Kochi

UST widens India footprint with Kochi campus, to create over 3,000 jobs

UST, a digital transformation solutions company, on Monday outlined plans to expand its footprint in India by adding 3,000 new jobs at its upcoming Kochi campus over next five years. The California, US-headquartered company is gearing up to inaugurate its own campus in Kochi, Kerala, by December 2027, according to a release. UST, which already has a facility operating out of Infopark Kochi, caters to the US, UK and Asia Pacific clients across domains such as healthcare, retail, telecom, financial services/asset management, and hi-tech. The company, which has a target of having 6,000 employees in the next five years (in Kochi), currently employs more than 2,800 people in its existing facility at Infopark Kochi. The new UST campus will be completed in three years, and will be a 10-floor building with 4,400 seats, spread over 6,00,000 square feet. "When the Kochi campus goes on stream, it will become the second owned campus in India for UST after Thiruvananthapuram," it said. UST CE

BPCL plans refining, petchem projects over 5-7 years to meet energy demand

India's annual consumption of refined fuels and petrochemicals is expected to rise steadily by 4-5 per cent and 7-8 per cent in the 'foreseeable future'

BPCL to shut 6 MTPA crude unit at Kochi refinery for one-month maintenance

BPCL also plans to expand the Bina refinery's capacity from the current 7.8 MTPA to 11 MTPA by mid-2027

After Kochi, plane ferrying bodies of Kuwait fire victims arrives in Delhi

An IAF aircraft carrying the bodies of 14 of the 45 Indians who died in a devastating fire at a building in Kuwait is expected to land shortly in Delhi from Kerala's Kochi, newly elected MP Yogender Chandolia said on Friday. A C130J aircraft carrying the bodies of 45 Indians, who died in the incident two days ago in Kuwait's Mangaf, landed at the Kochi international airport around 10.30 am. Thirty-one bodies were received at the Kochi airport by Central and state ministers, including Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The remaining 14 bodies were sent to Delhi in the same aircraft as a domestic flight from Kochi, airport authorities said. "Kamaljeet Sehrawat ji, Bansuri Swaraj ji (both MPs from Delhi) and I will be there at the Palam technical area when the bodies arrive. We will offer tributes to them by laying wreaths on the caskets. The flight is expected to land very shortly," Chandolia, the MP from Northwest Delhi, told PTI. The special IAF aircraft had taken off for Koch

Kuwait fire: Bodies received at Kochi airport, politicians pay tribute

A special IAF aircraft carrying the mortal remains of 45 Indians killed in the tragic fire incident in Kuwait took off for Kochi on Friday morning. At least 49 foreign workers were killed and 50 others injured in the fire on Wednesday at the seven-storey building where 196 migrant workers were staying in the southern city of Mangaf. "A special IAF aircraft carrying mortal remains of 45 Indian victims in the fire incident in Kuwait has taken off for Kochi," The Embassy of India in Kuwait posted on X. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, who coordinated with Kuwaiti authorities to ensure swift repatriation, is onboard the aircraft. Meanwhile, the Public Prosecution in Kuwait ordered the provisional detention of a citizen and some expatriates on charges of manslaughter and accidental injury as a result of negligence in security and safety measures to prevent fire, the Arab Times newspaper reported. Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has ...

Kuwait fire: Preparations underway at Kochi airport to receive bodies

An uneasy silence hung over the import cargo terminal of the airport here on Friday morning as authorities made arrangements to receive the bodies of 31 Indians who lost their lives in a tragic building fire in Kuwait two days ago. Ambulances were stationed at the terminal to carry the victims' bodies to their homes. The special flight carrying the bodies of 23 Keralites, seven Tamil Nadu natives, and one Karnataka resident is expected to reach the Cochin International Airport around 10.30 am, Deputy Inspector General, Ernakulam Range, Putta Vimaladitya told the media. India had on Thursday night sent a military transport aircraft to Kuwait to bring back the mortal remains of over 40 Indians killed in the fire. A Kerala Police pilot vehicle will be deputed to accompany all ambulances carrying the bodies, including those going to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, Vimaladitya said. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and ministers K Rajan, P Rajeeve and Veena George will receive the bodies at t

Real estate firm Puravankara says plans expansion in West, South India

Company working on wellness-themed project in Chennai, its largest in the city

Modi inaugurates projects worth Rs 4,000 cr in Kochi, lists work for ports

The projects he inaugurated include New Dry Dock at Cochin Shipyard Ltd, International Ship Repair Facility of CSL, and LPG Import Terminal of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd at Puthuvypeen, Kochi

PM Modi dedicates Rs 4,000 crore worth of projects to nation in Kochi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated projects worth Rs 4,000 crore to the nation on Wednesday, including key strategic initiatives at Cochin Shipyard Limited. The projects comprise a 310-metre-long dry dock, constructed to international standards, and the International Ship Repair Facility (ISRF), India's first fully developed pure ship repair ecosystem. Additionally, the dedication includes the IOCL's LPG import terminal. Prior to the inauguration, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal, reviewed the preparation of the projects at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) on Tuesday. The government anticipates that with the dedication of these projects, CSL is poised to double its turnover within the next four years to Rs 7,000 crores.

Kochi poised to become important shipbuilding hub, says Sarbananda Sonowal

The minister said that CSL is the biggest operational ship repair ecosystem infrastructure in South Asia

SpiceJet plans to launch flights to Lakshadweep and Ayodhya soon

Lakshadweep has one operational airport on Agatti Island, 90 minutes away from Kochi. All domestic flights to the island are routed through Kochi

Lakshadweep Trip: Here's a complete guide for first-timers to the Island

After the controversy between India and Maldives, Indians are moving to their own vacation spot, i.e., Lakshadweep. Here's how you can plan your trip to Lakshadweep

Merchant vessel with 15 Indian crew hijacked near Somalian coast: Navy

India sends a stealth guided-missile destroyer and patrol aircraft to monitor ship

DGCA probes A-I plane hard landing at Dubai in Dec; airline derosters pilot

Aviation watchdog DGCA is probing the hard landing of an Air India A320 neo aircraft in Dubai last month, an incident in which the airline has derostered the pilot, officials said on Monday. The aircraft that operated a flight from Kochi to Dubai made a hard landing in Dubai on December 20 and the plane remained grounded there for almost a week, a senior DGCA official said. Air India said it has initiated a probe into the incident and the pilot concerned has been derostered pending investigation. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is probing the incident, the official said and added that the aircraft concerned returned to Mumbai on December 27, according to the official. Details about the number of passengers onboard and whether any one was injured could not be immediately ascertained. An Air India spokesperson said an investigation has already been initiated as per DGCA norms into the incident. "The pilot was appropriately trained and licensed to fly the aircraft.

Bharat Petroleum to invest Rs 5,044 cr in PP plant at Kochi refinery

The 400,000 tonnes per annum polypropylene unit will be constructed in about 46 months from the date of the investment approval, the company said in a statement

'Landing permission for Rahul's aircraft neither granted nor denied'

A Defence spokesperson said on Friday that the Union Defence Ministry had neither accorded nor denied landing permission for an aircraft carrying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at the Naval airport in Kochi. The clarification came after the Congress alleged that the Ministry of Defence denied landing permission for Gandhi's chartered flight at the Naval facility early on Friday. The defence spokesperson told PTI that the request for "an unscheduled chartered flight along with the flight plan" was received at INS Garuda air station at Kochi at 09.40 am on Friday and at Navy HQ at about 10.15 am for takeoff from Kannur Airport at 10.45 am. "Due to the delayed request and paucity of time prior to the departure of the flight, the clearance for the same could not be processed," he told PTI. Earlier in the day, Ernakulam DCC president Mohammed Shiyas alleged that the Defence Ministry had initially granted permission for the aircraft's landing at the Naval facility but later withdrew ...

Kochi blast remarks: No coercive action against Union minister till Dec 14

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed the police not to take any coercive steps against Union Minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar till December 14 in the two criminal cases in which he is accused of making statements promoting enmity between different groups. The cases were lodged against him over his controversial social media posts following the blasts at a convention centre in Kochi during a prayer meeting of Christian religious group Jehovah's Witnesses. Justice C S Dias admitted Chandrasekhar's pleas for quashing the FIRs against him and issued notice to the state seeking its stand in both matters. The court also issued notice to Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Digital Media Convenor P Sarin, on whose complaint one of the FIRs was lodged, and sought his stand on the matter. Right after news broke out about the blasts, Chandrasekhar had posted on Facebook, "The price of appeasement politics of Cong and CPM will always be borne by innocents of all communities

Kerala govt gives approval for BPCL's waste treatment plant in Kochi

The Kerala government on Wednesday accorded sanction to set up a compressed biogas plant project by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), with the objective of finding a permanent solution to the organic waste issue in Kochi, the commercial hub of the state. A cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, took the decision amidst their ongoing tour as part of the 'Nava Kerala' outreach programme in northern Thalassery, a CMO statement said here. For the project, 10 acres of land in Brahmapuram owned by the Kochi Corporation, would be handed over to the BPCL, it said. A treatment plant capable of treating 150 metric tonnes of waste per day would be set up on this land, and the compressed biogas produced there would be used by the central PSU. The construction cost is estimated to be Rs 150 crore, which would be borne by the BPCL, it said. Water and electricity, required for the construction of the plant, would be provided at a lower cost, the CMO statement ...

Kerala govt announces Rs 5 lakh aid to kin of Kalamassery blast victims

The Kerala government on Wednesday decided to provide financial assistance of Rs five lakh each to the families of those who had lost their lives in a blast at a religious gathering in Kalamassery near Kochi last month. A cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, decided to grant the relief amount from the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund, a CMO statement said here. Additionally, support will be extended to cover medical expenses for the injured persons receiving treatment, even in private hospitals, it said. Five persons were killed and over 50 were injured, some seriously, during the multiple blasts at a religious gathering in an international convention centre in Kalamassery, on October 29. They had gathered for the final day of a three-day-long prayer meeting of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

Court grants police 10-day custody of accused in Kochi blast case

A court in Kerala on Monday granted the police ten days custody of the lone accused in the Kochi bomb blast case. Principal Session Court Judge Honey M Varghese allowed the police's plea for 10-day custody of Dominic Martin. Four people were killed and over 50 were injured in the blast during a prayer meeting of the Jehovah's Witnesses at a convention center in Kalamassery near here on October 29. The police submitted that they need to investigate his sources of income, international connections, and other related matters. They also said that the accused must be taken to certain locations for further collection of evidence. Meanwhile, Martin once again declined the assistance of a legal aid lawyer. Previously, on October 31, Martin was remanded to judicial custody. In addition to Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (Punishment for murder) and Section 3 of the Explosive Substances Act, relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) have also been invoke