Real estate developer Ansal Properties & Infrastructure Ltd today announced it has joined hands with Malaysia-based UEM Group to form a new company to carry out construction activities across the country.

Ansal API has signed a shareholders agreement with UEM Builders, a subsidiary of UEM Group, to form a joint venture company for the purpose of carrying out building, construction and engineering activities for Ansal’s projects across the country, the Delhi-based realty firm said in a statement.

“It is a matter of great pleasure to announce this association with the UEM Group. I am confident that we will make the best possible utilisation of our synergies to deliver world-class living standards,” Ansal API Chairman Sushil Ansal said.

The new JV company — UEM Builders-Ansal API Contracts Pvt Ltd — would initially have an authorised capital of Rs one crore, divided into 10 lakh ordinary shares of Rs 10 each, and a paid up capital of Rs 50 lakh, the statement added.

“India has witnessed a tremendous development in the infrastructure and real estate sector in past few years and today it is ranked as the third largest real estate market in the world. Foreseeing this great market potential, we are happy to sign this deal with Ansal API, the leading real estate player of the country,” UEM Builders Chairman Dato’ Abdul Rahim Abu Bakar said.

UEM Builders undertakes various engineering and construction projects and it has a presence in India since early 1990s through its subsidiary, UE Development Pvt Ltd.

UEM Builders undertakes various engineering and construction projects and it has a presence in India since early 1990s through its subsidiary, UE Development Pvt Ltd.

Technorati Tags Ansals, Hands, Join, Malaysiabased

For those traveling to Melaka, fear no more as since today the government declared Malacca to be meningitis free.

This came after releasing the 3 last quarantined citizens one week ago from hospital. No new cases of meningitis have been reported since the outbreak started beginning this month.

Traveling however continues to be hazardous when you travel by plane: airplanes just circulate a limited amount of air, so whoever has a flu, you most likely will breath in his or her germs.

That’s what happened with a Japanese citizen of Malacca who traveled on board of a Malaysian Air Lines flight where one of the passengers got the H1N1 virus. Meanwhile his girlfriend got the H1N1 virus (swine flu, Mexican flu, Influenza A) as well, but the Japanese expat is confirmed to be as healthy as a fish.

Which makes Malaysia again a healthy country to travel to, just make sure you protect yourself against aedes mosquitoes in order not to get dengue fever nor the milder chikungunya disease:

• make sure you use mosquito repellent all the time
   
• be aware that the mosquitoes normally fly between 17.00 pm and 09.00 am and
   
• they attack "below the waist", so protect your feet, ankles and legs especially.

Meanwhile 10.000 people worldwide have been recorded having the swine flu, luckily it’s not that deadly but it’s quite a headache, literary!

War on Dengue and Chikungunya: that’s the new slogan to combat the chikungunya outbreak in Malaysia.

So who are Malaysians fighting against? Mosquitoes! Not aedes mosquitoes that cause dengue fever, not malaria mosquitoes that luckily aren’t here but: chikungunya causing aedes mosquitos.

The good news

Chikungunya is not as deadly as dengue fever… Nevertheless you will feel very sick as if you have dengue fever.

As we mentioned above: it’s the same aedes mosquito spreading dengue as well as chikungunya.

So the only good thing you can say when you have chikungunya is: thank God this aedes mosquito wasn’t carrying dengue!

Mosquito Awareness

Although I haven’t had anybody on my doorstep explaining me how to combat mosquitoes, the radio is boosting a heavy mosquito awareness campaign these days.

And as you can see in the picture: Malaysia is really fogging heavily: I couldn’t see anything anymore out of my window once the fogging people passed by. All free, as normally they bother to ask you to pay, pretending they were a private company.

Fogging only kills adult aedes mosquitoes

Although now fogging is increased, this only kills the adult mosquitoes. Which means the eggs and larvae that are in water will still survive. It’s these "babies" that make the war against aedes mosquito’s only possible if we eliminate water at our premises.

Standing water provides an excellent environment for aedes mosquitoes to breed. To control mosquitoes do eliminate sources of standing water outside your home:

Drain or remove water-holding containers such as:

• dishes beneath flower pots : that’s where I found my aedes mosquito larvae
   
• buckets : even if you turn them upside down: the larvae only need 1 drop of water in order to become a mosquito
   
• rain barrels
   
• leaky outdoor faucets
   
• toys or garbage that holds water
   
• cans
   
• bottles
   
• clogged rain gutters
   
• wading pools
   
• boats
   
• plastic covers and tarps

Remove old tires and plug tree holes and stumps, as these can also be popular breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Also, be sure to routinely change the water in pet dishes and birdbaths.

The bad news: chikungunya outbreak

Chikungunya is but the latest in a long line of diseases carried by mosquitoes, which include Malaria, Dengue Fever, Yellow Fever, Japanese Encephalitis, and the West Nile Encephalitis and causing 1 million deaths worldwide.

In 2007: Malaysia reported 200 chikungunya cases. In 2008: more than 3700 cases have occurred.

Today it has risen to 100 chikungunya cases per week.

For those visiting Malaysia

Please cover yourself from 17.00pm till 09.00am and use as much mosquito-repellant as possible! The dengue and chikungunya outbreak is here to stay.

Technorati Tags aedes, aedes mosquito, chikunguny outbreak, Chikungunya, dengue, mosquitoes