In development mode

To View CLICK HERE

From SSC-CBE forum

About Brooke-fields - Mall signals arrival of Coimbatore

As Coimbatore city slowly warms up to its first mall , what strikes one is that the city seems to have finally arrived.

The Rs 200-crore-plus Brookefields Plaza on Krishnaswamy Road is a classic case of how an initiative, which comes at a time when a city is mature enough to receive it, becomes an instant hit.

In any Tier-II city, a mall spread over 5 lakh sq.ft and sporting some of the biggest brands names as tenants could have a positive impact on its citizens because the city would have been longing for such a facility.

Potential

This was what Mr M. Balasubramaniam, Director, Brookefields Estates Pvt Ltd, Coimbatore, seized upon when he saw a large vacant site where the mighty Brookebond factory once stood.

Explaining how the idea of a mall in Coimbatore came up, he said business should recognise what society needs and try to fulfil these needs.

This was what his company did when it built Spencer Plaza on Anna Salai in Chennai. It saw a gap in ‘convenience shopping', and tried to close this gap by putting up the first mall in India way back in 1987.

When he came to Coimbatore and saw this land, Mr Balasubramaniam said that to get such a ‘beautiful parcel of land in such a great location is a one-time opportunity', and thought he could probably fulfil a need for a place where people could conveniently shop and relax. The idea of a mall-cum-multiplex with a hotel cropped up.

New concepts

Mr Balasubramaniam said in Brookefields Plaza there were some new concepts, like Mom & Me store of the Mahindra Retail, and among the tenants were international and national brands of repute — Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Pepe Jeans, Wills Lifestyle, Reebok, Van Heusen, Max, Tata's Westside, Reliance Trends, Reliancedigital, Odyssey, to name a few.

Mr Balasubramaniam said his company has also tried to ‘zone-in' the mall floor-wise for the convenience of the shoppers — like allotting ground floor for lifestyle stores, first floor for men's wear, second floor for women and children, third floor for books, food-court, fine dining, fun and entertainment, electronics and so on. He said the mall would also be home to the first multiplex in the city with six screens and about 1,600 seats.

The multiplex has been leased out to Big Cinema of Mr Anil Ambani's group. The food court, spread over 25,000 sq.ft, would serve national and international cuisines. There would be a fine dining area with several restaurants. The idea was to bring brands that are ‘non-existent in Coimbatore' and bring a new level of lifestyle dining.

Mr Ashwin Balasubramaniam, General Manager, Brookefields Estates, said the average daily footfall was around 10,000. When all the shops are opened, he expected the footfall to go up to 40,000-50,000 a day during the weekends and the daily footfall could be 20,000-25,000.

From SSC-CBE forum

More trains to stop at Coimbatore Junction - The Hindu

With the commissioning of the Coimbatore – Irugur second line, the Salem Railway Division has plans to re-route all trains via Coimbatore Junction.

A proposal in this regard has been sent to authorities concerned and an announcement in this regard is expected any time.

At present, a number of trains, including specials and weekly trains were skipping the Coimbatore Junction and running via Podanur – Irugur – Podanur section, said Salem Divisional Railway Manager P.N. Ram, here on Monday.

Mr. Ram along with Additional Divisional Railway Manager P. Kalimuthu told reporters that earlier, some of the trains were operated via Irugur – Podanur – Irugur section because of the single line.

The announcement on re-routing of trains was expected during the release of the railway time table next year.

To Kerala

This move would help Coimbatore connect with destinations in Kerala and Karnataka and Chennai more easily.

The number of berths available for passengers from Coimbatore is likely to go up. Coimbatore Junction will see more night trains halting there. the Coimbatore – Chennai Duranto Express and the Coimbatore – Tirupati Inter-city Express, announced in the Railway Budget this year, was likely to be introduced before the end of this fiscal.

Coaches

To a query on increasing the number of coaches in the Coimbatore – Nagercoil Express, Mr. Ram said the division was only waiting for allotment of additional coaches.

The officials said that a proposal has been sent again for a night express train on the Coimbatore – Bangalore section.

Amrita Express

Another proposal is for a train from Coimbatore to Thiruvananthapuram or the extension of the Thiruvananthapuram – Palakkad Amrita Express to Coimbatore.

One more train in the Coimbatore – Chennai – Coimbatore sector during weekends has been proposed, they said.

A train on the Coimbatore – Rameswaram section (via Erode – Karur), one to Shenkottah and another to Chennai via Vridhachalam too have been proposed.

Coimbatore gears up to be an ideal host- The Hindu

The years 2010 and 2011 are significant for Coimbatore as well-known hotel brands enter the city, throwing open a new line of luxury stay and dining facilities. This also means Coimbatore needs more chefs, florists, decorators, drivers, cleaners, etc, to give its guests a pleasant and comfortable stay.

Some of the value-adding services that come with a good hotel are travel desk, foreign exchange counter, wi-fi accessibility, florists, health clubs, and decorators. Customers ask for video-conferencing facility in every meeting room. For entertainment, the guests look out for a small shopping space. They also prefer a kids' zone, book, jewellery, and handicraft shops. Apart from these hundreds of personnel are required to service the guests. A 250 room star hotel needs a large number of cars and drivers who will assist in valet parking too.

According to an industry source, all these requirements have thrown open several employment and business opportunities. Hotels have started recruiting from towns and cities that are about 50 km away too.

They conduct regular training programmes for these recruits.

With inadequate local suppliers, many hotels here now go to other cities to source their inventory and for maintenance services. Vendors should be available at affordable costs for those who want to outsource some of these services.

Gopinath Balasundaram, General Manager – Operations of The Residency told The Hindu that when a particular industry develops in a city, related sectors also see growth. Personnel are needed for front office, etc. In Coimbatore, hotels will have to train the recruits as they usually come with work experience in a different industrial sector.

With booming employment opportunities in the hospitality sector, several people are moving in to Coimbatore from other towns. Similarly, those from Coimbatore but currently employed in hotels in other cities are also looking at shifting to their home town.

The hotels usually retain the critical departments that are direct customer contact points. They prefer to outsource cleaning the exteriors, valet parking, etc. The hotels need a regular supply of glassware and crockery, and domestic availability of maintenance personnel for AC plants, generators and laundry machines. Sourcing these from other cities is not cost effective, he says. Similarly, trained personnel are needed to polish the marbles, and clean the glasses. Such services are hardly available here.

Apart from the number of hotels going up in the city, related sectors should also develop for a sustainable growth. Thus, a boom in the hospitality services has thrown open several business opportunities for the local entrepreneurs.

TVH's new project

KOVAI CENTRE-MALL

First phase of Anna University building works to start soon

The first phase of the building works at the new site allotted to Anna University of Technology, Coimbatore, will take off soon, according to its Vice-Chancellor K. Karunakaran.

The State Government has transferred 130.33 acres inside Bharathiar University for this purpose. The area will begin from the Marudhamalai Road, which will be the approach.

The 150-acre Bharathiar University campus is located on a 1,000-acre area.

The site is located in the Eastern side of the campus which is part of Somayampalayam village.

The overall budget for the construction works is pegged at Rs. 200 crore.

“Various buildings have been planned. Proposal for the construction of the buildings has to be sent to the Government for approval and money transfer. As this will take time, the university will use its funds to start the work for the first phase for which the foundation was laid by Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on December 12,” Mr. Karunakaran said.

The first phase, which would come up at a cost of Rs. 67 crore, would consist of five buildings.

The administrative block, the academic block, boys' hostel, girls' hostel and mess, besides the basic amenities, would be the buildings.

The works for these would take off at the earliest as per the rules and regulations of the university, the Vice-Chancellor said.

Second phase

The second phase would include buildings that would house the auditorium, various centres of excellence, sports facilities, and international hostel, besides others.

Mr. Karunakaran said that the university would become operational once the first phase was completed.

The Vice-Chancellor expected the works to get completed in a year from the time of commencement.

From SSC-CBE forum

Moods of Le Meridien

An aerial view of the model flyover

Proposed design for the Gandhipuram flyover

The flyover at Gandhipuram, for which Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi will lay the stone here on Sunday, is expected to be a ‘first of its kind' for the city.

The Detailed Project Report is getting finalised and works are likely to commence in March next year.

The design of the flyover is almost finalised.

Project cost

The project cost is estimated to be Rs. 148 crore and works will be completed in two years, according to an official of the Highways Department.

The official points out that the three-tier flyover will start near the existing Mofussil Bus Stand and end near the Omni Bus Stand on Sathyamangalam Road.

Length

With a total length of 1.2 km and a span of 17.2 metres, the flyover will cover the Gandhipuram and 100 Feet Road Junctions.

Service lanes (ground-level carriage way), subways and underpass are some of the features of the proposed flyover that is to come up in the city.

From Park Gate to the Gandhipuram Junction, there will be a four-lane service lane at the ground level on either side. It will be three-lane from Gandhipuram Junction to 100 Feet Road Junction.

The project proposes a four-lane underpass from 100 Feet Road to Nava India, and four-lane subways connecting the Town Bus Stand and Cross Cut Road, Town Bus Stand and State Express Transport Corporation Bus Stand, Town Bus Stand and the proposed new Mofussil Bus Stand.

Three round-abouts of 30 to 40 metre diameter are planned at Park Gate, near Aarvee Hotel and 100 Feet Road Junction.

The existing four-lane road from Women's Polytechnic to the Town Bus Stand will be expanded.

From SSC-CBE forum

TODAY'S GRAND EVENT

BrookeFields Marketing team uploaded lot of photos in picasaweb.

HERE IS THE LINK

CLICK

From SSC-CBE forum

TODAY's EVENT

Three level Flyover

From SSC-CBE forum

From SSC-CBE forum

Infrastructure spending on the rise in Coimbatore

Two major bypass road projects, funded by the Central and State Governments, are expected to ease congestion on Coimbatore City roads. These projects will also ensure that growth spreads to peripheral areas as well.

Projects

The two projects costing Rs. 934 crore indicated that government spending on infrastructure in Coimbatore was on the rise, said District Collector P. Umanath.

These projects, which would be completed in five years, would do a lot of good to the city, Dr. Umanath said.

He told The Hindu that the eastern by-pass road from Sulur to Mettuppalayam connecting NH 67 with NH 67 again bypassing Coimbatore would eliminate clogging of the city roads. Vehicles from Tiruchi, Madurai and Avanashi could proceed to Mettuppalayam and Udhagamandalam without having to enter Coimbatore City. The project would be executed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) at an outlay of Rs. 650 crore. This would ease pressure on Avanashi Road, Tiruchi Road and Mettuppalayam Road considerably.

The western bypass road project from NH 47 to NH 67 will be from Madukkarai to Mettuppalayam Road cutting across Siruvani Road, Marudhamalai Road and Thadagam Road.

Vehicles from Kerala

The State Government will fund the project and the estimated cost is Rs. 284 crore. This road will help vehicles from Kerala (even those from Pollachi Road) proceeding to areas on Siruvani Road or Marudhamalai Road or Thadagam Road.

Those bound for Mettuppalayam and Udhagamandalam need not enter Coimbatore City.

City traffic congestion would ease considerably with the construction of 18 flyovers across level crossings at Rs 270 crore.

Some old pics of CBE from SSC

TOWN HALL AREA

RAILWAY STATION

Max now in Coimbatore

Value fashion brand Max is no stranger to consumers in Coimbatore as a large number of expatriates from this commercial hub live and work in the Gulf states where Max is indeed a popular brand. Present in 11 countries in the Middle East including United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey, Max is already present in nine cities in India.

Max recently extended its footprint in Tamil Nadu with the opening of its outlet at the Brookfield Plaza in Coimbatore. It’s fourth in the southern state with three other outlets being in Chennai. Max is definitely on a growth surge in India, with its existing 35 outlets and another 15 in the making by the end of the financial year, bringing the total to a robust 50.

According to executive director, Vasanth Kumar they intend to have a pan-India presence in three years and take the store network to 100. The Coimbatore outlet is spread across 17,500 sq. ft. offering apparel for women, men and children besides footwear and fashion accessories. Further, he added that Max was soon opening its fourth outlet in Chennai and its first in the temple city of Madurai. He also described the company’s sourcing strategy as it sources merchandise from over 200 suppliers based across 10 cities in India, with 15 from Tirupur, adjacent to Coimbatore.

Talking about the turnover, according to Kumar, the total global retail business sales stood at Rs 22,000 crores.

From SSC-CBE Forum

From SSC-CBE Forum

From SSC-CBE Forum

From SSC-CBE Forum

From SSC-CBE Forum

Karunanidhi to open new building of university

Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi will inaugurate a new academic building and auditorium of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International School of Textiles and Management here on December 13. According to the Director of the institute S.R. Pujar, the new structures have come up at a cost of Rs. 21 crore on 6.31 acre. Currently, the six-year old institute has about 240 students in four main programmes related to the textile industry. It will start new courses next year for home textiles and retail management and overseas students will be admitted.

The new infrastructure was adjacent to the existing campus. The auditorium will have a seating capacity of 500 and the interiors will be done by the National Institute of Design. Mr. Pujar added that the last date for admission to the MBA Textile Management course offered jointly by the institute and the Indira Gandhi National Open University was extended December 13. Details were available on: www.svpitm.ac.in or www. svpitm.co.in.

About Kovai's Le Meridien

 ஓட்டல் துறையில் புகழ் பெற்று விளங்கும் லீ ராயல் மெரிடியன் ஓட்டல் போன்று கோவையிலும் ரூ. 300 கோடியில் லீ மெரிடியன் ஓட்டல் கட்டப்பட்டுள்ளது. அதை டிச.12ஆம் தேதி மாலை 4.30 மணிக்கு முதல்வர் கருணாநிதி திறந்து வைக்கிறார்.

சென்னை கிண்டி கத்திப்பாரா மேம்பாலம் அருகே உள்ள 5 நட்சத்திர ஓட்டலான லீ ராயல் மெரிடியன் ஓட்டல் அதிபர் பழனி ஜி.பெரியசாமி நேற்று (நவ.30) நிருபர்களுக்கு பேட்டி அளித்தார். 

அப்போது அவர் கூறியதாவது;

ஓட்டல் துறையில் புகழ் பெற்று விளங்கும் லீ ராயல் மெரிடியன் ஓட்டல் போன்று கோவையிலும் ரூ. 300 கோடியில் லீ மெரிடியன் ஓட்டலை கட்டி இருக்கிறோம். கோவை விமான நிலையம் அருகே அவினாசி ரோட்டில் சுமார் 6 ஏக்கர் பரப்பளவில் 9 மாடிகளுடன் கூடிய இந்த ஓட்டல் நவீன தொழில்நுட்ப டிசைன்களுடன் கட்டப்பட்டுள்ளது.

சென்னைக்கு வெளியே கட்டப்பட்டுள்ள முதல் 5 நட்சத்திர ஓட்டல் என்ற பெருமை இந்த ஓட்டலுக்கு கிடைத்துள்ளது. இங்கு நீச்சல் குளம், ஹெல்த் கிளப், மினி தியேட்டர், 2 ஆயிரம் பேர் அமரும் கூட்ட அரங்குகள் என அனைத்து வசதிகளும் உள்ளது. சி.டி. கொண்டு வந்தும் படம் பார்க்கலாம். நீச்சல்குளம் முதல் மாடியில் உருவாக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

ஒவ்வொரு மாநில கலாச்சாரத்திற்கு ஏற்ப சூட் அறைகள் உருவாக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. தமிழ்நாடு சூட், தமிழக கலாச்சாரத்தை பறைசாற்றுவதாக இருக்கும். 

டிச.12ஆம் தேதி மாலை 4.30 மணிக்கு கோவையில், லீ மெரிடியன் ஓட்டல் திறப்பு விழா நடக்கிறது. மத்திய மந்திரி ஜி.கே.வாசன் தலைமையில் முதலமைச்சர் கருணாநிதி ஓட்டலை திறந்து வைக்கிறார்.

இதில் அமைச்சர்கள் பொங்கலூர் பழனிச்சாமி, சுரேஷ்ராஜன், தொழில் அதிபர் பொள்ளாச்சி மகாலிங்கம், சாந்தலிங்க அடிகளார், கவிஞர் வைரமுத்து உள்பட முக்கிய பிரமுகர்களும் வெளிநாட்டு பிரதிநிதிகளும் பங்கேற்கிறார்கள்.

From SSC-CBE Forum

From SSC-CBE