Vallarpadamport, vallarpadam terminal, Smart city, kochi tourism

Kochi, Saturday 04 December 2010: Former Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) chairman E. Sreedharan expressed hope of getting Union government sanction for Kochi metro rail project by January 2011. Speaking to an interview to a Private News channel, Sreedharan said the delay in Central government sanction is the present problem faced by the project.

“The project can be completed within three and a half years, once the union government provides sanction. Preliminary preparatory works for the project has already been initiated.

The cost has increased as the delay continues. The present estimate is 3500 crores. Widening of roads in Kochi including MG road is part of the process. The works are expected to be complete by 18 months.
metro rail

The Church of Our Lady of Ransom, Vallarpadam church is a famous centre of pilgrimage. People from all parts of Kerala and outside, irrespective of caste or creed go to the church to seek the blessings of Mary, the mother of Jesus, popularly known as “Vallarpadathamma”.

This is an ancient Christian Church which accepted Latin rite after the arrival of Portuguese. In 1524, Portuguese merchants headed by Vasco da Gama enthroned this miraculous picture of Our lady of Ransom at the shrine. The church was dedicated to the Holy Spirit, which was the first of its kind in Asia. The beautiful church was however destroyed by a heavy flood in 1676. The church was re-established in 1676 and the famous picture of the Blessed Virgin Mary was erected by Portuguese who brought it from their native land. The picture is believed to have miraculous powers. The Portuguese built the first church on the site of the present church in 1524. It was destroyed in a flood in the late 17th century and a new church was built on the same spot in 1676. It was declared a special church by Pope Leo XIII in 1888 and in 1951 the Union Government declared it a major pilgrim centre.

Vallarpadath Amma is believed to have miraculously saved her devotees several time from violent storms. The feast of Vallarpadath Amma is held every year on September 24 with much fanfare. The celebrations which last for more than a week are accompanied by an unusually big fair.

The Roman Catholic Church has raised the historic Marian pilgrimage destination on the Vallarpadam Island to the status of a National Pilgrim Centre. The documents related to the raising of the status of the Our Lady of Ransom Church on the island was handed over recently to the Archbishop of Varappuzha Daniel Acharuparampil by the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, Telesphore P. Topo.

Vallarpadam is situated next to Bolghatty Island on the west, and linked to the Ernakulam mainland via the new Goshree bridges. It is about 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) in length in the north-south direction and hosts a population of 10,000 people. Vallarpadam is about one kilometer (½ mile) away from the Ernakulam mainland.

Kochi is the ‘happening place’ in Kerala, being the commercial capital and land prices have been increasing not in a steady upward curve but in leaps and bounds. The land value in various part of Kochi is directly linked with the plans for new projects-IT park, Container Terminal, and Airport etc. It is estimated that the future will witness huge investments on infrastructure development for highways, shopping malls and housing projects, which will sent the price of land spiraling.

Genesis: Kochi is a cosmopolitan city modeling itself on the lines of Bangalore and Mumbai. A few decades back, the commercial centre in Kochi or Ernakulam, as it was then called, was restricted to Broadway and M.G.Road. The city started spreading and far-flung areas like Kakkanad have now become part of Kochi city with residential apartments coming up all over the beautiful hillocks in this area. Business establishments have started relocating their showrooms and outlets on the sides of the Trivandrum bye pass road between Edapally and Vytilla. The construction of the Vypeen bridge has opened up new areas for residential and commercial construction as Kochi has become easily accessible from Kochi.

Why invest in real estate?
People have now realized that investment in the stock market, with its ups and downs has its own related problems whereas bank deposits and mutual funds are restrictive in returns. Investing in real estate is a guarantee that the returns at the time of disposal will definitely be higher making it is a very safe mode of investment.

The Flat culture:
Flats have become popular due to the safety and security available for flat dwellers. There is an element of the historical ‘tharavadu’(the joint family system of yesteryears) in the concept of flats with the role of the ‘karnavar’ (seniormost male member who word is the law in the ‘tharavadu’) whose role has been taken over by the Building society in each flat complex. In addition to security, the tenant need not worry about payment of electricity, water or other maintenance bills which are taken care of by the society. All external maintenance is also done by the society. Many of the builders provide utilities like centralized gas, health club, waste chutes and driver’s rooms which are value additions. The paper work involved during the purchase is also minimal and the biggest boon is that one need not worry about the problems of construction-labour, purchase of material, permits and licenses etc.

Independent houses:
Independent villas and houses are expensive but if one can afford it can make you feel like a king. There are many builders who carry out construction on contract basis and with totally transparent terms and conditions. This helps avoid the headaches one would have to face while building homes.