Bangalore's GDP zooms ,Coimbatore grows at 7%

Bangalore's GDP zooms past other metros You may be stuck in traffic but Bangalore is not. Bangalore is the fastest metro. No we are not looking at the speedometer of your car. We are talking about economic growth. The country's IT hotbed has zoomed past the other metros with a growth rate of 10.3 percent to become the fastest growing region in terms of economic prosperity. That’s according to a study released by research firm - Indicus Analytics that calculates GDP figures at district and city-levels. Bangalore recorded the highest growth over the last 7 fiscal years. The rest of the urban regions saw a growth rate of less than nine percent. It was the highest in the south too, ahead of Hyderabad and Chennai by almost 4 percent. in fact the closest was Coimbatore which registered a growth of 7.8% The credit for Bangalore's stellar numbers goes to the i-t industry that continues to boom. " I don't think there is a parallel to the ecosystem in Bangalore. Its not roads and metro it's the entire ecosystem starting from schools to colleges to institutions its only Bangalore that can give that ecosystem that it requires" says MN Vidyashankar, IT Secretary, Karnataka. Bangalore continues to reap the benefits of an aggressive state government that has been quick to clear investments worth Rs 100000 crore in IT and ITES in the last 5 months. But it’s not all-good news. Economists in the city fear that if physical infrastructure does not improve drastically Bangalore may begin to lose out to competition and will not be able to sustain its double-digit growth. " Over the next 3-5 years if they do not act on the transport infrastructure they will lose their edge" adds Rupa Chanda, Prof-eco & social sciences, IIM (B) So the good times may not last as increasing costs of real estate and skilled manpower may make Bangalore lose its top spot. http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/news/business/bangalores-gdp-zooms-past-other-metros/12/43/324385

Coimbatore Zoological Park and Conservation Center (CZPCC),

http://www.nilgiribiopark.com/about_us.html

A trek in the Anaikatty forest is a great way to get up close and personal with Nature

Dance of the peacocks

A trek in the Anaikatty forest is a great way to get up close and personal with Nature

PHOTO:K. ANANTHAN

SPOT THAT BIRD The green bee-eater is one of the many birds that can be spotted at the Anaikatty forest

"Ssssshhh... ," says naturalist P. Pramod. "Silence is important while bird watching. Now, identify the spotted dove from the laughing dove just by their sounds," he tells members of the Salim Ali Naturalist Forum (SANF). And, it works.

An early morning trek in the Anaikatty forest is a great way to get up close and personal with Nature. And, watch birds. Dancing peacocks, hummingbirds and tunnel spiders add to the experience.

We first sight a pair of owlets. Indian robins, grey jungle fowls and grey partridges... .Pramod keeps spotting them effortlessly and Nature enthusiasts accompanying him, quickly leaf through Salim Ali's History of Indian Birds for details. A pair of binoculars provides a clearer picture. "That is a tailor bird," says Pramod, pointing to a small tailed brightly coloured bird with a bright green upper part and a whitish under part. "It collects large leaves, pierces them with its sharp beak and sews together a nest. That explains its name."

We spot a couple of good singers — the beautiful female Iora, a common bird with a yellow body and a black streak; and the magpie robin, another common bird in South India.

Suddenly, it's bliss. A flock of peacocks comes out of hiding, displaying their blue-green plumage and dancing merrily. A sight to behold!

Then, the tunnel spiders catch our attention. These spiders, found under logs and rocks, have built a silken tunnel with a wide entrance that alerts the spider to the presence of potential prey.

The Anaikatty forest is also home to elephants, gaur, leopard, spotted deer and the black-necked hare.

"The marks on the trees are an indication of the presence of elephants. They rub themselves on smooth trees to clean their skin," Pramod says.

The slender, rich-hued green bee-eater, colourful hoopoe birds, brilliantly plumaged sunbirds and green sandpipers (the migratory birds from the Himalayas) and Tickell's flower pecker (the smallest bird in India) make their appearances and disappear in a flash.

"The Western Ghats and the North-Eastern Himalayas find a place in the list of 28 global bio-diversity hotspots. This is based on the diversity of flora and fauna and the endemic species," Pramod says, guiding the team along a stream.

The birdcalls

Deep inside the forest, it's absolutely still. The chirping of birds is music to the ears. As you settle down on the boulders, Pramod has another request.

"Close your eyes for 10 minutes and identify the birds by their cries." Tree pies, bulbuls, babblers, peacocks... each sound is distinct.

The SANF, functioning since 2003, is a platform for those who love Nature and want to contribute towards its conservation.

It conducts camps for school and college students, and organises bird watching camps, trekking, discussions and afforestation drives.

The Nature Education Division of the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) in Anaikatty, Coimbatore, co-ordinates this programme. For details, call: 0422 2657103-5; e-mail neosacon@gmail.com or visit www.sacon.org.

You can write to them at SACON, Anaikatty P.O., Coimbatore - 641108.

http://www.hindu.com/mp/2007/04/28/stories/2007042800670200.htm

A ‘bank’ that gives higher returns

M.V. Book Bank now operates from 14 centres across the State
COST-EFFECTIVE: Engineering students selecting books at the M.V. Book Bank in the city.
COIMBATORE: A higher interest rate usually attracts more number of customers to deposit their money in a particular bank. But with just a deposit of Rs. 300, this bank overtakes any other in terms of gains to its customers. The bank we are talking about is the M.V. Book Bank.
If you are wondering as to how a book bank can offer you higher returns, then read on. The Coimbatore branch of this bank is a franchisee of the one that was started in Chennai in 1996 by engineering student V. Sairam, along with his friends.
The bank now operates from 14 centres across the State. It caters to all disciplines of engineering students. The centres house 2,000 titles and three lakh volumes. The Coimbatore centre that opened last month is the 14th in the list.
B.K. Sasidhara Kumar, Branch Administrator of the Coimbatore branch, says: “The Chennai bank had some 200 engineering students from Coimbatore as members. They were collecting books from Chennai. So we decided to open a franchisee here. We have at present 11,000 books.”
The bank functions thus: When a student registers, he or she pays a non-refundable one-time fee of Rs. 1,000. A refundable caution deposit of Rs. 900 is collected, which on withdrawal of membership is refunded. Once the student is a member, he pays Rs. 300 as the subscription fee for a whole semester. This enables him to get six prescribed books. The student can retain the books for six months. The books should be returned at the end of the semester.
The students can then collect the next semester’s books, or withdraw the membership if they wish to. This is the basic scheme. “They can also choose from the Diamond, Gold, Classic or Premium schemes. These enable them to make better use of the bank,” points out Mr. Kumar.
The bank continuously updates its editions depending on the revised syllabus of universities and colleges. “We keep visiting the colleges often to find out whether there is a change. Since all our centres are connected online, there is never a shortage of books. If a book is not available at any particular centre, it can be brought from the nearest centre in 24 hours. So, we can handle any number of students.”
The students are given a dedicated login ID with which they can access the bank’s website for availability and reservation of books. They need only to physically visit the bank twice, to collect and return. Depending on the choice of scheme, they can also exchange or borrow books for reference.
Mr. Kumar is of the opinion that the bank is very popular among parents more than the students as it helps them get all the books from under one roof.
“The subscription amount for retaining six books for the same number of months is not even one-tenth of the actual cost of the books.” What more returns can one expect from any bank? With its mantra “Say No to Xerox Copies”, the bank aims at bringing students back to the habit of reading directly from their ‘own’ books. For details, contact www.mvbookbank.org.; or visit the local centre at 110, Chinnasamy Naidu Road, New Sidhapudur, between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.; or call Mr. Kumar at 99419-19293.

Tidel Park works commence

REVIEWING PROGRESS: Information Technology Secretary C. Chandramouli (right) along with Collector Neeraj Mittal (second right) inspecting the excavation work for the Tidel Park at ELCOT’s Special Economic Zone for Information Technology sector at Peelamedu in Coimbatore on Wednesday. —

COIMBATORE: Construction of the Coimbatore Tidel Park will be over by December next year, according to the Information Technology Secretary, C. Chandramouli.

He told presspersons here on Wednesday that the park would have a total built-up area of 16 lakh sq.ft. This would include close to 10 lakh sq.ft of IT space and also parking space for about 1,100 cars and 2,000 two-wheelers.

Enquiries

The works were on schedule now and enquiries for occupation at the park were being registered.

The 56-acre Information Technology-sector specific Special Economic Zone in Peelamedu area here had 9.5 acres earmarked for the Tidel Park, 9.5 acres for Wipro, 9.5 acres for Tata Consultancy Services and four acres for HCL. Residential units were planned on nearly 12 acres.

Foundation

Excavation works started at the Tidel Park site last month and building construction was expected to commence in February next. Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi laid the foundation for the park in February this year.

Mr. Chandramouli held discussions with District Collector Neeraj Mittal, officials from the Revenue, State Highways Departments and Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu here on the approach road to the park. It was proposed to have a four-lane road to the park from the main Avinashi Road.

Coimbatore was the first tier-two city in the State where works have started for the Tidel Park.

Projects

Similar projects were planned in other tier-two cities, including Tirunelveli, Tiruchi and Madurai, he said. The Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu had nine IT-sector specific SEZs in six locations.

source : www.thehindu.com

Kovai Tidel - Dinamalar

Best cities to live, invest and earn in

http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/nov/26city1.htm



India is a land of paradox, it is said, even the rapid economic development in the last few years hasn't helped in managing the contradictions.
A latest survey has now revealed cities such as Gurgaon that are most preferred to earn a living and where employment growth is the fastest, are not among the best places to live.

According to data compiled by economics research firm Indicus Analytics on residences, earnings and investments, none of the ten cities in the 'reside-in' list figure in the 'earn-in' list of places with most employment opportunities.

Moreover, the four metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai did not figure among the ten best cities to reside, earn or invest. However, Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai were among the cities preferred by millionaires to spend their life.

The list of 'earn-in' cities has been topped by Gurgaon, followed by Silvaasa, Noida, Faridabad, Rupnagar, Chandigarh, Surat, Bangalore, Gandhinagar and Pune.

The best cities to reside are Kochi, Kozhikode, Shimla, Thiruvananthapuram, Mysore, Goa, Thrissur, Pondicherry, Kannur and Thiruvalur. Interestingly, five of these cities are in God's own country, Kerala. Shimla is the only northern city in this list, while Chandigarh, among the few fully planned cities in the country, failed to find a place.

The 'invest-in' index was topped by Silvassa, followed by Coimbatore, Ludhiana, Shimla, Noida, Gurgaon, Gandhinagar, Surat, Itanagar and Chandigarh.

Indicus considered six parameters - health, education, environment, safety, public facilities and entertainment - for preparing the 'reside-in' index. The 'earn-in' list was based on growth rate of employment, per capita income and listings on popular job websites

Rakindo Developers to invest $5bn over 5 yrs

Rakeen, a global company promoted by the government of Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, today announced a 50:50 joint venture with Chennai-based Trimex group to form a foreign direct investment (FDI)-compliant real estate joint venture for the Indian market.

The JV, Rakindo Developers, will have a committed outlay of $5 billion over the next five years for its project in India. The company is planning to develop, on a conservative basis, 50 million square feet of residential, commercial and office space across the country over seven years.

Rakindo plans to start work on a $1.5 billion, 1,000-acre integrated township and information technology (IT) special economic zone (SEZ) in Coimbatore in the first quarter of 2008. It has already received in- principle clearance for the SEZ, which is being developed in partnership with the Tamil Nadu government.

"Establishing an integrated township and IT park in Tamil Nadu affirms our belief in the state, and is definitely a step towards our effort to bring world class facilities to India," Khatar Massad, advisor to Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah and CEO, RAK Investment authority.

Rakindo already has a land bank of over 4000 acre across the country, and is negotiating with the government to acquire an additional 5,000 acre.

Breathing life into spaces and no concrete jungles

An image of a project coming up in the city.

“Our aim is to build homes where the residents should enjoy peace. We are not constructing just buildings but we are trying to breathe life into spaces,” says Vikram Mohan, Director of the Pricol Property Development Ltd (PPDL).

Basically an industrial engineer, Mr.Vikram feels that there is hardly any commercial building in Coimbatore which is ‘world class.’ “Only when one of my close friends chose to skip Coimbatore for want of such a building, my journey for world class buildings began.” He met a number of top-level builders in Pune, Bangalore, etc., and a three-man team was assigned the task of how to go about. It took almost a year to create a land bank.

As he realised that quality buildings could come only with experience, he thought of a tie-up with a quality builder like Pune-based Vascon Engineers.

“Its Managing Director, R. Vasudevan, shared my value system. We are not interested in FSI (floor space index) but quality of life of our customers and we are building not urban jungles but urban living spaces. Thus we joined hands. And the result is the proposal for two major projects – a 150-room hotel, close to Coimbatore airport, and a modern-residential cum commercial project at Neelambur, near here, at a total cost of about Rs 700 crore.”

Adverting to Vascon, he points out that it is one of the top ten construction companies in the country with experience in various segments .As the economy continues to grow, the pressure will be more on commercial spaces. The challenge, then, will be to integrate quality construction, intelligent design and latest technology to optimise space utilisation, maximise user comfort and preserve the environment.

While Vascon would use the PPDL’s “local knowledge of the market, administrative liaisoning and day-to-day administration,” it would offer its engineering skill.

Explaining why he has chosen such an experienced partner, Mr. Vikram Mohan declares: “I want to get it first time right instead of learning though trial and error. This effort will help me grow faster.” The work for the hotel project would be launched “no later than January next and it will take another 18 months for occupation.”

The work for the residential and commercial complex project would begin by March-April next and the first phase of it would be handed over by December 2009. The total project period would be four years.

This project would have 38 row houses\villas meant for “very senior management personnel” and 700 to 750 apartments in the 1,800-sq ft range. Besides, there would be 120 service apartments of 650 sq ft to 700 sq ft each. A hotel would be constructed in this project itself with 80 to100 rooms.

He points out that this is the first time a Coimbatore company has tied up with an outsider for its expertise.

The PPDL already has seven projects while Vascon, a company with a turnover of Rs. 382 crore last fiscal and which hopes to achieve double this financial year, has orders for several million sq ft.

Explaining some of the interesting features of his buildings, he points out that all of them will have handicap access, stretcher evacuation facility and fire tender access. Besides, 30 per cent of the area is meant for green zone and there are projects wherein “we did not even consume the specified FSI because of our interest in green zone.” In his Crimson Dawn project, off Avinashi road, almost 80 per cent of the space has been left for green zone.

He got this “green experience" from certain constructions, in Pune, Gurgaon, and even Chennai. Similarly, even in major cities like London, New York, Barcelona and Frankfurt there are “massive green oases,” all in the heart of a city, which make living a pleasure. “Customers should enjoy quality time at the building for which they invested their entire life-time savings. Homes should become havens of peace and prosperity and there should be warmth and security.”

Pointing out how children living in apartments get hooked on to TV or computer, he has planned a special playing area. In addition there will be a petting zoo (which is found in London and New York) and it will have pets like rabbits, guinea pigs, etc.

“This will de-stress the child. The children can take them home for a couple of hours and there will be trained veterinarians to take care of them. Whenever the parents go out for shopping, the children can be left in these zoos.”

Vikram Mohan

Cost-wise, it would include Rs. 25 lakh to Rs. 30 lakh more per project as it would occupy half an acre. And the subscription would be just about Rs. 250 a month. But this will add a lot of value and the children will start “sharing and caring” with and for others.

Besides, there will be partially covered swimming pools.

For the aged old people, there will be a centre where readings of Bhagavad Gita , debates, bhajans etc., could be organiszed.

In some of his projects, “there are no common walls for apartments, and not a window opens into another apartment.All the bedrooms will have window on two sides for cross ventilation.”

The balconies will be so large that they can be fully used. He is also planning sky garden of 1,000 sqft in every floor.”

He admits that he is “just copying” these features because “ I believe they will help the residents lead a quality life.”

“All that we are doing is to go an extra mile.”