Thank you all,however its says i cant post attachments.Then how do i go about posting my pictures?

Upload in imageshack.us or some other similar site and then use IMG tags.

More here:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=600498

Also there is more info here

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=339254

hope u have a wonderful and oborodhs and bandh free stay...enjoy:)

That's like hoping for too much in Kolkata thanks to our trouble making Didis and Dadas.

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/5892/dsc00022eh.jpg

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/5995/dsc00028ze.jpg
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/6234/dsc00029i.jpg
http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/4772/dsc00030ga.jpg

This is a Unitech construction going on opposite to acropolis.Any idea what is it?
http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/8654/dsc00026s.jpg

This tower under construction near AJC bose road,forgot the name of the street.Its pretty tall and in front of it a FORT group mall.Can anyone help in identifying this tower?

http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/3436/dsc00032pd.jpg
http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/2738/dsc00031r.jpg

Big Animation talks to Webel for state hub

ET KOLKATA


BIG Animation, the animation content development arm of Anil Ambanis Reliance Big Entertainment, is in advanced talks with the West Bengal government to set up animation development and training facilities in Kolkata. The company will soon ink an agreement with the state governments IT nodal body Webel to set up the training facility, which will be followed with a full-fledged development centre.
This will be in line with the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee governments plans to make it big in newer areas of the IT industry like animation and entertainment.
West Bengals IT secretary Siddharth said: Yes, the government is in talks with Big Animation to jointly set up a training centre with Webel. This is the same model, which we adopted with DQ Entertainment. Like DQ, Big Animation may eventually set up an animation lab in the state. Talks are at an advanced stage with Big Animation.
However, Mr Siddharth did not reveal the quantum of investment that Big Animation is likely to make. But, a senior government official familiar with the matter said the company had identified West Bengal as one of its future development hubs in the country. An agreement is likely to be signed between the state government and Big Animation within the next 2-to-3 months, the official said.
In response to a questionnaire sent by email on the c o m p a n y s plans in West Bengal, a Reliance Big Entertainment spokesperson said: We have no comments to make at this stage.
The state official said Big Animation plans to undertake training in 2D and 3D animation technologies. As per initial discussions, the company will set up their lab in Kolkata once the first batch of students will be close to graduation . Students from Kolkata will also be placed across the various labs which Big Animation runs in India, he said.
As per latest Nasscom studies, the Indian animation industry is estimated at $494 million in 2008, growing at 22% to reach $1-billion by 2012. There are estimates that some four lakh professionals will be required by the Indian animation industry by 2012.

This is a Unitech construction going on opposite to acropolis.Any idea what is it?


That may be The Chambers by Unitech. http://wikimapia.org/13693925/THE-CHAMBERS-by-UNITECH-u-c

This tower under construction near AJC bose road,forgot the name of the street.Its pretty tall and in front of it a FORT group mall.Can anyone help in identifying this tower?

http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/3436/dsc00032pd.jpg
http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/2738/dsc00031r.jpg

^^Nice update, Avishar:) I think this is on Elgin Road besides the Brand Factory ( erstwhile Big Bazaar) outlet which is on Lee Road. No idea about this building. Has it been topped out?

I guess it hasnt topped out.But you can spot this tower way back from even 2nd howrah bridge.It makes a serious impact on the skyline.Its on Lefrow road(hope i got the spelling right)

interesting - I think there was a discussion about this building in the cityscape thread (a picture from second Hooghly).

wikipedia says that the 50-storey LIC building on EM Byepass, opposite science city is under construction. Does anybody have any idea?

link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_India

wikipedia says that the 50-storey LIC building on EM Byepass, opposite science city is under construction. Does anybody have any idea?

link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_India

Today only i passed by PC Chadra Gardens (the plot opp Sc city)..couldn't see any signs of construction there..other than a small hoarding....however saw that a lot of work was going on in ITC Sonar

http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/9622/kmda9.png (http://img46.imageshack.us/i/kmda9.png/)

Greenwood Nest, New Town, 192 flats(B+G+12 towers)

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/1730/nest.jpg (http://img189.imageshack.us/i/nest.jpg/)

Wipro Ltd, India's third largest software and services exporter, is planning to invest Rs 600 crore (Rs 6 billion) on expansion in West Bengal.

The company plans to set up a new IT park near Kolkata and recently the company's chairman, Azim Premji, had signed an agreement with the state government to acquire additional land.

Wipro presently has two development centres in Kolkata and is now looking to expand further for its future requirements, Girish Paranjpe, joint chief executive officer, Wipro Limited said.

"Presently, we have a strong presence in West Bengal. We have drawn up a long term plan for expansion in the state. We have just signed an agreement with the state government to acquire around 50 acres for our future expansion. Typically, on a 50-acre land we can create 20,000 seats. Each seat calls for an investment of about Rs 3 lakh and at this rate we may spend around Rs 600 crore there," he told Business Standard.

The company presently has enough seats at Kolkata to meet its immediate requirements and the investment may not happen immediately, he said.

Source:http://business.rediff.com/report/2010/jan/21/tech-wipro-to-invest-rs-600-cr-on-west-bengal-campus.htm

The state government has proposed a second Metro rail connection for Calcutta airport within a month of the first one receiving Delhi’s nod.

If the project report drafted by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is approved, a new set of tracks will take off from where the under-construction East-West Metro corridor ends in Salt Lake and meet the northern extension of the city’s transport lifeline at Biman Bandar station.

The state government’s decision to extend the East-West link — meant to connect Sector V to Howrah — comes close on the heels of the Railway Board approving the proposal to convert the ill-conceived airport-Dum Dum Cantonment suburban rail route into a Metro extension.

“A detailed project report has been prepared with a financial estimate of Rs 700 crore. The final decision on the project will be taken soon,” Sumantra Chowdhury, the principal secretary of the transport department, said on Thursday.

The proposed Salt Lake-airport Metro route will be 6km long, most of it elevated. The tracks will go over the Kestopur canal and reach the Kaikhali crossing, from where they will run along VIP Road.



Source: The Telegraph (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100122/jsp/calcutta/story_12012932.jsp)

Eight research institutions from across the country will set up their units at a research and development zone in Baruipur, where the state government has earmarked 500 acres for setting up the new district headquarters of South 24-Parganas.

The list of institutions include the Defence Research Development Organisation, The Energy and Resources Institute, Spice Board and the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science.

“The land has been allotted and will be demarcated by next month. Construction would begin after that,” said Vivek Bharadwaj, the CEO of the Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA).

Speaking at Infra East, a CII forum, on Thursday, Bharadwaj said: “Apart from the township, the R&D centre and the district headquarters, the zone would also have space for commercial development, for which we seek private participation.”

The CMDA is also seeking private participation for Kolkata Business Park, which is coming up on 100 acres in Nonadanga and for developing 17 acres of water body off the Bypass, near Ruby General Hospital. The authority will invite private players for designing a convention centre besides Alipore Central jail as well.


Source: The Telegraph (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100122/jsp/calcutta/story_12013750.jsp)

Source: The Telegraph (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100122/jsp/calcutta/story_12013750.jsp)

Atlast the baruipur project is getting some sunshine.:nuts:

Sorry for spamming the thread. Please vote for the India Republic day banner here (http://xl.skyscrapercity.com/?page=banner&do=today) :)

Kolkata West Heights

http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/4536/kolkatawestheights.jpg (http://img121.imageshack.us/i/kolkatawestheights.jpg/)

^^ is this in any way related to the kolkata west intl city??

Heritage Srijan Park

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/1851/sp1tj.jpg (http://img25.imageshack.us/i/sp1tj.jpg/)

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/5292/sp2g.jpg (http://img94.imageshack.us/i/sp2g.jpg/)

^^ is this in any way related to the kolkata west intl city??

Yes, this is part of the Kolkata West International City. Towers – 6 (G+ 14)

Another render
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/4536/kolkatawestheights.jpg (http://img6.imageshack.us/i/kolkatawestheights.jpg/)

thanks..

Does anybody have an idea how many hotels are currently under construction in Kolkata. Mods may think over opening a new thread on upcoming hotels in Kolkata. thanks.

Great Eastern (under renovation)
Taj Gateway
Intercontinental by Shrishti corp
Marriott Courtyard
One by DLF (or is it scrapped?)
a uniquely designed Hotel by Bengal Ambuja..
ITC Sonar extension

this month ..... !!!!


Dated : 26th January 2010.

Swissotel Hotels & Resorts has a number of properties under development including the Swissotel Kolkata, set to open in India this month, plus the Swissotel Dresden, in Germany, and the Swissotel Makkah, in Saudi Arabia, both set to open in 2011.



Source: Link (http://www.citmagazine.com/channel/news/article/979819/Swissotel-Metropole-renovates-events-space/)

Construction firm Unity Infraprojects today said it will develop two mixed-use housing projects aimed at middle-to-high income segments in Kolkata and Bangalore with an investment of around Rs 500 crore.

"We have already acquired 37 acres of land in these two cities. Work on the projects will kick off next quarter," company Chief Operating Officer Yogen Lal told PTI. The total cost of developing the projects would be around Rs 500 crore, including Rs 90 crore for acquisition of land.


Link (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/services/property-/-cstruction/Unity-Infra-to-develop-two-housing-projects-for-Rs-500-cr/articleshow/5494535.cms)

this month ..... !!!!
Swissotel Kolkata
Source: Link (http://www.citmagazine.com/channel/news/article/979819/Swissotel-Metropole-renovates-events-space/)

Good heavens..
never knew this one was under construction..
anyways this is from the Hotels website (http://www.swissotel.com/EN/Destinations/India/Swissotel+Kolkata/Hotel+Home/Hotel+Description)


Hotel Description

Swissôtel Kolkata, which opens in the first quarter of 2010, is a contemporary deluxe hotel located in Rajarhat, one of Kolkata’s fastest-growing new areas. Offering unparalleled convenience, it is just 3 kilometres away from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. Sitting on the banks of River Hooghly, Kolkata with its eclectic mix of colonial architecture and contemporary urban development is the main commercial and financial hub of Eastern India.

With a comprehensive array of leisure and business facilities, Swissôtel Kolkata is part of a new urban development with shops, restaurants and a multiplex cinema. Boasting an under-one-roof concept, this hotel has 147 contemporary guest rooms and luxury suites some with spectacular Jacuzzis, four restaurants and bars, a fitness centre, 3 spa treatment rooms, a rooftop swimming pool, and over 1261m² of meeting space.

Swissôtel Kolkata, which opens in the first quarter of 2010, is a contemporary deluxe hotel located in Rajarhat, one of Kolkata’s fastest-growing new areas. Offering unparalleled convenience, it is just 3 kilometres away from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. Sitting on the banks of River Hooghly, Kolkata with its eclectic mix of colonial architecture and contemporary urban development is the main commercial and financial hub of Eastern India.

With a comprehensive array of leisure and business facilities, Swissôtel Kolkata is part of a new urban development with shops, restaurants and a multiplex cinema. Boasting an under-one-roof concept, this hotel has 147 contemporary guest rooms and luxury suites some with spectacular Jacuzzis, four restaurants and bars, a fitness centre, 3 spa treatment rooms, a rooftop swimming pool, and over 1261m² of meeting space.

Real estate developers are reviving big-ticket projects in Kolkata after securing a commitment from the West Bengal government that “some kind of incentive” would be offered to help them emerge from the downturn. The projects had been halted for at least 18 months.

“Demands (for incentives) from real estate developers are reasonable,” said Asok Bhattacharya, West Bengal’s minister for urban development. “We are examining the legal aspects and hope to announce some kind of incentive soon.”

Among those restarting construction of key projects in Kolkata are Emaar MGF Land Ltd, which plans to build two 250-room hotels under the JW Marriott and Holiday Inn brands, and local players such as Dhoot Developers Pvt. Ltd, South City Projects (Kolkata) Ltd and Merlin Projects Ltd, which are building large commercial complexes in partnership with the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, or KMDA—an arm of the state government.

Emaar MGF had in April 2006 secured on lease a 5.9-acre plot in Kolkata paying KMDA a little over Rs200 crore, but till now only “50% of the piling” has been done, according to the firm’s draft prospectus filed with the securities market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India for its forthcoming initial public offering.

An official at KMDA said Emaar MGF has indicated to it that construction of the two hotels would restart “in early 2010”. The KMDA official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

“Due to the global economic downturn, the demand for accommodation in the Indian hospitality sector has declined in the past year,” a spokesperson for Emaar MGF said in an emailed statement. “As a consequence, in the short term, we have decided that we will commence developing hospitality projects only once we have obtained financial closure, which we plan to obtain through an optimal mix of equity and debt financing.”

Jointly with KMDA, Dhoot Developers is building a 750,000 sq. ft office complex in Salt Lake—the hub of information technology (IT) firms in Kolkata—on a 4.6-acre plot.

It secured the lease for the plot by offering Rs188 crore in a March 2008 deal, and has so far paid around 10% of that amount to KMDA, according to the official quoted earlier. “Though I don’t think the downturn is fully behind us, we can’t afford any further delay,” said Dhoot Developers managing director Pawan Dhoot.

South City Projects and Merlin had formed a consortium and secured two projects from KMDA—a commercial complex at Nonadanga on the outskirts of Kolkata and a 4.3-acre IT-cum-commercial complex at Salt Lake.

Source:http://www.livemint.com/2010/01/25214448/Realty-firms-revive-projects-i.html

Great Eastern (under renovation)
Taj Gateway
Intercontinental by Shrishti corp
Marriott Courtyard
One by DLF (or is it scrapped?)
a uniquely designed Hotel by Bengal Ambuja..
ITC Sonar extension

Thank you very much sidney_jec:)

Good heavens..
never knew this one was under construction..
anyways this is from the Hotels website (http://www.swissotel.com/EN/Destinations/India/Swissotel+Kolkata/Hotel+Home/Hotel+Description)

Dude, we always knew this one was under U/C ;) It is the hotel that is part of City Center II @ NewTown.

my bad..
i always wondered whos taking up that hotel in CC2..
good to hear that it a swissotel :)

Source (http://beta.thehindu.com/business/Industry/article95629.ece)
The West Bengal government has earmarked 100 acres near the new airport at Andal in Burdwan district for an IT electronic cluster.

“We want to promote the hardware sector for which we have earmarked 100 acre close to the new airport at Andal. We think it will be right place for an IT and electronic cluster,” IT minister Debesh Das told a visiting Chinese delegation at an interactive session with the Bharat Chamber of Commerce.

The state, he said, was concentrating on the IT and electronic hardware sector after discussions with several South East countries like Taiwan for collaboration.

“We will also try to harness solar power equipment as the country has set a target of 20,000 MW of solar power by 2020 under the National Solar Mission,” he said.

The new airport is being developed by Singapore-based Changi Airports International and Bengal Aerotropolis Projects.

Earlier, Das said the proposed India Design Centre was in the planning stage and hoped it would be finalised soon.

The venture capital fund would be increased from the present corpus of Rs 6 crore in the forthcoming state budget, the IT minister added.

Dhoot Corporate park - U/C in Salt Lake
Source (http://www.dhootgroup.net/dhoot_corporate_park.asp)

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/2118/dhootcorporatepark.jpg
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/2179/dhootcorporatepark1.jpg

Here is a list of upcoming/newly constructed IT fecilities in Kolkata

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/2369/14079412.jpg (http://img200.imageshack.us/i/14079412.jpg/)

^^thanks for the info rupakd :cheers:

Rupak,

I think the data is a little old.
If I am not utterly mistaken, I had read somewhere that Sapoorji Pallanji & DLF had applied for changing its landholding from SEZ to a normal commercial project.

PTI (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/newreply.php?do=postreply&t=482640)
Kolkata, Jan 28 (PTI) A modern hospital will come up on the lines of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, in Kolkata, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said today.

For this, the Centre has provided Rs 100 crore and the state government would sanction Rs 54 crore, Bhattacharjee told the 175th anniversary celebrations of the Medical College and Hospital, the country's oldest, here.

On the medical services in the state, the chief minister said 70 per cent of the people still received health services in state-run hospitals.

Bhattacharjee said the government was alive to the deficiencies of the sector and trying to improve services.

Rupak,

I think the data is a little old.
If I am not utterly mistaken, I had read somewhere that Sapoorji Pallanji & DLF had applied for changing its landholding from SEZ to a normal commercial project.

Yes, you are right..........this data is of mid 2008 prepared by WB Govt(IT Dept.)

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/9305/dsc00242av.jpg

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/9305/dsc00242av.jpg

Nice update, Avishar!. Did you notice any construction activity?

Blackstone Group-controlled CMS Info Systems — formed by carving out the IT infrastructure management and outsourced business services divisions of CMS Computers — hopes to treble revenue to $500 million (Rs 2300 crore) by 2014 and scout for buyout opportunities in the point of sale (PoS) and application software businesses.
CMS Info Systems — where Blackstone announced the acquisition of a majority holding in December 2008 — aims to end FY10 with a turnover in the range of Rs 750 crore. Apart from Blackstone, CMS Info Systems also counts former Microsoft India CEO Rajiv Kaul among its minority shareholders.
Speaking to TOI, Kaul — presently executive vice-chairman & CEO at CMS Info Systems — pointed out that the company proposes to take its infrastructure services business international in course of time, as well enter the remote infrastructure management arena. However, there is no immediate plan to list the company or possibility of Blackstone raising its stake in the firm.
Kaul said CMS Info Systems is currently chasing potential game-changing deals from BSNL and other government entities to fast-track its growth. “BSNL aims to centralise its printing processes and we are trying to bag that contract,” he added.
Kaul said CMS Info Systems would also set up printing outlets jointly with India Post — initially at Delhi and Kolkata — to be in a position to obtain orders from public sector undertakings and government departments who are currently still reluctant to outsource their printing needs to private companies. The facility in Kolkata would come up next month, with CMS Info Systems providing the equipment, he added.
“We may change the name of the company to better reflect the identity we are trying to create for it,” Kaul said, without elaborating on when this is likely to happen. CMS Info Systems derives the bulk of its revenue from retail banks, insurance, telecom and public sector companies. The facility in Kolkata would come up next month, with CMS Info Systems providing the equipment, he added.

Source: TNN

KMDA invites EoIs for road project
http://projectstoday.com/News/NewsDetails.aspx?nid=29604

Bengal Shriram Sonar Bangla at Uttarpara

WO5zh6tN66w

Source (http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-41561.html)


Kolkata projects to be named after Jyoti Basu

Kolkata, Jan 30: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Saturday announced that three of its projects will be named after late Marxist patriarch Jyoti Basu.


The projects are a water purifying and treatment scheme, a workers' housing complex and a multi-storied housing project for slum dwellers.

"The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has decided to name the Dhapa water purifying and treatment project after the legendary leader," Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said while addressing a memorial meeting for Basu at the civic body headquarters here.

"A workers' housing project and a multi-storied complex for housing slum dwellers will also be named after him," the mayor said.

The Rs.100-crore Dhapa water treatment plant project would benefit around 10 lakh people living in at least 10 municipal wards in Kolkata.

The workers' housing project at New Alipore in the southern part of the city and the slum dwellers' housing scheme at Rajarghat in East Kolkata are the civic bodies' initiatives to provide concrete houses to slum dwellers and KMC workers.

Marxist veteran Basu died of multi organ failure Jan 17 at a private hospital in Salt Lake after he was admitted on Jan 1 with severe pneumonia.

Basu served as the chief minister of West Bengal for 23 years from 1977-2000.

Found this in rupakd's link.

What project of Bengal DCL is this? They are saying it is in New Town. Looks good.

eP-oA5wA0Jc

^^ Nice. :cheers: I like the tower and the shops design. But not sure about the project..

The civic body has finalised the area-wise property tax structure which will soon be announced for the residents to record their objections or suggestions, if any.

The Calcutta Municipal Corporation — following a prod from one of its prime lending agencies, Asian Development Bank — has decided to introduce the new tax code and abolish the half-a-century-old system of calculating property tax on the basis of a building’s notional rent, a practice deemed arbitrary.

Under the new scheme, called unit area assessment, the 187sq km of the city area has been divided into 262 blocks which come under seven tax zones — A to G.

The annual tax for residential buildings will be the highest (Rs 4-5 per square foot) in Zone A, which includes the central business district and Park Street, and the lowest (Rs 1.4 per square foot) in Zone G comprising Metiabruz, some wards of Behala, the eastern fringes of the city and the areas dominated by hutments.

Once the unit area assessment is enforced, the owner of a 1,000sq ft residential unit in Park Street will have to pay Rs 5,000 as annual property tax. The corresponding figures in Ballygunge Place, Jadavpur and Topsia will be Rs 4,000, Rs 1,600 and Rs 2,500, respectively.

A CMC official said property-owners will get to know details of the tax structure from the borough and other civic offices and also by logging into kolkatamycity.com. “Based on the owners’ suggestions or objections, we may modify the tax structure.”

A seven-member municipal valuation committee set up by the state government in 2007 finalised the tax structure taking into consideration certain factors related to each of the 262 blocks, such as road width, drinking water supply, street lights, underground sewerage and accessibility to markets.

A civic official said the members of the valuation committee included Bikas Sinha, a former chairman of the National Statistical Commission, legal expert D.N. Banerjee, chartered accountant Abhijit Pathak and taxation and valuation expert K.K. Chakraborty.

“A key feature of the new system, which received legislative approval on December 22, is that it is based on equity and rationality,” said mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya.

In the existing system, the property tax is calculated as a percentage of a building’s notional rent or the amount the structure would fetch if let out. Since there is no objective criteria for arriving at the notional rent, property owners are at the mercy of the civic inspectors who calculate the tax.

Civic chief manager (revenue) Aniruddha Mukherjee said: “Once the unit area assessment is introduced, property owners will not be at the mercy of the inspectors’ whims. In the new regime, which is based on uniformity, some property owners will have their taxes reduced while others will have to pay more.”

A house-owner in central Calcutta added: “The present system encourages corruption. Two buildings of the same size and in the same neighbourhood are often found to have been assigned different notional rents.”

Also, unlike in the existing system, the new regime will differentiate between old and new buildings.

Introduction of the area-wise tax system was one of the conditions set by the Manila-based Asian Development Bank when it sanctioned a $220m loan to the CMC in December 2001 for the Calcutta Environment Improvement Project.

“If the commitments in loan covenant are not honoured, international funding agencies may stop providing soft loans for the city’s development. The loan covenant was signed by the Centre, state government and the civic authorities,” municipal affairs minister Asok Bhattacharya said.

Source: The Telegraph

The Victoria Memorial authorities moved the Supreme Court on Monday seeking to “modify” a Calcutta High Court order disallowing any new structure on the monument premises.

A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, issued notices to the Howrah Ganatantrik Nagrik Samiti which had opposed the proposal to construct a building to house the memorial’s administrative offices and library. The apex court directed that the case be listed for hearing again on February 22.

Harish N. Salve, who represented the memorial’s curator, pleaded with the court to allow a “modern building” to replace an old “crumbling” structure in the complex.

“Every museum has valuable artefacts which it has to protect…. As it is, only 20 per cent of it (the Victoria Memorial collection) is on display because of lack of space,” Salve contended. “Once the (administrative) offices are housed elsewhere, that space could be used to display more artefacts,” he argued.

“We propose to have a new compact building… with a little cafeteria… proper toilets so we are not embarrassed when foreign guests come,” he added.

The curator’s appeal, filed through law firm Fox and Mandal, stated that the proposed structure had been cleared by the National Institute of Design and the Centre.

“The existing structure occupies 5,000sq m, whereas the proposed one will occupy only 3,800sq m,” Fox and Mandal lawyer Jayshree Singh said. “It will not obstruct the historical structure in any way,” she said.

The high court had in an order passed on September 28, 2007, disallowed any new structure inside the complex.

Subsequent to that order, the Victoria Memorial board of trustees had in February 2009 filed a petition seeking permission to construct an administrative building. The plea was rejected.

Justices Bhaskar Bhattacharjee and Tapan Kumar Dutta had ruled that any new construction would be detrimental to the historical structure. The board may construct new buildings in other places, it had said.

The authorities had then said Calcutta Tercentenary Trust, a London-based NGO, had proposed to fund the construction of the new building.

“We find… that the sole object… is to make the campus a place of brisk activities and entertainment without caring for the protection of the monument…,” the high court had then said criticising the monument authorities.

It had also observed that granting permission for any new construction would undo the “painstaking monitoring” for the past seven years to protect the monument.

Environmental degradation of the memorial had come under the court’s scanner in 2002 after activist Subhash Datta, the general secretary of the Howrah Ganatantrik Nagarik Samiti, moved a PIL.

Dutta said on Monday that he would oppose the curator’s petition in the Supreme Court.

Source: The Telegraph

Kolkata to host global expo on mining sector
Thursday, January 21, 2010, 16:07 Hrs [IST]

The 3rd International Mining, Exploration, Mineral Processing and Machinery Exhibition (IME 2010), which will be held at the Netaji Stadium and Khudiram Hall Complex in Kolkata, West Bengal, from January 22-25, promises to offer "unparalleled business opportunities" for the mining and minerals industry. On display will be mineral and mining technologies, machinery and equipment, mineral processing procedures, latest technology and their innovative applications, R&D, logistics, communication, and safety and health aspects of mining and allied industries.

The mega event, which will be held concurrently with the 3rd Asian Mining Congress, has been organised by Mining, Geological & Metallurgical Institute of India (MGMI) and TAFCON. The event is supported by several ministries, mineral-rich states, public sector undertakings, and corporates and industry as a whole.

Over 250 exhibitors, 500 delegates, 15,000 trade visitors and 20 countries are expected to participate in this international exhibition that will serve as an ideal platform for display and launch of new initiatives, products and technologies, establishing joint ventures, and developing and renewing global and regional contacts.

Professionals and trade visitors from India and abroad policy makers and government officials; foreign missions and industry associations; investors, MNCs, industrialists and traders; key personnel of core and allied industries; mining, logistics, shipping and freight companies; machinery and equipment manufacturers, exporters and importers; IT companies and solutions providers; trade delegations, buyers and sourcing personnel; consultants, R&D professionals and academicians; infrastructure development organisations; and engineers and architects.

The 3rd Asian Mining Congress, which has "Resurgence of Mining in Asia: Prospects and Challenges" as its theme, is a concurrent conclave of mining and mineral professionals, policy makers, industry experts, scientists, engineers and technologists associated with mining and allied sectors. It will be held at Hotel Taj Bengal in Kolkata on January 22- 24. About 70 eminent speakers from India and abroad will debate, deliberate and exchange views on the key issues for the mining and allied sectors in Asia. The Congress will present the pressing issues of the year and of the market, and describe latest techniques and solutions with case studies. Over 800 delegates from about 20 countries are expected to participate.
http://www.projectsmonitor.com/MACH/kolkata-to-host-global-expo-on-mining-sector

BENGAL SHRIRAM - SONAR BANGLA (PH - I) - UTTARPARA

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/6281/shriram.jpg (http://img683.imageshack.us/i/shriram.jpg/)

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard), in association with South Asian Forum for the Environment (SAFE), is planning to form a joint liability group with various NGOs, communities and government agencies to work together on a programme on managing resources of the East Kolkata Wetlands.
The grants sponsored by Nabard will be spent on restoring the environment in the wetlands and on extending loans for self-employment of local residents and fishermen.
Outlining the plan, SAFE chairperson Dipayan Dey said all agencies and NGOs could be brought under an Umbrella Programme for Natural Resource Management (UPNRM) of the wetlands. It will be sponsored by Nabard.
The programme aims to commercially process and cultivate endemic fish which will be sold in the city’s retail markets. Some 20% of the financial support under UPNRM would be spent on capacity building, training and development of soft skills while the remaining 80% would be distributed as soft loans for infrastructural support and seed funds. There will be no upper limit on the amount of loan. Self-help groups and farmers’ clubs of East Kolkata Wetlands and other rural areas of South 24-Parganas will partner SAFE.
Nabard chief general manager P Mohanaiah said more bheries in the wetlands could be involved in such programmes for sustainable development of the wetlands. “We are already conducting a programme in Natar Bheri. More bheries could be involved in such programmes,” he said. Both SAFE and the East Kolkata Wetland Management Authority (EKWMA) observed World Wetlands Day on Tuesday. Fishermen of Natar Bheri and Nuner Bheri spoke about their lives and means of survival at the programme.
Liewellyn Young, senior regional adviser (Asia/Oceana) of the Ramsar convention secretariat, who could not attend
the wetlands day programme, sent a message expressing concern about the condition of the East Kolkata Wetlands. Young said encroachment posed a serious threat.

Source: TNN

Engineering and construction major Larsen and Toubro (L&T) Wednesday said it has been awarded projects worth Rs 1,100 crore to
construct residential towers, warehouses and a factory.

The projects involve residential towers in Ghatkopar, Mumbai at a cost of Rs 500 crore, warehouses in Khurja, Uttar Pradesh for Rs 305 crore, a mall in Kolkata and a factory building in Samalkha, Haryana for Rs 295 crore.

The order was bagged by L&T's buildings and factories operating company, part of its construction division.

Around noon, the L&T scrip was ruling 2.77 per cent higher at Rs 1,435.45 at the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Source: The Economic Times

Hiland Woods

photos copyright rb

1
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/6029/hiladndwoodsrb.jpg (http://img62.imageshack.us/i/hiladndwoodsrb.jpg/)

2
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/5117/hilandkolatarb.jpg (http://img14.imageshack.us/i/hilandkolatarb.jpg/)

Several projects in New Town

photo copyright rb

http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/5774/newtown1rb.jpg (http://img534.imageshack.us/i/newtown1rb.jpg/)

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Great pictures Suncity, Thanks..........:cheers:
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Nice picture---Suncity

Biyani JV likely to undergo changes
TNN
Kolkata: A realty joint venture between Kishore Biyani-led Future Group and city-based real estate developer Sumit Dabriwala to establish walk-in apartments for professionals on the go may undergo some changes in the proposed format to make it operational.
Till date, the JV company FH Residences has largely remained dormant with the global downturn coming in the way of it being able to give shape to its plans. As per the original announcement made in 2008, Future company Home Solutions Retail (India) was to hold 51% in the joint venture, and an investment company belonging to Dabriwala the balance stake.
We have some new ideas, Future founder and group CEO Kishore Biyani told TOI on Wednesday , when asked about the future of the joint venture with Dabriwala. However, he did not elaborate on the proposed changes.
There is speculation that Biyani and Dabriwala are set to shortly discuss the necessary modifications that would make the JV work. Biyani is likely to visit Kolkata soon. Incidentally, even at the peak of the downturn last year, both Biyani and Dabriwala had reiterated their joint commitment to pursue the project.
The inability to locate suitable properties had emerged as a major stumbling block for the Future-Dabriwala alliance. The JV had expressed its keenness to identify sites not just in the metros, but also in tier-II cities where, also, the services revolution had created a large number of new-age jobs. For the most part of 2009, realtors nationwide had been forced to tweak their plans because of a market slump.
Home Solutions Retail caters to the home building and improvement segment and operates the Home Town and eZone formats, among others. Apart from the JV with Biyani, Dabriwala also has a joint venture with Bata for redeveloping the shoe majors Batanagar facility.

KMDA biz park project out of back burner
Suman Chakraborti, TNN, 7 February 2010, 06:51am IST

KOLKATA: The biggest ever land sale proposed in the city has been brought out of the back burner and revived after a two-year gap necessitated by
the recession. Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) has finally initiated a process to set up the city's first and biggest business park on the eastern fringes of the city.

Named Kolkata Business Park', the mega project is planned to be set up on a 100-acre plot off EM Bypass, near Ruby Hospital. The authorities have started the process to reopen the project.

"We have initiated the sale process and will invite private companies for the project," said KMDA chief executive officer Vivek Bharadwaj. Officials are apprehensive that developers may not be willing to cough up much money for the land, as industry is still in recovery mode. However, going by previous sales of KMDA land, the authorities could expect to earn around Rs 2,000 crore from the sale of this 100-acre plot.

Officials said the process to auction the plot may not take place at one go. "It was earlier decided that the entire 100 acres will be sold at one go. But, with industry just recovering from the downturn, developers may not be in a position to buy it at one go. Thus, the sale process could be done in phases by auctioning 20 to 30 acres of land at a time," said an official.

According to plans, there would be several corporate building blocks and office space reserved for stockbrokers, financial consultancy houses, insurance companies and other related activities.

Officials said that they would prefer private developers who will rope in architects and experts of international repute for the business park, the first of its kind in the city. "The business park will be portrayed as a showpiece business hub for the city," said an official.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/KMDA-biz-park-project-out-of-back-burner/articleshow/5543869.cms

Park Mansions -renovation progressing well along with some leading brands taking up space

photo cc - arijeetb

http://img693.imageshack.us/img693/1511/parkmansions02.jpg

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/6792/parkmansions.jpg

Opposite Park Mansions -do not recall the name, but this heritage structure houses restaurants Tong Fu, Mocambo etc
photo cc - arijeetb

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/8206/opptoparkmansions.jpg

Nice project from Bengal DCL.

Like the MLCP & the office tower. However, IMO given the small parcel of land they should have used this project for office and retail space only

Bantala IT Park - Main Road
photo cc arijeetb

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/4751/bantalamainroad.jpg

Bantala IT Park - Cognizant
photo cc arijeetb

http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/1056/cognizant02.jpg

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/2949/cognizant.jpg

Bantala IT Park -

The road to Bantala ( Kolkata-Basanti highway) is a narrow 2 lane one, but needs expansion for sure. Several vanos ( carts fitted with motor bike engine) operate all along the main road ferrying passengers and perishable goods.

At the IT park, Nothing's really happened here except phase 1 of Cognizant Tech. Besides this, Tech Mahindra seems to have just started construction.The stench from the tanneries is strong in some parts, but it is not a critical issue as of now ( as made out in the papers).

nice updates arijeet :cheers:

^^ gr8 updates arijeet....also thnx 4 d info....:)
but y on earth govt is not doing anything to improve the infra and connectivity...
btw news medium in bengal is more of political oriented...so one can expect less of praise and more of faults...

Brilliant updates there arijeet.West bengal really needs to be thrashed.It constantly hankers for investment,but where they are getting investments there is no push from the government to create infrastructure,and make it a success!

The authorities in the state still don't understand the importance of quality infrastructure. The shoddy and hapahazard work doesn't help either. The fossils in Left Front still think that poor quality, pot holed roads is the best that their "pro-poor government" can deliver. Quality is a fearful word in the Left Front circles because they wrongly assume that good quality is "elitist" and not for the masses.

And the less said about the Miss Mamata's opposition party, the better. She should change her name to Miss NaNo. Because she only says "Na" and "No" to all development projects in the state.

A photo of this hotel was posted earlier by ArijeetB.

Kolkata gets new 4-Star hotel

http://www.indiablooms.com/BusinessDetailsPage/businessDetails070210a.php

The Sonnet Group of Hotels announced the launch of its new 4-Star property at Salt Lake area here.

pic:

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/6944/sonnethotelkolkata.jpg (http://img13.imageshack.us/i/sonnethotelkolkata.jpg/)

“While 5-Star hotels in India are at par with their global competitors, there is a near absence of internationally acceptable 4 star hotels. This also applies to the city of Kolkata. ‘The Sonnet’ bridges this gap with its well priced, upscale property that offers full service for business - the perfect choice for today's value conscious travelers,” said a company spokesperson.

'The Sonnet' Group has been associated with the hospitality industry for a decade, its flagship project being 'The Sonnet', at Jamshedpur - one of India’s busiest industrial hubs.

Kolkata may get a business park.


KMDA biz park project out of back burner

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/KMDA-biz-park-project-out-of-back-burner/articleshow/5543869.cms

The biggest ever land sale proposed in the city has been brought out of the back burner and revived after a two-year gap necessitated by the recession. Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) has finally initiated a process to set up the city's first and biggest business park on the eastern fringes of the city.

Named Kolkata Business Park', the mega project is planned to be set up on a 100-acre plot off EM Bypass, near Ruby Hospital. The authorities have started the process to reopen the project.

According to plans, there would be several corporate building blocks and office space reserved for stockbrokers, financial consultancy houses, insurance companies and other related activities.

Officials said the process to auction the plot may not take place at one go. "It was earlier decided that the entire 100 acres will be sold at one go. But, with industry just recovering from the downturn, developers may not be in a position to buy it at one go. Thus, the sale process could be done in phases by auctioning 20 to 30 acres of land at a time," said an official.

Officials said that they would prefer private developers who will rope in architects and experts of international repute for the business park, the first of its kind in the city. "The business park will be portrayed as a showpiece business hub for the city," said an official.

nice updates arijeet :cheers:

thanks, sid:)

Brilliant updates there arijeet.West bengal really needs to be thrashed.It constantly hankers for investment,but where they are getting investments there is no push from the government to create infrastructure,and make it a success!

^^avishar, I agree. the intent is clearly there but the execution is poor and coupled with a hostile opposition, the state remains on the brink. For Kolkata, I was thinking of the landbank that has been allocated to IT/ITES/private companies and this is sufficient to meet the employment needs in this sector for the next 10 years.

This is what we have U/C or acquired
1) Bantala IT park - about 120 acres
2) Infospace - 50 acres - 2 towers are operational and three more to be this year. TCS has taken up a large chunk here
3) Wipro - 50 acres
4) DLF IT 2 - 20 acres - 1st phase is more or less completed and can easily accomodate 5000
5) SP Infocity - 50 acres opposite to Wipro
6) RMZ Ecospace - 20 acres.
7) TCS SEZ - 35 acres

These are only the large ones and there are several small ones < 10 acres that are approved or U/C . The govt should seriously do a hard selling act now to attract investments.

^^ gr8 updates arijeet....also thnx 4 d info....:)
but y on earth govt is not doing anything to improve the infra and connectivity...
btw news medium in bengal is more of political oriented...so one can expect less of praise and more of faults...

thanks Studd. I am not sure why the govt is not focussed on Bantala. The basic infrastructure is well laid out, they mainly need to focus on the stench issue before it becomes alarming.

And i agree on the news medium, both the major English dailies i.e Telegraph and TOI have strong political leanings.

IDEAL REGENCY, Behala

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/5988/ideal.png (http://img205.imageshack.us/i/ideal.png/)

Ideal Lakeview - U/C - will stand out as an oasis once completed in an otherwise rundown area
photo cc arijeetb

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/6351/ideallakeview.jpg

Ideal Lakeview - U/C - will stand out as an oasis once completed in an otherwise rundown area
photo cc arijeetb

Nice update Arijeetb........Thanks.
Is there any recent update for Westin Hotel(U/C)??

Sector V will soon get two “all-facility” buildings comprising multi-tier bus stops, underground parking facilities and commercial zones.

“One of the buildings will come up near Wipro and the other at the CSTC garage,” said S.A. Ahmed, the chairman of Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority, the administrative body of Sector V. “The projects will be executed on a public-private partnership basis.”

The authority approved the decision to construct the buildings on Tuesday at a meeting attended by urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya.

Officials said the all-facility buildings would help solve parking problems in Sector V, which now has little space to keep vehicles and is dotted with illegal parking lots.

The focus of Tuesday’s meeting was on traffic management in and around Sector V and the mess the tech town has been reduced to because of work on laying underground sewerage and water lines.

“Several roads in Sector V will be made one-way to ease traffic congestion. We have also asked the cops to stop illegal parking,” said a member of the authority.

Minister Bhattacharya also announced that the CMDA would take back unused plots in Baishnabghata and east Calcutta, including Salt Lake, which it had sold several years ago.

“The plots were sold 15 to 20 years ago but are lying unused. The CMDA wants to build housing estates on these plots. At Baishnabghata, around 300 such plots are lying unused,” said Bhattacharya. He also said he had approved Salt Lake municipality’s proposal to allow residents to add a floor to their houses. “If residents are opposed to the proposal, the civic body should first talk to them,” the minister added.

Source: The Telegraph

Nice update Arijeetb........Thanks.
Is there any recent update for Westin Hotel(U/C)??

^^thanks. Construction is going on well for Westin

Sector V will soon get two “all-facility” buildings comprising multi-tier bus stops, underground parking facilities and commercial zones.

“One of the buildings will come up near Wipro and the other at the CSTC garage,” said S.A. Ahmed, the chairman of Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority, the administrative body of Sector V. “The projects will be executed on a public-private partnership basis.”

The authority approved the decision to construct the buildings on Tuesday at a meeting attended by urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya.

Officials said the all-facility buildings would help solve parking problems in Sector V, which now has little space to keep vehicles and is dotted with illegal parking lots.

The focus of Tuesday’s meeting was on traffic management in and around Sector V and the mess the tech town has been reduced to because of work on laying underground sewerage and water lines.

“Several roads in Sector V will be made one-way to ease traffic congestion. We have also asked the cops to stop illegal parking,” said a member of the authority.

Minister Bhattacharya also announced that the CMDA would take back unused plots in Baishnabghata and east Calcutta, including Salt Lake, which it had sold several years ago.

“The plots were sold 15 to 20 years ago but are lying unused. The CMDA wants to build housing estates on these plots. At Baishnabghata, around 300 such plots are lying unused,” said Bhattacharya. He also said he had approved Salt Lake municipality’s proposal to allow residents to add a floor to their houses. “If residents are opposed to the proposal, the civic body should first talk to them,” the minister added.

Source: The Telegraph

^^ location of a MLCP at CSTC garage does not seem appropriate -unless they are thinking one may park their car at the MLCP and take metro from the Sector V station. The one at Wipro will probably house their 24*7 cabs currently illegally occupying both sides of the road. Again the location just does not seem to be right.

What is required are parking lots near College more and another two near TCS and the other in the neighbourhood of the Infinity tech parks.

If they are looking at a "Central Kolkata CBD" type of one way streets that reverse in direction, it may not fully work for Sector V because of the large numbers working in different shifts timings.

What can be proposed is a Sector V bypass that is easily accessible so that traffic does not get stuck at the junctions.

^^

What is required are parking lots near College more and another two near TCS and the other in the neighbourhood of the Infinity tech parks.



i totally agree with you.
even the sector-5 metro station should have been planned near college more
just think of the future, you have to pay around 15 rupees to reach sector-v by metro, and though you will be so near but yet u'll be so far..
you again have to take a auto to reach SDF

^^ l

If they are looking at a "Central Kolkata CBD" type of one way streets that reverse in direction, it may not fully work for Sector V because of the large numbers working in different shifts timings.

What can be proposed is a Sector V bypass that is easily accessible so that traffic does not get stuck at the junctions.

i disagree with you here
the sector-v roads are just too narow for 2-way movement
3/4th of the roads are used by the buses to pick passengers

i disagree with you here
the sector-v roads are just too narow for 2-way movement
3/4th of the roads are used by the buses to pick passengers

^^my reason was more to do with people working in shifts. If the traffic were to shift direction towards the city , it would lead to chaos to those wanting to enter Sector V. I agree that roads are way too narrow for the high-rises that have/are coming up. IMO, the 4 lane divider roads ( or the main roads) should never be one-way. The two or three lane ones can be experimented with.

Again, we need a alternate road which all these roads/streets can access.

i totally agree with you.
even the sector-5 metro station should have been planned near college more
just think of the future, you have to pay around 15 rupees to reach sector-v by metro, and though you will be so near but yet u'll be so far..
you again have to take a auto to reach SDF

College More termination for the metro would have been ideal. Now in a few years time, a huge auto stand near CSTC will take up 1/2 the space of the bypass on both sides. But part of the reason they probably did not was they want to extend it to Rajarhat via the Salt Lake bypass.

^^thanks. Construction is going on well for Westin

It will be great if someone like avisar can post some update of Westin Hotel:)

It will be great if someone like avisar can post some update of Westin Hotel:)

Its still in foundation stage, so one cannot see anything more than cranes in action which Saraf, avishar and myself have already posted in this thread

The Opposition may be trying to use the Sachar Committee recommendations as their trump card against the ruling CPM’s “apathy towards minorities” in the coming polls, but the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government has finally started to woo the minorities in a desperate attempt to get as many Muslim and OBC votes in the 2011 assembly elections.
After the state government announced a 10% job quota for Muslim OBCs, the government agencies are now all ready to fulfil the promises made two years ago that 50% of all upcoming housing projects for the lower-income groups and economically weaker sections to be set up by agencies like KMDA and others will be reserved for minorities.
KMDA will complete constructing LIG and MIG flats at Baishnabghata in the eastern fringes of the city in March this year. And, minorities will be allotted 50% of those flats. “We are to inaugurate a housing unit at Baishnabghata in March this year,” said KMDA chairman and urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya.
To fulfil another two-year-old promise of chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on building a separate condominium for minorities at Rajarhat, the Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco) has already handed over two plots measuring 5,600 sq m and 2,800 sq m respectively at Rajarhat New Town’s Action Area-I to the state minorities commission for constructing a housing complex. “The two plots have been handed over to them for setting up housing complexes,” said Hidco chairman and housing minister Gautam Deb.
Hidco may also reserve a portion of the upcoming 20,000 dwelling units that is coming up on 156 acres of land at Rajarhat. All government departments have been asked to allocate a part of their budgetary allocation for minorities.
The KMDA’s Baishnabghata housing unit will have a total of 244 LIG flats of 375 sq ft each and 158 MIG flats of 625 sq ft each. However by March, only 155 LIG and 98 MIG flats would be completed.
KMDA is also setting up similar housing units for the economically weaker section at some places of East Kolkata with flats reserved for the minorities. “The schemes is part of the government’s plan to construct housing units to cater to housing needs of the minority community,” minister Asok Bhattacharya said. The KMDA had earlier set a target of setting up 540 flats for the lower income group and 275 dwelling units for the economically weaker sections.
KMDA had earlier allotted Rs 8 crore in its budget for the minorities. “The government will increase the allocation if necessary,” said an official, harping on minority welfare as one of the government’s priorities.

Source: TNN

West Bengal information technology (IT) department has invited bids for a Rs 200-crore project in Salt Lake Sector V, the IT hub of Kolkata, the first IT project after the Vedic Village scam.

Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) on Wednesday floated an expression of interest (EOI) requesting proposals for development and operation of twin tower IT park in Sector V.

Confirming the development, Debesh Das, West Bengal IT minister, said, “We have invited bids for a twin tower IT park in Salt Lake Sector V. The project cost is estimated at Rs 200 crore. This will be a built over 3 acres owned by STPI.”

STPI and Webel, the nodal agency for the government of West Bengal, have invited developers who have developed similar buildings or spaces to be a joint developer with STPI and Webel in this initiative under public-private-partnership (PPP) model. “The project cost and profits will be shared between STPI, Webel and the Bengal IT department,” Das said.

In last three years, the employment in IT sector at West Bengal has increased almost 2.5 times compared to what it was in 2006. About 90,000 people work in IT sector in the state. Earlier, the Bengal government had 171 acres allotted to IT and IT infrastructure companies at Sector V of Salt lake and 10 acres for DLF at Rajarhat. Now, the IT department has about 300 acres at Rajarhat New Town already allotted to IT and IT infrastruture companies which include TCS, Unitech, DLF, RMZ, Shapporji Paloonji, and others. Moreover, the state IT department has 130 acres at Bantala and 10 acres at Nonadanga.

Among the major projects are : Ambuja Realty that inaugurated the first phase of its ‘Ecospace’ business park in Kolkata, for an investment of Rs 290 crore.For the first phase, the company would invest Rs 180 crore, including the cost of land.

The project built on 10 acres in New Town is expected to generate employment for 10,000 people once completed. Ecospace is a 20-acre project, of which Ambuja is constructing 10 acres and the rest is being readied by RMZ of Bangalore. The major companies that have already sought space in the project are HDFC Bank, Acclaris, Calcom Cement and Thyssenkrupp among others.

Source: Business Standard

Its still in foundation stage, so one cannot see anything more than cranes in action which Saraf, avishar and myself have already posted in this thread

Thanks for the info arijeet. Actually all of us are eagerly waiting to see the hotel growing since this is the most-talked about hotel in the town:)

It will be great if someone like avisar can post some update of Westin Hotel:)

Hi,i have gone back to bangalore.so that is impossible!:ohno:

Thanks for the info arijeet. Actually all of us are eagerly waiting to see the hotel growing since this is the most-talked about hotel in the town:)

if they keep to their design and implement as per the render, it will be one of the best hotels in the country:)

A Good News - The Swissotel Hotel is going to start operation soon. The picture below is the advertisement for recruitment in various posts by the hotel authority (published on TOI Kolkata yesterday).

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/5673/swissotel.png (http://img31.imageshack.us/i/swissotel.png/)

Swissotel is five-star?if so then kolkata gets a 5 star hotel after a long time.

dear friends,

Can anybody confirm whether Swissotel is a 5* hotel or not?

btw I am happy that Maputo is today's banner. The highrise on the right is the tallest building in Maputo(33 floors):cheers:

dear friends,

Can anybody confirm whether Swissotel is a 5* hotel or not?



There are reports in the media (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2009/09/10/stories/2009091052031700.htm) of it being a 5* hotel. But why is that important?

Offical site (http://www.swissotel.com/EN/Destinations/India/Swissotel+Kolkata/Hotel+Home/Hotel+Home)

Lalit great eastern u/c|front portion...renovation almost done|rear part....newly constructed|middle part...the whole part has been brought down...only bars of the pillars visible
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/4158/image0540.jpg

eden gardens.....as on 13/02/2010|a day before india-south africa test
http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/2396/image0542.jpg

all the four towers of eden gardens|akashvani end being demolished
http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/8398/image0543.jpg

Medica Synergie Hospital

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/923/medicahospitalvoyagersi.jpg (http://img514.imageshack.us/i/medicahospitalvoyagersi.jpg/)

^^Where is it?

^^Where is it?

http://www.medicasynergie.in/kolkata.html

behind Metro Cash and Carry

There are reports in the media (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2009/09/10/stories/2009091052031700.htm) of it being a 5* hotel. But why is that important?

Offical site (http://www.swissotel.com/EN/Destinations/India/Swissotel+Kolkata/Hotel+Home/Hotel+Home)

Because Kolkata needs more 5 star hotels and has less than that of Bangalore, Chennai let alone Mumbai and Delhi which have many many times more star category hotels/rooms than Kolkata

http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/9545/chinaz.jpg (http://img63.imageshack.us/i/chinaz.jpg/)


The 50 feet tall tower to be buit at Tangra in concerned with China Town makeover

West Bengal has emerged as the largest market for multiplex chain Inox Leisure, with close to seven multiplexes in the state already operational and around 26 screens.

Trade observes say that with the acquisition of Fame chain of multiplexes, Inox is also set to grab almost 75 per cent of the movie exhibition market in West Bengal, the remaining controlled by single-screen theatres and other multiplex chains.

“West Bengal has the largest number of Inox multiplexes compared to any other state. The sheer volume itself justifies other lines of businesses for us in the state, like movie distribution,” said Deepak Asher, director, Inox Leisure.

“We are looking at setting up 10 more multiplexes in the state, at an investment of Rs 2-2.5 crore per screen,” said Asher. The 10 new multiplexes would entail a total of 40 screens by 2011.

Inox is also open to acquiring large theatres to revamp and rebrand them into multiplexes of its own. The new muliplexes would come up in Kolkata (Diamond City, Jeyssore Road, BT Road, Panditya Road, Strand Road), in Siliguri, Haldia, Kharagpur (Puja Complex), Asansol, and Howrah.

Among other plans, the company is planning to enter the Bengali film distribution business soon, with its intention to take Bengali films to different parts of the country and give Bengali movies a national presence. "A lot of new-age Bengali movies are coming up which are getting accepted nationally. So, distribution of Bengali films could open up new avenues for us," Asher added.

Inox already distributes Hindi movies in West Bengal, like 'Fashion', among others. The Bengali movie industry is estimated at around Rs 40 crore releasing 30 movies annually. Inox, the pioneer of multiplex culture in West Bengal, currently operates 29 multiplexes and 105 screens in 20 cities across India.

Incidentally, Inox’s first acquisition and its only acquisition, other than Fame India, was ‘89 Cinemas’ in Kolkata in 2006. This was an equity swap deal between Inox and Calcutta Cine which owned the four-screen multiplex ‘89 Cinemas’. Inox and Calcutta Cine boards approved the merger agreement and issue of 33 equity shares of Rs 10 each of Inox for every 1 equity share of Rs 1,000 each of Calcutta Cine. This entailed an issue of 18,810,00 shares of Inox to Calcutta Cine shareholders – approximately 3 per cent of total paid up capital of Inox. Calcutta Cine also owned a three-screen multiplex in Durgapur in West Bengal.

Source: Business Standard

Because Kolkata needs more 5 star hotels and has less than that of Bangalore, Chennai let alone Mumbai and Delhi which have many many times more star category hotels/rooms than Kolkata

Ok.

I think Kolkata needs more 1,2,3 star category hotels like the other cities and cater to the majority of population that needs clean, modern accommodation. Five star hotel prices in India are extremely high. There needs to be the equivalent of low cost carriers in the hotel section as well.

Ginger Hotels is a start. But the only Ginger Hotel in the state at Durgapur got bought by another company.

http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/5915/rosevalleydurgapur.jpg (http://img535.imageshack.us/i/rosevalleydurgapur.jpg/)

Source (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/energy/power/Bengal-Aerotropolis-plans-solar-equipment-hub/articleshow/5574231.cms)
Bengal Aerotropolis plans solar-equipment hub

KOLKATA: Bengal Aerotropolis Projects (BAPL) plans to set up a solar power equipment manufacturing hub within the proposed Rs 10,000-crore airport
city coming up in West Bengal. Coined as the ‘solar valley’, the area is expected to attract an investment of Rs 4,000 crore.

BAPL, in which Singapore’s Changi Airport International holds a 26% stake, has just received 1,090 acres from the West Bengal government for the airport city project. It has roped in IL&FS to prepare a detailed roadmap for the solar valley project, which will be a part of the science and technology park being planned by the company.

Talking to ET, Subrata Paul, chief executive officer of BAPL said: “The science and technology park is an integral part of our airport city project. The ‘solar valley’ will be part of this park, for which we are in talks with West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation (GEDC). This will be under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission project.”

Novotel renders?

http://www.sachdevodell.com/projects/kolkata.html

http://www.archetype-group.com/Novotel-Kolkotta,25

^^ i posted them sometime back on this thread..
the second website says it wud be a 4 star :banana:
we need more 3-4 star/affordable accommodation options

It was a government decision following a prod from the court that had split the close-knit Chinese community in Tangra a decade ago. On Monday, life came a full circle at the Chinese ghetto with yet another government initiative bringing the fractured community together.
The Chinatown beautification project that was unveiled on Monday brought the faction-ridden Chinese community at Tangra together. Community members, who had split into different camps after being forced to relocate the tanneries to Bantala, agreed to bury differences to realize the goal of a modern Chinese satellite township after tourism minister Manab Mukherjee, IT minister Debesh Das and Kolkata Municipal Corporation mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya reached out on Monday with a promise to help the Chinatown acquire a unique identity.
Laying the foundation stone to the Rs 1-crore beautification project that comprises setting up a pagodastyle gate at one entrance to Tangra and an imposing tower at another, Mukherjee emphatically stated that Chinatown was an inextricable part of the city’s heritage and mattered to the people.
“I don’t know if what feelings Indian Chinese harbour towards Kolkata. But let me tell them that Chinatown figures prominently in the hearts of people in this city. We’ve been making an attempt to develop Chinatown as an important tourist destination for quite some time. Thank you for the cooperation that has finally made it happen,” the tourism minister told Chinese elders gathered at the ceremony.
Chinese consul general in Kolkata Mao Siwei urged the Indian Chinese in Tangra to put up a united front and arrive at a consensus on how to take the government initiative forward. “This is a landmark project for Kolkata as well as the Indian Chinese who have been living in notso-healthy conditions for over a century. The Chinese in India are a hardworking and successful lot. The new Chinatown should represents that prosperity,” he said.
Recalling how he was often embarrassed by the poor living conditions in Tangra when outsiders asked where the Chinese lived, he said after the beautification, everyone would be proud to showcase Chinatown to visitors.

cc: TIMES NEWS NETWORK

The East Kolkata Wetland Management Authority (EKWMA) has finally decided to be firm on protecting the Ramsar site. The authorities will start a joint drive with the police from Wednesday to demolish all illegal structures that have come up on the wetlands.
The decision to be firm was taken during a recent meeting EKWMA officials held with chief secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti at Writers’ Buildings. “We had noticed that though we had been sending notices to offenders who have set up illegal structures on the wetlands to demolish those themselves, the orders were flouted. We will now hold a joint drive with the police on Wednesday and Thursday to demolish many such structures surrounding the Dhapa area,” said EKWMA chief technical officer Nitai Kundu.
Officials said that there are many unauthorised garages and godowns and other one-room structures that have come up on the area. The authorities will start the drive by demolishing these garages and godowns.

cc: TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Architects and restoration experts have accused Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) authorities of criminal neglect in allowing century-old historic warehouses along Strand Road to crumble.
On Sunday, Strand Warehouse — the most magnificent of the four Victorian brick buildings — went up in flames and was completely gutted. So precarious is the condition of the singled edifice that the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has ordered its immediate demolition, obliterating a heritage that has been a mute witness to Kolkata’s chequered history over the past century.
If TV images of flames claiming huge chunks of the building was not shocking enough, footage of monstrous bulldozers ploughing through the debris will wrench the soul out of many a historian, architect and conservationist. “The Strand warehouse is dangerously unsafe and has to be pulled down immediately. There is no portion of the structure that can be saved,” KMC director general (building) Debasis Kar said.
Architects, though, insist all is not lost. Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage (INTACH) Kolkata chapter convener G M Kapur said the heritage structure could be again rebuilt like several historic buildings in Berlin and London had been done after the devastating aerial bombings and the fire during the World War.
“If there is intent on the part of authorities, the warehouse can be rebuilt and the other two can be restored. If the KoPT fails to act, the KMC has the power take over the properties listed as heritage,” he said, adding it was shocking that structures of such architectural brilliance were allowed to wither despite several proposals being forwarded to the port authorities.
Incidentally, Sunday’s fire was the second at the Strand Warehouse. Another fire a decade ago had brought down the second-floor roof and weakened the structure. Though architects and restoration experts repeatedly warned the warehouse was in threat, port authorities ignored the pleas. “We have been screaming about the need to restore the warehouses for over a decade. There have been several initiatives to get work started, but things have failed to take off due to lack of initiative from KoPT. During the NDA regime, things had moved ahead. Then shipping minister Shatrughan Sinha was about to hand over the warehouses to Subrata Mukherji, who was KMC mayor then. But things got stalled at the 11th hour and have been stuck since,” Kapur said.
In 2003, a delegation from the London Rivers Association had visited Kolkata and submitted recommendations on restoring the Strand Road warehouses following an invitation from the West Bengal government. The seven-member British delegation comprising urban landscape experts held a workshop and recommended ways to develop an urban design framework to focus on the future use of the warehouses, the waterfront around that area and the adjoining heritage zone of Dalhousie.
George Nicholson, the delegation leader, was awed by the structures and felt they held tremendous potential for adaptive reuse. Over six years, Nicholson and his team offered their expertise free of cost. The initiative led to the development of the Millennium Park. But the warehouse restoration project remained stillborn.

cc: TNN

Novotel renders?

http://www.sachdevodell.com/projects/kolkata.html

http://www.archetype-group.com/Novotel-Kolkotta,25

^^looking good..:)and bound to be curvaceous keeping in line with the layout of the plot

The mayor on Tuesday launched a garbage recycle project the likes of which have recently failed in municipalities around Calcutta because of a lack of civic sense and awareness.

As part of the pilot project, the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) will hand over a bin to each household in six of its 141 wards. Two teams will collect paper, plastic and other recyclable garbage dumped in the bin and spread awareness in each of the wards, covering east Calcutta, Jadavpur, Behala and Garden Reach.

Six months ago, the CMDA had distributed two buckets — for segregating and dumping biodegradable and recyclable waste — to each household in a number of municipalities around Calcutta.

“People do not use them for garbage disposal. Most store water in them,” said Pinak Dhamali, the chairman of the Uttarpara-Kotrung municipality, one of the chosen civic bodies.

Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya acknowledged that people’s attitude was a problem. He said: “In Calcutta, most of the so-called elite lack basic civic sense. They neither hand over garbage to door-to-door collectors nor throw it in vats.”

Over 150 tonnes of garbage stay dumped on the road and another 100 tonnes are thrown away in packets. Civic opposition members alleged the project would drain the coffers.


cc: The Telegraph

The civic body has moved the high court pleading for quashing of a criminal case lodged against it by Eastern Railway over a Ultadanga plot.

The state government and the railway have been claiming the plot since a slum on it caught fire on January 12.

Justice Asim Roy on Tuesday admitted the Calcutta Municipal Corporation’s petition and asked the civic body to serve notices to Eastern Railway and the government. The next hearing is on March 3.

On February 6, the Eastern Railway had lodged a case in the Sealdah court accusing the CMC of trying to grab the plot by starting “illegal” construction on it. The construction was part of a CMC project to rehabilitate the slum dwellers, for whom the railway has prepared a separate scheme.

When railway officials tried to resist the CMC men, they were allegedly heckled by “hooligans”. Following a court order, police started a criminal case against the civic body.

The CMC lawyer told the high court that the case was based on “false statements” by the railway.


cc: The Telegraph

Firemen at Strand Warehouse took too long to ask for reinforcements, which resulted in extensive damage to the colonial structure, logbook entries have revealed.

“The officers who reached the warehouse first failed to assess the scale of the fire. Had they asked for enough engines and equipment straight away, the flames could have been controlled much earlier,” said a senior officer of the fire services department.

According to the logbook of the B division control room at the Mohammed Ali Park fire station, North Port police station intimated firemen about the blaze at 2.20am on Sunday and three engines were immediately sent to the spot. At 2.25pm, the divisional officer at the spot asked for 10 engines.

At 3am, he asked for 15 engines. At 3.50am, the number of engines sought went up by five. At 4.30am, 130 minutes after the first call, the firemen asked for 30 engines. The flames were put out after more than 40 hours.

The fire spread to all the floors of the warehouse within minutes of breaking out, but the firemen at the spot sought a hydraulic platform only at 4.30am.

“The engines had to be sent from various fire stations in the city and beyond. Those that were farthest from the warehouse reached last. The delay in asking for reinforcements was crucial,” said an officer of the B division after reading out the logbook entries.

A fire had broken out in a part of the warehouse — which was not damaged in Sunday’s blaze — in July 2003. It had been controlled quickly. “So the officers knew that there were inflammable articles on the premises but still they waited to ask for reinforcements,” said a senior officer.

Some senior officers drew a parallel with the 100-hour Nandaram Market fire in January 2008. “The fire had started at Tirpalpatti near the market. It spread because officers could not assess the danger,” added the officer.

“We did everything possible to control the situation. By the time, our men reached the spot, the flames had spread,” said Debapriyo Biswas, an additional director-general of the fire services.


cc: The Telegraph

Novotel renders?

http://www.sachdevodell.com/projects/kolkata.html

http://www.archetype-group.com/Novotel-Kolkotta,25

Any detail about this project??....Is the Hotel construction started??.......

Where in Rajarhat is the construction of Novotel is happening?

Any detail about this project??....Is the Hotel construction started??.......

^^yes, construction has started. It is right next to Axis Mall ( corner plot)

^^okkk...dat means d plot near sankalpa?

A retail-cum-commercial complex, a Rs 100-crore public-private partnership project, will soon open doors in Sealdah.

The joint initiative of the CMDA and the Keventer Fresh Group has given the erstwhile ragged structure next to NRS hospital and off Sealdah station a makeover, with Big Bazaar of the Future Group anchoring the G+9 mall and office tower.

The retail mall will be inaugurated on February 22.

“We decided to bring in a private partner to add value to the project and create a contemporary shopping centre,” said Kalyan Roy, director (socio-economic wing), CMDA.

“We paid the CMDA Rs 35 crore for the land and the structure. The makeover design is by German architecture firm Gherzi,” said M.K. Jalan, the chairman of the Keventer Fresh Group.

Keventer was awarded the project after a two-tiered assessment of technical and financial bids. The commercial risk of the project has been borne by the private partner, with a 99-year lease lock-in.

Big Bazaar is gearing up for “very high footfall” at its newest outlet in Calcutta. “We have taken into account the profile of the catchment area and the fact that the property is adjacent to such a high-footfall railway hub,” said Kishore Biyani, the Future Group CEO.

The group has a revenue-sharing pact with Keventer on sales turnover from the 80,000sq ft Big Bazaar outlet, spread across five floors. An insurance company will take up the office space from the fifth to ninth floors.


cc: The Telegraph

The Salt Lake municipality announced on Wednesday that a residents’ convention would be held on February 26 in the BD hall to discuss the issue of adding a floor to existing houses. The municipality decided to organise the convention after state urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya asked its chairman to hold discussions on the matter before giving residents the green signal to add a floor to their houses.


cc: The Telegraph

A number of illegal structures on the East Kolkata Wetlands were demolished during a joint raid by Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and the city police on Wednesday at the Ramsar site. The authorities overcame resistance from those who had built these unauthorised structures.
Twenty-one illegal structures, including several single-storey buildings that housed car showrooms and marble godowns, were demolished. Six walls were also pulled down. “We could finally pull down the structures after overcoming stiff resistance,” said Nitai Kundu, chief technical officer of East Kolkata Wetlands Management Authority (EKWMA). The demolition drive continued from 7 am to 9.30 am and its focus was on the areas surrounding the Dhapa dumping ground.
KMC’s director general (buildings) Debasish Kar said the civic body responded to a request from EKWMA, which submitted a list of illegal structures it wanted demolished. “The land belongs to KMC. An earlier demolition drive we attempted was abandoned in the face of resistance from illegal settlers who then moved court. It was decided to relaunch the drive after the court refused to grant the settlers’ plea for a stay order on demolition of structures at the wetlands,” Kar said.
KMC will now survey the wetlands area to determine its borders. If more illegal structures are found during the survey, these, too, will be demolished. Wetlands expert Dipayan Dey, chairperson of South Asian Forum for Environment, welcomed the drive. “It is encouraging that illegal structures are being demolished.”
Encroachments on the East Kolkata Wetlands have been the biggest hurdle for EKWMA in its bid to develop the area as an eco tourism spot. The high court had, in 2008, observed that illegal structures were rampantly coming up at the wetlands. The court had directed EKWMA to ensure that no new illegal structures came up.
The authorities had lodged more than 100 FIRs against offenders but the encroachers have not been evicted till date. A large number of structures had come up before the authority was formed. Several illegal godowns, garages and a school building have also come up near the Bantala leather complex.
EKWMA was also entangled in a controversy with the state fisheries department over encroachment.
Twenty-one illegal structures were razed during the KMC drive at the Ramsar site on Wednesday


cc: TIMES NEWS NETWORK

The state government wants the Strand Road Warehouse — a century-old structure left in ruins after Sunday’s devastating fire — restored.
The state urban development department has convened a meeting at Writers’ Buildings on February 24 to discuss ways to restore the heritage structure. Officials from Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) and Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) will attend the meeting. “A meeting was already scheduled with KoPT on the renovation of ghats on the Hooghly banks. Now, the meeting will also discuss restoration of the damaged warehouse,” said urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya.
KMC is also trying to restore the warehouse. “The way the building has been damaged in the fire, it is quite unlikely that the structure will be retained. However, we will talk to KoPT to find ways to retain the structure,” said MMiC (buildings) Dipankar De.
However, KMC engineers who inspected the building said it was not possible to retain the existing structure. “The walls of the warehouse are standing dangerously, without any support. The only way to retain the building is to reconstruct it and give it back its original look,” said a buildings department engineer.
The KMC authorities will also discuss ways to maintain other heritage structures on the riverbanks at the meeting with KoPT. KMC is demolishing completely ruined portions of the warehouse. Its heritage preservation committee will also take a look at repairing the building and restoring its heritage look.
The Strand Warehouse is among the four Victorian brick buildings in the city. “It is quite unfortunate that such a magnificent heritage structure was not maintained and looked after by the port trust,” said a fire brigade official.
In 2003, a delegation from the London Rivers Association had come to the city and given some proposals to the government on how warehouses on the riverfront could be restored. However, there was no progress as the agencies concerned could not work on the proposals due to various reasons. KMC engineers say it’s almost impossible to retain the existing structure.


cc: TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Gee Pee Info plans to set up city centre

Co Plans Assembly-Cum-R&D Unit Near Kolkata
ET KOLKATA

GEE Pee Infotech, an assembler of low-cost cellphones , has decided to set up an assembly-cum-R&D unit near Kolkata. This is linked to the companys ambitious plans to also develop a Rs 10,000-crore telecom park in West Bengal for which it has submitted a proposal to the IT department.
Confirming the development , Gee Pee Infotech managing director Bijay Agarwal said: We are creating 200,000 sq ft of space in Kolkata for setting up an R&D-cum-assembly unit to start with. We wish to acquire 100 cottahs (8.35 acres) near Kolkata to set up a similar unit and start assembling operations in a big way. The investment in this new unit will be nearly Rs 150 crore.
Gee Pees proposed Kolkata unit will have an annual capacity of 30-40 million handsets. At present, we sell some 1.72 lakh mobiles annually in 14 states of India.
We are also talking to some Chinese companies for a tieup for supply of handset equipment . We also plan to tie up with some mobile operators in the near future for supplying handsets . Land for the new project is being acquired. The plant will be ready by end-2010 . However, Mr Agarwal refused to name the site location.
On Gee Pee Infotechs proposal to develop a telecom park in the state, Mr Agarwal said: This is our long-term plan. We will create infrastructure for telecom companies. The projected investment in this park will be to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore. Talks are on with the state government for the project.
A senior official of the state IT department said: We have received the proposal from Gee Pee Infotech. We are examining it now. Gee Pee Infotech , which sells mobiles under the brand name Gee Pee, is now planning to export handsets to Nepal and UAE.
Negotiations are underway with some companies in UAE. The mobiles will be marketed under Gee Pees brand name in the overseas market, Mr Agarwal added. Gee Pee is also planning to launch a Rs 500 colour mobile phone in the domestic market shortly.

GEE Pee Infotech, an assembler of low-cost cellphones , has decided to set up an assembly-cum-R&D unit near Kolkata. This is linked to the companys ambitious plans to also develop a Rs 10,000-crore telecom park in West Bengal for which it has submitted a proposal to the IT department.
Confirming the development , Gee Pee Infotech managing director Bijay Agarwal said: We are creating 200,000 sq ft of space in Kolkata for setting up an R&D-cum-assembly unit to start with. We wish to acquire 100 cottahs (8.35 acres) near Kolkata to set up a similar unit and start assembling operations in a big way. The investment in this new unit will be nearly Rs 150 crore.

Good development. We hope their plan materialises:cheers:

But 100 cuttahs are not equal to 8.35 acres. In Bengal, 20 "cuttahs" make one "bigha" and roughly 1 acre is slightly over 3 bighas. So, here 100 cuttah is 5 bighas which is slightly over one and half acres.

And if its 8.35 acres then its about 500 cuttahs:)

Mamata gets her way, takes 14 projects home



Among the Bengal-centric 14 projects, four projects are for extension of Kolkata Metro. Among the new projects cleared are extension of Kolkata Metro aimed at touching all the suburbs of the city. The extensions are Durga Nagar to Barrackpore at the cost of around Rs 2,000 crore, Joka to BBD Bagh costing Rs 2,619 crore, Dum-Dum to Barasat at the cost of Rs 2,432 crore and extension of Garia link at the cost of around Rs 3,500 crore.

In a hurry to appeal to the Bengal constituency, the Cabinet notes for most of the projects were circulated in the morning just when cabinet assembled without serious consultation on financing and environmental concerns.

source : TOI : 19.02.2010

Some Ecospace pics...

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/3530/page01image02.jpg (http://img28.imageshack.us/i/page01image02.jpg/)

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/3383/page01image01.jpg (http://img28.imageshack.us/i/page01image01.jpg/)

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/3914/ecospacenewtownhead.jpg (http://img28.imageshack.us/i/ecospacenewtownhead.jpg/)

Source : Bengal Ambula Website (http://www.ambujarealty.com/projects/office/ecospace/index.asp)

Some Ecospace pics...

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/3530/page01image02.jpg (http://img28.imageshack.us/i/page01image02.jpg/)

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/3383/page01image01.jpg (http://img28.imageshack.us/i/page01image01.jpg/)

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/3914/ecospacenewtownhead.jpg (http://img28.imageshack.us/i/ecospacenewtownhead.jpg/)

Source : Bengal Ambula Website (http://www.ambujarealty.com/projects/office/ecospace/index.asp)

nice find, kolkata.:cheers: The tech park is coming up well

Ecospace is looking good.

:cheers:

nice find, kolkata.:cheers: The tech park is coming up well

Thanx.. Any idea about the building under construction in the back seen in the first two pics? Is it part of Ecospace?

Thanx.. Any idea about the building under construction in the back seen in the first two pics? Is it part of Ecospace?

It probably is. As far as I know 10 acres is being built by Ambuja, while the other 10 is being built by RMZ Corp, Bangalore.

cc: TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Six years after then President APJ Abdul Kalam laid the foundation stone to the permanent fair ground along EM Bypass, Milan Mela remains semi-finished. Not only is the first phase of the project incomplete, the government is yet to chart out the blueprint for the next phase.
Aware of the infrastructure deficiencies at Milan Mela grounds on the eve of the international leather goods fair, Indian Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) chairman and MD Subas Pani said: “There are concerns on the venue. I hope the new facility will be completed soon. We will be happy to work out solutions with the state government.”
ITPO had a stake in the fair ground but exited following differences on how the trade fair ground was to be developed and used. “We operate three fair grounds — Pragati Maidan in Delhi and two others in Chennai and Bangalore. The Chennai facility is as large as that of Kolkata and took two years to be completed,” he said.
Industry secretary Sabyasachi Sen, while pointing out that the facility at Kolkata could not be compared to Chennai as the former had to deal with events as diverse as the book fair and industrial trade fair that draw lakhs to niche ones like the international leather goods fair, admitted that a lot of work was still pending.
In a frank admission that Milan Mela authorities were not yet clear on what to do in the second phase of development, Sen said: “We are undecided on whether to build halls or keep the open space for fair organisers to set up stalls. In all probability, the space will be left open with paved access roads in between,” he said.
On why basic facilities like drinking water and toilet complex were still not ready, Sen said paucity of construction time had delayed the progress. “Fairs are held during the winter that is the prime season for construction. We get time between April and December with the monsoon in between. The fair ground would have been completed last year had work continued uninterrupted. But we have to accommodate fairs as there are no alternative venues to hold the book fair and industrial trade fair,” he reasoned.
Incidentally, the foundation stone was laid in February 2004, exactly six years ago. The construction time for the world-class facility with 7,00,000 sqft exhibition space was pegged at two years. But the government just sat over it. In fact, it had four years to complete the work before fairs started in 2008. But with barely any work done in the first couple of years, there was massive time and cost overrun. And six years on, the mela grounds is anything but world-class.
Not only are basic facilities that were to be set up in the first phase incomplete, an air-conditioned hall that was to come up has been abandoned for now. “There is an issue of funds. The first phase project cost was around Rs 42 crore. This included the AC hall. But with over Rs 40 crore already spent and still some work to do, the AC hall is not in consideration,” Sen said.
Sources said the design of the four halls that are simply large warehouses took inordinately long. After much debate, the roof design on the lines of traditional Bengal architecture as seen in Bankura, was agreed upon. The wisdom of the choice has come under criticism for wasting space as the halls are as tall as two and a half storeys but has just a single level of exhibition space. Moreover, green building norms that enable maximum use of natural light and insulation didn’t figure in the thought process.
Sen said the fair authorities would try to sort out issues like availability of drinking water at multiple points, adequate toilet facilities and paved roads between stalls before the next round of fairs beginning December. “We have also decided to disperse electricity circuit breakers so that overdrawal of power at one section did not lead to complete blackout as had happened during the book fair,” he said.
The secretary, however, remained evasive on when the fair ground project would be completed and instead turned philosophical. “We can never claim that work on a facility as diverse as Milan Mela will never be complete. There is a constant endeavour to improve the infrastructure in consultation with the participants,” he said.

cc: TNN

The city’s biggest Big Bazaar mall is set to open its doors on Monday, February 22, at the Sealdah court-cum-commercial complex. This is the first public-private partnership project for KMDA with Keventer Group in retailing.
Keventer Group chairman M K Jalan said urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya will inaugurate the mall. “It will be a revenue-sharing model. We will project the store as a gateway mall of Kolkata. The mall will have a unique feature of having entrances from three sides,” Jalan said.
KMDA chief executive officer Vivek Bharadwaj said: “We our happy that the building will be utilised properly.”
The Sealdah court-cum-commercial complex had been lying in neglect for years. The joint venture project, between KMDA, Keventer and Future Group, was earlier delayed by over a year and a half due to several reasons, including the economic slowdown.

Cool photos of Ecospace..:banana:

Some Ecospace pics...

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/3530/page01image02.jpg (http://img28.imageshack.us/i/page01image02.jpg/)

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/3383/page01image01.jpg (http://img28.imageshack.us/i/page01image01.jpg/)

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/3914/ecospacenewtownhead.jpg (http://img28.imageshack.us/i/ecospacenewtownhead.jpg/)

Source : Bengal Ambula Website (http://www.ambujarealty.com/projects/office/ecospace/index.asp)

Photo cc Indranil Das Photography

http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/8941/4366700263b43088b5f6o.jpg

^^whch is this bldng?

City-based real estate developer Rahul Saraf has decided to wait for further clarity on the fate of the STPI benefits enjoyed by technology companies before taking a call on whether he should “review” the original plan to set up an IT SEZ on the fringes of Kolkata — a venture in which Yatra Capital, too, has a significant stake.
For the moment, though, the finger on the pause button stays firmly in place. Saraf is not alone. Nationwide, several developers of delineated economic zones for IT companies are on a razor’s edge, unsure about whether they should move ahead with these ventures in case the FM lets the suspense linger on the continuance of the STPI scheme beyond March 31, 2011.
“It will be a huge setback for developers if the STPI scheme is extended and could lead to more denotifications of IT SEZs,” Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India (CREDAI) chairman Kumar Gera said, while explaining the possible impact on realtors if the STPI initiative is given a fresh lease of life.
Gera said authorities should consider the enormous risks being taken by developers in putting up SEZs if they are still harbouring any thoughts of extending the STPI benefits beyond the stipulated end-date. “You can’t put up an SEZ overnight. Decisions on this are based keeping a particular government policy in mind. If that policy changes often, developers will face enormous problems since the belief was that IT companies willing to export would move to SEZs once the STPI scheme is no longer there,” he added.
Gera said he could only hope that the FM would not say anything on the STPI issue while presenting the Budget on February 26 as that would mean that the status quo would continue and there would consequently be no change in the sunset clause for the STPI scheme. “In any case, SEZs of any kind are a tough proposition now and developers are adopting a waitand-watch attitude on this,” Salarpuria Properties vice-chairman Rakesh Salarpuria said. Salarpuria is one of the biggest developers of plugand-play space in Bangalore.
Incidentally, software industry body Nasscom has always batted for the continuance of the STPI scheme arguing that it is essential for development of IT in the tier-II and tier-III towns, apart from maintaining India’s competitive advantage in the tech arena. Last year, many companies, including DLF, denotified some of their IT SEZ projects following the global economic crisis.

Source: TNN

^^whch is this bldng?

^^Synthesis Business Park

MOORE HEIGHTS (MOORE AVENUE) U/C

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/9182/mooreheightsview3.jpg (http://img641.imageshack.us/i/mooreheightsview3.jpg/)

Keventer-Future Group mall to break even in two years

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/keventer-future-group-mall-to-break-even-in-two-years/386479/

Future Group and Kolkata-based Keventer has joined hands to set up a retail-cum-commercial complex in Sealdah.

A Rs 100 crore public-private partnership (PPP) project, Kishore Biyani-led Future Group and M K Jalan promoted Keventer Group have a revenue-sharing pact on sales turnover from the 80,000 sq ft Big Bazaar outlet, spread across five floors. Commercial space will occupy fifth to ninth floors.

We expect this mall to break even within two years. In the first year itself we are expecting revenues of Rs 75 crore from this mall,” said Kishore Biyani at a press conference held in Kolkata.

M K Jalan’s Keventer Group had entered into a joint venture with Kishore Biyani-led Future Group to set up RiddhiSiddhi Mall Management, to set up this complex at Sealdah. They participated in an open bid floated by Kolkata Municipal Development Authority (KMDA). The development began in August 2008 for a total area of about 1,32,000 sq ft.

A special purpose vehicle (SPV) was formed where both Keventer and Future Group have 50 per cent stake each. KMDA has handed over the property to the consortium under a 99-year lease, renewable for another 99 years.

The mall is currently in talks with some of the major corporate houses who are willing to buy commercial spaces.


Future Group eyes 10th of turnover from city

TOI epaper

The Kishore Biyani-led Future Group, whose genesis lies in an apparel store at Gariahat 12 years ago, will clock a whopping Rs 1,000 crore from various retail formats in Kolkata by June 2010. That is a tenth of the group’s projected business turnover of Rs 10,000 crore. And with the group projecting a turnover of Rs 15,000 crore the following year, the city is expected to contribute around Rs 1,500 crore to the top-line.

Launching the eighth Big Bazaar store in the city on Monday, Biyani said the city with which his business had the strongest emotional connect, continued to outpace the rest of the country, clocking 30-35% growth against the national average of 20-25%.

“Across formats, we have been consistently clocking very high sales in Kolkata, the city from where it all started. Not only do we have a strong emotional connect with Kolkata, customers in the city too have an equally strong connect with the group. With the opening of this store next to one of the busiest stations in the country, we expect sales in Kolkata to enter the next phase of growth that will be even more sharp,” said Biyani.

The 60,000 sqft Big Bazaar at the Sealdah Commercial Complex is expected to draw 100,000 customers a week, twice as many as average Big Bazaar outlets attract. With nearly 1.2 million commuters passing through Sealdah station daily, attracting a fraction of them will meet the footfall projection. “We are targeting a revenue of Rs 75 crore from the store this year and Rs 100 crore next year,” Biyani said.

Incidentally, it was in Kolkata that both retail formats — Pantaloons and Big Bazaar — were launched. The first Pantaloon store was opened in Gariahat in 1998 and the first Big Bazaar on VIP Road in 2002. With the group now experimenting with the first Big Bazaar store next to a major railway station, Biyani said he would pursue other such opportunities elsewhere in the country.

Apart from the eight Big Bazaar outlets, the group has five Pantaloon stores, a home solutions mall Home Town and eZone outlets at several mall developments, taking the floorspace to 5 lakh sqft from 3.5 lakh sqft at present. The five Pantaloon stores have a retail space of 2.75 lakh sqft. The Future group is eyeing more e-Zones and Food Bazaars in high streets apart from Central malls.

cc: The Telegraph

Team Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Team Mamata Banerjee have formed a mahajot (grand alliance) — to fill up water bodies and wetlands.

These precious ecological patches are being filled up here, there and everywhere, all with the blatant patronage or tacit support of local politicians, both CPM and Trinamul, and the administration.

Metro visits three such fast-disappearing water bodies.

A wetland in Birati

Where: In Uttar Badra of Birati, within ward number 28 of North Dum Dum municipality; beside the railway track connecting Barasat and Dum Dum near Durganagar. Status: Filling up fast. Space: Nearly 150 bighas. What we saw and heard: Operation Fill-Up. A line of trucks loaded with rubble, fly ash and clay winds its way through a temporary passage created by breaking down the road dividers and guard rails of the Belghoria Expressway.

With Trinamul, CPM and Congress toughs supervising the fill-up, against a payment of Rs 1,200 per truckload, it is smooth sailing for a realty project.

The local Congress councillor, Subodh Chakrabarty, admitted to the fill-up and said that he had told the contractors and local youths to stop the work in the absence of a valid permission to fill up the wetland. “I have asked the contractor to come for discussions to the municipality,” said Chakrabarty.

Those doing the dirty were in no mood for “discussions”. When Metro visited the spot and demanded an explanation, the toughs took the standard dadagiri line in Bengal: “Ja korar kore neben… (Do what you can…).”

How will the loss affect us?:

• The area beside the expressway acts as a natural water recharging base and also stores the drainage water of areas like the North Dum Dum and South Dum Dum municipalities. Around 3 lakh residents of the area can be affected by severe waterlogging if the wetland is lost.

• The wetland acts as a local pollution arrester; its absence will lead to an alarming rise in air pollution levels.

BIKRAMGARH JHEEL

Where: Spread over wards 93 and 95, in Jadavpur and Golf Green, behind South City.

Status: Going, going...

Space: Originally 100 bighas of water body, the only major water sprawl in south Calcutta other than the Dhakuria Lakes, is now just about 20 bighas and shrinking fast.

What we saw and heard: Where there is a will there is a way. The will here is to fill up Bikramgarh Jheel. The way here is provided by private enterprises big and small and, of course, political patronage.

Another slice of the water body has been gobbled up recently, with a gate reading 87 Prince Ghulam Hossain Shah Road, choking the water flow. There is talk of CPM workers facilitating the fill with support from the Trinamul leadership in ward 93.

The encroachment cries were loud enough to draw mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya, local MLA public works department minister Kshiti Goswami, mayor in council (environment) Sushil Sharma and senior officials of the CMC (under whose control the jheel is from 2003) for an inspection.

“We will soon take a decision to rejuvenate the jheel and free it from encroachers,” claimed Sharma.

How will the loss affect us?:

• Bikramgarh remains the drainage catchment for the entire area. According to environmentalist Mohit Roy, any filling of the water body will immediately affect about 10,000 people in the vicinity, from Bikramgarh to Poddarnagar, with waterlogging during monsoon. In the longer run, more than 50,000 people in the two wards will be hit.

• Groundwater recharge will be affected in the entire zone, which has already been declared a vulnerable area by the CMDA for its receding groundwater level. Apart from the gradual scarcity of groundwater in buildings and highrises drawing water, subsidence cannot be ruled out in the longer run.

• Loss of local biodiversity, which is at present studied by school and college students.

BILKANDA JHEEL

Where: Along the Barrackpore-Dum Dum Expressway, near Sodepur.

Space: 211 bighas.

Status: Filled up; a township is supposed to come up here

What we saw and heard: An expanse of land with electric poles criss-crossing it. The tell-tale signs of the recent fill is evident from the flat ground with virtually no trees.

A mini city will come up, filling a vast stretch of wetlands. In 2003, the pollution control appellate authority of the state dismissed the prayer of the promoters seeking permission to construct on the filled-up land, and told them not to proceed without permission from the state pollution control board. The promoters moved high court, which asked the local administration to fix the land character. The matter is still pending.

“If any water body or wetland has been found to be filled up illegally, there is scope for restoration,” said the environment department’s chief law officer Biswajit Mukherjee.

The CMDA has “no clue”.

How will the loss affect us?:

• The Bilkanda wetland area is part of the drainage catchment as well as water-recharging point for a vast zone in North 24-Parganas and part of Nadia. Urban development expert Tapas Ghatak warned that Khardah, Panihati, Titagarh and some fringe panchayats will be hit harder by waterlogging.

• The area will also lose its groundwater recharge zone and local carbon sink.

cc: The Telegraph

Four medical colleges are in expansion mode and will add around 850 beds in a couple of years with demand outpacing supply in the state’s healthcare sector.

“This is the largest expansion of state-run hospitals in terms of beds. New super-speciality units are being set up in these hospitals, resulting in the rise in the number of beds,” said S.N. Banerjee, the director of medical education.

SSKM Hospital, which has 1,700 beds, will set up a 10-12 storeyed building with 200 beds. “The building, to be ready in two years, will house a modern trauma care centre as well as other surgical units and ITUs,” said medical superintendent Debasis Bhattacharyya.

Officials said a diagnostic hub would function from the ground floor of the building, which will come up at the site of the residential quarters for Group D employees that are being shifted.

The cost will be borne by the state government and the National Highway Authority of India (which pumps in money for trauma care in centres close to highways).

The Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, functioning with 1,300 beds, will have 350 more in a year. “The extra beds will be set up in a proposed nine-storeyed building which will house a regional cancer centre and some other super-speciality departments,” said principal Utpal Dutta.

The RG Kar Medical College and Hospital will add 200 beds to its present strength of 1,200. “A number of super-speciality units — such as plastic surgery, urology and physical medicine — will be introduced. The four-storeyed outpatients’ department is nearing completion,” said medical superintendent L.K. Vaid.

The 1,890-bed strong NRS Medical College and Hospital will have 100 additional beds.

Sources in the health department said the new beds would ease the load on the resource-starved state healthcare but they were too few considering the patient turnout at the city medical colleges.

Medical education director Banerjee admitted that the 850-odd extra beds could not fully solve the problem.

“But once the new facilities start functioning, the rate of refusal will surely come down,” he added.

Officials said around 30 per cent of the patients seeking admission are turned away because of shortage of beds. “Most hospitals are forced to admit patients on the floor, which increases the risk of acquired infection,” said an official at Swasthya Bhavan.

cc: The Telegraph

The Supreme Court on Monday shrugged off green activist Subhash Dutta’s objections to a proposed building in the Victoria Memorial compound which will house an administrative unit, a library and a cafeteria.

“Do you have any serious objections?” chief justice K.G. Balakrishnan asked Dutta after he sought to establish that the proposed structure would be harmful for the marble monument as well as the adjoining green belt.

The proceedings ended with the bench indicating that it would list the case for a verdict shortly.

Appearing for Memorial curator Chittaranjan Panda, senior lawyer Harish N. Salve quoted an expert committee report which had said the proposed structure would not encroach on the green but would replace a clutch of “old, dilapidated” structures.

“Is it for the court to say that you have a new building/old building? The new structure would only be 10ft high and would remain hidden under a canopy of trees,” Salve submitted. The complex is spread across 57 acres and the proposed building would stand on less than an acre, he added.

The lawyer wondered whether the court should interfere and stay work even when there were institutional safeguards to deal with such issues. In this context, he referred to the Memorial’s board of trustees and the expert committee the authorities had appointed to look into the issue.

Dutta, on his part, quoted a report of the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute which had suggested that the entire area around the complex be preserved as a “green belt” to protect the monument. Buildings in the compound, experts from the institute felt, could be constructed underground.

The Memorial authorities, Dutta alleged, wanted the building for commercial and recreational purposes.

“Initially, the board of trustees had agreed to construct the building outside the complex. Now they want it in the compound,” Dutta said.

Any new structure, he added, would result in felling 200-300 trees. He also referred to “huge sums of money” promised by a London-based trust to build the structure. “No one knows who is giving the money.” The chief justice, however, scoffed at his arguments, saying: “Do you have any serious objections?”

The Memorial authorities had on February 1 moved the apex court against a Calcutta High Court order disallowing new structures in the monument compound. Any new construction, the high court had observed, would be detrimental to the monument.

cc: The Telegraph

A home-grown retail chain will soon bite into the fresh-produce pie of organised markets, locking horns with perishables giants like Reliance Fresh, Spencer’s and More.

Future Group has entered into a 50:50 joint venture with Keventer Fresh Group to roll out a new line of perishables stores. Kicking off in Calcutta within a month, the chain has plans for an aggressive pan-India footprint.

“We are giving a final shape to this perishables format and setting up 28 collection and processing hubs across the state for this,” M.K. Jalan, the chairman of Keventer Fresh, told Metro on Monday.

Kishore Biyani, the CEO of the Future Group, and Jalan unveiled a Rs 100-crore shopping centre next to Sealdah station during the day in the presence of municipal affairs minister Asok Bhattacharya and mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya. The Big Bazaar Family Centre is a public-private partnership between the Calcutta Municipal Development Authority and the Keventer-Future Group combine.

“We are looking for more opportunities to replicate large retail formats like this close to railway stations as these guarantee huge footfall,” Biyani said.
Two private groups have come together to open a retail chain which will lock horns with perishables giants such as Reliance Fresh, Spencer’s and More. The Future Group of Kishore Biyani and the Keventer Fresh Group will roll out a line of stores across the country, the first outlet to be opened in Calcutta within a month.

Sources said the next such project would come up near Rishra railway station, where Keventer had “successfully bid” for a 10-acre plot formerly belonging to the National Textile Corporation.

Minister Bhattacharya lauded the private partners for taking “this courageous step in these trying times”, but reminded them of the need to protect the interests of small retailers. The G+9 Sealdah retail and office tower can park 59 cars, with the top four floors being taken up by Bajaj Allianz.

Keventer, which supplies fresh produce to Metro Cash & Carry, Reliance Fresh, More and Food Bazaar, is confident its expertise in supply chain management would supplement Biyani’s retail vision.

The Future Group is targeting business worth Rs 750 crore from the Sealdah centre in the first year and Rs 100 crore in the second year. Five more Big Bazaar outlets are expected by mid-2010.

“We are confident of opening two Central malls in the city over the next four years, and we should notch up business of over Rs 1,000 crore from Calcutta alone this year,” said Biyani.

The Future Group is also launching its T24 telecom brand in the city soon, in a tie-up with the Tatas.

^^Synthesis Business Park

oh okk...:)
btw how tall is it?

Seems KOLKATA INTERNATIONAL LOGISTICS CITY
is taking some shape
http://www.unitechgroup.com/projects/commercial/kolkata/kolkata.shtml

oh okk...:)
btw how tall is it?

I thought it was 10-12 floors

Seems KOLKATA INTERNATIONAL LOGISTICS CITY
is taking some shape
http://www.unitechgroup.com/projects/commercial/kolkata/kolkata.shtml

This is u/c I think.

cc: TNN

With an eye on the coming civic elections, Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s parks and squares department is working to set up more than 250 new small parks and renovating around 450 existing ones at a cost of Rs 12 crore. Several of them will be inaugurated next month. Most of the new parks are for children and in residential areas.
MMiC (parks and squares) Faiyaz Ahmed Khan said work on setting up new parks and renovating existing ones is on in almost all 141 KMC wards. “The programme had started some time back. We felt the parks need a makeover. We are setting up 253 new small parks and renovating around 450 existing ones, including Muhammad Ali Park, Deshapriya Park, Park Circus Maidan and others. Most of them will be inaugurated by March. We will spend Rs 12 crore on the project,” Khan said, adding that no private help was being taken.
Civic officials said most of these well-known heritage parks were lying neglected for a long time and needed a thorough makeover. With lack of maintenance and proper supervision, the condition of the parks was gradually deteriorating. The greenery in many parks was steadily declining and the boundary walls were getting damaged.
The authorities then decided to start renovation and also decided to set up small parks across the city.
Renovation of many existing parks is almost complete. The parks have been revamped with new layers of grass, various new saplings and flower plants. They are replete with seating arrangements, slips and swings for children to play and pathways for people to walk. Md Ali Park has not only been repaired, it has also been decorated with sculptures that also don its entry and exit gates. The park now has a new lush green look.
Incidentally, former mayor Subrata Mukherjee had announced that around 1,000 new parks would be set up across the city. That project is now being completed by the present Left Front board.

Seems KOLKATA INTERNATIONAL LOGISTICS CITY
is taking some shape
http://www.unitechgroup.com/projects/commercial/kolkata/kolkata.shtml


Nice update.....It is an old project by Unitech.......But it was postponed due to recession....I am not sure whether the construction started or not.

Foundation Stone laid for proposed office complex(an Inelligent and Green building) of Coal India Limited at Rajarhat.

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/1226/cil.png (http://img641.imageshack.us/i/cil.png/)

Source: TOI Kolakata

For those who believe Kolkata as a business destination has been out of favour after the unceremonious exit of Tata Motors’ Nano project in October 2008, a realty check offers an interesting insight into the reality. Office space rentals in Kolkata remains higher than the more fancied Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad — a clear indication that business demand is still robust. Only Mumbai and Delhi have more expensive office space.
A study by global realty consultant Cushman & Wakefield revealed that the Burrabazar-BBD-Esplanade area-Park Street belt that comprises Kolkata’s central business district (CBD) commands a rent of Rs 98/sqft, way over Gurgaon prime commercial (Rs 77), Bangalore CBD (Rs 73), Pune CBD (Rs 55), Chennai CBD (Rs 55) and Hyderabad CBD (Rs 50).
What’s even more surprising is that rents in Kolkata have been least affected by the downturn that sparked a major price correction in the real estate sector across the country. While rent in the city’s CBD is down 7% against last year, the rentals erosion elsewhere is 10% to 28%.
But despite the 20% rent correction, office space in Nariman Point, Mumbai’s CBD, remains the costliest in the country at Rs 300/sq ft ($107/sq ft/year). It is also the fifth most expensive location globally after Tokyo ($190), London West End ($161), Hong Kong CBD ($160) and Dubai CBD ($120). New York Midtown ($105), Moscow CBD ($102), Paris CBD ($102), Milan CBD ($89) and Zurich CBD ($88) are all cheaper than Mumbai.
Worli follows next at Rs 250/sqft despite a 23% correction. Connaught Place in Delhi at Rs 242/sqft is the next in line
followed by again two districts in the western metropolis Bandra-Kurla Complex (Rs 240/sqft) and Lower Parel (Rs 180/sqft). The office space at other CBDs in National Capital Region is in the 151-167 bandwidth followed by Andheri in suburban Mumbai at Rs 110/sq ft.
The rentals at Kolkata’s Park Circus Connector (Rs 60/sqft) and Rash Behari Connector (Rs 57/sqft) is higher than the CBD rent of Chennai (Rs 55/sqft) and Hyderabad’s Banjara Hills (Rs 50/sqft).
Cushman & Wakefield India executive director (occupier services) Arvind Nandan said: “While the early part of 2009 was a reflection of the economic slowdown mirroring the rest of the world, by the latter part of the year, there were signs of stability and also revival. This is evident from the fact that more established markets like London (-25%) and Hong Kong (-35%) have seen equal or higher rental correction in the same period. Most micro-markets across India started to record stable rentals indicating a gradual revival in demand. This trend is likely to remain constant in 2010, where we expect rental values to remain stable with a strengthening bias across established markets. Locations with a surfeit of IT/ITeS development may, however, experience further softening of rentals in early 2010, albeit at a much lower rate than before.”
Rentals at IT/ITeS hub Salt Lake Sector V have already declined by 13% and are now hovering around the Rs 42/sqft mark with possibility of further decline till the sector regains momentum in the second half of the year. Maintaining last year’s position within the Asia Pacific region, India captured three of the top 10 spots with Mumbai CBD, Mumbai Worli and New Delhi CBD at third, fourth and fifth positions respectively.

Source: TNN

Fr those who believe Kolkata as a business destination has been out of favour after the unceremonious exit of Tata Motors’ Nano project in October 2008, a realty check offers an interesting insight into the reality. Office space rentals in Kolkata remains higher than the more fancied Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad — a clear indication that business demand is still robust. Only Mumbai and Delhi have more expensive office space.
A study by global realty consultant Cushman & Wakefield revealed that the Burrabazar-BBD-Esplanade area-Park Street belt that comprises Kolkata’s central business district (CBD) commands a rent of Rs 98/sqft, way over Gurgaon prime commercial (Rs 77), Bangalore CBD (Rs 73), Pune CBD (Rs 55), Chennai CBD (Rs 55) and Hyderabad CBD (Rs 50).

Source: TNN

Just a few months back:

http://www.indianrealtynews.com/real-estate-india/kolkata/sharp-drop-in-kolkata-office-rentals.html

f you had any doubts about new business ventures giving Kolkata the miss, here’s damning proof that should send the alarm bells ringing loud and clear. Vacancy levels have shot up with nearly a quarter of the available office space finding no takers between July and September. Global real estate solutions firm Cushman & Wakefield, which researched on office space, expects the current situation to persist, triggering a further rise in vacancy levels.

:nuts:

What a contradictory finding of the same renowned firm!!:ohno:

Foundation Stone laid for proposed office complex(an Inelligent and Green building) of Coal India Limited at Rajarhat.

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/1226/cil.png (http://img641.imageshack.us/i/cil.png/)

Source: TOI Kolakata

Is this situated on the land beside DLF IT Park?

Is this situated on the land beside DLF IT Park?

yes

KOLKATA WEST HEIGHTS

http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/5391/kwic.jpg (http://img121.imageshack.us/i/kwic.jpg/)

Land Area : 4.45 Acres
No. of Towers : 6
No. of Floors : G+14
No. of Flats : 504

KOLKATA WEST HEIGHTS

http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/5391/kwic.jpg (http://img121.imageshack.us/i/kwic.jpg/)

Land Area : 4.45 Acres
No. of Towers : 6
No. of Floors : G+14
No. of Flats : 504

Where is ti being built?
Howrah or Behala?

I think this is part of the Kolkata West international city.If so it is being built in Howrah.

IB school set for city debut Get set for holistic education
- Course of global choice arrives with Joka campus for 650 students

International Baccalaureate, the preferred school-leaving programme for universities globally, is finally coming to Calcutta.

Oaktree International School opens its doors in August 2011 — with admissions open from August 2010 — on a 30-acre campus in Joka with nearly half the faculty recruited from abroad and headed by Paul Regan, who has founded four IB schools in the UK, Bosnia, Ukraine and Africa.

In a bid to make Oaktree “the best IB school in the country”, Rs 100 crore will be invested over four years. The all-inclusive monthly fees will be Rs 30,000 to 60,000, depending on the kind of boarding facility one chooses. “It will be a lot cheaper than IB schools elsewhere,” is the promise..............

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/724/ibs.png (http://img168.imageshack.us/i/ibs.png/)

Source: The Telegraph

Kolkata leads in home price rise, B’lore trails.


Revival in housing prices is sharper in Tier 2 cities of India than in the big metros, though even the latter have seen appreciation in the value of their housing stock. While the recession knocked the stuffing out of the residential housing market in 2007, after a couple of painful years, prices are beginning to look up in most cities, exceptions being Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Kochi.
Of the 15 cities covered by the National Housing Banks index to track housing prices in the country ‘RESIDEX’, 11 reported a jump in prices in the first half of 2009 from 2007 (base year). While Kolkata showed a dramatic rise of 59% — albeit from a small base — Delhi and Mumbai also saw appreciation upwards of 20%.
However, the best story for the housing market comes from India’s Tier 2 cities. Most of these cities, growing fast on the back of strong local demand and as feeders to larger cities, clocked some of the highest rises. Cities like Bhopal, Faridabad and Ahmedabad showed jumps of 39%, 36% and 27% respectively. With growth in India becoming more inclusive and drawing in regions beyond the big metros, zooming rates in these cities best exhibit the growing purchasing power of Bharat.
Worst hit, according to Economic Survey 2009-10, are cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad whose economies are heavily dependent on their tech industry’s demand power. These cities have been witness to a dramatic re-rating of their real estate market in the last decade and consequent rise in realty prices. They have been the worst hit by the slowdown with housing prices collapsing rather dramatically. In Bangalore’s case the fall is a humungous 42%. For Hyderabad, the decline is around 35%. In these cities over-supply exacerbated the matter. Realtors who built towers in the sky in the hope that the tech crowd would buy them as soon as they built them, found themselves caught on the wrong foot as a severe recession in the US and Europe hit their businesses.
Big cities with a better business mix like Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi, which have strong manufacturing presence along with a robust services industry fared much better with the housing mart recouping faster and posting high, positive rises. After Kolkata, the biggest rise in housing prices has been in Mumbai at 24%, followed by Delhi at 21%.

Kolkata leads in home price rise, B’lore trails.


Revival in housing prices is sharper in Tier 2 cities of India than in the big metros, though even the latter have seen appreciation in the value of their housing stock. While the recession knocked the stuffing out of the residential housing market in 2007, after a couple of painful years, prices are beginning to look up in most cities, exceptions being Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Kochi.
Of the 15 cities covered by the National Housing Banks index to track housing prices in the country ‘RESIDEX’, 11 reported a jump in prices in the first half of 2009 from 2007 (base year). While Kolkata showed a dramatic rise of 59% — albeit from a small base — Delhi and Mumbai also saw appreciation upwards of 20%.
However, the best story for the housing market comes from India’s Tier 2 cities. Most of these cities, growing fast on the back of strong local demand and as feeders to larger cities, clocked some of the highest rises. Cities like Bhopal, Faridabad and Ahmedabad showed jumps of 39%, 36% and 27% respectively. With growth in India becoming more inclusive and drawing in regions beyond the big metros, zooming rates in these cities best exhibit the growing purchasing power of Bharat.
Worst hit, according to Economic Survey 2009-10, are cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad whose economies are heavily dependent on their tech industry’s demand power. These cities have been witness to a dramatic re-rating of their real estate market in the last decade and consequent rise in realty prices. They have been the worst hit by the slowdown with housing prices collapsing rather dramatically. In Bangalore’s case the fall is a humungous 42%. For Hyderabad, the decline is around 35%. In these cities over-supply exacerbated the matter. Realtors who built towers in the sky in the hope that the tech crowd would buy them as soon as they built them, found themselves caught on the wrong foot as a severe recession in the US and Europe hit their businesses.
Big cities with a better business mix like Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi, which have strong manufacturing presence along with a robust services industry fared much better with the housing mart recouping faster and posting high, positive rises. After Kolkata, the biggest rise in housing prices has been in Mumbai at 24%, followed by Delhi at 21%.

Can you put the link ?

The link is http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=24&edlabel=CAP&mydateHid=26-02-2010&pubname=&edname=&articleid=Ar02401&format=&publabel=TOI

The link is http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=24&edlabel=CAP&mydateHid=26-02-2010&pubname=&edname=&articleid=Ar02401&format=&publabel=TOI

Good for Kolkata - although much of Kolkata is probably still cheaper than Bangalore in absolute terms.

However (not to hijack the thread), it is not surprising that cities depending too much upon IT (or any single industry for that matter) could potentially suffer during economic downturns affecting IT (or that specific sector). So while unfortunate, but it is definitely not surprising to see cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad saturating.

In fact, if these cities fail to mix their economy, then once the industry stabilizes (come on, just because IT is good today, it can not remain the golden duck forever - in mature countries IT is just as attractive as any other industry and India should reach that point ideally) then these cities would suffer further simply due to absence of a wholesome logistic chain.

TELEGRAPH (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100303/jsp/calcutta/story_12169259.jsp)
The state government has drawn up a Rs 6-crore renovation plan for the Salt Lake stadium, sports minister Kanti Ganguly said on Tuesday.

The work, to be executed by the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners, is slated to start on the Bengali New Year’s day (April 15) and is expected to be completed by the year-end.

Both the inside and outside of the stadium will be renovated, including the galleries, the crumbling ramps and toilets. The ground would not be touched.

“The renovation would take about seven months. All scheduled matches will be held in the stadium during the period,” said a senior official of the sports department.

The entire sewage system will be relaid so that modern toilets can be built. “About Rs 84 lakh will be spent on sewage projects and for reconstructing the toilets,” he added.

According to the official, electrical fittings of the stadium appeared to be in order. “Of course, some portions can be changed, if needed,” he said.

Since its inauguration in January 1984, Yuba Bharati Krirangan has hosted several important national and international matches.

Eden Gardens, the other big stadium in the city, is also being renovated.

OPTING OUT
Bata joint venture may drop SEZ plan
TNN

Kolkata: A Bata India joint venture engaged in redeveloping the shoe majors Batanagar township is set to shelve its original plan to set up an IT SEZ on the site as part of the revamp exercise,joining the growing list of firms for whom duty-free enclaves no longer hold any special charm.
In 2008,the proposed SEZ by the Bata India-Calcutta Metropolitan Group alliance on a 25-acre plot had been notified by the authorities.Key sources familiar with the development said that efforts would soon be initiated to get the SEZ recognition denotified by the Board of Approvals (BoA) of the Union commerce department which has the final say on SEZ projects nationwide so that work can start on putting in place the alternative plan of action.
The sources pointed out that concerns about the viability of an IT SEZ at Batanagar considering the plethora of such facilities coming up at Rajarhat which is closer to Kolkata and Bengals inability to attract large doses of investments in the tech space since 2007 has prompted the re-think on the special economic zone.
The whiff of hope that has been provided to developers of IT SEZs nationwide following Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjees silence on extending the STPI scheme beyond March 31,2011,while presenting the latest Budget,would not change the decision of the Bata JV on the subject,the sources added.
Once the denotification comes through,the erstwhile plot earmarked for the SEZ would be used for establishing a commercial/industrial park in the area catering to the entire gamut of non-polluting industries,including IT companies not on the lookout for benefits provided to special economic zones.Incidentally,the issue has already been discussed with Saffron Advisors,the investment manager of Yatra Capital which had a stake in the proposed IT SEZ at Batanagar.
Revamp of the 262-acre Batanagar site is expected to be complete next year.With the residential part mostly taken care of,talks are currently on with some leading hospital groups for the proposed multi-speciality hospital there.
Last year,the global economic crisis prompted DLF to denotify an IT SEZ proposed for Kolkata,among others,as it tried to save on costs.Land acquisition worries have forced many companies all over India to go slow on their SEZ plans.

Link STPI benefits to turnover

Kolkata: Former Nasscom president Kiran Karnik on Tuesday said future STPI benefits should be linked to the turnover of companies.
If they cant extend it across the board which would be ideal,government can make the STPI benefits available to companies having a turnover less than Rs 50 or 100 crore,for example,with adequate checks and balances built into the system so that only actual SMEs gain from the process, Karnik,also former chairman of Mahindra Satyam,added.
Incidentally,the bulk of IT companies operating in Kolkata fall in the small and mid-sized category,for whom the STPI benefits are a lifeline.

Thank you very much debayanlahiri for your info and suggestion.

Many a time I wondered about Kolkata and its suburb. Have you ever realised that if you go just 2 kilometres from the city centre of Kolkata(say Park Street) and you are out of Kolkata(in Howrah via 2nd Hoogly bridge).

This is unique in the whole world in respect of cities of the size of Kolkata.

I always wondered why Howrah is not included in the KMC area. Cities bifurcated by a river are mostly one city throughout the world. Since Howrah is not part of KMC(earlier known as CMC) it is least developed and has always been neglected in terms of development.

I always wondered if there is any governing body exists in Howrah.(Municipality/Municipal Corporation whatever you name it!)

It is high time that the government thinks seriously about the development of the suburbs of Kolkata specially infrastructure surrounding Kolkata

It is time that the Government thinks about development of the Kolkata suburban area following what Mumbai has successfully done. If you are aware of the KMDA map, it starts from Kalyani in north and ends at Sonarpur in south. Not only Kolkata and its suburbs, the KMDA map includes Howrah and parts of Howrah suburb as well. However, opportunity and growth in the suburbs are practically nil. After so many years of Kolkata being the standalone destination for job, business and opportunities for the suburban people, it is time that the government should think about developing the entire KMDA region. People need to travel from areas like Krishnagar, Ranaghat, Kalyani, Barrackpore, Chandannagar, Naihati, Bandel, etc to different parts of Kolkata city for work! Entire KMDA region must be developed like that of Mumbai (places like Andheri, Bandra, Dadar, Kurla, Powai, Thane, Malad, Vashi, etc are all suburbs of Mumbai and it is these areas that has helped in the development of Mumbai through IT, ITES and other knowledge based industries). If done, traveling time to work gets saved, we see more and more new projects and beautiful structures around Kolkata city, and we can then boast of a better Kolkata! I believe the height restriction in the suburbs should be removed and we must encourage builders to build 20 - 50 storied buildings in the suburbs. Places like Borivali, Thane and Vashi in Mumbai are equidistant compared to places like Naihati, Bandel and Sonarpur in Kolkata! Just imagine the difference in development!!! To develop Kolkata as a whole, the entire KMDA region needs to be developed..

Yes Samrat, I completely agree with you. Just look at the difference on both sides of the river! The Howrah side looks so neglected. The entire stretch can be developed like that of Marine Drive in Mumbai. It'll change Kolkata's skyline.. But is the government doing anything? or did it do anything for so many years? I doubt!

In a fresh embarrassment for the state government, IT major Cognizant on Friday publicly expressed disappointment with the conditions prevailing at the IT SEZ in Bantala where the infotech giant started functioning late last year.
“We have operational challenges to meet at our Bantala unit,” Cognizant president & MD R Chandrasekaran said on the sidelines of a CII summit. “Bantala lacks an environmentfriendly atmosphere. We are in talks with the state government to address this problem,” he added.
In the past, too, Cognizant and Tech Mahindra (which also had taken up space at the IT SEZ) had drawn the government’s attention to the need for upgrading the common effluent treatment plant (CETP) operating at the Calcutta Leather Complex so that tannery waste didn’t clog up the drainage channels and the resultant stench made it impossible for techies to function there. However, none of the companies had ever used an open forum to voice their frustration.
The IT SEZ was carved out of the Calcutta Leather Complex built by Jagmohan Dalmiya-led M L Dalmiya & Company. Despite periodic noises by the authorities, the waste management issue at Bantala remains unsolved till date.
Chandrasekaran, though, asserted that notwithstanding the Bantala problem, Cognizant remained committed to grow in the state. “Close to 4000 people have started moving in already to the techno-complex on a 20-acre plot (in Bantala),” he added. Cognizant was among the handful of companies to express confidence in the state much before Bengal briefly became a brand from 2004 to 2008.
State IT minister Debesh Das could not be reached for a reaction to the Cognizant complaint. On his part, M L Dalmiya & Company director Avishek Dalmiya said the CETP issue is being seriously looked into by the government and a solution is expected soon.

Source: TNN

cc: The Telegraph

The Centre has prepared a Rs 14-crore upgrade scheme for the Nimtala crematorium on the eve of the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, who was cremated at the north Calcutta burning ghat in 1941.

The project, to be unveiled early next month by Union minister Jairam Ramesh and executed by the civic body, also includes a scheme to beautify the Rabindranath Tagore Memorial in the crematorium compound.

According to the revamp blueprint, the crematorium will be shifted to a two-bigha plot to the south of its present location. A two-storeyed building will come up on the plot and house eight electric furnaces on the ground floor. An air-conditioned waiting room will be set up on the first floor.

The burning ghat now has four electric furnaces in a single-storeyed building and space to set up eight wooden pyres in an adjoining plot.

“The burning ghat came up in 1827. The city’s population has grown manifold since and we need to set up more furnaces to avoid long queues at the crematorium,” mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya said.

The Tagore Memorial will be illuminated with decorative street lamps and the ground around it will be paved with granite. The civic body will also remove obstacles surrounding the Memorial so it could be seen from the adjacent river and Strand Road.

The Centre will bear 70 per cent of the project cost of Rs 14 crore under the Ganga Action Plan while the state will cough up the rest.

Municipal commissioner Arnab Roy said Rs 2.32 crore would be spent on the beautification of the Tagore Memorial, which will be carried out in consultation with the state heritage commission and the civic heritage panel.

cc: The Telegraph

A portion of the Sovabazar Rajbari cluster has been demolished to make way for a boutique project with premium retail and condominiums, raising the hackles of the heritage lobby.

The edifice of the Rajbari, which was built by Raja Naba Krishna Deb and completed in the early 19th century, has since been carved out among numerous descendants. A portion of the dilapidated cluster is getting a makeover for adaptive reuse.

“We are developing a non-heritage part of the property which belonged to Raja Naba Krishna Deb’s son Raja Raj Krishna Deb. It is now owned by his great grandson Gautam Krishna Deb and his two brothers,” said Ritwik Das, the director of Bluechip Projects Pvt Ltd, the company anchoring the makeover.

The retail-residential combo is coming up on the eight-acre plot opposite SA Jaipuria College and will have 15,000sq ft of built space, including 8,000sq ft of niche retail. A food boutique, an art gallery and an outlet to showcase the work of city-based fashion designers will complete the Rs 3-crore project expected to be ready in a year’s time.

The developers hope that the makeover will give the crumbling brick-building bastions of north Calcutta a tourist magnet and an urban-renewal catalyst. However, a large section of the city’s architecture and urban design fraternity fears such “indiscriminate re-development” is changing our cityscape irreversibly.

“This is a shame. The (Calcutta Municipal) Corporation can’t treat its list of heritage structures as sacrosanct and allow unlisted buildings with significant history and character to be pulled down at random,” said conservation architect Manish Chakrabarti.

He lamented that the heritage legislation in the city existed only on paper and “can be manipulated” by anyone. “As a result, we are being saddled with such monstrosities like the Varnaparichay book mall on College Street, which will permanently change the character of the unique corridor,” added Chakrabarti.

Developer Das is armed with his building plan sanctioned by the CMC, following which the “old, damaged structure” that stood on the premises, has been pulled down and foundation work for the new building started.

His architect Raj Agarwal has sought to incorporate “a sensitive mix of British and Gothic architecture” to give the new structure “a post-modern look”. But experts fear, in the absence of structured urban design guidelines, the new development could stick out like a sore thumb.

Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya agreed this could well be the case, pleading helplessness. “We realise we hardly have control over the aesthetics of new structures which are coming up, like this one in Sovabazar, but there’s nothing much we can do, given the sheer density of construction in city core areas and the perennial demand for housing and commercial premises,” he told Metro.

The mayor felt urban design guidelines can only be successfully formulated for and implemented in new townships, a view also contested by experts. “Urban design norms could be drawn up even for micro-level implementation, like in Washington DC, where there’s a Pennsylvania Avenue development authority for just one road,” pointed out architect and urban designer Partha Ranjan Das.

cc: The Telegraph

The state environment department on Monday banned with immediate effect construction activities that generate noise in residential areas between 10pm and 6am. Violators can be both fined and jailed, if police act on complaints.

The order is in consonance with a central notification on noise norms issued on January 11. “Sound-emitting construction equipment shall not be used or operated during night time in residential areas and silence zones,” read the state directive.

It also barred honking in residential areas at night.

“We have received a number of complaints regarding noise pollution because of construction activities at night. The Centre also recently issued a notification on the matter. Violators will attract penal action under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, which can be a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh or jail for up to five years,” said Biswajit Mukherjee, the chief law officer of the department.

“The order will come into force immediately,” said M.L. Meena, the principal secretary of the department and chairman of the state noise monitoring committee.

According to Mukherjee, the order will apply to the ongoing East-West Metro construction work in Salt Lake, a source of regular complaints of noise norm violation by residents.

He said there were other rules to control noise pollution but those were not being strictly followed. “However, following a fresh order by the central government, the rules would be rigorously implemented throughout the country,” Mukherjee said.

The police would be responsible for implementing the rule, he added.

“This is a practical decision. I don’t think it will have much of an impact as the rule is already more or less followed in the city areas,” said Rahul Todi, a realtor.

cc: The Telegraph

A new traffic signal system would be installed at 36 islands and zebra crossings and road markers would be placed at major crossings in Salt Lake to facilitate pedestrian movement, Bidhannagar police and Bidhannagar Municipality announced on Monday.

NEW BASE
ZTE buys 30,000 sq ft office space in Sector V
ET KOLKATA[

CHINAS ZTE Corp,the $38-billion telecom equipment vendor,which is also a top player in the global 3G scene,has just snapped up 30,000 sq ft of prime office space for an undisclosed sum at the Godrej Waterside IT Park a prominent upcoming highrise in Kolkatas Sector V tech hub.This upmarket complex,which has been developed by Godrej Properties and Infinity Infotech Parks Ltd,will house ZTEs eastern operation.The Chinese telco will shortly move bulk of its 680-member eastern team from its existing premises at DLF Towers in Rajarhat.
While ZTE did not reveal how much it has forked out,a senior company executive confirmed that the 30,000 sq ft of floor space at the Godrej Waterside complex has been taken on long-term lease.When contacted,ZTE Indias regional director K Sarangi declined to comment.
ZTE is also in the process of hiring some 140-odd telecom professionals to reinforce its Kolkata operation,which will anchor a spate of GSM network rollouts across eastern circles like Kolkata/West Bengal,Orissa,Bihar,Jharkhand,Assam and North East.Its eastern regional team will deliver the full suite of GSM network gear and managed services to companies like Reliance Communications,Tata Do-CoMo,Essar-owned Loop Telecom,Etisalat Mobile,S-Tel and BSNL,a company official told ET.
Interestingly,ZTEs decision to invest in a brand new eastern regional headquarters in Kolkata comes in the run-up to the much awaited 3G spectrum auctions by the department of telecommunications (DoT).ZTE is slated to be a principal supplier of 3G mobile broadband network equipment in India.
At present,the company is a lead supplier of base stations,mobile switching centres (MSCs),base-station controllers (BSCs),microwave networks for 2G mobile networks run by RCom,Tata DoCoMo,BSNL,Etisalat and Loop Telecom in the eastern circles.But as the leading supplier of 3G equipment in China with a
30% market-share,ZTE is silently
getting its act in place to rollout 3G equipment in India.
At present,ZTE Corp has a 3500-strong employee pool in India who are distributed across its Gurgaon,Mumbai,Bangalore and Kolkata centres.Moves are afoot to ramp up ZTEs eastern presence,especially since the region has huge growth potential for mobile services.It is well known that all eastern states have low mobileteledensity,well below the national average West Bengal (excluding Kolkata) is at 26%,Orissa 27%,Assam 23%,and North East 32%.That is one of the prime reason a leading cellphone maker and mobile network equipment vendor like ZTE has big plans in the east,which is expected to contributed to significantly to the companys business targets in calendar 2010, an industry official said.
A top executive familiar with the matter said that ZTE Corp,which executed $1.5-billion of contracts in India in Year 2009,plans to double that to $3 billion in calendar 2010.

Photo cc ArijeetB, SunCity, SarafIndian

Unitech and Rosedale u/c
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Ambuja Realty is going to invest Rs 305 crore to build three business parks over a total of 7.7 lakh sqft in the state. The success of phase I of its business park, Ecospace at Rajarhat New Town, has led to the launch of Ecospace phase II and planning of the three projects--- two at Salt Lake (5 lakh sqft & 1.5 lakh sqft) and one in Rajarhat (1.2 lakh sqft).

The company has earmarked investment of Rs 900-1000 crore for the next four years into commercial space and malls in West Bengal , Raipur and Patna .

The Rs 300 crore Ecospace project inaugurated its first phase in September 2009 and companies like Bajaj Allianz, HDFC Bank, Voith, Indus Towers and Bayer CorpScience are moving in. The second phase will be over by April 2011 and the park can accommodate 10,000 employees.

At the launch of phase II of Ecospace on Thursday, Harshavardhan Neotia, Ambuja Realty chairman, said: “We are encouraged by the response to Ecosopace and it would be our endeavour to create similar green office spaces that would nurture a work-life balance. We have already selected the land and would be coming up with projects at Salt Lake sector V, New Town and City Centre Siliguri.”

Ambuja Realty re-entered the commercial segment a couple of years ago with Ecospace, 22 years after building Conclave-- the company’s first commercial venture. It is now betting big on the segment with 30-40,000sqft office space at its Haldia project, 2 lakh sqft in Siliguri, 1.5 lakh sqft at Patna and 5 lakh sqft (mall included) in Raipur, besides the three business parks.

Other than the state-of-the-art office accommodation, Ecospace offers facilities like sporting/gaming zones, a multi-cuisine food court, a rooftop swimming pool, a terrace top tennis court, The Village—dining restaurant, Xebra—sports lounge, Mustang—gymnasium with steam room, Nest—business dining facility, and Citadel—a conference-cum-banqueting hall. It has a total of 4.5 lakh sqft saleable area.

Source: The Financial Express

Centrotherm may set up India arm in city
TNN

Kolkata: It may be premature to call it a full-blown revival,but there are early signs emanating of a rekindling of German business interest in Bengal.At least in the solar power arena.
Kolkata has emerged on the short-list of Centrotherm Photovoltaics one of the worlds leading providers of technology and services to the photovoltaics industry for hosting the German majors proposed subsidiary in India,its first in this country.
Not just that.After a fairly long period,the city has figured on the itinerary of a German business delegation,with representatives of companies from the European economic powerhouse having interests in the solar power space trooping down to Kolkata in May to scout for business opportunities and possible partnerships.
Indo-German Chamber of Commerce regional director B G Roy whose inputs carry a lot of weight with German companies planning facilities in Bengal said a key Centrotherm official had told him recently that the German firm is keen to establish a subsidiary in India at the earliest,and that Kolkata is one of the places being seriously considered for this purpose.
The Centrotherm official said that Kolkata is definitely in the zone of consideration of places where this subsidiary could be located.A final decision on this,though,would have to be taken by the board, Roy said.Normally,German companies are very reticent about discussing expansion plans till these receive backing from their boards of directors.
Local industry sources,though,also confirmed that Centrotherm is examining the benefits of having the subsidiary come up in Kolkata.In all probability and likelihood,Centrotherm may set up a subsidiary here to service existing clients, Bhaskar Silicon MD Jyoti Poddar said,adding the rider that nothing in this regard has been formalised thus far.Incidentally,Centrotherm is involved with the Bhaskar Silicon venture in Haldia engaged in manufacturing of polysilicon.
Both Roy and Poddar,however,pointed out that that if Centrotherm does indeed set up a subsidiary in Kolkata,it would do wonders for the states image and spur other German companies to also test the waters in Bengal.The states branding will receive a huge boost, Roy said.Currently,Bengals biggest links with Germany are through Siemens,Metro Cash & Carry,and Lufthansa.

Kolkata-based realtors PS Group and Srijan to start management institute
Kolkata, March 11 (IANS) Real estate players PS Group and Srijan have joined hands to set up an institute here to impart training in business management and entreprenuership from July this year.

The Institute of Leadership, Entreprenuership and Development will offer Masters in Business Administration (MBA) with specialisations in marketing, finance, retail, risk management and diploma courses in real estate management.

‘We are offering such courses that have a very high demand in the market. Placements for us would not be a problem as we are training people according to industry needs,’ PS Group chairman Pradip Chopra said Thursday.

The total investment for setting up the campus would be Rs.25 crore, he said, adding this was being done through internal accrual.

The institute plans to rope in faculties- permanent and guest – from the US and the UK.

‘We have also plans to set up a similar institute in Chennai,’ Chopra said.
http://calcuttatube.com/kolkata-based-realtors-ps-group-and-srijan-to-start-management-institute/69975/

Photo cc ArijeetB, SunCity, SarafIndian

Infospace and DLF-II

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Exit Ramp from AJC Bose Flyover - one year since the traffic diversions on this stretch and still no sign of a single pillar:ohno: - HRBC is taking its own sweet time
photo cc - arijeetb

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EM Bypass/VIP Road Flyover update
photo cc - arijeetb


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Nice updates ArijeetB, SunCity, SarafIndian........Thanks a lot:cheers:
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Godrej Simoco

photo cc rights arijeetb, suncity

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Videocon

photo cc rights suncity

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Globsyn Crystals 2
photo cc rights arijeetb, suncity

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Photo cc sososmarmy

Construction work somewhere..
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thats HUGE..
is that a bus stand or something?

^^
Is that the fifth south city tower?

Photo cc sososmarmy

Construction work somewhere..
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I am quite clueless about this place. I thought it could be Acropolis but looking at what seems to be a mall extreme right, it must be some other location

I am quite clueless about this place. I thought it could be Acropolis but looking at what seems to be a mall extreme right, it must be some other location

The mall on the right is probably Kakurgachi Pantaloons. Not sure though..

or is it South city mall..
the color scheme looks like that.

or is it South city mall..
the color scheme looks like that.

True, it looks like southcity. Probably Sun is correct..

That is southcity mall!Look carefully guys,there is that green barricade while you drive up to the multilevel parking lot.

That is southcity mall!Look carefully guys,there is that green barricade while you drive up to the multilevel parking lot.

^^yup, it sure is South City. :) A closer look at the green patch stretching horizontally can only be the lake!. But what is this construction? South City international school?

It maybe the fifth tower / club house. The school is already functional.

Ecospace

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BPO major Genpact Tuesday inked a five-year deal with Bengal Aerotropolis Projects (BAP) for managing its IT operations for an undisclosed amount.

BAP is engaged in development of aerotropolis projects in the country.

As part of the deal, Genpact will provide BAP with a hosted-IT application and infrastructure services model, which will help the company in saving large capital investments in IT, Genpact said in a statement.

However, the size of the deal was not disclosed. The partnership would enable BAP to move to a cloud-based IT model and help shift from a capital-heavy owned model to an operational expense model, it said.

Genpact will also help design and implement a pay-as-you-go business platform that will provide BAP with land management, sourcing and financial management functionality, it added.

"The functionality of our solution will enable a faster time-to-market and lower maintenance costs. This would ultimately help BAP to effectively manage its operations and focus on its core business," Harpreet Duggal, senior vice-president and head of Genpact's India Business said.

BAP is developing the country's first set of airport cities--aerotropolis--in Durgapur and Ludhiana. Singapore's Changi Airports International (CAI) owns 26 per cent stake in BAP.

Source: ET

Photo cc sososmarmy

Construction work somewhere..
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w/o any doubt...its d 5th tower of south city...though presently abt 5-6 stories hv been constructed...its also goin to be 35-Fl tower!!!!

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Cool Photos Sun... :cheers:

Ecospace

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Nice photos Vegchop. Nice to see you again. River Homes look great. :banana:

w/o any doubt...its d 5th tower of south city...though presently abt 5-6 stories hv been constructed...its also goin to be 35-Fl tower!!!!

But here I see no cranes yet.

I thought that the 5th tower was going to be 15 floors.

according to its website it is supposed to have a 15 storey tower.so that could be it.
Also can it be the clubhouse or is it already constructed?

Does anyone has update of
World Bengal Tower?

scrapped most probably

according to its website it is supposed to have a 15 storey tower.so that could be it.
Also can it be the clubhouse or is it already constructed?

Hmm...evn i knew the same...but recently met a freind of mine, an insider of SC projects, while having a chat with him said that the 5th tower would also be of 35FLs...no clue 'bout clubhouse...i suppose the 5th tower is coming up at that space!

1>>>Any idea where
The Hub IT Park is located?
http://www.mfarconstructions.com/projects.aspx?id=72
And please update picture also if possible

1>>>Any idea where
The Hub IT Park is located?
http://www.mfarconstructions.com/projects.aspx?id=72
And please update picture also if possible

The Hub or Srijan Tech park was completed last year. It is occupied by some telecom companies. There are several pictures of this in SSC

Saikat Ray | TNN

With the VVIP enclosure controversy at Eden Gardens far from over, Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) seems headed for more trouble, this time over renovation of the two blocks that it has taken up for the 2011 world cup.

Kolkata Municipal Corporation is peeved that the association started construction work inside the stadium without bothering to take its permission. The KMC building department has slapped a stop-work notice on what it calls an “illegal construction” because CAB did not submit the project plan for approval. The civic authorities have ordered CAB to cease work immediately, submit a detailed plan to KMC and wait for the answer.

The decision to serve the notice was taken after the joint director-general of KMC’s building department, Debasis Kar, inspected Eden Gardens while the construction was on.

Kar reported his findings to mayor Bikash Bhattacharya and sought his permission to serve a ‘stern notice’ to the state cricket body for allegedly flouting the standard norms. The notice was issued under Section 401 of the KMC Buildings Act, which empowers KMC to pull down any “illegal structure” or impose a huge penalty on the offender to have the building regularized.

Livid with the CAB ‘defiance’, the mayor asked the buildings department to deal with the case firmly. Bhattacharya came down heavily on the CAB, saying the entire structure was illegal. “How can we keep our eyes shut when there has been gross violation of KMC building rules? In such cases, the KMC building department does not require my permission to send a notice to the errant organization,” he said. Under no circumstances would CAB be allowed to start reconstruction of the galleries without the KMC sanction, Bhattacharya said.

CAB joint secretary Biswarup De, however, said that the association has already obtained a sanction from the state PWD department for remodelling the stadium. “Will someone from the KMC tell us why we should take permission from two authorities for the same purpose. Once I have obtained permission from the PWD, is there any need to apply for the same before the KMC building department? I am afraid that this points to a lack of coordination among government departments,” De said.

The KMC joint director-general (building) contests this. Kar told TOI that it was mandatory for CAB to get its building plans passed by the civic body. “Any deviation from this will be treated as an illegal affair and the structure will be termed as illegal as well,” Kar said.

PWD minister Kshiti Goswami confirmed that his department had approved the plan submitted by CAB for reconstruction of Eden Gardens. “We are the apex body to give sanction to the plan submitted by the cricket body. If the KMC has to say anything on the plan, they may take up the matter with the CAB authorities, but KMC is yet to inform us of the matter,” Goswami said.

Teen Kanya and Sunrise Symphony, New Town
http://wikimapia.org/13911284/Teen-Kanya-TinKanya-NewTown

photo copyright Malancha Owners' group

http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/5598/whatsthisrajarhatmalanc.jpg (http://img176.imageshack.us/i/whatsthisrajarhatmalanc.jpg/)

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/6493/18032010533v.jpg

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/5282/18032010528.jpg

Afcons to build India’s first underwater train tunnel, Bags Rs 938-Cr Project From Kolkata Metro Railway
ET Bureau
KOLKATA: Afcons Infrastructure, the infrastructure arm of Shapoorji Pallonji group, has bagged a Rs 938-crore contract from Kolkata Metro Railway
Corporation (KMRC) for a critical stretch of the Rs 4,678-crore East-West Metro that includes three underground stations and a section under the river Hooghly.

This is the first time that a transportation tunnel running 20 metre below a river will be built in India. Mumbai-based Afcons, which recently completed a job for the Delhi Metro Railway Corporation, grabbed the contract through competitive bidding. Others in the fray included Senbo-Shanghai Urban, CEC-Simplex , IVRCL and L&T . KMRC is a joint venture between West Bengal government and union urban development ministry.

Afcons Infrastructure will design and execute the project dubbed “UG 1” through a recently formed strategic JV with a Russian company Transtonnelstroy. The Transtonnelstroy Afcons JV is slated to construct a 3.89-km stretch, including 520 metres of the underwater section and three underground stations at Howrah Maidan, Howrah station and Mahakaran, within a period of 42 months. The Russian company experience of working on similar projects in Iran to build a road under the sea. Incidentally, Afcons is also bidding for upcoming Chennai Metro projects with its Russian partner.

“For the underwater stretch, we’ve tied up with Atkins, a Dubai-based company which is a leading consultant for underwater tunneling,”R V Ramanan director (transporatation) of Afcons said.

Incidentally, Atkins which has worked on the Dubai Metro will also assist Afcons to monitor and study the impact of tunnelling on the buildings and structure above ground. Mr Ramanan director (transportation) of Afcons signed the agreement for the project with KMRC officials on Saturday.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/transportation/railways/Afcons-to-build-Indias-first-underwater-train-tunnel-Bags-Rs-938-Cr-Project-From-Kolkata-Metro-Railway/articleshow/5710331.cms

RAY OF HOPE ON INDUSTRY FRONT
German engineering company mulls unit in city
TNN

Kolkata: Finally,a glimmer of hope on Bengals fragile industrial front.
One of the worlds leading makers of rollshop equipment Maschinenfabrik Herkules Group of Germany has decided to set up its first South Asian manufacturing facility in the state.
Rollshop equipment finds use in a variety of industries which include steel,auto,paper,and shipbuilding.Headquartered in Siegen,Herkules is one of the oldest engineering groups in Germany.It has floated a wholly owned subsidiary called Deutsche Maschinen India Pvt Ltd (DMI) for starting manufacturing activities in India.
DMI director P K Mazumdar told TOI that the company has acquired an unit of a local firm called Gloria Engineering to establish its manufacturing footprint in South Asia.Our unit is in Gangarampur Road near Maheshtala on the outskirts of Kolkata.The unit will be inaugurated by the global chairman of Herkules group,Christoph Thoma, he said.
The German firm counts Tata Steel,Hindalco,HAL,BILT,ITC,JSW and the B K Birla Group among its Indian clients.Besides,it has customers in Bangladesh who would now be catered to from the Bengal unit.
Mazumdar said DMI was incorporated in India in 2007 with the idea of providing technical support to customers in India and neighbouring countries for more than 200 machines supplied by the group in last few decades.Maschinenfabrik Herkules,Germany,has already made substantial investments in DMI in the form of equity participation and supply of equipment.In case they find things in line,there is a potential of big investments in DMI in the near future, he added.
Elaborating on the Bengal unit,he said it would initially employ 70 highly skilled engineers,with the number being scaled up.The facility will also be used to upgrade old machines.There is a huge demand for upgrading old German machines.We are in talks with other major German engineering companies in India for providing upgrading facility from our unit, he added.

Big Bazaar chain to get bigger in eastern region
ET Bureau
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/services/retailing/Big-Bazaar-chain-to-get-bigger-in-eastern-region/articleshow/5710412.cms

Apollo Hospitals to open 11 new hospitals(One at Kolkata)

The Apollo Hospitals Group plans to set up 11 hospitals by the next financial year 2010-11 at an investment of Rs 1,800 crore.

Besides, the group is mulling to upgrade 20 existing hospitals with advance equipment and technology. This apart, plans are afoot to upgrade four of its nine oncology divisions to super specialty cancer hospitals.

The group is likely to add 1,500 beds in the next fiscal. Currently, it has bed strength of 8,800 which will likely to cross 9,000 soon.

Apollo is likely to launch three new super-specialty cancer hospitals. The hospital with Novalis TX, the latest technology in treatment of cancer, is to be opened on 20 March 2010 at Secunderabad. The 100-bed super specialty hospital has been set up with an investment of Rs 100 crore. Similar facilities are coming up in Kolkata and Delhi as well.
http://www.projectstoday.com/News/NewsDetails.aspx?smid=24&nid=30270

A city mall has emerged as one of India’s premier shopping destinations. South City Mall on Prince Anwar Shah Road has figured on the list of largest malls as well as the most popular ones. It is the only mall from the eastern region to find a place in the rankings.
The survey by Bangalorebased retail real estate consultancy Asipac ranks South City Mall as the sixth largest in the country based on retail space or gross lettable area (GLA). With 610,000 sq ft of store space in the 1 million sq ft mall, it figures ahead of Inorbit malls in Hyderabad and Mumbai as well as Chennai’s Spencer Plaza, Mumbai’s Nirmal Lifestyle and the twin DLF Place malls in Delhi.
The newly opened Mantri Square at Bangalore with a GLA of 919,516 sq ft has been declared the largest operational mall in the country, followed by Ambience Mall in Gurgaon with a GLA of 873,000 sq ft, Great India Place in Noida with 850,000 sq ft, R City Mall in Mumbai with 657,000 sq ft and High Street Phoenix in Mumbai with 650,000 sq ft.
“Seven of the top 18 are in north India, six in the west, four in the south and only one in the east,” said Asipac chairman Amit Bagaria. Amongst the cities, Mumbai leads with five, followed by Delhi with three of the top 18 malls. The surprise exclusion is Pune while the surprise inclusions are malls in Amritsar and Mangalore.
The city’s premier mall, that completed two years, is also one of the top draws in footfall count. South City Mall, with an average daily footfall of 56,158, has been ranked third behind Ambience Mall (59,356) and R City Mall (59,205). More fancied Great India Place (52,808), High Street Phoenix (41,753) and Inorbit Mall (29,000) trail behind.
The South City Mall serviced 20 million people in the first year and 17 million in the second year and continues to serve around 1.5 million people a month. South City Mall vice-president (mall operations) Sanjeev Mehra attributed the success to international-styled shopping experience with the consortium of seven developers getting the fundamentals of making the right mix of design, retail convenience and experience.
As per Asipac’s survey, the 18 largest malls have an average GLA of 590,800 sq ft, 185 retail units and 1,671 parking spots. The average unit size is 3,189 sq ft.

Source: TNN

A city mall has emerged as one of India’s premier shopping destinations. South City Mall on Prince Anwar Shah Road has figured on the list of largest malls as well as the most popular ones. It is the only mall from the eastern region to find a place in the rankings.
The survey by Bangalorebased retail real estate consultancy Asipac ranks South City Mall as the sixth largest in the country based on retail space or gross lettable area (GLA). With 610,000 sq ft of store space in the 1 million sq ft mall, it figures ahead of Inorbit malls in Hyderabad and Mumbai as well as Chennai’s Spencer Plaza, Mumbai’s Nirmal Lifestyle and the twin DLF Place malls in Delhi.
The newly opened Mantri Square at Bangalore with a GLA of 919,516 sq ft has been declared the largest operational mall in the country, followed by Ambience Mall in Gurgaon with a GLA of 873,000 sq ft, Great India Place in Noida with 850,000 sq ft, R City Mall in Mumbai with 657,000 sq ft and High Street Phoenix in Mumbai with 650,000 sq ft.
“Seven of the top 18 are in north India, six in the west, four in the south and only one in the east,” said Asipac chairman Amit Bagaria. Amongst the cities, Mumbai leads with five, followed by Delhi with three of the top 18 malls. The surprise exclusion is Pune while the surprise inclusions are malls in Amritsar and Mangalore.
The city’s premier mall, that completed two years, is also one of the top draws in footfall count. South City Mall, with an average daily footfall of 56,158, has been ranked third behind Ambience Mall (59,356) and R City Mall (59,205). More fancied Great India Place (52,808), High Street Phoenix (41,753) and Inorbit Mall (29,000) trail behind.
The South City Mall serviced 20 million people in the first year and 17 million in the second year and continues to serve around 1.5 million people a month. South City Mall vice-president (mall operations) Sanjeev Mehra attributed the success to international-styled shopping experience with the consortium of seven developers getting the fundamentals of making the right mix of design, retail convenience and experience.
As per Asipac’s survey, the 18 largest malls have an average GLA of 590,800 sq ft, 185 retail units and 1,671 parking spots. The average unit size is 3,189 sq ft.

Source: TNN

I am surprised that Mani Square and especially City Center did not feature in the top18. However looking at the data about parking spaces, only South City fits the bill. If only City Center can build that MLCP in the land next to it, the market value can increase.

RAY OF HOPE ON INDUSTRY FRONT
German engineering company mulls unit in city
TNN

Kolkata: Finally,a glimmer of hope on Bengals fragile industrial front.

I think many journalists who write these articles forget the difference between slipping in one's (or the editorial board's) cliched opinions and reporting news based on facts.

I think many journalists who write these articles forget the difference between slipping in one's (or the editorial board's) cliched opinions and reporting news based on facts.

^^Reporting should be based on facts and one should not state opinions ( when one is posting news). These kind of statements are a mere cut and paste everytime something positive is to be stated. Some mindsets remain clogged forever.:ohno:

^^ Typical TOI news. I am not surprised..

Apollo opens its second hospital in the city -

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/796/apollox.jpg (http://img519.imageshack.us/i/apollox.jpg/)

according to its website it is supposed to have a 15 storey tower.so that could be it.
Also can it be the clubhouse or is it already constructed?

Regarding the clubhouse @ SC..its coming up in the plot between the school and tower 2...as f nw...its u/c

Apollo opens its second hospital in the city -

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/796/apollox.jpg (http://img519.imageshack.us/i/apollox.jpg/)

is it being cnstrctd in d sme cmplx or elswhere?

is it being cnstrctd in d sme cmplx or elswhere?

I think it is in Belgachia..
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Photo cc SarafIndian

Godrej u/c
http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv214/SarafIndian3/16032010001.jpg

Fire in Stephen Court (http://www.indianexpress.com/news/kolkata-fire-claims-six-lives/594566/)

It is sad to see the fire in the landmark building on Park Street taking lives. From the image, the fire happens to be on one of the two "illegal" floors in this building. I hope the authorities now come up with a plan to renovate this building and put all the safety norms in place.

^^

The Fire Services Minister should be immediately fired. He has not been able to do anything positive even after a series of major fires.

This is very very sad and unfortunate!! :ohno: What happened to those mumbo-jumbo fire fighting trucks and cranes they bought few days before from Italy or germany or somewhere??? :bash:

Few heart breaking pictures from TOI..

http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv214/SarafIndian3/Pc0010700.jpg

http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv214/SarafIndian3/Pc0020500.jpg

http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv214/SarafIndian3/Pc0020700.jpg

http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv214/SarafIndian3/Pc0030900.jpg

The worst part was that the fire tenders reached the spot 45 mins later!!!!!!!!
and the best part is the WBFS HQs is just 5mins from the spot!!!!
DISGUSTING!!!!!!
and also why were the sky lifts being kept at Shilpara and Sec-5 FS?
What ws the traffic management doing all that while cant they make a separate lane free for emegency vehicles to move freely???
The death toll has already risen to 24...and 20 more missing!!!
The CP said that casualties could further increase!!!!
IMO everyone is equally responsible for this mishap...:ohno:

Source: the telegraph

1.50pm-2.05pm: Fire starts at Stephen Court

2.15pm: Fire department control room gets a call about the fire

2.25pm: Ten engines are required on the spot but only two arrive from the fire services headquarters in Free School Street

2.30pm: Ten more fire engines are requisitioned but the tenders are unable to reach Stephen Court on time because of lack of drivers

2.45pm: The flames spread rapidly to other parts of the building. Another 10 engines are demanded. Tenders from Barrackpore, Salt Lake Sector V and Behala start for Park Street

2.50pm: Local people start a demonstration demanding taller ladders to reach up to the victims trapped on the upper floors

3.05pm: A woman clad in salwar kameez stands on the iron bracket of an AC fourth floor of the building’s gate No. 1 after being rescued by a man from one of the fire-engulfed rooms

3.30pm: Two Bronto skylifts reach the spot, one from Sector V and another from Behala. Police commandos enter the building

3.45pm: Parts of the building crumble and fall off. A burning AC machine crashes down

3.50pm: The commandos save 98-year-old Ganeshri Devi from the fourth floor

4pm: Explosions heard from within the building, probably gas cylinders bursting

5pm: Thirty-nine engines are at work. One tender returns after developing a snag

5.20pm: Fire department says blaze under control

6pm: One man dies of burn injuries, five have earlier jumped to their deaths. Death count stands at 6

11.50pm: Rapid Action Force deployed

1.00am: Charred bodies being brought out of the building. Death count stands at 16, says fire department

It looks like several people died because the door to the roof was locked!

It's criminal negligence on part of almost everyone. Everybody knows that most of the buidlings (especially the old ones) in Kolkata are tinderboxes with no proper fire safety arrangements. Despite having the country's only fire minister, this minister and his department has no guts to enforce rules. The firefighters are alleged to have no proper training and they try their best under the shameful circumstances. The political parties look the otherway because they don't want to lose votes. Only after a fire has destroyed and killed do these great political leaders show up in a blame game contest. The police are more busy taking bribes from truck drivers than enforcing the law. Most of the people have a chalta hai attitude. They simply don't care about safety.

They need to arrest all the owners, the association members and put them in jail for long prison terms. The fire minister also needs to be sacked for his non performance and negligence. He is in a way responsible for the mess as he leads the department.

Young professionals main victims of Kolkata fire

http://sify.com/news/young-professionals-main-victims-of-kolkata-fire-news-national-kdyoEcijhbc.html

From 18-year-old Arati Dhali to 25-year-old Sourav Barik, the main victims of the fire that gutted Stephen Court in central Kolkata were young professionals working in call centres and other private offices in the heritage building.

Sourav, the only son of Kabita and Sailen Barik, had taken up a call centre job in Rawat Engineers sometime back. A resident of Icchapur in North 24 Parganas, Sourav jumped to death from the fourth floor of his office, unable to bear the rising heat and suffocating smoke.

"It was very difficult to breathe. Before our very eyes, our accounts officer Pradip Kumar Chokhany died of suffocation. Sourav may have felt the only way to escape death was to jump out. He did so," said one of his colleagues at the private hospital where the youth's body was kept in the morgue.

Sourav's mother was inconsolable. "Why did he jump? Didn't he know that no one can survive after jumping from such a height"

Thirty-year-old Vivek Upadhyay, a call centre employee, was one of the first victims of the tragedy. He also took the plunge from his fifth floor office in a desperate bid to escape the flames and died of multiple injuries.

Upadhyay, who lived in South Kolkata's Panditiya Road, had married only three years back. "Meri munna thik hai na (is my boy okay)?" his aged mother was asking everyone at the S.S.K.M hospital on Tuesday as her relatives tried to keep the tragic news away from her.

""No no, he has gone home. Let us also go home," said one of the relatives, as he hugged her.

It was only late in the night that the news was broken to her.

"Why did she have to join this office? They have a family business. But he only wanted to do something on his own," wailed Upadhyay's wife.

Others like Sonali Singh kept moving around aimlessly in front of the building clutching a photograph of her 22-year-old brother Bidyut Acharya who was missing since Tuesday and worked in Wiltech Computers, a call centre firm.

According to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation records, there were 128 business establishments and offices in the building that housed the iconic Flurys tea room and restaurant Peter Cat, besides hip eating joints like One Step Up and Cafe Coffee Day in the happening Park Street, the city's most well known address.

Several of the establishments had small, cramped offices and low floors with false ceiling that proved veritable tinder-boxes.

"Our office had no windows. We were squeezed in between beauty parlours, computer training centres, stock broking firms, a heavy engineering company, software companies, doctors' clinics and transport companies, everything was there, besides several call centres," said a telecommunication firm employee Tarun Mukherjee.

Missing key cost lives at Kolkata building

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/missing-key-cost-lives-at-kolkata-building/111969-3.html?from=tn

If the key to a locked collapsible gate leading to the terrace of Kolkata's Stephen Court was not missing, many lives could have been saved in the fire Tuesday. At least 18 people were found lying dead on the staircase leading to the rooftop.


When the fire broke out in the eight-storey building, people on the fifth, sixth and seventh floors of the heritage building rushed towards the terrace to escape death.


"However, the collapsible gate to the roof was locked and could not be opened. The keys were also not there...So people suffocated to death," said a senior fire services official standing near the ill-fated 100-year-old building Wednesday.


After trying to open the gate, the panic-stricken victims again started rushing down the stairs, but could not get far as the leaping fire below devoured them.


"All the 18 could have been easily saved had they made it to the terrace.


"There was no trace of fire on the terrace...The fresh air would have made (a difference). And we could have used our skylifts and ladders to bring people down," the official added.


An employee of a telecommunication company said the staircase space was also narrow as some of the business establishments had dumped materials virtually blocking the stairs.


"Yet others had extended their doors in such a way that the staircase was blocked," he said.


Apart from that, as Fire Services Minister Pratim Chatterjee himself admitted, there was delay in bringing skylifts and hydraulic ladders kept in fire stations in various parts of the city and neighbouring Howrah.


In the absence of these equipments, trapped people desperately jumped out of the building from the higher floors, only to embrace death.


The building, which earlier housed the popular bar Trincas before it moved to another address, had the two top floors added in 1984.


Earlier, it was also the residence of the French consul general, besides housing the Central Booking Office of the Indian Railways.

Kolkata fire brings real life heroes in forefront
http://www.hindustantimes.com/kolkata/Kolkata-fire-brings-real-life-heroes-in-forefront/522693/H1-Article1-522669.aspx

Amid the devastation and the loss of lives, the fire at the Stephen Court building in Kolkata has also thrown up heroes who staked their lives to save fellow beings, whom they did not even know personally.

The milk of human kindness prompted Pervez Akhtar, a car driver, to enter the towering inferno on Park Street and join the rescue effort.

"He had no connection with Stephen Court. But my son is like this only," said Akhtar's mother Rashida Khatun.

After bringing several tapped people to safety, Akhtar became unconscious, unable to withstand the heat and the fumes, and is now admitted in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a city hospital.

Raju Mallik, a porter, is another samaritan.

"We could save all those people who had come on the edge of the balconies. But we could not help those, who could not come to the edge," said Mallik, a daily wage earner.

Mallik had not made any money on Tuesday, but that was not an issue for him. "I had to do this. Otherwise more people would have died," he said.

But he has only one regret. "I wish I had come a bit earlier. Then I could have saved more lives."

according to latest reports from few major bengali news channels two people hv been arested regardin ystrdy's inferno!
i would just pray that all of the culprits are arrested and should be given such a punishment that such promoters should make a second thought b4 making such mistakes!

Although the ministry of shipping said that INR 267 crore would be released as dredging subsidy to the Kolkata Port Trust which administers the Kolkata and Haldia ports. Ministry officials indicated that this could be last time such a subsidy would be disbursed.

Operations at both the facilities have been substantially hampered in recent months due to heavy siltation of major navigational channels. The situation has been salvaged by dredging of these routes, undertaken by the Dredging Corporation of India which has cost KoPT upwards of INR 250 crore.

For this fiscal, KoPT had claimed more than INR 700 crore from the ministry of shipping including old dues and the Budgetary provisions. The subsidy had been last received in April 2009. However, this could well be the end of the road for the grant scheme.

An official said that “This may be the last time that the finance ministry will approve a subsidy for KoPT. Over the years, the Centre has paid about Rs 4,000 crore for the port to survive. Now, we will have to seek an alternative to the Haldia port and KoPT will be suggested to speak to the West Bengal government for acquisition of land at Sagar.”

Apart from logistics-related issues, acquisition of land at Sagar Island before the Assembly election in West Bengal may be a significant impediment for the immediate implementation of the project.

KoPT officials acknowledged that running the two facilities, which service a vast hinterland including eastern India and the neighbouring states of Nepal and Bhutan, would be nearly impossible without the Centre's dredging subsidy.

The official said that “It will be very difficult (without the subsidy) as no other port in the country has to maintain a 235 km long navigational channel. After the 1996 Indo-Bangladesh Water Treaty, there was a prime ministerial assurance that the interest of KoPT would be taken care of.”

(Sourced from BS)

Source: TNN

As rescuers cut through heaps of twisted metal and melted rubble on Friday, they stumbled upon a pair of human limbs — a clump of stiff, blackened flesh, stripped of skin — under the debris of what looked like an office reception in the south-eastern corner of the fifth floor. The heat had been so intense that metal had fused with flesh. As gas cutters hissed through the metal beams pinning the corpse, the head tilted to a side and a tumble of golden, henna-dyed hair fell softly on the cinders.

One of the rescuers held back a gasp. The team paused for a few seconds. Then got back to work. Two hours later, they found the charred remains of another body and then another in the next 15 minutes.
By 10pm, the death toll in the Stephen Court fire had risen to 30. Police said it could go up further as more bodies could be trapped in the inaccessible corners of the sixth floor. The detective department took over the inquiry into the fire on Friday. The building owner could soon be arrested, said Jawed Shamim, joint commissioner (HQ).

Source: TNN

After the devastating fire at Stephen Court, Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), which owns 30 properties in the city's central business district, has decided to inspect the premises of all its tenants to check electrical loads.

LIC is serving notice to residents of its properties for consent for the inspection, along with date and time. LIC has sought help from Kolkata Police as well as Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) in case the residents refuse to allow their investigation team to inspect the premises. LIC zonal manager R R Dash said that it has set a deadline of April 3 for getting replies.

It may be noted that LIC owns heritage and key landmark buildings — Queens Mansion, Metropolitan Building, Esplanade Mansion, North British Building among them. "We are trying to get electrical load data from our tenants much before the Stephen Court fire. As per our information, a lot of the residents in our buildings are us-ing much higher than the sanctioned load," Dash said.

He complained that despite repeated notices and warnings, the tenants were not cooperating with LIC. "We had earlier served notices requesting tenants to give detailed load figures but none of them has done so. Now we have decided to inspect directly. We might need the help of the civic authorities if the tenants do not cooperate with us. Our team will inspect electric meter/sub meter capacity, main switch load, capacity of the outgoing cable from the meter box, the total electrical load being used inside the premises, among others," Dash added.

According to him, LIC has informed the police commissioner, the KMC commissioner, the DG of fire services and CESC about the inspection. LIC chief engineer (ER), D Banerjee said that it would start the inspection from Queens Mansion, which he claimed was the city's biggest building. "Queens Mansion is not only the largest building on Park Street, but in city as well. We have 154 tenants in this premises with five blocks," he added. Elaborating the steps initiated by LIC to prevent fire, Banerjee said that it has installed a new substation at Metropolitan Building in 2008 for Rs 95 lakh.

LIC is also replacing old lifts in Queens Mansion, Esplanade Mansion, Elaco House, North British Building, Bombay Mutual Building, among others. "We are buying high-end elevators for our buildings to prevent any kind of disaster. Besides, we are maintaining our lifts through annual maintenance contracts with vendors," Banerjee said.

LIC said that it has not added even a single floor to the main structures of any heritage building owned by it.

^^

everyday the citizens of Kolkata (and West Bengal) are seeing once again how incompetent the state government and its various departments are - from police to healthcare. The newstories of the harrassment of the relatives of victims (especially the missing) is so shameful. Yet, nothing will make this lazy government sit up and change. And if you thought that Miss Mamata's party was any better, then her strange claims of bodies being hidden and false relatives showing up makes you think what kind of change the self declared intellectuals are rooting for.

^^there's a saying in bengali, 'jei lankai jai shei ravan'...this provrb presntly implies 4 bengal..as whosovr is comin 2 pwr..is duin good 4 hmslf..n nt 4 d aam admi lyk us!

Source: The Telegraph (27/03/2010)

Mamata Banerjee virtually dubbed housing minister Gautam Deb a liar a day after he claimed to have spoken to her over the phone and got an assurance over a Trinamul Congress-backed land resistance.

“What he said about me is a lie.... It was an attempt to get cheap publicity by claiming he had spoken to me,” she said this evening without naming Deb.

The minister had said: “I rang up Mamata Banerjee and discussed the problems regarding supply of electricity in some parts of Rajarhat. She assured me that she would look into the matter and get back to me after talking to the... leaders of Chhapna.”

Hidco, chaired by Deb, had acquired the land at Chhapna in 2005, but it has failed to take possession of it because the majority of the 2,000-odd landlosers there have turned the mouza into a pocket of resistance with Trinamul support.

Deb tonight insisted that he was “not telling lies about his telephone talk with Mamata”. He said he would hold a news conference on Tuesday to “make public the contents of my discussion with Mamata over the phone”.

Source: TOI

Union Finance Minister and senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday demanded a probe into the Stephen Court fire tragedy, saying it was necessary to find if the inferno occurred due to "some negligence".

Describing Tuesday's blaze, which claimed 33 lives, as "heart-rending" and "pathetic", Mukherjee told reporters the probe should establish whether proper safety measures had been taken by the authorities.

Replying to a query as to whether he would blame the authorities for the tragedy, Mukherjee said: "Before doing that, I first need to know what really happened."

"A probe is needed. It should look into why the mishap occurred, whether proper safety measures had been taken," said the state Congress president.

"The probe should find out whether it occurred because of some negligence, so that such incidents don't recur," he added.

Source: PTI

With the death of thirty three people so far, the Stephen Court fire has recorded the highest-ever death toll in any fire incident in the metropolis even as search for the missing is still on.

"Never in the past, any fire has caused so much loss of lives in Kolkata either in any residential premises or any commercial complexes, Fire Services Minister Pratim Chatterjee told PTI here.

"In my 14-year stint as minister, this is the worst fire tragedy that claimed so many lives," Chatterjee said.

The highest fire death-count was recorded at Sodepur in North 24-parganas district, bordering Kolkata, where a blaze claimed 13 lives in a ready-made garment centre on August 16, 2008.

Eleven workers were charred to death in a locked room during a fire at a leather goods factory at Topsia in east Kolkata on November 22, 2006.

this is really really sad. my condolenses.

Unitech Infospace - several office buildings under construction

photos cc rights arijeetb, sarafindian, suncity

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Source: TOI

Busy city crossings and areas adjacent to shopping malls have turned into "heat islands", say officials of the state Pollution Control Board. The Park Circus crossing or areas adjoining Big Bazar are cases in point.

The urban heat island refers to the phenomenon of higher atmospheric and surface temperatures occurring in particular spots covering a small area in urban regions than in the surrounding areas. It is characterized by a large expanse of non-evaporating impervious materials covering a majority of urban areas with a consequent increase in sensible heat influx.

Experts attribute heat islands to the increasing number of air conditioned vehicles, commercial complexes, five star hotels and malls. Air conditioners used in cars and those in shopping malls pump out hot air adding to the rising mercury. Also, the declining green cover helps the heat islands to further generate more heat.

"It has been noticed that places where large multiplexes and malls have come up and spots that have the most number of vehicular density have turned into heat islands, and with ever growing construction work, these heat islands are generating more heat each year," said a senior pollution control board official.

Officials said with rapid construction work and increase in the number of vehicles, several such heat islands covering small pockets have developed in Kolkata, which itself has become a heat island. "The city of Kolkata, just like any other metropolis, is itself a large heat island where there is a difference of at least two to three degree Celsius than the rural areas falling in the city's fringes. However, busy intersections like Park Circus seven-point crossing, Shyambazar five-point crossing, the area surrounding South City mall on Prince Anwar Shah Road and Parama Island junction have turned into such small pockets of heat islands. The heat effect is felt a little more in these small pockets," a senior PCB official said.

The reason is that these pockets have the maximum density of air-conditioned vehicles, centrally air-conditioned malls, commercial complexes and hotels. These establishments get cool inside even as the air-conditioner generates a tremendous amount of heat just outside. The surrounding air becomes hot and combining it with the heat of the sun, it generates a very hot effect. Also, with the surrounding areas blocked by large buildings, the hot air does not get the required channel to move and circulate. As summer progresses, nights become hot and uncomfortable because of the heat-island effect.

The situation has worsened over the last few years due to rapid highrise construction and rise in the number of vehicles. The effect is slowly moving towards the east side of the city in areas off EM Bypass where rapid urban growth is occurring. "One can easily feel a difference of temperature if one moves into Park Circus or Beleghata from the EM Bypass stretch. The only way to curb this heat island effect is by capturing and using this heat through heat-absorption devices. We are trying to introduce solar hot water devices on the walls of highrise buildings. This concept has already been included in the green building concept," said West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation managing director S P Gon Chaudhuri.

Mayor Bikash Bhattacharyya recently said he did not prefer multiplexes and five-star hotels to use so much electricity. "These establishments can cut down use of conventional electricity to some extent. At least in the KMC building, I have been trying to reduce use of electricity as much as possible," Bhattacharyya had said.

In a setback to the Kolkata IT sector,a company named "iVIZ" has shut shop and shifted its entire operations to bangalore.Read it in todays paper but cant seem to find the article.

Underground Parking Lot Near Writers’ Buildings Set To Open On April 19

Kolkata: Here’s some good news for executives working in the central business district. The state government will rent out a portion of the underground parking lot adjoining Laldighi opposite Writers’ Buildings to private firms with offices in and around BBD Bag. The move will lead to the muchneeded decongestion of the Unesco World Heritage Site.
The parking lot is getting final touches and is scheduled to be inaugurated by chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in the third week of next month, tentatively April 19. The project is currently six months behind schedule. Additional plans will be taken up later with funds from the next financial year.


Times of India


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NBCC Vibgyor

photo cc rights arijeetb, sarafindian, suncity

http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/5016/nbccvib.jpg (http://img638.imageshack.us/i/nbccvib.jpg/)