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Showing posts with label Trivandrum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trivandrum. Show all posts

Saturday 19 November 2016

Trivandrum to Get Infrastructure Boost

Introduction

In a recent development, the newly constituted Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIFB) got administrative approval from the State Government for five major projects. The five projects are the construction of one flyover each at Sreekariyam, Pattom and Ulloor junctions to remove the traffic bottlenecks during the peak hours of a day. The fourth project is the four-laning of 6.5-kilometer-long Pravachambalam-Vazhimukku section of National Highway 66 and the first building at the Technocity. When these projects get implemented, it would add to the growing stature of the capital city of the God’s Own Country.  This will also become the fillip to the requirements that may arise when the city is developed into a Smart City.  In this blog post, we will look at the projects at some details and the likely change they might bring to the capital city Trivandrum.

infrastructure rpojects

KIFB Clearance for Five Mega Projects

The newly constituted KIFB has given in principle approval for five major infrastructure projects in the state capital. The total cost expected to execute this project is to the tune of Rs. 525.99 crore. It is for the first time that many high-value infrastructure projects are given administrative permission in the state. According to the learned sources in the KIFB, four projects come under the Public Works Department (PWD) and one comes under the Information Technology (IT) Department of the Kerala Government. Of the five projects, three are flyover construction, one four-laning of Pravachambalam-Vazhimukku corridor of National Highway 66 and the last one is the making of first building in Technocity. The latest reports available in the public domain suggest that Kerala Government has already given the administrative clearance for them already.  The construction of the three flyovers at Pattom, Ulloor and Sreekariyam junctions has originally been proposed by Delhi Metro Rail Cooperation (DMRC) as part of the Technocity-Karamana elevated metro corridor. The total length of the elevated corridor is 21.82 kilometers.

infrastructure project sanctioned

Wdening of NH 66 Stretch

When completed, the four-laned stretch will have a width of 30.2 meter. The proposed stretch of the widened road will have a median of 3.5 meter to accommodate the Metro up to Neyyattinkara. Under Reach I, the PWD would complete the widening of 21.82-kilometer Technocity-Karamana elevated metro corridor. After this, the PWD would take up the widening of 29.2-kilometer Karamana-Kaliyikavila stretch of National Highway 66. The total expected cost of the Reach II is Rs. 153 crore. KIFB has allocated an initial installment of Rs. 50 crore for the Reach II already.

road widening

Flyover Construction

As stated earlier the building of three flyovers was initially proposed by DMRC as part of 21.82-kilometer-long Technocity-Karamana elevated metro corridor. Under this scheme, a flyover will come at Pattom, Ulloor and Sreekariyam junctions. The total cost of the Sreekariyam flyover is Rs. 135.37 crore, and it will have common pillars for vehicular traffic and MMTS. KIFB has already allocated a sum of Rs. 50 crore for this 630-meter long Sreekariyam flyover. As per the plan, the 570-meter flyover at Pattom will start near the Public Service Commission (PSC) office and extend up to the Plamood. Against the expected cost of Rs. 84.60 crore, KIFB has released Rs. 32 crore as advance for its construction. Meanwhile, the authorities have proposed the 390-meter Ulloor flyover on the Medical College side. Of the expected cost of Rs. 52.68 crore, KIFB has allocated an initial amount of Rs. 18 crore for this flyover. For this three-flyover project, KIFB has acquired nearly 2.27 hectares of the urban land and shifted 163 buildings at a cost of Rs. 272.68 crore.

new flyovers

Technocity Building

The first building at the proposed Technocity will have an effective area of 2 lakh square-feet.  The estimated cost for constructing this building is Rs. 100 crore. However, KIFB has allocated only Rs. 2 crore for this project as the first installment. 

technocity building

Thursday 17 November 2016

Taurus Group’s Downtown Technopark to Come Up in Trivandrum

Introduction

According to a latest report, the reputed construction company Taurus Investments Holdings is coming up with a mega project, which is named as Downtown Technopark.  In all likelihood, the work is going to start by the beginning of 2017. The report further adds that this mega project will have will have grant design that takes care of the shortcomings of its predecessor Technopark. The real estate investor has reportedly started parleying with some of the current tenants or multinational companies, including four fortune 500 companies, working from the predecessor Technopark premises so that it can launch its new project with some of them on board. In this blog post, we will take the readers through the salient features of this new project.

down town technopark

Lease Agreement

The reported cost of this mega project from the Taurus Group is Rs. 1300 crore. The group is planning to set up the park by 2019. Currently, the builder is in the process of getting the necessary environment clearance from the government. Once it gets the final go ahead from the government, it will finish the design specifications for this upcoming project. According to reports, the builder expects to complete the formalities by the end of November or the beginning of December and will break the ground by December end or January first week. In addition to taking the necessary no objection certificate from the state government, the builder has also completed the formalities to take land from Technopark on lease so that it can build the state-of-the-art facilities for the new IT Park. The group is expected to demarcate the boundary after entering into the lease agreement with the Technopark management. In all likelihood, the lease agreement will come into force in November 2016.

lease agreement

Taurus Technopark

Taurus Group is planning to complete the 1300-crore project within two years. If everything goes well, the first office of the proposed park will start working by 2019. A Mumbai-based company by the name RSP Design Consultants has prepared the master plan and concept design for this mega project.  The group is very particular about the companies that it wants on board when it launches the first phase of the ambitious IT Park. Hence, it has approached some of the multinational companies, including four fortune 500 companies operating in Technopark, so that they can take possession of prime space in the new venture at the time of its launch.

taurus technopark

About Downtown Technopark

Taurus Group wants to develop this tech park as a world-class and mixed-use project. The new IT Park will have over 1,800, 000 Square Feet of Class A office spaces in three towers and a 750,000 Square Feet regional-scale shopping centre with multiple anchor tenants. This park will also have a retail mall, multiplexes, a convention centre, two hotels and other entertainment utilities. Hilton Group is going to run one of the hotels when the project goes full steam. This mega project is going to give direct employment opportunities to nearly 20,000 people when it becomes fully functional. In short, the project is going to contribute to the overall development of the region.

downtown technopark facilities

Tuesday 15 November 2016

Sports Hub Hosting International Sports Event to Come Up in Trivandrum

Introduction

Previously, all the sports events, whether cricket or football, used to happen at Kalloor Stadium in Kochi. The sports enthusiasts used to travel to this venue in large numbers from different parts of Kerala. The sports lovers need to book the ticket in advance through online sites. Even if you get the tickets, there is no guarantee that you might get the best seats to sit and watch the matches happening in the stadium. The guys from Thirvananthapuram city are going to get a world-class facility at a place Kariyavattom, about 12 kilometres from the city. In order to bring the international-class sporting facility, the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) has entered into a deal with Kariyavattom Sports Facilities Ltd. (KSFL), which operates Greenfield International Stadium in Karyavattom. As a result, more international sports matches, mainly cricket matches, will come to Trivandrum. In this blog post, let us see the salient features of this sports hub and the ports events that may get hosted there.

greenfield stadium

Working Agreement

KCA has entered into an agreement with KSFL to use the Sports Hub, including the Greenfield International Stadium, to host both international and Indian Premier League (IPL) matches for 180 days in a year. This working agreement is valid till November 18, 2027. The periods in which the KCA will host international events are from October 1 to January 31 and from April 1 to May 30.  As part of the deal, KSFL will construct and curate the pitch at the Greenfield Stadium with the technical support of KCA. Once constructed, KCA has to maintain the playing area for a 11-year period. Outside the mandated use of the facility for hosting international matches, the KCA can use it for other matches by paying extra money to KSFL.  Initially, the pitches would be laid with the KCA help. This work will get completed in 45 days. After a three-month mandatory curation period, the KCA is planning to start hosting international events at the stadium.

trivandrum international stadium

Drop-in Pitches

KCA is planning to introduce the drop-in pitches shortly after it commences hosting matches at the stadium. With the introduction of the above said pitch, Greenfield Stadium will be the first stadium in India to get this type of pitch. Again, it will become the third stadium in the cricketing world to get the drop-in pitches outside Australia and New Zealand. This kind of pitches are normally prepared elsewhere and laid at the pre-determined place just before a match starts. The cost of making and laying the drop-in pitch is about Rs. 80 crore. Using the drop-in pitch allows the stadium authorities to use it for other sports events without affecting the pitch quality. 

drop-in pitch

Tuesday 8 November 2016

Lulu Mall to Come up in Trivandrum

Introduction

For years, the Queen of Arabian Sea was the commercial capital of the state for many obvious reasons. Many business establishments opened their offices and outlets in that commercial hub. Similar was the case of the Lulu Group, which opened its first ever Kerala outlet in Cochin. Despite being the administrative capital, Thiruvananthapuram could not figure out its place in the scheme of things of many business groups. Though many reputed businesses started building housing projects in the capital city, the concept of business malls simply could not established its foot in the capital city. However, the scenario is fast changing with the coming of Lulu Mall in Thiruvananthapuram. Soon, the citizens of the capital city would be able to get the taste of Mall culture within a period of one year. In this blog, we would be analyzing this evolving story for the benefit of readers.

lulu mall trivandrum

Lulu Group Coming in Thiruvananthapuram

Bringing change to the night-shop culture, Lulu Group is soon constructing a world-class mall in Akkulam, near Veli Tourist Village in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The ground-breaking for this has already been finished and the soil-testing is going on at the sight earmarked for it. In order to get the clearance report, the group has filed its papers with the Pollution Control Board and the Environment Department of Kerala government.  Since it is only in the early stages, the finer details of the upcoming Lulu Mall are unknown as the business group has not chosen to show it. Apart from Lulu Mall, Mall of Travancore is going to open its office in 2017. Hence, it will be the first mall to come up in Thiruvananthapuram.

lulu mall inside

Likely Features of New Lulu Mall

However, the details of the mall are slowly emerging in social media circles. According to some reports, the project is going to come up at the 22 acres of land earmarked for it near Akkulam in the capital city. It is going to become fully operational near the Akkulam Toll Plaza. Apart housing the world-class outlets for reputed brands, the mall is going to have multiplex, food courts and entertainment zone. It will also have a 150-suit, 5-star hotel and a large convention centre to hold various events. It is going to be the first 5-star hotel with these many rooms in the capital city. The Reports further added that the convention centre will have a seating capacity of about 2500. 

lulu hypermarket

Other Malls Coming up at Akkulam

As said before, the Mall of Travancore will become operational in the next year (2017). It promises a shopper’s paradise in the total coverage area of over 6 lakh square feet. This retail space will house more than 200 outlets of international brands. It will also have a 7-screen multiplex operated by the Carnival Group. Though Artech announced its venture in Commerical Mall business in Akkulam, it did not take off due to some unforeseen reasons. If made operational, it will have a multiplex, foot courts and a gaming zone for the children.

travancore mall

Saturday 5 November 2016

Veli Tourism Village to Get New Makeover

Introduction

The main stay of Kerala’s economy is the tourism and Information Technology (IT). Keeping in view of the tourism potential of various most frequented spots in the Thiruvananthapuram city are being renovated to make them more attractive to the inbound tourist traffic. Apart from Kovalam beach, other main attraction in the capital city is Veli Tourist Village. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government is planning to add the infrastructure facilities at the major tourist destinations to cater to the requirements of the tourists. The Kerala Tourism Minister A.C. Moideen announced this in a written reply to the questions posted by honorable MLAs in Kerala Legislative Assembly last Wednesday (October 26, 2016).  In this blog, we will be looking at the details given out the honorable Tourism Minister in the State Legislative Assembly for the benefit of readers who hail from the capital city of God’s Own Country.

veli tourist village

Detailed Plan for Veli Tourist Village

In a bid to improve the tourism potential of much-visited Veli Tourist Village, the LDF government has decided to improve the infrastructure facilities there to better the tourist experience. The Tourism Minister A.C. Moideen announced this decision in the State Legislative Assembly. He was replying to the question posted by the honorable MLAs B. Sathyan, K. Ansalan, V. Joy and M.Mukesh. The minister told the legislative assembly that the government is planning to renovate the lake, build a new toilet complex and build a compound wall in the beach area. He further added that it has asked the Kerala Tourism Infrastructure Limited (KTIL) to prepare a detailed report on this project. It seems the government has asked this nodal agency to develop the village as per the international standards. According to the available information, KTIL is planning to carry out the developmental work in an area of 17.9 acres out of the Tourism Village land that was earlier taken over by the Tourism Department. This is again included in the Smart City project to find the necessary funds.

team visit veli

Other Likely Infrastructure Additions

Apart from the above development works, the nodal agency is expected to undertake modernization of the play area of the children, the maintenance of the total area, and the building of new police aid post. In order to offer the security to the tourists, the government has decided to install CCTV cameras at important points of assembly in Tourist Village and adjoining Akkulam tourist facility. For the better entertainment of the tourists visiting the village, the government has given the mandate to introduce a music theme park, which includes dancing fountain, radio tower, etc. As part of the children park modernization plan, KTIL will introduce a new equipment to entertain the kids. KTIL will also undertake the development of 2.5 acres of the business park at Akkulam. Though the floated this plan in the month of August this year (2016), it decided to give the new makeover for the Veli-Akkulam tourist corridor only in October 2016.

floating restaurant veli

Friday 4 November 2016

Trivandrum's Manaveeyam Veedhi to Get New Facelift

Introduction

As part of the makeover of the Thiruvananthapuram city under the Smart City project, the city civic body Trivandrum Corporation is mulling over the making over of the Manaveeyam Veedhi. As part of this exercise, the civic body has completed the feasibility study of its inclusion in the Smart City project of the Union Government  It has evoked positive response from all quarters. Now, the city civic body has asked for an expert opinion on the beautification project. A team from the College of Engineering Trivandrum (CET) has submitted the sketch and roadmap for the civic body to study it in detail and give it to the state government for its approval. In this article, we will see how the civic body is hoping to bring the makeover of this well-known destination in the capital city of God’s Own Country.

renovated manaveeyam veedhi

Much Sought-after Makeover

According to some reports emanating from the local media, the Thiruvananthapuram’s cultural corridor Manaveeyam Veedhi is going to get a makeover or facelift in the near future. Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has made it a point to include this in the Smart City project to get the required funding. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in principle has agreed to this proposal. Immediately after getting the Kerala government nod, the capital city civic body had asked the Architecture Department of CET to prepare an architectural plan for beautifying the city. Recently, a team of budding architects consisting of Manoj Kumar Gini, Roja M.S. and Greeshma J. of Architecture Department has presented the plan to the Deputy Mayor Rakhi Ravi Kumar. A team from Abhinaya Theatre Research Centre has assisted the architecture team to prepare the plan.

painting maveeyam veedhi

Likely Features of Renovated Manaveeyam Veedhi

The main aim of this exercise is to reclaim its old glory as a public space for hosting cultural events once again. In the present setup, it is nothing but a parking space for the cars. If the authorities are able to execute the plan without any glitch, this corridor will become totally car-free. The authorities are doing this to make sure the safety of pedestrian and cut the pollution. After the shutting the place off the traffic radar, the plants will be planted to make it a green zone. In order to make sure the cleanliness of the cultural corridor, the authorities are planning to introduce an on-site waste management system. For hosting cultural events, the corridor will have solar-powered lighting and sound systems. Hence, the authorities can use it for movie screening as well. Apart from these facilities, the Manaveeyam Veedhi will also have space for the children to do painting, street art gallery for the art lovers, a library space for serious readers and eateries. The city corporation is also planning to introduce an interactive sculpture in this corridor.  In order to help the free movement of all kinds of people, there will be public toilets for men, women, Transgender and differently-abled people. 

live performance manaveeyam

Thursday 3 November 2016

Smart City Proposal for Thiruvananthapuram

Introduction

Immediately after the communication by the center of its proposal to include Thiruvananthapuram in the next round of smart city development scheme, the capital city corporation has installed the suggestion boxes at important junctions of the city.  Through these suggestion boxes, the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation wanted to get inputs from the public on what all facilities that should be included in the list for submission to the center. In order to elicit the response from the public, the corporation has come out with Smart City contest. In this blog, we will be looking at what the corporation wants to do with these suggestions.

smart city

Proposal for Smart City

In a first of its kind, the Left Democratic Front (LDF)-led Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has placed about 30 suggestion boxes for receiving ideas and proposals from the public at important junctions in the city. Apart from this, the city body has already received over 1000 proposals from ward-level committees as part of the contest. The city corporation wants to reproduce the success it got at the committee level in the Smart City Contest. There were over 5000 people in attendance in some of the ward-level committees, according to some newspaper reports. It included some of the distinguished persons who have the stamp of authority on the subject. After the event wherein people have given their inputs, the authorities opened boxes and collected the suggestions for the experts to wet their inputs.

smart city campaign

Expert Scrutiny

The suggestions collected under the Smart City Contest will be submitted to the panel of experts for their scrutiny. As part of this exercise, the experts from various fields such as waste management, sanitation, e-governance, IT, urban development, culture and heritage, education and security will peruse the proposals, suggestions and other inputs to codify the response that corporation wants to sent to the Union Government. After the scrutiny, the best idea or proposal will be suitably rewarded to recognize the creativity. Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) has included the Thiruvananthapuram along with 7 other state capitals that were left out in the Smart City participation list. 

smart city parameters

Proposals

Though MoUD gave no concrete guidelines, the civic bodies need to meet certain conditions. The organizations conducted the road-shows and idea van to educate the people on the Smart City concept. Further, the civic bodies received the response from the public through flash mob, group run and opinion survey. This all-encompassing effort is aimed at taking the public along in the process. This approach will help combine the best of ideas on addressing issues on the civic amenities in the city. The idea is to develop the best smart city within the confines of the geological and cultural restrictions.

smart city definition

Friday 12 June 2015

Advantages of Vizhinjam International Seaport

Introduction

After a long wait, the Vizhinjam International Seaport is going to be a reality. On June 11, 2015, the Government of Kerala has finally given the go ahead signal to the Adani Group to construct a sea port at a place called Vizhinjam near Thiruvananthapuram. When operational, it would become the largest seaport in the country. People in the field believe that it has a number of unique features that would make it the busiest seaport in the region.

vizhinjam seaport

History of Vizhinjam Seaport Project

The builder of the seaport Adani Group is planning to complete the terminal in three phases. If everything goes well, the first cargo vessel is expected to dock in the Vizhinjam Shipyard in four years. The idea of building a seaport at Vizhinjam was floated about 20 years ago. In the last 20 years, the port was amiss between the cup and the lip. There were many obstacles, both security and environmental – in its way. At other times, the demands of the prospective builders were not met. When conceived in 1991, the probable cost of the seaport to be built on landlord model was Rs. 6595 crore. But due to the lag in the implementation, the project cost rose to Rs. 7525 crore. According to new understanding, the new seaport would be built on Public Private Partnership – Private Services model.  

vizhinjam

Current Status of Vizhinjam Seaport


When operational, Vizhinjam Seaport would become a special purpose government company. As a result, the Government of Kerala would become the sole implementing agency for the development of this Greenfield port.  The government had applied lots of mind to this project and asked an entity to find out its pros and cons when implemented in the chosen place in Thiruvananthapuram. Last year, the central government had given the environmental as well as security clearance to this seaport after studying the report prepared by the state government. This time around, only Adani Group, with two decades of experience in port building and maintenance, came up with the expression of interest in the project. After a lot of deliberation, the Kerala government has finally given permission for the Adani Group to construct a port in Vizhinjam.

international seaport

Advantages of Vizhinjam Seaport

When operational, the exporters don’t have to go elsewhere to ship their products to foreign countries. This is the case with the importers as well. Currently, they have to go to Singapore, Australia or Sri Lanka to ship and fetch the cargoes. This is expected to bring down the cost of transportation. There are other features that make this project a unique one. They are listed below.

seaport picture when complete

  • International Trade Route: The location of Vizhinjam International Seaport is close to the sea route that different players use to ferry their products to different countries. The port is just 1 nautical mile from the sea trade route.


    international trade route

  • East-West Shopping Axis: The port is also very close to the busy East-West Shopping Axis. Hence, it can attract a lot of sea-based business in this region.

  • Natural Depth: The average depth of the sea is 24 metre up to just one nautical mile from the sea shore. The sea ports operational in other countries like Australia, Sri Lanka and Singapore have the natural depth of only 15 metres. Hence, bigger cargo vessels can easily dock near the shore.
  • Attracting Bigger Players: Other seaports in our country do not attract bigger ships as the approach to them is through shallow waters. That is the reason the people in export-import businesses have to go the foreign countries to get their work done. Hence, it involves a lot of cost.

    bigger ships

  • No Dredging: Other ports of the region require periodical dredging to increase the depth of the approach route. Hence, the cost of maintenance is more. When operational, Vizhinjam Seaport will not require such dredging, bringing the cost of maintenance down.


    dredging