Saturday, March 30, 2013
writingonblog uncensored: CREDAI launches its Tamil Nadu chapter
writingonblog uncensored: CREDAI launches its Tamil Nadu chapter: Chennai : The Regional chapters of Chennai, Coimbatore, Trichy and Madurai of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associa...
CREDAI launches its Tamil Nadu chapter
Chennai: The Regional chapters of
Chennai, Coimbatore, Trichy and Madurai of the Confederation of Real Estate
Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI) has launched CREDAI - Tamil Nadu, their
state Apex body.
Realty organizations from across the
State participated in this launch to strengthen the Association's
presence and spreading its reach across Southern India. K Rosaiah, Governor
of Tamil Nadu inaugurated the chapter.
For the term 2013- 2015
CREDAI TN chapter office bearers would comprise of Dr R.Kumar, Chairman, N Nandakumar President, (both
from Chennai). Ramesh Bafna,
Vice-President (from Coimbatore),
V Gouthaman Secretary (from Trichy) and S Ilankovan
Treasurer (from Madurai), who have been elected by the General Council.
CREDAI TN would highlight and establish
CREDAI chapters in 90 per cent of the urban areas in the State; get every
member developer to sign a transparent Code of Conduct; foster self regulated
growth of Real estate, pursue with the Government to implement reforms in urban
planning and regulation, land, taxation, administrative and fiscal areas to
achieve smooth and orderly development of Urban areas, help to create
affordable housing and over all achieve a higher GDP; would promote
skill development program at all levels from bottom level workers to top level
professionals and management , by establishing skill development centres
and Institutes of excellence & research. CREDAI TN would help in achieving
the vision and the National goals; and work on influencing establishment
of State level policies and programmes which would help in making
housing for all a reality.
The amalgamation of the builders’
and property developers' associations with CREDAI, the real estate’s apex
body will bring in more transparency and efficiency into the process, which
will create a favourable cascading effect into the industry augmenting real
estate growth in the southern region. CREDAI Tamil Nadu will work
towards ensuring buyer’s confidence through ethical practices and transparent
dealings across the State.
writingonblog uncensored: 50 CMDA officials under the scanner for lapses in...
writingonblog uncensored: 50 CMDA officials under the scanner for lapses in...: C Shivakumar Chennai: More than 50 officials of Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority are under the scanner for expiry of Bank Gu...
50 CMDA officials under the scanner for lapses in bank guarantees worth Rs 3.77 crore
C Shivakumar
Chennai:
More than 50 officials of Chennai Metropolitan
Development Authority are under the scanner for expiry of Bank Guarantees worth
more than Rs 3.77 crore.
Sources told Express that the government has sought an
action taken report on the audit reports starting from 2006 to 2009-10 that
highlighted the lapses in bank guarantees, which is taken towards remittance of
security deposit to get planning permission. Interestingly, CMDA has yet to
submit any report and the government has asked it to furnish the report next
month.
Sources said CMDA has fixed the responsibility for the
lapses on 53 officials. They include 23 secretarial staff, 30 technical
officials including chief planners, senior planners, deputy planners, assistant
planners and planning assistants. In the case of secretarial officials, out of
23 officials, six have retired and two expired while in the technical side, 13
have retired.
As per norms, a builder has to provide bank guarantee
instead of cash towards remittance of security deposit to get planning
permission.
In the bank guarantee cases, the building has to be
inspected to find out whether the construction is as per the approved plan or
not. If the construction is as per the approved plan, the bank guarantees has
to be returned otherwise the amount is forfeited by invoking the bank
guarantee.
If no action is taken on any one of the two options, the
bank guarantee gets lapsed and the bank is legally not bound to honour and
oblige the request of invocation if any made after the expiry of bank
guarantee.
Initially the lapsed amount involving bank guarantees was
Rs 7.72 crore as per audit report of 2005-06. This included 152 cases. However,
this was brought down to 89 cases involving an amount of Rs 3.77 crore.
During the enquiry it was also found out that the lapses
occurred partly due to administrative lapses and partly due to lack of consolidation
and coordination of intended system among units involved in the operation to
manage bank guarantees.
Interestingly, CMDA is hinting at collective
responsibility of the officials resulting in the bank guarantee lapses. This
also brings to light lack of action in many cases due to lack of fixing of responsibility
on any one individual.
The main issue for such lapses is lack of fixing the
responsibility on any one official. Sources said the need of the hour is to decentralize
the powers and delegate it at the deputy planner level. Sources said only the
policy issues should be taken to higher level. The technical issues should be
taken by the technical department heads. This would bring in transparency in
CMDA.
Detail of Bank Guarantee Expiry year wise
S.No Year of BG
expiry Cases Amount in Rs
1. 1989
2. 1990
3. 1991
4. 1992
5. 1993
6. 1994
6. 1994
7. 1995
8. 1996
9. 1997 5 1136600
10. 1998
11. 1999
12. 2000
13. 2001
14. 2002 10 3145000
15. 2003
16. 2004
17. 2005
18. 2006
19. 2007
20. 2008
21. 2009
22. 2010
23. 2011
24. 2012
Total
writingonblog uncensored: Chennai Corporation planningbus bays outside MRTS ...
writingonblog uncensored: Chennai Corporation planningbus bays outside MRTS ...: In a bid to ease the traffic congestion and connectivity woes of passengers who use the train-to-bus service at Beach station, Chennai ...
Chennai Corporation planningbus bays outside MRTS Beach station
In a bid to ease the traffic congestion and connectivity
woes of passengers who use the train-to-bus service at Beach station, Chennai
Corporation is planning larger bus bays
outside the station.
Sources told City Express that a special review meeting,
held recently, deliberated over removing some shops and installing bus bays by
utilising the existing right-of-way of Rajaji Salai. Sources added that the bus
bays are being planned to hold at least three buses at a time, inside the
existing bus stop.
There are 41 shops that need to be evicted to provide the
bus bays and it was felt that new places for the shops needed to be identified
before they can be evicted.
Meanwhile, Corporation authorities are also planning to
place the proposal of extending the foot-over bridge south of Chennai Beach
station over Rajaji Salai, opposite the State Bank of India office before the
ensuing council meeting.
This comes in the wake of CMDA taking up this issue with
Southern Railway, which had rejected the proposal earlier. Meanwhile, Southern
Railway is looking into a proposal to add a leg of stairs to the existing
foot-over-bridge, just adjacent to Fort Station on either side of the Muthusamy
Bridge Road. The choice of taking up the work by Southern Railway itself or
leaving it to the Chennai Corporation was also discussed during the meeting.
The meeting also discussed improvements that need to be made
to the access road from Periyar EVR Salai to the Park Town railway station,
beneath the Pallavan Salai viaduct. It is believed that the Corporation of
Chennai has issued instructions to attend to the issue in addition to its
regular maintenance work.
In addition to these issues, it was also informed that the
divisional railway manager of Southern Railway has stated that the issue of
opening the passage has been taken up with headquarters.
The railways said that on approval, the passage will be
opened and security arrangement through General Railway Police will be provided.
Other issues were also disscused during the meeting, including the upkeep of
Victoria Hostel road near Chepauk railway station by Chennai Corporation,
routing of buses were also discussed and the widening of Canal Bank road near Tiruvallikeni station.
writingonblog uncensored: Nokia appeals to court after Income Tax slaps Rs 2...
writingonblog uncensored: Nokia appeals to court after Income Tax slaps Rs 2...: Chennai: Nokia on Thursday confirmed that the Income Tax department has served Rs 2,000 crore notice on the Finnish mobile maker for al...
Nokia appeals to court after Income Tax slaps Rs 2,000 crore notice
Chennai:
Nokia on Thursday confirmed that the Income Tax department
has served Rs 2,000 crore notice on the Finnish mobile maker for alleged
evasion of taxes in its business transactions in the country and reiterated
that it is in full compliance with local laws as well as the bilaterally
negotiated tax treaty between the governments of India and Finland.
In a
statement, Nokia said that it will defend itself vigorously and has filed a writ
before the Delhi High Court last week. “On Friday, the Court has issued notice
to the income tax department to file its counter affidavit and has granted
interim stay of the entire tax demand raised against Nokia till further
orders,” a statement from Nokia said.
Since
establishing the Chennai factory in 2006, indeed since starting business
operations in India in the mid-1990s, Nokia has been scrutinized by the
authorities regularly, and its policies have been validated by the Indian and
Finnish Tax authorities in the normal course of tax proceedings, the statement
added.
Nokia
arrived in India 18 years ago and has grown to become a market leader,
contributing to the rapid growth of the Indian economy. Nokia has invested over
$330 million in Chennai since setting up the factory. The Indian people, in
turn, have shown their trust in us, recently voting Nokia the top trusted brand
in the country, the statement added.
“Nokia
remains willing to cooperate fully with Indian tax authorities in accordance
with all applicable laws. Nokia has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship
with India, and looks forward to a prompt and just resolution to this
matter,” it added.
This comes in the wake of Income Tax department in Chennai quizzed Nokia India officials over tax irregularities following an I-T
survey conducted at the factory and corporate premises in Chennai and Gurgaon
in Haryana respectively. The tax evasion pertains to royalty payment made
against supply of software by the company's parent company which attracts a 10
per cent tax deduction under the Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) category.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
writingonblog uncensored: New inMobi tool facilitates easy app distribution ...
writingonblog uncensored: New inMobi tool facilitates easy app distribution ...: Chennai: InMobi , the world leader in mobile-first technology platforms and the largest independent mobile ad network, has annou...
New inMobi tool facilitates easy app distribution across 130 Android app stores in just a few clicks
Chennai: InMobi, the world leader in mobile-first
technology platforms and the largest independent mobile ad network, has
announced the launch of App Publish, an Android app store distribution
platform. The first-of-its-kind, free-to-use tool allows Android developers to
publish their apps across global app stores in just a few clicks.
While app discovery on Google Play is a challenge for
developers and users alike, alternative channels such as GetJar, Mobango, Slide
Me and several third-party appstores based in China are estimated to drive
billions of downloads every year. While these outside sources help developers
reach millions of users in new markets, publishing to each app store
independently presents several significant challenges, such as navigating
complex international laws, various platforms’ widely varied aesthetic and
informational requirements, difficulties tracking and reporting download and
install figures and the challenges of collecting revenue from smaller or
international platforms in a timely manner.
InMobi’s App Publish platform allows developers to avoid
these and other pain points that come from deploying an Android app globally,
using proven intelligent technology to reduce the cost and effort to submit to
multiple app stores. In just a few clicks, developers can launch their apps in
more than 130 global app stores —and manage their presence in each app store
using a single dashboard. Payments and payouts are easy to collect, from a
single reliable partner.
Girish Prabhu, Head of Product Management for Developer
Platforms InMobi, says, “Paying for position and app discovery on Google Play
is becoming increasingly expensive and ultra-competitive. The launch of App
Publish serves to meet the mass desire from app developers to compete in
multiple channels in a simple, profitable way. Early beta testers of App
Publish have seen 30 per cent more downloads through these new app store
channels.”
Matt Siedel from 5C-Basic GmbH & Co. KG, an early
adopter of App Publish, comments: "As we’re a small, independent
developer, App Publish enables us to reach out to users around the world. It
helps us focus our energies on creating compelling applications rather than
having to deal with complex app store submission requirements."
The launch of App Publish marks the successful integration
of app distribution capabilities that InMobi gained through its acquisition of
Metaflow Solutions—the experts in mobile app management and distribution
solutions—in July 2012.
writingonblog uncensored: Linen fabrics yet to catch the attention of Chenna...
writingonblog uncensored: Linen fabrics yet to catch the attention of Chenna...: Chennai: Linen fabrics are suitable for the climate in Chennai but due to lack of awareness, the fabric is yet to be a hit in the city a...
Linen fabrics yet to catch the attention of Chennaites
Chennai:
Linen
fabrics are suitable for the climate in Chennai but due to lack of awareness,
the fabric is yet to be a hit in the city and state, according to president of
Aditya Birla Textiles division S Krishnamoorthy.
Addressing
reporters after the launch of third exclusive showroom in Tamil Nadu here on
Wednesday, Krishnamoorthy said linen fabrics is extremely suitable for the
climate of Chennai as it is skin friendly and anti-bacterial in nature.
He said the
fabric’s moisture absorption capacity is double than cotton and it keeps one
cool in summer and warm in winter.
He said the
sales in Tamil Nadu has not picked up when compared to other southern states
like Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.
Interestingly,
the showroom in Chennai is the 76th exlusive showroom in Linen club
fabrics in India and third of Linen Club Fabrics, the premium brand from Jaya
Shree Textiles, a unit of Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd, in Tamil Nadu.
Krishnamoorthy
says that in the next two years Aditya Birla Nuvo ltd plans to open 200 showrooms
across India with four to five showrooms in Tamil Nadu this year. The showrooms
in the state would be opened at Tirupur, Erode, Salem and other locations. “We
are also planning to open a showroom in Pondicherry,” he added.
Aditya Birla
Nuvo has a share of 75 per cent in the Linen fabrics segement with a turnover
of Rs 600 crore. Interestingly, in Tamil Nadu, the turnover is only five per
cent and the target is to increase it to 10 per cent, said Krishnamoorthy.
Linen Club
is popular with the leading garment brands of India such as Colour Plus, Louis
Phillipe, Van Heusen, Wills Lifestyle, Park Avenue etc. The popularity and
trust in Linen from consumers is growing and the opening of the showroom is a
big step forward for natural fabric lovers of Chennai.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
writingonblog uncensored: Top UN official expresses concern over reports of ...
writingonblog uncensored: Top UN official expresses concern over reports of ...: NEW DELHI : A high-ranking United Nations official has added his voice to the growing concern over reports of increased violence betw...
Top UN official expresses concern over reports of increased violence between Myanmar’s Buddhist and Muslim communities
NEW DELHI:
A high-ranking United Nations
official has added his voice to the growing concern over reports of increased
violence between Myanmar’s Buddhist and Muslim communities, calling on the
country’s leaders to bring the perpetrators of such intolerance to book.
Vijay Nambiar, Special Adviser of
the Secretary-General for Myanmar, was speaking by telephone from Thailand
after having concluded a visit to that country, where he had met with the
President and other Government officials, as well as religious leaders.
He said the authorities had
permitted him to visit Meiktila, where “the unfortunate events” had taken
place, on Sunday and he had been able to see some of the areas that had borne
the brunt of the attacks. He had also visited the six shelters in which
almost 9,000 victims had been housed. Accompanied by religious
leaders from the Buddhist, Muslim and Christian communities, as well as two
Government ministers, Nambiar said he had met with the Chief Minister of the
central Myanmar region in which the town is located, and the Army Commander’s
local representative.
Many people in the shelters were
“traumatized”, Nambiar said, describing the situation as “quite devastating in
many respects”. Speaking to some of the victims had left the impression
that the attacks had been perpetrated by people they did not recognize and whom
they suspected of being “outsiders”. What was clear, however, was that
the mostly Muslim victim communities had been specifically targeted and that
the attacks had been carried out “almost with a kind of brutal efficiency”, he
said.
Despite having lost everything, most
of the victims could not consider moving anywhere except back to where they had
been attacked, Nambiar continued, adding that their wish was for the
Government and the international community to make that possible soon.
The Government had given him assurances that it would make every effort to
resettle the victims exactly where they had been, and not in any new
location. Further, it would try to provide them with assistance in
rebuilding their lives and perhaps some form of compensation.
He
said the authorities had informed him that they had apprehended about
33 people in connection with the Meiktila atrocities, and were carrying
out further investigations with a view to establishing who else was
involved. During his meeting with President Thein Sein on Monday, the
latter had been “very firm” in asserting that action would be taken against the
perpetrators and to prevent the spread of attacks elsewhere.
“But unfortunately, there are
reports of there being these kinds of attacks against communities, destruction
of houses and even mosques spreading in other parts of the country,” Nambiar
noted. Attacks were reportedly spreading southwards from Meiktila, and
reports had been received of disturbances very close to Yangon. While not
many deaths had been reported, property had been destroyed. There was a
state of alarm and apprehension, the Special Adviser said, noting, however,
that the authorities had assured him that they would deal firmly with the
situation. “It remains to be seen how firmly their action will be taken.”
Asked about charges by Muslims that
Buddhists were carrying out an “ethnic cleansing” campaign, and that the United
Nations had been unable to protect them so far, Nambiar said he did not believe
the events could be described as ethnic cleansing at the present stage, but it
was clear that the attacks were targeted. Victims had given evidence that
specific Muslim households and habitations had been identified for attack, but
the victims had not been able to identify those directly behind the violence.
He said current efforts, including
by the Muslim leadership, were focused on stressing the message of harmony so
that the victims could resume their lives and avoid any further spread of
intolerance-based violence in the community. It was important to
encourage that process, “and, of course, eventually to find out who was
responsible and to take action against the culprits”.
Among United Nations officials
voicing concern over the violence earlier this month was Adama Dieng, Special
Adviser of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide. Last
week, President Sein declared a state of emergency in central Myanmar.
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