Kollengode 2

This is a Fenced-in site, hardly fifty meters from the one that is blogged as Kollengode 1. Hence it is on the Railway Station Road,  a KM or so after the Railway station in Kollengode.     Kollengode 2 is 300 cents, sharing the same owner of Kollengode 1. The owner would not budge from the cost of 7500000 INR which makes it   25000 INR per cent. Approach is by 150 feet of unsurfaced road, while total distance could be 3 KM from Kollengode town. Appears to be  Coconut plantation, for the site could not be inspected as the gate was locked. The same Stream borders one side of property, as this site is just upstream of Kollengode 1.

Appears to be  Coconut plantation, for the site could not be inspected as the gate was locked. Ash and manure dumped in the foreground. Photo taken through the locked gate

This photo is also taken through the locked gate and shows what can be seen from the northern corner of the gate. The coconut trees in the background are also part of the site.

 

The approach road is good unsurfaced road, the extension of Kollengode 1leading to and across the stream

The view from the gate of the property, which is at the point the access road crosses this stream

Just to show the width of the access road, which can easily take a lorry.

The property has a good view of the Western Ghats, namely the Annamalai foothills part of it. All Land is "Parambu" and buildings can be constructed. A Gate is already present. Ground water is  20 feet below.  Syed Meera from Vadakanchery, & Mani of Kollengode are the agents. However, as it is too far from airport & hospital we cannot think of starting our venture here.

Kollengode 1

The Annamalai foothills brood over the little town of Kollengode, and form the backdrop for the avid photographer to snap up. Also these hills provide the relieving rains as they block the South west monsoon.

The first site we saw here was an unfenced site, on the Railway station Road. It is about a KM after the Kollengode Railway station. With 250 cents, the owner whom we visited in his house finally quoted 3250000 INR, which brought the price down to INR 13000 per cent.  The owner had initially quoted 15000 per cent. The site  had  about 100 feet unsurfaced road, and is totally 3 KM from Kollengode town. A well, and pump house is present, and the land is paddy fields with borders of coconut trees, and a wide stream by one side.    

The land is paddy fields with borders of coconut trees

Trench dug out, the mud of which had been used for making bricks

A stream borders one side of the plot

The access road is wide though unsurfaced for about 50 feet.

The stream that borders one side of the plot at its western end makes a turn

50% of the land is earmarked for one-season planting, and therefore we have insisted that prior written permission must be got by the owner from the panchayat for constructing buildings on this land; only then we can purchase this plot.

This plot is about 80 KMs from Coimbatore Airport and over 120 KMs from Cochin Airport. Has a partial view of the Annamalai foothills of the Western Ghats:  50% of the land is for one-season planting. Land can be bought only after Panchayat permission in writing is procured for building purpose    20   Syed Meera of Vadakanchery  is the main agent & Mani the local one. The owner assures cooperation, and is willing to do the necessary paper work.   However, it is too far from airport & hospital. Hence a Big  No!

Ramakkalmedu

Ramakelmedu is about four to five KMs off from Thookupalam which is on the Kumily-Katappana Road. And Katapanna could be just above 150 KMs from the Cochin International Airport.

Raakalmedu, Thookupalam, Kumily, Idukki Dt., has a lot of Special reserve plantation area of which we visited 200 cents quoted for 2500000 at INR 12500 per cent. However, the 1 KM of unsurfaced slushy, high sloping, skidding road was a frightening  experience and it was the skill and wizardy of the Jeep driver that saved the visitors and the agents. 

The land is cleared for replanting cardamom. Touch-me-nots have sprung up quickly forming a green carpet

Good shade bearing trees have been spared while clearing for replanting.

View towards the higher end of the sloping land

View towards the windmills, the short approach road

Situated over 160 Kms approximately from both CIAL or Madurai airports, it offers good views if one walks a KM away from the site. The views of the TN border which is as close as a couple of KM in some places and one can walk across to TN.  Ground water levels could be 50 feet or more below. Shafique & Ashraf are the agents. However, with this site being in the back of the beyond it is too far from airport & hospital for us to shortlist or even consider.

Venchoor

This site near Venchoor is on the Kuruppampady to Ankamali route. Venchoor is a small junction with a few shops. The site is 113 cents and the cost quoted is INR  4500000  which works out to  39823  per cent. For access there is  2 KM Tar Road  and 0.5 rock surface from Venchoor. 

The land type is  Rubber estate and the slope is gentle. There are two valuable old teak trees in this site.

The gentle slope can be seen till the wall at the far end which is also included in this site.

Situated only 13 Kms from CIAL, this site is closest seen so far. It has no great view. And the  ground water level could in places be 40 feet below.  Shafique & Ashraf are the agents, A  Good buy except there is no land available for expansion in future. Hence cannot be shortlisted.

Kuruppampady 2

This site is on the northern and eastern side of Kuruppampady town and only about a couple of Kilometers away from the Aluva-Munnar Road. 

The 30 degree slope of this site was the main drawback. An old quarry, could be a plus point as it gave a ready-made place for a multi-storey building with multiple level access. Planting of Pineapple was in progress during the visit.

Planting of Pineapple in progress during the visit. Rubber plantation on three sides and road access on the top of slope

This old quarry, could be a plus point as it gave a ready-made place for a multi-storey building with multiple level access

Another view of the quarry from the middle of it. The background trees are across the access road on the top of the quarry.

View over the quarry from its left side close to the access road

Though the price stated was around thirty thousand INR per cent, this could not be shortlisted, as the slope was against it. 

Kuruppampady

 Kuruppampady is situated about five kilometers from Perumbavoor on the Aluva-Munnar road, in Kunnathunadu Taluk, of Ernakulam district, in Kerala, India. It is 16.7 Kms  or 23 minutes from CIAL, Nedumbassery airport.

5th August 2012: Sunder's visit photos:

Sunder Raj, Majid, and Shafique at the site, with the shed and house hardly seen behind them.

The Rubber shed

Well maintained

Towards the end of the site which is the lowest lying land

Visitors look from the house

Walking back to the front

Foreground slope and a well behind the two plantain shoots

The owner's cow grazes, to the left of the firewood is the location of the shed. Taken from the side of the house 

The shed with firewood stacked beside it

Older report of 18 July 2012:

The first site that we saw here seems ideal. Just 2.6 Kms from Kuruppampady's private bus stand  there was 150 cents of estate property available. The total quoted was INR 5000000 which worked out to INR 33333 per cent. 2 KM of Tar Road was pucca while 0.6 KM was only rock surface.

The type of land was Rubber estate

The rubber estate house where the owner stays

The type of land was Rubber estate with an internal road reduced to a path that could take a lorry.

As said before, being 16 Kms  from the Nedumbassery Airport,   more than makes up for the lack of view. Deepest ground water level could be thirty feet. Pump, rubber press, electricity, and water connection, with Panchayat number is already available. Agents are Shafique & Ashraf.

This site is recommended because of the cheapest pricing, only 2.6 Kms from Kurupampady town, untapped rubber trees, with mild slope, despite a short unsurfaced access road of 500 meters. The site is shortlisted.   

Muttathu Parambu

This place is a couple of Kilometers away from the shores of the Vembanad lake and accordingly there is no mad price rush of the resorts seen here. At least that is what I expected, but owners live their pipe dreams and refuse to come down!

We saw one place with 250 cents costing INR 10000000  thereby the quote being  40000 per cent. The access is good Tar Road and the type of land is sandy one as seen in coastal areas and used as mixed farm land.

The land is sandy one as seen in coastal areas and used as mixed farm land

Ponds like this can easily be dug in this type of sandy land. Ground water level is usually four to six feet, and could become level with the ground during monsoon. Inflorescence is Acacia which helps to reduce the ground water level.

The approach road within the site can take a lorry, outside the site is Tar road

Another site in Muttathu parambu which is adjacent showing sandy land without any farming attempted as yet

Muttathu Parambu is about 75 Kms  from CIAL; the site seen has no good view, Ground water level is six feet below, Agents are  Raja & Sukur, and the conclusion is it is an uneconomic quote as frontage is not available. Hence this site is not shortlisted.

Patheramanal 2

The second site in Patheramanal was behind a resort called, "The Park", separated from the Hotel by the access road. The lagoon, the Hotel, the access road, and then the site was the order from the lagoon as one went in land. A 30-feet wide canal going inland from the lagoon bordered a road which bordered the site on two of its sides. 

With 90 cents available at a total cost of 4050000 INR, the rate was 45000 INR per cent. The access was a good Tar Road as seen in the picture and type of land was Lagoon Sand bank: Coconut farm, Filling not required

A 30-feet wide canal going inland from the lagoon bordered a road which bordered the site on two of its sides

Seen on the left is a tuck shop which is part of the site on the canal road, forms the frontage for the land. There is also an old house included in this 90-cent property which is behind this shop.

The site is situated about 75 Kms from Cochin International Airport. Plus points are that it has a frontage with a 40 or 30-feet width canal coming off Vembanad. The two agents    Raja & Sukur  are known to the family. Yet the place is not affordable: We cannot compete with Resort owners on land prices!

Pathiramanal

The second location that I visited was Pathiramanal, well known for the host of high-fly resorts it has. The approach is a good Tar Road, and the type of soil is Lagoon Sand bank got by raising Coconut farms and presently filling is not required. The distance from the nearest airport, which is Cochin International Airport is 75 Kms

The Oberoi Resort on the Vembanad Lake at Pathiramanal, near Muhamma, Alleppey, Kerala, which I first thought was built up from the lagoon bed. It is actually a floating boat, anchored near the resort.

A couple of dilapidated houses adorn the plot next to the Oberoi's holdings, which must have functioned as good stay or service homes. The site however is just over 50 cents  of land and not therefore not enough for our old age home

Close-up of the dilapidated homes, on the nearly fifty cent plot.

View of the Vembanad lake from the fifty-cent plot. Note the tip of the Oberoi's floating resort seen at the left side of this snap.

A clearing created in the fifty-cent area next to the Oberois by tree-felling. Seen in the lagoon is the Oberoi's floating resort.

A motorist passes by the compound wall of the fifty-cent plot where in the centre of the photos is seen the crumbling buildings with entrance just above the helmet of the motorcycle rider.

However, the cost of this place is astronomical at Four hundred thousand INR per cent, requiring two crores for this fifty cents alone. Neither is the land enough, nor can we afford being neighbours to the Oberois! Hence this place is also not short-listed. :-(

Mananchery

Sites attempts to describes the various places I visited to see what location best fits for a home for Senior Citizens. I wrote the notes for this blog after spending the whole day of 15 July 2012 in travel and seeing five probable sites on the shores of the Vembanad Lake, namely the stretch from Alleppey to Kochi.

Mananchery:
The first place was Mananchery and the best place in terms of view of the Lake, with the price stated being 50 Lakhs for 1 acre

The first place was Mananchery about a dozen Kilometers north of Alleppey, in Kerala

Situated next to Vembanad House a small resort this two acre plot was level with the lagoon.

The Cost for 1 acre was  Rupees 10000000 or I crore at the rate of Rupees 50000  per cent  As seen there is a Tar Road, and the type of land is  Wet land which will require filling up to 6 cubic feet per square foot, as shown in this close-up.

Notice the cow or heifer on the right side middle section of the photograph. The shed on the left has river clam shells which is processed to make lime for white wash. This process gives a very bad smell to the whole area.

There is a large factory on the bank from which this photo was taken which processes river clam shells. The stink I am sure must be unbearable when it functions. The shed in the previous photograph is also seen, in addition to the cannoe and the canal. The shed and land and its bank are included in the area under consideration. The canal is hardly a couple of feet deep.

The Mananchery site Lagoon View showing the piece of neighboring land called "Vembanad House" projecting into the lake with a few coconut trees, while in the foreground is the bushes marking the "End of Proposed site".

On the right top of this photo can be seen our other neighbour, where there is a shell powdering factory, which when it works will spew out a foul smell that will pollute the whole area. The canal with the canoe seen in the fifth photo joins the lagoon at the right bottom of the photo, and the depth is more than a man's height.

Notice the heifer or cow is the same as seen in the fourth photo except that we are now viewing it from the lagoon. The small canal is on the left of the photo, and the tar road approach seen in the first photo is at the end of the L seen tapering towards the right middle section of this photo.

Languid and limitless, the lone and level lagoon stretch far away. No doubt, this place is scenic!

The place is 80 Kms from Kochi Airport, with a good view of the Vembanad Lake having ample water at the ground level, and the agents named Raja & Sukur are close and well-know to the family.

However, and more importantly, the place requires three to four feet of filling of sand to raise it a couple of feet above the lake. This is not only costly, but also time consuming, both time and money we can ill-afford. Hence this place is not short-listed. :-(