at least 50 per cent of the nearly 20,000 ships that pass through Suez Canal (per annum) will anchor at Vizhinjam Port. The port is also expected to give stiff competition to the ports of Colombo, Singapore and Dubai, and also boost trade and commerce.

rajkrish

Oct 26, 2007, 6:31 AM

The five city corporations in the State are being equipped with high-resolution digital maps for easier tax assessment, infrastructure planning and improved service delivery.

The programme has been taken up under the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP), assisted by the Asian Development Bank.

The Centre for Earth Science Studies has prepared base maps in 1:4000 scale (1 cm on the map representing 40 m on the ground) for each project city. Based on satellite images, the maps feature geographical and urban land-use data, making them suitable for marking out existing urban infrastructure facilities and planning new or additional facilities.

A technical support unit with Geographical Information System (GIS) experts has been established at the KSUDP headquarters here for the mapping programme. The unit is responsible for processing remote-sensing data, ground validation and utilisation of Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographical Information System (GIS).

The project officials say the digital maps will play a major role in urban management in future. Long-term goals include city planning and development, transportation and traffic management, planning and development of civic amenities, such as schools, hospitals and shopping centres, tax collection and commercial licensing and managing utilities, such as water supply, sewerage, telephone network and power

The maps cover 142 sq. km in Thiruvananthapuram, 56 sq. km in Kollam, 88 sq. km in Kochi, 103 sq. km in Thrissur and 84 sq. km in Kozhikode. High-resolution data from the QuickBird remote sensing satellite was procured through the national remote sensing agency, Hyderabad, for database generation. The final cadastral maps reproduced under the project show administrative boundaries up to the ward level and survey plots, enabling local-level application

Sathyalal

Oct 26, 2007, 1:10 PM

See the updated technopark land request list.

Toonz has requested 100 acres.
L& T has requested 50 acres in Technocity.

http://www.technopark.org/landr.htm

If you add up every thing, will this 507 acres enough? What is GoK waiting for?

Sathyalal

Oct 27, 2007, 10:50 AM

I do not know why GoK extended the date till Dec 15. They already have bids from 30 firms including Reliance and L& T. No other port in India has recieved these many number of bids. But still why there are delay tactics??

All decks cleared for Vizhinjam port project
ZEENAT NAZIR

NEW DELHI, OCTober 26: After several delays and false starts, construction work at one of India’s first international container trans-shipment hub and deepwater port, set to come up at Vizhinjam near Thiruvananthapuram, is finally expected to commence by early 2009. The $1.3-billion project, slated to come up on the public private partnership route, has already witnessed interest from over 30 domestic and international port players, even as more companies are expected to jump into the fray over the next month.

“The deadline for receiving bids for the Vizhinjam port project has been extended by another 45 days to December 15, and already we have received interest from over 30 players,” said L Radhakrishnan, secretary to government (ports), chief executive officer and director of Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd— the nodal agency executing the project. “The bids will be evaluated by the year-end, and another year will be required to achieve technical and financial closure, after which the project work can begin.”

The players that have purchased bid documents for the project include foreign giants like Maersk and the Singapore Port Authority, while domestic heavyweights like Reliance and Larsen and Toubro (L&T) among others, are learnt to have evinced interest as well. This is the second time that bids have been called for the project. Last year, merely two bids were received and the Chinese consortium granted the tender by the state government was rejected by the Centre for want of adequate security clearance, making the project a non-starter.

With the bid process seemingly on track and no further delays expected, Radhakrishnan said the Vizhinjam port is likely to commence operations commercially by 2012. “The project is on track and we expect the first phase to be completed in 26 months,” he said.

The port, with a concession period of 30 years, will see three phases of development. In the first phase, Vizhinjam would be able to accommodate ships of 8,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), while subsequently, by 2012, it would be able to dock giant vessels as big as 12,000 TEUs, with a total capacity to handle 5.3 mn TEUs of cargo every year.

The port’s significance attaches from the fact that it would have a natural depth (draft) of about 20 metres, while being conveniently located at a distance of just 10 nautical miles from international shipping routes.

“The trend in international shipping is the use of supertankers and huge container ships. Currently, more than 40 VLCS (very large container ships over 7500 TEUs) are already in service and 160 are being constructed,” said Radhakrishnan. “The 11,000 TEU ‘Evelyn Maersk’ vessel is already in operation globally and vessels as big as 18,000 TEUs will be commissioned into the global shipping fleet. This port should be able to cater to such large super vessels.”

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/232846.html

Sathyalal

Oct 28, 2007, 2:00 AM

Montreal gazette article on Kovalam & Varkala

Just south of Trivandrum is Kovalam Beach, a well-known bohemian haunt, and about 50 kilometres north of the capital is Varkala, newer but already popular.

They are very different yet equally magical. I start at Kovalam, because that was the Indian beach of my salad days 30 years ago, and, for a person who has spent a lifetime devoted to sacrificing whatever I must to spend every winter in the heat, it was my the most memorable winter-in-the-tropics.

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/travel/story.html?id=6953f719-6f54-4a9f-b0db-95c25fb434fb&p=1

Sathyalal

Oct 29, 2007, 5:05 AM

Vizhinjam

26 companies have submitted their bids.

The companies are planning to make 5 different consortiums.

Zoom developers had already submitted the bid. They have also requested GoK; not to extend the tender period.

Some other companies have requested GoK to extend the tender period.

Russia is ready to build the port, if GoI is willing to award the project.

The project will be awarded to the winner by Jan 2008

The work will start by Aug, next year

Source: Kerala Kaumudi

sudheeshnairs

Oct 29, 2007, 1:51 PM

SFS Waterscapes, (17 levels), Akkulam

Just 300m off the Akkulam Bridge, NH bypass.

http://img459.imageshack.us/img459/1421/waterscapesva7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

sudheeshnairs

Oct 29, 2007, 1:52 PM

:previous: And the proejct would be coming up in the place marked by the arrow.:)

Lot of balconies are given for the views, and all apartments look in to the lake.

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/4665/waterscapeslocation1dg1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Sathyalal

Oct 29, 2007, 3:23 PM

Thiruvananthapuram: The export of fresh fruits and vegetables to various destinations in the Gulf from three airports of the State, which had come to a standstill, will resume on Sunday midnight.

Only frozen fish to Zurich and live plants to Europe were exported through the three airports since Friday midnight. The airlines have incurred a loss of Rs.85 lakh.

Cargo space had been booked on all flights departing after Sunday midnight. The exporters approached the Union Ministry of Commerce and various airlines to reduce the freight rates that are on the higher side.

Of the estimated 80 tonnes of fresh fruits and vegetables exported on daily from the three airports, 60 tonnes is exported from Thiruvananthapuram, 15 tonnes from Kochi and nearly 10 tonnes from Kozhikode.

The country earns Rs.200 crore as annual foreign exchange from the export of vegetables and fruits
http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/29/stories/2007102956591700.htm

Sathyalal

Oct 30, 2007, 4:28 AM

Degree C hunts for biz ideas via Techtop platform

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 29 Gizmo-searchers, be alerted, Wheelchair with a joystick to navigate even the blind user, VLSI technology robot that can follow the target and catch it cost-efficiently, helmet with mike, amplifier and speaker audibility clarifier that tackles the complaint of helmets blocking eardrums are some of the student ideas on demo at Degree Controls Inc's (Degree C) engineering talent hunt TECHTOP 2007 this week.

The campus inventor has ideas for the quiet cradle to the noisy highway. There are also fancy devices like electronic cradle (with pulse oximeter and music system) that alerts of urine and voice from the baby and intelligent light-dimmer (that prevents accidents due to high intensity light beam from opposite vehicle).

As much as Rs 1 lakh in prize money is awaiting the student engineering team with the most catchy idea that's commercially viable too. Software contestants are not included, the organisers (Degree C and Tecnopark in Kerala Capital) caution.

Degree C in Milford New Hampshire USA is one of the world's best known names in innovative thermal and airflow electronics.

Degree C has scaled up its scope of engineering talent search from just five South Indian States last year to all over the engineering colleges in India. "This year, we have 17 contesting teams," says Rajesh Nair, chairman and CTO, Degree-C India, the Indian subsidiary of the the US firm.

Thus TECHTOP 2007 has contesting engineering colleges from Gujarat and Maharashtra like the VVP Engineering College, Rajkot and People Education Society's College, Aurengabad this year.

"Our interest in sponsoring the event is that it would develop as a conduit for engineering talents to use the busines incubation initiatives of Technopark," Technopark CEO C Radhakrishnan Nair said.

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Degree-C-hunts-for-biz-ideas-via-Techtop-platform/233941/

sudheeshnairs

Oct 30, 2007, 10:38 AM

And here comes the biggie, "MIND SPACE" from K Raheja:)

This appeared in the Supplement of Economic Times "Western Business Review", dated 29th October 2007.

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/69/rahejamindspaceoct29to9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Sathyalal

Oct 31, 2007, 10:02 AM

Chandrashekharan Nair stadium
http://img486.imageshack.us/img486/2975/img1523jl7.jpg

Sathyalal

Nov 1, 2007, 1:43 AM

Kanakakkunnu palace premises

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/4938/img1887ur7.jpg

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/2958/img1888bc3.jpg

Sathyalal

Nov 1, 2007, 4:18 AM

Varkeys Tower

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/1769/img1527zn9.jpg

sowmya

Nov 2, 2007, 2:08 PM

I read in The Hindu that Saawariya is releasing in City Theatres Trivandrum next week. Is this a multiplex? What is it exactly?

Subin

Nov 2, 2007, 7:55 PM

I read in The Hindu that Saawariya is releasing in City Theatres Trivandrum next week. Is this a multiplex? What is it exactly?

:previous: Its not a multiplex. I guess its the "New Theatre". Its one of the biggest theatres in Kerala (with a seating capacity of 1300+)

Sathyalal

Nov 4, 2007, 3:28 AM

This is what we can call sucess and development. Not just the realestate. It is nice to watch Trivandrum grown Toonz, Suntec,IBS,UST etc
Toonz Animation comes out of outsource worker image
Sunday November 4 2007 06:45 IST
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

T'URAM: Toonz Animation India has bade good bye to the outsource works as it has proved successful in own and co-productions.

"We have emerged from the shadows of an outsourcing hub for Western clients to the status of a co-producer with media giants like BBC, Disney, Sony Entertainment etc. Today, Toonz is co-producing Hanuman Returns・ the sequel to India's first successful animated movie Hanuman, which is due to hit theatres during the later part of December this year," said Toonz CEO P Jayakumar.

Speaking at the 8th anniversary celebrations of the company, Jayakumar also announced that the company had entered into agreements with Beijing University and Shengyang University in China to set up centres of excellence in animation training.

"Our training centers across India under the aegis of Toonz Academy have been a huge success and we would like to further that by emerging as a global film and media training centre," he said. Toonz has already begun talks with the State Government for setting up a film and media training centre at Kinfra Park in Thiruvananthapuram.
According to him, Toonz has not been concentrating much on the Indian market as the animation industry itself is in infancy stage in the country.

Toonz has now become one of the largest animation production houses in the South Asia region with a client list that include BBC, Disney, Sony Entertainment, Paramount, Hallmark and Warner Brothers. Apart from Thiruvananthapuram, Toonz has set up Animation academies in Mumbai, Nagpur and Delhi, and has plans to set up more in other cities in India. The company currently employs over 600 animation experts in its various facilities in India and around 400 across the world.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEO20071103202400&Page=O&Headline=Toonz+Animation+comes+out+of+outsource+worker+image&Title=Thiruvananthapuram&Topic=0

Sathyalal

Nov 5, 2007, 3:40 PM

Trivandrum is overtaking all the other animation hubs in Asia.

The news item related to Animation Industry in Trivandrum
T'PURAM: Animation film projects from the US and the UK, which were dependent on the motion capture facility・in Malaysia and Singapore, are now turning to India’s first sector-specific Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for Animation and Gaming in the KINFRA Film & Video Park (KFVP) at Kazhakkoottam.

The reason: Its standard design modules with quality at relatively cheaper rates. Though a similar facility was available in Chennai earlier, that was closed down.

Now this facility stands out unique in the country. Set up in April this year by Accel Animation Studios, a division of Accel Transmatic Ltd, the motion capture facility has already received a project from the US-based Motion Analysis, and expects orders from France. Accel has also tied up with US-based Long Tale International to develop, co-produce and distribute animation movies for the global market.

Apart from Accel, three leading animation companies - Toonz Animation, Compact Disc India and Dimensions are in the process of setting up export-oriented animation units (EOU). KINFRA has allotted land for all the four units and of that Accel is already operational. Compact has obtained the approval from SEZ regional development commissioner to set up an EOU, while Toonz and Dimensions are awaiting the approval.

Having provided world-class infrastructure facility for EOUs, KINFRA has forayed into its plan to open up an International Animation School by the coming academic year. The Union Ministry of Commerce has given the approval for the school and has released the initial installment grant of Rs 2.2 crore.
Modelled on similar theme parks in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, the KFVP, as KINFRA's managing director AS Suresh Babu puts it, "has a wide range of investment options such as video studios, facilities for digital cinema, animation and special effect studios, DVD and CD replication service providers, teleport and outdoor shooting facilities that one can choose from."

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEO20071019164356&Page=O&Headline=KINFRA+at+Kazhakkoottam+beckoning+animators&Title=Thiruvananthapuram&Topic=0

Sathyalal

Nov 6, 2007, 6:00 AM

near AIR
http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/6429/vkaq1.jpg

Sathyalal

Nov 7, 2007, 7:09 AM

IITM-K has become the first institution in the country, other than the IITs, to host the NPTEL mirror site.

The Thiruvananthapuram-based Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management, Kerala (IIITM-K) has hosted the first mirror site of National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) web-content under its Education Grid.

With this, IITM-K has become the first institution in the country, other than the IITs, to host the NPTEL mirror site.

Using the Education Grid portal and NPTEL support, IIITM-K is now working to launch support services for interaction and collaboration for some of the NPTEL courses.

Besides, IIITM-K has submitted proposals to the AICTE, Ministry of Human Resources Development and DIT to expand its Education Grid-based Technology Enhanced Teaching and Learning (TELT) services for the colleges for effective use of e-content from NPTEL and other sources.

The institute is working on starting proficiency certificate programmes for teachers in the colleges using the NPTEL course material, online content such as MIT's Open Courseware and several other rich sources of quality content that will help the teachers and their colleges to offer quality education to their students, said an IIITM-K source.

According to the source, the institute has sensitised hundreds of college teachers in the region on the effective use of TELT methodologies in improving instructional delivery. IIITM-K was also the host to the first NPTEL Workshop on Technology Enhanced Learning for Enriching Engineering Education held in January 2007 at its Technopark location.

IIITM-K has, over the last four years, been involved closely with the Centre's NPTEL in which over 320 faculty members from the IITs and IISCs have developed e-content in about 230 courses catering to the undergraduate engineering curriculum in the AICTE-approved engineering colleges.

Of these, as many as 110 courses are in the form of full-length recorded video lectures, comprising about 40 lecture hours per course, and as web-based supplementary learning materials in about 130 courses.

Courses are being offered in core sciences, Computer Science, Civil, Mechanical, Electronics and Electrical Engineering related subjects, the source added.

http://www.business-standard.com/strategist/storypage.php?leftnm=6&subLeft=8&chklogin=N&autono=303415&tab=r

World class educational institutions such as IIST, ISSER, RGCB,IITM-K etc together with world renowned research firms like ISRO, CDAC, RRL etc are making this place unique in the country.

Santhosh

Nov 7, 2007, 8:04 AM

Yes, Monthly hartal too will make this place unique in the country.

Sathyalal

Nov 7, 2007, 2:57 PM

Santhosh,
Your comment is offensive,sarcastic and is revealing your intentions. At least try to appreciate the fact that Trivandrum is in the leage of educational hubs of the world. As a trivandrumite I am happy to see that. If I do not like it, my approach is to console my self with some negative which is not relevant in this context. The knowledge based industries of Trivandrum are not affected when other parts of the state are affected. Do you think that ISRO is affected or TP is affected? Even Bangalore had to stop working a couple of days racently. But TP/ISRO were exceptions. Please understand that this is a specific thread for Trivandrum. If you have generic concerns about Kerala, please start a Kerala thread and post your concerns there.

I have noticed that you selectively attack this thread; why there are no such postings in other Kerala related threads? Your intolerance is only towards the positive developments of Trivandrum.

Yes, Monthly hartal too will make this place unique in the country.