Kochi is growing, and nobody can deny that. Is this growth enough or do we need a more powerful thrust so that we can plunge ourselves out of this state of somber mediocrity? Progress implies radical thinking towards a positive note, it does not merely lie in the number of shopping malls or high rise buildings or the number of cars managing to maneuver around the city.
Our government and authorities have failed to prove themselves to be of little or any consequence, and without the presence of a strong body, there’s a heavy limit imposed on how much we as individuals can contribute.The Travancore Cochin literary, scientific and charitable societies registration act of 1955 has sustained various organizations like the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, the Kerala Folklore Akademi, the Kerala State Information Technology Mission etc; all of them proving to be a pivotal presence in the growth and development of a society striving to be greater than itself. Another such organization currently stealing the limelight is the Kerala Urban Development Society (KUDS), aimed at assisting various governmental and non governmental organizations like the KSEB, GCDA, PWD, Corporation of Cochin etc so as to guarantee the best of investments they put in for their urban developmental strategies. They deal with projects that revolve around City planning and design, Transportation designing, Heritage conservation, Pollution / carbon emission control etc.
If they do manage to overcome the usual hurdles that they are bound to face, here’s what Kochiites will be looking forward to : the much awaited wider roads, continuous power supply, multilevel car parking facilities, functioning traffic signal systems, dwellings for the middle and lower income classes, various community centers, heritage tourism promotion, climate control campaigns and meets, fund raisers and public auctions along with various seminars and town hall meetings on city developmental issues. In other words a better Kochi, by an unimaginably massive margin.
The Kochi Art and Science Space (KASS) is an educational initiative taken up by KUDS that ensures the creation of a science space museum and an important art space in Kochi. If delivered, this kind of exposure and reach could be a vital center of growth, particularly for students and budding intellects on whom the country’s future undoubtedly relies upon. Causes such as the KASS are the ones that are worthy of immense public backing and support.
The Association of Young and Progressive Indian Citizens(AYPIC), the youth wing of KUDS, is directed towards motivating the country’s biggest resource, its young population, to join hands and actively participate in this process of change. For this the AYPIC aims to imbue in certain visions among the youth that include Young, Dynamic and Progressive leadership, social equality, poverty eradication, stronger economy and voluntary service.
Growth is forever, and to be truly successful we have to push the limits beyond the skies. Every dream, every thought, every idea has the potential to transform itself into reality if we unite and put our minds to it, and individually do nothing less than the least we can.
Since KUDS being a non profitable organization, we can do our part and support them through donations or offering to volunteer or even enrolling as a member.
For AYPIC, membership is open to all Indian citizens in the age group of 10 to 45 for a nominal fees of Rs.150/- and USD 10/- for NRI’s (Renewal fees Rs.75 and USD 5 for NRI’s).
Contact details:
Mr.Anup Joachim T – The Secretary
Mobile: 9544044440 or 9809909990
Email: anuptj@gmail.com
This is a great initiative. Finally, a news worth reading, mentioning, tweeting, and commenting on.
Proactive approach of Anup & team in Industrial investment of Kerala in various sectors like IT,Eco tourism,Infrastructure development, City beatification,Heritage conservation is to be appreciated. I hope it will help our cities to develop into modern marvels and not just mere concrete jungles like Bangalore and Chennai.
Public awareness programs about city’s issues and ways to solve things
-through media
AYPIC and KASS are wonderful initiatives
-through educational institutions – in fact making the school children aware of things at young age can bring a larger impact on the societies approach on these things in future.
I am expecting to see more follow ups to this article in much more big bang fashion.
I did really like if KASS could take shape and be a reality in the near future, It will surely be a gold feather in a state where the literacy rate is the highest in India and rich in art and culture.
AYPIC is a very good concept for a country like ours where the major part of the population is of Generation Youth. Youngster will get the opportunity to build India. They will be able to contribute positively towards the economic and intellectual development.
I wish KUDS all the very best for its endeavors.
A good initiative. Having been to Kochi last month after 2 years, I can see a lot of changes.. Some good and some not so good..
Community participation and awareness will be a key in driving our Kochi in the right direction. I congratulate for the efforts put in by KUDS.
Really appreciate the initiative from Anup and team in understanding Kochi at present and Kochi tomorrow – “Better Kerala”.
The standard of living in Kerala according to survey, shows comparable results to other developed nations. AYPIC and KASS initiatives are just the beginning, and this is the foundation stone, which I believe the kochi citizens will be happy to get involved and implement
Ones again thank all the authorities and volunteers behind this beautiful initiative.
its pretty nic to see thes kinda people to com up !!!
when gov fails to do ther duty it can be vry much found that people lik thes rise up !!!
i cud understand that they are trying to brg out somthng good for the city !!!!
anyway i wish them for the best !!
with full support jaya !!!
KUDS is an important step to enhance the development of Kochi. Its good to see a youth support for this initiative.
In particular KASS would be a major Art & Science museum not only in Kochi & Keralla but in India. All interested in this could support it via donations and joint its cause:
http://www.causes.com/causes/482607/about
read also more here:
http://www.kartsci.org/
Join the KUDS initiative!!
Initiative like KUDS confirms how committed the younger generation of our state has become to visualize and help build better, sustainable and competent urban centers. Wishing KUDS all the luck
Thank you for this nice introduction for KUDS and KASS.
We salute the KochiVibe team for this wonderful introduction. KUDS was born out a a dream of the youth of Kochi in promoting the multifaceted development of the city of Kochi, and secondarily the development of the rest of the state and the country. We understand that we are taking a mammoth and herculean task. A united and consolidated effort can strengthen our movement for achieving our goals and objectives.
Those who wish to know and learn more about what we do should visit our website http://www.keralaurbandevelopmentsociety.org/ and follow us in Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kerala-Urban-Development-Society/254048219562
and
Twitter
http://twitter.com/KeralaUrbDevSoc
Those who are in Kochi please drop in and visit us
1rst Floor, T. K. Towers, Pullepady Jn
Chittoor Road
Cochin
Kerala
India
682035
If you really want to make a difference volunteer or became a member
KUDS
This is a great initiative. Finally, a news worth reading, mentioning, tweeting, and commenting on.
Proactive approach of Anup & team in Industrial investment of Kerala.
It is imperative well planned infrastructure is laid intially like in China & then development cater around it.
In case Kochi infrastcture is laid long back & development happened so fast that it was ill planned for sudden growrth & hence periphery of Kochi like Kakannad & surrounding has to take into sudden & fast growth in meticulous planning of infrastructre.
Media & Educational initiative of KUDS is commendable..
Traffic growth has to be taken account in planning of infrastructure development otherwise traffic jams will become norm…
Jay Ho
We really are looking forward all the initiatives taken by KUDS to take shape. The Vytilla hub being one of the foremost!
Kochi is one traffic jungle and to see all the menagerie of cars, buses and bikes traverse beside is hectic. If the buses can be cut down, it will do a great deal to cut down traffic.
I really like the Thiru Kochi buses initiative, we need a more systematic transport system, rather than private buses playing street race on our roads!
A lot more to do for kochi, a heck load but we at Kochivibe take delight and heart in seeing organizations like KUDS take an initiative for a better Kochi!
Bravo guys! You have our support as how any other true blooded Kochiite would give!
A very good initiative. Hope it works out to be a success.
Its time to wake up to develop kochi .lets begin with basics ..lets change ourselves first to give time to our land ..to change attitutes ..to bring about a radical change to being creative and have a moral obligation to take in your own personal responsibilties to bring a radical change to God’s own country ..Kerala.
A great initiative for a better kochi!
I appreciate the initiative taken by the KUDS team. It is imperative that organizations like these come up in aiding the government towards the betterment of our city. One suggestion i would like to put forward from my side is that, we should plan to have more parks and other common areas in the city. With the present rate of the realty development, open spaces will soon become a rare spectacle in our state and city. I feel if properly planned this objective can easily be achieved.
Once again i would like to appreciate the KUDS team and appeal to more citizens to join the initiative.
As a NRI contemplating a move back to Kerala I am pleasantly surprised by all the progress thats taking place. An organization such as KUDS I feel will be very instrumental in tempering this growth and providing a balance between environmental concerns and propelling Kochi into the 21rst century.
Its nice to see that KUDS is taking such a big initiative in city development frontier. Congrats
All the best to KUDS for their initiatives.
Regarding Kochi’s development, what I feel is the first and foremost thing to be taken up is the expansion of the corporation limits. This small step can take Kochi to a league of its own.
Development of Munambam harbour into a cargo port should also be taken up.
I also appreciate KUDS as they are also keen on the sustainable development of Kerala as a whole, taking into account of the potenatial of each districs separately. This gives hope to places like Kottayam, from where I hail.
All the best KUDS.
It good to know that an organization like KUDS exists. In Kochi the implementation of several infrastructure projects in the city has been on a slow pace. While some of the international projects initiated in the city have a time-frame for completion, the uncertainty over the infrastructure projects remains a matter of concern.Narrow roads and a mix of vastly differing types of vehicles that has made traffic congestion a major problem in the city. Added to these are problems caused by unscientifically constructed medians and pedestrian walks and unstrategically placed sign boards and traffic signals. Coupled to these, is the fact that Kochi’s traffic is increasing at a rate of 333% each year.Whatever be it this is what many residents of Kochi, maddened by the commotion and chaos on the roads, desperately long for today. Kochi too, like other cities, is turning into a city of excesses.
Alot of tall buildings are not enough to make a great city and we should all do our bit to make Kochi a world class liveable city.
Projects in the PPP and green development space are issues that need to be adressed.
This is a great initiative!!!!
Keep up the good work
Unless we correct ourselves to be inclusive, to respect law and obey it, and we stop people getting rich from the power they enjoy as politicians or bureaucrat, Kochi is going to be a slow and sleepy. The reason why Smartcity was shelved was the negotiations which failed over how much money should be paid and to whom. The metro got delayed because they couldnt figure out if it should be given by private sector or public. As Keralites, we run so many dying sick industries, so much as we pay all the infrastructure and wage cost for no reason at all. If we dont sell alcohol we wont be able to give salary to our gigantic number of government employees, who doesnt give a shit about the common people. And we are the only people on earth who oppose widening of road where there is 300% rate of growth in the number of vehicles. We will be good at producing mediocre human resourse who can be trained when they go out of kerala and can work better outside kerala. Thats is sad but true. I do respect the enthusiasm, but its is self deceiving
good initiative.. i believe kerala has lots of scope of improvement in all categories,if peoples attitude can be changed.. and for that we need to educate the public.. KUDS and initiatives as such can do that.. good luck anup.. my best wishes n support..
This is a promising initiative. Best of luck, guys.
Great Initiative .. All of us who love Kochi should come under such a common roof so that we have a strong voice which can be reached to the authorities. KUDOS to KUDS Team..
KUDS was born out of a futuristic vision for a vibrant city in South India which is the commercial capital of Gods Own Country.
Kochi stands out as offering amongst the most favourable prospects of the India 30. The city offers shining possibilities across all sectors due to a favourable combination of wealth, connectivity, infrastructure, labour skills, low operating costs and tourist appeal. This report focuses on the economy, business environment and real estate market in one of India’s most dynamic and highly rated Delhi Tier II cities according to ones Lang LaSalle’s World Winning Cities programme a multi-year research initiative designed to assess future city competitiveness, and to predict the rising urban stars amongst the world’s emerging markets in India, China, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Latin America.
The Jones Lang LaSalle’s World Winning Cities programme is seeking to identify the next wave of rising urban stars among India’s cities; cities which will be on the radar screen of the real estate industry over the coming decade. The ‘India 30′ research sets out to provide new insights into the real estate opportunities across 30 of India’s cities.
KUDS was created to empower Kochites and to give them a voice. KUDS hopes to address the issues that a growing metro like Kochi faces. It not only hope to deal with Kochi but other urban areas in Kerala.
Its motto is to Build,Suceed and Expand. Initially implementing its projects in the city of Cochin and carrying it out to the rest of the state.
@Promy We understand your feelings of disappointment, frustration and despair with the state of affairs in Kochi and Kerala. You have a right to feel the way you do. But a pessimistic and gloomy approach to these challenges. We need an optimistic and enthusiastic approach to solving problems. We are not trying to deceive ourselves or anybody else of the ground realities. We are trying to make a conscious effort to bring about change. We can only do that not by accepting things as they are but as what they can be.
Whatever you brought up in your post are good issues. We are trying to address them not accept them as they are or run away from them. We collectively can overcome these hurdles. United we stand divided we fall!!!
We appeal to everybody’s better side to unite and pitch in for this noble cause!!!
KUDS
Reply to Reply- KUDS- I dont think anyone is addressing these issues. Its all drama. We are a gift driven people. Everything should come from the government, even if you are treated like shit. The party which controls the goverment is the richest in India on paper, and much much richer in actual. How did they earn this money. One time CM who has never worked for a day in his life and does not “own” anything, lives in a huge house and travels in a Benz since I know him, and his son and daughter shows off like millionaires. Interestingly, the most educated state only had a graduate as the CM for less than 2 years, all others were school dropouts. Same with the Mayors of cochin. Thugs sits on the positions of power and dictate term to common man. By the way, everything we are proud of cochin, was in private initiative. Yet we hate private initiative. From Judges of High Court to the petty Police Constables …every fucking person that links people to justice is corrupt. We dont have a mediocre University, let alone world class. Because everything is run by the government of the weird religious institutions and lunatic god men. Unless we say no to Gift Economy of the Government, we will keep loosing every thing we like about kochi, except of coz it stingy streets with loads and loads of garbage.
@Promy You have a point there!! The current Mayor of Cochin Mercy Williams doesn’t fit your description. She is well educated.
Educational Qualification:
M.A Sociology – 1st rank Holder & Gold Medallist in the year 1971
(Kerala University)
Academic experience & Achievements:
# Lecturer in St. Theresa’s College, Ernakulam from 1972 to2005 March
# Head of the Department (Sociology) in St. Theresa’s College
# Member of academic Council-M.G University
# Subject Expert(Sociology)-M.G university
# Chairperson, PG Board of studies(sociology)-M.G University
# Chairperson, UG&PG Syllabus Revision Committee-M.G University
# Chairperson, UG&PG Board of Exams-M.G University
# Question Paper Setter-Calicut, Kerala, Cochin and Annamalai Universities
# Member, PG Board of studies-Kerala University
# Member of Board of Exams – National Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) and Calicut University
# Member, PG Syllabus Revision Committee- Kerala University
# Dean/Student Advisor-St. Theresa’s College
# Nominated for “Woman of the year Award for Professional Women2003” by National Biographical Institute, USA
Research & Papers Submitted:
# ”Renaissance of Kochi City-Trends in Urbanization” in 1986-Study conducted on 2250 households of 50 Wards within Kochi Corporation
# ”Free or Paid Education’-A Public Opinion Survey
# ”Teaching as a Gender Occupation”-A study on School Teachers
# ”Women Empowerment-Women & Health”-Paper presented in a National Seminar held at St. Joseph’s College- Irinjalakkuda.
# ”Role of Mafia in Child Trafficking”-Paper presented in an International Seminar Organised jointly by UNESCO, National women’s Commission & People’s council for Social Justice
Research Guidance to PG Students: Topics
# Problems of Women working in unorganized sector of Agriculture
# Problems of Women police in Kochi
# Impact of Media on youth
# Problems of Industrial pollution on residence of the locality.
# Consequences of Suicides up on the families of victims
# Life of the Inmates of Yatheem Khanas in Kochi corporation.
# Gender Discrimination among Muslims in Ernakulam
# Impact of Alcoholism on family
# Leisure among sales women in the textile shops in Ernakulam
# Problems of Diary Farmers
# Sociological study on Problems of Prawn Cultivation
# Problems of children in Blind school
# Changing Marriage Practices of Kudumbi Vaisyas
As far as Garbage is concerned Cochin got the Ministry of Urban Development (GOI) Award for solid waste management.
Its good that you are bringing up issues. We are not trying to paint a rosy picture about the state of affairs. We are trying to make a sincere effort to make a change!!!
In Kochi in particular and India in general, we lack a civic sense.
Its terrific that organizations like KUDS are trying to foster that among our citizens. Its better late than never. We all long to go overseas and slog away like slaves and live like second class citizens in another country. How much do Kerlalites love their own State and country?
KUDS is what Kochi and Kerala needs at the moment and we sincerely hope that it becomes a agent of change.
Wishing you all the best on Independence Day
Wishing everybody at KochiVibe and all Keralites and Kochites a very Happy Onam!!!
Seems like KUDS is progressing in all their initiatives. Its very encouraging to see an organization such as KUDS which is placing emphasis on carbon emission controls, controlled urban planning and bringing about social awareness to issues that are critical in the future growth of Kerala.
Great move by KUDS. Anup and Namdev is doing a great thing with KUDS activities. Please keep this momentum without fading out. All support from my side and my friends are there for you.
I gotta say a very good initiative.Something I gotta point out is the outlook of people from Kerala towards our own state.Everyone boasts “I learned in Bangalore/Chennai/Mumbai) and thinks Cochin is a small piece of crap but we people should change the mindset.Everyone should be proud of being a Cochite.I’ve visited most of these cities.They all are bigger than Cochin but think it once more.Developed???Not really…Believe it or not guys.Kerala is the most beautiful place in India.We just don’t know it’s beauty that’s it.Just take google maps and check out Kerala and other states.See Kerala is green.Love it <3
Excellent stuff..glad some folks feel responsible for our city. Kochi definitely has the potential to be a tier 1 city..with organizations like KUDS, i believe we’ll accelerate the process..with growth and investment..Kochi requires a planned and organized expansion..the best wishes for the organization..
Being a cochiite, its just routine for me to transport between work and home and thats it but it finds me with a new spirit that kuds is doing something for this great city and i support them with all i can, online but as we all know, its the offline that matters, so hats off kuds…:)
The $27,000 entry-level Sport and $33k Luxury model both boast a modest 2.0L four-cylinder worthy of 200 horsepower. This car manufactured by the German automaker Audi falls within the category of a luxury vehicle and can also be classified as a family car, because of its popularity several improvements were made to the first version which opened the doors to the creation of the second version of the Audi A3.
well done. keep it up
Cochin, A growing centre of information technology, tourism and international trade, Kochi is the commercial hub of Kerala, and one of the fastest growing second-tier metros in India. Successive waves of migration over the course of several millennia have made Kochi a cultural melting pot.
But admitting all these factors like coin the other side also we have to concern. For a true development infrastructure also has to be developed in the mean time – Like Road ,bypass , water transport , parking areas, new malls , more multiplex ect…. kuds has to give more concentration on it .i wish all the success for kuds for its all activities for the development of cochin
Renjithkumar G
(RKG NAIR)
9562958101
Great initiative…hope this will workout. KUDS should act as a catalyst for speeding up the growth of Kerala. Lets innovate..
All the best…
Hope something concrete will happen…
Kerala is a beautiful state, and truly GOD’S OWN COUNTRY!!
Its development and growth will surely enhance its tourism industry.
I had visited Kerala many years back, but the sweet memories are still fresh like it was just yesterday.
Hope I can visit there real soon
I LOVE KERALA!!
Cochin is yet to Develop…
Development is a need to promote Tourism,Culture n Traditional Arts…
Hope to See A New Era with KUDS
All the Best