Monday, September 30, 2013

writingonblog uncensored: Honda Cars India introduces “Exclusive” edition of...

writingonblog uncensored: Honda Cars India introduces “Exclusive” edition of...: Chennai: Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL), leading manufacturer of premium cars in India, on Monday introduced a limited ‘Exclusive’ edition of...

writingonblog uncensored: Honda Cars India introduces “Exclusive” edition of...

writingonblog uncensored: Honda Cars India introduces “Exclusive” edition of...: Chennai: Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL), leading manufacturer of premium cars in India, on Monday introduced a limited ‘Exclusive’ edition of...

Honda Cars India introduces “Exclusive” edition of Brio in the festive season

Chennai: Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL), leading manufacturer of premium cars in India, on Monday introduced a limited ‘Exclusive’ edition of Honda Brio with striking Black interiors and accessories to bring joy this festive season. The new edition also marks the 2nd Anniversary of the car in Indian Market.



HCIL has made several value additions in the Brio SMT model, creating a unique combination of styling, features and accessories. The ‘Exclusive’ edition comes with a Sporty Black interior theme with completely new premium upholstery along with matching Instrument Panel, Interior Trims and Roof Lining. The sporty theme on interior is well complimented on the exterior with addition of a new Tailgate Spoiler giving the car an enhanced sporty stance. An attractive accessories kit including a Door Visor, Exhaust Pipe Finisher, Back-Up Sensor and illuminated Side-Step Garnish adds to the appeal of the car.



The new edition will have an ‘Exclusive’ emblem to highlight the new festive edition. It will be available in three colors: Taffeta White, Alabaster Silver and Rally Red.



Honda Brio is a perfect package, which embodies the best of Honda’s technologies to deliver fun, agile and effortless driving, fuel-efficiency, spaciousness & safety. Brio is primarily targeted to a wide range of customers who are looking for a safe, economical and comfortable premium hatchback.


Announcing the festival edition, Jnaneswar Sen, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Sales, Honda Cars India Ltd said, “We are delighted to introduce the new ‘Exclusive’ edition of Brio with black interiors. It is our constant endeavor to provide freshness to our products and create excitement in the market. We are confident that this new sporty and youthful look of the car will appeal to our customers.”


Honda Brio has been very well received in the Indian market and has cumulatively sold 54,095 units in the last two years since its launch. The ‘Exclusive’ edition of Brio will be available at a special price of Rs 492,000 (ex showroom Delhi).

writingonblog uncensored: Su-Kam receives ‘Brand Excellence in Business Inno...

writingonblog uncensored: Su-Kam receives ‘Brand Excellence in Business Inno...: Chennai : Su-Kam Power Systems Limited, the leading player in the power back-up industry in India, has been conferred the prestigious ‘ Br...

Su-Kam receives ‘Brand Excellence in Business Innovation Award

Chennai: Su-Kam Power Systems Limited, the leading player in the power back-up industry in India, has been conferred the prestigious ‘Brand Excellence in Business Innovation Award’ at 3rd Asian Leadership Award 2013 in Dubai. 

Su-Kam has received the coveted award for company’s continuous quest for innovation in technology, services and pioneering products.

The Asian Leadership Awards is about Achievers, Super Achievers and Future Business Leaders. This prestigious award attracts the best from Asia. The award highlights, recognizes and rewards corporates for their ability to steer their businesses through turbulent times, applying the best of business modules to manage and keep their missions afloat. The Asian Leadership Award aims to recognize the achievements of the Asia’s leading business visionaries across all industry sectors and to honour their great contributions towards the region’s economic development.

Speaking on the occasion, Kunwer Sachdev, Managing Director & CEO, Su-Kam, said, “The ‘Brand Excellence in Business Innovation Award’ sends a strong vote of confidence that at Su-Kam, we are committed to providing the best solutions.  Our mission is solely dedicated to excellence in technology and development of new products.  We are extremely proud to be honored by Asian Leadership Awards.”

“It is a moment of pride for us, our associates and clients. We are delighted and honored as this award is a testimony to our quest for excellence, commitment and perfection,” Sachdev added further.

Friday, September 27, 2013

writingonblog uncensored: Heat waves are very likely to occur more frequentl...

writingonblog uncensored: Heat waves are very likely to occur more frequentl...: Chennai: Global surface temperature change for the end of the 21st century is projected to be likely to exceed 1.5°C relative to 1850 to 1...

Heat waves are very likely to occur more frequently and last longer

Chennai:
Global surface temperature change for the end of the 21st century is projected to be likely to
exceed 1.5°C relative to 1850 to 1900 in all but the lowest scenario considered, and likely to exceed
2°C for the two high scenarios, according to The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 5th Assessment Report.

Warming in the climate system is unequivocal and since 1950 many changes have been
observed throughout the climate system that are unprecedented over decades to millennia. Each of
the last three decades has been successively warmer at the Earth’s surface than any preceding
decade since 1850, reports the Summary for Policymakers of the IPCC Working Group I
assessment report, Climate Change 2013: the Physical Science Basis, approved on Friday by
member governments of the IPCC in Stockholm, Sweden.
 Thomas Stocker, Co-Chair of Working Group I said: "Continued emissions of greenhouse
gases will cause further warming and changes in all components of the climate system. Limiting
climate change will require substantial and sustained reductions of greenhouse gas emissions."

 “Heat waves are very likely to occur more frequently and last longer. As the Earth warms, we expect to see currently wet regions receiving more rainfall, and dry regions receiving less, although there will be exceptions,” he added.

Projections of climate change are based on a new set of four scenarios of future greenhouse gas
concentrations and aerosols, spanning a wide range of possible futures. The Working Group I report
assessed global and regional-scale climate change for the early, mid-, and later 21st century.
“As the ocean warms, and glaciers and ice sheets reduce, global mean sea level will continue to
rise, but at a faster rate than we have experienced over the past 40 years,” said Co-Chair Qin Dahe.
The report finds with high confidence that ocean warming dominates the increase in energy stored
in the climate system, accounting for more than 90% of the energy accumulated between 1971 and
2010

writingonblog uncensored: 11.4% of per capita GDP between 2010 and 2012 acco...

writingonblog uncensored: 11.4% of per capita GDP between 2010 and 2012 acco...: New Delhi: In India and elsewhere, mobile phones have become an intrinsic part of most people’s lives, connecting them to the rest of the w...

11.4% of per capita GDP between 2010 and 2012 accounted for by mobile phone subscriptions

New Delhi: In India and elsewhere, mobile phones have become an intrinsic part of most people’s lives, connecting them to the rest of the world.

A study entitled, ‘Mobile Technologies – The Digital Fabric of our Lives’, reveals how these small devices are economic heavyweights that positively influence social development.

Conducted by the Cologne Institute for Economic Research (IER Cologne) on behalf of the Vodafone Institute for Society and Communications, the study reveals that India’s per capita GDP will grow by US$51 per year between 2010 and 2020 due to rising mobile phone subscriptions.

Over time, the report states that mobile subscriptions’ contribution to India’s GDP per capita growth will be 11.4% (2010-2012), 4.9% (2012-2015) and 2.1% (2015-2020). Mobile devices contribute to economic growth due to their increased use, which has risen sharply.

Econometric analyses were used to verify the correlation between mobile technology penetration and progress in social development. The study indicated that mobile phones support democratic participation, increase gender equality and improve education opportunities, while also making a significant contribution to economic growth.

Economists at IER Cologne calculated the percentage of economic growth that can be attributed to the increase in mobile phone subscriptions. The figure for India was 11.4% of per capita gross domestic product (GDP) between 2010 and 2012. According to the IER Cologne experts’ forecasts, mobile phones will continue to make a significant contribution to economic growth up to 2020.

The study includes a survey by Vodafone analysts, which states there will be an estimated 69 mobile phone subscriptions for every 100 Indians in 2020. Indian citizens began using mobile phones much later than Europeans. In India and South Africa, rising mobile phone subscriptions accounted for 11% of economic growth and almost 20% in Egypt, between 2010 and 2012.


 

writingonblog uncensored: Scientists working on dwarf version of White Ponni...

writingonblog uncensored: Scientists working on dwarf version of White Ponni...: C Shivakumar Chennai: Bhaba Atomic Reseach Centre scientists are helping Tamil Nadu Agriculture University to develop a new mutant of whi...

writingonblog uncensored: Scientists working on dwarf version of White Ponni...

writingonblog uncensored: Scientists working on dwarf version of White Ponni...: C Shivakumar Chennai: Bhaba Atomic Reseach Centre scientists are helping Tamil Nadu Agriculture University to develop a new mutant of whi...

Scientists working on dwarf version of White Ponni Rice

C Shivakumar
Chennai:
Bhaba Atomic Reseach Centre scientists are helping Tamil Nadu Agriculture University to develop a new mutant of white Ponni Rice that could deliver better yieds than the original one.
On the sidelines of an interactive session on "Radiation and Quality of Human Life' BARC director of biomedical group K B Sainis and former head of Nuclear Agriculture and Biotech division S G Bhagwat told Express that the project to develop a smaller version of white Ponni rice and ADT 47 is currently underway.
Bhagwat said that the three year project is being funded by Board of Research in Nuclear Science.
He said Tamil Nadu Agriculture University is looking for a dwarf variety of white Ponni which would deliver 10 to 15 per cent more yield than the original Ponni.
He said the testing and trials are going on for the new mutant. "It will take about three years," said Bhagwat who is part of the project.
He said once the mutant is identified than trials would undergo for three years. Usually these trials take nearly a decade.But since rice could be grown in two seasons, it is likely to take another three years and a number of tests before being ready for commercial production, he said.
He said the reduction in the height of the crop would result in less consumption of water also but more use of fertilizer. Interestingly, this could also help the farmers grow more rice in the area where water resources are less.
He said scientists are also working in the state to develop pulses in the land left fallow after rice cultivation. "There is lot of moisture left in the soil post rice harvest. Scientists are working to use it to cultivate pulses," he said.
He also said that scientists are also working towards enriching the nutrition content in soya by reducing phytic acid

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

A one-stop source for law provisions pertaining to service tax

Chennai:
Hailed as a one stop source for all law provisions pertaining to Service Tax, a book written by senior serving officers was launched by legal luminaries here.
The book Service Tax -- Law and Procedure, authored by tax expert M S Kannan and director (cost) Central Excise Department, was launched by judge of Madras High Court T S Sivagnanam and advocate C Natrajan.
Service tax, categorised under indirect tax and came into existence under the Finanace Act of 1994, is a tax levied by the government on service providers on certain service transactions, but is actually borne by the customers. 
Speaking on the occasion, Sivagnanam said that the book is a boon to service tax practitioners and caters to the requirements of all stakeholders.
He said all the relevant circulars pertaining to service tax are neatly placed in order besides the langage is plain and simple without any jargons. He said the book is useful to management gurus.
He said the book is an up-to-date one stop source for all the law provisions, notifications, circulars, clarifications, important case laws with Relevant and topical com-mentaries on Service Tax.
The book is extremely useful not only to those who currently deal with Service Tax but also to those who have pending litigations based on legal provisions prior to 2012.
The arrangement of subject in the book is sequential as per the Finance Act of 1994, which is the basis of service tax levy.
C Natrajan said that the book stuck to the sequence of the sections in Finance Act. He said the book pertains to 119 services and the categorisation of services is innovative. "It is a wonderful reference book," he added.

STPI loses 1,000 units after I-T benefits withdrawn



Chennai:
Software technology park of India (STPI) has lost 1,000 units after income tax benefits were withdrawn from 2011, according to STPI director general Omkar Rai.

Addressing a press conference on the sidelines of the 12th edition of Connect, which is organized by Confederation of Indian Industry here on Tuesday, Rai said the withdrawal of tax benefits has resulted in 1,000 companies withdrawing their registration from STPI. He said currently there are 4,000 STPI units registered with STPI.

He said that now 200 small and medium units have registered with STPI and we are expecting more to register with the National Policy on Information Technology 2012 trying to provide incentives.

The focus of STPI is to reach out to Tier-II and Tier-III cities so that larger corporations can be part of the development. “The focus is also to create an eco system for entrepreneurship and IT development,” said Rai.

He said the one of the objectives of the newly approved National Policy on Electronics (NPE) along with the IT policy is to achieve a turnover of about $400 Billion by 2020 involving investment of about $100 Billion and employment to around 28 million. In a bid to promote electronics sector and reduce imports, the government is focusing on setting up a semiconductor wafer fab in the country. “The focus is more on the product side now,” he added.

Rai said the exports from STPI  in the last financial year was 2.26 lakh crore and IT exports is growing at the rate of five per cent. He said overall the IT exports is growing at the rate of 10 per cent. STPI has a presence in 53 cities across the country.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Chennai has capacity to produce three cars every minute, says minister



Chennai:
The city has the capacity to produce three cars every minute and one commercial vehicle every 90 seconds, according to Industries Minister P Thangamani.
Delivering the inaugural address of the 12th edition of Connect here on Tuesday, the minister said that the city has become the home of seven of the top 20 global majors and has an installed capacity to produce 13.80 lakh cars and 3.61 lakh commercial vehicles every year.
The minister also stated that the state is one of the preferred destination to make investments. “Since May 2011, the state has attracted investments worth Rs 26,625 crore in 17 MoU projects that will generate direct and indirect employment to 1.45 lakh people.
Thangamani also said that additional investments worth Rs 30,000 crore are under various stages of discussion. He said that the state government is confident of attracting Rs one lakh crore of new investments in the manufacturing sector surpassing all records and achievements till now.
He said that Chennai has proven to be one of the largest exporters of software in india with an annual export performance of $8.5 billion in and registered growth of 10 per cent.
He said the state is home to about 1,780 IT companies and there are about 3.75 lakh people directly employed in IT and IT enabled services companies while 7.50 lakh people through indirect employment.
Earlier, the director general of Software Technology Park of India Omkar Rai said that National Policy on Information Technology has set a target of $200 billion IT exports by 2020.
He also said that STPI operation would be totally automated in the next 12 to 14 months.
B Santhanam, chairman, Confederation of Indian Industry southern region and managing director Saint Gobain Glass said that rupee depreciation has made the IT sector attractive.
He also urged the government to set up an institute of robotics and additive manufacturing in Coimbatore besides advanced digital studio in Chennai. He also stressed the need to scale up skill development in the state using information and communication technologies.
Mike Nithavrianakis, deputy high commissioner of British Deputy High Commission said that India’s growth may have been affected but the fundamentals are strong.
S Mahalingam, past chairman CII southern region and former executive director and chief financial officer of Tata Consultancy Services, Narayan Sethuramon, chairman CII Tamil Nadu and managing director and CEO W S Industries also spoke on the occasion.

TN pioneer in developing solar photovoltaic power plant





Chennai:
Tamil Nadu may be the leader in wind energy but the state is also the pioneer in developing first solar photo voltaic power plant.

Addressing an press conference here on Tuesday, V Gautam, director of B&G Solar Private Ltd and a first generation entrepreneur, said that the plant in Kuttalam taluka of Nagapattinam district in the state has won the Prime Minister’s Award for being the first solar photo voltaic power plant developer in India.

He said his company was the first to commission the 1 MW solar power project under the rooftop photo voltaic and small solar generation programme under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) scheme.

The award was bestowed on the company on September 21 at Jaipur during dedication to the nation of solar power plants commissioned under phase-I of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, said Gautam.

Gautam says now the company is focusing on clean energy and has invested in gas, mini hydro and wind. He hailed the state’s solar policy and urged the state government to provide opportunities for small entrepreneurs to grow especially in the solar energy sector.

He said the focus is currently limited to only the big players. “If the government comes out with a 100 MW scheme, it could allot at least 10 per cent of it to small entrepreneurs,” he says.

This would boost entrepreneurship besides create more jobs also,” he added.

writingonblog uncensored: Auto drivers stumped by stuck meters

writingonblog uncensored: Auto drivers stumped by stuck meters: Chennai: Auto driver Martin has been waiting for nearly a week to get the meter installed in his autoricksaw after the State Government se...

Auto drivers stumped by stuck meters

Chennai:
Auto driver Martin has been waiting for nearly a week to get the meter installed in his autoricksaw after the State Government set a deadline for their installation. He hardly runs his auto for fear that it might be seized or be penalized by the RTO and the traffic police for not installing the meter.

The government’s move to regulate auto fares has been a welcome change for the commuters but it has caused them a lot of stress. They have been crowding the small lane in Perambur Barracks Road all day long to get their meters installed. “I have been visiting a spare parts meter shop here for the past week to get the meter installed,” says Martin, showing the receipt. His only livelihood is his auto and says that the delay is costing him dearly. “A one-time violation costs us Rs 500. If we are caught twice, then our vehicle could be confiscated,” says another auto driver.

However, the biggest challenge for the government and the auto drivers is to have the meter installed by mid-October. With only 40 shops that repair and sell auto meters, this seems unlikely, leaving the auto drivers a harried lot.  “What is the need to implement it and install meters when the government is providing special meters from January next year?” asks Saravanan, who has been caught by the RTO twice.  The price of the meter has also shot up to Rs 2,500 from Rs 1,990, making it even worse for them.

On the flip side, shop owners blame the auto drivers. “Till now we have installed 741 meters in 20 days flat,” he says while standing in a packed room full of meters. Pointing a finger at the auto drivers, he says, “They bring us meters that have been unused for more than a decade, they stand in a disorderly manner and even refuse to form a queue. How can you expect us to work wonders?” he asks.

Public cloud computing in India is forecasted to grow 36 percent in 2013


Cloud computing in India to grow at 36 pc
Express News Service
Chennai:
Public cloud computing in India is forecasted to grow 36 percent in 2013 to total $443 million, up from $326 million in 2012, according to Confederation of Indian Industry Report – ‘The SMAC Code – Embracing New Technologies for Future Business’.
The report, which was released by Industries Minister P Thangamani, at the 12th edition of Connect, a two-day premier ICT event, organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with state government with the theme: "Towards Scaling New Frontiers in ICT’, states that the Indian IT-BPO vendors can develop their Social media, Mobility, Analytics and Cloud computing (SMAC) strategies and cross the $ 225 billion mark by 2020.
The report states SMAC enables enterprises leverage the cloud for storing huge volumes of multi-structured customer data, generated over mobile devices and social media and analyze these data sets for business advantage.
Industry estimates suggest that the world ICT spending will reach the $5 trillion mark by 2020 driven by the combination of social media, mobility, analytics, and cloud. In 2012, SMAC approximately contributed about 20 per cent of the total ICT spending and they are collectively, growing at about 18 per cent year-on-year, that is, around six times the rate of the rest of the IT industry. At this rate it is expected that these technologies will become 80 per cent of the total spending by 2020.
The report observed that social media would help IT-BPO firms capitalize on the growth generated by the increasing usage of social media by consumers and businesses; Mobility, would offer two pronged growth path of enterprise mobility and consumer mobility; Analytics would drive businesses through the way of big data, business intelligence and analysis of multi-structure high volume datasets, while Cloud computing is expected to provide the solutions for IT-BPO companies that would help them offer more cost optimzed solutions to their clients.
The report said that there are over 4.5 billion mobile subscribers and over 2.5 billion internet users, and the world has already entered the post-digital era. There are over 1 billion social media subscribers globally, who are already disrupting traditional models of marketing and selling.
The mobile Internet users in the country are expected to grow from 4.1 million users in 2009 to 164.8 million in 2015 at a CAGR of 85 per cent. With mobility, the industry is shifting from the personal computer or laptop to mobile devices. There are nearly 900 million mobile phone subscribers in India, where the spread of affordable 3G and 4G networks are driving the growth of mobile apps. Every year, companies and individuals generate billions of gigabytes of data.
The CII Report said that technology vendors will need to change the way they are structured to deal with SMAC. “They need to be nimble, and think on their feet. Rather than being bureaucratic organizations, technology vendors will need to create an entrepreneurial culture, along with next-generation delivery and pricing models that will work in realizing the maximum potential from SMAC,” it observed.
The IT-BPO industry expanded from a mere $ 8 billion in 2000 to an estimated $ 108 billion in 2013, contributing significantly to India’s economic progress over the last decade. The industry took advantage of the vast pool of highly skilled resources available at low cost, and rode on the wave of application development and BPM services to spread its wings.

Monday, September 23, 2013

Tamil Nadu Industries Minister to click open Connect 2013

Chennai:

Connect 2013, a premier annual conference and exhibition on Information and Communication Technology is set to click from September 24 at Chennai Trade Centre.

The event organized by, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with state government, would showcase Tamil Nadu as a preferred destination of choice for investment in the information and communications technology sector and also position the state as a global hub for ICT manufacturing.

The function is expected to be inaugurated by the State Industries Minister P Thangamani, a CII spokesman said. The conference will also have a strong focus on creating a vibrant start up ecosystem in Tamil Nadu to foster entrepreneurship and innovation among youth to drive growth of ICT in Tamil Nadu.

Mukkur N Subramanian, state minister for Information Technology, will present the Connect Entrepreneurs Awards during the valedictory Session

The event would also have range of speakers including M F Farooqui Secretary of  department of telecommunications, S Krishnan, Principal Secretary of state Planning and Development, T K Ramachandran, It secretary; Atul Anand , managing director of ELCOT and Mike Nithavrianakis, British Deputy High Commissioner among others.

Connect 2013 will also feature an exhibition showcasing technological advancement and innovation in Information and Communication Technology sectors.  Over 50 exhibitors would participate at the exhibition from across the country.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

writingonblog uncensored: Alter your lifestyle to avoid dementia, says neuro...

writingonblog uncensored: Alter your lifestyle to avoid dementia, says neuro...: Chennai: The government hospital in Chennai is getting nearly 100 outpatients a day and among those two are being screened for dementia, ...

Alter your lifestyle to avoid dementia, says neurosurgeon


Chennai:
The government hospital in Chennai is getting nearly 100 outpatients a day and among those two are being screened for dementia, said  Dr K Bhanu, neurologist and professor of neurology, Madras Medical college.

Speaking during a function to mark the World Alzhiemer’s Day here on Saturday, dr Bhanu said that there is a rise in dementia cases as India’s population is ageing. She says that there is lack of awareness among families as they don’t know the symptoms or whom to contact for help or advice.

She says the disease affects as many as 50 per cent of people over the age of 80 and five to eight per cent of all people over 65. “The number doubles every five years beyond that age,” she says. She also said that lifestyle changes are also one of the cause for the disease.

She says Alzhiemer causes 50 to 70 per cent of all dementia. It begins with forgetfulness and then confusion and eventually not able to identify time, place and person. “Problems with judgement, decision making also occurs in addition to personality changes such as irritability, agitation, sadness (depression) or elation and inappropriate behaviors.

“We should identify the symptoms early especially if an old person begins to have forgetfulness, progresses to disorientation and confusion, personality changes, depression or manic behaviours,” she says.

There isn’t a cure for dementia  but if diagnosed it can be treated and those affected can lead a better quality of life, she said. She also suggested the need for old people to remain busy with lives and not live in isolation. “they should practise Yoga or any other creative thing to keep the brain busy,” she said.

The Madras Medical College dean V Kanagasabai said that the country has 640 lakh senior citizens and many of them suffer from dementia. He predicted that by 2030 a total of 900 lakh people will suffer from dementia

Laser Dentists seek subsidies in importing laser equipment



Chennai:
Laser dentistry could be affordable for common man if the government could provide subsidies in importing the machines used for this surgery, according to dentists.

Speaking to Express after the inauguration of 7th Annual International conference on new age dentistry here on Saturday, the organizing committee co-chairman Dr Vijaylakshmi Acharya, convenor Yashwanth Venkatraman and organizing secretary Premila Suganthan said that the laser machine costs anywhere between rs 5 lakh to 25 lakh as such the normal dental procedure would cost 50 per cent more than the normal prtocedure.

Dr Acharya said that laser technology in modern dentistry is patient friendly due to its numerous advantages such as being painless, bloodless, reduces patient anxiety and swelling and having better patient comfort especially after dental surgery.

Venkatraman said that laser dentistry has eliminated the need for the drill in dental department with no more pain or discomfort involved in dental treatment.

“Lasers are the hottest technology in dentistry today. They have obvious benefits for all the patients without administering anesthetic shots and less time spent in the dental chair. The patient enjoys a more relaxed dental experience, reducing or diminishing their fears, allow dentists to perform various applications in a more comfortable fashion, faster, more effectively and potentially lead to an excellent operative and post-operative experience,” he said.

He said lasers are ideal for fillings since they are more accurate and selective at removing decay than conventional drills. “No needles are required and laser filings can be done in all parts of the mouth in a single visit,” he said.

Interestingly, the laser dentists feel that laser dentistry should be included in the curriculum. In Tamil Nadu, it is being included in Ramachandra Medical university.
Tamil Nadu governor K Rosaiah who inaugurated the conference, felt that that each dental clinic and dental hospital should come forward to reinvent itself in the modern high-tech era.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

writingonblog uncensored: Ennore Port gets nod from railways for northern ra...

writingonblog uncensored: Ennore Port gets nod from railways for northern ra...: Chennai: Ennore Port’s dream to have access to northern rail link is close to realization after Indian Railways gave its in-princ...

Ennore Port gets nod from railways for northern rail link




Chennai:
Ennore Port’s dream to have access to northern rail link is close to realization after Indian Railways gave its in-principle approval for the Rs 170 crore project.

The 26-km-long rail link will be on a single track connecting the port with the Chennai-Gudur mainline. It will terminate close to Minjur, said Ennore Port chairman and managing director M A Bhaskarachar.

“We got the approval from Indian Railways on Friday,” said Bhaskarachar during a function where Union Shipping Minister handed over the benefits worth Rs 1.5 crore to benefits identified under corporate social responsibility.

He said following this a detailed project report would be prepared after which the work will commence. Interestingly, this is part of Ennore Port’s plan to to enhance its capacity augmentation from 30 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to 60 MTPA by the end of 12th Plan.

writingonblog uncensored: Lighthouse gift for Chennaites on Children’s Day

writingonblog uncensored: Lighthouse gift for Chennaites on Children’s Day: Chennai; It would be a Children’s Day gift for Chennaites as Union Shipping Ministry would open the gate of the lighthouse for chil...

Lighthouse gift for Chennaites on Children’s Day



Chennai;
It would be a Children’s Day gift for Chennaites as Union Shipping Ministry would open the gate of the lighthouse for children and tourists from November 14.

Speaking after disbursing cheques worth Rs 1.5 crore to beneficiaries identified under the Corporate Social Responsibility activities and one time lump sum payment to the dependents of the deceased employees, the minister said that from November 14, the gates of the lighthouse would be opened to the school children and the public.

Light House tourism was conceived by the Shipping Ministry to enable visitors to learn about maritime history, historical events and the country’s cultural heritage. Interestingly, the lighthouse on Marina Beach will be the first one in the State to entertain visitors, followed by Mamallapuram, which is expected to take couple of months.

The minister also said that the work on the Chennai-Ennore port connectivity road (formerly EMRIP) is progressing well and is expected to be inaugurated by December.

The project road network of 30.1 km. covers Ennore Expressway (5.9 kms), Thiruvottiur Ponneri Pancheti Road  (9 Km),  Manali Oil Refinery Road (5.4 kms),  Northern segment of Inner Ring Road – 8.1 Km.n and Inside Fishing Harbour Road  (1.6 km).

He also warned that India-Sri Lanka ties would be affected if Sri Lanka continues to attack or arrest Tamil Nadu fishermen.

The minister earlier disbursed cheques worth rs 1.31 crore to 32 dependents of deceased employees as one time lumpsum payment besides disbursing cheques of Rs 19 lakh to  meritorious students, schools, Nirmala Sishu Bhavan in Royapuram, Annai Illam in Mylapore besides providing school bags and uniforms to needy students.

writingonblog uncensored: Rs 5,000 cr proposed corporate research and develo...

writingonblog uncensored: Rs 5,000 cr proposed corporate research and develo...: Chennai: The Rs 5,000 crore Indian corporate research-and-development fund on the lines of the National Science Foundation in the US is ...

Rs 5,000 cr proposed corporate research and development fund a non-starter due to economy slowdown, says MHRD Secy

Chennai:
The Rs 5,000 crore Indian corporate research-and-development fund on the lines of the National Science Foundation in the US is put on the backburner due to slowdown of Indian economic growth, according to Union Ministry of Human Resources Department secretary Ashok Thakur.

Speaking after inaugurating the Human Resources conclave organized by Indian Institute of Management Tiruchirappali here on Friday, Thakur said that the Rs 5,000 crore corporate research and development fund, which was one of the recommendations made by the N R Narayana Murthy Committee on Corporate Sector Participation in Higher Education will not materialize soon.

“This was conceived when the economy was doing good. But now with the slowdown of the economy, the fund for promoting active collaboration between Industry, government and academia won’t be happening,” he said.

Narayana Murthy has suggested that the fund should be created by the central government and the corporates operating in India. “Such a fund operating with a transparent and merit based funding mechanism can act as a huge fillip for research and development in all Indian universities and higher education institution,” he had said in his  report to the government on corporate participation in higher education.

Thakur also said that the pending bill on higher education designed to allow foreign universities to set up campuses in India is now being referred to the law ministry. He said with foreign universities setting up campuses in India, students from India would benefit. He said education is expensive in the United States and on an average $1.2 trillion students loans are not paid. He said that on an average Indian students spend $ 7 billion on education abroad. “This move could help them immensely,” he said.

Thakur also said there is a need to bridge the trust deficit between industry and academia. He also highlighted the need for the educational institutions to improve their ranking. “Rating may not be that important but one has to start playing this game,” he said.

writingonblog uncensored: Unsung innovators honoured

writingonblog uncensored: Unsung innovators honoured: Chennai: N Gunasekara was an unsung hero for the last 27 years and recognition came to him in the form of Chinnikrishnan Innovation Awar...

Unsung innovators honoured

Chennai:
N Gunasekara was an unsung hero for the last 27 years and recognition came to him in the form of Chinnikrishnan Innovation Award for his glass stone engineering.

A school dropout at the age of 13, Gunasekara had a innovative bent of mind and had been working to produce new products. Speaking after receiving the award from Ramco Group vice-chairman and managing director P R Venkataraman Raja, an emotional Gunasekara said this has been the happiest moment in his life the last 27 years since he started earning.

“I have 19 innovations to my name, said the owner of Sparco Stones. “I never expected my innovation to provide glass tiles to customers who appreciated art in various forms would get the reconition,” he said. Interestingly, his is the one and only company into the business of glass stone engineering.

“With this award, now I hope my other innovations would see the light of the day,” he added. Interestingly, Gunasekara is among the three awardees, who were selected from the 164 applications received from Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. The other two who were honoured include Dr S Sivaramakrishna Pillai of Proklean Technologies and Srimathy K of Space Kidz India.

Pillai was honoured for offering natural, non-toxic and bio-degradable products which deliver results equivalent to or better than the current chemical products. Based probiotic  technology, the products consume less amount of water, work at lower temperatures compared to the chemicals and reduce pollution in effluents generated by the industries.

Srimathy was honoured for her company Space Kidz India developing innovative concepts that create international platforms promoting science and education alongwith art and culture for students in their formative years, irrespective of their socio-economic background.

Of the 164 applicants, nine of them got short-listed for the Chinnikrishnan Innovation awards, which were initiated in memory of R Chinnikrishnan, father of chairman and managing director of CavinKare C K Ranganathan. The nine applicants were screened by eminent jury members which include M Ponnuswami, chairman and managing director of Pon Pure Chem Pvt Ltd, Murali, managing director of Sri Krishna Sweets, G Ananthapadmanabhan, joint managing director of GRT Group, B Srinivasan, managing director of Viktan Group, Sri Ram Subramanya, founder, managing director and chief executive officer Integra Software services and Y Rama Rao, managing director and CEO, Spark Capital Advisors India. The New Indian Express was one of the media partners of the event.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

writingonblog uncensored: Tata DoCoMo betting big on SME business

writingonblog uncensored: Tata DoCoMo betting big on SME business: Chennai: Although the Small and medium entreprises may be struggling due to global recession and depreciating Indian rupee but Tata Docomo ...

Tata DoCoMo betting big on SME business 



Chennai:

Although the Small and medium entreprises may be struggling due to global recession and depreciating Indian rupee but Tata Docomo is betting big on SME business.

Having a customer base of 25,000 SMEs in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Tata Teleservies president Prateek Pashine feels SME telecom market in India is estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate of around 10 per cent financial year 2013 to 2018.

He says that there are one million SMEs in India of which 13 per cent are based out of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. He said that within the SME segment, the product category where Tata Docomo is dominant is Wireline Data (internet leased lines (ILL), multi protocol label switching etc.) with a 17 per cent market share.

Pashine said that the overall SME Market is estimated at Rs 10,500 Crore and forecasted to grow at 8.1 per cent to Rs16,800 Cr by the financial year 2018.

He said during the financial year 2012-13, Tata Docomo Limited’s SME business achieved a year-on-year growth of about 20 per cent (as against industry growth of 8 per cent).

"We are targeting a 20pc revenue growth and a revenue market share in excess of 10pc. The company has a base of over 7.5 lakh customers with 3,500 resources and over 1,200 channel partners nationally," said Pashine.

He said Tata Docomo has a strong position in the region for the fixed data services. The focus is now on ILL and MPLS. The company is also increasing its focus on the managed services for the region as that’s a market with highest growth potential. The key growth areas within managed services are cloud services, managed hosting and collocation. Interestingly, Tata Docomo is targeting a a 22 pc growth in managed services in the next five years.

He also said cities like Chennai has emerged as electronic manufacturing services hub of India. Companies like Nokia, Flextronics, Motorola, Sony-Ericsson, Foxconn, Samsung, Cisco, and Dell have chosen Chennai as their South Asian manufacturing hub.

He said the wireless data is expected to grow at a rate of 15 per cent compounded annual growth rate in the next five years in the Kerala Tamil Nadu region due to concentration of IT and related companies in the region.

writingonblog uncensored: Chennai Metro Water launches desilting works in va...

writingonblog uncensored: Chennai Metro Water launches desilting works in va...: Chennai: Chennai Metro Water is carrying out desilting works in various parts of the city in a bid to ensure that the sewers don&#3...

Chennai Metro Water launches desilting works in various parts of the city




Chennai:
Chennai Metro Water is carrying out desilting works in various parts of the city in a bid to ensure that the sewers don't get choked during the monsoon resulting in innundation of the streets
Interestingly, this comes in the wake of state chief minister J Jayalalithaa instructing the officials to take necessary precautionary measures to meet the challenges of the monsoon in the city.
Metro Water officials said that they will be desilting the manholes and sewer main by using jet rodding and desilting machines from Thursday to October 10 . A Metro Water spokesman said that Metro Water has identified the sewers in the streets as well as manholes that cause regular problem to commuters as well as residents.
He said that Metro Water will be desilting 52,000 meter of sewer main and 1,800 manholes by utilizing 29 jet rodding machines and 29 desilting machines. Metro Water managing director B Chandramohan inpected desilting works at nine places including Visalakshi Nagar, Gandhipuram and Mambalam areas.
The sewage generated from the households of Chennai City travels through 3,643 Km of sewer main and pumped through 219 Sewage Pumping Stations to the 12 Sewage Treatment Plants located at six places and treated according to the qualities specified by the Pollution Control Board and let into the Chennai City Waterways, Metro Water officials stated.
Metro water said that solid waste received from the households and the commercial complexes and the silt entering along with rain water during monsoon period causes sewer obstructions in the system.
Metro Water has also requested the public not to let solid waste into the sewage system. This will block the sewage system and by not allowing the rain water to drain through the sewage manholes, it will result in accumulation of silt in the sewage system.

writingonblog uncensored: NIIT Technologies conferred with Asia’s Most Promi...

writingonblog uncensored: NIIT Technologies conferred with Asia’s Most Promi...: Chennai:   NIIT Technologies, one of the leading global IT solutions organization has been recognized as Asia’s Most Promising brand ...

NIIT Technologies conferred with Asia’s Most Promising Brand Award



Chennai:  NIIT Technologies, one of the leading global IT solutions organization has been recognized as Asia’s Most Promising brand by World Consulting and Research Corporation.

 ‘Asia’s Most Promising Brands’ is the largest multi-platform brand project focusing on the most promising brands in Asia, which through their steady development and presence are successfully taking steps in leading the market.

Commenting on the latest achievement, Arvind Mehrotra President, Asia & Australia NIIT Technologies Ltd. said, “It is a matter of great pride to be the only IT Company from India to make it to the list of top 50 Asian Brands. It reinstates the fact that we are one of the most preferred IT solutions company today across Asia.”

Abhimanyu Ghosh, Editor and Managing Director, World Consulting & Research Corporation said, “This is a massive project with extensive research that has identified brands and leaders that are set to be the super-powers of tomorrow. They have been featured for the first time on one platform called Asia’s Most Promising Brands, a recognizing platform for the most promising brands and leaders from various Asian countries that have contributed to the scintillating success story and charted a path-breaking progression blueprint of the Asian economy.”

KPMG in India formed the Process Advisors & Evaluators to Asia’s Promising Brands 2012-13. The jury panel comprised of highly distinguished industry leaders including Professor Malcolm McDonald – Chairman of Malcolm McDonald International Ltd. Lord Swaraj Paul –Chiarman of Caparo Group (UK), Lord Karan Billimoria – Chariman of Cobra beeer (UK), Mehul Choksi – Chairman and Managing Director, Gitanjali Group (India), Milind Kangle – Group CEO of Lycamobile (UK), Priti Patel – Member of Parliament (UK), Oliver Ellis – Managing Director, Publicitas for UK and Middle East, Ashish bhasin – Chairman, India and CEO, South East Asia of Aegis Media, Mr. Rabeth Khan – CEO, Carat Media (Bangladesh) and Tanvir Kanji – Chairman of Inca Tanvir Consortium of Advertising, PR and Media.

TiE Chennai 2013 invites budding entrepreneurs from across Tamil Nadu to participate in Power PitchFest

Chennai : The Chennai chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs, TiE Chennai 2013 has announced call for participation for the Power PitchFest a unique platform for entrepreneurs from across Tamil Nadu to present their business ideas to angel investors, private equity firms, and high net worth individuals to get funding and mentoring support.

Interested entrepreneurs can submit their online application on or before September 30th 2013. The application form is available on http://tiecon.tiechennai.org

Commenting on the activity, Subramaniam Iyer, Head of PitchFest Committee, TiECON 2013 said; "We believe in engaging and constantly providing the best support for the deserving entrepreneurs to ensure their dreams come true. All the support and encouragement has been overwhelming resulting in our footprint expansion to Coimbatore and Madurai cities for this year. We at TiE will constantly guide, mentor and ensure that these commendable entrepreneurs achieve their professional goals and be a part of their successful journey."


Power PitchFest is organized as part of TiECON Chennai, one of the largest conferences for budding entrepreneurs to find mentors and veterans who could help them shape their business ideas, while growth-stage entrepreneurs can pitch their business models to professional investors to get funding. This year, apart from Chennai, the PitchFest will also be held in Coimbatore and Madurai cities too. Preliminary rounds will take place on the 12th of October in Chennai.

On November, 11, the shortlisted entrepreneurs will get an opportunity to pitch their product /services to VCs and Angel investors as part of TiECON Chennai 2013, which is expected to be attended by over 1200 business leaders from various fields.

writingonblog uncensored: Laurus Edutech appoints Sudha Pillai as Vice Chair...

writingonblog uncensored: Laurus Edutech appoints Sudha Pillai as Vice Chair...: Chennai: Laurus Edutech, one of the premier skills development companies in India, has appointed former bureaucrat Sudha Pillai as Non Exe...

Laurus Edutech appoints Sudha Pillai as Vice Chairperson

Chennai: Laurus Edutech, one of the premier skills development companies in India, has appointed former bureaucrat Sudha Pillai as Non Executive Vice Chairperson. Sivaram Rajangam has been appointed as the Managing Director with immediate effect.

This was announced by Anurag Jain, Founder and Chairman of Laurus Edutech from Dallas, USA. "I am delighted to announce the appointments of Ms Sudha Pillai and Mr Sivaram as the Vice Chairperson and Managing Director of Laurus Edutech. Sudha and Sivaram are visionaries, successful leaders and intellectuals, who will provide outstanding guidance and support to our Group as we embark on our new expansion plans. Both of them are power-house of experience & talent and I am certain that the company will touch new skies under their tutelage," Jain said

North east monsoon expected to be normal, says IMD chief

Nine Doppler Weather Radars to be installed in Uttarkhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh

Chennai:
The North East monsoon will be normal to near normal and a clearer picture will emerge after the first week of October, according to director general of Indian Meteorology department L S Rathore.

Addressing a press conference here Rathore along with Y E A Raj, deputy director general of meteorology, regional meteorological center Chennai and S R Ramanan, director of Regional Meteorological Center said that there was a deficit of 16 per cent in rainfall but this year it is expected to be normal.

Rathore, who is here to take stock of the infrastructure and forecasting stations in the southern Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, also said that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) would provide forecast and agriculture advisory to farmers at block level.

Under the 12th plan, we have identified 240 districts and they would issue block level forecast. "This will be done in a phased manner in collaboration with Krishi Vigyan Kendras," said Rathore.

He also said that IMD is planning to expand the android based applications beyond 200 major cities. He said that 34 lakh farmers in the country are currently getting the weather advisories through SMS. He also said that more than half the SMS about weather forecast is from the farmers of Tamil Nadu.

Rathore also said that the meteorology department is planning to expand its android based mobile applications beyond 200 cities

He also said that Indian Meteorological Department would be installing Doppler Weather Radars in Uttarkhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh under the 12th five-year plan. The Doppler radars are capable of weather surveillance at a distance above 100 km and have already been deployed at Lucknow, Jaipur, Patiala and Delhi in northern India. He said under the 12th plan, three will be set up in Jammu and Kashmir, three in Uttarakhand and three in Himachal Pradesh. He said some would also be installed in North Eastern parts of the country.

He also said that studies are going on over the shift in weather and climate variability. He said that the temperature in the country has increased by 0.7 degree every decade. He said that currently National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture is studying proven technologies for adaptation of crop and livestock production systems to climate variability.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

writingonblog uncensored: Nemmeli desalination plant in Chennai kicks up a f...

writingonblog uncensored: Nemmeli desalination plant in Chennai kicks up a f...: Chennai: Chennai Metro Water has hit out at allegations by environmental and rights activists who alleged that Metro water is dumping th...

Nemmeli desalination plant in Chennai kicks up a fresh row


Chennai:

Chennai Metro Water has hit out at allegations by environmental and rights activists who alleged that Metro water is dumping the brine from the Nemelli desalination plant directly on the beach instead of disposing it through the pipeline into the sea.
 
Chennai Metro Water spokesman said that the allegations by the activists under the umbrella of Chennai Solidarity Group that the highly saline reverse osmosis rejects are directly dumped on to the beach instead of disposing it through a pipeline as per its environmental license conditions is ‘absolutely false’.
 
“All the RO reject water is being disposed only through the reject pipeline diffuser system, which is about 600 metres from the shore and is designed for this purpose,” Metro Water said.
 
Metro Water said that some sea water which is not being used by plant is being let off into the sea only.  “This is not RO reject and is only sea water that is unused,” Metro Water said.  
 
Earlier, during the day, the group members lead by former bureaucrat L M Menezes, noted environmentalist Nityanand Jayaram, resident of the village Santosh, advocate P Sundararajan and president of People’s Union of Civil Liberties, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, Prof Saraswathy alleged that the recharge of groundwater in the coastal area has been affected as Metro Water is discharging wastewater on to the beach. The fact-finding report alleged that Metro Water has violated the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act, 1986 and the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act by discharging the effluents on the beach and the eco-sensitive inter-tidal area.
 
Metro water also rejected that ground water in the area has turned saline and said that intrusion of salinity into ground water takes place only when there is ground water extraction from the aquifer over a long period of time. 
 
It also refuted the allegations that road-like structures constructed into the sea by Metrowater’s consultant V A Tech WABAG  to transport equipment had eroded the beach of Sulerikattukuppam resulting in the collapse of several community halls. “The break water structures that were created at the time of construction have been completely removed and as on date the beach has been formed to a width of 50 to 75 m and is continuously improving day by day.  As of now, there is no sea erosion and the beach is formed,” Metro water added.
 
Interestingly, the activists have urged Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa to look into the allegations by the fact-finding team and demanded an enquiry by ministry of environment and forests and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board.
 
The activists have hit out at Metro water stating that instead of addressing the concerns of the villagers, Metro Water has sought police assistance to shut people up. The police too have responded in a one-sided manner in accepting and acting with great promptness and visciousness on the complaints by Metro Water. But metro water has denied the allegations. It said that it has taken all necessary steps to allay the apprehensions of the residents of Sulerikattukuppam, including carrying out shore protection works worth Rs one crore.
 
Box:

Fact finding report                                    

1. Metrowater’s Nemmeli Desalination Plant is dumping highly saline R.O. rejects directly on to the beach instead of disposing it through a pipeline as per its environmental license conditions.
 
Metro water reply:
It is absolutely false to say that RO rejects are not being disposed directly to sea. All the RO reject water is being disposed only through the reject pipeline as per the approved designs and norms. Some sea water which is not being used by plant is being let off into the sea only. This is not RO reject and is only sea water that is unused
 
Factfinding Report:
Nemmeli desalination plant which was set up to convert salt water to fresh water, has ended up converting fresh water to salt water.
 
Metro Water:
Intrusion of salinity into ground water takes place only when there is ground water extraction from the aquifer over a long period of time wherein nature is not able to replenish fresh water at the rate at which it is being extracted
 
Factfinding Report:
Road-like structures constructed into the sea by Metrowater’s consultant V.A.Tech WABAG  to transport equipment had eroded the beach of Sulerikattukuppam resulting in the collapse of several community halls.
 
Metro Water:
The break water structures that were created at the time of construction have been completely removed and as on date the beach has been formed to a width of 50 to 75 m and is continuously improving day by day.  As of now, there is no sea erosion and the beach is formed.  The boulders found at the edge of the hamlet were specifically placed there as part of hamlet shore protection works. 
 
Factfinding report:
Instead of addressing the concerns of the villagers, Metrowater has sought police assistance to shut people up
 
Metro Water:
Mischief elements of Sulerikattukuppam have been repeatedly and consistently interrupting the work at the plant. Villagers have disrupted the bathymetric survey, disrupted the construction of northern side break water and manhandled shift engineer.

writingonblog uncensored: Coastguard apprehends Sri Lankan fishing boat

writingonblog uncensored: Coastguard apprehends Sri Lankan fishing boat: Chennai: Indian Coastguard ship Vaibhav apprehended a fishing boat with five-member Sri Lankan crew onboard on Tuesday. Coastguard said th...

Coastguard apprehends Sri Lankan fishing boat

Chennai:
Indian Coastguard ship Vaibhav apprehended a fishing boat with five-member Sri Lankan crew onboard on Tuesday.
Coastguard said that during a routine patrol in Gulf of Mannar a Sri Lankan boat Asitha Putha (IMUL-A-0118CHW) was apprehended south east of Manappad point with approximately 300 kg of fish under The Maritime Zones of India (Regulation of Fishing by Foreign Vessels) Act, 1981. The incident happened around 8.45am.
The apprehended boat is being escorted by the Indian Coastguard ship Vaibhav and would be handed over to local police in Tuticorin on Wednesday.
This also comes in the wake of Coastguard apprehending three Sri Lankan fishing boats with 15 crew in the last two months. A total of 855 kg of fish had been seized, a coastguard release said.

writingonblog uncensored: Latvia University ties up with Madras varsity

writingonblog uncensored: Latvia University ties up with Madras varsity: Chennai: University of Latvia has entered into an memorandum of understanding with Madras University on faculty exchange, according to th...

Latvia University ties up with Madras varsity

Chennai:
University of Latvia has entered into an memorandum of understanding with Madras University on faculty exchange, according to the rector of the varsity Marcis Auzinsh.
Auzinsh, who is part of a high level Latvian delegation lead by the country's foreign affairs minister Edgars Rinkēvičs, told reporters during an interaction organised by Madras Chamber of Commere and Industry that the MoU is signed in the wake of Lativia University having separate centre on Indian studies.
"Since the focus is on subjects related to India, we have entered into an MoU with Madras University," he said.
Rinkēvičs said that the focus of his visit is to boost the economic ties with India. The delegation has already visited Hyderabad. The Latvian foreign minister said that delegatin is also looking at investments in tourism, IT sector and logistics.
He also highlighted that Latvia has the ambiene for shooting of Indian films. "We are not that costly as Western European nations," said Rinkēvičs.
The delegation had also met Tamil Nadu governor Rosaiah and Chennai Port Trust chairman Atulya Mishra. The visit of Rinkevics would conclude in New Delhi where he will meet his Indian counterpart Salman Khurshid.

writingonblog uncensored: Grid of roads planned along ORR to absorb future g...

writingonblog uncensored: Grid of roads planned along ORR to absorb future g...: C Shivakumar Chennai: Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority is planning a grid of roads along Outer ring road to develop it a...

Grid of roads planned along ORR to absorb future growth of Chennai


C Shivakumar
Chennai:
Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority is planning a grid of roads along Outer ring road to develop it as a potential area to absorb the future growth of the city and the authority has already accorded permission for developments along the Mudichur and Palanthandalam villages.

The plan to have grid of roads along the Outer Ring Road is being taken as a pilot project after chief minister announced in the assembly that whenever new roads or upgradation of roads are made, it should be done in such a way that the adjoining areas get developed and a grid of roads are evolved.

Interestingly, even the Second Master Plan has identified areas along ORR as potential areas to absorb the future growth. The Outer Ring Road was evolved as part of the recommendations of first master plan for Chennai Metropolitan Area to relieve the traffic congestion in the city by connecting the national highway in Chennai Metropolitan Area.

The 62.3 km long outer ring road connects NH 45 (GST Road) at Vandalur, NH 4 (GWT Road) at Nazarathpet, NH 205 (CTH Road) at Nemilicherry(Thiruninravur), NH 5 (GNT Road) at Nallur and TPP road at Minjur.

Sources said that the area plans unit of Chennai Metropolitan development authority is currently receiving planning permission applications for large-scale developments along the Outer Ring Road.

Sources said that currently action has been initiated to work out the grid of roads for the area adjoining ORR in the stretch between Vandalur and Palanthandalam. CMDA sources said that the proposed road network suggested for Mudichur and Palanthandalam has already been approved during the authority meeting.

CMDA sources said that the local bodies in the two villages have been given the sanction to accord planning permission to the development projects in these two villages. “We have also identified several other villages that comes under the first phase of Outer Ring Road between Vandalur to Nemilicherry,” said a CMDA source.

Sources said that DDPs are also prepared under Section 27 of the Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning Act and the maps prepared show the ideal use of each piece of land in the area and guide infrastructure development by various department and agencies.

It is believed the DDP proposed by CMDA would focus on the grid of roads aiming at good connectivity to outer ring road, inter linkages and future requirements of physical and social infrastructure.



Interestingly, the proposal also comes in the wake of development of a passenger cum freight railway line linking Ennore to Vandalur in ORR stretch, which planners feel would generate interest among the real estate developers. Besides the state government is also planning to build inter-city satellite bus terminal in Vandalur to cater to the needs of south-bound buses.

Factfile:
First Phase
Vandalur to Nemilichery 
Distance - 30 KMs
Cost - Rs.1081 Crores
Work is in progress and expected to be completed by December 2013.

Second Phase
Nemilichery to Minjur
Distance - 30.5 kms.
Estimate project cost - Rs.985.54 Crores
80% of land acquisition completed.
Concession period 30 years.
Contract period 30 months