QUEEN VICTORIA IN KOCHI

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?

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!!

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

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

T

RECENT EVENTS IN KERALA.

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.

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)

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.