The Port was bid out by Government of Kerala (GoK) in August 2007 through Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited on a 33 years’ concession basis. The other contenders who were in the race for the project include NCC- Maytas, Videocon - Gammon – SICAL, Apollo Enterprise - DS Construction, Zoom Developers -Portia Management Services

The Project site is situated at Vizhinjam, about 16 kms south of Thiruvananthapuram. The project site boasts of a unique location at India’s southern tip and enjoys closest proximity (10 nautical miles) for International sea routes connecting Europe, Persian Gulf & Far East etc. Vizhinjam coast is an attractive site in the southwest coast of India, best suited for the development of a world class, all weather deep-water port focussed on both Domestic and International Container Transhipment Traffic.

The project is proposed to be developed as a Container Transhipment hub, given its 15 meter natural draft and proximity to International sea routes. The project was envisaged to be developed in 4 phases with an ultimate capacity of 6.5 Million TEUs (Twenty foot Equivalent Unit). The Port will be equipped with state of the art technology, equipment and highest industry service standards.

The Construction of the initial phase would be completed in 60 months and the other 3 phases will be initiated after reaching stipulated traffic levels.

The port, when developed, would attract a fair share of the Container Transhipment traffic meant for India, currently handled by international ports at Colombo, Malaysia, Al-Salalah and Singapore. The project is expected to benefit Indian companies engaged in export and imports as it would save substantial foreign exchange outgo, time, costs and other transhipment risks associated with some of the other foreign ports.

About Lanco Group

Lanco Group is headquartered in Hyderabad with business interests in Property Development, Power, Infrastructure and Construction with mega projects across India. The operational power projects including under execution projects stand at 13000 MW. Lanco is keenly focused on Infrastructure which includes opportunities in Roads, Sea Ports, Air Ports and Transmission Lines. The Construction and EPC division of the Company at present has an order book of more than US$ 2 billion. The property development division is building one the world’s largest mixed property development projects in Hyderabad which includes residential towers, office towers, mall, multiplex and some of the world’s finest facilities and amenities.

On this occasion Mr Jaipal Reddy presented the awards for Excellence in Built Environment for the year 2007 and released a souvenir to mark the occasion. Urging for better planning of cities Mr. Reddy said, “High rice buildings are the solution of the urban housing problem. The construction industry should use eco friendly material and technology so that the high rise building could accommodate more people and provide better living conditions for human being without harming the environment. Green area, ample parking apace, recycling of disposals, water and energy conservation should be the priority of the builders”

On this occasion Shri Sriprakash Jaiswal said, “The Indian economy has opened up and brought new business opportunities that have changed urban dynamics. With growing incomes, priority for comfort and convenience, and an increasing demand for lifestyle homes, its boom time for real estate folks.”

The rapid pace of urbanization in India has resulted in the cities and towns getting crowded day by day. Land as a commodity is becoming scarcer and realty prices are becoming exorbitant .In the recent past, tall buildings have emerged in response to rapid urbanization and economic activities of commercial centers. This together with a challenge to human ingenuity to build upwards, largely through innovative concrete structures, has led to construction of some of the tallest buildings constructed in the country during last few decades. The ability to build has arisen from advances in several areas such as development of unique structural systems and advances in construction technology.

A tall building brings with it numerous issues like transportation and parking spaces, infrastructural needs such as power and water, environmental concerns, safety against natural hazards like wind, earthquake and fire. Fire safety in planning, designing and construction of buildings are of paramount importance as it concerns human life.

In order to find viable solution, it is proposed to have deliberations on “Recent Trends in High Rise Buildings” under the following sub-themes:-

(a) Architectural Planning

(b) Structural Planning & Construction

(c) Safety & Other Issues

The technical session included papers on Vision of Future Urban Form of Indian Megacity by A.K.Jain, High Rise Buildings:The Future of Built Form read by J.B Kshirsagar &Pawan Kumar,Circulation :The Basic Elemaent of High Rise Buildings by Judy Vinodhini &Lourde Horrin Leo, High Rise Building in 21st Century by Ajaya Bharadwaj, Low Energy High Rise Building Design-The Changing Concept by Satyaki Sarkar, Sustainability of Tall Buildings by Anu Sikha & Gopal Johari, Redefining Urban Environment in the Face of Emerging Trends by J.K. Gupta & Navdeep Virdi and High Rise Building Planning : An Overview by R.N. Yadav.

The papers that were presented under the heading Structural Planning & Construction and Safety Issues included Life Cycle Planning of Multistoried Structures, Recent Trends in High Rise Buildings, Practical Problems and Solutions in Construction of High Rise Buildings, Earthquake Resistant Design of Structures with Flat Slab System-A case study, Economic Considerations of High Rise Buildings, Imperative of Services and Facilities in High Rise Buildings- A case study, Waste Management Strategies for High Rise Buildings, Garbage Disposal Management in High Rise Buildings-An Overview, MCD Civic Center-A Case Study, Energy Efficient Buildings-Need of the Hour, Mitigating Terrorist Threat of High Rise Buildings, Environmental Measures and Management in High Rise Buildings-Case Study, Design Criteria in High Rise in Residential Buildings for Study, Fire and Life Safety Measures for Tall Structures, Crime Prevention Through Planning in Built Environment etc.

Indian Building Congress was founded on 1st September 1992 and registered as a society on 29th March 1993. Briefing about various activities conducted by IBC, Shri Pradeep Mittal, Honorary secretary of IBC said, “The vision of the organization is a Built Environment which is affordable, aesthetic, cost competitive, technology driven and capable of meeting the needs of the Indian masses. We are expecting more than 500 delegates from all over the India to attend The National Seminar and Convention this year”.

Indian Buildings Congress (IBC) brings together the professionals from different disciplines on a common platform so that all concerned could share their experiences and work together for creating a congenial built environment for every one. The major Government organizations associated with IBC include CPWD, MES, Railways, HUDCO, BMTPC, CBRI, DDA and State PWDs. At present it has on its roll 60 institutional members and more than 2,500 individual members. IBC Chapters are already functioning in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chhattisgarh and Agartala. Hon’ble Minister for Urban Development, Shri Jaipal Reddy is the chief patron of IBC.

In a report that aired March 17, Ms. Alexander discussed changes in California law after a 1989 accident in which a crane fell more than 16 stories in San Francisco's financial district, killing five people. Both the California and New York collapses, Ms. Alexander told Channel 2, had occurred during a process known as 'jumping' the crane, when the crane is extended to enable construction of upper-level floors. It is a particularly dangerous process, she said, because the crane is less stable at this point and crews need to be vigilant in taking the proper safety precautions.

Since the San Francisco accident, Ms. Alexander told Channel 2, California law has been amended to require more training - through in-the-seat sessions and written exams - for crane operators. Drug tests are now mandatory, and all crane operators must be licensed, which wasn't the case in 1989. The new law, which wasn't passed until 2005, had faced heavy resistance from the construction industry.

With a surge of high-rise construction projects in the Bay Area, Channel 2 asked Ms. Alexander about the chances of another crane collapse. Construction, Ms. Alexander said, is always a risky business, and different buildings have different requirements. Each day engineers have to carefully consider the situation and make decisions - and at few times are their actions as important, or as potentially perilous, as when workers jump a crane. Tougher laws are a start, but in the end, it's the people on site who need to be properly trained - and careful.

Mary Alexander is lead counsel for the Mary Alexander & Associates law firm. The San Francisco attorney specializes in personal injury law, and has more than 25 years of experience in the field. Her firm's trademark is courtroom preparation with the use of innovative practices to try complex cases. Mary Alexander & Associates is encouraging individuals who suspect they have a personal injury or wrongful death claim to visit their website at http://www.maryalexanderlaw.com for a free case review. For more information about Mary Alexander & Associates, please visit
website.

Ms. Mary Alexander has also launched San Francisco Injury News to continue to educate the public on such catastrophic accidents.

Mary Alexander & Associates
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