Kolkata International Financial Hub [Archive]

AbhishekDatta

March 29th, 2012, 04:42 AM

Twin towers to grace Rajarhat skyline
TNN | Mar 29, 2012, 01.11AM IST

KOLKATA: Rajarhat New Town will soon boast of have its own iconic 20-storeyed twin towers. The decision was made in a Housing Infrastructure and Development Corporation (Hidco) board meeting on Wednesday. HIDCO will soon float global tenders to set up the two 20-storeyed iconic twin towers in the upcoming international financial hub that will cost Rs 180 crore. This was decided in the Hidco board meeting on Wednesday.

The international hub - the foundation stone for which was laid by chief minister Mamata Banerjee on March 10 - will be a part of the country's Look East policy and is projected to be the second such facility in the country after Bandra Kurla in Mumbai.

Hidco chairman-cum-managing director Debashis Sen said that the twin towers will have state-of-the-art infrastructure necessary for the financial hub and will be located at prime positions within it. "We have decided to build the 20-storied twin towers for companies that want to set up offices in the financial hub. Hidco will soon float global bidsfor construction of the towers. The Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (ILFS) has been selected as the consultant to prepare bid documents," Sen said. It will cost Rs 180 crore to build these twin towers.

Also, the Synthesis building was renamed as Finance Centre on Wednesday's meeting. The Hidco board decided that floor space in it will be made available to financial institutions. Expressions of interest for the purpose will be invited soon.

On March 10 this year, chief minister Mamata Banerjee laid the foundation stone for the international financial hub.

Apart from being The hub will be a cluster to not only for banks and but also for other financial institutions like insurance firms, mutual funds and offshore banking firms, the hub - when fully operational - would generate employment for around two lakh professionalswhen fully set up.

Hidco has already floated expressions of interest to invite big financial houses with an annual turnover in excess of Rs 500 crore to set up offices in the hub. The last date of application is April 24.

Plots have already been allotted to two major public sector banks - Allahabad Bank and State Bank of India. The Calcutta Stock Exchange has also received a plot to set up a facility at the hub. The hub will be a part of the country's Look East policy and is projected to be the second such facility in the country after Bandra Kurla in Mumbai.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Twin-towers-to-grace-Rajarhat-skyline/articleshow/12447430.cms

BengaliTiger

March 29th, 2012, 04:43 AM

Twin towers to grace Rajarhat skyline

KOLKATA: Rajarhat New Town will soon boast of have its own iconic 20-storeyed twin towers. The decision was made in a Housing Infrastructure and Development Corporation (Hidco) board meeting on Wednesday. HIDCO will soon float global tenders to set up the two 20-storeyed iconic twin towers in the upcoming international financial hub that will cost Rs 180 crore. This was decided in the Hidco board meeting on Wednesday.

Also, the Synthesis building was renamed as Finance Centre on Wednesday's meeting. The Hidco board decided that floor space in it will be made available to financial institutions. Expressions of interest for the purpose will be invited soon.

Apart from being The hub will be a cluster to not only for banks and but also for other financial institutions like insurance firms, mutual funds and offshore banking firms, the hub - when fully operational - would generate employment for around two lakh professionalswhen fully set up.

Hidco has already floated expressions of interest to invite big financial houses with an annual turnover in excess of Rs 500 crore to set up offices in the hub. The last date of application is April 24.

Plots have already been allotted to two major public sector banks - Allahabad Bank and State Bank of India. The Calcutta Stock Exchange has also received a plot to set up a facility at the hub. The hub will be a part of the country's Look East policy and is projected to be the second such facility in the country after Bandra Kurla in Mumbai.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Twin-towers-to-grace-Rajarhat-skyline/articleshow/12447430.cms

Suncity

March 29th, 2012, 06:38 AM

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Twin-towers-to-grace-Rajarhat-skyline/articleshow/12447430.cms

Interesting. Here is a render from ABP mid 2010.

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/4448/kifctower2010abp.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/513/kifctower2010abp.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

Wonder if they will do a new design?

Rajarshi77

March 29th, 2012, 07:41 AM

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Twin-towers-to-grace-Rajarhat-skyline/articleshow/12447430.cms

Only 20 floors. :ohno:

It will look like a pigmy compared to the skyscrapers that are coming up in New Town.

Sumanb

March 29th, 2012, 09:14 AM

So will this tower come in a separate plot than the ones mentioned earlier in the thread?

soumalya747

March 29th, 2012, 01:08 PM

Only 20 floors. :ohno:

It will look like a pigmy compared to the skyscrapers that are coming up in New Town.

Even at BKC also you wont found a single building which is having more than 20 floors.
The Highest is I guess G+19.

studdmanster

March 29th, 2012, 06:06 PM

Interesting. Here is a render from ABP mid 2010.

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/4448/kifctower2010abp.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/513/kifctower2010abp.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

Wonder if they will do a new design?

ABP is now banned from sarkari libraries :nuts:

studdmanster

March 29th, 2012, 06:06 PM

Only 20 floors. :ohno:

It will look like a pigmy compared to the skyscrapers that are coming up in New Town.

:lol:

dayalbaba

March 30th, 2012, 03:15 PM

rajarshi, ektu barabari hoye gelo na ki ? :)

AbhishekDatta

April 6th, 2012, 06:49 PM

quoting Debashish Sen:

Presentation in SLBC on Financial Hub

I made a presentation on the Financial Hub to the State Level Bankers' Committee yesterday. This took place in the UBI Headquarters, in BBD Bag. Chairman UBI & Chairman SLBC presided. CGM Nabard, AGM RBI, AGM SBI and most other banks were present. Basically I explained the government's position and appealed to all to participate in the International Financial Hub.
Based on the feedback (as also in the pre-bid meeting held the day before), we took the following decisions:
(1) Public Sector Banks argued that more time was necessary for them to take all clearances. We agreed to extend the date till 15th May. This has been published in today's newspapers like Times of India.
(2) To prevent monopolisation, we agreed to insert a condition that no one can get more than one plot. A methodology has also been worked out, taking the suggestion of the bankers.
(3) To prevent frivolous applications, all applications would have to be accompanied by an earnest money. As suggested by insurance companies during the pre-bid, we agreed to accept the earnest money through electronic form too.

http://principalsecretarysblog.blogspot.com/

AbhishekDatta

April 7th, 2012, 12:04 AM

It talks about the twin tower
অর্থতালুকে ঠাঁই বাড়াতে
‘টুইন টাওয়ার’ নিউ টাউনে
রঞ্জন সেনগুপ্ত • কলকাতা

নিউ টাউনের প্রস্তাবিত অর্থতালুকে (ফিনান্সিয়াল হাব) আরও বেশি সংখ্যক লগ্নিকারীকে জায়গা করে দেওয়ার লক্ষ্যে সেখানে একজোড়া দীর্ঘ বহুতল গড়ে তোলার পরিকল্পনা করেছে হিডকো। ওই ‘টুইন টাওয়ার’-এর নকশা তৈরি ও নির্মাণকাজের জন্য আগামী এক মাসের মধ্যে ‘গ্লোবাল টেন্ডার’ ডাকা হবে। সংশ্লিষ্ট প্রক্রিয়ার দায়িত্ব দেওয়া হয়েছে ইনফ্রাস্ট্রাকচার লিজিং অ্যান্ড ফিনান্সিয়াল সার্ভিসেস (আইএল অ্যান্ড এফএস)-কে। হিডকো-র এই উদ্যোগকে স্বাগত জানিয়েছে স্টেট লেভেল ব্যাঙ্কারস কমিটি (এসএলবিসি)।
অর্থতালুক বা ফিনান্সিয়াল হাব’কে বলা যেতে পারে আর্থিক কর্মকাণ্ডের স্নায়ুকেন্দ্র। ব্যাঙ্ক, বিমা, মিউচুয়াল ফান্ড-সহ বিবিধ আর্থিক প্রতিষ্ঠান যেখানে ফ্রন্ট অফিস, শাখা অফিস, ডেটা অফিস খোলে। থাকে বিদেশি মুদ্রা বিনিময়, শেয়ার ও ঋণপত্র কেনা-বেচার বন্দোবস্ত। সোজা কথায়, এক চৌহদ্দির মধ্যে সংস্থা ও গ্রাহকের প্রয়োজনীয় বিভিন্ন আর্থিক পরিষেবার সংস্থান। বাম আমলে নিউ টাউনে তিনশো একর জমি নিয়ে যৌথ উদ্যোগে অর্থতালুক তৈরির যে পরিকল্পনা হয়েছিল, ক্ষমতায় এসে তা বাতিল করে দেন মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়। তাঁর সরকার জানিয়ে দেয়, অর্থতালুক হবে, তবে তা সরকার একাই করবে। বৃহস্পতিবার এসএলবিসি-র বৈঠকেও সরকারের এই মনোভাব স্পষ্ট করে দিয়েছেন হিডকো-র চেয়ারম্যান দেবাশিস সেন।
মুখ্যমন্ত্রীর পরিকল্পনামতো গত ১০ মার্চ দ্বিতীয় বারের জন্য নিউ টাউনে অর্থতালুকের উদ্বোধন হয়েছে। আর সূচনাতেই ঘোষণা হয়েছে, এই হাবে ব্যাঙ্ক, বিমার মতো আর্থিক প্রতিষ্ঠানের অফিস করতে নিউ টাউনের সবচেয়ে গুরুত্বপূর্ণ ‘সেন্ট্রাল বিজনেস ডিস্ট্রিক্ট’ (সিবিডি) এলাকায় পরিকাঠামোগত সুবিধা-সহ ২৫ একর জমি প্রস্তুত রাখা হয়েছে। তার কাছে ‘সিন্থেসিস’ নামে একটি বাড়িকেও অর্থতালুকের জন্য চিহ্নিত করা হয়। ভবনটির ছ’হাজার বর্গফুট জায়গা পাঁচ বছরের জন্য বিনিয়োগকারীদের ভাড়া দেবে হিডকো।
কিন্তু ভবিষ্যতের চাহিদার কথা ভেবে আরও এক পা এগোতে চাইছে সরকার। ‘টুইন টাওয়ার’-এর পরিকল্পনা তারই ফসল। অবশ্যই এ ক্ষেত্রে পরিকল্পনাকারীদের মাথায় আছে নিউইয়র্কের সেই প্রসিদ্ধ টুইন টাওয়ারের কথা। নিউ টাউনের জোড়া টাওয়ার তারই আদলে হবে ঠিকই, কিন্তু উচ্চতা হবে কম। কেন?
হিডকোর এক মুখপাত্র বলেন, “নিউ টাউন থেকে বিমানবন্দরের দূরত্ব মাত্র কয়েক কিলোমিটার। তাই চাইলেও ওখানে বেশি উঁচু বাড়ি তৈরি করা যাবে না।” তাই আপাতত স্থির হয়েছে, ১২০ মিটার (প্রায় ২৫তলা) উঁচু দু’টি অফিসবাড়ি পাশাপাশি মাথা তুলবে। ধরে নেওয়া হচ্ছে, নির্মাণসংস্থার নাম চূড়ান্ত হলে টাওয়ার দু’টো বানাতে বছর দুই লাগবে। আগ্রহী সংস্থাগুলোকে টুইন টাওয়ারে অফিস করার জায়গা দেওয়া হবে ‘লিজ’ ভিত্তিতে।
উদ্বোধনের পরে হাব তৈরির কাজ কতটা এগোল?
হিডকো-র দাবি, ‘সময়ের চেয়ে দ্রুত গতিতে’ কাজ এগোচ্ছে। ইতিমধ্যে ব্যাঙ্ক ও বিভিন্ন আর্থিক প্রতিষ্ঠানকে নিয়ে বৈঠক হয়েছে। সিবিডি-তে জমি চেয়ে ইতিমধ্যে দু’টি বেসরকারি ব্যাঙ্ক, কয়েকটি রাষ্ট্রায়ত্ত ব্যাঙ্ক, একটি বিদেশি ব্যাঙ্ক ও রাষ্ট্রায়ত্ত বিমা সংস্থা চিঠি দিয়েছে। যদিও সিবিডি’র ওই ২৫ একরে ‘প্লট’ সাকুল্যে ন’টি। চাহিদা বুঝে আরও জমি বরাদ্দ করতে পারে হিডকো।
নতুন অর্থতালুক যাত্রা শুরু করলেও বাম আমলেরটা বাতিল হল কেন, সে প্রশ্ন কিন্তু এখনও রাজ্যকে তাড়া করে ফিরছে। মহাকরণ-সূত্রের খবর: ইতিমধ্যে কেন্দ্রীয় অর্থ মন্ত্রকের ফিনান্স সার্ভিসেস সচিবকে চিঠি লিখে নতুন সরকারের অবস্থানের কথা জানিয়ে সকলের ‘সহযোগিতা’ চাওয়া হয়েছে। এ দিন এসএলবিসি-র বৈঠকেও বিভিন্ন ব্যাঙ্কের কর্তারা দেবাশিসবাবুর কাছে প্রসঙ্গটি উত্থাপন করলে তাঁদের জানিয়ে দেওয়া হয়, আগের যৌথ উদ্যোগ থেকে হিডকো বেরিয়ে এসেছে। রাজ্য সরকার এখন একাই প্রকল্পটি রূপায়ণ করবে। ব্যাঙ্ক-কর্তাদের উদ্দেশে বিনিয়োগের আহ্বান জানিয়ে দেবাশিসবাবু বলেন, “অর্থনীতির বিশেষজ্ঞেরা এক জায়গায় হলে নতুন নতুন ভাবনার উদয় হবে। অর্থতালুককে কেন্দ্র করে এই পরিবেশটাই সরকার তৈরি করতে চাইছে।”
এ দিকে ‘সিন্থেসিস’ নামের বাড়িটিতে জায়গা ভাড়া নিতে আবেদন জমা দেওয়ার শেষ তারিখ ছিল ২৪ এপ্রিল। ব্যাঙ্ক-কর্তাদের আর্জিতে সেই সময়সীমা বাড়িয়ে ১৫ মে করা হয়েছে। এ দিনের বৈঠকে প্রস্তাবিত ‘টুইন টাওয়ার’ সংক্রান্ত একটি উপস্থাপনাও পেশ করে হিডকো।

http://www.anandabazar.com/7bus1.html

Suncity

April 7th, 2012, 12:24 AM

I hope they will get an overwhelming response and there will be lots of 25 storey towers in this CBD. Mamata and Amit Mitra should start marketing this at a political level too to get all Public sector financial institutions of India to set up offices here.

:cheers:

NiladriG

April 7th, 2012, 07:02 AM

If more financial institutions are expressing interest in financial hub, they should immediately start marking more area under financial hub and upgrade the infrastructure of that area, if required. This way, they will be able to attract more companies to the hub.

ayan92

April 7th, 2012, 11:39 AM

Suncity

April 7th, 2012, 02:23 PM

^^ So this entire project is taking place on just 25 acres of land? What happened to the rest 300 acres, that was proposed for it by earlier regime? What I mean is, is just 25 acres going to be sufficient for this glorious project? Then I would also share Rajarshi's opinion towards limiting structures to just 20 floors. C'mon, like you gotta expand it either horizontally, or vertically. If this Project goes on to become a major success and fully flourished, wouldn't it be missing out the opportunity for its expansion?

Didi has cancelled the 300 acre project. That project was in partnership with a private company. Now Didi has identified a portion of land in CBD II and apparently wants no private partnership. This is despite her talking about private partnership in various projects. So that doesn't really make much sense. The real issue could be about land. But no valid reasons have been given to the public leaving a lot of scope for jalpona kalpona type news.

Looks at how GIFT in Gujarat (http://giftgujarat.in/home.aspx)is being handled. And how this project is being handled. A government agency like WBHIDCO or housing ministry - both of which have extremely bad track record - can never do justice to implementation, marketing and sales. They should just act like facilitators. They should definitely set up a separate company to handle this project and get staff from excellent public and private sector companies who know how to deliver. Maybe make someone who has good industry connections like Mr Amit Mitra the chairman or something.

Camouflage1989

April 9th, 2012, 02:03 PM

Rajarshi77

April 9th, 2012, 02:58 PM

rajarshi, ektu barabari hoye gelo na ki ? :)

Theek ache bhai.. 20 floors cholbe.. kintu tara tari banate hobe..

yudhajeet

April 10th, 2012, 03:04 PM

hey i am new to this forum and i would like to know that are there any chances of big multinational finance companies to venture into this project?? for example foreign banks, investment banking institutions?? like JPmorgan, morgan stanley, merill lynch etc???

n wats the status of the IT development in the new town region??? any new good news abt investments n projects here??

can u also tell me about all the current and the upcoming commercial projects in the newtown area???

Hi,
Here's my two cents:
I would like to split the whole gamut of investment banks/ international MNCs wrt to their operations:

1. Front office roles: Which deals with generation of business in India, through client advisory, executing transactions, institutional banking, etc

2. Support functions: Mid office operations, captive research

For #1, Mumbai is the place to be as it has the most liquid stock exchanges, thus proximity of institutional clients and thus business. No chance whatsoever of these guys setting up ops in Kolkata. Doesn't make sense from a business perspective.

For #2, yes there's a possibility that the support roles could be migrated from high cost areas such as Mumbai to Kolkata. However, it is contingent on the relevant IT infrastructure, human capital and low level of red tape governance.
Roles which can be set up in such a setting: Investment banking captive research, equity research back office (HSBC has a similar setup in Karunamoyee), advisory services through KPMG, Deloitte, EnY etc.

My understanding is, in the immediate future, first movers to this area would be bank operations from proper kolkata (mostly PSUs)

Let me know for any further doubts you may have.

Kind regards,
Yudhajeet

Camouflage1989

April 10th, 2012, 04:02 PM

then how can this international financial hub match up to the standards of the bandra kurla complex in mumbai????

Camouflage1989

April 10th, 2012, 04:06 PM

and 1 more thing...

Y focus on public sector banks??? wudnt it be better to attract more private finance institutions?? that would bring more development i guess....

yudhajeet

April 10th, 2012, 04:36 PM

then how can this international financial hub match up to the standards of the bandra kurla complex in mumbai????

Based on my opinion, it won't, unless there's a severe structural shift towards the same. Others may be able to provide better insights

yudhajeet

April 10th, 2012, 04:41 PM

and 1 more thing...

Y focus on public sector banks??? wudnt it be better to attract more private finance institutions?? that would bring more development i guess....

It is not about focusing on PSUs, but because of better integration between the government and state owned institutions, they'd be the first to be alloted. And btw, why do you say that private finance institutions would bring more development? Am just curious to know your reasoning behind the same

Camouflage1989

April 10th, 2012, 10:20 PM

Development as in i dnt mean development of state.....i am trying to say that privatisation is very important......the government sector is too weak....

studdmanster

May 3rd, 2012, 06:45 AM

cc: http://principalsecretarysblog.blogspot.in/

"On 30th April, we came to know that the SBI Board has agreed to set up their international standard bankers' training institute in New Town. This will be on a 10 acre plot, adjoining the CBD / Financial Hub...Today a team from SBI led by CGM Kolkata, DGM Bidhannagar etc met me at Hidco Bhavan and handed over the cheque."

Sumanb

May 3rd, 2012, 09:42 AM

I hope SBI does a fresh investment and just don't shift the existing departments from the city to New Town - then the primary purpose of the Hub will be defeated.

AbhishekDatta

May 4th, 2012, 01:15 AM

SBI buys 10 acre near Kolkata for Rs 58 crore to build training institute

KOLKATA: State Bank of India has acquired 10 acre at Rajarhat, the up and coming satellite township near Kolkata, to build a training institute. It has paid Rs 58 crore to the West Bengal government for the plot.

SBI said the training institute will come up near the proposed International Financial Hub at Rajarhat. Its chief general manager Suriender Kumar said the proposed institution will not only give training to its employees in the eastern zone, it will attract participants from banks in South East Asian countries and other neighbouring countries.

The country's largest bank has 2.20 lakh employees and training for such a large contingent is met through a two tier learning centres. It has international level institutes like the proposed one in Hyderabad, Gurgaon and Indore. It has learning centres established in 14 circles for imparting job knowledge, skill development and training to junior staffers.

The financial hub at Rajarhat will be the country's second after Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/banking/finance/banking/sbi-buys-10-acre-near-kolkata-for-rs-58-crore-to-build-training-institute/articleshow/12982109.cms

Sumanb

May 4th, 2012, 09:17 AM

That' what I apprehended, training institute, though good is not fit for a financial hub. Good that they have not taken the land inside the hub as that would dilute the whole proposition (40% of the land occupied by a training institute) of a financial hub.

studdmanster

May 4th, 2012, 11:39 AM

hmmm...:(....even the Principal Secy's blog said so!!

Camouflage1989

June 17th, 2012, 10:23 AM

whats the status of this international financial hub???

anan355

June 17th, 2012, 04:23 PM

whats the status of this international financial hub???

The dates for submission of interest has been extended to 31st July.

http://principalsecretarysblog.blogspot.in/2012/06/new-digha-gate-and-plots.html

Suncity

June 17th, 2012, 04:43 PM

anan355

June 17th, 2012, 08:46 PM

What does the extension mean? That they are not getting proper responses? They should at least be able to persuade domestic financial institutions to set up offices here.

This is exactly what I had asked Mr. Sen in the blog but he gave a mysterious reply which can signify anything.

What I feel strongly is that both LF and TMC lacks in one aspect. Proper marketing of the state.

On a separate note, during the earlier days the media and a section of poltical experts used to create a lot of hue and cry about how costly land was in New Town. Have land prices been reduced to make it more palatable for so called investors now?

Land price has touched a new height. Rs. 17 cr/ acre. Look at the comment by Mr. Sen. http://principalsecretarysblog.blogspot.in/2012/06/road-connection-again.html

samrat_m

June 17th, 2012, 10:25 PM

What does the extension mean? That they are not getting proper responses? They should at least be able to persuade domestic financial institutions to set up offices here. It is true that Bandra Kurla complex is still under development. So I guess this project will also take its own time.

At least it will shut up political critics who used to jump up and down on why New Town has taken so long to develop forgetting similar cases all across India. It will make them realize that twitter e boro boro batela marlei kaaj hoye na. Neither do socialist style forcing companies to set up factories in Purulia or Bankura work. Investors don't take directions from the government or self declared intellectuals nowadays.

On a separate note, during the earlier days the media and a section of poltical experts used to create a lot of hue and cry about how costly land was in New Town. Have land prices been reduced to make it more palatable for so called investors now?

Darun bolecho. :lol:

Though it is true that New Town prices in general have escalated in recent times, the land rates inside Finance Centre is controlled by Govt & they should keep it low enough to induce investors. Besides, I had read that domestic banking institutions like Allahabad Bank, SBI, UCO Bank had all taken up plots there. What happened to them?? Why dont they start work?? Are they waiting for the infrastructure to be fully put in place, like roads etc??

Sumanb

June 18th, 2012, 08:17 AM

NiladriG

June 25th, 2012, 12:45 PM

The govt is going through the tender route to get the maximum price. So no question about UBI/UCO already got the land (exception is SBI, which is opening up a training center :(

The govt is doing the right thing to get the maximum return out of the plots. If enough interest is not there, they can reduce the reserve price. I think all the earlier hue & cry was wrong .... it didn't help then and will not help now.

They need to include more area under financial hub and promote the hub and different business summits and meetings. A mere 25 acre won't do anything good for the hub. It has to be at least 100 acres to be a hub for different entities. Hope Hidco is earmarking further land for this.

Suncity

July 3rd, 2012, 04:50 AM

NiladriG

July 3rd, 2012, 06:58 AM

ABP reports in today's edition that the response from financial institutions is lukewarm. Only one company has shown interest till now despite the deadline having been extended thrice. The state govt has spent Rs 3 crores in advertisements/publicity. As the final date is 31st July, there is still some time remaining for financial institutions to submit their applications.

Someone wrote on principal seceretary's blog that they need to promote the hub all over the country. The govt. in WB doesn't promote anything, be it tourism or financial hub. Unless they do aggressive promotion like Gujarat, business houses will stay away due to negative perception about WB. They need to highlight why it's different from other places and why it will be the benefits of setting up office here. Can't believe that IAS officers don't have this much IQ also. :bash:

NiladriG

July 15th, 2012, 06:18 AM

Reflection of the lack of proper industrial policy. :ohno:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Rajarhat-hub-gets-one-bid-in-4-months/articleshow/14917245.cms

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had laid the foundation stone of the international financial hub at Rajarhat New Town in March amid huge publicity and expectations. Four months have passed since then, but the much-hyped hub has managed to attract only a single investment proposal all this while.

Union minister of state for urban development Saugata Roy on Saturday said he will call an investors' meet in Delhi to convince them to invest their money on the hub. Speaking at a seminar on 'Densification of Cities', organised by Hidco on Saturday, Roy said , "The urban development ministry will hold a meeting in Delhi soon with big financial and banking institutes to discuss investment possibilities," Roy said.

With only a single application in its kitty, Hidco has now extended the deadline till July 31 for submitting applications for setting up offices in the financial hub. Big financial houses with an annual turnover of an excess of Rs 500 crore are eligible to set up offices in the hub.

The hub, when fully completed, will spread on 100 acre. In the first phase, it will come up on 25 acre only. Also, the floor space in Synthesis building, which is a part of the hub, will also be available for the companies interested in setting up units here.

At Saturday's seminar, Roy assured that the second phase of work under the JNNURM scheme will start off within a few months. The first phase of work is scheduled to be completed by 2014.

Speaking in the seminar, union urban development ministry secretary Sudhir Krishna said that the main challenge of urbanisation is to accommodate the increasing number of people. ther importance is to set up multi storied flats rather than individual plots to accommodate more people in the same area.

Focusing on New Town, it was reflected in the seminar that the city's transport system, overall look, growth and natural resources need to overhauled to attract investments. More stress should be given on community transport and look into checking pollution.

Suncity

July 21st, 2012, 06:22 PM

In the previous version of Financial Hub, weren't many more Banks interested in setting up offices here? What's changed now? Let's see what finally materializes after July 31st.

Rajarshi77

July 22nd, 2012, 06:22 AM

To my mind following reasons weigh against the Newtown financial hub:

1) Weak economy- Out of the 4 geographical zones, Eastern part of India is the weakest in terms of economic strength. Hence requirement of banking/ financial sector to set up a large hub in Kolkata is limited.
2) Better options- People like conducive environment to do business. They wont like to have unpredictable political parties as rulers of the state. And in WB both the ruling and opposition parties are whimsical. Any long term investor will prefer cities like Ahmedabad who have stable government and consistent policies.
3) Mis-marketing- Who says our politicians are not marketing our state. They are marketing our state big time. But in a negative sense. They keep sending wrong signals (STAY AWAY) to investors.

NiladriG

July 22nd, 2012, 06:41 AM

AmitavaGhosh

July 22nd, 2012, 09:57 PM

There are no interest for financial hub because:

1. Too much political interference in everything.
2. No investor friendly policy.
3. Non-cooperation by the administration.
4. Unstable business environment.
5. Very poor promotion for the financial hub.

Govt. thinks that since Ma-Mati-manush sarkar has formed, investors will be running after them. In fact they are repeating the same mistake done by LF.

No, I don't agree with them..such problems are rampant everywhere in India..look at maruti gurgaon for instance; there were perennial problems in cotton mills in Mumbai;land acquisition is a problem almost everywhere;Bangalore has 3 CMs in the past 1 year;Hyderabad has a very serious telengana issue, but these things don't deter investment prospects there.
I agree governance plays an important part in industry.But I think that's just part of the problem.The real problem with bengal is it's argumentative elites and it's diaspora.They have created such a negative image about bengal to the rest of the world that we are still grappling to come out of problems which we had resolved long back.
I don't know what intellectual orgasm do they enjoy when they project Bengal in such a low light.Like, "look at the that goddam place we left, still fighting over communism, strikes, lock outs etc etc".
Such perceptions are hard to get over by, unless projected properly by the media and accentuated by the non resident bengalis to the investment fraternity(which, unfortunately, is mostly outside bengal).
I have stayed in all major Indian cities during the lat 5 years, and what really upsets me is that Kolkata as a city is much more fundamentally strong than many metro cities.Yet, investments scenario in Kolkata is bleak ; people still look down at Kolkata as a 'failed city'.
Say for example,
Electricity: Kolkata much better than gurgaon, hyd or bangalore.
Water availability: Probably the best city in this perspective.
Public transport : cheap;huge, if not in quality but quantity wise.Non existent in Gurgaon, autos are awful in bang,hyd.
Health: Very good network of private hospitals.
Strikes: We have put them behind.
Education:very good public colleges and private schools, also the private engg colleges are good.
Government:boisterous but stable.:)
Roads:Probably one aspect that Kolkata lacks behind.But it is good in sector 5 ,Rajarhat.

Stranger99

July 22nd, 2012, 10:05 PM

:ohno::ohno:.. it looks like another project on its way to bite the dust. As Suncity correctly states marketing is the most important factor in todays world, this is more so for bengal especially after 30 yrs of Left rule that literally destroys the base of industrial structure of WB. But our honorable CM seems to be taking ahead the legacy of Jyoti Basu. 'Tata babu' der hatiye she came to power and now it seems she placed central govt in place of Left Govt (earlier) and continues her saster rajniti. :bash: Currently the entire political scenario is extremely bleak & unorganised in WB interms of overall activities. All the member in party seems to be busy making their didi happy. Just take a small example, after the Maruti suzuki manesar plant incident, when Modi is busy to convince Suzuki to shift the plant in Gujrat (i recently heard Jagadish Shettar & Prithviraj Chavan have also initiated the talk), did we hear anything from our political head? Not only that our media (Calcutta Telegraph - i read few days back, sorry can not provide the link) is busy in justifying the workers reaction is a subtle way!!!:ohno: If this is the approach of our political parties as well as Media what more can we expect!!!!! On the other hand our CM & FM has been singing the song the 'Koti takar investment eseche' & per capita income of Bengal people is now higher that national avg.. :lol: (recently read some where in recently concluded TMC rally in Esplanade). such a joke. I know i asked this question many time but really does any one know what this billion doller investment they kept taking about? Any agreement or MoU has been signed? We get to hear atleast the fact during Budhdha's rule. Can anyone provide the facts. I really wanted to know on a serious note.

AbhishekDatta

July 22nd, 2012, 10:17 PM

No, I don't agree with them..such problems are rampant everywhere in India..look at maruti gurgaon for instance; there were perennial problems in cotton mills in Mumbai;land acquisition is a problem almost everywhere;Bangalore has 3 CMs in the past 1 year;Hyderabad has a very serious telengana issue, but these things don't deter investment prospects there.
I agree governance plays an important part in industry.But I think that's just part of the problem.The real problem with bengal is it's argumentative elites and it's diaspora.They have created such a negative image about bengal to the rest of the world that we are still grappling to come out of problems which we had resolved long back.
I don't know what intellectual orgasm do they enjoy when they project Bengal in such a low light.Like, "look at the that goddam place we left, still fighting over communism, strikes, lock outs etc etc".
Such perceptions are hard to get over by, unless projected properly by the media and accentuated by the non resident bengalis to the investment fraternity(which, unfortunately, is mostly outside bengal).
I have stayed in all major Indian cities during the lat 5 years, and what really upsets me is that Kolkata as a city is much more fundamentally strong than many metro cities.Yet, investments scenario in Kolkata is bleak ; people still look down at Kolkata as a 'failed city'.
Say for example,
Electricity: Kolkata much better than gurgaon, hyd or bangalore.
Water availability: Probably the best city in this perspective.
Public transport : cheap;huge, if not in quality but quantity wise.Non existent in Gurgaon, autos are awful in bang,hyd.
Health: Very good network of private hospitals.
Strikes: We have put them behind.
Education:very good public colleges and private schools, also the private engg colleges are good.
Government:boisterous but stable.:)
Roads:Probably one aspect that Kolkata lacks behind.But it is good in sector 5 ,Rajarhat.

perfectly crafted and very true... sob bisoye expert comment mara r nak shitkonor jonnei ei haal ....let some good sense prevail

Suncity

July 22nd, 2012, 10:29 PM

The quizmasters, bibek debroys, didis, telegraphs, abps, bartamans were the biggest demonizers of Bengal in the past several years with a lot of negative fiction propaganda.

Not sure why nobody advised them then of not to cut the nose of the state just to gain the throne of Bengal. In fact a huge section of folks actually cheered them on.

:nuts:

anirban_ban

July 22nd, 2012, 11:04 PM

No, I don't agree with them..such problems are rampant everywhere in India..look at maruti gurgaon for instance; there were perennial problems in cotton mills in Mumbai;land acquisition is a problem almost everywhere;Bangalore has 3 CMs in the past 1 year;Hyderabad has a very serious telengana issue, but these things don't deter investment prospects there.
I agree governance plays an important part in industry.But I think that's just part of the problem.The real problem with bengal is it's argumentative elites and it's diaspora.They have created such a negative image about bengal to the rest of the world that we are still grappling to come out of problems which we had resolved long back.
I don't know what intellectual orgasm do they enjoy when they project Bengal in such a low light.Like, "look at the that goddam place we left, still fighting over communism, strikes, lock outs etc etc".
Such perceptions are hard to get over by, unless projected properly by the media and accentuated by the non resident bengalis to the investment fraternity(which, unfortunately, is mostly outside bengal).
I have stayed in all major Indian cities during the lat 5 years, and what really upsets me is that Kolkata as a city is much more fundamentally strong than many metro cities.Yet, investments scenario in Kolkata is bleak ; people still look down at Kolkata as a 'failed city'.
Say for example,
Electricity: Kolkata much better than gurgaon, hyd or bangalore.
Water availability: Probably the best city in this perspective.
Public transport : cheap;huge, if not in quality but quantity wise.Non existent in Gurgaon, autos are awful in bang,hyd.
Health: Very good network of private hospitals.
Strikes: We have put them behind.
Education:very good public colleges and private schools, also the private engg colleges are good.
Government:boisterous but stable.:)
Roads:Probably one aspect that Kolkata lacks behind.But it is good in sector 5 ,Rajarhat.

I agree with most points with Amitava. All cities and cultures which have grown big have had their local entrepreneurs, who had dreamt big. Bengali (Fake) Intellectualism is the main culprit, to my mind. They talk a lot and do very little, and often do not practice what idealism they preach.

AbhishekDatta

July 22nd, 2012, 11:06 PM

@sun what quizmasters,didis did was perfectly correct as a politician or as an aspiring one...they time and again made it clear that nothing was against any industry if you are concerned about singur protests...do u expect current opposition will sit quietly if incidents like singur/nandigram/netai happens...an will that be correct?

bad press that Bengal got during last 10-15 yrs of Jyoti Basu's rule was perfectly fair... he is responsible for the entire mess we see now..Budhdha babu tried to resolve that mess but created a bigger mess of mass murder because of his futile ego and communists inspired execution style...Budhdha babu was never criticized for his stance on industry in fact the same telegraphs and abps were jumping in joy for the brand budhdha and rightly so... if surjakantas or bimandas make some negative fiction now one should not care because that is what their role is..

the whole point is bengal has seen a change after a generation and its not like Mr. yeddy going out and Mr. shettar coming in....

I understand if we criticize when Infosys actually decides to leave or Jindal decides to walk away..those are major happenings and should be criticized if and when it happens...but nowadays it has become a fashion to propagate expert comments to each and every things... eta hochchena,ota erokom hole bhalo hoto,dhush rongta thik manachche na,amar abar maroon pochondo,issh akhono start holo na(tarpor haturi mara chobi) .... sick of it!!!

Suncity

July 22nd, 2012, 11:29 PM

AbhishekDatta

July 22nd, 2012, 11:31 PM

If the current opposition does what Didi did in Singur, I would be opposing them too. Driving out the Tatas was a big mistake.

I have already stated several times that I like the initiatives taken to beautify the city.

I only want this new government to give up socialist left wing nonsense when it comes to business and economy. Is that too much to expect?

Tatas unfortunate exit was a fall out of a completely different cause...I don't regret the cause...and Sun I guess u know that everyone in this forum or in general is not as objective as you...so u don't fall in that naak shitkono category...:)

anirban_ban

July 23rd, 2012, 01:58 AM

If the current opposition does what Didi did in Singur, I would be opposing them too. Driving out the Tatas was a big mistake.

I have already stated several times that I like the initiatives taken to beautify the city.

I only want this new government to give up socialist left wing nonsense when it comes to business and economy. Is that too much to expect?

Sun, Didi did what an aspiring politician should be doing, capitalizing on the grievances of the people, though I do not support Tata's leaving. But my point is what Didi did was a reaction to what the police did for vacating the land. The Govt of the day needs to understand that you can not throw out people from their residences by lathicharge for industry. It was utter foolishness and Buddha babu paid the price for that.

Suncity

July 23rd, 2012, 02:38 AM

Sun, Didi did what an aspiring politician should be doing, capitalizing on the grievances of the people, though I do not support Tata's leaving. But my point is what Didi did was a reaction to what the police did for vacating the land. The Govt of the day needs to understand that you can not throw out people from their residences by lathicharge for industry. It was utter foolishness and Buddha babu paid the price for that.

The land was acquired using a certain law which is controversial but legal. No wonder the Kolkata High court ruled that it was legal many years ago.

Nobody's residence was taken away as far as I know. And everybody who was legally entitled was offered compensation.

Yes there are issues about whether compensation was enough or not, whether the law was controversial or not, whether non owners also were entitled to compensation.

Politicians like Mamata ad Buddha will come and go. They will never pay any price. Bengal paid the price for the obstinacy drama of 400 acres.

Suncity

July 23rd, 2012, 03:14 AM

West Bengal has potential. It is for the current government to make sure the investments happen.

Live investment proposals till end of 2011 as per Assocham study (http://assocham.org/prels/shownews.php?id=3323)

Gujarat Rs 16.28 lakh crore
Maharashtra Rs 14.14 lakh crore
Andhra Pradesh Rs 12.09 lakh crore
Odisha Rs 12.09 lakh crore
Karnataka Rs 9.85 lakh crore
Tamil Nadu Rs 9.13 lakh crore
Jharkhand Rs 7.16 lakh crore
West Bengal Rs 6.23 lakh crore
Madhya Pradesh Rs 5.65 lakh crore,
Uttar Pradesh Rs 5.38 lakh crore,
Haryana Rs 4.98 lakh crore,
Chhattisgarh Rs 4.56 lakh crore
Rajasthan Rs 2.54 lakh crore
Bihar Rs 2.38 lakh crore
Punjab Rs 2.16 lakh crore
Kerala Rs 2.12 lakh crore
Jammu and Kashmir Rs 1.11 lakh crore
Uttarakhand Rs 1.07 lakh crore
Himachal Pradesh Rs 84,062 crore
Assam Rs 58,179 crore

Interestingly (http://www.assocham.org/prels/shownews.php?id=3591) of its total investment of Rs 4.98 lakh crore as on December 2011, the real estate sector accounted for Rs 2.48 lakh crore in Haryana, which has other towns like Faridabad, Sonepat, Ambala, Panipat and Karnal where the realty sector is growing fast, even though they are no match for Gurgaon. The other states attracting sizeable interest in the sector included Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Punjab, according to the study on investment pattern mostly in the last one decade.

Stranger99

July 23rd, 2012, 04:13 AM

Finally some stats... thanks Suncity.
WestBengal has definitely potential-whether its geographic or socio economic or in terms of human resource.Had it not been the case British would have never made Kolkata as their capital. West Bengal on whole was fine until 70s when Left came on power. Since then we all know what happened. And i agree, these intellactuals are all paler goda..all lectures and does nothing. Unfortunately certain section of media also give them unnecessary support & publicity.

As for AmitavaGhosh, post i agree with him partially. Due to my job i had the opportunity to live not only out side of West Bengal but outside of India as well.

Investments scenario in Kolkata is bleak ; people still look down at Kolkata as a 'failed city'.
Say for example,
Electricity: Kolkata much better than gurgaon, hyd or bangalore.
Water availability: Probably the best city in this perspective.
Public transport : cheap;huge, if not in quality but quantity wise.Non existent in Gurgaon, autos are awful in bang,hyd.
Health: Very good network of private hospitals.
Strikes: We have put them behind.
Education:very good public colleges and private schools, also the private engg colleges are good.
Government:boisterous but stable.:)
Roads:Probably one aspect that Kolkata lacks behind.But it is good in sector 5 ,Rajarhat.
Point No -2: Water availibility is good not because of Govt policy but due to Maa Ganga & partially the British made Talar Tank. The way water has been wated in Kolkata , you can not see anywhere else in the world.It should be stopped immidiately else Kolkata would be no better than Chennai/Bangalore. But i dont see that happening in near future.Last time when left govt tried to impose tax on water, which i think very pracitcal approach our didi opposed it strongly for so called 'Sadharon manusher opor bojha'. Even in US where there is no such crisis of water still each & every one pays a certain amount for that (dont get me wrong, i am not comparing US & Ind)
Point No -3: No doubt public transport is huge & cheap but at the same time the quality & service is pathetic, probably the wrost in all the metros in India. I have lived in Chennai & Delhi, their transporation system is far better & much more organised. When you get out of your house in Kolkata you truely take your life in your hand. Those contractors & their driving, the less we say the better for them. The whole trafiic system is simply unbearable.
Point No -4: Strikes - yes there is marked improvement in last couple of years. But still we have the calture of meeting-michil-mahamichil etc making the entire city stand still, example recent TMC rally in esplanade. We need to get rid of such calture asap.
Point No -5: Government: Stability is definitely most important factor but its not all. Left ruled WB for 30 yrs - what happened we all can see. Lalu/Rabri rules Bihar for almost 15 yrs - we all know wht happend. If the policy & the politicans are not performaing then its better to have change in every 5 yrs than having the same non performing govt yr after yr. WB is the wrost example of this along with Bihar.
Point No -6: Roads: This is probably the most important aspect of infrastructure. And Kolkata along with the rest of bengal is lagging behind like anything. Maharashtra/TN/AP/Gujrat even UP made huge stride in this regard. Chennai is the most dramatic change you can imagine when i went recently its truely magical. Kolkata stands far behind against all the other tier I cities. This hawker calture & 'jabar dakhal; has given kolkata a kind of village look. One Sector V or a section of Rajarhat will not change the overall picture.

NiladriG

July 23rd, 2012, 06:48 AM

NiladriG

July 23rd, 2012, 06:51 AM

Finally some stats... thanks Suncity.
WestBengal has definitely potential-whether its geographic or socio economic or in terms of human resource.Had it not been the case British would have never made Kolkata as their capital. West Bengal on whole was fine until 70s when Left came on power. Since then we all know what happened. And i agree, these intellactuals are all paler goda..all lectures and does nothing. Unfortunately certain section of media also give them unnecessary support & publicity.

As for AmitavaGhosh, post i agree with him partially. Due to my job i had the opportunity to live not only out side of West Bengal but outside of India as well.

Point No -2: Water availibility is good not because of Govt policy but due to Maa Ganga & partially the British made Talar Tank. The way water has been wated in Kolkata , you can not see anywhere else in the world.It should be stopped immidiately else Kolkata would be no better than Chennai/Bangalore. But i dont see that happening in near future.Last time when left govt tried to impose tax on water, which i think very pracitcal approach our didi opposed it strongly for so called 'Sadharon manusher opor bojha'. Even in US where there is no such crisis of water still each & every one pays a certain amount for that (dont get me wrong, i am not comparing US & Ind)
Point No -3: No doubt public transport is huge & cheap but at the same time the quality & service is pathetic, probably the wrost in all the metros in India. I have lived in Chennai & Delhi, their transporation system is far better & much more organised. When you get out of your house in Kolkata you truely take your life in your hand. Those contractors & their driving, the less we say the better for them. The whole trafiic system is simply unbearable.
Point No -4: Strikes - yes there is marked improvement in last couple of years. But still we have the calture of meeting-michil-mahamichil etc making the entire city stand still, example recent TMC rally in esplanade. We need to get rid of such calture asap.
Point No -5: Government: Stability is definitely most important factor but its not all. Left ruled WB for 30 yrs - what happened we all can see. Lalu/Rabri rules Bihar for almost 15 yrs - we all know wht happend. If the policy & the politicans are not performaing then its better to have change in every 5 yrs than having the same non performing govt yr after yr. WB is the wrost example of this along with Bihar.
Point No -6: Roads: This is probably the most important aspect of infrastructure. And Kolkata along with the rest of bengal is lagging behind like anything. Maharashtra/TN/AP/Gujrat even UP made huge stride in this regard. Chennai is the most dramatic change you can imagine when i went recently its truely magical. Kolkata stands far behind against all the other tier I cities. This hawker calture & 'jabar dakhal; has given kolkata a kind of village look. One Sector V or a section of Rajarhat will not change the overall picture.

Yes, I agree, Kolkata needs to present itself as a clean, green city of future. Rampant political patronage of hawkers will make it look like a big slum. With the new terminal going to be operational soon, the cityside also needs to be spruced up to a great extent to leave a positive impression on a visitor.

NiladriG

July 23rd, 2012, 06:56 AM

niljee

July 23rd, 2012, 07:29 AM

Mamata will never give up socialist agenda, because that's what fetches her good number of votes. The strategy is talk about poor all the time, keep the state poor and do nothing.

Just before last Assembly elections somebody said the choice is between the Philosophy of poverty and Poverty of Philosophy. MB is now blending them together with great dexterity.

Sumanb

July 23rd, 2012, 11:30 AM

As far as economic development is concerned, the current govt is all talk and no substance. If cheap talk can get you vote, why not? Any complaint, blame central govt, 'Prabasi', media etc. Its the formual preached by JB and is now being put into perfection by MB.

soumalya747

July 23rd, 2012, 02:03 PM

Yes, I agree, Kolkata needs to present itself as a clean, green city of future. Rampant political patronage of hawkers will make it look like a big slum. With the new terminal going to be operational soon, the cityside also needs to be spruced up to a great extent to leave a positive impression on a visitor.

Look Mr. try to understand, Hawker problem is not a short term problem. It's a long term problem. There are more than 1 lakhs hawkers you can find at Kolkata. if suddenly you evict all of them two major problems will raise up.

1. Unemployment rates will go up.

2. Crime rates will go up.

So before evict those hawkers Govt has to create jobs for them which will take time.And also give them proper shops for doing business.

And firstly we have to change our mentality and thinking. For an example if you go to Dalhousi Square or Park street areas, you can fine lots of Big Big officers are purchasing lunch/snacks from those food hawkers. Recently when I went to South City I've seen a man who purchased cloths from FCUK and ESPIRIT had Pani Puri from outside Hawkers.

If we do not buy any single product from those hawkers and if Govt is really keen to solve this hawker problem then only we can get relief from this terrible Hawker problem.

NiladriG

July 23rd, 2012, 02:31 PM

Look Mr. try to understand, Hawker problem is not a short term problem. It's a long term problem. There are more than 1 lakhs hawkers you can find at Kolkata. if suddenly you evict all of them two major problems will raise up.

1. Unemployment rates will go up.

2. Crime rates will go up.

So before evict those hawkers Govt has to create jobs for them which will take time.And also give them proper shops for doing business.

And firstly we have to change our mentality and thinking. For an example if you go to Dalhousi Square or Park street areas, you can fine lots of Big Big officers are purchasing lunch/snacks from those food hawkers. Recently when I went to South City I've seen a man who purchased cloths from FCUK and ESPIRIT had Pani Puri from outside Hawkers.

If we do not buy any single product from those hawkers and if Govt is really keen to solve this hawker problem then only we can get relief from this terrible Hawker problem.

By your logic, we should stop going by cars, since rickshawwallahs will become unemployed. Don't talk like a "goriiber neta". As long as hawkers are there people will buy from them. The divide between rich and poor keeps increasing, so no point beating the pro-poor drum. If not at once, hawkers have to be removed in phases.

soumalya747

July 23rd, 2012, 02:40 PM

By your logic, we should stop going by cars, since rickshawwallahs will become unemployed. Don't talk like a "goriiber neta". As long as hawkers are there people will buy from them. The divide between rich and poor keeps increasing, so no point beating the pro-poor drum. If not at once, hawkers have to be removed in phases.

Look dude what I said is not my thinking/ideas. Last month I mate Honorable Finance minister Mr. Amit Mitra in a meeting where I asked about this Hawker Problem. So he described me and that's what I shared with you.

Now hawker problem is not in your hand not in mine. neither you can solve nor I. So no more discussion please.

niljee

July 23rd, 2012, 03:34 PM

Look dude what I said is not my thinking/ideas. Last month I mate Honorable Finance minister Mr. Amit Mitra in a meeting where I asked about this Hawker Problem. So he described me and that's what I shared with you.

Now hawker problem is not in your hand not in mine. neither you can solve nor I. So no more discussion please.

A followup question to Mr. Amit Mitra could have been that what is his government doing to reduce unemployment? Although the CM claims every now and then that she has already created employment for 3-5 lakhs people, a little more perspective from the FM would have been good.

NiladriG

July 23rd, 2012, 03:53 PM

^^ The political parties get hafta and votes from the hawkers, then they want us to pay for the rehabilitation. This is outright ridiculous. Unless hawkers are gone, Kolkata will always be portrayed as "dying or decaying city".

anirban_ban

July 23rd, 2012, 04:33 PM

The land was acquired using a certain law which is controversial but legal. No wonder the Kolkata High court ruled that it was legal many years ago.

Nobody's residence was taken away as far as I know. And everybody who was legally entitled was offered compensation.

Yes there are issues about whether compensation was enough or not, whether the law was controversial or not, whether non owners also were entitled to compensation.

Politicians like Mamata ad Buddha will come and go. They will never pay any price. Bengal paid the price for the obstinacy drama of 400 acres.

I do not get it. I saw people getting beaten up in their homes.
What is the value of compensation, if tomorrow Govt sends Police to your home and beats you up for your farmland ? Industrialization is important and necessary, I do get that part. But was that the way ?

Suncity

July 23rd, 2012, 07:42 PM

I do not get it. I saw people getting beaten up in their homes.
What is the value of compensation, if tomorrow Govt sends Police to your home and beats you up for your farmland ? Industrialization is important and necessary, I do get that part. But was that the way ?

You saw people getting beaten up in their homes? The police just came and beat them up? or the hooligans of CPM? What was the context? Where they blocking highways? Throwing stones at police? Or just having chit chat in house and the police came in and beat them up?

I agree that the government should never use force where it is not needed. Peaceful protests that do not harm others is acceptable in a democracy. Also using guns to do crowd control is unacceptable unless of course it is some armed terror group (naxalites or external).

However the govt should have surely used force against all the politicians who blocked a national highway for days. That was a big mistake on part of the adminstration for not taking tough action. But then their hands were tied. Politicians know that they cannot be touched and that is why they incite violence, indulge in cheap drama.

AmitavaGhosh

July 23rd, 2012, 09:45 PM

You saw people getting beaten up in their homes? The police just came and beat them up? or the hooligans of CPM? What was the context? Where they blocking highways? Throwing stones at police? Or just having chit chat in house and the police came in and beat them up?

I agree that the government should never use force where it is not needed. Peaceful protests that do not harm others is acceptable in a democracy. Also using guns to do crowd control is unacceptable unless of course it is some armed terror group (naxalites or external).

However the govt should have surely used force against all the politicians who blocked a national highway for days. That was a big mistake on part of the adminstration for not taking tough action. But then their hands were tied. Politicians know that they cannot be touched and that is why they incite violence, indulge in cheap drama.

Land acquisition in the present form is absolutely unacceptable to me.Ditto, abhishek and others I don't regret the cause of the protest.Though as you say it's legal but my conscience doesn't support it,it's too heartless.You just can't evict people from their homes(mind you, it's not like slums where people have just occupied illegally;it's their ancestral property and they have been living here for ages) and rob them of their livelihood for some industry in exchange for some cash.

Problem with Buddha and his ilk is that they are too much intellectual to understand the basic needs of poor people.Sure we need land for industries and everybody wants industries, even the farmers.They why this kolaveri di?

My understanding and suggestions:
a)Money, though tangible, is essentially a very intangible asset.It cannot guarantee a future unless used efficiently.Let me start by asking you a simple question:how many of us are willing to leave their jobs for a decent sum of money?I guess, few of us, maybe more.But if I ask you to relinquish all your degrees for a sum of money, how many of us are willing to do that? I doubt if any.So robbing a farmer of his land is like taking away our degrees and making us incompetent for the rest of the life.A farmer knows no other means of livelihood except farming.
b)Money is a risky and depreciating asset,a sum of money which is sufficient today might not be 5 years hence.Land on the other-hand is a secure and appreciating asset. Everybody understands that.
So money, unless huge and impractical, cannot win you easy access to land for industry of any other purpose.So we have to think about alternatives.
Suggestions:
a) A poor farmer is essentially an insecure person.Land is the only means of his sustenance, that's the main fear of letting go his land.Also since land is fragmented so at best they can get is a few thousands and maybe a few lucky ones get a few lakhs. So why not address his basic insecurities of life first.Make a rule that whenever land is acquired each person and his family will get a health insurance and life insurance, premium of which will be borne by the govt.The cost of education of his children till graduation will be borne by the govt.
b)Each person will be given free vocational training on another means of livelihood.If possible, will be absorbed in some industry as well.
c)On top of it, he will get a monthly royalty based on the quantum of land he holds,revised every 5 years, rather than one time payment.

This has a 2 way advantage. The initial cost of acquiring the land would be low, also they can make a pack with the company that they will bear these insurance costs in the future in exemption for some taxes.

I think this will be a far more effective policy of acquiring land than what is being practiced today.

AmitavaGhosh

July 23rd, 2012, 10:19 PM

I understand if we criticize when Infosys actually decides to leave or Jindal decides to walk away..those are major happenings and should be criticized if and when it happens...but nowadays it has become a fashion to propagate expert comments to each and every things... eta hochchena,ota erokom hole bhalo hoto,dhush rongta thik manachche na,amar abar maroon pochondo,issh akhono start holo na(tarpor haturi mara chobi) .... sick of it!!!

Totally agree with you here Abhishek.Moreover,I think the impact here is much more severe than mere criticism and its repercussions.Most of the urban people here are functional voters, their current affairs interest lie in just skimming through the headlines in the morning.They take the news at face value; so it's very easy for the media to mobilize a bias among the urban young people. The case with rural voters is just the opposite, who don't read the news and judge performance solely based on actual results.They will judge on whether they got their subsidized grains or not, whether a road was built or not, whether law and order situation improved or not.
But the urban voters' bias can be mobilised by bombarding them with sensationalism like some professor got arrested, somebody threw a mug, painting a bridge in blue is her eccentricity, gifting hillary clinton vivekananda's work is a sign of banality etc etc ...nonsense.
The english media thinks it's too smart but overestimates it reach.But the point is, more the urban voters get disillusioned by the govt, more the policies will shift away from them and focus on rural areas.So by unnecessary criticism we are here more to lose than the govt, who will then bank on entirely rural votebank and give a damm about urban voters.
This is entirely the story of CPIM, while we were growing up we always heard that kolkata is against CPM but everytime they got elected to power through rural votebanks and our city kept on decaying further.

Suncity

July 23rd, 2012, 10:58 PM

Land acquisition in the present form is absolutely unacceptable to me.Ditto, abhishek and others I don't regret the cause of the protest.Though as you say it's legal but my conscience doesn't support it,it's too heartless.You just can't evict people from their homes(mind you, it's not like slums where people have just occupied illegally;it's their ancestral property and they have been living here for ages) and rob them of their livelihood for some industry in exchange for some cash.

Did anyone in Singur lose their house?

The problem is there were a lot more landless claimants in Singur than estimated. They worked off that land so provision for all of them should have been made. But these could be resolved through discussions. Instead it was an ego issue of return of 400 acres of land. BTW why not 275 acres or 160.5 acres? Why 400 acres?

Your suggestions are good. Someone has to explore the practical side of it.

We have already had lots of dream discussions of how we can pack off industries to places where there is no infrastructure and where nobody wants to live. It sounds nice in theory but it will not happen. The investors will go to Vietnam instead. Of course we can collectively show the finger to the investors and say who cares. We are happy farming.

And when it comes to industries this is our policy - We want industries. But you cannot build them near the coast. You cannot build polluting industries. You cannot build on or near forest areas. You cannot build them in agricultural land. You cannot build them on or near mountains. You cannot build them near rivers. You cannot build them near highways. You cannot build them near populated places. With such a policy who would want to come to WB unless the govt puts out the red carpet with freebies and land?

amibangali

July 24th, 2012, 04:10 AM

"Didi did what an aspiring politician should be doing.capitalizing on the grievances of the people"

Don't agree at all.Going by the same logic,I think you are supporting the kashmir movement, northeast separist movement even Gorkhaland movement in West Bengal. In all the cases if you hear their logic,I am pretty sure they will show you some good reason for their movement be it underdevelopments,religion, discriminations based on races;cultural difference. Tomorow if any leader stand by them and support their separation, would you just take it he is just trying to capitalize on the grevience of the people.What wrong did Raj Thakery did when he started movement against North Indian . Everybody know that in mumbai the Marathis are not very happy due to huge increase in number of people from Other state. Raj tries to capitalize on that and initially gained Vote . But do you support that? This type of movements is called Opportunism and not a sign of great leader. Opportunism politics is played based on people's grievances only to gain the "Kursi".I feel the sign of great leader is to hear both sides,see the bigger picture,go by constitution,check what is good for larger scale of people and even for betterment of people in future.

AbhishekDatta

July 24th, 2012, 04:33 AM

Let's end this arguments and counter arguments here!!! This will again establish argumentative nature of we bengalees...

Let's move forward and wish for a better future...Gujrat had gone through this phase some years ago...and they could overcome that... negativity in Bengal is nothing compared to it... so let's do whatever small we can to propagate good vibes..

ANILRAJ

July 24th, 2012, 05:58 AM

Very Great....

It is nice to see Kolkata's great development....

East is Best because of Kolkata....

AbhishekDatta

August 20th, 2012, 03:38 PM

X posted:

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=TOIKM/2012/08/20/7/Img/Ad0070602.png

anan355

August 21st, 2012, 12:50 AM

X posted:

Any idea which newspaper did this advertisement come up in? If this is only in Times Of India Kolkata edition, then giving this ad is a complete waste of money. I did not notice this advertisement in TOI Bangalore or Economic Times Bangalore.

NiladriG

August 21st, 2012, 03:44 PM

Any idea which newspaper did this advertisement come up in? If this is only in Times Of India Kolkata edition, then giving this ad is a complete waste of money. I did not notice this advertisement in TOI Bangalore or Economic Times Bangalore.

Last time they gave advt. for the hub, only one organization responded in 4 months. :ohno:

AbhishekDatta

August 21st, 2012, 03:48 PM

Any idea which newspaper did this advertisement come up in? If this is only in Times Of India Kolkata edition, then giving this ad is a complete waste of money. I did not notice this advertisement in TOI Bangalore or Economic Times Bangalore.

as per the link its in TOI but not sure of which edition!!

Suncity

August 21st, 2012, 03:53 PM

studdmanster

August 21st, 2012, 04:06 PM

are they going to build that tower?

looks nice.

Maybe the govt should build some towers with real estate developers, improve the infrastructure and landscaping and financial institutions will then lease?

Looks like the entire country is going through a crisis of confidence in the UPA II's non performance in economic matters. That definitely affects this project as well.

In addition the drama associated with Didi government is not helping. She has been branded as anti industry and anti business. And somehow she is unable to convince the investors that she is none of those because of her obstinacy. Obstinacy about economic policies is not good for growth. The Left Front never learnt a lesson. And Didi is not ready to change her ways.

Also there are new financial zones coming up in Ahmedabad, Bangalore and other places. So there is competion.

Comparing KIFH with GIFT or IFCI would be an act of foolishness. The Govt should get some "world class" architects and make some sexy renders, also reserve 2-3 plots for hotels, make a helipad/heliport, and upsell all these through international media and internet.
Also give hoardings at all the International Airports in India and few imp overseas locations.
tateo jodi na hoye, then present a 2-5mins video on KIFH and publish it on electronic media.
Sudhu party party na kore, they should concentrate on all these.

Suncity

August 23rd, 2012, 05:45 AM

Bid to hardsell Rajarhat financial hub

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Bid-to-hardsell-Rajarhat-financial-hub/articleshow/15609429.cms

The department has sought the Union urban development ministry's help to showcase the financial hub at a bankers' meet in New Delhi on Thursday, where state officials will interact with representatives of major banking and financial institutions and convince them to invest in the hub. The Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco) authorities are also going to invite fresh applications after altering a few terms and conditions. to attract investment.

The state government wants large financial and banking institutions to come forward and invest in the financial hub in Rajarhat which has, so far, received lukewarm response from such institutions. The state will make a presentation to showcase the financial hub to convince investors to come forward.

In the fresh applications Hidco is inviting, officials said, the basic condition requiring a financial institution to have an annual turnover of Rs 500 crore will remain the same, but now one will be able to get a plot at a fixed price. Offers will be given to public sector institutions. Some of the plots will be auctioned, but one can also get a plot at a fixed price. This was discussed at the latest board meeting of Hidco. The deadline to submit applications will be October 31 this year.

niljee

August 23rd, 2012, 05:55 AM

Bid to hardsell Rajarhat financial hub

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Bid-to-hardsell-Rajarhat-financial-hub/articleshow/15609429.cms

I dont understand these guys at all. They are fine going begging for investments in other states, but when somebody comes with an investment proposal they will play all uptight and will create hazar nautankis.

NiladriG

August 23rd, 2012, 06:15 AM

I dont understand these guys at all. They are fine going begging for investments in other states, but when somebody comes with an investment proposal they will play all uptight and will create hazar nautankis.

Bcoz that has become the practice over many years. Play the poverty card, keep the state poor and obstruct potential investors. Keep talking about industries but don't encourage them.

studdmanster

August 23rd, 2012, 11:39 AM

Financial Hub Re-launched (http://principalsecretarysblog.blogspot.in/2012/08/financial-hub-re-launched-from-vigyan.html)

The meeting for International Financial Hub at New Town, Kolkata was held a while ago at Vigyan Bhavan Hall 2. Saugata Roy, Union MoS (UD), Firhad Hakim MIC (UD & MA) GoWB, Sudhir Krishna Secretary UD GoI, A Singhvi Joint Secretary, Bhaskar Khulbe Pr RC WB, Asutosh Joshi Director UD GoI, ILFS, SBI, Allahabad Bank, RBI, UBI, UCO, National Insurance, SREI, IPE, SIDBI, DHFL and many others attended.
Secy Krishna gave the welcome speech. He said hat planned urbanisation needs support.
Union MoS (UD) inaugurated the seminar and gave the inaugural speech. He explained that the joint meeting was a part of Govt of India's policy of supporting satellite townships to decongest mega cities.
I gave a powerpoint presentation and a video clip of New Town. It seemed to have been received well. I requested minister Hakim that we may hold more road shows - in Mumbai and other places. I poited out that the Centre of Gravity of the World's Finances were moving towards the East (China-India) and Kolkata was emerging as one of the top three financial destinations of India as per McKenzie Report (June 2012). My proposition was : Cluster Banking + Look East Policy = Financial Hub in New Kolkata.

saurav_68

August 23rd, 2012, 11:57 AM

TMC-The Nautanki Party....
M.B-leave "nautanki" and "Rabindrik Nakamo" and do some developmental work.
:bash:

soumalya747

August 23rd, 2012, 01:36 PM

Good job by Govt. Today I saw this advertisement at TOI, Mumbai edition.

http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/6696/getimagept.png (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/694/getimagept.png/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us):cheers::cheers:

raj145_91

August 23rd, 2012, 03:56 PM

Good job by Govt. Today I saw this advertisement at TOI, Mumbai edition.

Now thats good news:cheers:...I'll keep a lookout for Bangalore.

AbhishekDatta

August 23rd, 2012, 05:32 PM

Now thats good news:cheers:...I'll keep a lookout for Bangalore.

This is from PS blog:

Financial Hub Re-launched from Vigyan Bhavan Delhi
The meeting for International Financial Hub at New Town, Kolkata was held a while ago at Vigyan Bhavan Hall 2. Saugata Roy, Union MoS (UD), Firhad Hakim MIC (UD & MA) GoWB, Sudhir Krishna Secretary UD GoI, A Singhvi Joint Secretary, Bhaskar Khulbe Pr RC WB, Asutosh Joshi Director UD GoI, ILFS, SBI, Allahabad Bank, RBI, UBI, UCO, National Insurance, SREI, IPE, SIDBI, DHFL and many others attended.
Secy Krishna gave the welcome speech. He said hat planned urbanisation needs support.
Union MoS (UD) inaugurated the seminar and gave the inaugural speech. He explained that the joint meeting was a part of Govt of India's policy of supporting satellite townships to decongest mega cities.
I gave a powerpoint presentation and a video clip of New Town. It seemed to have been received well. I requested minister Hakim that we may hold more road shows - in Mumbai and other places. I poited out that the Centre of Gravity of the World's Finances were moving towards the East (China-India) and Kolkata was emerging as one of the top three financial destinations of India as per McKenzie Report (June 2012). My proposition was : Cluster Banking + Look East Policy = Financial Hub in New Kolkata.
Here is the country-wide advertisement that we released today (I checked up Hindustan Times, Economic Times and Times of India here in Delhi):

AbhishekDatta

August 23rd, 2012, 05:35 PM

I guess some of the credit of this initiatives should go to anan355 of SSC!!! I guess he is the "Abhishek" in Debashish Sen's blog....and he flooded the blog with his messages and requesting Mr. Sen to market KIFC on a pan india basis..and even abroad..atleast pan india initiative has started...let's wait for the result :cheers:

anan355 correct me if I am wrong!!!

NiladriG

August 23rd, 2012, 05:38 PM

^^ Hope it get's much more response than before.

AbhishekDatta

August 23rd, 2012, 06:06 PM

^^ Hope it get's much more response than before.

we have like 2 months of time (eoi last date is somewhere in oct)..also depends on overall investment climate particularly financials...hope for the best..

studdmanster

August 23rd, 2012, 09:08 PM

we have like 2 months of time (eoi last date is somewhere in oct)..also depends on overall investment climate particularly financials...hope for the best..

During these two months the UD should improve the infra facility of the area like building roads and providing street lamps. Beautification can be done later. Also lands should be reserved for hotels. Even if 10 companies show interest, it would be more than enough to start with. Once positive vibes starts pouring in for this project, companies would turn up one by one. Also, focus should be made on attracting foreign banks. For eg: Citi, Stan chart, Barclays, DBS, AmEx & RBS, as they dont have presence in our city. Though Citi n Stan chart have offices in Kol, but they are not so big.

Suncity

August 23rd, 2012, 10:12 PM

Bengal needs some good lobbyists who are close to Mamata as well as close to Sonia and the industry leaders. There is no reason why public sector banks cannot set up modern towers in this zone. Come to think of it none of the Indian banks have striking skyscrapers that represent their aspirations. At best they have some nice midrise buildings in BKC [bad luck for skyscraper fans of India as BKC is too near the airport]. The East is calling. There is a lot of potential in the East. Come build some glass and steel modern towers and turn the heads of the world.

AmitavaGhosh

August 23rd, 2012, 10:28 PM

sidney_jec

August 23rd, 2012, 10:29 PM

studdmanster

August 24th, 2012, 07:06 AM

studdmanster

August 24th, 2012, 07:07 AM

I kinda like the ICICI tower but heard they are pulling it down :(

:wtf:...but why???

studdmanster

August 24th, 2012, 09:26 AM

cc: Pratidin (http://epratidin.in/Details.aspx?id=9466&boxid=1324778)

http://s7.postimage.org/ejjoplr2j/1324778.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
photo hosting (http://postimage.org/)

studdmanster

August 24th, 2012, 09:44 AM

নিউটাউন অর্থতালুকে আসতে আগ্রহী ব্যাঙ্ক, শেয়ার বাজার (http://www.anandabazar.com/24bus3.html)

মহারাষ্ট্রের বান্দ্রা কুরলার পরে পশ্চিমবঙ্গের রাজারহাট নিউটাউন। কলকাতার উপকণ্ঠে দেশের দ্বিতীয় আন্তর্জাতিক অর্থতালুক (ফিন্যান্সিয়াল হাব) গড়া নিয়ে আরও এক ধাপ এগোল কেন্দ্র।
রাজ্যের অর্থনীতিকে চাঙ্গা করতে রাজারহাট নিউটাউনে যে আন্তর্জাতিক অর্থতালুক গড়ার সিদ্ধান্ত হয়েছে, সেই পরিকল্পনাকে বাস্তবায়িত করতে দিল্লিতে দেশের প্রথম সারির সরকারি-বেসরকারি ব্যাঙ্ক, বিমা, শেয়ার বাজার ও বাণিজ্যিক সংস্থার প্রতিনিধিদের সঙ্গে আজ বৈঠকে বসেন রাজ্যের পুর ও নগরোন্নয়ন মন্ত্রী ফিরহাদ হাকিম ও হিডকোর সিএমডি দেবাশিস সেন। বৈঠকে উপস্থিত ছিলেন ১৯টি ব্যাঙ্ক-সহ বিভিন্ন আর্থিক সংস্থার মোট ৫৬ জন প্রতিনিধি।
বৈঠকের পরে ফিরহাদ হাকিম বলেন, “আজ ইলাহাবাদ, স্টেট ব্যাঙ্ক, ইউনাইটেড ব্যাঙ্কের প্রতিনিধিরা ওই অর্থতালুকে জমি নেওয়ার বিষয়ে আগ্রহ প্রকাশ করেছেন। এঁরা ছাড়াও বেশ কিছু বেসরকারি ব্যাঙ্কও আশ্বাস দিয়েছে, তারা তাদের শীর্ষ কর্তৃপক্ষের সঙ্গে আলোচনা করে অবিলম্বে বিষয়টি চূড়ান্ত করবে।” ওই এলাকায় নিজেদের দফতর সরিয়ে নিয়ে যেতে আগ্রহ দেখিয়েছেন স্টক এক্সচেঞ্জ বা শেয়ার বাজার কর্তৃপক্ষও।
প্রাথমিক পর্যায়ে ২৫ একর জমিতে ওই অর্থতালুক গড়ে তোলার সিদ্ধান্ত নিয়েছে রাজ্য। পরে চাহিদা অনুযায়ী এর এলাকা বাড়িয়ে ৫০ থেকে ৭০ একর করার পরিকল্পনা রয়েছে। রাজ্য সরকার আশা করছে, আগামী ৩১ অক্টোবরের মধ্যে প্রথম পর্যায়ের কাজ শুরু করা সম্ভব হবে। ওই অর্থতালুকের বিপণনে মুম্বই পাড়ি দেওয়ার পরিকল্পনাও রয়েছে ফিরহাদের। রাজ্য সরকার সূত্রে বলা হয়েছে, কেন্দ্রের ‘পুবে তাকাও’ নীতির পরিপ্রেক্ষিতে কলকাতায় ওই আন্তর্জাতিক মানের অর্থতালুক গঠনের প্রয়োজনীয়তা রয়েছে। এর ফলে দক্ষিণ-পূর্ব এশিয়ার দেশগুলির সঙ্গে বাণিজ্য বাড়াতে সক্ষম হবে ভারত। রাজ্য মনে করছে, এতে কলকাতা-সহ গোটা পূর্ব ভারতের সামগ্রিক আর্থিক উন্নতি হবে। কর্মসংস্থানের সুযোগ বাড়বে। রাজস্ব খাতে রাজ্য সরকারের আয়ও বাড়বে।
রাজ্যের অর্থনীতি চাঙ্গা করা ছাড়াও এই হাব গঠনের অন্য একটি উদ্দেশ্যও রয়েছে। কলকাতা শহরের উপরে চাপ কমাতে চাইছে কেন্দ্রীয় নগরোন্নয়ন মন্ত্রক। তাই অর্থতালুক গঠনের ক্ষেত্রে তারা নিকাশি থেকে জল সরবরাহের মতো যাবতীয় বুনিয়াদী পরিকাঠামোয় সাহায্যের হাত বাড়িয়ে দিচ্ছে। মন্ত্রক সূত্রে জানানো হয়েছে, এই বুনিয়াদী পরিকাঠামো জেএনএনইউআরএম প্রকল্পের মাধ্যমে গড়ে তোলা হবে।
প্রাথমিক ভাবে কলকাতা ছাড়াও ভারতের সাতটি শহরে এই ধরনের পরিবেশবান্ধব উপনগরী গড়ার জন্য ‘আরবান ইনফ্রাস্ট্রাকচার ডেভেলপমেন্ট ইন স্যাটেলাইট টাউনস’ নামে একটি প্রকল্প চালু করেছে মন্ত্রক। আজ বৈঠকে উপস্থিত নগরোন্নয়ন মন্ত্রকের প্রতিমন্ত্রী সৌগত রায় বলেন, “কলকাতার মতো দেশের বড় শহরগুলিকে চাপ মুক্ত করার পরিকল্পনা নিয়েছে নগরোন্নয়ন মন্ত্রক। সেই পরিকল্পনা অনুযায়ীই পরিবেশবান্ধব নিউটাউনে বিভিন্ন ব্যাঙ্ক ও আর্থিক সংস্থার দফতরগুলিকে নিয়ে যাওয়ার জন্য আজকের বৈঠকে প্রস্তাব দেওয়া হয়েছে।”

Trnslatn: Alahabad bank, United Bank and SBI has shown interest on the land and few pvt banks will have discussion about this asap. CSE will shift their office to KIFC. KMDA will look after the Infra of this area. Other than Kolkata 7 more cities will get a satellite township.

shubhendu1975

August 24th, 2012, 11:13 AM

This means we'll soon see some Global gaints in Financial Hub like JP Morgan CHASE,Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC),Morgan Stanley,Merrill Lynch,Scotiabank,Goldman Sachs Group,UBS,ANZ Banking,Wells Fargo & Co

Madan Mitra & Firhad Hakim will sit in bilateral Business talks with the Delegates of these Banks.

bheve aamar matha bon bon kore ghurche:ohno:

studdmanster

August 24th, 2012, 12:10 PM

This means we'll soon see some Global gaints in Financial Hub like JP Morgan CHASE,Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC),Morgan Stanley,Merrill Lynch,Scotiabank,Goldman Sachs Group,UBS,ANZ Banking,Wells Fargo & Co

1st let the small ones come up, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs is a far away. tabe era ele valo hoy.

Madan Mitra & Firhad Hakim will sit in bilateral Business talks with the Delegates of these Banks.

bheve aamar matha bon bon kore ghurche:ohno:

Hakim still ok..but Madan...ahem...Madan'r sathe bosha mane asor e bosha....:tongue3:

niljee

August 24th, 2012, 12:13 PM

Hakim still ok..but Madan...ahem...Madan'r sathe bosha mane asor e bosha....:tongue3:

Madan holo Noborotno shobhar bidushak...o na hole thik jombe na. Hakim hasn't done anything worthwhile yet...he is still to come out of the shadows of his almighty Didi.

soumalya747

August 24th, 2012, 01:34 PM

cc: Pratidin (http://epratidin.in/Details.aspx?id=9466&boxid=1324778)

http://s7.postimage.org/ejjoplr2j/1324778.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
photo hosting (http://postimage.org/)

As per the artical a 30 floors building is coming up at this NewTown CBD. That's great. :cheers:

soumalya747

August 24th, 2012, 01:36 PM

During these two months the UD should improve the infra facility of the area like building roads and providing street lamps. Beautification can be done later. Also lands should be reserved for hotels. Even if 10 companies show interest, it would be more than enough to start with. Once positive vibes starts pouring in for this project, companies would turn up one by one. Also, focus should be made on attracting foreign banks. For eg: Citi, Stan chart, Barclays, DBS, AmEx & RBS, as they dont have presence in our city. Though Citi n Stan chart have offices in Kol, but they are not so big.

Westin is coming up at this CBD only. Marriott Courtyard is also U/C. CBD main road is almost finishing. And MAR is there. So I guess enough infrastructure is their build up the Finance Hub. Only govt needs Investors.

NiladriG

August 24th, 2012, 03:16 PM

নিউটাউন অর্থতালুকে আসতে আগ্রহী ব্যাঙ্ক, শেয়ার বাজার (http://www.anandabazar.com/24bus3.html)

Trnslatn: Alahabad bank, United Bank and SBI has shown interest on the land and few pvt banks will have discussion about this asap. CSE will shift their office to KIFC. KMDA will look after the Infra of this area. Other than Kolkata 7 more cities will get a satellite township.

That's good news, I hope the interest shown by the banks are pursued by the govt. so that it materializes. It would be great if MNCs set up shop here. Once a few orgs. start, more will follow. :cheers:

studdmanster

August 24th, 2012, 05:19 PM

Westin is coming up at this CBD only. Marriott Courtyard is also U/C. CBD main road is almost finishing. And MAR is there. So I guess enough infrastructure is their build up the Finance Hub. Only govt needs Investors.

hmmm...but just by getting invetsors wont do much, until and unles they build a building and start operating from there, else it would be a big KLPD for the Govt.

studdmanster

August 24th, 2012, 05:22 PM

That's good news, I hope the interest shown by the banks are pursued by the govt. so that it materializes. It would be great if MNCs set up shop here. Once a few orgs. start, more will follow. :cheers:

Other than this financial hub, the Govt. should also build up a sports city, like that of Greater Noida/Dubai, Modon then will have something to cheer for...:tongue3:

Suncity

August 25th, 2012, 05:55 AM

So Pratidin is saying that 19 well known banks and several world famous financial institutions are coming to Financial hub?

If that is true then it is good news. But then of course it is Pratidin.

niljee

August 25th, 2012, 06:04 AM

So Pratidin is saying that 19 well known banks and several world famous financial institutions are coming to Financial hub?

If that is true then it is good news. But then of course it is Pratidin.

Ota sei India-te world famous type-r byapar bole mone hoy....seta holeo bhalo. Tobe kina Kunal Ghosh is a premium grade idiot ar Pratidin-er theke mone hoy Jago Bangla is a better publication.

AbhishekDatta

August 25th, 2012, 06:06 AM

So Pratidin is saying that 19 well known banks and several world famous financial institutions are coming to Financial hub?

If that is true then it is good news. But then of course it is Pratidin.

yes you are correct!!its pratidin and the goof up is expected.....it was representative of 19 banks/other institution who were present that day...i am sure they made it up and wrote as if 19 banks confirmed their presence to KIFH ...probably mr. Hakim told 19 banks would come to KIFH seminar and pratidin removed the last word :)

As other reports suggest 3-4 banks have shown interest..which is actually very positive!!!

studdmanster

August 25th, 2012, 07:06 AM

Suncity

August 25th, 2012, 02:44 PM

Sumanb

August 25th, 2012, 04:29 PM

Getting the first five companies will be difficult; once you have five good brands, rest will add automatically if right infrastructure is available.

Rajarshi77

August 26th, 2012, 03:39 AM

Pratidin is a joke.

But Pratidin apart, I am optimistic that if marketed and lobbied properly this area will boom. If the response is low, maybe the government should start the 30 storey tower project (was it supposed to be a twin tower?) asap. Make it a landmark building that the world takes notice of. Every modern city has a few iconic skyscrapers. Westin will be one such icon for Kolkata and it is right next to this complex. So another new modern tower will enhance the look of the city and also the image.

What is the sense in building two empty towers! That also with government money. It can be better spent on improving the road, water and electricity for the city. I have heard most of the new town doesn't get proper water and electricity.

Suncity

August 26th, 2012, 03:51 PM

What is the sense in building two empty towers! That also with government money. It can be better spent on improving the road, water and electricity for the city. I have heard most of the new town doesn't get proper water and electricity.

they can do the current favourite model PPP

NiladriG

August 26th, 2012, 06:16 PM

Other than this financial hub, the Govt. should also build up a sports city, like that of Greater Noida/Dubai, Modon then will have something to cheer for...:tongue3:

Dubai sports city is simply fantastic. Modon and his party men can only dream such things, never be able to built it.

raj145_91

August 26th, 2012, 08:49 PM

Dubai sports city is simply fantastic. Modon and his party men can only dream such things, never be able to built it.

Mind you, the govt. is "dreaming" of recreating Palm Island in Digha.

studdmanster

August 27th, 2012, 06:13 AM

Mind you, the govt. is "dreaming" of recreating Palm Island in Digha.

^^ :applause:

NiladriG

August 27th, 2012, 06:25 AM

Some announcements like elevated road from Garia-Bongaon, water taxis, underground bus terminus, palm island etc. are for media only. This is to show that govt. is always thinking of something and not sitting idle. When govt. is struggling to build regular infra in the city, these are just fantasies.

studdmanster

August 27th, 2012, 10:11 AM

underground bus terminus

:eek2:...first let them make a proper on ground bus terminus with all the basic facilities. Even the Esplanade terminus is in shambles. :doh:

mountaincloud

August 27th, 2012, 07:48 PM

:eek2:...first let them make a proper on ground bus terminus with all the basic facilities. Even the Esplanade terminus is in shambles. :doh:

i say first let the government make a PROPER BUS STOP.

even in planned townships like Salt Lake, I haven't seen public infrastructure as simple as a bus stop that has been properly designed.

The bus stop's location must be in the middle of two islands; not at the island. This is common sense.
The bus stop must be long enough to accommodate at least two buses, one after another along the curb
The bus stop shouldn't be just a sunshade.
The bus stop should be a place where buses actually stop.
The bus stop should be the ONLY place where buses stop.
The bus stop should not come in the way of pedestrian traffic (that is, if common people are blessed with a footpath to walk in the streets).
The bus stop should not be obstructed by private cars and taxis, buses and trucks, rickshaws and auto-rickshaws.
The bus stop can also serve as a place for taxi drop-on, drop-off.
The bus stop must display the number of the bus routes that it serves.
The bus stop must be the only bus stop in a stretch of 200 meters(may be?). In other words, there shouldn't be two bus stops side by side. There are many such oddities scattered all over the city.
The bus stop must have 2-3 lights fitted inside.

All of this is almost rocket science to our government. This has nothing to do with the current government. The CPIM couldn't design one in 34 years. Perhaps someone needed to tell them that designing a bus stop is not their job (or kawmmo in bengali). They should outsource it to those who know better. And they should know 1) others do it better, and 2) they know very very little about these things.

soumalya747

August 28th, 2012, 02:55 PM

http://www.wbhidcoltd.com/About_hidco/Financial_Hub.pdf

found this in HIDCO site. Don't know if it was posted earlier.

NiladriG

August 28th, 2012, 03:19 PM

i say first let the government make a PROPER BUS STOP.

even in planned townships like Salt Lake, I haven't seen public infrastructure as simple as a bus stop that has been properly designed.

The bus stop's location must be in the middle of two islands; not at the island. This is common sense.
The bus stop must be long enough to accommodate at least two buses, one after another along the curb
The bus stop shouldn't be just a sunshade.
The bus stop should be a place where buses actually stop.
The bus stop should be the ONLY place where buses stop.
The bus stop should not come in the way of pedestrian traffic (that is, if common people are blessed with a footpath to walk in the streets).
The bus stop should not be obstructed by private cars and taxis, buses and trucks, rickshaws and auto-rickshaws.
The bus stop can also serve as a place for taxi drop-on, drop-off.
The bus stop must display the number of the bus routes that it serves.
The bus stop must be the only bus stop in a stretch of 200 meters(may be?). In other words, there shouldn't be two bus stops side by side. There are many such oddities scattered all over the city.
The bus stop must have 2-3 lights fitted inside.

All of this is almost rocket science to our government. This has nothing to do with the current government. The CPIM couldn't design one in 34 years. Perhaps someone needed to tell them that designing a bus stop is not their job (or kawmmo in bengali). They should outsource it to those who know better. And they should know 1) others do it better, and 2) they know very very little about these things.

This is really rocket science for our govt. In Delhi, I saw LED display boards in almost every bus stop.

mountaincloud

August 28th, 2012, 04:38 PM

This is really rocket science for our govt. In Delhi, I saw LED display boards in almost every bus stop.

I drove through "nabadiganta" (Sector V's IT cluster) today evening. What a mess!!! A narrow strip of a street is full with large buses one after another with literally no space left. The footpaths are non-existent and the brilliant minds have planted the trishuls right in the middle of it. Some of the bus stops are plain laughable. Everyone after a hard day's work is busy inhaling pollution, negotiating the busy but painfully slow traffic, and rupturing their eardrums from the constant blaring of horns.

After making people go through this hell day after day, government will do something at snail's pace by which time new problems will keep the people busy dealing with new (maybe similar) exciting issues. The same picture at the EM Bypass below the Parama flyover. Heaven will descend on earth tomorrow (2016); please bear with the problems for a few more years.

Now go back (if you are old enough) to the traffic snarls for metro construction in the 80s. What hasn't changed in 30 years is the utter disregard for common people's daily problems and an unwavering faith in our capacity to compromise and adjust.

NiladriG

August 28th, 2012, 06:34 PM

I drove through "nabadiganta" (Sector V's IT cluster) today evening. What a mess!!! A narrow strip of a street is full with large buses one after another with literally no space left. The footpaths are non-existent and the brilliant minds have planted the trishuls right in the middle of it. Some of the bus stops are plain laughable. Everyone after a hard day's work is busy inhaling pollution, negotiating the busy but painfully slow traffic, and rupturing their eardrums from the constant blaring of horns.

After making people go through this hell day after day, government will do something at snail's pace by which time new problems will keep the people busy dealing with new (maybe similar) exciting issues. The same picture at the EM Bypass below the Parama flyover. Heaven will descend on earth tomorrow (2016); please bear with the problems for a few more years.

Now go back (if you are old enough) to the traffic snarls for metro construction in the 80s. What hasn't changed in 30 years is the utter disregard for common people's daily problems and an unwavering faith in our capacity to compromise and adjust.

Our UD minister Hakim, instead of coming up with new proposals, utters Didi in every second sentence. Someone need to kick this guy out of his AC room and have a feel of the heat and dust which are experienced by people everyday.

studdmanster

August 28th, 2012, 08:45 PM

Our UD minister Hakim, instead of coming up with new proposals, utters Didi in every second sentence. Someone need to kick this guy out of his AC room and have a feel of the heat and dust which are experienced by people everyday.

^^dat he would do, but in a AC cars, i mean SUV (jerk khub kom hoe, esp in Scorpio and Xylo) with glasses rolled up :tongue3:
And always a pilot vehicle moves along with him, so traffic jaam :bash:

NiladriG

August 29th, 2012, 06:08 AM

^^dat he would do, but in a AC cars, i mean SUV (jerk khub kom hoe, esp in Scorpio and Xylo) with glasses rolled up :tongue3:
And always a pilot vehicle moves along with him, so traffic jaam :bash:

KMDA should actively start implementing it's vision 2025 plans, if Kolkata has less no. of roads on the surface, create more road space by short and long f/o's.

NiladriG

August 29th, 2012, 05:22 PM

Any update on the companies which showed interest in KIFH?

AbhishekDatta

September 8th, 2012, 05:00 PM

from PS blog

ILF&S Selected Transaction Advisor for Financial Hub

"Yesterday, the tender bids of Financial Hub were opened. ILFS got the bid on the basis of quote, beating other bids. I held a kick-off meeting with them at 8pm yesterday."

studdmanster

September 8th, 2012, 07:58 PM

^^ that's a good news, but will ILF&S set up a shop @KIFH??

NiladriG

September 9th, 2012, 07:14 AM

^^ that's a good news, but will ILF&S set up a shop @KIFH??

No it will only deal with the business transactions during takeover of plots by different companies. So far I have not heard any organization setting up shop.

studdmanster

September 9th, 2012, 08:21 AM

No it will only deal with the business transactions during takeover of plots by different companies. So far I have not heard any organization setting up shop.

So, what will happen if after 2mnths when the deadline ends, its still empty, will they keep on extending the deadline??

NiladriG

September 9th, 2012, 08:55 AM

So, what will happen if after 2mnths when the deadline ends, its still empty, will they keep on extending the deadline??

They need to clearly outline the advantages which a finance org. can avail if they set up in KIFH. They also need to highlight how different is the hub from other hubs.

P.S. - Infosys stalemate hasn't gone down well with the potential investors. The fact remains that govt. no matter how much it shouts for industrialisation, it is still leftist and conservative.

D Jyoti

September 17th, 2012, 11:38 AM

SBI (State Bank of India) will be building a management or corporate center in KIFH (controlling the whole east India)............ It will be directly under the control of Mumbai Circle....... The project is going to be really huge!! The entire HISTORY CELL from SAMRIDDHI BHAVAN will be shifted to this upcoming building........ 10-20 crores will be spent for building the HISTORY CELL........

soumalya747

September 21st, 2012, 02:14 PM

Mumbai Meet & Urban Museum

I'm going to Mumbai today to meet investors and bankers at Navi Mumbai's BKC about our Financial Hub in Kolkata. Minister F Hakim is also going to address them. I will make a presentation. ILF&S are helping us.
* * *
I had a long discussion with the assigned architect of Hidco who will make the concept for an Urban Museum. In my tour to Italy, I'd asked Arthur Molella, Director, Lemelson Center, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, USA, to suggest ways to take it forward. I'd given an email on return too. Today I got his reply and am thinking about it. I'm sharing it with our architect too.

Source- http://principalsecretarysblog.blogspot.in/

NiladriG

September 22nd, 2012, 06:43 AM

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Bengal-to-hardsell-financial-hub-in-Mumbai/articleshow/16498825.cms

In a desperate attempt to draw investors to the financial hub in Rajarhat New Town, state urban development minister Firhad Hakim along with his department and Hidco officials will be meeting bankers and investors in Mumbai on Saturday. The financial hub which is being touted as the next in line to Mumbai's own Bandra Kurla has received only one application so far.

Hard pressed over to attract investment in the much touted international financial hub in Rajarhat New Town that has only received one application from financial institutes so far, state urban development minister Firhad Hakim and other senior urban development and Hidco officials will be meeting bankers and investors and Mumbai on Saturday to attract investments for the financial hub which is being touted as the second such financial hub after Mumbai's own Bandra Kurla.

While Firhad will address the bankers and other financial institute representatives, Hidco chairman cum managing director Debashis Sen, who is also the state urban development secretary, will give a presentation in Saturday's meeting.

"We have received some serious enquiries on the financial hub. Bid applications are normally received close to the last date of submission," Sen said. The last date for submitting applications has been extended to October 31 this year.

Though the basic condition of the financial institutions having an annual turnover of Rs 500 crore remains, but the applicant will now be able to get a plot at a fixed price. Hidco authorities have selected the Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (ILFS) as the transaction advisor for the financial hub.

It was in March this year that chief minister Mamata Banerjee had laid the foundation stone of the hub amid much funfare. The government had also pinned hopes on the hub. However, much to their disappointment, only one firm showed interest so far and submitted an application to invest in the hub. Even after extending the deadline to July 31, the state did not receive any fresh applications.

The Hidco authorities had then sought the help of the Union urban development ministry and a meeting was held at New Delhi last month with reputable financial institutions and bankers. The Union urban development ministry secretary Sudhir Krishna, state urban development minister Firhad Hakim and his departmental secretary Debashis Sen were present in the meeting, organised jointly by the state and Union urban development departments. Saugata Ray, who resigned as the union minister of state for urban development only on Friday was also present.

With the Trinamool Congress withdrawing support from the UPA II government, this time around, the state has to fend for itself.

This time however, things are a little more tough for the state government will have to hardsell the financial hub all by themselves without the centre by their side, as the Trinamool Congress have withdrawn support from the UPA and six of the Trinamool ministers tendering their resignation only on Friday itself.

avishar

September 22nd, 2012, 01:37 PM

This shows its easy to criticise and protest.Its easy to try and find faults of what has been done before by others(Not condoning them,i am sure quite a few CPM ministers have made illegal money by land allocation in rajarhat),but its difficult to cut down on the bulls*** and start delivering.

They did nothing themselves for the financial hub,just dusted the old township plans,demarkated a new area for a new "Financial hub",made a nice foundation-laying stone and they expected companies to fall over themselves to apply.

Suncity

September 22nd, 2012, 05:10 PM

The public sector plays an important role in India's financial sector. without the center on it's side and Mamata going literally crazy in trying to overthrow UPA-II, it is doubtful if private or public sector investors will be easily swayed into investing in WB for now.

Didi needs to tone down her left wing rhetoric.

And why send Firhad Hakim? Why not someone like Amit Mitra who is the finance minister?

NiladriG

September 22nd, 2012, 05:26 PM

And why send Firhad Hakim? Why not someone like Amit Mitra who is the finance minister?

Firhad Hakim has been sent to do praise about Didi, the guy doesn't know a thing about finance. :lol:

studdmanster

September 22nd, 2012, 08:19 PM

Firhad Hakim has been sent to do praise about Didi, the guy doesn't know a thing about finance. :lol:

but, will MB's upselling help getting investments?
Ja asar setao asbena...and after her panga with Centre, the hope of KIFH seems a distant dream!!

NiladriG

September 22nd, 2012, 08:34 PM

but, will MB's upselling help getting investments?
Ja asar setao asbena...and after her panga with Centre, the hope of KIFH seems a distant dream!!

Seriously which investor will come to Bengal after her hardcore leftist attitude on Centre's policies. She may win lot of votes in panchayat elections, but for the state it's stalemate.

studdmanster

September 23rd, 2012, 12:18 PM

Mumbai Roadshow (http://principalsecretarysblog.blogspot.in/2012/09/monorail-and-mumbai-roadshow.html)

We had the Mumbai Roadshow on Financial Hub in Kolkata today evening. This was at the Taj Lands End, Mumbai. The following institutions were present: - Infrastructure Advisors - Edelweiss Tokyo - IndusInd Bank - Yes Bank - Citibank - L&T Infra - LIC HFL - DBS - IDBI Mutual - Dena Bank - SBI Capital - ICICI - Stock Holding Corporation - Kotak Mahindra - Asset Reconstruction Company - Future Capital - Dena Bank - Corporate Storytellers - ILF&S etc Minister Firhad Hakim delivered the keynote address. Mr Arun Saha, MD ILF&S gave a special address. I made a presentation.

raj145_91

September 23rd, 2012, 08:05 PM

^^Did any of these institutions show their interest in investing here?

Suncity

September 23rd, 2012, 08:32 PM

there is a guy named abhishek who keeps asking questions in that website. Not sure he is getting any answers.

anan355

September 23rd, 2012, 09:37 PM

there is a guy named abhishek who keeps asking questions in that website. Not sure he is getting any answers.

I am the guy and as you can see in the blog itself, I hardly get any answers.

Suncity

September 23rd, 2012, 11:09 PM

I am the guy and as you can see in the blog itself, I hardly get any answers.

At least you are trying. Maybe there are govt rules where answers to some questions cannot be given in a blog.

NiladriG

October 3rd, 2012, 05:41 PM

Any news regarding the companies showing interest in KIFH? Or is it a failure again?

Suncity

October 3rd, 2012, 05:44 PM

Any news regarding the companies showing interest in KIFH? Or is it a failure again?

Not seen any updates.

Anyway read in ABP that not many investors are showing interest in the industrial parks either.

The current economic situation and the state government's negative policies are probably keeping them away. There is also not enough awareness about the government's positive policies.

The industry minister has a positive spin on no takers for land in the industrial parks. He apparently thinks that this proves that there is no land availability problem in West Bengal.

Looking at it a bit differently, big industries cannot work on small plotted lands in industrial parks. That is more suited for small scale or medium scale industries. Previously at least small and medium scale industries had shown interest in West Bengal. Now if even they are turning away, then the industry minister needs to stop thinking everything is fine and do something about allaying the fears of this section of industry.

The same issues are probably holding back financial institutions from investing in the financial center in a big way. Plus the faltoo quarrel that the ruling regime has picked up with the Central regime is not going to be seen in a positive light. They are busy doing drama and dharna in New Delhi or Maidan. Where is the time to do real work?

NiladriG

October 6th, 2012, 09:24 AM

Still no investment for the hub. :ohno:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/State-government-trying-hard-to-take-forward-financial-hub-project/articleshow/16690327.cms

With only another 25 days left for the state government to receive investment proposals for the much touted financial hub in Rajarhat New Town, the Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco) is going all out to bring in investment proposals. Following the meeting with bankers at New Delhi and Mumbai, the authorities are further planning to hold more road shows.

Hidco is trying hard to take forward the financial hub project and to attract investments, which has so far been proved to be a dampener. "We are getting serious inquiries from many such banking and financial institutes," said Hidco chairman cum managing director Debashis Sen. The last date for receiving applications has been fixed as October 31.

Hidcvo authorities have been talking to a number of large financial institutions including HUDCO, National Housing Bank (NHB), National Insurance Company, ILF&S, UCo, UBI, Yes Bank and few others. Officials said that the chairman of NHB is likely to visit the site at Rajarhat next week to have a look.

Representatives of Punjab National Bank and SREI have also been in touch with Hidco to discuss on the matter.

Also, Hidco will build an iconic building at a very prime location of the central business district in New Town. The authorities have floated an expression of interest to invite best-in-class architect consultancy firm for this job.

studdmanster

October 6th, 2012, 09:42 AM

^^ momota didir sopno vongo....:tongue2:

Suncity

October 6th, 2012, 03:01 PM

Rajarshi77

October 6th, 2012, 03:45 PM

If this hub comes up it will be good for West Bengal. Current economic scenario and the cheap political dramas are sending out wrong signals.
Looking forward to the towers that Hidco is proposing to build.

An iconic building with no tenants is even worse for the state's image.. It is better they get tenants first (at least few large ones) and then build a tower or whatever they feel is iconic..

NiladriG

October 6th, 2012, 05:13 PM

^^ momota didir sopno vongo....:tongue2:

She is carrying on the legacy of "cholbe na, korbo na".

Suncity

October 8th, 2012, 07:36 PM

Mamata govt may introduce fresh package to pull investment

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/wb-mamata-govt-may-introduce-fresh-package-to-pull-investment/299098-37-64.html

Failing to elicit adequate response from banks and other financial institutions to invest in its proposed financial hub at New Town on the city's northern periphery, the West Bengal government is considering offering a fresh package.

"We are ready to offer a fresh package, if Expressions of Interest (EOIs) are not received for all plots within October 31, the last date for its submission", state urban development minister Firhad Hakim said in Kolkata on Monday.

"So far only five banks and financial Institutions, including State Bank of India, United Bank of India, Allahabad Bank and SREI, have come forward with their EOIs while interactions are on with Yes Bank and Dena Bank", Hakim said.

Asked about details of the fresh package, the minister said that the board of the West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited would finalise it.

Hakim visited the financial hubs of Bandra-Kurla in Mumbai and financial infrastructure in Delhi and would visit Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai and Singapore after the Durga puja to gain knowledge.

NiladriG

October 8th, 2012, 08:59 PM

Suncity

October 9th, 2012, 03:13 AM

Sops to shore up sale of finance hub plots

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1121009/jsp/calcutta/story_16067064.jsp

Sources said Hidco’s New Town office hadn’t received a single expression of interest since Mamata flagged off the initiative in March.

“The deadline for applications for the first phase of the project is October 31. After going through the applications, we will take a look at how to attract more companies to the hub,” urban development minister Firhad Hakim told Metro.

Some might find the reference to “more companies” misleading. All three confirmed occupants of land in the financial hub — Allahabad Bank, SBI and the Calcutta Stock Exchange — scooped up their respective plots when the Left Front was in charge.

Hakim said three other companies, including UBI and SREI, had “agreed” to come. “The board members of Dena Bank and Yes Bank are discussing the possibility of investing.”

Hidco couldn’t confirm any such development. “An application needs to be submitted along with earnest money of Rs 25 lakh. We haven’t received earnest money from any company yet,” a senior official said.

One of the proposed changes is increasing the area of the financial hub so that companies have enough land for residential quarters. “Many institutions have said they would need separate space for housing. We need to make sure these requirements are met,” the Hidco official said.

Rajarshi77

October 9th, 2012, 05:56 AM

AbhishekDatta

October 9th, 2012, 06:10 AM

from PS blog:

Visit of World Bank Team

I had detailed discussions with a delegation of World Bank officials yesterday. Mr Zhiyu Jerry Chen Urban Economist, Mr Raghu Kesavan Senior Infrastructure Specialist and Mr Tapas Paul Senior Environment met me in two parts. One related to Green City Growth and the other was about National Ganga Mission. Mr Chen and Mr Kesavan later visited New Town and promised to come back for more discussions about formulating a Technical Assistance for capacity building. We also talked about the West Bengal Secondary Cities Project.

Mr Arun Kumar, Regional Chief HUDCO met me at Hidco yesterday. This was a follow up on my telephonic conversation with CMD Hudco last week about participation in the Financial Hub. We explored options for building up an India Habitat Centre-like structure by Hudco where NHB (National Housing Bank) and others could be accommodated. In fact, consequent of my conversation with NHB Chairman last week about the Financial Hub, he is scheduled to meet Minister F Hakim at Hidco today afternoon.

Talking of the Financial Hub, yesterday Mr R H Mewawala, Executive Vice President of Stock Holding Corporation of India came to meet me at Hidco from Mumbai to talk about participation in the Financial Hub. He also visited the site.
As a follow up to my conversation with Chairman LIC last week, we will today try to talk to Regional Chief of LIC in Kolkata

NiladriG

October 9th, 2012, 07:07 AM

The government's ambitious financial hub project in Rajarhat New Town seems to be finally taking shape. State urban development minister Firhad Hakim said on Monday that five companies have given their offer letters to invest in the financial hub.

"Out of the nine plots in the financial hub, offers have come for five plots. Besides, we are talking with several financial institutes like Dena Bank and Yes Bank," the minister said.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Firms-keen-to-invest-in-financial-hub/articleshow/16732211.cms

That's good news, but Hidco has said that there has not been any money deposited by the companies. Till the earnest money is received, it is not considered as an investment. Above all, they seriously need to expand the area of the hub, 25 acres for a financial hub is nothing. It should be a minimum of 100 acres.

Rajarshi77

October 9th, 2012, 09:10 AM

from PS blog:

I wonder aren't these discussions supposed to be confidential which our Dear Secy happily disclose in his blog! Anyway I am not complaining. Only worried that some body may complain sometime.

soumyajyoti

October 9th, 2012, 11:11 AM

I wonder aren't these discussions supposed to be confidential which our Dear Secy happily disclose in his blog! Anyway I am not complaining. Only worried that some body may complain sometime.

That is because you ca take every piece of this kind of news with a pinch of salt and there is no official verification of this news.

Suncity

October 9th, 2012, 08:59 PM

Above all, they seriously need to expand the area of the hub, 25 acres for a financial hub is nothing. It should be a minimum of 100 acres.

Doesn't giving more land go against Didi's revolutionary ideas? Anyway since the intelligent government has stopped aquiring land in New Town and elsewhere, wonder where they will allot land to companies in the future. In Purulia?

SarafIndian

October 9th, 2012, 11:38 PM

Doesn't giving more land go against Didi's revolutionary ideas? Anyway since the intelligent government has stopped aquiring land in New Town and elsewhere, wonder where they will allot land to companies in the future. In Purulia?

Purulia should be it. Purulia landscape looks very similar to Texas.. :troll:

anan355

October 10th, 2012, 01:15 AM

Just see the reporting by Telegraph.

"Some might find the reference to “more companies” misleading. All three confirmed occupants of land in the financial hub — Allahabad Bank, SBI and the Calcutta Stock Exchange — scooped up their respective plots when the Left Front was in charge. "

There can be nothing more than a blatant lie than this. If you go by the PS blog, 1st time when EOI was asked by HIDCO , the last date for submission was 14th April. It was extended upto 14th may, then 31st May and then 31st July.
When there were no takers other than the 10 acre plot by SBI for their training isntitute, they decided to do road shows in Delhi ( with the help of former UD minister for state Sougata Roy) and in Bombay and then again they opened th window for EOI and earnest money from 1st September to 31st October.

Now when 5 companies have expressed interest , isnt it a good news?

Govt is planning to do more road shows and at least in this regard, a genuine interest can be noticed. But why are we painting this news also in a negative tone?

Moreover initially the financial hub was planned over 300 acres. Later they decided to start with 25 acres and HIDCO has the land for this purpose.

I think we should wait till 31st October to see if the Govt receives the earnest money or not by the companies who expressed interest.

AbhishekDatta

October 10th, 2012, 01:38 AM

Suncity

October 10th, 2012, 05:10 AM

Just see the reporting by Telegraph.

"Some might find the reference to “more companies” misleading. All three confirmed occupants of land in the financial hub — Allahabad Bank, SBI and the Calcutta Stock Exchange — scooped up their respective plots when the Left Front was in charge. "

There can be nothing more than a blatant lie than this. If you go by the PS blog, 1st time when EOI was asked by HIDCO , the last date for submission was 14th April. It was extended upto 14th may, then 31st May and then 31st July.

Plots were allocated earlier as per this news from March 29th, 2012 from TOI.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-29/kolkata/31253978_1_twin-towers-financial-hub-hidco

Plots have already been allotted to two major public sector banks - Allahabad Bank and State Bank of India. The Calcutta Stock Exchange has also received a plot to set up a facility at the hub.

Also those institutions had indeed agreed to set up offices in the IFC.

Fact is that Didi because of her ego problems moved the financial centre to this new location and created a chain of confusion and misleading information. And when government itself doesn't know what is the TRUTH why blame the media alone?

Or all the claims about the Kolkata Eye. They keep changing the story everytime. It could be misinformation by the media or the mantrijis or a combination of both.

I see someone is going on a Singapore Trip on taxpayers money. And on the other hand these same people were giving Singapore a hard time at the Durgapur aertropolis.

anan355

October 10th, 2012, 08:40 AM

Plots were allocated earlier as per this news from March 29th, 2012 from TOI.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-29/kolkata/31253978_1_twin-towers-financial-hub-hidco

Also those institutions had indeed agreed to set up offices in the IFC.

Fact is that Didi because of her ego problems moved the financial centre to this new location and created a chain of confusion and misleading information. And when government itself doesn't know what is the TRUTH why blame the media alone?

Or all the claims about the Kolkata Eye. They keep changing the story everytime. It could be misinformation by the media or the mantrijis or a combination of both.

I see someone is going on a Singapore Trip on taxpayers money. And on the other hand these same people were giving Singapore a hard time at the Durgapur aertropolis.

Hahahaha.... check latest entry in PS blog. He clarified when did SBI take land. ABP group is putiing all its reputation at stake to spread rumours.

And about foreign trip on taxpayers money, I think it is going to be more fruitful than the London Trips Jyoti used to make every summer on the pretext of catching investors.

niljee

October 10th, 2012, 08:44 AM

I see someone is going on a Singapore Trip on taxpayers money. And on the other hand these same people were giving Singapore a hard time at the Durgapur aertropolis.

Sun, are you sure the trouble is over now? That will be a good news then.

Sumanb

October 10th, 2012, 10:02 AM

Suncity

October 10th, 2012, 02:24 PM

Hahahaha.... check latest entry in PS blog. He clarified when did SBI take land. ABP group is putiing all its reputation at stake to spread rumours.

The new regime shifted the financial center. Naturally all the applications, interests and allocations in the older complex are no longer valid. It is a fact that these are not "newly" interested companies. The new regime is not going to spell that out for you.

It is like the resigning of the MOUs and agreements that the new regime has been doing with companies for existing projects so that they can take credit for project signings and implementation without real effort to bring in new investors.

However as I have said many times this complex has a lot of potential. So it would be good to see skyscrapers of different financial institutions here in the near future.

Also looking forward to the twin towers that both the previous and new regime have promised.

And about foreign trip on taxpayers money, I think it is going to be more fruitful than the London Trips Jyoti used to make every summer on the pretext of catching investors.

So no Poriborton?

:cheers:

Suncity

October 10th, 2012, 02:33 PM

Sun, are you sure the trouble is over now? That will be a good news then.

Media is reporting no work going on for some time in two berths owned by a private company due to "trouble". Part of it is caused by recession, part by mismanagement and part by the ruling party's labour union and a controversial leader. Private company is saying no work is getting done and expressing concerns about law and order situation.

Yet Didi said in a meeting yesterday that all this is rumours generated by a media group and everything was working fine in Haldia. She even asked investors to catch a hold of the controversial leader in case of problems! Industry minister denied any problems in Haldia.

So it all depends on who you are asking.

It is true that newspapers exaggerate and make misstatements. But it is also true even the so called kings and queens of honesty and simple character are big time liers and exaggerators no matter what the fanclubs think.

niljee

October 10th, 2012, 03:54 PM

Media is reporting no work going on for some time in two berths owned by a private company due to "trouble". Part of it is caused by recession, part by mismanagement and part by the ruling party's labour union and a controversial leader. Private company is saying no work is getting done and expressing concerns about law and order situation.

Yet Didi said in a meeting yesterday that all this is rumours generated by a media group and everything was working fine in Haldia. She even asked investors to catch a hold of the controversial leader in case of problems! Industry minister denied any problems in Haldia.

So it all depends on who you are asking.

It is true that newspapers exaggerate and make misstatements. But it is also true even the so called kings and queens of honesty and simple character are big time liers and exaggerators no matter what the fanclubs think.

Yeah, thats what I gather too about Haldia. But I was talking about The Aerotropolis @ Durgapur. It's after all a project conceived in the previous regime...so these guys will either scuttle the project or "rescue" the project like they did for the Jindals/Nayachar. Which path are they taking? Also, Didi declared that she will build a separate airport @ Asansol. What happened to that?

anan355

October 10th, 2012, 06:35 PM

The new regime shifted the financial center. Naturally all the applications, interests and allocations in the older complex are no longer valid. It is a fact that these are not "newly" interested companies. The new regime is not going to spell that out for you.

It is like the resigning of the MOUs and agreements that the new regime has been doing with companies for existing projects so that they can take credit for project signings and implementation without real effort to bring in new investors.

Sun, if the old regime had all the applications, interests and allocations , then why are the companies who are taking up space in finance hub are paying money now? So...you mean to say that a company like SBI paid money to WB Govt twice for 2 different piece of land although they are going to get only 1 piece of land.

And why is not CPM not shouting on top of their voice on that?

However as I have said many times this complex has a lot of potential. So it would be good to see skyscrapers of different financial institutions here in the near future.

Also looking forward to the twin towers that both the previous and new regime have promised.

All these skyscrapers of different financial institutions were also planned by buddha, debesh and gautam deb? :)

anan355

October 10th, 2012, 06:40 PM

So no Poriborton?

:cheers:

Poriborton will happen if they can get some global financial institutions from Singapore. Otherwise it will be as useless as summer vacations of Jyoti or junk promises of Buddha and Debesh.

NiladriG

October 10th, 2012, 07:06 PM

Yeah, thats what I gather too about Haldia. But I was talking about The Aerotropolis @ Durgapur. It's after all a project conceived in the previous regime...so these guys will either scuttle the project or "rescue" the project like they did for the Jindals/Nayachar. Which path are they taking? Also, Didi declared that she will build a separate airport @ Asansol. What happened to that?

I think the the aerotropolis is progressing well, they are updating their website with pics.

amibangali

October 10th, 2012, 07:54 PM

anan355

October 10th, 2012, 08:31 PM

A plot for SBI was alloted as well when the Financial Hub was planned in 2010 by previous Government . The following article says about that .

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-11/kolkata/31144776_1_financial-hub-hidco-new-town

KOLKATA: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee laid the foundation stone of the international financial hub in New Town, Rajarhat, on Saturday. Once fully operational, the facility will connect to other financial hubs at London, Singapore and Dubai, state finance minister Amit Mitra said.

Incidentally, this is the second time instance that a financial hub has been proposed. In October 2010, Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee had laid the foundation stone for the project in the presence of then chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. Within months, Hidco had announced plots for State Bank of India, UCO Bank, United Bank of India, UTI Mutual Fund and Industrial Financial Corporation of India (IFCI). But the entire project was dropped like hot potato when the new government was sworn in........

Dude that was the feature of the last govt.
Before doing anything at all, they used to declare multiple projects.

Buddha had declared some scores of steel plant projects, could not complete land acquisition for any of them except Jindal Steel plant . Even in Jindal case, they had not completed the legal paperwork formalities.

Now some people will say Singur fiasco was responsible for that.

They had declared a 24 story VLSI chip development centre in Sector 5 which did not take place.

Before giving any single advertisement for EOI in finance hub, they had declared that they had allotted plots to certain companies.

Before getting fund sanction for jnnurm , they used to declare flyover projects.

That was the feature of buddha govt...they used to make a lot of noise.

Suncity

October 10th, 2012, 09:26 PM

Sun, if the old regime had all the applications, interests and allocations , then why are the companies who are taking up space in finance hub are paying money now? So...you mean to say that a company like SBI paid money to WB Govt twice for 2 different piece of land although they are going to get only 1 piece of land.

Allotting a plot doesn't necessarily mean someone has paid and taken possession.

And why is not CPM not shouting on top of their voice on that?

Ask the CPM. Maybe they are but your ears are shut.

All these skyscrapers of different financial institutions were also planned by buddha, debesh and gautam deb? :)

I would love to see some sleek skyscrapers in New Town. What does it have to do with Buddha or Mamata or Arabul? We are already seeing the bad effects of these people in West Bengal.

anan355

October 10th, 2012, 09:44 PM

Allotting a plot doesn't necessarily mean someone has paid and taken possession.

Oh ho...my mistake... I thought that there will be a formal process in allotment where companies would submit EOI and earnest money and then land would get allotted. Perhaps this was too much to expect with commies.

Ask the CPM. Maybe they are but your ears are shut.

Since I am outside the state, may be I have missed the relevant article.
It would be great if you can point me to an article where they are claiming that they had all the applications, interests and allocations but WB govt is redoing the same process again.

I would love to see some sleek skyscrapers in New Town. What does it have to do with Buddha or Mamata or Arabul

oh ok...my mistake in interpreting.... I was thinking that if tomorrow some skyscrapers of some financial companies come up....we may hear in this forum that awesome architectural design was thought about and pursued and approved by the Left Regime. Sorry for that again. :)

AbhishekDatta

October 10th, 2012, 09:49 PM

stop it guys..and kuch mitha ho jaye :cheers: ..from no interest to some EOIs... little but positive progress.. in months to come let's wait for the roadshows including the one in abroad..starting of this type of projects are always painful and subject to painstaking persuasion.. things become much easier later... lets wait and see..no didi and dada pls in this thread..adda thread is better for this..

PS: Didis/Dadas Are Subject to Market Risk - Please Read the Offer Document/manifesto Carefully Before Investing/Voting

Suncity

October 10th, 2012, 10:05 PM

Oh ho...my mistake... I thought that there will be a formal process in allotment where companies would submit EOI and earnest money and then land would get allotted. Perhaps this was too much to expect with commies.

As long as there is no proof of any laws being broken (opinions or allegations are not proof), during an allocation process what is there to complain about? So you have DLF I and II, Infospace, Ecospace, Novotel, Pride Hotel, Coal India, ONGC and many others being allotted land. If there was anything illegal done, prove it and then punish the guilty instead of the mumbo jumbo.

NiladriG

October 11th, 2012, 06:50 AM

I guess till now SBI training institute is the only development at the hub. Other companies have shown interest but they haven't booked any plot by paying the earnest money. Therefore, officially there is only one investment. The economic downturn also could be a major reason for the reluctance of companies to expand.

Rajarshi77

October 11th, 2012, 10:14 AM

Commies did this. So TMC can also do the same. If that is the case what happened to "Poriborton" ?

And worst of all while these politicians make money, Aam Admi people fight among themselves and lose their lives fighting the netas battle!!

Best profession in Bengal is Politics. Bcoz you will have people who will fight your cause while you make money..

NiladriG

October 11th, 2012, 11:29 AM

Actually this govt. is also generating a lot of negative perception amongst industry people. Nayachar, haldia, NTPC, the list just keeps growing over the time.

Rajarshi77

October 11th, 2012, 11:55 AM

Actually this govt. is also generating a lot of negative perception amongst industry people. Nayachar, haldia, NTPC, the list just keeps growing over the time.

I know. But there are section of people who will be justifying that during CPM jamana the same thing happened. So there is nothing wrong if this govt. is repeating the same thing!!

For such people I have only one thing to say. If you think like this you will keep getting governments like these only. Rest is your choice.

Sumanb

October 11th, 2012, 12:05 PM

The land policy, stir against Retail FDI or SEZ are suicidal for both 'poribartan' and development. But there are good things as well like anti 'bandh' policy, e-governance, cutting of red tapesim - which are business friendly. KIFC is one of the good initiatives and we should welcome it irrespective of dada or didi.
Let's hope for its success without arguing which govt did it. For that we have the political class.

NiladriG

October 11th, 2012, 03:42 PM

I know. But there are section of people who will be justifying that during CPM jamana the same thing happened. So there is nothing wrong if this govt. is repeating the same thing!!

For such people I have only one thing to say. If you think like this you will keep getting governments like these only. Rest is your choice.

That's the problem with people of WB. Earlier they were blind supporter of Left, now they are blind supporter of TMC. In between these two, what has people of WB got, nothing but hopelessness. :ohno:

Suncity

October 11th, 2012, 05:58 PM

AbhishekDatta

October 11th, 2012, 06:38 PM

That's the problem with people of WB. Earlier they were blind supporter of Left, now they are blind supporter of TMC. In between these two, what has people of WB got, nothing but hopelessness. :ohno:

or is it the other way..earlier we had blind opposition of LF like me and now we have blind hater of TMCs all around...and

In between these two, what has people of WB got, nothing but hopelessness.

even though good things happened earlier and positives happening now.. but we were/are only busy in nitpicking

Sumanb

October 12th, 2012, 09:19 AM

or is it the other way..earlier we had blind opposition of LF like me and now we have blind hater of TMCs all around...and

Right, we need to support the policies based on the merit of the case rather than the colour of the party. Unless we do that and freed ourself from being the slave of 'Amra & tomra' division of political masters, the last 35 years will continue for next 35 years :ohno:

AbhishekDatta

October 12th, 2012, 02:30 PM

^^absolutely...

Rajarshi77

October 12th, 2012, 07:05 PM

Right, we need to support the policies based on the merit of the case rather than the colour of the party. Unless we do that and freed ourself from being the slave of 'Amra & tomra' division of political masters, the last 35 years will continue for next 35 years :ohno:

Absolutely.

NiladriG

October 29th, 2012, 05:38 PM

I guess, still no takers for the plots in the hub.

AbhishekDatta

October 31st, 2012, 02:52 PM

Financial Hub Bids Opened

A while ago, we opened the bids for the Financial Hub. Offers have been received from United Bank of India (UBI), United Commercial Bank (UCo), National Insurance Company (NIC), West Bengal Financial Corporation (WBFC), West Bengal Industrial Development & Financial Corporation (WBIDFC) and SREI. The scrutiny of the bids will of course take some time. There may also be few overlaps in plot location preferences and procedures for resolving these are slightly lengthy.

Earlier, Allahabad Bank and SBI had already taken land in/near the Financial Hub. Few, like LIC Housing and Bank of India have requested for a little more time. Few have asked for a different sized plot. These will be considered in due course.

The Financial Hub is achieving critical mass. Now we must try harder to really make it a functioning international financial centre.

PS blog

Suncity

October 31st, 2012, 04:25 PM

^^

Great news! I hope they build some iconic skyscrapers. No midrise commercial buildings please.

:banana:

Sumanb

October 31st, 2012, 04:25 PM

arijeetb

October 31st, 2012, 06:14 PM

anan355

October 31st, 2012, 06:22 PM

The list of bidders are disappointing - UCO, UBI, NIC, ALB - are all HQs in Kolkata and not really an addition. SBI has opted for a training center. Rest are WB govt co. and not really a financial institution in true sense. Only private player is SREI which again is based out of Kolkata.
So, in effect all these efforts failed to bring any national players outside of the state let alone any MNC.

Hi Suman,

Opinions may vary but I think the list is impressive. With the brand image of Bengal, its pretty difficult to attract investments. Firstly, the local PSUs and pvt sector has shown interest.

If LIC HF and BOI happens, those will be national PSUs. They seem to be in the pipeline already.

After that, the next target should be national pvt sector companies.
PSUs have to take the lead here as pvt sector usually try to avoid implementation risk and opt for established places.

Again, opinions may vary.

Rajarshi77

October 31st, 2012, 06:33 PM

NiladriG

October 31st, 2012, 08:08 PM

That's right, something is better than nothing.

AbhishekDatta

October 31st, 2012, 09:10 PM

as PS says in his blog about the critical mass... it is very important to have the critical mass first.. that gives a good leverage going forward..i remember those days in sector 5 with webel/sdf, tcs has a small presence and cts(then few million dollar company ) with tiny dingy presence in sdf... hope things start shaping in years to come... waiting for the iconic building design..expect something special as foreign architects are invited.. i guess the US architects those visited couple weeks back will surely participate...

Sumanb

November 1st, 2012, 11:50 AM

Definitely its a better outcome than no bid. My point is that all the road shows at Mumbai & Delhi didn't attract any new player so far.

sudip

November 1st, 2012, 02:58 PM

Every projects needs some anchor investors and the local PSUs are the best bet. This will enhance the marketings of the project in the next round. In any case there was no response in the last attempt so this is definitely an improvement. LIC and Bank of India are Mumbai Based institutions who have expressed commitemnt. so now we are quite a few step ahead

studdmanster

November 1st, 2012, 03:50 PM

Definitely its a better outcome than no bid. My point is that all the road shows at Mumbai & Delhi didn't attract any new player so far.

the scenario seems better now...:)
atleast, sumthng z better than nothing..
today came through an article on "E bela" which mentioned that the UD is also planning to showcase KIFH in London, Sing & BKK.

AbhishekDatta

November 1st, 2012, 04:58 PM

^^ Dr. Mitra will be leading a delegation in London and Hakim is supposed to go to Singapore..

studdmanster

November 1st, 2012, 05:44 PM

^^ Dr. Mitra will be leading a delegation in London and Hakim is supposed to go to Singapore..

n whoz going to Bangkok?

AbhishekDatta

November 1st, 2012, 05:46 PM

Hakim has a soft corner for many things in SE asia as he always refers that? so it's anyone's guess... :)

ota package tour ei pore.. singapore-BKK-Pattaya :D

NiladriG

November 1st, 2012, 06:36 PM

^^ Mosti marte jacche Singapore. Business delegation na ghorar dim.

studdmanster

November 1st, 2012, 07:27 PM

Hakim has a soft corner for many things in SE asia as he always refers that? so it's anyone's guess... :)

ota package tour ei pore.. singapore-BKK-Pattaya :D

beta conference na kore massage nebe ar bikini babes dekhbe..baki ta :censored: :gaah:

AbhishekDatta

November 1st, 2012, 08:20 PM

I was referring to his inclination towards singapore..on many occasions he said to beautify some parts of greater kolkata on the line of clarke quay...

AbhishekDatta

November 3rd, 2012, 07:16 AM

from PS blog:

"We plan to invite the next EOI shortly so that institutions that needed more time may get an opportunity"

hope some more names are added this time...

studdmanster

November 3rd, 2012, 09:14 AM

from PS blog:

"We plan to invite the next EOI shortly so that institutions that needed more time may get an opportunity"

hope some more names are added this time...

i hope the next EoI is invited only after Mr. Mitra's London trip. This man has some capa compared to the other, to pataofy investors :)

anan355

November 6th, 2012, 12:56 AM

i hope the next EoI is invited only after Mr. Mitra's London trip. This man has some capa compared to the other, to pataofy investors :)

I dont agree with this. Is Amit successful in bringing any investments till now? After all he was the FICCI head.

Lets not expect any international investment now and have a realistic expectation of the things. Pvt sector never wants to take the implementation risk. They will come automatically once the PSUs step in.

Lets hope that LIC HF and BOI ( the first set of investments from outside the state) happen quickly.

samrat_m

November 7th, 2012, 11:19 AM

^^
Are our aspirations being taken note of??

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1121107/jsp/nation/story_16169118.jsp#.UJo0T8UUkQg

London dream after Bengal flop!!!

Calcutta, Nov. 6: The state government is flying to London to hard sell a project that has few takers at home.

Urban development minister Firhad Hakim hopes to meet representatives of banks and financial institutions in London between November 15 and 20 over a stillborn financial hub in New Town.

Only a couple of nationalised banks and state-run companies have shown interest in the Rs 6,000-crore project, inaugurated once by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and again by Mamata Banerjee, sources said. Hakim’s road shows in Delhi and Mumbai have not been encouraging.

Unable to get investors, the government had extended the deadline for applications from July 31 to October 31. “If required, we might add another 25 acres to the hub’s existing 25 acres to accommodate more players,” Hakim said today, anticipating a better response in London.

He was at Milan Mela, opposite which the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry is struggling to find people interested in its annual trade fair.

The state government hopes to combat such a perception with an exhibition overdrive. At Milan Mela, Hakim announced Bengal Builds, a three-day fair beginning November 29 for infrastructure and housing companies.

“The idea is to provide a glimpse of what Bengal has to offer investors if they want to develop infrastructure and housing in this state. People talk of Malaysia and Singapore. We want to show Bengal is no less. Mamata Banerjee will inaugurate the show,” he said.

With Mamata desperate to present an industry-friendly face, insiders said “invites are being sent to some big industry names” such as N.R. Narayana Murthy of Infosys; A.M. Naik, chairman of L&T; Manoj Gaur, CEO of the Jaypee Group; and Kishore Biyani of the Future Group.

Among topics likely to feature at the conclave will be the land ceiling, an area of concern for real estate investors. In the Calcutta municipal area, no private individual or organisation is allowed to hold more than 500 square metres.

The meet will be organised jointly by the Conference of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India (Credai) and a clutch of government institutions such as Hidco, CMDA and the Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority, which runs civic affairs at the Sector V infotech hub.

anan355

November 7th, 2012, 03:25 PM

^^
Are our aspirations being taken note of??

Only a couple of nationalised banks and state-run companies have shown interest in the Rs 6,000-crore project, inaugurated once by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and again by Mamata Banerjee, sources said.

Again a false reporting by Telegraph.
PS himself confirmed that SBI, Allahabad Bank , United Bank of India (UBI), United Commercial Bank (UCo), National Insurance Company (NIC), West Bengal Financial Corporation (WBFC), West Bengal Infrastructure Development & Financial Corporation (WBIDFC) and SREI have submitted bid offers for the financial hub.

http://principalsecretarysblog.blogspot.in/2012/10/financial-hub-bids-opened.html
(http://principalsecretarysblog.blogspot.in/2012/10/financial-hub-bids-opened.html)

That takes the number to 8 and not 2.

AbhishekDatta

November 7th, 2012, 03:38 PM

Again a false reporting by Telegraph.
PS himself confirmed that SBI, Allahabad Bank , United Bank of India (UBI), United Commercial Bank (UCo), National Insurance Company (NIC), West Bengal Financial Corporation (WBFC), West Bengal Infrastructure Development & Financial Corporation (WBIDFC) and SREI have submitted bid offers for the financial hub.

http://principalsecretarysblog.blogspot.in/2012/10/financial-hub-bids-opened.html
(http://principalsecretarysblog.blogspot.in/2012/10/financial-hub-bids-opened.html)

That takes the number to 8 and not 2.

This is a group that ruined Bengal's image for decades now..

samrat_m

November 7th, 2012, 03:55 PM

^^
And they are at loggerheads with the present govt now, so what can be expected from them. :ohno:
This also proves that instead of blindly going by media reports as are often referred to in SSC posts, we should keep our eyes & ears open & trust only definitive sources.

studdmanster

November 7th, 2012, 04:08 PM

This is a group that ruined Bengal's image for decades now..

which group?

samrat_m

November 7th, 2012, 04:14 PM

which group?

ABP.

mountaincloud

November 7th, 2012, 04:34 PM

This is a group that ruined Bengal's image for decades now..

Why and how have they ruined? I thought they were reporting the (mis)deeds of our good-for-nothing politicians.

AbhishekDatta

November 7th, 2012, 04:48 PM

^^they are absolutely not reporting.. they are just giving their views...we don't want their views..reports and editorials are two different things...running a view day long without any basis(eg tin kanya) is nothing but blackmailing...they ignored all the good work that Left did in earlier decades(Sun has given many examples in SSC) and now even for a minor issue they present it in a way as if sky is falling..

they are the same people who literally sanai bajiye nahabot bosiye enechilo current govt. k(which was totally uncalled for) r akhon for some very unknown reason completely against it..

we have seen how these media houses behaved in recent past so keep ur eyes and ears open to understand what I am saying..all the news that come in can not be treated as true neither all are false..so watch ur steps

Didn't want to post any political news here as many enthusiasts here already made SSC a dumping ground of all toilet reports..but just to elaborate further, see below:

মমতাকে ফিকি-পরামর্শ

Wednesday, 07 November 2012 17:48কলকাতা: প্রতিযোগিতার বাজারে রাজ্যে বিনিয়োগ টানতে মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়ের সরকারকে আরও উদ্যোগী হওয়ার পরামর্শ দিল ফিকি৷ ভিন রাজ্যে গিয়ে সেখানকার বিনিয়োগকারীদের কাছে সরকারি নীতি ব্যাখ্যা করার পাশাপাশি সরকারের বর্তমান জমি নীতি বদলানোর কথাও বলেছে দেশের সর্ববৃহত্* বণিকসভা৷ বুধবার মহাকরণে মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়ের সঙ্গে দেখা করে এই পরামর্শ দিয়েছেন ফিকির প্রতিনিধিরা৷ সাম্প্রতিক এবিজি কাণ্ডে রাজ্যের ভাবমূর্তি যখন ফের প্রশ্নচিহ্নের মুখে, তখনই সরকারকে এই পরামর্শ দিলেন ফিকির বিদায়ী প্রেসিডেন্ট রাজ্যবর্ধন কানোরিয়া, ভাবী প্রেসিডেন্ট নয়নালাল কিদোয়াই এবং সেক্রেটারি জেনারেল দিদার সিংহ৷
http://abpananda.newsbullet.in/kolkata/59-more/30013-2012-11-07-12-20-05

this is a news the same group carried..

and the same news by other dailies

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/ficci-praises-west-bengal-chief-minister-mamata-banerjee-on-work-culture-and-law-order/articleshow/17131019.cms

Ficci praises West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on work culture and law & order

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today got a word of praise from Ficci on work culture and law and order in the state, notwithstanding criticism of her government's handling of Haldia dock issue which saw a cargo handler leaving citing unsafe work conditions .

"The work culture and law and order in West Bengal has changed for which the chief minister deserves compliments," said R V Kanoria, FICCI president, who led a high-level delegation during an half-hour-long meeting with Banerjee at the state secretariat during the day.

some more..
http://india.nydailynews.com/business/3ec136e1b35844b66d0435f5bfd38abf/mamata-government-very-positive-to-industry-ficci

Mamata government 'very positive' to industry-ficci

this are equally dubious media houses..but my point is they will determine what we get and not what happened

roy2010

November 7th, 2012, 06:27 PM

ABP er katha aar koiben na dadara, nijerai dyakhen...( sorry ... off topic !!)

http://imageshack.us/a/img72/8258/screenshot2zb.png

http://imageshack.us/a/img820/9274/screenshot3ob.png

http://imageshack.us/a/img266/9703/screenshot4t.png

http://imageshack.us/a/img545/7066/screenshot5ns.png

http://imageshack.us/a/img594/6622/screenshot6gr.png

AbhishekDatta

November 7th, 2012, 07:34 PM

:nuts:

amibangali

November 7th, 2012, 07:36 PM

I just have one question here. If you think ABP is running a blind propaganda , isn't you guys are doing the same thing . Running a same propaganda against ABP. Why should I belive that whatever they publish is wrong when I saw they have a justification in Park street case, Haldia case etc. Ok I agree Media is corrupt and reports are being manipulated, so in that case should I go ahead and believe that the Indiatoday report about the ranking of State (on another thread) is also manipulated. You appreciate media when they report anything what you want to hear and blame it immediately if they criticize. I personally think if you feel that Media is corrupted to it's core stop quoting about any kind of news at all from newspaper/TV.The Forum Members are quite intellegent enough to understand what is correct and what is wrong. If you think any report is wrong you are most welcome to post 10 other counter report on it or even your own views\justification about the issue.SSC itself is a platform where people discuss and express their views about different topic. So, If I say that I know who are TMC supporters here and will never believe whatever they say because they have own propaganda will it be justified. I want to hear the TMC view as well and decide my own what is right/wrong and if I have something to say I shall support it or counter it with my own argument. Why should I point you.

AbhishekDatta

November 7th, 2012, 07:45 PM

why don't u go back and check ur 82 posts in this forum... u will get ur answer..who is here for what... i have never seen u posting anything good or related to development other then doing politics here...go somewhere else...

if you have comprehension problem nothing can I do...nobody is telling or doing any propaganda here other than few guys like you...only point here I am making is personally I don't believe any report on the face value of it..doesn't matter whether it is pro or against anyone...and I am not asking anyone ,of course no one as intelligent as you, to believe anything what I say...is it something hard to understand!!!!

debayanlahiri

November 7th, 2012, 07:45 PM

ABP.

^^ Dude, I like the preiod in ur post! U said it! Thanks, man!

I am back to Kolkata for close to two months now, and I see that not everything is bad here (as reported by the media)! While not everything is bright and sunny, its not as cloudy as it is potrayed to be!

While many here bash the government on baseless reporting, at the same time applaud the government for some political hype reporting.. it is time we know our country / state / city not through our newspapers but through our network of SSC members! Personally, I believe that our photos, updates are more relevant and constructive than any news article related to our State!

My contribution with an update: Kalyani Expressway expansion work is going on at a good pace. It will look grand once complete! :cheers:

samrat_m

November 7th, 2012, 07:52 PM

it is time we know our country / state / city not through our newspapers but through our network of SSC members! Personally, I believe that our photos, updates are more relevant and constructive than any news article related to our State!

The safest, purest & best idea. Let us be the newsmakers of our state & not the media mafia (exaggerating???)

My contribution with an update: Kalyani Expressway expansion work is going on at a good pace. It will look grand once complete! :cheers:

Great going.:cheers:

AbhishekDatta

November 7th, 2012, 07:56 PM

The safest, purest & best idea. Let us be the newsmakers of our state & not the media mafia (exaggerating???)

Great going.:cheers:

:cheers: to it.

AbhishekDatta

November 7th, 2012, 07:57 PM

^^ Dude, I like the preiod in ur post! U said it! Thanks, man!

I am back to Kolkata for close to two months now, and I see that not everything is bad here (as reported by the media)! While not everything is bright and sunny, its not as cloudy as it is potrayed to be!

While many here bash the government on baseless reporting, at the same time applaud the government for some political hype reporting.. it is time we know our country / state / city not through our newspapers but through our network of SSC members! Personally, I believe that our photos, updates are more relevant and constructive than any news article related to our State!

My contribution with an update: Kalyani Expressway expansion work is going on at a good pace. It will look grand once complete! :cheers:

keep flowing the good news.. :cheers:

Sumanb

November 8th, 2012, 09:05 AM