Monthly Archives: November 2012

Lanco Group to invest Rs 500cr in Hyderabad shopping mall

Lanco Group plans to construct a shopping mall called ‘The Lanco Hills Mega Mall’ in Hyderabad, expected to be the largest in South India, at an investment of Rs 500 crore, a company release said.

Unlike most other malls in the country that are skewed towards only one format, the Lanco Hills Mega Mall will be a destination mall serving all demographics and tastes with the widest range of options in every sphere like shopping, movies, gaming, entertainment and dining.

“The mall which will be the largest in South India in terms of built up space, as well as largest number of shopping outlets and entertainment options under one roof, is expected to be completed in the next 30 months at an investment of Rs 500 crore,” it said.

It will have a 12-screen multiplex, premium shopping options, right-out-of-a-fantasyland type gaming zones, roof gardens, fine dining options, hypermarkets and multi-level parking space for 5,000 cars. With a walking length of over 2 kms, the mall aims to provide a one-stop destination to customers with everything from necessities to leisure and celebration, Lanco Hills’ CEO Pochendar Shenigarapu said.

One of the main attractions of the mall would be its the gaming zone with a 14-lane bowling alley, extravagant indoor rides for kids, besides table top and electronic games. A specially designed Go-karting rink shall be a highlight of the gaming and entertainment zone.

An exclusive exhibition and a grand convention centre along with well-lit interiors, cascades, delicate fountains and gurgling water bodies will host premium events, it added.

source: http://www.MoneyControl.com / Home> News> Business> Business News / Friday, November 30th, 2012

Gemini Edibles plans Rs 50 cr expansion plan

Augmenting capacity: (from left) Sumant Kumar Razdan, Director-Operations; Pradeep Chowdhry, Managing Director, and P. Chandrasekhara Reddy, Vice-President-Sales and Marketing, Gemini Edibles and Fats displaying the HACCP and FSSC 22000 certification for their Krishnapatnam plant. / P.V. Sivakumar / The Hindu
Hyderabad , NOV. 29:

Gemini Edibles and Fats India Private Limited, a vegetable oil refiners and trading company, is planning to spend Rs 50 crore on capacity expansion and modernisation of its refineries at Kakinada and Krishnapatnam ports.

Post-expansion, the refinery capacity of the company would grow to 1,300 tonnes a day from 1,100 tonnes a day. This is expected to contribute an additional Rs 300 crore to the turnover.

“We are planning to double the capacity at Kakinada refinery to 400 tonnes a day by middle of next calendar year. This will require an expenditure of Rs 25 crore. At Krishnapatnam, we are planning to automate the processes and install some power capacity,” Pradeep Chowdhry, Managing Director, told Business Line.

The company would meet one-third of the capex budget through internal accruals, with rest coming from banks as term loans. The company, which registered a turnover of Rs 1,350 crore in 2011-12, is hoping to cross the Rs 1,500-crore in the next financial year.

“We have prepared a plan for the expansion plan. We will be sending it to the board for approval. We are planning to complete the expansion plan in the next 6-8 months,” he said.

The three-year-old firm invested Rs 135 crore to build the Krishnapatnam plant with a capacity of 800 tonnes a day and acquired the 200-tonne capacity plant at Kakinada.

COMMODITY BIZ

“We are running on full capacity now. Seventy per cent of turnover comes from brands and speciality products, with the resting coming from loose and bulk oil. Our immediate target is to reduce the low-margin commodity business. This will help us shore up our margins,” he said.

He said the company received HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) and FSSC 22000 certifications for its Krishnapatnam plant. These certificates conform to global safety standards.

kurmanath.kanchi@thehindu.co.in

source: http://www.TheHinduBusinessLine.com / Home> Industry> Agri-Biz / Hyderabad, November 29th, 2012

Researcher stumbles on anti-cancer molecule in marine sediment

Visakhapatnam :

When Dasari Venkata Ravi Kumar set out with the objective of discovering a compound with a broad spectrum of activity, he accidentally stumbled upon a novel compound belonging to the Actinomycate family that has the potential to make a huge impact in the fields of cancer and microbial research.

Strangely though, Ravi Kumar found this unique molecule in some marine sediment  barely a stone’s throw away from the place where he conducted his research-the Department of Chemical Engineering at Andhra University. Actinomycates are filamentous or rod shaped pathogenic microorganisms resembling bacteria and fungi that are found in soil. These nitrogen deleted compounds have anti-cancer and anti-microbial tendencies.

“The discovery of this bio-microorganism has opened the doors for cancer and microbial research. The potential is huge and Ravi Kumar would be remembered as the man who made it all possible,” observed Professor D Rami Reddy, Ravi Kumar’s mentor, guide and inspiration. Talking about his discovery, an elated Ravi Kumar said that the past one year had been one hell of a ride with three international publications-Journal on Microbial Research, Journal of Microbial and Bio-Chemical Research and Journal of Bio-Technology publishing his research paper on the discovery.

“It was a fascinating experience. I basically set out to discover greater potential in compounds and by accident discovered a novel compound that is as of now unheard of,” says Ravi Kumar, pointing out that the support of his department and guide enabled him to complete his PhD in just two and a half years.

Though upbeat about his success at such a young age, the 30-year-old Dr Ravi Kumar, who was pursued by several pharma companies, is currently employed with a Hyderabad-based pharma player and is now worried about getting his discovery patented.

“Getting the patent is on top of my list of priorities. Things have been good so far and we have already applied for a patent, the compound has to be put through more tests till it can be finally patented. Once that is done, I plan to do more research in anti-cancer and microbial fields,” said the scientist, who jokingly said that sometimes picking up sea shells on the sea shore does help.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Science /  TNN / Visakhapatnam, November 29th, 2012

Leading from the home front

Visakhapatnam :

Contrary to the belief that brunches, kitty parties and high tea keep them occupied while their husbands are out at sea for months together guarding the coastline, wives of Navy officers  are busy juggling their own careers with hectic personal and social lives. These group of over 10,000 women also do take out time for their ilk in order to uphold the tradition of Naval Wives’ Welfare Association (NWWA).

There are doctors, lecturers, journalists and IT professionals among wives of several Navy officers in the city. The president of NWWA and wife of Eastern Naval Command chief, Ragini Chopra , herself works with Jet Airways. Then there are daring women like commanding officer Captain Mahesh Singh’s wife Manita Singh, who runs Balwari School, an institution for the underprivileged, and also takes part in daredevil acts like jackstay during combat demos of war ships. “I enjoy moving from one Naval base to another as it’s exciting and offers new experiences. I would like my two children to also join the defence forces,” says Manita Singh.

Kaushalya Suresh, vice-president of NWWA, Kalinga Naval Station, Vizag, adds, “Once married to a Navy officer or sailor, one automatically becomes a member. Here, around 300 wives are active NWWA members and participate in all activities. The hierarchy depends on the husband’s corresponding position.”

NWWA members are used to a hectic life with their husbands usually getting transferred every two-three years. “Accommodation becomes a problem during transfers, and each time we have to start afresh,” says Kaushalya.

And in this on-going Navy Week celebrations, NWWA members have their hands full. At the Kalinga Naval Station, they are involved in over a dozen group activities. These include environment awareness activities through Prakriti group, while Ashirwad caters to the needs of senior citizens and Jagriti deals with educational needs of the underprivileged children. Sparsh or Outreach group reaches out to destitute women, orphans and the underprivileged among civilians in villages around the base.

Sakhi is a counselling group for NWWA members, Sahara on the other hand deals with empowerment and rehabilitation of Navy widows and Arogya addresses health issues, including health cards for all women and compulsory medical check-ups.

There’s also Sankalp, a centre for the spastic and differently-abled children and Pragati Udyogika to help set up cottage industries and empower women with skills, even as Tarangini showcases cultural talents of NWWA women and Shilpika looks after artistic endeavours that eventually find a place in the NWWA shop.

Lachmi Deb Roy, a lecturer and freelancer, feels NWWA offers the right platform for deep bonding and personal growth. “Though frequent transfers can be disturbing, it makes one more adaptable and the community spirit widens ones perspective, social network and boosts confidence. When my husband was away for two years in a foreign country, I single-handedly brought up my little son while managing my job. In such difficult times, bonding with NWWA members through picnics, parties, community service keeps us fully engaged,” she said.

Talking about upcoming activities such as medical camps in nearby villages and opening of NWWA store, NWWA president Ragini Chopra, concludes, “Life is hectic for the wives as well but it’s good to see so many Navy wives coming forward to actively participate in the works of NWWA. There’s a lot of talent that needs to be given the right exposure.”

source:  http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Visakhapatnam / TNN / November 29th, 2012

Heavy rush for ‘Rottela Panduga’

Nellore :

Devotees  thronged Nellore town on Tuesday to take part in the ‘Rottela Panduga’ as it is considered auspicious to visit the  Barah Shaheed dargah  on the day of gandhotsvam  (chandan mahotsav).

The town was packed with pilgrims who arrived from various parts of the country from early hours and the rush continued till late in the evening.

The chief of Kadapa Ameen Peer dargah Arifulla Hussaini formally launched the gandhotsavam in the early hours.

The dargah committee members brought gandham mixed in vessels in a specially decorated vehicle from Ameenia mosque in Kotamitta in the town around midnight. There was a minor stampede at the dargah as devotees jostled to receive the ‘gandham’ distributed by the dargah authorities.

Police who intervened resorted to mild lathi charge to control the situation. Pilgrims had a holy dip in the Swarnala Cheruvu, a local tank and started exchanging rotis to fulfill their wishes. There was a heavy rush for udyogam rotte (roti of job) and pelli rotte (roti of marriage) on the banks of the Swarnala Cheruvu. With people, irrespective of their religion taking part in the festivities, Nellore town virtually turned into a sea of humanity.

Although, the festivities began two days ago on the day of Muharram, the massive crowd turned up to take part in the event on Tuesday to take gandham from the dargah in addition to accept or leave roti in the tank waters.

District collector B Sridhar was one of the first visitors to the dargah and offer special prayers to the Barah Shaheed. He offered a chadar to the dargah. The entire municipal administration officials including commissioner TSR Anjaneyulu camped on the banks of the Swarnala Cheruvu to oversee the arrangements for the pilgrims for the past two days.

Municipal officials closely monitored the sanitation and drinking water supplies as thousands of devotees have been visiting the dargah since Monday. It took nearly 3-4 hours for darshan as all the queues were packed. SP Ramana Kumar and other senior police officials visited the dargah in the late hours of Monday and offered prayers.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Hyderabad  / TNN / November 28th, 2012

London Mayor meets AP ministers, officials

Boris Johnson Mayor of London being received by the Mayor of Hyderabad Mohammed Majid Hussain on Wednesday. At right are G. Srinivasa Rao Minister for Ports and Infrastructure Development and M. Maheedhar Reddy. — /  P. V. Sivakumar / Business Line
Hyderabad, NOV 28:

Regeneration of Hyderabad city, lake cleaning and development projects and an intelligent transport system were some of the areas that companies based out of London could help Hyderabad with as part of its infrastructure development programme.

This emerged out of an interactive session between Mayor of London Boris Johnson and ministers and officials from the Andhra Pradesh Government here today.

The London Mayor’s two-day visit to Hyderabad coincided with the visit of a 22-member UK Trade Mission to India.

Johnson said he was “fascinated” with the infrastructure development works unfolding in Hyderabad. “Capacity addition due to population increase is a focus area both for London and Hyderabad,” he pointed out.

The Mayor took interest in knowing about the metro rail project underway in Hyderabad. He was also informed of the State Government’s interest in taking up cleaning and development of Hussain Sagar Lake in Hyderabad. Johnson said London had considerable expertise in riverfront development projects, which could be taken up in Hyderabad.

Although the meeting did not end with finalisation of any joint venture deals, officials said this was the beginning of what could be a greater partnership between London and Hyderabad.

amitmitra@thehindu.co.in

source: http://www.TheHinduBusinessLine.com / Home> News> States / by Amir Mitra / Hyderabad, November 28th, 2012

Govt approves Spice Park at Guntur

New Delhi, Nov 26 (IBNS)

The government has approved establishment of a Spice park at Guntur, Andhra Pradesh at a cost of Rs 23 crores to empower the chilli farmers to have better price realization and wider markets for their produce.

This information was given by Minister of State for Commerce & Industry Dr. D. Purandeswari in the Lok Sabha on Monday.  

The Government of Andhra Pradesh had allocated 124.78 acres of land in Venkayalapadu and Maidavolu village, Edlapadu Mandal in Guntur district in favour of Spice Board, for setting up of this Spices Park.

“Currently the civil works and electrical works are almost completed. The installation of the plant & machinery for processing of Chilli is in progress and are as per schedule,” said Purandeswari.

“38 acres of land has been allotted to exporters for developing their own processing Units in the Park. So far an expenditure of Rs. 14.62 crores has been incurred on establishment of the Spice Park,” said the minister.

Target for completion of the project is December.

source: http://www.indiablooms.com / by India Blooms News Service / November 26th, 2012 (IBNS)

Two golds for Santosh Kumar

Santosh Kumar of Visakhapatnam Port Trust won two golds-100m and 400m in the 35th all-India Major Ports athletic championships which commenced at the Port stadium here on Monday.

Alphonsa Royan of Chennai won the same events in the women’s section, while K. Vijaya Lakshmi of Visakhapatnam finished with three medals — 100m, 400m and high jump in the girls’ under-18 section.

N. Nishant and P. Nayana won two medals each in the boys’ under-18 and girls’ under-14 sections.

The meet was inaugurated by Deputy Chairman of VPT and president of Visakhapatnam Port Sports Council GVL Satya Kumar.

The results: Men: 100m: 1. Santosh Kumar (VPT), 2. R.K. Layak (Paradip), 3. Salva Kumar (Mumbai). 400m: 1. Santosh Kumar, 2. Layak, 3. K.J. Joyson (Cochin). High jump: 1. T.K. Barik (Paradip), 2. Sunil Kumar Naik (Mumbai). Shotput: 1. N. Syam Sundar (VPT), 2. S. Soosaimichael (Tuticorin), 3. Ch. Appala Raju (VPT). 1500m: 1. Jyoson, 2. Janak Roy (Paradip), 3. P. Pydiraju (VPT).

Women: 100m: 1. Alphonsa Royan (Chennai), 2. Swati R. Patil (Mumbai), 3. T.T. Jency (VPT).400m: 1. Alphonsa, 2. Swati, 3. Ujwala Nikalje (JNPT). High jump: 1. D. Florance (Chennai), 2. D. Aruna Jyothi (VPT), 3. Jency. Shotput: 1. V. Chitra (Chennai), 2. Sushmamatre (JNPT), 3. Florance Amstrin (Chennai).

First place winners only: Boys: Under-18 100m and 400m: N. Nishanth (VPT); Shotput:Shyam Ranjan Pal (Paradip). Under-16 100m: Rajat R. Mahadik (JNPT); 400m: Himansu Sekhar (Paradip); Shotput: R. Reven Castro (Tuticorin). Under-14 100m: Mosomu Dolai (Paradip).

Girls: Under-18 100m, 400m and 1500m: K. Vijayalakshmi (VPT). Under-16 100m: Shweta Tandel (JNPT), 400m: Pranita Tandel (JNPT); High jump: Pallavi Madhavi (JNPT). Under-14 100m and high jump: P. Nayana (VPT).

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> Sport> Other Sports / Visakhapatnam, November 27th, 2012

Abijeet’s Charminar connect

He is a qualified aeronautical engineer, and if it were not for Sekhar Kammula’s Life is Beautiful, Abijeet Duddala’s life would have taken off on a different tangent all together. Talking about his entry into films, Abijeet says, “I had finished college and wanted to take a year off. That was when I heard about Sekhar’s talent hunt and sent my application. I did not talk about it to anyone. In fact, my parents got to know that I was acting in the movie only after I got the contract and my friends  and well-wishers got to know after the movie was launched.”

Breaking eggs!
The pucca Hyderabadi that he is, Abijeet reveals that his family does have a Charminar connect. Giving insights as to what went into the making of Hyderabad’s famous landmark, he says, “The Charminar got its pale yellow colour because the plaster was made of a mixture of bhindi, egg yolk, ghee, gawar ka patta (a sticky, juicy plant) and seepi (sea shells) that was left to ferment in deep water pits, before being crushed and mixed again along with the lime mortar,” shares Abijeet. Ask him how he knows it and he says, “My forefathers moved to Hyderabad in the late 1500’s as construction labourers who worked on the monument. Their job was to break the eggs and mix the yolk in the construction mixture.”

A fitness freak
Well, Abijeet is an actor today, but he still does what his forefathers did — breaks eggs — albeit for completely different reasons. “I have about 12 egg whites in a day as a part of my zero fat diet. But would have nothing to do with the yolk though,” he says joking. And the actor seems to be in a real hurry to take his shirt off. “Oh, I always had this ripped look even before getting into films. I had to lose 10 kilos to get into the look of the typical boy next door for Sekhar’s film,” he says. Admitting that he is a fitness enthusiast, he says, “I  work out religiously for six days a week and I love it. As far as taking my shirt off goes, well, that might happen soon.”

Films in the pipeline
Abijeet, who is one-film old, says he has got some interesting films lined up. “I have got three films lined up. All I can say is that one is going to be a total commercial entertainer, the other a romantic comedy and another mainstream potboiler. They are all with debutant directors,” he explains.
The actor, who is keen on not getting typecast as the-boy-next-door, says, “Well I have a very massy side to me as well and would like to explore that on screen. In fact, I refused a lot of flicks that offered me typical good boy roles.”

Social side
Apart from films, Abijeet works for a city- based NGO that works to spread  awareness about traffic regulations and pedestrian safety. “It’s something I am very passionate about. We work in tandem with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation in identifying high traffic density areas and coming up with innovative solutions. We were instrumental in getting a pedestrian island constructed at Jubilee Hills check post recently. In fact, last year on New Year’s eve I was at Jubilee Hills check post regulating traffic!”

source:   http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Entertainment> Regional> Telugu  / TNN / November 25th, 2012

Vizag girl makes mark in US

Battula Aparna Das became the first Indian girl to get a US jockey licence.  / Photo: Special Arrangement / The Hindu

“I don’t want to give too much thought to the fact that I am the first Indian girl to achieve this. I just want to be a winning jockey” said Battula Aparna Das of Andhra Pradesh, the first Indian girl to get a US jockey licence.

Battula Aparna Das of Andhra Pradesh created history of sorts by becoming the first Indian girl to get a US jockey licence a few days ago. This 23-year-old youngster, born in Visakhapatnam, did her schooling in St. Francis Xavier and later graduated from Mount Carmel College in Bangalore.

This Telugu-speaking girl has a wonderful track record in sports. She has won many medals in national skating meets, inter-college athletics champion besides, being a school-level hockey player. For someone, who loves go-karting, swimming and bungy jumping, Aparna is apparently delighted at her latest achievement.

“Ever since, I had done the basic one-year training in horse riding at Bangalore Turf Club I always had a fascination to be a jockey,” says Aparna, who owes a lot to her trainer and mentor Shinklyer Marshall of Jockey Association of India. “Yet, I don’t want to give too much thought to the fact that I am the first Indian girl to achieve this. I just want to be a winning jockey,” she says.

As part of her endeavour to keep improving and pursuing her passion, Aparna did a two-year diploma in North American Racing Academy at Kentucky, USA.

“Apparently, the internship under famous jockeys later in US helped me a lot,” says the champion youngster, who has the full support of her parents – Velangini Das and Aruna Das. While Ms. Das is the director of Aruna Fashion Design College in Bangalore, Mr. Velangini Das works as an engineer in Armed Forces. They hail from Visakhapatnam.

“Yes, the basic training I had under BARI captain Goutam and later thanks to the efforts of the trainer in Nityanand Stables proved very handy to me,” she says.

Aparna’s first brush with quality competition was when she took part in the first race at Gulfstream Park Florida along with some of the best jockeys in March last year and she finished third. “That result gave me immense confidence that I can realise my dream,” she looks back.

“Right now, I am keen to go back to US and compete in as many races as possible this winter. I can always come back to India and be a jockey. First, I want to make a mark in US,” signs off Aparna.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com  / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by V.V. Suhrahmanyam / June 20th, 2012