Tina Parekh
[ 8 Sep, 2006 0304hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
AHMEDABAD: Gujaratis and tourists who hold liquor permits are in for a treat. The police has tweaked timings for buying liquor for permit holders, practically making it possible for them to buy liquor at all times.
The timings were 10.30 am to 6.30 pm, but will be changed to 12 am to 8 pm for buying liquor at licensed shops. Those who want liquor later than that would have to pay an additional charge.
The change comes as a boost to the hotel industry, where tourists will now be able to buy liquor at all times. Even as the government gave its nod to the changes, a resolution will be issued soon.
"The changed timings are more suited to tourists who check into hotels in the evening. We will issue a resolution in a couple of days," says additional director general of police RMS Brar.
The new timings will apply to 29 licensed liquor shops in the state except those at the international airport. Hoteliers welcomed the move.
"Many of our guests go for work in the morning and return at night. The changed timings will allow them to have a drink even late in the evening," says GM, Taj Residency Ummed, Shekhar Valavalkar.
But hoteliers feel the timings for issuing permits too should be extended — these are still issued between 10.30 am and 6.30 pm.
"Our guests complain that often there are no officials present to issue permits at the licensed shops during office hours. So these changes will mean something only if permits too are easily available," says proprietor of Hotel Grand Bhagwati, Narendra Somani.
Health permit holders of the state feel the changes will benefit them. "The changes are more practical. Nobody buys liquor in the morning and it makes more sense to extend evening hours," says Dinesh Pancholi who has had a health permit for 20 years.
Showing posts with label Ahmedabad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ahmedabad. Show all posts
Friday, September 08, 2006
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Bangalore best to live in ?
GEETHA RAO
[ 6 Sep, 2006 2239hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
This city tops the list for quality of life. Is that really true?
A recent study across Indian cities had people saying Bangalore's the best city to live in and the second best to earn in. Is that really so? BT asked Bangaloreans who'd lived in Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad.
Wildlife expert Saad Bin Jung lived in Hyderabad for 22 years, followed by Bangalore for 22 years, and says, "The weather in Bangalore was fantastic then. And the quality of life, the best. Now, the very people who have destroyed Bangalore are making politically correct noises about putting it back on track again. It's like wildlife. First you finish the animals and then try to bring them back again. Bangalore's been destroyed by a small percentage that's gained dramatically by it, but there's nothing for the common man, like me, today. You can't change Bangalore because those who have benefitted by it are extremely powerful. Bangalore was a thousand times better than Hyderabad earlier."
Hyderabad, he says, is a very old and civilised city and the people care enough for the city to reinvent it. "But in Bangalore, there are too many people from outside who have settled here, and don't care for the city." Opportunities-wise, Bangalore and Hyderabad are similar.
Chippy Gangjee, who's lived in Kolkata before he moved to Bangalore 22 years ago says Bangalore weather's the best.
"But if the infrastructure was as good as in SM Krishna's time, it'd be even better to live here. We may crib like hell about the traffic, but go to another city, and you just want to come running back."
Gangjee deals with some of the worst roads in LB Shastrinagar where he lives: "They are horrendous, I travel on them some four times a day, yet the amount of peace that Bangalore offers is something you can't get anywhere."
And the people. In Chippy Gangjee's apartment block, there are a dozen Bengali families among the 200 living there and 30-40 more in the locality, but both Bengalis and non-Bengalis have decided to celebrate Durga Puja together. "People are so cosmopolitan," he says.
However, Kolkata is less expensive: "a great city, costwise, whether it's vegetables or rentals or eating out."
Gagan Bindra, marketing manager with a multiplex, who's lived in Delhi for seven years, and Bangalore for six, says Delhi being the capital, has the edge in terms of infrastructure.
"I'm not saying Delhi's perfect, but you can see a lot of development. Now with the Commonwealth Games coming to Delhi, there's even more focus on infrastructure."
And traffic? Bindra says, "Even if you are caught in a traffic jam in Bangalore, it's much better than being caught in the scorching heat in Delhi."
And the people here are welcoming of outsiders, he says. In Delhi, more or less, the attitude is we belong here, may be we know better than you do. Danseuse Vani Ganapathy who's travelling constantly to Mumbai says what we lack here is discipline.
"I was in Mumbai during Janmashtami, which is celebrated in a grand manner there. Despite that, there was disciplined traffic movement. I stay in Chennai only for two days so I don't really know, but my cousins there say it's quite calm. Here, though, I was caught in the traffic jam during Sonia Gandhi's visit, and there was chaos. Some hooligans actually turned on the police."
[ 6 Sep, 2006 2239hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
This city tops the list for quality of life. Is that really true?
A recent study across Indian cities had people saying Bangalore's the best city to live in and the second best to earn in. Is that really so? BT asked Bangaloreans who'd lived in Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad.
Wildlife expert Saad Bin Jung lived in Hyderabad for 22 years, followed by Bangalore for 22 years, and says, "The weather in Bangalore was fantastic then. And the quality of life, the best. Now, the very people who have destroyed Bangalore are making politically correct noises about putting it back on track again. It's like wildlife. First you finish the animals and then try to bring them back again. Bangalore's been destroyed by a small percentage that's gained dramatically by it, but there's nothing for the common man, like me, today. You can't change Bangalore because those who have benefitted by it are extremely powerful. Bangalore was a thousand times better than Hyderabad earlier."
Hyderabad, he says, is a very old and civilised city and the people care enough for the city to reinvent it. "But in Bangalore, there are too many people from outside who have settled here, and don't care for the city." Opportunities-wise, Bangalore and Hyderabad are similar.
Chippy Gangjee, who's lived in Kolkata before he moved to Bangalore 22 years ago says Bangalore weather's the best.
"But if the infrastructure was as good as in SM Krishna's time, it'd be even better to live here. We may crib like hell about the traffic, but go to another city, and you just want to come running back."
Gangjee deals with some of the worst roads in LB Shastrinagar where he lives: "They are horrendous, I travel on them some four times a day, yet the amount of peace that Bangalore offers is something you can't get anywhere."
And the people. In Chippy Gangjee's apartment block, there are a dozen Bengali families among the 200 living there and 30-40 more in the locality, but both Bengalis and non-Bengalis have decided to celebrate Durga Puja together. "People are so cosmopolitan," he says.
However, Kolkata is less expensive: "a great city, costwise, whether it's vegetables or rentals or eating out."
Gagan Bindra, marketing manager with a multiplex, who's lived in Delhi for seven years, and Bangalore for six, says Delhi being the capital, has the edge in terms of infrastructure.
"I'm not saying Delhi's perfect, but you can see a lot of development. Now with the Commonwealth Games coming to Delhi, there's even more focus on infrastructure."
And traffic? Bindra says, "Even if you are caught in a traffic jam in Bangalore, it's much better than being caught in the scorching heat in Delhi."
And the people here are welcoming of outsiders, he says. In Delhi, more or less, the attitude is we belong here, may be we know better than you do. Danseuse Vani Ganapathy who's travelling constantly to Mumbai says what we lack here is discipline.
"I was in Mumbai during Janmashtami, which is celebrated in a grand manner there. Despite that, there was disciplined traffic movement. I stay in Chennai only for two days so I don't really know, but my cousins there say it's quite calm. Here, though, I was caught in the traffic jam during Sonia Gandhi's visit, and there was chaos. Some hooligans actually turned on the police."
Monday, September 04, 2006
Bangalore: The best place to live in India
Rema Nagarajan
[ 4 Sep, 2006 0019hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
NEW DELHI: When it comes to choosing the city you would like to work and live in, it seems you cannot have it all. If a city is great for earning and investing in, it is not necessarily the best for living, as in the case of Surat.
On the other hand, there is Kolkata that ranks quite high as a city to live in but is the worst when it comes to making money or investing it.
Your best bet for a city that ranks fairly high on all three counts — living, working and investing — is Bangalore. It ranks as the top city to reside in and second best to earn.
As an investment destination, however, it's mediocre, ranking sixth. Delhi, by contrast, ranks high — fourth — only for earning.
Analysis of the top 10 cities of the country for earning, investing and residing is given in a study, The City Skyline of India 2006, published by Indicus Analytics.
The study is based on official statistics and online surveys conducted by Indicus in these cities. It yields interesting information on how often a citizen would have to haggle with an autowallah, what percentage of people own invertors, the city’s water and power supply, public transportation etc.
Surat with its low unemployment rates, high job growth rates and one of the highest per capita small business credit is the top destination for seeking jobs and business.
However, it is at the bottom in the list of Alpha cities (the top 10) in terms of good living, with nearly half the people expressing the need for more entertainment and better educational facilities.
It also has the lowest share of households in the top socio-economic category (SEC A) among the Alpha cities. One third of its households fall in SEC C.
Coimbatore strikes a decent balance: it's the best city to invest in but ranks fifth on the earning and good living front. The most pressing problem for residents seems to be water supply — which comes just once in two days.
On most other counts, the city offers a decent life though with relatively few avenues for entertainment.
With one of the lowest unemployment rates in this group of cities and per capita income comparable to the highest in the group, Pune too does well on all three counts of earn-in, invest-in and reside-in indices.
The metros, interestingly, are not the best performers in this list. Chennai is high up as a place to invest in and to live in.
The citizens are satisfied with the educational infrastructure, low crime level and efficient management of infrastructure. But with unemployment rate as high as 27%, do not head there if you are looking to earn good money.
[ 4 Sep, 2006 0019hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
NEW DELHI: When it comes to choosing the city you would like to work and live in, it seems you cannot have it all. If a city is great for earning and investing in, it is not necessarily the best for living, as in the case of Surat.
On the other hand, there is Kolkata that ranks quite high as a city to live in but is the worst when it comes to making money or investing it.
Your best bet for a city that ranks fairly high on all three counts — living, working and investing — is Bangalore. It ranks as the top city to reside in and second best to earn.
As an investment destination, however, it's mediocre, ranking sixth. Delhi, by contrast, ranks high — fourth — only for earning.
Analysis of the top 10 cities of the country for earning, investing and residing is given in a study, The City Skyline of India 2006, published by Indicus Analytics.
The study is based on official statistics and online surveys conducted by Indicus in these cities. It yields interesting information on how often a citizen would have to haggle with an autowallah, what percentage of people own invertors, the city’s water and power supply, public transportation etc.
Surat with its low unemployment rates, high job growth rates and one of the highest per capita small business credit is the top destination for seeking jobs and business.
However, it is at the bottom in the list of Alpha cities (the top 10) in terms of good living, with nearly half the people expressing the need for more entertainment and better educational facilities.
It also has the lowest share of households in the top socio-economic category (SEC A) among the Alpha cities. One third of its households fall in SEC C.
Coimbatore strikes a decent balance: it's the best city to invest in but ranks fifth on the earning and good living front. The most pressing problem for residents seems to be water supply — which comes just once in two days.
On most other counts, the city offers a decent life though with relatively few avenues for entertainment.
With one of the lowest unemployment rates in this group of cities and per capita income comparable to the highest in the group, Pune too does well on all three counts of earn-in, invest-in and reside-in indices.
The metros, interestingly, are not the best performers in this list. Chennai is high up as a place to invest in and to live in.
The citizens are satisfied with the educational infrastructure, low crime level and efficient management of infrastructure. But with unemployment rate as high as 27%, do not head there if you are looking to earn good money.
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