A getaway to the gateway of Kerala

I am just back from a short holiday to the gateway of Kerala – Kochi.   I had a fun-filled reunion with my family at the picturesque Mahindra club resort at Cherai beach.

Located to the north of Kochi, Cherai Beach is a idyllic place with the Arabian Sea on one side and backwaters on the other.  There are many activities arranged for guests that make it a great holiday destination for the entire family.

Club Mahindra Cherai Beach resort is spread over six acres surrounded by greenery,palm trees, tropical plants and coconut groves. Amid this landscape are luxury cottages and suites equipped with modern amenities.  There is also a spa, gym and activity centre. So if you want to take a long walk, a bike ride, take a houseboat ride on the backwaters or getting a soothing massage, you can avail all of these during your stay at Cherai.

After our stay  at the resort, I took a ride on the Kochi Metro.  It has many unique features and I enjoyed  the smooth ride from Alwaye to Palarivattom.

• It has been commissioned in a record time of 45 months as compared to other metro services in the country.
• The Kochi Metro has a strong commitment towards clean energy, and it is the first metro service in the country to leverage solar power to meet a quarter of its electricity requirements. With every one of its 23 stations having solar panels, which can generate 2.3 mega watt (MW), and a 4 MW solar plant, plans are underway to meet as much as half of its electricity demands through solar power.
• Also, every sixth of the 4,000-odd metro pillars will have a vertical garden which will use recycled municipal waste. The metro is also offering bicycles for free at every station for passengers to roam around the city.
• Kochi is the first metro and the first state-owned company in India to “officially” offer employment to a large number of transgenders.
• Kochi metro service, once completed, will be the first in India to have a workforce that comprises 80% women.
• Apart from offering mobility solution, the Kochi metro also plans to offer boat rides with water transport envisaged as a feeder service to the rail corridor. The Rs819 crore “water metro” project is in the works to connect the metro to the 10 islands of Kochi, with the first phase of the water corridor expected to be operational by end-2018.

 

 

Another project that I got to see in Kochi was the Kochi International Airport –
Terminal 3.

• Cochin International Airport  is the first green field airport  in the country built with public-private partnership .

• It is the first fully solar powered airport in the country

• Planned and constructed from scratch, the airport has been acclaimed for setting a novel idea in infrastructure development. The astonishing public participation, relentless support from NRIs and an effective leadership have made CIAL, the company that built and operates the airport, an international brand.

• V.J.Kurian IAS is the founder managing director of the company and the project itself is  his brain child.

• Ever since commercial operations started on 10th June 1999 with International flight to Dammam.,CIAL, has grown rapidly becoming the 4th largest International Airport in India in terms of international passenger traffic in just four years. The company showcases a sustainable business model  which always adheres to people, community and culture. The balance sheet also is sound as the profit ratio exceeds 35%. It is now the only airport in Kerala, which handled five million passengers a year.

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