REINVENTING COCHIN

Bypass road in Tripunithura and the urban ecosystem of heritage town

2012-02-09T13:22:00.005+05:30

By D.Dhanurajit was a long cherished dream for the commuters from the eastern side of Cochin driving via Tripunithura to have a bypass road alleviating the traffic congestion in the temple city. If the congestion had been felt during the peak hours in the mid 90's, it turned out to be a nightmare for most part of the day in the recent years. so the opening up of Tripunithura mini bypass was a

Callousness in waste management by Municipalities in Kochi

2011-11-25T12:28:00.005+05:30

It is nothing but the waste disposal and waste management issues that rake up in every day media stories in Kochi. there is nothing positive but mismanagement and callousness of the stake holders that fill the columns of the newspapers every day. Other day, I was shocked by the media report featuring Kalamassery Muncipal chairman statement on waste management. According to the reports he has

Feeder system in Kochi - Share auto services

2011-11-24T10:34:00.001+05:30

Shared service transport systems like share autos, share taxis or buses which feeds commuters to other modes of transport. Primarily they are small vehicles accommodating 5-8 passengers which can travel through narrow roads. They are flexible as they can commute to any location; convenient as they pick and stop wherever the passengers demands and are available throughout the day, cost effiecient,

Urban eco system - a change over to M G Road

2011-11-08T15:47:00.003+05:30

by D.Dhanuraj Urban ecosystems are evolved over the ages. Cochin has ignored rich and traditional past. Fort Kochi and Mattancherry are good examples of how planners can kill the rich culture and traditions of an ecosytem. In my school classes, I was so curious to study about these places and I was so excited to be in the land of historical importance. I was shocked when I got an opportunity

Parking in Kochi

2011-11-02T18:04:00.001+05:30

PARKING IN KOCHI Parking has been a major concern for all countries, states, local authorities and traffic police across the world. Parking has now been taken as a part of the larger traffic and transport development by the entities concerned with city development. Since the effects of parking has direct relation to traffic movement and at the same time car sales are considered as a measure

Mobility hub row unwanted: CPPR

2011-10-31T15:19:00.000+05:30

Mobility hub row unwanted: CPPRKOCHI: Even as debate continues on the role of Vyttila Mobility Hub Society and the KSRTC in deciding the transport routes and operations in Kochi, the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR) has come forward with the statement that the whole row may be unnecessary.“While submitting the report, the CPPR had clearly stated the vision for having a mobility hub in a

Cycle Diaries

2011-10-27T15:14:00.001+05:30

Usual day, usual routine, usual food, usual dialogues to mom, usual paper reading, usual mannerisms.... unusual thoughts!!!The sun has risen, but shrouded by the meandering clouds..perfect day for doing an unusual thing to happen...few things came to my mind..why not walk? why not cycle? cycle!!! reminds me of the days i used to 'not use' cycle having a wildcat kept at my home...of the day

Why KSRTC?

2011-10-19T16:05:00.005+05:30

By D DhanurajToday, most of the media reports discuss the lack of cooperation from KSRTC to extend their services to Vyttila Mobility Hub in the late evening. it seems both the parties have strong points to justify the cause. KSRTC believes that the KSRTC bus stand might lose its value if they shift their operations to Mobility Hub. I do not understand why KSRTC should own such a vast land in the

it shall be Street conclave rather than Road concalve

2011-09-27T10:47:00.003+05:30

I was present during the Cochin Conclave hosted by Cochin corporation. Though it was a good program, the theme of the discussion was not aptly presented. In my opinion, roads cannot be approached as a stand alone entity. in fact, roads are getting repaired because the other elements surrounding the roads are not taken care of or properly addressed. Roads works are not more tarring and repairing

Do we need Metro rail?

2011-09-16T10:46:00.000+05:30

By D DhanurajMedia reports say that Planning Commission agreed in principle to sanction metro rail in Kochi while posting the matter to purchase committee to evaluate the financial obligations. My friends in media are a little apprehensive to conduct the due diligence of the metro project as they fear public backlash on this subject. Same is the case, when Italked to political leadership as many

Share Autos in city of Cochin

2011-09-14T10:46:00.002+05:30

by D Dhanurajit is astonishing that traffic problems in cochin city has been solved well before metro rail started its construction. Authorities claim that it is traffic diversion but what they have done essentially is that diverting city bound long distance buses through National Highways or asking them to terminate at Hub. it seems that an effective chain service from Hub to city side is yet to

Traffic Diversion and Metro rail

2011-09-13T14:02:00.002+05:30

For many in the Government, yesterday was the D-day for their immediate future plans. The much awaited traffic diversion was scheduled for yesterday. there were protests, agony and confusion after their first trial run. The crowd might have felt lot of ease at the end of yesterday's experiment for the simple reason that traffic congestion was not felt in the corridors. today, media also has

Agility and Mobility in Hub at Vyttila

2011-08-20T10:06:00.004+05:30

by D.Dhanuraj For the last few days, authorities have decided to ask the bus operators to incorporate Mobility hub in their operations for certain specified routes. Iam surprised by the fact that they are in a hurry to do that without making arrangements for smooth entry and exit for the buses. Taking right or left turn at the exit point on tripunithura- vyttla road lead to traffic block at

A powerful mayor is the need of Hour

2011-08-04T21:12:00.004+05:30

D. DhanurajVideo of a Lihtuanian Mayor crushing an illegally parked vehicle shocked generated lots of interest in the last few days. I do believe that parking is not Government's problem but that of vehicle owners. A new orientation is required at the Government level to tackle the issue of parking. when cities are trying their best to give housing, sanitation and drinking water to the citizens,

Feeder system for metro stations in Kochi

2011-07-31T21:03:00.003+05:30

By D.DhanurajEvery morning, Kochiates buzz about the dream project of them; Kochi metro. it has been a dream for more than five years and with the present government, every one thinks that the dream is getting converted to reality. The other day, the metro website was launched. I am not sure whether it was my mistake that i could not find the copy of the feasibility study report of Kochi metro

Toll collection at Aroor

2011-07-19T10:56:00.003+05:30

Any construction work related to national highways is looked with lot of suspicion these days. the main reason is that of BOT mechanism adopted by national highway authority (NHAI). many complain that the toll fee levied at Aroor is exorbitant in a state like Kerala. NHAI and Central Government counters it saying that these numbers are accepted elsewhere hence why not in Kerala. they cite the

Watch towers at Junctions

2011-06-11T14:33:00.000+05:30

For the last few days, what amazes me is the way watch towers function at the various junctions in Cochin. even the busiest junction of Vyttila could not ignore it. Once we are asked to look at the various improvement plans at Vyttila, watch tower started playing a major role in junction improvements in Vyttila. initially, I was thinking that I am correct in my perception about the watch towers

Report on petrol price hike and its impact in Kochi

2011-05-30T13:21:00.000+05:30

Study reveals 17% reduction in petrol sales A rise in petrol prices is not a new phenomenon for Kerala. After its deregulation in June 2010, petrol price was hiked eight times. Research states that in April 1989, petrol cost Rs 8.50 per litre, while diesel was Rs 3.50. Today, petrol costs Rs 65.6 per litre, after a Rs 5 increase on May 15, 2011. Due to public concern, the Kerala government

Kochi Bus Day on May 31

2011-05-27T17:27:00.000+05:30

Kochi is set to celebrate yet another Bus Day! The Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), with the support of the Indian Chamber of Commerce, telecom partner Uninor, and media partner Red FM is observing May 31 as ‘Bus Day’. Celebrities and politicians are expected to participate in the event, the route for which is the Fort Kochi-Aluva stretch. The event will be flagged off from Thoppumpady

A drive to Oberon Mall

2011-05-23T23:56:00.000+05:30

By D. Dhanuraj it has been a sunny Sunday afternoon. Petrol price has been hiked up. Feel sorry about the politicians still play a major role in deciding the schedule of petroleum price hike. In Kerala, another hartal is over. Not sure how many crores we lost because of that hartal. no one seemed to have taken a stock of the events on that day, it seems ! i was driving towards city side from

Role of a traffic police man

2011-05-17T23:29:00.000+05:30

D.Dhanuraj Always surprised by the duties and responsibilities of civil servants in India. many times, their roles are not defined and some times they walk on a very thin yet blurred line of execution. here, my focus is on traffic policemen. any city in India, you can see them on streets and at junctions but they differ in uniforms and style from state to state. Yet their roles and

Random thoughts on Metro railway project Cochin

2011-04-29T19:30:00.000+05:30

by D Dhanuraj there has been a marathon debate on Cochin metro. it is on limbo for the last seven years; reasonable time for completion of construction of metro rail in any city. still we are debating and discussing. From each one's point of view, there is fair concession to be given on the nicety of the arguments; each one is relevant and significant in their knowledge domain. I am not

City bus trips - small steps can improve the service

2011-04-23T15:53:00.000+05:30

Other day Malayalam Manorama reported that a working couple; husband and wife are posted in a low floor bus. the writer argued that it makes sense and adds social happiness around them. Reading the news, I was also excited about it. then, i realised that the husban is from Waynad and the wife belongs to suburbs of Cochin. I remarked; 'lucky couple' Today, i had another couple visiting our office

The lad

2011-02-02T21:31:00.000+05:30