Frontier India

Oloitiptip, Cherono win TCS World 10K, Suresh Patel, Sudha Singh Indian champs

(FINN) Frontier India News Network — Sun, 19 May 2013 08:55:47 +0000

Bangalore: Kenyans Alex Oloitiptip and Gladys Cherono ran brave races in contrasting weather conditions to win the overall men’s and women’s titles of the Tata Consultancy World 10K Bangalore 2013, the World’s Premier 10K Run, which concluded at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, here, on Sunday.

The 23-year-old Oloitiptip, not among the pre-race favourites, but with a personal best of 27.52, took pole position early in the race and held off challenges from fellow Kenyan Nicholas Kipkemboi and Ethiopian youngster Brihanu Legese to win in 28.07 minutes. He was followed home by Kipkemboi in 28.12 and Legese in 28.16.

Current World Cross Country champion Japhet Korir, could not live up to pre-race expectations, finishing a disappointing 17th in 29.59, while another fancied Kenyan Moses Masai finished 10th in 29.05

The overall Indian women’s winners of the TCS World 10K Bangalore, 2013 (from left) 2nd runner up O P Jaisha, International Event Ambassador Maria Mutola, 1st runner up Preeja Sreedharan, Face of the Event Puneeth Rajkumar and Winner Sudha Singh.

The women’s race, run in relatively hotter conditions, saw Gladys Cherono winning in 32.03 minutes, 5 seconds outsode the course record of 31.58, set by Yimer Wude in 2010. Gladys was followed home by Ethiopian Guteni Shone in 32.10 and Kenyan Esther Chemtai in 32.14. Kenyan Helah Kiprop failed to defend her title, finishing seventh in 32.26, while course record holder Yimer Wude was 9th in 32.54.

The overall male and female winners took home USD 21,000 each, with the second and third-placed runners winning 15,000 USD and 9,000 USD each respectively.

Suresh K Patel and Sudha Singh emerged winners among the men and women in the Indian category, finishing overall 20th and 14th respectively.

Suresh Patel, employed with ONGC and based in Dehradun, clocked 30.34, way outside the Indian men’s course record of 29.59, and was followed home by V L Dangi in 30.53 and Mohd Yunus in 30.58.

The women’s race was won by the Railways athlete Sudha Singh in a start to finish effort in 35.25, while Preeja Sreedharan, making a comeback after a layoff, took second place in 36.01, followed by O P Jaisha in 36.31. defending champion Monika Athare had to be content with fourth place.

The Nation’s Challenge saw Uttar Pradesh, represented by Sudha Singh, Suresh Patel and Mohd Yunus emerge winners and take home a purse of Rs 4.5 lakhs, followed by Maharashtra and Kerala.

Though the late night showers on Saturday had cooled temperatures a bit, humidity was high and with the male athletes not willing to force the pace, the course record slipped out of reckoning after the 5km mark. It was a tight bunch that went through the 5km mark, with Oloitiptip, Kipkemboi and Legese in the lead group, followed closely by Mike Kigen, Philemon Rono and Tanzanian Dickson Marwa. The three leaders then broke free at around 8km and entered the stadium with just a few strides separating them.

Oloitiptip stepped on the pedal in the final 350 metres to surge ahead and breast the tape for a well deserved win.
Elaborating on his run, Oloitiptip said “It was fantastic win for me. I had faith in my ability and believed that I could win the run. The first 5 kilometers were difficult and the conditions were humid but the fact that I was strong and well prepared in mind and body helped me do well.”

The women’s race too was closely contested with Lucy Kabuu setting the early pace and leading the bunch comprising Gladys Cherono, Guteni Shone and Esther Chamtai. It was after around 9 kms the Kabuu’s pace flagged, allowing Cherono to move ahead and lead Guteni and Esther into the stadium. Gladys had the stronger finish and warded off the other two to win comfortably.

“The run was my first in India and I am glad with my performance. The weather was humid, which made running a little challenging personally. The run was slow initially but became a lot faster later. I am glad that I overcame the odds and came out victorious. I had a small lead when we entered the stadium and decided to move faster and hold on to my position, said Gladys.”

Following are the final results:
Overall Elite Men:
Alex Oloitiptip(KEN) 00.28.07; Nicholas Kipkemboi (KEN) 00.28.12; Birhanu Legese(ETH) 00.28.16; Mike Kigen(KEN) 00.28.29; Philemon Rono(KEN) 00.28.37; Dickson Marwa(TAN) 00.28.50; Yitayal Atnafu(ETH) 00.28.50; Gideon Kipketer(KEN) 00.28.56; Henry Kiplagat(KEN) 00.29.03; Moses Masai(KEN) 00.29.05.
Overall Elite women:
Gladys Cherono(KEN) 00.32.03; Guteni Shone(ETH) 00.32.10; Esther Chemtai (KEN) 00.32.14; Lucy Kabuu(KEN) 00.32.18; Emily Chebet(KEN) 00.32.19; Pascalia Kipkoech(KEN) 00.32.22; Helah Kiprop (KEN) 00.32.26; Malika Asahssah(MAR) 00.32.41; Yimer Wude(ETH) 00.32.54; Worknesh Degefa (ETH) 00.33.13.
Indian Men:
Suresh KR Patel 00.30.34 (Overall 20); V L Dangi 00.30.53; Mohd. Yunus 00.30.58; Indrajeet Patel 00.31.20; Man Singh 00.31.20; Soji Mathew 00.31.34; Arjun Pradhan 00.31.41; Nandraj Singh Naruka 00.31.43; Karan Singh 00.31.45; Santosh K 00.31.53.
Indian Women:
Sudha Singh 00.35.25 (Overall 14); Preeja Sreedharan 00.36.01 (Overall 15); O P Jaisha 00.36.31 (Overall 17); Monika Athare 00.36.37 (Overall18); Lalita Babbar 00.37.06 (Overall19); Kiran Tiwari 00.37.17 (Overall 20); Jhumma Khatun 00.37.36; Sinimol Paul 00.37.43; Manisha Salunkhe 00.38.01; Swati Gadhave 00.38.31.
Nations Challenge:
1. Uttar Pradesh (Sudha Singh, Mohammed Yunus, Suresh KR Patel) 01:36:56; 2. Maharashtra (V L Dangi, Man Singh, Lalita Babbar) 01:39:18; 3. Kerala (Arjun Pradhan, O Sonaton Singh, Preeja Sreedharan) 01:39:58; 4. Punjab (O P Jaisha, Sandip Kumar, Soji Mathew) 01:40:16.
DHL Corporate Challenge:
1.HIGH ON MARATHON (1: 55:20); 2. FIT KIDS (2:04:33); 3.GOLDMAN SACHS TEAM (2:16:24).
NIKE College Face off:
Boys: 1. Toyota Technical Training Institute (Team I) 01.58.08 2. Toyota Technical Training Institute (Team II) 01.58.20. 3. S.E.A. College Team A Boys I 02.08.26.
Girls: 1. S.E.A. College Team A Girls I 02.37.17; 2. St Anthony College 02.45.59; 3. S.E.A. College Team B Girls II 03.35.41.
Kingfisher Bombaat Brigade:
Diya Foundation (Winner-Fight Against Dengue).
Bosco Group(Runner up-Save a Street Child, Save a Generation).
Kingfisher Sakkath Bangalorean:
Basava Raju N (Winner-Spot Fixing)
Anand Raj (2nd Runner Up-Crime Against Women).

Unlimited FSI in Andhra, have the urban poor benefited?

(FINN) Frontier India News Network — Sun, 19 May 2013 07:04:08 +0000

Construction Companies and Builders have always cribbed that they don’t have unlimited floor space index (FSI) in order to help make houses for the urban poor. Andhra Pradesh can be a test case study for the country as it allows unlimited floor Area Ratio (FAR) since past 7 years and Hyderabad has real estate prices 50% lower than the surrounding states thanks to economic slowdown followed by Telengana issue.

Despite grand posturing by government in 2010, Andhra has not been able to make much headway in Low Income Group Housing or Housing for Economically Weaker Section. Rajiv Swagruha project for 175,000 units in Hyderabad with Andhra Pradesh Housing Board (APHB) targets living space for people earning between Rs 6000 – Rs 25000 per month, is performing like Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure as the prime Minister. Land reservation regulation Government Order (GO 45), which mandated allocation of 20% of the developed land to the economically weaker section (EWS) as low-income (LIG) housing has been relaxed in 2012-13.

As TATA Housing’s TATA Nano equivalent moves from approx Rs 1500 per Sqft to approx Rs 2500 per Sqft, it is evident that construction costs and high bank interest may not meet governments criteria of Approx Rs 1500 per Sqft criteria. The newer constructions at Hyderabad’s Nehru outer Ring road (ORR) are being priced at Rs 2200 – 2500 Psqf for the middle segment, which is actually the price for EWS housing in Mumbai.

LIG, EWS housing could have been a growth driver in otherwise stagnant real estate market in Hyderabad. On contrary, it is FSI starved Mumbai and Ahmadabad who have taken a lead on EWS housing and that too at private developers own initiative.

ATLAS ELEKTRONIK India subsidiary bets on Sonars, torpedoes and submarine combat management

(FINN) Frontier India News Network — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:07:41 +0000

New Delhi: Germany based Naval warfare solutions provider ATLAS ELEKTRONIK GmbH has established a 100% Indian subsidiary to comply with the Defence procurement Plan 2013 (DPP 2013) which focuses on indigenisation. ATLAS ELEKTRONIK has been a supplier to Indian Navy since 1980′s when Shishumar Class submarines (Type 209/1500 submarine) were purchased from Germany’s submarine maker Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW). The company had supplied four command and weapon control suites for the project.

Khalil Rahman, the CEO at ATLAS ELEKTRONIK INDIA, speaking to the press on 14th May stated that the company aims to build partnerships with Indian public and private sector “to help the Indian industry develop localized solutions suited to the needs of the Indian navy modernization programme.” During the presentation, the company also stated that it would like to integrate India into its global supply chains.

At present ATLAS ELEKTRONIK is involved in upgrade of Shishumar class submarines combat system, sonar and SUT Torpedo.

Among the current Indian Naval projects, ATLAS ELEKTRONIK has shown interest in Kilo Class Submarine Towed Array Sonar upgrade, Active towed Array Torpedo Defence systems for Naval ASW platforms and Hull Mounted Sonar & and Variable Depth Sonar for the Anti Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC).

For the upcoming P-75 I submarine project, ATLAS ELEKTRONIK plans to bid for Combat System, Sonar and Torpedo for the HDW offering. The company has also expressed the intention to bid for Towed Array Sonars and Integrated ASW Solutions for the future Indian Navy Large ASW Platforms.

WIFA to host the Coca Cola Cup 2013 finals in Maharashtra

(FINN) Frontier India News Network — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:23:35 +0000

Mumbai: Sixteen State teams will be competing to emerge winners of the Coca-Cola Championship 2013. The tournament is being organized by the Western India Football Association under the aegis of the All India Football Federation. It is a youth level championship organized by Coca-Cola India in association with All India Football Federation, to discover the most promising young footballers for the future Indian football team.

The group phase of the tournament will be conducted from May 18th to May 23rd 2013 in Mumbai and Pune, while the semi finals and finals will be played in Mumbai from May 25th to May 28th 2013.

Speaking on the occasion, Souter Vaz, Hon. Secretary, Western India Football Association said, “We are a Company with a worldwide focus on football and believe in promoting a healthy, active lifestyle. We believe that Indian football has huge potential and by supporting AIFF for this tournament, we are tapping young football talent to train them according to International football standards. I would like to congratulate wish them all the best for the final leg. We have seen some challenging competition so far, and look forward to some exciting football action in the National Finals.”

Teams include Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, Chandigarh, Goa, Haryana, Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkand, Meghalaya, Kerala, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Punjab & Maharashtra.

Experience of Australian Midshipman on Chinese Naval training Ship Zheng He

P. Chacko Joseph — Fri, 17 May 2013 01:36:40 +0000

Two ships from the Peoples Republic of China, the Naval training ship Zheng He and Frigate Mianyang have arrived in Sydney on Sep 21, 2010. Two Royal Australian Naval midshipmen joined the Zheng He on her voyage from New Zealand. We had the opportunity of a brief telephone interview with Midshipman James Hill who was on board Zheng He.

On Cultural differences
Midshipman James Hill: Other than the obvious differences in food and other things, there was a major difference in the cleaning routine. We were not able to take regular bath as the Chinese wanted to conserve the water on the ship. This is something I found very different from the Australian Naval ship. The people would get up in the morning, wash their faces, hands and other routine. After that they would get on with the other work. Another aspect was that you had to boil the water and then let it cool down to drink.

On Work differences
Midshipman James Hill: They had very strict discipline and very little midmanship freedom. The access to the ship was very restricted. Also there was a very little communication between the junior and senior officers onboard. In Australian ship, a junior officer can easily access the senor officer. On Chinese ship, there was a lot of bureaucracy. If a junior officer sends up a request, a reply comes very late.

PLA Navy training Ship Zheng He in Kochi

There was also very little Seamanship on board like the drills, the damage control exercises etc. On Australian ship there is a lot of such routine.

Frontier India: Do you think they deliberately did not perform the drills as you were on board?
Midshipman James Hill: No, I don’t think so.

On Competence
Midshipman James Hill: I found them as competent as any other navy as they too use similar equipment and navigational practices. As I noticed, their procedure for leaving and arriving at ports, are like we do. Similar procedures are followed.

On Living Space
Midshipman James Hill: Naval vessels are generally cramped, but, the Chinese ship wasn’t too crampedi I shared my cabin with 8 other Chinese. The Bunks were small and I could barely fit into it The locker was extremely small and I had a restriction of the personnel belongings I could carry. In Australian ships, we have much more space.

Frontier India: Anything else?
Midshipman James Hill: yeah, we had a great time on the ship.

Note: This article was first published on 23rd September 2010 in Frontier India.

Boris Becker launches Mercedes-Benz GL-Class in India

(FINN) Frontier India News Network — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:45:30 +0000

New Delhi: Mercedes-Benz India on Thursday unveiled its new GL-Class in India. Launched by legendary tennis star Boris Becker, the GL-Class sets new standards in comfort, dynamics, safety, elegance and efficiency. In addition to space, comfort, design, and off road capabilities, the new GL-Class features a full 360 degree surround camera.

Eberhard Kern, MD and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India said, “2013 is the ‘Year of Offensive’ for Mercedes-Benz India and we are excited to present the all new GL-Class to our valued customers.”

Boris Becker launches Mercedes-Benz GL-Class in India

GL’s daytime LED running lights are integrated into the front bumper. it has a new light-alloy wheels and two piece tail light. The boot capacity is 630-1252-2300 liters. Other than spacious entry and exit, the third row offers ample space to seat full-sized adults comfortably. The new GL-Class comes with state of the art technologies of the likes of DSR, ESP, 4ETS, 4MATIC, AIRMATIC, etc.

The ECO start-stop feature reduces fuel consumption and emissions by automatically switching off the engine in life in traffic. GL boast of a 14.8% lower fuel consumption. The V6 diesel has options like the AIRMATIC package for better ride control. An integrated PARKTRONIC warns difficult to detect obstacles in front of and behind the vehicle and helps the driver when searching for a suitable parking space for parallel parking, and support him through active steering when parking. The panoramic sunroof extends for third row of passengers. The vehicle also features latest multimedia COMAND like the Bluetooth interface with hands-free function, 7.0 inch Color display with TFT technology as well as Internet browser and GPS.

For passenger safety, the new GL-Class comes with Pre-Safe which ensures that vehicle reacts and prepares itself before any possible collision and with nine airbags it is one of the safest vehicles for the tumultuous off-roading, city and highway rides. The Attention Assist helps the driver as soon as it detects signs of drowsiness on longer trips by continuously monitoring over 72 different parameters of driving behavior while there is an additional “Crosswind assist” as further assistance to driver support.

The new GL is available with the optimized, upgraded V6 diesel engine. The 2987cc engine produces 619Nm of torque @ 1600-2400 and a power 190/258 @ 3600rpm. The engine is coupled with 7G-TRONIC Plus Automatic transmission to offer high level of responsiveness wherein the car can reach 0-100kph is reached in 7.9 seconds, with the top speed at 220 km/hr.

With the length of 5120 mm (+32 mm), width of 1934 mm (+4 mm) and height of 1840 mm (+10mm) the new GL is longer, wider and taller than its predecessor.

The debut of the new GL will be as the “Launch Edition”. This limited edition variant will be offered as fully imported car and will have additional features like AMG body styling comprising front and rear apron painted in body colors, 21-inch AMG 5 twin-spoke light-alloy, aluminium finish running boards with LED illumination and flared wheel arches. Other specialties of the ‘Launch Edition’ will be Designo Exclusive Package. The enrichment includes AMG sports seats and rear seats featuring upholstery in designo leather, upper and lower dashboard sections and door beltlines in design leather, heated front seats, design headlining in Dinimica black. The ‘Launch Edition’ will also have heated seats, and temperature controlled cup holders. The GL 350 CDI 4MATIC will be available at INR 77.50 lakhs ex-showroom Delhi.

Indian gold jewellery purchase driven by rural population in Q1 2013

(FINN) Frontier India News Network — Thu, 16 May 2013 06:32:09 +0000

Mumbai: The demand for gold jewellery in India increased during Q1 2013 states World Gold Councils latest report. The demand was supported by a good spring harvest, and the associated impact on incomes among the all important rural population. The price of gold dipped 4% in February and rupee recovered against dollar, leading to negation of gold import duty imposed by the government to curb imports. Gold was purchased to prepare for the oncoming wedding season in (April) Q2. Indians in UAE purchased 22 carat gold.

The 1st quarter Indian gold jewellery demand in value terms was Rs 453.3 billion, which was 1% below the Q4, 2012 but the figure is 10% above the five year quarterly average of 145 tonnes.

Retail investors in India contributed to investment demand as a rise in gold bar and coin sales was experienced. The investment demand was up 52% compared to a weak 2012 Q1, but with a consumption of 71.2 tonnes, the demand compared favorably to 5 year quarter average. The tax rise of 4 – 6% did not dampen the spirit.

The industrial and decorative gold demand in India was flat. The rise in demand for gold plated costume jewellery was balanced by fall in demand for jari thread.

The total consumption of gold in q1 2013 was 238 tonnes. 215 tonnes were imported, 21 tonnes was recycled and 3 tonnes originated from domestic sources.

Mazagon Docks floats tender for NIRDESH – National Institute for Research in Defence Shipbuilding

(FINN) Frontier India News Network — Thu, 16 May 2013 05:14:13 +0000

Mumbai: Mazagon Docks Limted (MDL) has floated the tenders for preparing the Master Plan and Detailed Project Report (DPR) for NIRDESH- National Institute for Research in Defence Shipbuilding at Chaliyam near Kozhikode. The selected consultant will be required to prepare a Master Plan for the entire site and DPR for setting up the first phase of infrastructure.

Navy wants the Master Plan to ensure that Nirdesh grows into an environment- friendly, green campus, without disturbing the livelihood of the nearby villagers. Role specific parks will be set up at Chaliyam, for efficient functioning of Nirdesh.

Infrastructure in these parks are planned to be set up in three phases. The first phase will be completed in about three years, subject to statutory clearances. Even as the infrastructure plans for NIRDESH are progressing at a fast clip, the Institute conducted its first course for Shipyard Engineers in March this year at its premises.

The Executive Committee of NIRDESH has approved an R&D project of developing an underwater robot in collaboration with IIT, Mumbai.

Rajasthan Royals surprised at IPL spot fixing reports

(FINN) Frontier India News Network — Thu, 16 May 2013 04:39:09 +0000

New delhi: As the reports of Delhi Police arresting S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila set in, Rajasthan Royals has expressed surprise over the issue.

“We have been informed that 3 of our players have been called in for investigation on spot fixing in matches. We are completely taken by surprise. We do not have the full facts at this point and are unable to confirm anything. We are in touch with the BCCI on this matter. We will fully cooperate with the authorities to ensure a thorough investigation. The management at Rajasthan Royals has a zero-tolerance approach to anything that is against the spirit of the game,” stated the RR release.

Reports add that seven bookies, including from Maharashtra, have been arrested and the police is on look out for more.

Police said that wire tapping led to arrests over spot-fixing in Rajasthan Royals’ IPL match on Wednesday with Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium.

P-8I LRMRASW arrives at Indian Naval base INS Rajali at Arakkonam

(FINN) Frontier India News Network — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:12:12 +0000

Arakkonam: The first of the Indian Navy Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance and Anti Submarine Warfare (LRMRASW) aircraft has arrived at the Naval base INS Rajali at Arakkonam on Wednesday. India has ordered 8 P-8I aircrafts and the balance is scheduled to arrive over the next two years.

The aircraft was received by Vice Admiral Bimal Kumar Verma, Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command, in a function organized at INS Rajali.

The Chief of Staff (Eastern Naval Command), Vice Admiral Bimal Kumar Verma with crew members of Boeing P-8I, which made a maiden arrival at Naval Air Station, Rajali, Arakkonam near Chennai on May 15, 2013.

Built on the commercial Boeing 737-800(NG) airframe, the Indian aircraft is a variant of the P-8A Poseidon developed for the US Navy. The aircraft is equipped with foreign & indigenous sensors for Maritime Reconnaissance, Anti Submarine operations and Electronic Intelligence missions. The aircraft is fully integrated with state of the art sensors, Anti Surface & Anti Submarine weapons like the Mk 54 torpedoes and Hapoon Mk II missiles.

In December 2012, media reports had emerged over the possible usage of Chinese counterfeit electronic parts in military aircraft manufactured in the US including the P8I. It was denied by Boeing. The P-8I contract was worth $2.137 Billion in 2009.