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Sunday, February 03, 2008
Bangalore's GDP zooms ,Coimbatore grows at 7%
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Coimbatore Zoological Park and Conservation Center (CZPCC),
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 |
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
Sunday, December 30, 2007
A ‘bank’ that gives higher returns
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.
Friday, December 14, 2007
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.
EnquiriesThe 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.
FoundationExcavation 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.
ProjectsSimilar 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
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Best cities to live, invest and earn in
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
Monday, December 03, 2007
Rakindo Developers to invest $5bn over 5 yrs
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.
Monday, November 19, 2007
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.”
Monday, October 29, 2007
L&T inaugurates 3 new units in Coimbatore
The facilities were inaugurated by senior L&T officials in the presence of Chairman & Managing Director, Mr. A. M. Naik. President – Operations & Member of the Board, Mr. R. N. Mukhija, inaugurated the administration and engineering centre of electrical equipment and systems business. The executive vice president of Electrical Sector, Mr. S. C. Bhargava and chief executive of Electronics Sector II, Mr. J. P. Singh, inaugurated the precision machining centre and petroleum dispensing pumps facility respectively.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Naik said, “L&T has been creating growth centres at select locations. Two years back we zeroed in on Coimbatore as a new location. We have set up valves and switchboard manufacturing units. The addition of new facilities is in line with the required expansion to meet future market needs. We would have more facilities coming up on this campus to give us the comforts of scale and earn logistics benefits.”
On the occasion, Mr. Mukhija said, “The precision machining centre and the engineering centre for electrical systems business are critical to the growth of L&T’s electrical business. These centres would significantly help in process improvements and better response time towards addressing the market’s current and future needs.” He added, “We are witnessing big growth in fuel and gas industry and the dispensers manufacturing unit will cater to the oil and gas retail segment in India as well as Africa, GCC, Europe and south-east Asia.”
The new petroleum dispensing pumps manufacturing unit has capacity of 30,000 hoses per annum. The facility has been made immune to dust by Forced Draft Ventilation System (FDVS). The assembly lines designs are backed by e-KANBAN and tailored to achieve least through put time. The pumps will be auto-tested by CANBUS communicable stations with test data storage facility. There will be state-of-the-art test station for petrol, diesel, and AutoLPG to simulate stringent field conditions.
L&T will manufacture AutoLPG pumps at this facility and this will be another first to its credit in India.
L&T fuel dispensing pumps meet widely accepted safety norms like. CE-ATEX, OIML, etc. It exports to Middle East, south-east Asia, parts of Europe and East Africa and is domestic market leader with more than 40% share.
L&T has significantly enhanced the capacity of precision machining centre as part of its engineered tooling solutions capability. The machining centre has been set up in close to 5000 sqm area that will go upto 11290 sqm in the next 5 years. It is a modern facility with precision machines and equipment aided by IT and computer systems to facilitate concurrent product development activity. The precision machining facility will produce high precision tool parts with accuracies in the range of 2-10 microns.
The objective of setting up this precision machining centre is to create additional capacity to cater to the growing needs of high precision and high quality tooling for L&T’s electrical and electronics business and precision machined components for heavy engineering business. The precision machining centre is intended to be developed as a business unit and expanded into high precision specialty product lines to become a preferred supplier to a select companies with global presence.
The administration and engineering centre will cater to the requirements of electrical equipment and systems business on Coimbatore campus. This centre will meet the design and engineering needs of customers’ demands as the switchboard manufacturing capacity is enhanced from 7000 panels per year to 13,000 panels by 2009 and further to 17,000 panels by 2010.
This centre will facilitate integration of modern technology with manufacturing process and help L&T achieve global standards in every parameter - quality, speed, safety and efficiency. This will give switchboard’s facilities the flexibility for timely response to changing market requirements.
Coimbatore Airport to get a new look
Airport Director K. Hemalatha confirmed the approval and said the project would include installation of two new aerobridges, elevators/escalators and a conveyor belt to carry baggage. At present the airport does not have an aerobridge and passengers have to walk through the tarmac/apron and climb the passenger step ladder (PSL) vehicle to get onto the flight. Aerobridges take the passengers straight into the flight from the terminal building. Aerobridges will also help reduce human or vehicle movement on the tarmac.
Coimbatore airport already has international flight connectivity to Sharjah by Air Arabia and Indian while Sri Lankan and Silk Air are scheduled to commence shortly their services to Colombo and Singapore respectively.
The aerobridges would be immensely useful, sources said. When there are no international flights, bigger aircraft on the domestic sector also could use these aerobridges.
The VIP lounge and the passenger waiting area in the departure and arrival halls would get a facelift with new chairs and trolleys, said the sources.
Efforts are on to get feeder conveyors that will feed the luggage onto the conveyor directly after weighing it. Customs counters will be fully refurbished and there will be adequate space for new facilities such as customs duty paid shop and foreign exchange counters.
With the available land every possible improvement was being made to keep pace with growth, the sources said.
SriLankan to starty flying to Coimbatore from Oct 29
Coimbatore, situated near the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, is an ideal gateway for travellers from East Kerala to fly to West Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Far East. A major industrial city, Coimbatore is the second largest metropolis in Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, Calicut is observing a general strike today to protest against the alleged neglect by the Indian government of the Karipur airport and alleged preference shown to Coimbatore over Calicut.
SriLankan Airlines Chief Eexecutive Officer Peter Hill said, ''SriLankan Airlines has positioned Colombo as the gateway to India, and we are continuously increasing our services there. This includes the addition of more and more cities across India to our route network, and we are proud to add Coimbatore to this list''.
The airline will initially operate four flights a week on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday using Airbus A320 aircraft. It already has services to three major cities in Kerala--Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, and Kochi; and two in Tamil Nadu--Chennai (Madras) and Tiruchirapalli.
Senaka Fernando, Regional Manager (Indian subcontinent and Maldives) said, ''SriLankan Airlines is very familiar with the travel requirements of South Indian passengers, and we take great care in providing the best facilities to them.'' A short 70-minute flight would bring travellers to Colombo, where the airline has rapid connections to its global network of 54 destinations in 28 countries. Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport has earned a reputation as the finest in the South Asian region following its recent expansion, with its modern terminal and aerobridges, comfortable lounges, and well-stocked duty free shopping complex.
SriLankan carried a staggering 1.1 million passengers to and from India during April 2006-March 2007, which is almost 32 per cent of the airline’s global traffic. Sri Lanka is a popular destination among Indian tourists.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Plans to ease traffic in Coimbatore City
Officials are drawing up long-term and short-term plans to improve road connectivity and traffic management in the city to decongest its arterial roads.
At a meeting of the district level committee attended by District Collector Neeraj Mittal, City Police Commissioner C.K. Gandhirajan, and Corporation Commissioner P. Muthuveeran, proposals for link roads, ring roads, truck terminals and bus terminals were recommended under the Jawarhalal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.
Officials of the highways, Corporation, and local planning authority and representatives of various public fora took part.
The short-term proposals include 12 link roads connecting Avanashi Road with 100 Feet Road, Tiruchi Road, Vilankurichi Road, Sathyamangalam Road, Peelamedu Road; and Avarampalayam Road, Brook Bond Road with Mettuppalayam Road. More link roads connecting Tiruchi Road with the airport (via SIHS Colony), Sathyamangalam Road with Mettuppalayam Road, Thadagam Road with Perur Road, and Perur Road with Madukkarai Road have been suggested. The road width will range from 40 to 80 feet.
The long-term plans include five ring roads with width ranging from 40 to 60 to 100 feet. These include one that will connect Nanjundapuram with Singanallur (along the railway line, for which land acquisition needs to be done); an outer ring road connecting L&T bypass road with Mettuppalayam Road at Periyanaickenpalayam; an intermediate ring road connecting NH 47 with Mettuppalayam Road (at Thudialur) via Kalapatti, and a road from Ukkadam connecting Mettuppalayam Road via Selvapuram and Pappanaickenpudur. A road connecting Kuniamuthur with Mettuppalayam Road at Pannimadai meant for outbound traffic is suggested.
Flyovers are proposed at the Lakshmi Mills Junction and Gandhipuram and at railway level crossings at Kurichi, Sanganur 7th Street, Vilankurichi Road, Avarampalayam and the Kikkani School crossing at Ram Nagar. Bus terminals are planned at Thudialur, Kurumbapalayam, Chinniampalayam and Kavundampalayam.
Truck terminalsTruck terminals are suggested at Neelambur, Malumichampatti and Irugur. There will be multi-level parking facilities at Thyagi Kumaran Market, Jail grounds, Uppukinar lane and R.S. Puram. Besides, 12 subways are proposed at road junctions including at railway station, Flower Market and Ganapathy Bus Stand.
Sourced from www.thehindu.com
Thursday, October 04, 2007
SriLankan to fly to Coimbatore
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Vascon Engineers, Pricol Property in joint venture
Pune-based Vascon Engineers Ltd (Vascon) has joined hands with Coimbatore-based Pricol Property Development Ltd to promote a joint venture styled Vascon Pricol Infrastructures Ltd to take up a premium hotel project and a residential-cum-commercial project here at a total investment of about Rs 600 crore-Rs 700 crore.
While hotel would be built on Avanashi road close to the Coimbatore airport, the residential project would come up at Neelambur.
Though the two partners have agreed to initially promote the projects to come up at Coimbatore, they do not rule out the possibility of extending their business venture to other cities in Tamil Nadu, and to Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.
Upcoming projects
Speaking to newsmen in Coimbatore, Mr R.Vasudevan, Managing Director of Vascon, said the hotel is being positioned in the four-star category and would have 150 rooms. The outlay for the project is about Rs 80 crore to Rs 90 crore.
The Neelambur residential-cum-commercial project would have a built up area of about 2.5 million sq.ft. and would include IT and commercial buildings, apartments, independent and row houses, motel-cum-club and service apartments, shopping mall, school, health care centre, etc. to be constructed in three phases over a three-four year period.
The project is being established on a 30-acre site and would involve an investment of about Rs 500-Rs 600 crore, making it one of the single largest investment in a real estate venture in the city.
He said more projects were in the pipeline and would be announced once the details were firmed up.
Meanwhile, Mr Vikram Mohan, Director, Pricol Property Development Ltd, said his company, independent of the joint venture, is executing six projects in and around Coimbatore at a total investment of about Rs 300 crore and this company would continue its independent existence.
Source : www.thehindubusinessline.com
Friday, August 24, 2007
A tryst with Coimbatore’s tanks full again
| The tanks that form part of the city’s unique water system are filled to the brim and bustling with birdlife. Subha J Rao goes on a whirlwind tour |
Alive again Boys at the Narsampathy tank, a coot at Singanallur tank, the lily-filled Perur Pudukulam and a fisherman at work at Ukkadam Tank.
Aruchamy, a resident of Vellalore, saw the village tank full 29 summers ago. In the decades that followed, people built their homes near the canal where the excess water used to drain off. Children thought the tank was a playground.
This year, the tank is full again. And, an entire village is smiling. People living on the canal have to wade across knee-deep water to reach their homes. But, no one is complaining.
They have longed to see water hurtling down the canal.
Unique system
The story is the same across the 31 tanks (fed by channels from 25 anaicuts) that cover more than 100 km in Erode and Coimbatore districts.
These make up a unique water system based on gravity, said to be put in place by the kings who ruled this region. It is not as if the Noyyal, which feeds these tanks, did not swell with water all these monsoons. She did, but her canals and pathways were choked, transforming a once-mighty river into a smelly trickle.
Joint effort
After efforts by the Public Works Department, Siruthuli (a people’s initiative to recharge Coimbatore water table) and philanthropists to remove the large tracts of water hyacinth and desilt and widen the canals that feed the tanks, many of them have started looking like they used to.
We start our ‘tank yatra’ at the Singanallur tank, situated on the arterial Trichy Road. Sadly, effluents and sewage water have rendered most of it unfit to nurture anything other than the pesky water hyacinth.
A boating facility is in place, and water is plentiful, but the hyacinth has ensured that most of the boats are grounded. This year, Siruthuli cleared close to 80 acres, and work is still on.
Our next stop is the Vellalore tank, situated in the outskirts. It is interspersed with thorny bushes and shrubs, and is home to quite a few birds.
Picturesque
Kurichi tank, on the Pollachi Road, is a picturesque sight any day. Black cormorants and coots race each other in the choppy waters of the biggest tank in Coimbatore.
Cleaning work is on at this tank too, thanks to the efforts of the priest of the Pongaliamman temple on its banks, and a philanthropist.
Legend has it that centuries ago, a royal guard asked goddess Pongaliamman to guard the tank till he returned from the palace. At the palace, he beseeched the King to behead him, so that the goddess would protect the tank forever! S uch devotion for water!
Ukkadam, or the Coimbatore Big Tank, is next only to Kurichi in size, but it holds more water. And, life is back with a bang there. So are the fishermen who sitting on thermacol floaters and try their luck. Cranes flit in and out of the water, returning with food unfailingly. Next in line is Muthannan Kulam (Kumarasamy tank). Hyacinth rules here too, but the numerous birds try to divert your attention from the green patches.
The most choked tank in the system is the Krishnampathy tank. People tell you it is full, and you can only take their word for it. For, not a single drop of water is visible in the 175-acre tank — weeds and hyacinth form a vicious blanket.
In contrast is the Perur Pudukulam, lush with lilies and lotus. In another month, the clean waters of this tank will be carpeted with pink and white flowers. A golden coloured bird and a cormorant play peek-e-boo.
Panoramic
The view from the road is panoramic, with trees peppering the tank and birds flitting out of them. Narsampathy Tank, which follows, is a haven for all the village boys, who are making merry in the relatively clean waters, jumping and diving with gay abandon.
Sottaiyaandi Kuttai and Ganganarayana Samudram are next in line. They are twin tanks, with just a mud bund separating the two. Both are home to a wealth of birdlife. Darters and cormorants put up a merry dance and brilliant blue kingfishers tease, only to disappear the minute Ananthan trains his camera on them. All this, a mere 500 metres from the Perur temple. Not just this tank, most of the others in the city are also at walking distance from the main road or a bus stand.
Perfect holiday
At a time when everyone is complaining about lack of entertainment options, these tanks can be a great way to spend a holiday.
Only, they need to be developed. Better roads, some stone benches and security to ensure no one litters the area can make a world of difference. Take a trip there this weekend and see a facet of Coimbatore you never knew existed.
Narsampathy – 124 acres
Selvampathy – 70 acres
Kumarasamy – 95 acres
Perur Pudukulam – 265 acres
Sottaiyaandi Kuttai – 50 acres
Ganganarayana Samudram – 40 acres
Ukkadam tank – 320 acres
Valankulam – 160 acres
Kurichi tank – 334 acres
Vellalore tank – 86 acres
Singanallur – 285 acres
Sourced from www.thehindu.com
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Akshaya Homes investing Rs 250 cr in Coimbatore
| Launching three projects |
Akshaya Homes, the Chennai-based real estate developer, plans to invest Rs 250 crore in the three projects it is launching here.
The company, which recorded a turnover of Rs 100 crore during last year, expects the business to grow to Rs 450 crore during the current fiscal and Rs 1,000 crore in the next year.
Speaking to newspersons here, Mr T. Chitty Babu, Managing Director, Akshaya Homes Pvt Ltd, said with the metros becoming over crowded, the IT companies were moving towards tier-II cities.
Akshaya wanted to capitalise on this trend and is launching its first residential project at Sundarapuram in Coimbatore which is being wooed by the IT and manufacturing industries. The project would have 142 apartments and the price is Rs 2,250 per sq feet. In line with the present trend, the project would have a club house, children’s play area with equipment, indoor recreational rooms and a mini AV theatre.
Residential project
He said the company was planning to launch a commercial cum high-end residential project on the Tiruchi road close to Race Course and an integrated project with an IT park and residential apartments on the Sathyamangalam road in the city. The total investment on these projects would be about Rs 250 crore.
Apart from Chennai and Coimbatore, the company would enter the real estate markets in Bangalore and Madurai this year. He expected the turnover of the group to be around Rs 450 crore during the current fiscal, up from Rs 100 crore turnover during last year.
Mr Chitty Babu said the company has also planned to enter in other towns in Tamil Nadu such as Hosur and Tirunelveli and spread its wings to big cities such as Hyderabad to establish a South Indian presence. Asked about the reasons for the growth optimism, he said the land bank for reaching a target of Rs 450 crore in the current fiscal was already available with the company. When this target was reached, the company would have 16 or 17 on going projects and about 10 projects would have been handed over. Similarly, for the next year, the company already has projects worth Rs 780 crore on hand and there would not be any hitch in reaching the Rs 1,000-crore turnover. He said the hike in home loan rates would not hamper the growth of the realty sector. With the economy firing on cylinders, he expected the housing sector to witness a sustained growth, at least for the next 4/5 years as housing demand was fuelled by growth in other sectors of the economy.
He said he has no plans to go for any public issue.
Soured from www.thehindubusinessline.com
Monday, August 20, 2007
DLF charts projects for Chennai, Coimbatore
Also in the pipeline is a Hilton hotel near Chennai at Siruseri on Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) as part of a joint venture between DLF and Hilton Hotels Corporation. This plan is at a preliminary stage.
These are some of the projects that DLF has for Tamil Nadu, where it plans to invest over Rs 10,000 crore over the next three years.
Apart from this, DLF is likely to launch the two retail malls it announced earlier in Chennai. One is coming up at Ethiraj Salai, on the 4.5 acre property it bought from Mico two years ago, in the heart of the city. This would be a 4-5 lakh square feet mall with multiplex and a double basement. The other is to be built in Guindy.
The approval process is nearing completion, the company said. Sources said the two ‘mini township’ projects are planned near Chennai off OMR between Siruseri and Sholinganallur. The first, spread over 60 acres, is to be launched in two months and a second 150-acre facility, later. Another large township of over 400 acres is to come up near Sriperumbudur, about 25 km west of Chennai, in mid 2008.
Sources said the decision by one of the largest players in the real estate sector to launch residential projects on OMR is bound to have a telling impact on the market in Chennai.
At a time when there is a perception of a slump in the market for residential property, especially on the OMR, the move by the market leader to launch projects would rejuvenate the market, spur competition, and possibly set a new benchmark in prices.
Price speculation
Market sources say DLF is believed to be contemplating an aggressive price per square foot. While there is no confirmation on the price, it will be significantly lower than that of its competitors who have announced projects on OMR with prices higher than Rs 3,500 a square foot. DLF’s price would be a better ‘fit’ in a market where the slowdown in apartment purchase is attributed to a mismatch in pricing. Why would buyers want to shell out Rs 60 lakh and more for an apartment that is 30 km from the city, they ask.
Also, as a choice of location, instead of being on the OMR, DLF has chosen to put up projects a few km off OMR, taking advantage of the proximity to OMR while being away from the hustle and bustle of a main road.
DLF’s townships would have the advantage of being close to the place of work and to the proposed Siruseri-airport expressway, they said.
Coimbatore plan
The company is also planning a township project and a retail mall in Coimbatore. DLF is in the process of acquiring land in Coimbatore, which is seen as a major destination of investments in IT and industry in Tamil Nadu. The size of the township project would be decided by the land it is able to acquire at realistic prices, the sources said.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Widening of Avanashi Road set to start
The district administration has moved to ensure coordination among various agencies for widening the 16-km stretch of road from the Avanashi Road flyover to the Neelambur bypass road junction into a six-lane one, at Rs 27.5 crore.
Avanashi Road is the gateway to Coimbatore for vehicles coming from Erode, Salem, Bangalore and Chennai besides those from the hosiery town of Tirupur. The road, leading to the airport, also serves a number of residential colonies on either side besides corporate houses, educational institutions and hospitals. Traffic chaos used to reign on this stretch, especially during peak hours. Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, during a visit here in February, announced that the arterial road would be made a six-lane one, taking into account the present traffic volume as well as future growth, especially in a context in which information technology firms were coming up at the proposed IT Park near Coimbatore Medical College. District Collector Neeraj Mittal recently had a coordination meeting with various agencies on the speedy completion of the work. Mr. Mittal told The Hindu that survey and alignment assessment had been completed. A joint inspection would be carried out by agencies such as the City Corporation, the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB), Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited and private telecom service providers for moving utility fixtures such as telephone cables, water lines, electric poles and transformers to the road boundary. The TNEB was preparing an estimate for shifting its poles and transformers, and the expenditure would be met from the project cost. All preliminary works will be in full swing by July 15.
After the survey, the authorities said there was enough space on either side to provide six lanes and there would be no need to demolish any structures. There will be minimal removal of encroachments, they said.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Robert Bosch investing Rs 250 cr in Coimbatore SEZ
Robert Bosch India Ltd, which has been allotted 21.88 acres on lease in the first dedicated Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for IT/ITES industries in Coimbatore, will invest about Rs 250 crore in its Coimbatore facility in the first phase.
The company has signed a deal with Coimbatore Hi-tech Infrastructure Private Ltd, promoted by KG Information Systems Ltd, which is forming the SEZ at Saravanampatty on the Coimbatore-Mysore road. Already Robert Bosch had established in 2006 a development centre at KG Information facility.
Mr Friedhelm Pickhard, Managing Director, Robert Bosch, Bangalore, told Business Line that since the establishment of the centre at Coimbatore, the number of associates (employees) had grown to 550 now, and they are involved in dive rse areas such as software and hardware engineering, mechanical design and business services.
The Coimbatore Bosch facility is a BPO and an engineering centre.
Mr Pickhard said the company has planned to begin construction on the facility in the last quarter of 2007 and would inaugurate the first phase in early 2009. The company has strong focus on research.
Nature of work
The Bosch associates would work on advance technologies designing new Electronic Control Unit for diesel and gasoline engines and other automotive applications such as portable navigation systems, semi-autonomous parking systems, adaptive cruise control and Autosar, the new upcoming software standard for automotive applications, and for this, Bosch is in touch with the universities in Coimbatore. Mr Pickhard said the company would be investing about €41 million (about Rs 250 crore) in its Coimbatore facility in the first phase.
The company would be developing its facility in the Saravanampatty SEZ in two or three phases.
By 2010, he expects to have around 2,500 associates at Coimbatore centre.
Mr Ashok Bakthavathsalam, Managing Director, KG Information, said the decision of Robert Bosch would not only create job opportunities in Coimbatore but the manufacturing sector also would benefit since Robert Bosch looks for partners for bringing complimentary strength to what it does.
He said the establishment of KG Information’s one-stop solution for infrastructure support was one of the major reasons for Robert Bosch to select Coimbatore as the second city (after Bangalore) for expansion.
He added that after Robert Bosch, Cognizant Technology Solutions and Perot Systems were expected to have their facilities in the SEZ.
The establishment of the SEZ would also benefit the adjoining villages with the creation of non-IT jobs.