Transit-One' to set the stage for new era of mall culture in Mangaluru

[email protected] (CD Network | Carol Pinto)
March 22, 2016

Their new project Transit-One' has taken more than a 100 dreamers and about 2 years of hard working days and sleepless nights. With the launch of their first independent project, the creative masterminds in the world of sustainable infrastructure, ECOLOGIC HABITATS LLP. have redefined the idea of development and have set the bars sky high for everybody else in the construction zone.

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The Managing Director of Ecologic Habitats LLP. Mr. P.S Mohammed talks about the immense efforts and unparalleled thrill of bringing to reality their dream project Transit One in Thokkotu, which is only a kickstart to the Transit series.

Transit One is going to be the first ever highway mall in India, having been designed by a team of India's leading architects and engineers to match upto the needs of the people and the surroundings. The tagline "STOP. RECHARGE. RESTART." screams out the objectives of this smartly designed infrastructure.

With all amenities and facilities to meet the needs of all people, ecologic habitats is all set to leave the Mangalurean suburbs in a feeling of awe and a sense of having been touched by real development. Following are excerpts of an interview with Mr Mohammed.

Q: With the launch of Transit One, it's evident that the prime focus of your developmental plan is on the suburbs rather than the hubs of the city. In today's highly commercial world, does Thokkotu seem like an ideal choice?

Mr. Mohammed: In Mangaluru, development has taken place vertically and not horizontally. Hubs in the city are all saturated and there is no much need for further commercial development in these areas. Suburbs cry out for development. Highways need a spot to recharge. The suburbs have no source of leisure. Development of under developed areas will help us lead in this field. Profits are important but there is no use of making profits if we can't match up to the needs of the people. Profit with satisfaction is always better. Therefore, we believe we have made an ideal choice by selecting the suburbs.

Q: The concept of a Transit mall is a brilliant idea. What was the driving force behind this concept?

Mr. Mohammed: The core of it was all a result of personal travelling experience. We realised there was a need for a recharge spot on the highways. It took us almost 2 years of research on the subject to implement this project. The concept is derived from the highway malls in the U.S that started in the early 1930s.

Q: Most malls are a luxury for the common people, do you think Transit One is going to break the exclusive crowd factor of mall culture?

Mr. Mohammed: Yes, Indeed. It is a mall designed to meet requirements of all people belonging to all social groups. We have all ranges of investors ranging from 10 lakhs to 10 crores. There are branded stores, semi branded and local stores within the mall infrastructure. There is a social club for the youth, considering the fact that Deralakatte is a hub of education in Mangalore. There is a major need for leisure for the hardworking youth. It is not a class based mall but a theme based mall, where people of all economic backgrounds can enjoy its facilities. We aim to provide people with their requirements. They name it, we have it. We aim at creating a one stop destination for all crowds.

Q: With lots of malls coming up, the local bazaars have faced a major hit in the economy. Does Transit One have any difference in this area?

Mr. Mohammed: Yes. The 3rd floor is an exclusive modern local bazaar with non branded shops of local retailers.

Q: Since there are not many shopping complexes in Thokkotu, strolling around while shopping under the scorching heat is a tedious task, does Transit One provide an easy solution to the exhausting shopping?

Mr. Mohammed: We have an innovative drive in supermarket which offers the customer the convinience of parking the car at the supermarket level where they dont have to come out all the way to the parking level to dispose their bags in the vehicle or carry their shopping bags all the way while strolling around the mall. The car parking also has a special exhaust system that exhausts carbon dioxide and pollution for better breathing.

Q: How is the Transit project any different from other construction projects? Do you have any special implementations for the construction?

Mr. Mohammed: We have an eco friendly construction site. We have a landscape design for which we have imported plants from various countries. We have solar panels for efficient supply of electricity. tested water for all uses and all products used for construction are tested for quality. We are also proud to have a safely guarded construction site making it safe for the workers.

Q: To most real estate developers, development is mere urbanisation. What is development to you?

Mr. Mohammed: At Ecologic Habitats, we believe that development comes with comfort. It's not mere urbanization but about making people feel comfortable while bringing about a better change in their surroundings. To us development is a progress with comfort. Our vision is to touch lives through developmental progress. We can proudly boast that our entire project is landscaped by India's leading landscape planner, Mr. Rohith Marole. We intend to breathe an air of green into our projects.

Q: What are your plans for the other series of Transit? Could you give us a sneak peek on the other selected locations?

Mr. Mohammed: We have selected a few more locations in Dakshina Kannada district like Surathkal, Puttur, Sullia and B.C road. We are also looking at Udupi district. But we wish to extend throughout the country with an intention of innovative development.

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Comments

Ganesh Shenoy
 - 
Friday, 15 Apr 2016

Mall with altogether new concept! It's going to be a new trend setter!! Extremely privileged to be a part of it from the inception of the project!

Nizam
 - 
Tuesday, 22 Mar 2016

Awesome theme, it will be hit in thokottu, The 3rd floor is an exclusive modern local bazaar with non branded shops of local retailers.

Saleem Khan
 - 
Tuesday, 22 Mar 2016

awesome, complete the work soon, want to c the live rather than words of Explanation.

Kalandar
 - 
Tuesday, 22 Mar 2016

good one, very creative project. all the best.

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News Network
February 27,2020

Benagluru, Feb 27: The sudden hike in bus fares by the state-run transport corporation has triggered a public outrage and protests by the opposition Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) in Karnataka.

Terming the hike as anti-people and inflationary, the Congress urged the ruling BJP to withdraw it forthwith and spare the commuters from the additional burden.

"KSRTC and its affiliates should not further burden the people when the cost of living has gone up and its bus service is used by the majority in the absence of trains in many regions of the state," said Ravi Gowda of the Congress.

In a surprise announcement on Tuesday night, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and its two affiliates -- North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKSRTC )and North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKSRTC) -- increased bus fares by 12% with effect from Wednesday, drawing the ire of commuters and opposition parties alike.

Condemning the fare hike, JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy urged the KSRTC to roll back the revised fares and give relief to the common man reeling under price rise due to CGST, SGST and food inflation.

"The BJP government has deliberately increased the bus fare ahead of the state budget for 2020-21 fiscal on March 2, catching people unawares. Though student passes have been spared from the hike, regular passengers are forced to pay Rs 5-32 more instead of getting better efficiency, management and productivity," Kumaraswamy said in a statement in Bengaluru.

It's an additional burden on us, said Bengaluru resident K. Venkatesh, while adding,

"The 12 percent hike in bus fares by the KSRTC and its north-east and north-west affiliates from Wednesday will hit passengers hard and make commuting costly.”

"The fare hike will negate the state government's efforts to encourage public transport service and force passengers to travel on the train, which is cheaper, faster and safer," asserted Venugopal Gupta, a cloth merchant in the city.

Justifying the hike, KSRTC Managing Director Shivayogi Kalasad told media that the hike was inevitable due to the steady increase in diesel price, dearness allowance in staff salary and overall cost of operations.

"Since the last fare revision came in May 2014, the operational cost has gone up substantially due to Rs 11.27 per litre hike in diesel price, increase in DA to employees and repairing, maintenance and fleet management costs," Kalasad said.

The financial burden due to fuel price hike is Rs 261 crore, DA Rs 341 crore and operational cost Rs 601 crore per annum for KSRTC alone, he said.

"For the benefit of rural passengers, fares have been reduced to Rs 5 from Rs 7 for the first 3 km. There is no increase in fares for the first 12 km and up to first 6 km in express service," Kalasad added.

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News Network
January 19,2020

Bengaluru, Jan 19: The Karnataka government has given its nod to teach 'Vivekadeepini' slokhas, authored by Adi Shankaracharya, in schools across the state, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said on Saturday.

At an event called 'Vivekadeepini Mahasamarpane,' organised by Vedanta Bharati, Yediyurappa said, "It has been noticed that Vivekadeepini, which evolves the mind and illumines a person, has a great effect on students.

Parents and teachers have found a positive change among children who were inspired by Vivekadeepini." "Hence, the government has given its nod to allow teaching Vivekadeepini in the schools in Karnataka," he added.

According to the organisers of the event, around two lakh children from 50 schools participated in the event where they were taught to chant Vivekadeepini, comprising verses for the seekers in the spiritual journey.

Yediyurappa reminded the audience that the Indian culture and civilisation is the oldest and the best, which they should feel proud of. Likening Amit Shah to the first union home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, he said, "After Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel if we have seen a union home minister, it is Amit Shah, who has successfully resolved many burning issues of the countries within a few months.

"Shah succeeded in finding a permanent solution to Kashmir issue," Yediyurappa said.

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News Network
January 25,2020

Mangaluru, Jan 25: Orange vendor Harekala Hajabba, popularly known as 'Akshara Santha' (the saint of alphabets), who went on to build a school at Newpadpu village on the city’s outskirts in 1999 is among this year’s Padma Shri awardees.

When Hajabba received the call on being nominated for the award, he was standing in a queue to buy rations.

As he is not fluent in Hindi, Hajabba handed over the phone to an auto driver, who conveyed the news that the Padma Shri award will be conferred on him.

The unlettered achiever set up a primary school from his meagre savings of Rs 150 per day,  selling oranges in Mangaluru. 

“The first time I felt bad for being an illiterate was when a foreigner enquired about the price of oranges in English. I did not know what he meant. So, I decided to start a school in my village,” Hajabba had said during a felicitation programme.

When Hajabba decided to start a school, he did not get any support. He started the school with 28 children.

The school today has been upgraded to a composite high school and is catering to the educational needs of hundreds of children in and around Newpadpu.

He ran from pillar to post in the Zilla Panchayat to make his dream come true. All cash awards he had received went into building the school. The United Christians Association, moved by the sight of his dilapidated house, built a 760-square-foot house costing Rs 15 lakh for him. 

Hajabba’s life was prescribed for the syllabus of three universities - Davangere, Kuvempu and Mangalore. His success story is also included in a Tulu textbook.

He won the Karnataka Rajyotsava award in 2013, Real Heroes award from TV channel CNN-IBN.

Hajabba, when contacted, said he could not believe his ears when told about the award.

New dreams

The frail vendor, in his 60s, humbly declared that he could achieve all this because of the support of all. Hajabba now dreams of upgrading the school into a full-fledged PU college.

Comments

Meethal Kasaragod
 - 
Sunday, 26 Jan 2020

A big Salute to him!

Great effort,

fairman
 - 
Sunday, 26 Jan 2020

Where there is will, there is way

May God help him.

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