Shaikh Mohammed all praise for hardworking Keralites - ഉമ്മന്‍ ചാണ്ടി ജനങ്ങളിലേയ്ക്ക് ഇറങ്ങിച്ചെന്ന മുഖ്യമന്ത്രിയാണെന്ന് ദുബൈ ഭരണാധികാരി ഷെയ്ഖ് മുഹമ്മദ്.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who is acclaimed for his vision and leadership, on Thursday commended the Kerala leader for his popular mass contact programmes.
“I have heard about your great popularity and know that you work very close with your people. We also do the same here. We get to learn a lot from them and can gather plenty of information from such frequent interactions with the people,” Shaikh Mohammed said during his 40-minute meeting with Chandy.
Shaikh Mohammed enquired about the way in which the acclaimed mass contact programmes are being conducted in Kerala through which Chandy seeks to hear and address the grievances and issues of tens of thousands of citizens.
Hailing the historic relations between the two friendly peoples and highlighting the role the Indian community and workforce play in the building and development process being witnessed by the UAE, Shaikh Mohammed praised Kerala expatriates in the country as a “hardworking, enterprising and trustworthy” community.
“They are welcome here,” he added.
Shaikh Mohammed outlined Dubai’s tradition of encouraging entrepreneurship, and said only if businesses are allowed to make profit, they would continue to invest.
When Shaikh Mohammed learnt that there were around one million Keralites in the UAE, he said: “let them use all the opportunities in our country.”


Kerala wins Dubai assurance

DUBAI - The Government of Dubai will extend all support to expedite the successful completion of the $1 billion Smart City project that Tecom Investment has initiated in the South Indian state of Kerala, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said on Thursday.
Shaikh Mohammed, who received Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at the headquarters of the Dubai Executive Council at Emirates Towers on Thursday, also promised to visit the state to explore its alluring natural beauty.
He said he had learnt about Kerala’s abundant natural beauty: its mountains, forests, rivers and lagoons. Shaikh Mohammed said he would like to spend two days quietly exploring the state’s rich and diverse flora and fauna before attending the opening ceremony of the first phase of Smart City, which is expected to be completed in the next 20 months.
Earlier on Thursday, the Smart City Board at a meeting cleared the master plan for the project, and said work on the first phase would commence by July 1.
Shaikh Mohammed also pledged Kerala’s “24/7 functioning” chief minister all support to DP World’s Vallarpadam International Container Transshipment Terminal in Cochin. Last month, the terminal received its first mainline service to become India’s first transhipment hub. The Kerala chief minister, who was heading a delegation comprising ministers and high-ranking officials, was also met by Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council during the meeting.
The two sides discussed the bonds of friendship between the UAE and India, and ways of boosting economic, investment and trade cooperation in the best interest of the two countries.
The talks also tackled existing cooperation between Dubai and Kerala in all fields, particularly in the sectors of ports and information.
Chandy appreciated the expertise that Dubai presents to his state with a population of about 32 million people, in the two vital sectors.
Among those who attended the meeting were Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Aviation Authority and Chairman of Emirates airline and Group; Mohammed Al Gargawi, Minister for Cabinet Affairs; Kerala Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty; Kerala Minister of Diaspora K.C. Joseph; Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shaibani, Director-General of the Dubai Ruler’s Court; Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of the Ports, Customs & Free Zone Corporation; Indian Ambassador M.K. Lokesh; Yousuf Ali MA, managing director of Emke Group-Lulu; and Shamsudeen bin Mohideen, chairman of Regency Group.
The Indian ambassador told Khaleej Times that Shaikh Mohammed also expressed his keenness to bolster civil aviation ties with Kerala by boosting services in the sector, which Shaikh Ahmed described as one of the most profitable for Emirates.
Lokesh said an Indian civil aviation delegation is due to visit the UAE to hold talks on boosting sectoral ties with additional frequencies.
The Indian envoy apprised Shaikh Mohammed about Indian Prime Minister’s long awaited visit.
At a separate meeting, the board of Smart City cleared the master plan of the prestigious IT project. The meeting was attended by Chandy, Kunhalikutty, Joseph, Principal IT Secretary PH Kurian, Dr Baiju George and the management team of Smart City Dubai, the partner for the project.
The project conceived in 2005 is to generate about 90,000 jobs and attract investments of more than $500 million.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Chandy said he was happy that Shaikh Mohammed has accepted his invitation to be present at the opening of the first phase of Smart City.
The board has given the go-ahead for the construction of 1.5 million square foot of building in two phases, said the Kerala leader.
“The project will be completed in two phases. The first phase consists of two buildings with a 400,000 square feet area. The completion time is 18 months,” he said.
The project will come up under a single special economic zone. The ground-breaking ceremony for it was held in October 2011. The project is coming up on 250 acres near a lake.
Smart City Kochi was first conceived when Chandy was the chief minister in 2004, but the project got delayed and was given clearance by the then chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan at the fag-end of his term. The Chandy government began the project last June by inaugurating a state-of-the-art 10,000 sq feet sales pavilion.

Courtesy: Youtube.com/Sheikhmohammed.ae 

A row video is also available in youtube....

Source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com

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Food Van in Cochin - Fries on Wheels @ Panampilly Nagar

We spotted a food van in Panampilly Nagar last week, probably one among the first in Cochin. Inside the van, a young charming lady was preparing burgers and fries for people who were peeping through the side window and placing orders. She is Alpha, a fashion designer who went to UK for higher education and came back with the dream of starting a restaurant.

Alpha and her brother, who was also studying in UK back then, had the idea of starting a western model food joint in India. Initially, they thought of a restaurant selling fried chicken but was not very confident about the location. They were also skeptical on whether people will accept it. Then came the idea of starting a mobile restaurant selling fries and burgers. Along with their dad and mom, they started 'Fries on Wheels'. Their initial location was Fort Kochi but later, they shifted to Panampilly Nagar and made it their permanent location.

This one month old food van is open from 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm on all days. The menu includes fries, burgers and rolls, both veg and non-veg. You can find the van near South Indian Bank, Panampilly Nagar.

In future, they are planning to add Sri Lankan dishes to their menu. After they get permanent customers and a good place, they are looking forward to opening a restaurant next year. A place to park fries on wheels!

Source: http://www.facebook.com/routecochin.co

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Metro extension proposal: Kochi Metro Rail officials visit SmartCity

KOCHI: To explore the possibilities of extending Kochi Metro to SmartCity, a team of officials of Kochi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (KMRL) and Agence Francaise de Development (AFD), a French agency that is expected to finance the project, visited the site of the IT project in Kakkanad on Saturday.

After visiting the site, the team watched a presentation by SmartCity officials that suggested a possible alignment and other benefits.

"Last month, we had submitted a proposal to E Sreedharan to extend the metro. As far as we know, there are plans to extend the project up to the civil station area. SmartCity is just two kilometres away from there. I think they liked our presentation," said a SmartCity official, adding that Edachira and Brahmapuram were the two likely spots for the metro station.

As per the presentation by company engineers, SmartCity would directly hire more than one lakh personnel over the next eight years.

Professionals employed in indirect jobs would be around 3 lakh and with the completion of Infopark's second phase, the total employment may reach 5 lakh. Sources said that extending the Metro could ease the traffic problems.

Considering the potential growth of traffic in the area, the state government has already decided to construct two four-lane highways through the area. One of the four-lane highways will connect SmartCity and NH 49 at Puthencruz via Brahmapuram and Karimugal.

The other route will ensure connectivity through MC Road at Perumbavoor via Kizhakkambalam and Pattimattom.

But the SmartCity authorities are of the opinion that these roads alone won't serve the purpose.

"The government is yet to fix the time frame for construction of these roads. So, extension of the metro project would be the best solution," an official said.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Boy's Ferrari 'treat ride' backfires on dad as video goes viral

A businessman in India has been charged with endangering the life of a child after letting his nine-year-old son take his 315kph Ferrari out for a birthday spin.

Mohammed Nisham’s wife filmed the boy driving the supercar around a street in Kerala at speeds of about 55kph, with his seven-year-old brother in the passenger seat.
Neither child was wearing a seatbelt.
The video went viral and sparked outrage across India.
Kerala Police inspector MV Verghese yesterday said Nisham had also been charged with allowing a minor to drive.
However, the boy’s mum insisted they had no regrets about letting their son get behind the wheel of such a powerful car.
“I am proud of him,” said Amal Nisham. “He’s been driving since he was five.
“He was insisting for months. It was his birthday so we allowed him to drive the Ferrari. He’s a cautious and confident driver.
“It’s not easy for a child to achieve such a feat at a young age.”
The video, which sees the boys driving along a residential street in the Ferrari F 430 with children chasing them on foot, went viral on YouTube and caused an outrage across India, resulting the police charges.

Inspector Verghese said the dad, who has a thriving tobacco and real estate business, owns a stable of 18 cars worth an estimated Dhs15 million.
Dubai-based mum Lesley Cully, founder of the safety awareness campaign Buckle Up In The Back, said the parents showed “jaw-dropping negligence” by allowing the joyride.
“Money can buy you a lot of things but it doesn’t buy common sense,” said Cully.
“How proud would the mum be if he kills them – or kills other people?
“This is wrong on so many levels.”
Zohaib Yahya of Sheikh Zayed Road firm Exotic Cars said there was no way a nine-year-old boy should have been given the keys to such a high-powered vehicle, which he said retails for around Dhs550,000.
“You need a driving license before you drive any car, let alone a Ferrari,” he said. “You need to be careful.”
The legal driving age in India is 18.
Inspector BJ Kumar said the boy’s father Nisham handed himself in at a police station in Kochi, in the southern Indian state and was granted bail.
Inspector added that police would likely impound the Ferrari while the case is ongoing.

Source: http://www.7daysindubai.com

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Major disaster averted in city

Timely intervention by the Fire and Rescue Services personnel helped avert a major disaster in the city after a godown storing plastic mats and floor carpets on Chalikkavattam-Kottamkavu road near Vyttila went up in flames Wednesday afternoon.

No one was injured in the fire though first reports said that a fire official sustained injuries in the initial phase of fire-fighting operations.

The fire plunged the thickly populated neighbourhood into panic.

A large quantity of the material stored in the godown has been gutted and the building, spread over 3000 sq. ft., charred and run down.

Electric and television network cables melted in the fire and a stretch of electric cables collapsed on the road.

Kochi Corporation councillor N.A. Shafeeq of Division 46 (Chakkaraparambu) was one of the first to arrive at the scene and went in with the first batch of fire services personnel. He said he was terrorised and confused because of the flames.

Shibu, who lives near the godown, came rushing to the spot after seeing black smoke billowing out of the godown. He said the huge flames frightened him.

A fireman said the godown at first looked impossible to approach and it took nearly an hour to ensure that the fire was brought under control. The fire broke out, possibly triggered by welding sparks, at about 3.15 p. m. Frightened neighbours alerted the police after seeing huge clouds of smoke billowing out of the godown and sensing a strong odour of burning rubber and plastic.

Fire tenders from Club Road, Gandhi Nagar and Tripunithura rushed to the spot. Fire officials were initially overawed by the enormity of the fire. As the embers continued to emit smoke, fire-fighters were found spraying water all over the building well past 5.45 p.m.

 Source: http://www.thehindu.com

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Apples that won't keep doctors away

The next time you buy exotic apples from the market, beware! The foreign apples, which may look tempting, are being coated with wax, according to health experts.
Most of the apples that arrive from the foreign market, especially from the US, are coated with wax to ensure that their colour is not lost during the export-import process.  If the actual colour is maintained, the apples will look fresh when it is displayed at the retail outlets.
Based on the reports that such outer coatings are hazardous to the human body, the State Food Safety Department had conducted a drive to ensure that these apples are safe for consumption.
However, District Food safety Officer Ajith Kumar said that coating apples with wax was permitted as it has never been proved to be hazardous to health.

 

Source: http://newindianexpress.com

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Demand for flyover at Vyttila junction

In the wake of the approval for a flyover at Edappally, the   Residents’ Apex Council, Ernakulam (RACE) has demanded the Public Works Department (PWD) authorities to allocate funds for building a flyover at Vyttila junction too.
The junction, one of the busier junctions in the state, has been reeling under traffic snarls for the past few years.
Earlier, the High Court had sought an explanation from the city traffic department about the heavy traffic blocks in different parts of the city. According to the RACE members, though the government funds are allocated for construction of flyovers and roads, the money was spend only for the  development of Thiruvananthapuram.
“While Kochi was totally neglected by the PWD, traffic projects including roads and flyovers were built in Thiruvanathapuram. The city continues its waiting for Central funds,” they said.

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