COCHIN - THE CITY OF HARMONY! THE COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL/ECONOMIC/TOURISM/SPORT $ ENTERTAINMENT CITY

New Kochi City Mayor

2010-11-07T17:29:00.006+05:30

Mr. Tony Chammini elected as new Kochi mayor.

Mr. Badra Satheesh will be new deputy mayor.

Hence Tony Chammini becomes 1st UDF mayor after Mr. K S N Menon, who was mayor of Cochin during 02 Oct 1981 to 03 Oct 1982.

K S N Menon - Last UDF Mayor of Cochin

After winning votes Mr. Tony affirmed that his first focus will be the roads of Cochin, which is currently in a disastrous condition.

Mr. Tony is also the youngest Kochi mayor.

Let us all hope the best for a much better Kochi city...

Source 1

Source 2

Cochin Harbour Terminus - A Tribute

2009-11-14T16:52:00.016+05:30

Commemorating Cochin Harbour Terminus:

The Railway Station Which Hopes For The Best -

Let us first thank Sir Robert Bristow, who surveyed Cochin and made master plan for Wellington Island, which is currently the safest harbour in our peninsula.

Wellington Island had an airport, Seaport, Railway station and bus station within 3 kilometers radius, the only one of its kind in the whole world.

Cochin Harbour Terminus became functional in 1940’s with passenger train Shornur – Cochin. Later on it served lot of prestigious train services. Those days a movie was released named Cochin Express starring Prem Nasir. The word Cochin became famous all around travelers.

Some of the prestigious train services from CHTS were:

• 935/936 CHTS - Netravati express (now 6345/6346 TVC- Netravati exp)
• 957/958 CHTS - Dadar express (now discontinued)
• 929/930 Hyderabad - Cochin express (now 7029/7030 TVC - HYB Sabari express)
• 903/904 Cochin - Rajkot express (now 6337/6338 ERS - HAPA exp)
• 909/910 CHTS - Patna express (Now ERS - Patna 6309/6310 exp)
• 937/938 CHTS - HAPA express (now 6337/6338 ERS - HAPA exp)
• 911/912 CHTS - GKP Raptisagar express (now 5011/5012 TVC - GKP Raptisagar exp)
• CHTS - Indore, CHTS - Bilaspur (now TVC - Indore, TVC - Bilaspur)
• 923/924 CHTS - HWH (now 6323/6324 TVC - HWH)
• Cochin - Varanasi (now 6359/6360 ERS - Rajendra Nagar exp)

Ride Across Venduruthy Bridge from CHTS

Just check the link below to see how freight movement was going on in Cochin station in the past.

cochin station

Sad End of Cochin Terminus:

In 1978, railways short listed two stations, Cochin Harbour Terminus and Trivandrum Central to base the new division at. Ultimately, TVC won the race.

There was a huge uproar in the newspapers and the parliament due to the selection. Trivandrum was a much smaller station then. It was mere political interference which gave TVC, the divisional status.

Another reason for sad end of CHTS was delay in granting permission for electrification from ERS to CHTS by INDIAN NAVY. Hence all trains were moved to ERS and subsequently to Alleppey and TVC. Navy gave permission only in 2002.

article by jimmy jose

There were plans by authorities to transform CHTS to a rail museum. Nobody knows what happened. Probably Kochi will rank first if we consider the mammoth amount of projects proposed!!!

express article on rail museum

Now Rail Bridge is under construction parallel to the existing bridge. After it completes, the 6 km line from ERS to CHTS will be electrified and we could expect city service from Ernakulam to real Kochi.

new rail bridge

As a matter of fact, the 17th chapter of Arundhathi Roy’s famous book The God of Small Things is based on events at CHTS named Cochin Harbour Terminus.

The current Dilapidated Condition of CHTS -

>

Even today railway stations in Ernakulam are deprived of development, because majority of amount allotted to Trivandrum division under southern railway is spent in Trivandrum station. As a result Ernakulam South, which is busiest railway station in Kerala, has a unique distinction of being the rare first class station which doesn’t have even an A/C waiting hall or a modern reservation hall.

Lot has to happen from scratch level. Currently ERS faces a lot of issues with regard to passgenger comforts. The modernisation of ERS and ERN are nowhere. There is no scope of expansion of ERS and ERN.

(note: I would be called a plagiarist if I don't thank Jimmy Jose sir, who has the most authentic information about rail systems especially in and around Kerala and to be specific Cochin. He is well known for his staunch love towards Cochin Harbour Terminus.)

You all can suggest what best could be done to expand the rail system in Ernakulam / Kochi.

Shenoy

Beautiful Beaches in Cochin

2009-11-07T11:57:00.005+05:30

Cherai Beach - It is considered to be one the busiest beach in Kerala. It is of course the most popular beach in Kerala, with a trade mark attached to it called Cherai Beach Resorts.

Dutch Cemetery - The laid out evidence for the existence of Dutch colonies in the past. It was built in 1757.

Munambam Beach: An envy to Cherai, Munambam beach soon wil become a must see beach for people visiting Cherai beach. The recreational facilities needs to be strenghtened in the beach. They have a vast area for it.

Munambam Beach is a natural beauty that you have a walkway there; on one side it is sea beach and on the other side it has lake area with Chinese nets!!!Indeed a great place to spend your evening. But for Kochiites it is 35 kms from Ernakulam.

Pallathankulangara Beach: Yet another unexplored beach in Ernakulam. This is just 3 kms from Pallathankulangara Devi temple near Kuzhupilly. To be specific it is 16 kms from Vypeen and 19 kms from High Court area!It is absolutely a great place to watch out.

PuthuVype Light House: The only Light House in Kochi. It was supposed to come in FortKochi, but lack of proper space to build it forced authorities to build it on opposite shore making it less popular. Had it been in FortKochi, it would have attracted 100 times more tourists.

Puthuvype Beach: Once an unexplored beach in Kochi, is now visited by many. It is clean (as less tourists!!!)

I feel that Kochi has a great potential to promote beach areas, as we have FortKochi beach, Puthuvype, Kuzhuppilly beach, Pallathankulangara beach, Chrai and Munamban beach, all on same island excpet for FortCochin. The proposed Vypeen - Moothakunnam road through sea side could make Kochi a great place.

Shenoy!

Gujarati Community in Kochi and neighbourhood.

2009-10-17T12:33:00.007+05:30

Culture of Cochin is something which is unique.

In various towns and cities across India, there are various communities who form part of that city, but they would be there just for business or such related activities. But Kochi is far away from these.

Kochi had earlier attracted business men and later allured them to make Kochi as their second home.

The best example for this is the Gujarati community in Kochi.

Muslim ruler attacked Gujarat, they fled to various parts of India. One group travelled south to reach Calicut, Cochin, Allepey and Thiruvananthapuram. The terror of Muhammed Gaazni was so dreadful in their minds that they wanted to settle down in a place where the arms of the Muslim invaders could not reach them. They considered Cochin as their choicest abode as it provided both peaceful atmosphere and plenty of opportunity for trade. They obtained grants of land from his Highness Raja of Cochin and along with it all the security was assured to them for whatever trade they conducted there.

While Cochin and Calicut Gujarati's maintained their culture, the Gujarati's aroung Sri Padbanabaswamy temple got much mixed with the locals that they don't speak Gujarati, eventhough they remember their grandfathers having spoken Gujarati.

Gujarati's were and are great traders. Since the Gujarati traders were the Chief exporting agents their quantum of trade had to be increased beyond all their expectations. Cochin became the center of activities where adequate facilities were available for the storage of goods and their exportation.

A copper plate issued by the Raja of Cochin Veera Kerala Varma in the year 1929 speaks about the special favours granted to them.

In the year 1887 there was a flow of Gujarati families to Cochin. 72 families reached Cochin during the year. They were provided with necessary facilities for settlement and they could live in exclusive area where they could preserve all their traditions and practices without any local interference. In Cochin, the Gujarati communities preserved all their culture and traditions.

Currently there are around 800 families of Gujarati's with a population of around 4000 in Cochin. Most of them live in Mattancherry area of Cochin. As a matter of fact Mattancherry is considered to be the most densly populated town in Kerala.

population of gujaratis

Today Mattancherry has changed its face from the old phrase as a Goonda area to an area with real communal harmony. We could see numerous commuinities living together in harmony, which was thought to be imposssible.

Any one (from other parts of India) will find difference betweenm other parts of Kerala when they reach Mattancherry and FortKochi area, as they could sew a diiferent type of living. People are jovial, busy are so on.

Our ministers should do their best to maintain the heritage of Mattancherry which has many houses are localities which are seen to be under poor condition.

Mattancherry is in itself a mini India.

With Regards,

Vivek

2008-11-17T13:47:00.000+05:30

POPULAR HANGOUTS IN COCHIN

2008-07-05T18:27:00.011+05:30

KOCHI MAY be a happening place, but it was yet to imbibe the hangout culture that had caught up in a big way in similar cities across India. The restrictions put by the police after fall of dusk and the nuisance created by flashers, way-side Romeos, drug addicts are just some of the issues that people face. But things are changing abruptly. The mushrooming of ice-cream parlous, eat-outs, the Hill Palace Museum, Horticultural, and Internet kiosks with cabins are increasingly becoming the hangouts for the young crowd. The scenario is on a change mode as big malls are going to open soon. Bay Pride mall was the only real small mall, but now the Oberon mall supposed to be launched by August 2008 will be a big boost. Also other malls will be launched by 2009 such as Lulu mall (suppossed to be biggest mall in India), Forum Mall in Maradu, Gold Souk in Vytilla, Abad mall in MG road etc. (still a lot I dont remember).

Going by the metro meter there's good reason to believe that Kochiites are under the spell of fast foods.

The increasing crowds at the fast food joint like Pizza Hut, Chic King, Hot Breads et al are a testimony to this fact. Natty and neat, Chick King has literally revolutionised the fried chicken industry in the city! The crunchy chicken, the French fries, the bun and the coleslaw salad truly makes it the divine combination. Forget about what the health freaks tell you. (0)

KR Bakers is popular for its sweets and its fast version of slow food. In spite of being a bakery, it serves all the dishes that would constitute a full meal. Their USP is that since the food is always ready, it is served quickly and therefore is ‘fast food’. Its menu features parathas, chapatis, various vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, fresh juices and aerated drinks. You can also check out the pastries and confectionary items here.

Tandav is more a nightclub than a bar and has a dance floor. It's become quite a popular hang-out in Cochin. Tandav is a place to chill out. Some will call it a fun place; some may call it a pub. For others it can be a nightclub and for some a discotheque. It is basically a place for people to have fun. The DJ and the bouncers are the final authority at the place and there are two types of membership, one by invitation and the other though open will be thoroughly scrutinised

The other pubs or kind of place for night life are Formula 1 DJ pub - First and Best Dj pub of Kerala featuring the resident Djs, Experience the House, rave, Hip-Hop and all... The one and only real Hang-out of Kerala. It is located at MG road sputh end near Medical Trust. It is owned by swedish nationals. Its part of True wealth Hotels (P) Ltd.

Youth feel that the potential offered by the romantic backwaters, the shimmering beaches and the public parks should be better utilized. Kochi lacks a lovers' enclosure, a place where couples and pairs can spend some time together. There are whole lot of places to hangout in Kochi, but we have to provide an environment for people to come out.

At Fort Kochi, there is Kashi Art Café, where couples can chat amidst a good ambience, savoring snacks and lunch, while taking a look at the exhibition of paintings. Some hotels there serve food in the jetties jutting into the backwaters.

Hmm so far we never talked about the most popular hangout in Kerala - The Marine Drive.

Major fast food joints, including Marrybrown, DiMark, Barista, Coffee Bar are present along the walkway. The view of the setting and rising sun over the sea mouth, and the gentle breeze from the Vembanad Lake has made Marine Drive an important tourist destination in Kochi.Hundreds of people (both natives, and tourists) throng the walkway during the evenings. The walkway starts from the High Court Junction and continues until the Rajendra Maidan. There are also several boat jetties along the walkway.

Here are the list of popular hangout in city -

1) Marine Drive

2) Subhash Bose park

3) Durbar Hall grounds

4) Pizza hut

5) Chick King, Baskin Robbins

6) Bimbis

7) Avenue Regent

8) FortKochi beach, Chinese fishing nets, walkway

9) Mattancherry - synagogue, art galleries

10) Wellington Island park

11) Bolghatty island

Also areas like Vpeen walkway, Cherai beach, Hill palace in Tripunithura with deer park, Childrens park near subhash bose park, Veega land for whole day fun, Puthuvype beach and light house, Boat ride in Vembanad lake near Marine drive, also parks in Maradu. Then the suburban areas like Ezhattumukham etc. But by the launch of malls all life style is going to change.

When you consider the other cities in Kerala or south India, Kochi stands out. Trivandrum doesn't even have a great hangout other than Kovalam beach. Now a days Shanghumugham beach is also on upfront. The city of Trivandrum does not have a reputation for being a place that is youth friendly. It is also the only capital city in South India that has not taken to the mall, multiplex and Mocha (a Coffee shop chain) concept. Youngsters don’t have many choices when it comes to places where they can hangout with their friends. (no hangouts in Trivandrum)

SEE IT OUT ALL.

Again at last finishing of with another snap of marine drive.

Awaiting you comments.

Regards,

Vivek Shenoy P

07.45 PM

05-07-08

VOLVO OCEAN RACE IN COCHIN

2008-06-30T18:43:00.008+05:30

The Indian stopover will come at the end of the second leg of the race from Cape Town, South Africa. Kochi will be the first of three new ports in Asia.

The seven yachts participating in the race will arrive in Kochi in December 2008 and will stay for 10 days, before starting leg three to Sentosa Island in Singapore. A race village spread over 2.5 acres will be set up near the BTP berth at Willingdon Island.

The booming shipping port on the Malabar Coast is one of India’s foremost tourist destinations and the race stopover is expected to bring thousands of additional visitors to both Kochi and the State of Kerala. The Kerala State Tourism Department envisages the event will bring significant visibility as well as economic benefit to the region.

Kochi’s selection was confirmed at an official ceremony at the Abad Plaza. Andy Hindley, Race Director, signed the port agreement along with Mr. N. Ramachandran, Chairman, Cochin Port Trust and Mr. KG Mohanlal, Managing Director, Kerala Tourism Development Corporation.

Kochi certainly holds the key to the Asian leg. It is best located for the race route. As Mr. Ramachandran points out, “Choosing any other Indian port would mean a major deviation in the whole route that has now been planned.” The organisers expect the event to draw approximately 250,000 people to Kochi and generate around 50 million dollars in economic impact. There will be a lot of activity while the boats are in. The boats will be taken out of the water, be given full checks and an extensive maintenance and repair programme will be undertaken. The race sailors will do official media conferences and interviews when they arrive.

The Yachting Association of India (YAI), an active advocate of the race coming to India, sees the hosting of a stopover as a key component in India’s ongoing campaign to establish itself as a venue for hosting major sporting events following its successful bid to stage the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010.

“Hosting one of the world's top three sailing events will obviously boost any future bid to host major sailing as well as other sports events in India," said Commander Ajay Narang, Honorary Joint Secretary-General, YAI. “It will also be a tremendous fillip for local sailing,” he added.

In underlining the importance of the Indian stopover to the evolution of the race, Glenn Bourke, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race, said: “It has always been part of our vision to take the race to different and wider audiences and we are delighted that Kochi has become part of that vision.

100 FLOORED INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE AND DEVELOPMENTS NEAR AIRPORT

2008-05-10T12:43:00.010+05:30

Kochi, the Queen of Arabian Sea, which has been a shadow of its past for a long time, is now in the limelight as one of the most actively emerging cities not only in India but in South Asia.

Way back in 1999, Cochin International Airport was the first airport project in the country implemented under the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model. Currently, it ranks as the 4th largest airport in India in terms of international passenger traffic—after Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai—and the 7th largest airport in terms of domestic passenger traffic. Cochin International Airport Ltd, the airport developer and operator, is now looking at replicating the successful model in other states and countries. It also wants to develop an Aerotropolis around the airport.(Read the interview)

Area in and around the International Airport is developing at a fast rate. The projects coming up and under various stages are Aerotropolis, which means an Airport city that includes 18 holed Golf Course of International standards, Two Five star hotels and few budget hotels, trde and cultural village, exhibition and convention centres, amusement parks, food courts, multiplexes, shopping malls. Also it will include an IT park, BPO park and Biotech park.

Airport authorities held talks with Cochin University of Science and Technology for establishing an aviation academy and also in talks with IIMs for a programme in aviation management.

Interestingly Airport is planning is to have a flying school. Flying School would like to use the old Cochin airport runway for a few hours a day and offer revenue share to the Indian Navy. Old Cochin airport is situated in Naval Enclave in Wellington Island area opposite to Vathuruthy.

Airport is setting up a Rs 60-crore centre for perishable cargo with a Rs 15-crore grant from the Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, which will handle 30,000 mt of export-import cargo a year and held talks with airlines like Etihad and Emirates to start a dedicated cargo service from Cochin. They have started constructing an exclusive cargo bay for this centre.

The local panchayat, Nedumbassery is one of the highest revenue earners in the State in terms of collection local taxes / other taxes levied by the State and Central Govts. It is developing at fast rate to become perhaps into a town.

Two Four star hotels are coming up in MC road, One at Kalady and the other near Airport.

These developments are coming up only in Airport area alone even making Kochi city to feel shy. The mammoth developments in Airport vicinity is unimaginable for any other airport in the world, as Kochi has strong base in Tourism. No other airport in Kerala has even a percent of the majesty that this airport has! The passenger traffic has heavily declined in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode airport once the International airport started functioning.

100 FLOORED INTERNATIONL TRADE CENTRE:

The Board of Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Kinfra) has appointed Mumbai-based Zoom Developers to provide full design consultancy services for the proposed International Exhibition and Trade Centre at Kalamasserry near Kochi. The trade centre is planned in the prestigious Kinfra Hi-tech Park cluster and is expected to be operational in three years.

The project is coming up on 40 acres of Kinfra land at Kalamasserry, 25 km from Cochin International Airport and 26 km from the seaport. The trade centre is to have world-class facilities and will be built in Kerala style of architecture, according to Kinfra officials. The exhibition hall and the convention centre are expected to have an area of 5.6 million sq. ft. The convention centre will be designed to be used as a theatre, if required.
The project will also include a 5-star hotel of 31 floors providing 400 rooms, a 100-storey office tower which will be one of its kind in India, and a shopping mall spread on six floors. The trade centre is coming up in a five-storey building. Other amenities include a club house, service apartments, restaurants, ATM centres, a post office, Internet café and multilevel car parking.

It is great to see that all these developments are coming up in Kochi. Now what Kochi needs is basic infrastructure developments. Projects are going ahead to cope up during monsoon. Usually in the past years during the rainy seasons Ernakulam used to drown! But now its level is low and conditions improved. Recently East Fort in Thiruvananthapuram was in news as the area get fully drenched even if it rains for few minutes. Ernakulam doesn't have to face such shame now.

The Kochi area also needs to be expended from the present meagre area. It should be expanded up to Kodungaloor, Cherthala etc and should comprise of many other areas like Perumbavur, Chalakuddy, Pallipuram(Cherai area) etc.

HOPING FOR A BRIGHTER KOCHI!!

BEST WISHES

VIVEK SHENOY P
14.15 HOURS

RADIO MANGO IN KOCHI

2008-05-04T22:18:00.003+05:30

Radio mango will be functional by May 10 as per reports. They consider the launch of Kochi station as a challenge.(again there are all chances for delay)

As Kochi is been considered as a Metro city, there shouldn't be any discrepancies and the programs must be the best. They are reviewing how it works in smaller cities like Calicut, kannur etc.

From all these they will take out points to be cared for and then launch....

KOCHI RADIO MANGO FM WILL THE BEST FM IN KERALA....

WATCH OUT FOR IT...

QUEEN VICTORIA IN KOCHI

2008-03-27T07:09:00.005+05:30

March 26, 2008:
The Cruise Liner "QUEEN VICTORIA" which is the most luxurious liner in the world called at KOCHI Port on 26th March, 2008 in the morning. The luxury cruise liner arrived on schedule at 7 a.m from Chennai with 1,798 tourists and 1,008 crew . It was the 40the cruise liner to arrive at Kochi Port since April 2007. Kochi port is Number 1 in India in terms of arrival of Cuise Ships. The tourists were given traditional welcome at the port with a rousing reception complete with caparisoned elephants, kavadiyattam and traditional chendamelam.
They visited places of interest in and around the city, in buses and boats.

Captain Subash Kumar, Deputy Chairman and senior officers of Cochin Port Trust greeted the Captain of the ship, Christopher Rynd and exchanged plaques to mark the maiden visit of Queen Victoria to Kochi.

During the ceremony the Captain said that Kochi was the most beautiful port in this part of the world and appreciated the efforts made by the Port Trust for a hassle-free visit by the vessel and its tourists. (Picture on right: ship arrives FortKochi as people gathered in mass)

Queen Victoria Left Kochi at 6 pm on the same day to Mumbai. Tw more Cruise ships will arrive in Kochi this month.

Scores of people assembled at FortKochi to view the majestic ships leaving the city. It was indeed a memorable site to see QUEEN VICTORIA leaving Kochi.

Kochi expects 8 cruise ships in April.

VIVEK SHENOY P
7.30 PM

RANKING OF KOCHI?

2008-03-20T20:36:00.008+05:30

Here is an assortment of some of the solid facts regarding the City of Kochi which have come recently in news. Many of us neglect these facts and thus stand way back in knowledge about our city and state as a whole.

1) HVS International is an Indian hospitality industry. HVS conducted a survey to find out top eight markets in South Asia. Managing director of HVS released the survey results according to which the following are the top eight emerging markets in India:

1) Lahore

2) Islamabad

3) Ahmedabad

4) Pune

5) Vizag (Vishakapattanam)

6)KOCHI(COCHIN/ ERNAKULAM)

7) Chandigarh

8) Bhubaneswar and Mysore

The rating was done on the following basis such as rate potential, demand growth, product orientation, infrastructure, site availability, replacement costs, induced demand and new supply risks.

Among the top eight markets in India included Mumbai, Goa, Hyderabad, Delhi, Chennai, Jaipur, Bangalore and Kolkata.

It is really great news as far as Kochi is considered where state government does little to improve infrastructure though it is the most developed and biggest of the cities in Kerala.

2) Knight Frank studies on emerging cities were released in June 2007. It rates Goa highest in terms of infrastructure.

The study rates KOCHI as an important transport and investment hub.

Also Kochi gets benefits due to its location. It rates Kochi as the major tourist destination in Kerala due to presence of top tourist locales in and around Kochi. The study drew attention as it was published in The Times of India.

3) Many of us aware of the fact the Kochi was chosen as the best place to live in India. The parameters used were health, education, environment, safety, public facilities and entertainment. Kozhikodewas placed second after Kochi and then the Capital city Thiruvananthapuram in number 4 spot. Interestingly Thrissur and Kannur were in 7^th and 9^th position. It was a boost to overall tourism sector in Kerala.

4) Air Ticket sale: Around 40% of airline ticket sales on the internet in India come from the four main South markets of Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi according to latest reports from online travel portal cleartrip.com published in The Times of India(Jan 21, 2008). Of the 40% of share from South these are the % from the following cities:

1) Bangalore 40.42 %

2) Chennai 24%

3) Hyderabad 24%

4) KOCHI 10%

The main advantage of Bangalore is that it has highest percentage of techies in India. Look at Kochi where it is coming up only and still ranks among the top cities in India. The techies are less in Kochi even when compared to Thiruvananthapuram or probably Coimbatore.

IT boom in Kochi is not fallacious, it is really happening in Kochi. Infopark is undergoing expansion. Recently the CM of Kerala inaugurated Tejomaya building at Infopark. He also laid foundation stone of Signature tower which will be completed in 2009. It will have twin towers of 21 floors. It will become new landmark in IT industry in Kerala. Unlike in Thiruvananthapuram where only state government IT Park is expanding, in Kochi the scenario is different where private players are investing for IT parks. Smart City project which is in limbo now when materialized will turn Kochi into IT hub of Kerala and in turn India.

5) As a matter of fact Ernakulam division of LIC retained its top slot among 105 divisions in India.

5) The below given are the words of Kerala IT secretary Ajay Kumar:

“We may not have big cities except for Kochi, but the State as a whole has superior facilities than other smaller towns in the country. That is where our opportunity lies”.

He was presenting the vision of the State in providing impetus to the growth of the IT industry at a meeting organized by the Kerala Information Technology Alliance (KITA), a non-profit, non-political global organization formed to bring Malayali IT professionals across the globe on a common platform, at Infopark on January 07, 2008.

6) Cochin International Airport is FOURTH in India in terms of International flight operations.

7) Cochin International Airport Limited(CIAL) is ranked third in the world in terms of balance between investment and profit, Cochin International Airport Ltd. is regarded as the most successful investment venture of the State and has the biggest duty free shop of the country.

Kochi is been thoroughly spotted and it is a strong contender to be a metro. Today Kochi is the only Metro City of Kerala. The government needs to concentrate more on Kochi. It doesn’t mean that the government should focus only on Kochi.

Kochi is the arguably the ideal starting point for exploring the unfathomable diversity and beauty of Kerala, rated in the top three tourist destinations by the World Travel & Tourism Council and featured in National Geographic Traveler's '50 greatest places of a lifetime'.

The beauty of Kochi lies in its backwaters. Although it locks the city, it adds to the glamour of this bustling city. The skyline of Kochi across the Marine Drive is famous and not to forget the WORLD FAMOUS CHINESE FISHING NETS AT FORTKOCHI, which is shown as sign of Kerala abroad.

All efforts should be taken to enhance the developments in Kochi. Not to mention about the vital developments going to take place in Thiruvananthapuram.

While Thiruvananthapuram is a step ahead of Kochi in terms of number of research based institutes, Kochi is far ahead of the capital city Thiruvananthapuram in terms of industries, shopping, night life, tourism, entertainment, sports etc, while both the cities are competing in terms of IT.

But reports make it clear that Kochi is their favorite IT destination. So government needs to expand the present facilities in IT sector in Kochi so that the IT companies can settle in their desired destination rather than the given place by the government of Kerala.

ALL THE BEST WISHES TO KOCHI, THE QUEEN OF ARABIAN SEA…

VIVEK SHENOY P

MARCH 20, 2008

9.25 PM

COCHIN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - A WONDER AIRPORT!!

2008-02-05T08:54:00.000+05:30

For the residents of Kochi, the old airport at Wellington Island is a nostalgia these days. The old airport was at naval premises. The old airport was too small to handle the needs of Kochi. Also, due to security concerns a new airport was inevitable for the city. There came the NEW COCHIN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT at Nedumbassery.

Nedumbassery is a small village in between the two major towns Aluva and Angamaly. It is 30 kms away from Kochi city and 40 kms from the Traditional Capital of Kerala - Thrissur. It is considered to be such a place endowed with natural beauty and courteous people. Nedumbassery was earlier a place where people found it difficult to find takers for their land. But today realising the worth of their land, people are, increasingly, adopting a wait-and-watch approach towards land deals. Nedumbassery has enough water resources to meet with increasing populace.

ABOUT THE AIRPORT:

The Cochin International Airport is the First International Airport in India built by Public Private Participation. It was commissioned in June 10, 2000. The stake from Central and Kerala Government is only 26% combined and the rest amount put in by NRI's and other major organizations. The airport is owned by Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL).

The Cochin International Airport has a runway of 3400 metre which is equipped to any aircraft which is operating today in the world.

Specialties of Cochin International Airport :

1) It is the Busiest Airport in Kerala.

2) It is 4th busiest airport in India in terms of International traffic after Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. (00) It handled 2.5 million passengers in domestic and International routes during 2006-07.

3) It is only airport today in India other than Mumbai and Delhi which can handle Airbus 380.

4) It has a full length parallel taxiway of 3400 metres which was completed recently which will help to land flights and take off within minutes. Earlier it was a common site of aircrafts waiting to land and take off.

5) A 35-billion-rupee master plan involving construction of an 18-hole golf course, business centre, hotel chains, malls, industrial and IT parks and logistics centre has been developed by CIAL to generate revenues.

6) An aircraft maintenance centre.

7) Runway 0f 3.4 kms is one of the longest in India.

8) Kochi accounts for nearly half the total aircraft movement in and out of Kerala.(001)

9) Ranked third in the world in terms of balance between investment and profit, Cochin International Airport Ltd. is regarded as the most successful investment venture of the State.(0000)

10) Around 40 % of airline ticket sale in India come from South Indian Airports mainly Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi. (0012)

In a few years to come Nedumbassery will upgrade itself as a developed Town.

Development Of Kochi!

The city's history dates back to 3000 BC when traders from various parts used to arrive to Mattancherry (Old Kochi) for Spice Trade. Kochi maintained its position in spice trade as the spice traded from Kochi is regarded as th best in the world.

Earlier it was Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad which took long strides in development. Now it is the turn of Kochi to follow. Due to a number of favourable factors, Kochi is fast becoming an important IT hub in the country.

New Developments in Kochi Airport :

1) Cochin International Airport (CIAL) has initiated efforts to effectively tap the big potential to export perishable items like vegetables, fish and meat through the airport.

Centre for Perishable Cargo (CPC) is to be constructed by CIAL with the financial assistance of the Centre and State Horticulture Mission. CPC was the second one in the country and it would ensure the cold chain process for fruit, vegetables and other perishables, enabling them to reach the overseas customers without losing their freshness.

CIAL expects a 12 per cent growth in the export of farm produces from the State with the commissioning of the proposed system.(000)

2) Kochi Airport to be partly closed for seven months:

Almost 200 out of 400 weekly domestic and international flights in and out of Kochi will be severely affected with the airport authorities deciding to close the runway from 10 am to 8 pm every day for seven months starting November this year. The entire runway needs to be recarpeted.

3) CIAL plans of Low Cost carrier.

Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) is looking at forming a joint venture (JV) to kick off its much awaited low-cost carrier (LCC), Air Kerala.(002)

4) The Cochin International Airport is planning to construct a new domestic arrival terminal and five extra parking bays. Out of the five new parking bays, three will be constructed immediately and the rest after September 2008.(003)

5) Air India plans to extend New York flight to South. Bangalore along with Kochi is being actively considered by the airline as it will ensure direct connectivity to New York.(0012)

Till the inauguration of Kochi's New Airport almost all of the domestic and cargo traffic was handled by Trivandrum International Airport(shown here).

But now Kochi has overwhelmed Trivandrum Airport as Kochi today handles around 52% of Kerala's traffic. The rest is handled by Trivandrum and Calicut International airports. Also Mangalore airport of Karnataka and Coimbatore airport of Tamil Nadu serve the Keralites.

Hey just consider the following things :

Kochi is of course a small city in comparison with Mumbai and Delhi. But the city is spreading to new area making it really big and making it a Metro City of Kerala. The population of Kochi is approaching 2 Million mark only but still it is a happening city and is 4th busiest airport in India. It often competes with Bangalore and when all the big projects become a reality in Kochi it is unimaginable how the city will develop.

Today the area near Nedumbassery and Kakkanad is called as New Cochin showing that city is developing beyond leaps and bounds.

So the contribution of CIAL in the development of Kochi is absolutely huge.

My caption of the blog says that Kochi is the only city in the world where 22 different community live together in harmony. This plays a major role in changing the face of Kochi and it differentiates Kochi from other cities.

Hoping for better Kochi

In Him

VIVEK SHENOY P
FEB 05, 2008
11. 30 PM

Mosquitoes in Kochi

2008-01-27T08:50:00.000+05:30

Mosquitoes are giving sleepless nights to the residents of Kochi. With weather conditions turning favourable for mosquitoes to breed, the menace is assuming bigger proportions. The sunny days and chilly evenings are considered to be suitable for this.

The Corporation has allotted Rs.10,000 each to all the divisions for cleaning smaller drains. This step is being taken for preventing the breeding of mosquitoes in drains.

But don't mislead by this that Kochi is the only city with Mosquitoes!!

Kochi is the place which was affected to a lesser extent when Chickungunya was threat to Kerala. It was Pathanamthitta, Kottayam which were seriously affected along with Allapuzha.

If mosquito menace is so much I am in doubt why Kochi was affected less!!??

Shenoy

RECENT EVENTS IN KERALA.

2008-01-22T07:14:00.000+05:30

VOLVO OCEAN RACE

The World’s most famous Ship Race called as Volvo Ocean Race will pass through Kochi. The Indian stopover will come at the end of the second leg of the race from Cape Town, South Africa. Kochi will be the first of three new ports in Asia.(0)Kochi was selected over Goa and Mumbai due to Kochi’s strategic location. “Kochi is blessed with deep waters off the port and has a wide channel that provides an arena for people to view the race,” the race director mentioned.(1) The seven yachts participating in the race will arrive in Kochi in December 2008 and will stay for 10 days, before starting leg three to Sentosa Island in Singapore. A race village spread over 2.5 acres will be set up near the BTP berth at Willingdon Island.(2) This year it is the first time that the Volvo Ocean Race is passing through Asia. The race will go across 11 nations covering 39000 nautical miles with 9 stopovers. An agreement was made between the race director Andy Hindley and Kerala Government.

3000 beds alone are set to be required for the race organizers and participants. It is said that around 10,000 foreigners will come to Kochi. Over 40 channels across the globe will telecast the Volvo Ocean Race live. What else does Kochi need for a better advertisement? It will boost the economy of the state.

With the race to start in few months the major challenge for Kochi is to build race village of International standards for the participants to enjoy for about 10 days!

Brahmos Aerospace in Thiruvananthapuram

Kerala hi-tech industries (KELTEC) have been taken over by the defense ministry and now will be called as Brahmos Aerospace. It is situated in Chacka near the Tivandrum airport.

This has happened only because of the sincere efforts made by the Union Defense Minister Mr. A. K. Antony who hail from Cherthala. He handed over the key of Brahmos Aerospace to CEO Dr. Shivathanupilla who is named as the missile man of India. By this Kerala becomes the third unit for the production of High speed Missiles after Bangalore and Hyderabad. There were many efforts from defense ministry to pull down the unit being started in Trivandrum as they said that it will be poor market.

But Antony specified that around 1000 crores of rupees will be invested in Defense field thus transforming Kerala into a major Aerospace destination.

CMFRI and CIFT celebrate Jubilee

January 4, 2008:

How many in India especially in Kerala know that about 35,000 fishing boats in sea were designed in the research institute situated in Kochi!! The union minister Sharad Pawar inaugurated the 50^th anniversary of Central Institute of Fisheries Technology commonly called as CIFT. The beginning of CIFT was very humble in a rented building in Chittoor road in the year 1957. CIFT was located in the present location in Wellington Island in 1967. The present Director of the institute of CIFT is Dr. K Devadasan.

Today India is in 6^th position worldwide in the Fisheries area.

Also today new ship built by CIFT for fisheries research will be launched.

Adding to the glitz and glamour of the achievements of CIFT is another research institute in Kochi called as Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). It is celebrating 60^th anniversary today and will be presided by the Union Minister Mr. Sharad Pawar.

The inception of CMFRI was in the year 1947 with Chennai as the Headquarters. But in the year 1971 headquarters of CMFRI was shifted to Kochi.

The latest research work done by scientists in CMFRI is development of latest technology for reproduction of ornamental fishes.

COCHIN CARNIVAL

There is only one answer for the question “Where is the biggest celebration occurring as part of Christmas and New Year in Kerala”? It is the historic FORTKOCHI in Kochi City. This years Cochin Carnival was the event in which most number of foreign tourists participated in India. The carnival was flagged of on December 13, 2007 and various cultural events were conducted as part of Carnival. The events include Painting, sports events, rangoli, cultural events, swimming. The most glamorous event is BEACH RACE.

On January 01 there was carnival procession which started from Veli grounds. The procession included various events like dance, rally, fashion and imitating dress show. Also there were many floats in the rally which made people to think over and ponder about it. Koovapadam Brothers won the First prize for float event which displayed Perunthachan’s shilpashala.

The procession concluded at the historic Parade ground at Fort Kochi. Kochi city Mayor Prof. Mercy Williams presided over the function. Mattancherry MLA V. K Ibrahimkunju, Fort Kochi RDO Mr. Joseph and other MLA’s, counselors etc were present for the award ceremony. K J SOHAN who is called as the FATHER of COCHIN CARNIVAL gave a small speech.

25^th Anniversary of COCHIN CARNIVAL in 2009

Next year it will be the 25^th time that Kochi is celebrating the carnival and the mayor told that it will be made a grand event next year with funds from the Kerala government.

KJ Sohan said that when Mahatma Gandhi came to Veli beach in Kochi during pre independence he quoted “KOCHI AS EPITOME OF ADVENTURE”. Sohan also added that next years carnival must be made a huge event and its fame to reach all over the world.

Bane for Fortkochi?

One bug and the whole history and culture of Fortkochi is under threat. I am talking about the creepy crawly Shafique (17) who was arrested for molesting a Swedish lady. Though the Swedish faction didn’t file a complaint he was arrested and the procedures followed by Kochi police really deserve accolades considering the Mumbai event where the City Commissioner said not to blow up the incidence and failed to take action.

This incidence caught national attention. “We can’t let the hooligan’s escape” this is what the Kochi city police commissioner said after arresting the culprit. Mumbai and Kochi is often ranked high for safety for women, but one sinister affair like this can spoil all the other great things whatever it may be. All these events will only contribute to bring down the tourists to India.

ETHNIC FOOD FESTIVAL IN KOCHI

National Ethnic Food and Cultural fest, the first of its kind in the state was conducted in Kochi as there are around 14 major communities in Kochi living in harmony, which is absolutely inimitable anywhere in the world. The fest was conducted from January 5 to 10. The main specialty of the food festival in Kochi was that the food was prepared by the housewives of particular community residing in Kochi.

There were food stalls from Kannada, Andhra, Tamilian, Konkani, Thulu, Punjabi, Oriya, Bengali, Gujarati, North Indian, Rajasthani, Portuguese communities. Also there were stalls for Kerala style, Chinese, Arabian, Italian etc.

The timings were 4.30 pm to 10 pm and the turnout for the event was absolutely overwhelming. There was unimaginable rush at the fest for the last day.

Kochi believe it or not is the only place with such a cultural integrity in the world and it is evident if one takes a ride across the older part of Kochi like Mattancherry and Fortkochi.

LIST OF FOOD – BE READY TO DROOL

The food festival was absolutely a mega event considering that it was Mini India inside the Marine drive Ground where the fest was held.

The Portuguese food stuffs were roasted tongue of cow, tripe of cow, Souvlinge Culculse, roasted duck, Beef vindalu, Bibinca, Matrony etc which were new to Keralites.

The Oriyan delights were Feni, Manda pitha, muga pitha, Chenna poda, Potala kasa, Chhencheda etc which was organized by Cochin Oriya association. Favorites among the Punjabi food were Corn chat, Punjabi bullet, Khas hara bara, tandoor, Ginger chicken etc served along with elegant Punjabi music.

Andhra stall served Hyderabadi dum biriyani, chicken biriyani, chilli bhajji, special dosa etc. Kerala Banga Samskriti Sanga also had attractive stall serving typical Bengali fish fry etc. Kannada stall served Aval, Nippatu, Jowar roti, Dharwad peda, Bhajji, Protien rich soup etc.

Gujarati stall was famous and it contained Dabeli called as Indian burger apart from Parathas and chats. Thulu, North India stall were also with peculiar food items. Thulu stallhad manjal dosa, Boli etc.

The Tamil stall was funny as it served Dosas which were too big and other typical Tamil dishes like Oothappam, Pongal, Curd rice, Puliyodharai etc.

I initially thought that I won’t spend much time in Konkani stall as I am Konkani myself but the stall had some of the special foods that I rarely have eaten. So I got interested and had many other dishes also. There were dishes like Panjagadhayu – Payasam/Kheer, Pal pongal, Hittu, Rontos, Cabbage dosa, Rose milk etc.

These were memorable days that I will hardly forget. Also a stage was set where cultural programs of different communities were held. Thus these festival days made me a binge eater again and I feel myself that I am a food connoisseur from this day.

THUS KOCHI MADE THIS EVENT A BIG HIT AND I AM WAITING FOR THE FOOD FEST OF 2009!!

GCDA and TRIDA will be suspended next year.

The development authorities of the cities of Cochin and Trivandrum will be closed down from next year as claimed the Government. The development body for Calicut city was closed last year in April.

The Government have sent letter to the authorities asking explanation of following matters: Projects undertaken now, Estimate of the projects, Authorities profit for the last 3 years, Expense, Expense for salary, Vacant posts, people working in deputation, number of people working for daily wages etc.

But the decision to close the GCDA is set to cause widespread protest in Kochi considering the development that GCDA has made to The City of Cochin such as Kaloor International Stadium, Marine Drive, Marine Drive Ground Maidan, Subhash Bose Park, Residential colonies, other parks in various parts.

If the decision is implemented then it will be a major set back for the present projects like roofing of the International stadium and Ring road.

METRO RAIL KOCHI - LATEST NEWS & PROPOSED STOPS.

2008-01-03T14:45:00.000+05:30

Kochi got the best New Year gift that it could ever wish for- the state of the art METRO RAIL in the model of the Delhi Metro!

The Kerala Cabinet has approved the Rs 3000 crore Kochi Metro Rail project and sent it to the Centre for verification on January 01, 2007.

However with the commissioning of Metro rail, Kochi is poised to make a big leap to join the celebrity league of big cities such as Delhi or Bangalore.(0)

Thus the project will be executed by DMRC and not on the BOT(Built-On -Transfer) basis and it will be a joint venture project of state and centre(00)

The State Government has given the green signal to go ahead with the ambitious Metro project on a total budget outlay of 3084 Crores. 20% of this will be borne by the Central Government and 15% (~ Rs.450 crores)by the state government. The rest of the funds will be mobilized through loans from the Japanese bank of JBIC.(1)

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will be overseeing the project right from the procurement of land to the commissioning of the project and the work on this project is expected to be completed within 3 years. Metro rail extends from Kalamassery in Aluva to Petta in Tripunithura spanning a total distance of 25 kms(1*). In the later stages it might be extended to NEDUMBASSERY AIRPORT AREA AND FORTKOCHI TOWN!(2)

Earlier DMRC had conducted a feasibility study for Metro rail in Kochi and Trivandrum. But the report suggested to built Metro in Kochi and said it is not suitable for the capital.(3)

Metro Rail Not Feasible for Trivandrum!!(typical Trivandrum road shown here)

The Peak Hour Peak Direction Trips (PHPDT) in Trivandrum is too low and even in the year 2030 the PHPDT rates will be 5485. Since this level of PHPD T can be easily handled with bus traffic, metro services cannot be justified for t he capital. What is more interesting is that even in the year 2030 LRTS is not justified in Thiruvananthapuram as it will be an unnecessary financial burden on the city(4).

Land Acquisition for Kochi Metro:

The District Collector of Ernakulam A.P.M Mohammed Hanish said that the land acquisition will be completed within seven months from now. About 15 hectares will have to be acquired for which around Rs. 100 crores will be required considering high land prices in Kochi. (5)

Thus Kochi is all set to be a real Mega City and it will stretch up to Thrissur in North and Cherthala to the South(6). The problem Kochi facing is that the City limits have not been expanded by the Government, even when the real city area is far more wider than what is today. After that the land availability will increase. The present city limits was craeted in 1967 and after that it was not expanded, thus according to the Statistics Kochi is only the Second Largest City in Kerala.

But the reality is that Kochi is the Largest City in Kerala in terms of area and population and Kochi Metro rail will indeed give a new face to Kochi from its traditional world famous Chinese Fishing Nets and Backwaters etc.

PROPOSED STOPS FOR KOCHI METRO RAIL ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Aluva, Pulinchode, Companypady, Ambattukavu, Muttom, Apollo Tyres, St.Mary's Church, Kalamassery, Pathady palam, Edappally Toll Junction, Edappally, Palarivattom, International stadium, Kaloor, Lissie Junction, Madhava Pharmacy, Maharaja's Ground, Ernakulam South junction, GCDA Junction, Fathima Church, Elumkulam, Vyttilla, Thykoodam, Poonithura and Pettah.

Thus there will be a station after each kilometer.

Speed of Kochi Metro Train!:

The proposed speed for Kochi metro train is 36 Km per hour, which is almost equal to the city buses which have a limit of 35 km per hour.

Waiting for the latest news regarding DMRC visit for deciding links and approval by the Central overnment which was passed by state government.

IN HIM...

VIVEK SHENOY P
JANUARY 08, 2008
2200 hrs....

NEW INTERNATIONAL STADIUM CONFIRMED TO COME IN ERNAKULAM (COCHIN)

2007-12-29T10:21:00.000+05:30

Now it is all confirmed that the New International Stadium will come up in kochi which will be owned by Kerala Cricket Association (KCA). It was confirmed by KCA Secretary T.C Mathew. KCA decided to have a stadium of its own as a part of BCCI decision not to conduct cricket matches after 2010 in those states which do not have stadium of its own. At present only Kerala, Tripura and Goa don't have a stadium of its own.

The stadium will be functional by 2010, after which Kochi will be a test venue;and it will be a dream come true for Kerala.

Earlier BCCI had decided to give Rs.25 crores as grant to construct stadium. But now the grant have been raised to Rs.50 crores considering the skyrocketing of prices in Kochi and its suburbs.
KCA can use up to Rs 25 crores to buy land. A land area of 40 acres is planned for the stadium so that the seating capacity can be up to 50,000. The stadium will have other most modern facilities like the Cricket Clubs and other recreational facilities matching with other international stadias abroad.

Earlier the cricket stadium was planned to build in Wayanad district. Then the plan was changed to build stadium in Thiruvananthapuram either in Kazhakuttam or in Kudapanakunnu considering Trivandrum's history of hosting international matches in 1980's in the University stadium.

University stadium was a regular venue for Ranji Trophy matches from 1953 onwards. The stadium which was constructed in 1952 was considered as the domestic ground of Kerala Cricket. By the end of 80’s cricket was shifted to other grounds. Now Fort Maidan in Palakkad is a regular venue for first class matches.

At some point of time it was thought that Kochi will lose the race for the stadium also to Trivandrum, like Kochi lost railway division in 1992 under political pressure to Trivandrum; Trivandrum Central was chosen over Cochin Harbour Terminus for the railway division under the political game, even when Trivandrum was much smaller station than the Cochin Harbour Terminus from where the most of the trains used to start. Now Cochin Harbour Terminus(picture shown) is a nostalgic event in the minds of keralites as here now only Goods Carriers arrive due to the presence of Cochin Port.

But considering the fact that Kochi has the best chance to attract Cricket due to past success had probably lead KCA to have their stadium in Ernakulam District.

A Glimpse of Cricketing History in Kerala:

Lord Arthur Wellesley is believed to have introduced this game in Kerala in the 18th century for the British Soldiers in the Tellichery Fort. It is recorded in the history that the first Cricket Club was formed in 1860 at Tellichery, which was later renamed as Town Cricket Club. During 1950s Foot ball took over the minds of north Keralites and cricket became an active game in Thiruvananthapuram and Thripoonithura. In Thripoonithura the royal family patronized the game very actively and formed a club - The Thripoonithura Cricket club in 1935. The Club started organizing a Cricket tournament as part of the Navarathri festival (Pooja festival, as it is locally known). The tournament continues un-interruptedly even on these days and still it is conducted during the Pooja holidays. It is popularly known as the Pooja Cricket Tournament and arguably one of the best organized all India tournaments in Kerala. They are probably the only Cricket Club in Kerala having their own stadium and turf Pitch. K V Kelappan Thampuran was the livewire behind the great achievements of TCC.

The International Matches held in Trivandrum(stadium shown here):

Two Matches held-
1) India vs Australia on Oct 1, 1984 - No Result
2) India vs west Indies 0n Jan 25,1988 - WI won by 9 wickets.

International Cricket Matches held in Kochi:

1) April 1, 1998 - India v/s Australia
2) March 3, 2000 - India v/s South Africa
3) March 13, 2002 - India v/s Zimbabwe, India lost
4) April 2, 2005 - India v/s Pakistan
5) April 6, 2006 - India v/s England
6) October 2, 2007 - India v/s Australia, India lost

Some Facts on Kochi Stadium:

Highest attendance for Match: India vs Iran football match of One Lakh!
Highest Money Grosser was : India vs Pakistan on April 2005.
An attendance of 85,000 reported in the last match held versus Australia in 2007.

Kochi Stadium is the Forth largest stadium in India:

1) Salt lake stadium, Kolkata - 120,000.
2) Eden Gardens, Kolkata - 120,000.
3) Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, New Delhi - 100,000.
4) Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, Kochi - 60,000.
5) Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore - 55,000.

KOCHI STADIUM IS THE THIRD LARGEST CRICKET STADIUM IN INDIA(from the above list, Salt lake is not a cricketing venue). (link)
(also this link)

Tit Bits:

As a matter of fact Kochi stadium is 157th largest stadium in the world and the chinnaswamy stadium, Bangalore is 200th largest. (see the link)

The Maharaja's stadium in Ernakulam is the only stadium with synthetic track in Kerala. Although the stadium in Trivandrum was the first synthetic track stadium, it has been damaged now due to poor maintenance and it is not 8 lane as that of Kochi.

The KCA is on a hunt to get appropriate land of its own in Kochi for setting up a stadium.
Kochi is again proving that it is not only the Commercial, Industrial, Tourism and Trade capital of kerala but also the Cricket Capital of Kerala.(link)

Along with the major projects happening in Kochi, this stadium will also boost the importance of kochi.

In Him

SHENOY!!
Dec 29,2007
1230 hrs.

NIGHT SHOPPING AND NIGHT LIFE IN KOCHI

2007-12-22T21:41:00.000+05:30

NIGHT SHOPPING IN KOCHI

Who said Kochi is conservative or that the city goes to bed early?? The word ‘night life’ immediately brings to mind visions of people rocking to the music at various discotheques. After the entire days’ hustle and bustle, relaxation becomes important.

The City of Kochi has given an elite status by the Government of Kerala to have Night Shopping, going the way of other cities with Metro rank. With the successful conduct of the Night Shopping for 10 days during Onam, the City Administration has started Night Shopping from December 15, which will continue up to January 15, 2008 i.e. for One month!!

Earlier in 80’s and 90’s Kochi had late night life, where the shops were kept open up to midnight. But later on due to electricity shortage, the Government brought a rule according to which the lights and others electric equipments must be switched off by 7 PM. It brought down the life in Kochi. After few years the Government withdrew the orders, but Alas! By then the shop owners had made it a habit to close down the shops early. Now Kochi is going back to its old sweet reminiscence.(Ship Berthed at Kochi Port)

All agencies agree that Cochin cannot do without night shopping as it is emerging as a key destination for mega investments. The techies, mostly the youngsters, look for relaxation during night after a hard day’s work. In fact, the traders have mooted the night life after the Smart City project took off the ground. The traders feel that the Smart City being set up by Dubai-based TECOM would attract techies from all over the world, who are used to vibrant night life!!!

The Government knew that Kochi is perhaps the only city in Kerala, which

can accept such kind of an environment as it has some of the largest s

hops in India.

Various Massive shops in Kochi are:

Jayalakhsmi, Alukkas Wedding center(shown at right), Maharajas, Seemati, Parthas, Jos Brothers, Vettukattil, Kalyan Silks, My Kingdom, GCDA Complex, Penta Menaka Shopping complex. Also there are oulets of all the major brands like Raymonds, Peter England, Allen Solly, Jeanz world etc etc.

Not to forget the mammoth Gold jewelry shops like:

Alappat Gold, Alappat

Heritage, Alukkas, Joy Alukkas, Jos Alukkas, Geeripai, Vanitha Jewelry, Tanishq(Exclusive diamond shop). The Registered Office of the Joy Alukkas is in Kochi near Marine Drive in a huge complex.(Kalyan Silks shown here right)

ONLY MALL OF KERALA!!

Also the city has the only Mall of Kerala – The Bay Pride Mall (without a cine complex).

Other Specialities!!!

1)The city al

so has the only “PIZZA HUT” in the state which was earlier familiar for only metro cities.

2)The other famous hangouts are Chick King (again the only one in the state). “

3)Avenue Reagent” has given

Kochi a different outlook among the western community, which has modern coffee shops.

4) Apart from the routine coffee shops like “COFFEÉ DAY” which are in South Ernakulam, Near Shenoy’s Theatre, there are other cool and swanky coffee shops such as the famous “Coffee Beanz”. One new Coffee Day shop is coming up in the historic place FortKochi.

Areas such as Marine Drive, Subhash Bose Park(see picture here) and Durbar Hall

can provide appropriate place to sit and spend time during night time.

The city officials and the big shop owners were sure of the purchasing power of the Kochiites which led them to implement Night Shopping in Kochi! The best instance for this is The Grand

Kerala Shopping Festival- A shopping festival from Dec1 to Jan 15, 2008 which has started in all the 14 districts of Kerala, aims to collect revenue of about Rs.250 crores, of which a whopping amount of Rs.125 Crores is expected to be collected from Kochi alone!!! This is why Kochi is regarded as the “SHOPPING CITY”.

Moreover, people can shun the unimaginable city traffic a

nd go for shopping at night in serene and pretty environs. The beauty of Kochi city can really be tasted at night time. The gratification that you get at night time is utterly different.

Other wise also, there is a wide range of recreational spots in Kochi which include pubs, bars, discotheques, coffee joints where the ‘night life starts after 9’. Till a few years ago, there were not many pubs in Kerala.

There were no clubs available here in the Western meaning of the word where tourists can visit and hang out and have fun. The only clubs in Kochi

were the exclusive ‘members only’ clubs like The Lotus Club and the Rama Varma Club where you can go only as a guest of an existing member.

But now The Queen of the Arabian Sea awa

kens after dusk. Now one can see long lines of vibrant youngsters

waiting to groove to a DJ’s music. Kochi seems to be emerging as a hotspot for several youngsters. The serene and peac

eful atmosphere of the city coupled wit

h the latest hangouts and discos whip up the perfect ambience for those people who love to come down to the city for a blast after a hard time at work.

Nightclubs in metros have the liberty of being open till 6 am or even 7 am. But Kochi has a decent timing too. 1.30 am is not bad at all. One can finish one’s work and still find time to hit the night

club. The nightlife in Kochi has lots to offer to its visitors, you must know the right place to go, and once you are there, there’s nothing stopping you, drink, dance and make merry to your heart’s content! Kochi has a thriving club culture with couples gyrating to Western or Indi-pop till late hours. Entry price is usually per coupl

e. A few bars and discos that young westerners and Kochities like are usually part of swanky hotels.

And it is a hell of a lot better than Thiruvananthapuram for starters. It’s quite interesting to be out in Thiruvananthapuram only till 9 pm, after that police… curfew… checking….lack of buses eeks!!!

In few years from now (may

be by 2011 or so) Kochi can expect to get a metro city status, as Kochi is going to witness an unprecedented and unique development in all the fields. With the implementation of Smart city, Vallarpadam International container terminal, LNG terminal, Golf Course near airport, new international cricket stadium, new airport at Chowara(near Aluva) for Coast Guard, Metro Rail project, IT parks by pri

vate firms like Shobha group(already started consruction), CIAL’s IT park, IT park by Parsvnath Developers at SEZ(received the much awaited approval from Government), Muthoot IT park, Ocenarium at Puthuvypee

n Island(got approval and land transferred to fisheries department by the Government), Marine Institute, Cruise Termainal at Wellington Island, 100 Floored Trade tower(yet to get clearance from Government)Aqua Park, and

not to mention dozens of MALL’s set to come up in Kochi,
which are all under construction and also huge apartments coming up in various parts of city and suburbs will surely transform Kochi into a mega city.(may be some projects are missing here).

So Kochi is waiting for the year 2009 which is going to change the face of Kochi.

PROPOSAL FOR ELECTRONICS CITY IN KOCHI

2007-12-20T18:16:00.000+05:30

Electronics City, Kochi

A major electronics group named Amer Asia Ventures Corporation headed by Michael Chan from Taiwan came to Kerala on 17^th December for studying the feasibility of setting up a Multi billion venture “Electronics City” in Kochi. The Group has asked for 2000 acres of land within 25 to 35 km diameter of the International Airport.

The Taiwan group of 7 headed by M. Chang held primary talks with the Industrial Secretary T. Balakrishnan, IT Secretary Dr. Ajaykumar, Ernakulam District Collector Mr. A.P.M Mohammed Hanish, along with KSEB, Pollution Control Board and Inforpark Officials.

The estimated cost of the project is Rs.3000 crores.

The group is planning to build the LARGEST ELECTRONICS CITY IN INDIA having hardware industries, including semi-conductor and allied industries. The group visited various places in Kochi and has shown keen interest in some of the places, but the officials have not yet disclosed about the locations.

The team will hold discussions with the government officials in Thiruvananthapuram and New Delhi later. The group was so ardent that they needed the endeavor to come up in Kochi itself. With the Taiwan group showing such a curiosity, the key stumbling block for the Government is to arrange such a mammoth area. But the positive approach by the Thai group is boosting factor for the Government.

Once the discussion are held and given a nod to go ahead, the Taiwan group Amer Asia is ready to start the work. For Kerala it will be another mega project through Kochi, like the TECOM’s Smart City, which is going to change the face of IT industry in Kerala.

NOTE: At present the largest “Electronics City” is in the IT capital of India – BENGALOORU (Bangalore) in an area of around 332 acres. This grandiose area is thus pertinently called as the Outsourcing capital of the world. Now Kochi is expected to join the league of the IT city of Bengalooru!!

All is seen to go well for Kochi and Kerala!!

In Him!!

Shenoy, Dec 20, 2000 hrs

International Golf Course to be Ready by April 2008!

2007-12-18T18:35:00.000+05:30

The Golf Course near to the Cochin International Airport, Nedumbassery is getting ready very fast on the western side of the runway at an area of 126 acres. It will be an 18 holed Golf Course, of course the first one in the state with 18 holes. The Tourism Department, New Delhi has granted Rs.10 crores for the course. (Picture on the right side is Cochin Golf Course)

Review:

The Central Planning board member Mr. Anwar Hooda visited the process of development of the Golf Course.

Estimated cost and clearance and time limit:

The Golf Course is set to cost Rs.64 crores including the land value! The Cochin International Airport Limited(CIAL) obatained the mandatory clearance from the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
M.D of CIAL Mr. Sreeram Bharath said that the golf course will be ready by April 2008 and a Country club having facilities for games such as badminton, Basketball, tennis would also be set up. So would a convention centre, retail centre and five-star and budget hotels.

The Golf Course here is mainly set to attract the foreign tourists!!

Golf Course grounds in Kerala:

There are five golf courses in Kerala, all of which are nine holed:

1) Trivandrum Golf Course laid out in 1850 is one of the smallest in the country, but one of the prettiest.
2) Cochin Golf course made in 1922 at Bolghatty Island, besides the Dutch Palace;it has over 450 members.
3) Naval Golf Course at the Headqarters of Southern Naval Command, Kochi.
4th & 5th at Munnar Hill Station 130 kms off Kochi!

The Golf Course at Kochi and Triavndrum are only allowed for the public, while entry to the golf course at the Naval Base and two others at Munnar is restricted.

Crazy Politicians!!?

Some politicians raise the demand that the golf club grounds at Trivandrum, be converted into housing quarters for Government staff. See how crazy!
SOME FACTS RELATED TO GOLF:

Kerala is the only State in the country that does not have an 18-hole course.

Mission Hills Golf Club in Guanlan, Shenzhen, China(see the picture on the right side) is recognized as the largest golf facility in the world by the Guinness World Records with 180 holes and stretches over 50 miles across a piece of property twice the size of Manhattan. (yes!! one hundred and eighty)!

Korea plans World's biggest golf complex with as many as 540 holes will be built in South Korea's western coas,t in the Saemangeum area, about 280 kilometers south of Seoul, built in stages on a 26.4-million-square-meter area comparable to the size of 2,444 football fields!!

With Love

SHENOY!!!

Dec 18, 2020 hrs IST

Mega Oceanarium Coming Up in PuthuVypeen, Kochi

2007-12-18T12:41:00.000+05:30

Latest on Oceanarium

A Mega Oceanarium is coming up at PuthuVypeen, Kochi at an areaof 65 acres with an investment of Rs.300 crores.

District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish, said the survey of 65 acres of land identified to set up an oceanarium on the Puthuvype Island has been completed. When complete it will be the largest oceanarium in Asia!

Specialties of Oceanarium:

The Oceanarium will give a magical view of aquatic life in the Arabian sea through a glass tunnel beneath the sea. The Centrally-aided project will be implemented by the Fisheries Department. There will be an array of marine life including coral reefs, stringrays, turtles, sharks, and other fishes. Also the major attraction will be the Dolphin lagoon or pool!!

What Else??

Above the Oceanarium International Biological Research Centre will come up along with cafeteria and with amusement features. Also Centre for Marine Living Resource and Ecology, an Central Institute will come up besides the Oceanarium.

Advantage of Kochi?

Oceanarium is one of the major attraction of the Singapore tourism. Oceanarium coming up at Kochi, will be with much more facilities than that of Singapore. Formerly the venture to set up Oceanarium were failures in Mumbai and Goa, but since Kochi has got cenral clearance the Oceanarium will definitely be a reality in a few years.
According to Government reports Kochi will become the Number 1 Tourist Destination in India once the Oceanarium becomes a reality!!!

Also Aqua Park!!

Also Kerala Fisheries Minister S Sarma said on Aug 7,2007 that work on the country's first aqua-technology park, aimed at tapping the huge potential in ornamental fish production and marketing, would be completed by November 2008. Talking to the media, Mr Sarma said the aqua farms at Neyyar in Thiruvananthapuram, Parappanagadi in Malappuram and Pannivelichira in Pattanamtitta would be upgraded as satellite farms under the upcoming park.

RESULT

As a result of all these Kochi will get a status as "The Fisheries Capital of INDIA" .

In Him!!

Shenoy!!Dec 18,1335 hrs.

Metro Rail Kochi - Latest News

2007-12-14T10:37:00.000+05:30

LATEST ON METRO RAIL KOCHI!
The land acquisition process for the Metro Rail Kochi will start soon probably next week. The district Collector of Ernakulam is waiting for the orders from the Government of Kerala for freezing the land buying and selling proceedings around the areas through which the Metro will pass through!

This system of transport is absolutely inevitable for the growth of ever expanding city like Kochi! The city has seen such a kind of growth, that it never thought of! Hence, it was not prepared for the battle. But that is not an excuse and along with a metro rail what Kochi needs is to have Sub-Urban services up to Calicut. The feasibility of such system of suburban service is been studied in Kochi and also in the Capital City of Thiruvananthapuram.

The Metro rail planned for Kochi is unlike that of Delhi Metro Rail, as in Kochi it will be Light Mass Rail Transit System(given for cities with population of less than 4 Million) which will start from Aluva and pass through National Highway across Kalamassery, Edapally, Palarivattom, Kaloor, Kacherripady, M.G Road, S.A Road(considered to be one of the busiest arterial roads in Asia), Vytilla, and end at Pettah covering a total of around 26 kms for Phase I.

It has taken around 3 years for the Government to take a decision until which the project was in limbo. The construction work for Bangalore Metro has already started which was of course planned long after that of Kochi Metro. Anyway the kochi Metro will surely be a reality as the Government is showing keen interest in the Mega project of estimated Rs. 3000 crores.

Let us wait and see how fast all the things related to metro works!

In Him!!

Shenoys!!!
Dec15,Friday,12.05 Pm!

I s Kochi Worth Living!!

2007-12-11T09:03:00.000+05:30

The Most Favorite Marine Drive at Ernakulam
Status of Kochi!!

In a recent survey conducted by Indicus Analytics across 100 cities in India ranks KOCHI as the best place to live in(though it does not mean it is the best city to earn in) followed by our own Kozhikode at Number 2 and the capital city Trivandrum at Number 4! So that is the reality these days!!Kochi is considered as the safest city in South India, followed by Thiruvananthapuram!

Then this is the article which enunciates about the rankings! http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2606004,prtpage-1.cms

What I feel is that Kochi is undergoing a mass change and with inauguration of work of International Container Transhipment Terminal at Vallarpadam, kochi and Smart City project at Kochi which placed Kerala in International Cyber map! When Smart City comes to a reality in 2009,the pace and lifestyle of kochi is not going to be the same! Also the IT export from Kochi is expected to be around Rs.10,000 Crores;compared to a dismal Rs.750 Crores from total Kerala,of which 75 % of export is from Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram!! Now the scenario is going to be different!

See this what the New York Times have to say about Kochi!!
http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/01/07/travel/07next.html?pagewanted=1

Kochi is already the Commercial Capital Of Kerala and far ahead of any city in the state due to unbelievable developments which had occurred! It is usually said "If anything is happening in Kerala it is in Kochi"! The high rises in Kochi is enough to answer it! In 2009 come to kochi for sure, as it is going to see a dozen of Malls at least as the work is in progress for all of those! Already there is one mall in Kochi called the Bay Pride Mall (But without a cine complex)! Although Kochi is not familiar with Mall set up, it has seen many shopping complexes like the most famous GCDA shopping complex, Penta menaka in Shanmugham road and such other complexes in Kaloor and MG road!!

A new International Cricket stadium has been proposed to come up in Kochi which will be owned by Kerala Cricket Association!Also Kochi can boast of having the only stadium with synthetic track at Maharaja's Stadium!

Apart from the IT parks at smart city many others are there to come up like by CIAL, Shobha Group, Muthoot Group etc! So the private players are into it!!

All these factors have lead Kochi to be called as sought in destination! The foreign tourists flowing to kochi is an example of how famous Kochi is across the globe and the cruise ships arriving at Kochi strengthens the fact! KOCHI PORT IS THE NUMBER 1 PORT IN INDIA IN TERMS OF CRUISE SHIPS ARRIVAL SURPASSING THE DOYEN MUMBAI!!

About the City of Kochi(Cochin)

2007-12-04T19:47:00.000+05:30

The Skyline of Kochi

The City of Cochin which was a calm town in 1990's, focussed on Tourism and few industries would never have thought about the developments which it was going to face! Today the city has grown beyond the leaps and bound!!Earlier the city was restricted between Thevara Junction to Palarivattom!

But today the Metropolitan Area of Kochi includes the municipalities of North Paravur, Kalamassery, Aluva, Fort Kochi, Angamali and the adjoining villages including Kumbalangi and Maradu. Today the famous towns which makes the city of Kochi are FortKochi, Mattancherry, Edappally, Palarivattom, Tripunithura, Ernakulam, Thoppumpady, Palluruthy, Kalamasserry, Aluva, Angamaly, N.Paravur, Kakkanad etc!

Today Kochi has transformed into the Commercial Capital of Kerala, which provides almost 50% of the revenue that the state gets! The city can boast of having a major Port, Largest Ship building yard, 4th Busiest airport in India (after Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai), Kochi Refineries, many major industries like FACT, TCS, One of the largest International stadium in India(4th Biggest in India)etc and unmatched natural beauty with Chinese Fishing Nets which is World Famous and Marine Drive.

Kochi has been rated as one of the 10 Best Fun Cities in India by 'The week' on October 25, 2003!

Above shown is the Kochi International Stadium which can accommodate over 80,000 spectators