Everyday innocent people are getting killed or hurt in violence by these entities. But there is almost complete silence from these intellectuals who on one hand condemn violence selectively and on the other hand try to romanticize it through books and songs.

Why we as a community/nation have always preferred lawlessness to laws? When poor police/army people are getting killed, we term the terrorists as heroes. But when the law takes its course, we will go down at roads, destroy the govt infrastructure and stop everything in the name of "Human rights violation". Is it a price of democracy?

:bash:

good heaven's. its huge. never heard of it though

Edit: The township btw is called Sonar Bangla. how well would it go down with ITC :lol:

ITC has changed the name to ITC Sonar, Kolkata long time ago...so no to worry abt...:gunz:

And you have to notice how Bengal's roaring intellectuals have suddenly turned a blind eye to the violence perpetuated by certain entities. About 20 people were killed in Nandigram and the state rocked. 100 people were killed in the train sabotage and these intellectuals have been almost mum once the CBI caught the people whom they had been defending for so long. No more bandana wearing intellectuals going to forests with TV cameras. No more peace marches. No more candle light vigils. Everyday innocent people are getting killed or hurt in violence by these entities. But there is almost complete silence from these intellectuals who on one hand condemn violence selectively and on the other hand try to romanticize it through books and songs.

Initially Mamota wanted to project that sabotage was an act of CPM and Maoist were no where near by. By now even CBI have started to arrest Maoist/ ex TMC members. I think very high ranking leaders at New Delhi have noticed this event. Didi might feel uncomfortable.But I dont expect any reaction from intelectuals or people of Kolkata. Perhaps they have lost mind and soul and vision all together!

As per ABP, Drive India Enterprise Solutions (http://www.diesl.in/) (A Tata Group company) is planning to establish a 400,000 sq ft logistics hub in Kolkata.

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/1682/tatalogisticskolkata.jpg (http://img31.imageshack.us/i/tatalogisticskolkata.jpg/)

KEEN TO EXIT?
Kolkata IT Links: Pvt firm wants state to take over
Sumali Moitra | TNN

Kolkata: One of the realtors associated with the controversial Kolkata IT Links project — that the Bengal government was forced to call off after allegations of the use of muscle power in land acquisition — wants the state to take over the venture.
On Thursday, Diamond Group chief Amarnath Shroff — whose partner Raj Modi served a jail term last year following his alleged role in the forcible land takeover — said approaches in this regard have been made to the authorities in recent times so that the issue could be sorted out once and for all to the satisfaction of all stakeholders.
Diamond Group had joined hands with Raj Modi-led Vedic Realty to form Vedic Diamond IT Links, which, in turn, was partnering the state’s IT promotion arm Webel for implementing the Kolkata IT Links venture — where both Infosys and Wipro were to be given 90 acre each for setting up software development centres.
“We want the government to clarify what it intends to do with the site. We haven’t heard anything from them so far. But it can always take over (the project) if it wants to,” Shroff told TOI. However, he did not elaborate on the mechanism by which this transfer could take place.
Shroff also declined comment on whether the Central Bank of India — which had provided funds for the venture — had given its concurrence to feelers being sent to the government about assuming total charge of the Kolkata IT Links project. State IT minister Debesh Das did not wish to be drawn into a discussion on Shroff ’s offer, reiterating that his department’s position on the Kolkata IT Links issue had been articulated in detail in the past.
Although the government has been consistently asserting that the Kolkata IT Links project is history, experts have always maintained that the venture is alive since the only official communication on the subject was a press release issued by the IT department last September that it “cannot proceed with the project” as “the government does not want to be involved in any illegal activity”. Even junior Union FM Namo Narain Meena had said in April that the project still stood.
Sources said Webel has no intention of writing the obituary of the Kolkata IT Links just yet despite its silence on the subject so far. “Webel actually wants some big-time credible developer to take over the interests of the existing private partner so that the state-run firm can then tie up with the new entity. There is no change in Webel’s belief that the Kolkata IT Links could do wonders for the state, if it can be executed,” they said.

Please visit - http://savenewtown.blogspot.com

As per ABP, Drive India Enterprise Solutions (http://www.diesl.in/) (A Tata Group company) is planning to establish a 400,000 sq ft logistics hub in Kolkata.

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/1682/tatalogisticskolkata.jpg (http://img31.imageshack.us/i/tatalogisticskolkata.jpg/)

:cheers:..but where is the logistic hub coming up is not clear in this article...any clue about the site?

Dream Projects Aim For The Sky
Then: 18, 21, 24. Now: 45, 50, 65. The city’s vertical limit — stuck in 20+ storeys since the ’70s — is set to get a leg-up from a slew of swanky highrises
Subhro Niyogi | TNN


For decades, three buildings on Chowringhee — Chatterjee International Centre, Everest House and Tata Centre — defined the city’s skyline. At 24, 21 and 18 floors respectively, the trio that were built in the 1970s towered over sprawling bungalows and cubby-hole apartment blocks in the rest of the city. Stunted building rules stymied growth. A few 10-12 floor office and apartment blocks did spring up along Chowringhee, Ballygunge Circular Road, Gurusaday Road, Lansdowne Road and Deshapran Sashmal Road. But none dared to challenge the three-some.
All that has changed over the past five years with highrises giving the vertically-challenged Kolkata a fresh growth impetus. In three years, the city will have doubled the three decade-old floor count and set the stage for the half century landmark. At least two projects to be built in the next four years have 50-plus floor count.
Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India’s Bengal chapter president Pradeep Sureka, who was part of the consortium that developed the 35-floor South City complex on Prince Anwar Shah Road, said its success and that of 28-floor Hiland Park before it, opened a new vista for highrise living.
“Highrises were inevitable given the absence of large land parcels to build sprawling lowheight housing projects. Amendment in civic building rules laid the foundation. But it was Hiland Park and South City that gave people the confidence to live in tall buildings. Builders, too, realised that such projects were technically feasible and financially viable,” Sureka said.
Having experienced what it is like living up there, there’s a clamour to gain altitude. So much so that in the upcoming 45-floor Urbana towers, it is the super-premium multi-crore penthouses at the top that were the first to be sold out.
“A very close friend who lives in a bungalow in a posh south Kolkata locality wanted to buy a flat in Urbana that is located in an area considered the back of beyond till recently. The person had everything but wanted to experience what living in the sky was. That is what is driving most buyers,” said Rahul Todi, one of
the developers of Urbana.
Developers have also realised that people in Kolkata are willing to pay a fancy premium to enjoy “high” living. Hence, the base price for apartments at Urbana that is at the edge of the East Kolkata Wetlands beyond Ruby Hospital and Eastern Metropolitan Bypass is a whopping Rs 5,500 per sq ft, higher than the rate that apartments command in the heart of Kolkata.
“Depending on the project, the premium to move up the floors is between Rs 10 and Rs 200 per sq ft. For, the higher you go, the more panoramic is the view,” said Subesh Ray, joint managing director of realty firm Lemon Grass Advisor.
Abhijit Das, who is also a JMD at Lemon Grass, felt people had realised that quality of life was a lot better in complexes. “Location is no more the first concern. Residents want to know what is within the community and what are the facilities on offer,” said Das.
In New Town, the satellite township where land is available in abundance, highrise development has become a norm. Though most projects have had to curtail height to 25-30 floors due to proximity to the airport, there are some projects like Unitech Air and Westin Hotel at 40 floors.
At another suburb at the other end of town, Sumit Dabriwala is developing 35-floor towers at Batanagar. Credited with breaking the glass ceiling with Hiland Park in 2003, Dabriwala is now attempting to redefine suburban living in Maheshtala to the south-west of Kolkata.
“Given the land constraints in the city proper, clearly the dramatic transformation will happen at the periphery. Expect the hinterland to change completely over the next few years,” said Pawan Kumar Agarwal of NK Realtors.
Across the Hooghly, highrises are lined up at Kolkata West International City as well as Belur in Howrah. On the eastern bank, such projects are under development along the BT Road in north Kolkata.
“There are a lot of highrises beyond 15 floors that are under development across the city. There will also be odd opportunities like the 28-floor Bel-Air in Alipore. But the bulk of development will happen in peripheral areas. Most of the developments will happen along the EM Bypass and the New Town arterial expressway,” said Jitendra Khaitan of Pioneer Properties. The Shelter group is putting the final touches to 30-floor condominium project Ananda Dhara near Patuli. ITC Sonar is also constructing a 30-plus tower in its existing property.
While 50-floor plus LIC’s office tower — one of the two projects that will catapult Kolkata into the next league — is located along the EM Bypass, the other project
that is pegged anywhere between 60-65 floor is located in the heart of the city. It is ironic that the towering skyscraper proposed on Chowringhee will dwarf the very buildings that lorded over the cityscape for years.
While the Diamond and Mani group
combine have submitted a plan to KMC, LIC and Apeejay group who are keen to construct iconic commercial buildings along the Bypass are yet to finalise the projects.
Dabriwala, who ignited the race for the sky, says there is healthy competition between developers in Kolkata to build taller and impressive structures. “The sky is very much the limit. As long as there is a land parcel beyond 3 acre and the project can be marketed at Rs 5,000-7,000 per sq ft, builders will reach for the sky. The sky is actually the limit. It is quite possible to breach the 100-floor mark in Kolkata,” he said.

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/3302/sky1p.jpg

http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/8334/sky2v.jpg

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/7861/sky3.jpg

IT to generate 20,000-25,000 jobs in Bengal
17 Jul 2010, 2005 hrs IST,IANS

KOLKATA: West Bengal Information Technology (IT) Minister Debesh Das Saturday said the IT companies in the state are estimated to hire 20,000-25,000 people in 2010.

"A lot of new companies are being set up in the state and the existing ones are on expansion mode. We expect that about 20,000-25,000 new jobs will be added this year," Das told reporters on the sidelines of a programme organised by Bengal Chamber of Commerce.

The state reported 15,000 employment in the IT and ITeS sector in 2009. At present, around 100,000 professionals are employed in this sector.

IT services company Wipro Ltd, in December 2009, announced that it would set up a second facility in the state spread over 50 acres.

KMC removes height restrictions?

Develop project area, says KMC

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Kolkata-/Develop-project-area-says-KMC/articleshow/6182240.cms

In a bid to meet the city's burgeoning housing needs, Kolkata Municipal Corporation has decided to relax the norms for highrises. Since there is a massive space crunch in the city, the civic authorities have removed height restrictions for buildings coming up on plots that have a road at least 15 metres wide in front. The buildings department is also providing special relaxations o floor area ratio (FAR) on a case-by-case basis.

The amendment in 2009 that lifted the embargo on height comes after nearly two decades. The last amendment in the building rules was in 1991 when buildings at 14.5 metres tall were considered highrise. To build over this height, special permission from KMC was needed. Now, the new definition of highrise pertains to buildings at least 15.5 metres tall. If the road in front is 15 metres wide, there will be no height restriction.

There is one catch though. Builders have to chip in with infrastructure development and other social causes. "While encouraging vertical growth with special relaxations, we are urging big realtors to contribute to infrastructure development. The response has been good," a buildings department official said.

Dream Projects Aim For The Sky
Then: 18, 21, 24. Now: 45, 50, 65. The city’s vertical limit — stuck in 20+ storeys since the ’70s — is set to get a leg-up from a slew of swanky highrises
Subhro Niyogi | TNN


For decades, three buildings on Chowringhee — Chatterjee International Centre, Everest House and Tata Centre — defined the city’s skyline. At 24, 21 and 18 floors respectively, the trio that were built in the 1970s towered over sprawling bungalows and cubby-hole apartment blocks in the rest of the city. Stunted building rules stymied growth. A few 10-12 floor office and apartment blocks did spring up along Chowringhee, Ballygunge Circular Road, Gurusaday Road, Lansdowne Road and Deshapran Sashmal Road. But none dared to challenge the three-some.
All that has changed over the past five years with highrises giving the vertically-challenged Kolkata a fresh growth impetus. In three years, the city will have doubled the three decade-old floor count and set the stage for the half century landmark. At least two projects to be built in the next four years have 50-plus floor count.
Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India’s Bengal chapter president Pradeep Sureka, who was part of the consortium that developed the 35-floor South City complex on Prince Anwar Shah Road, said its success and that of 28-floor Hiland Park before it, opened a new vista for highrise living.
“Highrises were inevitable given the absence of large land parcels to build sprawling lowheight housing projects. Amendment in civic building rules laid the foundation. But it was Hiland Park and South City that gave people the confidence to live in tall buildings. Builders, too, realised that such projects were technically feasible and financially viable,” Sureka said.
Having experienced what it is like living up there, there’s a clamour to gain altitude. So much so that in the upcoming 45-floor Urbana towers, it is the super-premium multi-crore penthouses at the top that were the first to be sold out.
“A very close friend who lives in a bungalow in a posh south Kolkata locality wanted to buy a flat in Urbana that is located in an area considered the back of beyond till recently. The person had everything but wanted to experience what living in the sky was. That is what is driving most buyers,” said Rahul Todi, one of
the developers of Urbana.
Developers have also realised that people in Kolkata are willing to pay a fancy premium to enjoy “high” living. Hence, the base price for apartments at Urbana that is at the edge of the East Kolkata Wetlands beyond Ruby Hospital and Eastern Metropolitan Bypass is a whopping Rs 5,500 per sq ft, higher than the rate that apartments command in the heart of Kolkata.
“Depending on the project, the premium to move up the floors is between Rs 10 and Rs 200 per sq ft. For, the higher you go, the more panoramic is the view,” said Subesh Ray, joint managing director of realty firm Lemon Grass Advisor.
Abhijit Das, who is also a JMD at Lemon Grass, felt people had realised that quality of life was a lot better in complexes. “Location is no more the first concern. Residents want to know what is within the community and what are the facilities on offer,” said Das.
In New Town, the satellite township where land is available in abundance, highrise development has become a norm. Though most projects have had to curtail height to 25-30 floors due to proximity to the airport, there are some projects like Unitech Air and Westin Hotel at 40 floors.
At another suburb at the other end of town, Sumit Dabriwala is developing 35-floor towers at Batanagar. Credited with breaking the glass ceiling with Hiland Park in 2003, Dabriwala is now attempting to redefine suburban living in Maheshtala to the south-west of Kolkata.
“Given the land constraints in the city proper, clearly the dramatic transformation will happen at the periphery. Expect the hinterland to change completely over the next few years,” said Pawan Kumar Agarwal of NK Realtors.
Across the Hooghly, highrises are lined up at Kolkata West International City as well as Belur in Howrah. On the eastern bank, such projects are under development along the BT Road in north Kolkata.
“There are a lot of highrises beyond 15 floors that are under development across the city. There will also be odd opportunities like the 28-floor Bel-Air in Alipore. But the bulk of development will happen in peripheral areas. Most of the developments will happen along the EM Bypass and the New Town arterial expressway,” said Jitendra Khaitan of Pioneer Properties. The Shelter group is putting the final touches to 30-floor condominium project Ananda Dhara near Patuli. ITC Sonar is also constructing a 30-plus tower in its existing property.
While 50-floor plus LIC’s office tower — one of the two projects that will catapult Kolkata into the next league — is located along the EM Bypass, the other project
that is pegged anywhere between 60-65 floor is located in the heart of the city. It is ironic that the towering skyscraper proposed on Chowringhee will dwarf the very buildings that lorded over the cityscape for years.
While the Diamond and Mani group
combine have submitted a plan to KMC, LIC and Apeejay group who are keen to construct iconic commercial buildings along the Bypass are yet to finalise the projects.
Dabriwala, who ignited the race for the sky, says there is healthy competition between developers in Kolkata to build taller and impressive structures. “The sky is very much the limit. As long as there is a land parcel beyond 3 acre and the project can be marketed at Rs 5,000-7,000 per sq ft, builders will reach for the sky. The sky is actually the limit. It is quite possible to breach the 100-floor mark in Kolkata,” he said.

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/3302/sky1p.jpg

http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/8334/sky2v.jpg

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/7861/sky3.jpg


A good article and TNN publishes this type of news from time to time.

A few points I just want to quote here:

(a) not sure how old this article is as it says "Urbana to begin construction" whereas we all know that this project is already under construction for more than 6 months now

(b) Belair has already been completed not nearing completion

(c) As per my knowledge Westin is of 35 floors(2 towers) and not 40 floors

(d) some projects are missing like Unitech - 27 storeys(6 towers), DLF new heights(31 storeys - one block and 28 storeys - 2 blocks) and Oasis(Ballygunj) 25 floors - 2 blocks :)

^^ They also missed the proposed forum twin tower of 40 floor each (E.M Bypass),Merlin cambridge 25 Floor(P.A Shah Road) and Fort Oasis 43 Floor (ballygunj)

^^yes exactly...there are a lot of glitches and old news that are mentioned in this article..one more 30+Fl tower is coming up on bypass, its now on pre-launch status!
again wrong reporting by the media...these guys should be booked under RTI Act..!

^^yes exactly...there are a lot of glitches and old news that are mentioned in this article..one more 30+Fl tower is coming up on bypass, its now on pre-launch status!
again wrong reporting by the media...these guys should be booked under RTI Act..!

one more 30+Fl tower is coming up on bypass, its now on pre-launch status!


Which one? The one mentioned as Anandadhara in the article?

What about diamond crown? Is that scraped, was supposed to be 40 storied .. The website still shows it as part of the upcoming projects.

City animation arena all set to get a boost
Green Gold To Start Sec V Ops in August
Sumali Moitra | TNN

Kolkata: The citys animation arena largely the preserve of small and marginal players is set to see some action next month with the company behind the popular childrens TV series Chhota Bheem starting operations at Salt Lakes Sector V in August.
Hyderabad-based Green Gold Animation which focuses exclusively on content having a local flavour is currently awaiting the handover of nearly 6,000 sq ft of space by Webel at the citys tech hub so that it can use this facility to supplement operations currently undertaken by existing centres at Warangal and the Andhra capital.
Speaking to TOI on Sunday,Green Gold founder & MD Rajiv Chilaka pointed out that that the Kolkata facility the firms third overall and first in the east would employ about 100 staff in phases,with animators forming the bulk of the hires.The citys talent pool was the major attraction behind choosing Kolkata, Chilaka said.Presently,Green Golds headcount stands at 170.
Webel adviser Siddhartha Mukherjee who is spearheading the state-run organisations initiatives in the education and animation segments said Green Golds entry is likely to pave the way for similar entities considering Kolkatas merits while chalking out expansion plans.Currently,the biggest name in the citys animation space is DQ Entertainment,which also runs a training academy here.
Chilaka said Green Gold would look at a stock market listing a few years from now but exploring the opportunity of roping in venture capitalists to pump in funds could happen sooner.However,he declined to elaborate on the companys present revenue and its ownership pattern.Financing is not easy for a full-fledged animation movie at the moment,but we are very still very keen to make one next year, he added.Meanwhile,the state would set up training centres in districts on hardware issues

X2, 16fl Office Tower, Sec -V, By Canopy Group

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/7184/97613690.jpg (http://img710.imageshack.us/i/97613690.jpg/)

Does anyone have any update info about this project??.....

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/7909/bougenv.jpg (http://img443.imageshack.us/i/bougenv.jpg/)

Is the Salarpuria Group's IT project in Bantala and kalyani in back burner?
Or Only Bantala project is on???

Food processing park at Amtala

KOLKATA March 26: A mega food processing park, an initiative of the West Bengal Infrastructure Development Corporation (WBIDC) in association with the Salarpuria Group and the Eden City Group, is going to be set up at Amtala in South 24 Parganas.
At the foundation laying ceremony, Mr Nirupam Sen, West Bengal minister for commerce and industries, said that the produce of the land has increased and change was required. Around 30 per cent of produce is lost due to its perishable nature.
Such projects would provide a mechanism to assemble farmers, processors and retailers, and link the agricultural production to the market.
Mr Indrajit De, chairman of Eden City Group said that the primary objective of the project was to facilitate the establishment of an integrated value chain with processing at the core.
The 125 acre plot would have the entire cold chain, warehousing facilities and a 'krishi bazar' with marketing yards for agro products among its facilities. There would be 50-80 processing units. Letters of intent have been already been received from 15 vendors.
Similar food processing parks have already been set up in Sankrail and Malda, with 3 more on the pipeline.
There is going to be an investment of Rs 300 crore on the park with Rs 150 crore being allotted for infrastructure and Rs 150 crore for support infrastructure. The park should be ready for use in two and a half years.
Meanwhile, the Salarpuria Group will be setting up a hotel in Rajarhat in collaboration with Accor. The 350-room four star hotel would start in six months. A 150-bunglow residential project has been planned for Bakrahat.
The group is also looking to set up two IT parks, one in Bantala for which 40 acres have been acquired, and one in Kalyani for which the land acquisition is in progress.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=19324309


Salarpuria Plans Hotel In Rajarhat

Kolkata-based real estate developer Salarpuria Group will execute projects worth Rs 1,000 crore in West Bengal by 2010.

Mr. Rakesh Salarpuria, vice chairman of the Salarpuria Group, said that the expansion plans includes setting up a Novotel Hotel, promoted by international hospitality major, Accor Group, at Rajarhat. The investment in the project would be close to Rs 200 crore.

Other major investments of the company includes two IT special economic zones (SEZs) at Bantala 20km south-east of Kolkata, and Kalyani in Nadia district, 40km north-west of Kolkata.

He further said that the company has already received in-principle nod for the SEZ projects from the Central government. The SEZ in Kalyani would be spread over 250 acre.

Salarpuria did not mention the investment required to execute the project, as it is yet to acquire land for it. The investment at the Bantala SEZ, to be spread over 40 acre, will be close to Rs 400 crore.

He said that work would being in six month.
http://indiainvestmentproperty.com/real-estate-news/salarpuria-plans-hotel-in-rajarhat/

Dedicated tourism jetty for Kolkata

Kolkata, July 20

West Bengal Tourism has joined hands with West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation to jointly develop a dedicated tourism-cum-river traffic jetty near Babughat here.

The foundation stone for the project was laid here on Tuesday by Mr Ranjit Kundu, Transport Minister, and Mr Manabendra Mukherjee, Minister-in-Charge, Tourism, MSME and Textile.

The project will entail a total investment of Rs 207 lakhs and the infrastructure would be complete within the next 18 months, according to Mr Mr T.V.N. Rao, Managing Director, WBTD.

“The Kolkata jetty is one of the biggest and is the nucleus for international tourists. The jetty will be partly commissioned within the next nine months and will be fully operational within the next 18 months,” Mr Rao said.

According to estimates, close to 39 lakh domestic and foreign tourists visited the heritage ghats on an annual basis. “At present, most of the tourists access these locations by road.

Source:the hindu business line.

NIDT on expansion drive,plans five centres in city by 11

ET KOLKATA
MUMBAI-BASED Novel Institute of Digital Teaching (NIDT),which started operations in calendar 2005,imparting a range of courses in animation and multimedia,has now embarked on an initiative to expand nationally,starting with Kolkata.
Initially,starting with three centres in the city,the outfit plans to set up five centres in Kolkata by 2011.Interestingly,NIDT is also venturing into animation movie production and has zeroed in on Kolkata to roll out the debut project,before unveiling its production foray in Mumbai.
Incidentally,after making a success of the Kolkata project,NIDT targets to turn its sights on Assam and Orissa.
The NIDT curriculum covers all the three areas of pre-production,production and post-production.We have seven centres in Mumbai,of which five are operated by franchisees.Two are owned by us.We have catered to 5,000 students till now and placed all of them.
The first three Kolkata centres are being located in Salt Lake,Shyambazar and Chowringhee.The units will start functioning from July 21,2010 and will extend admission to 250 students across all the centres put together.The student strength will be stepped up gradually, D Moulick,NIDTs CMD,told ET.
According to him,Kolkata was the first choice after Mumbai because of its abundance of creative talent and lack of job opportunities.
We will try and help students get jobs both in Kolkata and Mumbai.Our courses,revolving around production,networking and animation cover 2D,3D,VFX (special effects) and editing.
The curriculum is demarcated into modular and career streams.While fees for modular courses range between Rs 15,000 and Rs 35,000,the career models of 18 months and 24 months come for a tag between Rs 45,000 and Rs 90,000, Mr Moulick said.
The animation movie thats in the works in Kolkata will be in the classical 2D format.NIDT,which will also set up a production house in Kolkata with a contingent of 200 people initially,has picked two to three animation specialists in Mumbai to fashion the script.
The budget,duration and language of the film will be finalised once the script is done.Budget is no constraint, Mr Moulick remarked.

Sector V
1) Saw a gate marked Ambuja Realty and some construction activity (foundation) going onside. This is most likely the 15+ floors Ambuja IT park and is located on the same road as the U/C Videocon IT park
2) Videocon IT park is coming along well and has crossed 15 floors. If we go by the render there would be glass cladding all around and can be compared to the likes of Benchmark and Omega once complete
3) Godrej Genesis is getting topped out. This is one monster that has risen very quickly. Progress on Globsyn is quite slow even though the 1st tower is getting occupied. There will be a challenge evicting hawkers who have encroached along the periphery
4) Godrej Waterside tower 1 is complete but I am not sure if anyone has moved in yet. Tower 2 construction appears stalled!
5) Construction appears to have re-started as Vipul TechSquare is now "Merlin Infinity".

6) The roads are still in shambles owing to the ongoing sewerage project. The construction of the sewage plant is nearing completion. The decades old concrete vats have given way, but garbage collection/disposal is still a issue in Sector V.

New Town
1) Several inner roads such as those leading to Elita/SP township/DLF etc and also those towards Hiland Woods/Akansha etc are nearing completion
2) The second phase of Infospace is being leased out. TCS has moved in and Wipro should do so soon. The next/final phase including the Sheraton hotel is U/C
3) DLF 2 first phase ?? is complete. Going by the pace Tata hospital and Ecopsace (remaining phases) may well complete by this year end!
4) Ohio hospital (on the plot next to Tata hospital) has risen from the foundation and so have the Westin twins:cheers:
5) Salarpuria Novotel (next to Axis Mall) is coming along well and has risen above foundation stage. Synthesis business park is almost complete
6) Flyover along MAR1 and another near Bagjhola canal are U/C
7) Coal India green building is U/C and is in foundation stage. The two flyovers along MAR 1 and another parallel to Bagjhola canal are u/c (by Simplex projects)

Sector V
1) Saw a gate marked Ambuja Realty and some construction activity (foundation) going onside. This is most likely the 15+ floors Ambuja IT park and is located on the same road as the U/C Videocon IT park
2) Videocon IT park is coming along well and has crossed 15 floors. If we go by the render there would be glass cladding all around and can be compared to the likes of Benchmark and Omega once complete
3) Godrej Genesis is getting topped out. This is one monster that has risen very quickly. Progress on Globsyn is quite slow even though the 1st tower is getting occupied. There will be a challenge evicting hawkers who have encroached along the periphery
4) Godrej Waterside tower 1 is complete but I am not sure if anyone has moved in yet. Tower 2 construction appears stalled!
5) Construction appears to have re-started as Vipul TechSquare is now "Merlin Infinity".

6) The roads are still in shambles owing to the ongoing sewerage project. The construction of the sewage plant is nearing completion. The decades old concrete vats have given way, but garbage collection/disposal is still a issue in Sector V.

New Town
1) Several inner roads such as those leading to Elita/SP township/DLF etc and also those towards Hiland Woods/Akansha etc are nearing completion
2) The second phase of Infospace is being leased out. TCS has moved in and Wipro should do so soon. The next/final phase including the Sheraton hotel is U/C
3) DLF 2 first phase ?? is complete. Going by the pace Tata hospital and Ecopsace (remaining phases) may well complete by this year end!
4) Ohio hospital (on the plot next to Tata hospital) has risen from the foundation and so have the Westin twins:cheers:
5) Salarpuria Novotel (next to Axis Mall) is coming along well and has risen above foundation stage. Synthesis business park is almost complete
6) Flyover along MAR1 and another near Bagjhola canal are U/C
7) Coal India green building is U/C and is in foundation stage. The two flyovers along MAR 1 and another parallel to Bagjhola canal are u/c (by Simplex projects)

Many many thanks for the update Arijit:)

Nice update Arijeetb, Thanks :)

Do you have any idea about by whom the Sheraton Hotel is being built ??
Is it under ITC Sheraton brand??

Nice update Arijeetb, Thanks :)

Do you have any idea about by whom the Sheraton Hotel is being built ??
Is it under ITC Sheraton brand??

do not know if it is under the ITC brand

Which one? The one mentioned as Anandadhara in the article?

there were two ads...one named SANJJOG G+30...and the other one was not named but location is near Garia stn and the project is being done by Bengal Shelter..

Sector V
1) Saw a gate marked Ambuja Realty and some construction activity (foundation) going onside. This is most likely the 15+ floors Ambuja IT park and is located on the same road as the U/C Videocon IT park
2) Videocon IT park is coming along well and has crossed 15 floors. If we go by the render there would be glass cladding all around and can be compared to the likes of Benchmark and Omega once complete
3) Godrej Genesis is getting topped out. This is one monster that has risen very quickly. Progress on Globsyn is quite slow even though the 1st tower is getting occupied. There will be a challenge evicting hawkers who have encroached along the periphery
4) Godrej Waterside tower 1 is complete but I am not sure if anyone has moved in yet. Tower 2 construction appears stalled!
5) Construction appears to have re-started as Vipul TechSquare is now "Merlin Infinity".

6) The roads are still in shambles owing to the ongoing sewerage project. The construction of the sewage plant is nearing completion. The decades old concrete vats have given way, but garbage collection/disposal is still a issue in Sector V.

New Town
1) Several inner roads such as those leading to Elita/SP township/DLF etc and also those towards Hiland Woods/Akansha etc are nearing completion
2) The second phase of Infospace is being leased out. TCS has moved in and Wipro should do so soon. The next/final phase including the Sheraton hotel is U/C
3) DLF 2 first phase ?? is complete. Going by the pace Tata hospital and Ecopsace (remaining phases) may well complete by this year end!
4) Ohio hospital (on the plot next to Tata hospital) has risen from the foundation and so have the Westin twins:cheers:
5) Salarpuria Novotel (next to Axis Mall) is coming along well and has risen above foundation stage. Synthesis business park is almost complete
6) Flyover along MAR1 and another near Bagjhola canal are U/C
7) Coal India green building is U/C and is in foundation stage. The two flyovers along MAR 1 and another parallel to Bagjhola canal are u/c (by Simplex projects)

Wonderful!!!:banana::cheers:

Pls rectify: the hotel coming up at infospace is Marriott and not Sheraton

Man, this is great update. :banana: :banana:

Anything on Westin? :tongue2:

Sector V
1) Saw a gate marked Ambuja Realty and some construction activity (foundation) going onside. This is most likely the 15+ floors Ambuja IT park and is located on the same road as the U/C Videocon IT park
2) Videocon IT park is coming along well and has crossed 15 floors. If we go by the render there would be glass cladding all around and can be compared to the likes of Benchmark and Omega once complete
3) Godrej Genesis is getting topped out. This is one monster that has risen very quickly. Progress on Globsyn is quite slow even though the 1st tower is getting occupied. There will be a challenge evicting hawkers who have encroached along the periphery
4) Godrej Waterside tower 1 is complete but I am not sure if anyone has moved in yet. Tower 2 construction appears stalled!
5) Construction appears to have re-started as Vipul TechSquare is now "Merlin Infinity".

6) The roads are still in shambles owing to the ongoing sewerage project. The construction of the sewage plant is nearing completion. The decades old concrete vats have given way, but garbage collection/disposal is still a issue in Sector V.

New Town
1) Several inner roads such as those leading to Elita/SP township/DLF etc and also those towards Hiland Woods/Akansha etc are nearing completion
2) The second phase of Infospace is being leased out. TCS has moved in and Wipro should do so soon. The next/final phase including the Sheraton hotel is U/C
3) DLF 2 first phase ?? is complete. Going by the pace Tata hospital and Ecopsace (remaining phases) may well complete by this year end!
4) Ohio hospital (on the plot next to Tata hospital) has risen from the foundation and so have the Westin twins:cheers:
5) Salarpuria Novotel (next to Axis Mall) is coming along well and has risen above foundation stage. Synthesis business park is almost complete
6) Flyover along MAR1 and another near Bagjhola canal are U/C
7) Coal India green building is U/C and is in foundation stage. The two flyovers along MAR 1 and another parallel to Bagjhola canal are u/c (by Simplex projects)

Wonderful!!!:banana::cheers:

Pls rectify: the hotel coming up at infospace is Marriott and not Sheraton

^^studd, thanks for the correction. Yes, it appeared to me that land is being readied for construction of the hotel. In a radius of 1km this would be the third 5 star after Westin and Novotel.

Video source: ssbera

A nice video. Few construction updates in New Town action area III.

1jAL7NMQvZA

great updates Arijeet.
But where are the pics? :tongue2:

Bandh Culture may be obstacle for Investment of Accenture in WB
http://www.anandabazar.com/22bus1.htm

^^ can't read bengali

nice video of rajarhat action area III though

the road stops abruptly though, thought it went all the way up to uniworld city

great updates Arijeet.
But where are the pics? :tongue2:

^^thanks sidney - will take them when I get a chance, need more sunny days though...

Man, this is great update. :banana: :banana:

Anything on Westin? :tongue2:

thanks Saraf:) The monster is rising from the foundation ( looked like a couple of floors) but need it to be a few floors more to match it with the render.

Thanks for the info Arijeet. Last I have seen one crane was working on the site. So is it still one? One crane is a bit slow for such a huge structure. But still it is good to see its rising..:cheers:

thanks Saraf:) The monster is rising from the foundation ( looked like a couple of floors) but need it to be a few floors more to match it with the render.

Vedic tie-up with US chain
SUBHRO SAHA
The restored reception lobby of Vedic Village

Vedic Village, the luxury resort near Rajarhat that was scarred by an arson attack last year, has entered into an alliance with the world’s largest hotel chain.

Best Western International Inc of the US, with around 4,000 independently owned and operated hotels worldwide, now has a Calcutta footprint in the shape of an 80-room luxury medical spa resort, Best Western Premier Vedic Village.

“We are happy to be associated with Vedic Village, a unique property with ayurvedic and naturopathic wellness programmes. The marketing tie-up will enable us to bring in our international spa and conferencing clientele to Calcutta,” Sudhir Sinha, the president of Best Western India, told Metro.

The reception lobby of the resort, which was destroyed in the mob violence on August 23 last year, has been restored and the two conference halls, also damaged in the mayhem, have been refurbished in sync with Best Western’s global guidelines. A new tea lounge, Chai, with UK brand Newbys, is also being launched.

“We had managed to resume operations barely three weeks after the incident, and now are totally back on world tourism track with this tie-up. There are only 117 Best Western Premier properties around the world, and it’s an honour to be one of the first medical resort spas in that league,” said M.J. Robertson of Vedic Village.

Anil Punjabi, the chairman (east) of the Travel Agents’ Federation of India, feels the marketing alliance between Vedic and Best Western, coming in the wake of the Swissôtel opening, “would boost global tourist traffic to Calcutta”.

Abhijit Das, the joint managing director of property consultants Lemongrass Advisors, agreed with Punjabi’s perception.

The global downturn had resulted in several hospitality projects being either shelved or indefinitely delayed. But recent activity in the shape of the Swissôtel property of Ambuja Realty and the Best Western Premier Vedic Village, besides the upcoming 220-room Taj Gateway business hotel and the 100-key ITC Fortune hotel, has brought in some buoyancy to the segment.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100723/jsp/calcutta/story_12705073.jsp

^^Telegraph's been sleeping all this while. The Vedic Village property had become a Best Western Premier 2-3 months back.

^^ Good news. Vedic village is one of the best resort in the country :cheers:..

^^Telegraph's been sleeping all this while. The Vedic Village property had become a Best Western Premier 2-3 months back.

All the newspapers are too busy showing the bandhs, vilolence, anti-industry image and how "poor" we Bengalies really are..

thanks Saraf:) The monster is rising from the foundation ( looked like a couple of floors) but need it to be a few floors more to match it with the render.

Thank you very much arijeet though I am a little bit late to express my heart felt appreciation you deserved. You have done a great job, bro. :cheers:

Like Saraf, I am also eagerly waiting to see this magnificent monster which will be a landmark of Kolkata in the days to come.:)

^^thanks sidney - will take them when I get a chance, need more sunny days though...

its raining in Calcutta *sigh*
unlike Delhi where the met predicts that it will pour down but is never more than a drizzle for not more than 10 mts :ohno:

Rajarhat on Centre’s township list
TNN

Kolkata: The Centre has selected Rajarhat as one of the eight upcoming satellite townships of the country, where it would sanction 80% of the total cost of implementing civic infrastructure projects.
Urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya revealed this on Friday at an interactive session organized by the Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Central funds will be crucial for New Town, which is plagued by lack of infrastructure. Entire condominiums are lying deserted because the residents dare not move in there. The list of problems in this sprawling township range from lack of drinking water and power to poor connectivity.
“The Centre will fund 80% of the total cost of any project that will be taken in Rajarhat. The Centre is also ready to give financial assistance for our internal rapid bus service in New Town,” Bhattacharya said.
Bhattacharya said that the state government was setting up three new satellite townships in Bengal. “These are at Baruipur, New Konnapur near Asansol and the Aerotropolis at Andal. There is much potential for the growth of satellite townships in other places like Dankuni and Silguri. We have already set up quite a few satellite townships, like Baisnabghata Patuli, West Howrah, Burdwan and Siliguri,” the minister said.
Bhattacharya said that they were working on an inclusive plan for all cities and towns to properly develop the areas. ‘This plan will also involve a proper hawker policy. With scarce availability of land, it is very important to develop the peri-urban areas,” the minister said.
Bhattacharya said that they have framed a scheme of secondary city development — a plan to develop small cities and towns in the state. “We have requested for Rs 500 crore from the Centre to develop the sewerage and drainage systems of these small cities,” he said.
Bhattacharya also said that they were working on the process to hand over the land deeds for the dwellers of Duttabad — an added area of Salt Lake situated on the lines of EM Bypass. “There has been a long standing demand for the residents of this area to give them proper rehabilitation and we are trying to issue their land deeds,” the minister said.

Video source: ssbera

A nice video. Few construction updates in New Town action area III.

1jAL7NMQvZA

Lots of green has been gobbled up, massive urbanization going! Hopefully it produces enough job oppertunities for locals. No traffic lights, chaos in the road intersections. Watch it!

Had the chance to click some pics showing the present status of the plot nestled in between Tata Centre and Jeevan Sudha (LIC) buildings, on the Chowringhee Road. This is the plot where the tallest tower of Kolkata is supposed to come up. A site office has been built up by Diamond Group (as can be seen from the first pic here).The site presently has two entrances,one from the Chowrighee Road and on at the backside (beside Jeevandeep building) on Middleton Street.

1) The Site office
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/7152/photo0361e.jpg

2) The building adjacent to Fountain Court (on Little Russel St) has been pulled down (on the extreme right side of the pics)

http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/2892/photo0362.jpg

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/462/photo0363nn.jpg

3) The present skyline of Chowringhee (near the site) fearturing the Tata Centre
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/3208/photo0302.jpg

Man, this is great update. :banana: :banana:

Anything on Westin? :tongue2:

@Excellent updates ArijeetB!
Thanks Saraf for the video (courtesy SS Bera),a very nice attempt to capture the present scale of work at New Town!

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/4295/dsc00338pp.jpg

photos copyright Chintu

Godrej Genesis

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/3326/godrejgenesischintu.jpg (http://img266.imageshack.us/i/godrejgenesischintu.jpg/)

Godrej Waterside

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/2585/godrjeinfinitychintu.jpg (http://img843.imageshack.us/i/godrjeinfinitychintu.jpg/)

A glimpse of Videocon Towers u/c

http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/6229/videocontowerchintu.jpg (http://img829.imageshack.us/i/videocontowerchintu.jpg/)

refrain from posting sad looking pics from sector v. construction is great, but the poor quality pictures makes it look erstwhile. thanks

APL eyes battery making with 125-cr capex plan

ET KOLKATA


THE 310-crore Associated Pigments Ltd (APL),a maker of refined lead,plans to manufacture industrial lead acid batteries.At present,the company supplies lead to Exide Industries,Luminous Batteries and Hyderabad Batteries,among others.
APL has outlined a 125-crore capex plan for its existing lead manufacturing facilities in Kanpur,Bharatpur,Kolkata and Midnapore.The companys total staff strength is 500.
APL was referred to the Board for Financial and Industrial Reconstruction (BIFR) in 2003 as its networth was wiped out.We took over the management of the company in 2005 and,with fresh working capital facility sanctioned by Allahabad Bank,restarted operations from October 2006.In 2008-09,the company came out of BIFR and clocked a turnover of 310 crore and a net profit of 10.45 crore in FY10.The networth now stands at 21.85 crore, Sanjiv N Sahay,managing director of APL,told ET.
APL now produces 48,000 tonnes of lead annually and 18,750 tpa of lead oxide.As a forward integration exercise,we are examining the possibilities of entering into battery manufacturing.But nothing has been firmed up yet, Mr Sahay said.The company expects to clock a turnover of 500 crore in the current fiscal.Investment for expanding capacity at our existing facilities will happen in the next fiscal, he said.
For the first time in FY10,APL explored export markets and achieved an export turnover of 50 crore.The company is exporting refined lead to Indonesia,Vietnam,Thailand and Malaysia.These are huge markets for us as Chinese lead manufacturing companies have withdrawn from here, said the APL managing director.Promoters holding in the company stands at 72%,while the balance 28% is with the public.The shares of the company are now listed on the Calcutta Stock Exchange.The process of listing the companys shares on the Bombay Stock Exchange is underway, Mr Sahay said.

Intel India wants to partner HRD ministry for 1,500 PC rollout
26 Jul 2010, 0550 hrs IST,ET Bureau
KOLKATA: Intel India plans to collaborate with the union HRD ministry to commercially rollout the 1,500 tablet PC for students, the prototype of which was showcased by the government on Thursday.

The world’s largest chipmaker intends to provide its technical assistance to the government in terms of design evolution , hardware configuration and bring together OEM manufacturers on the table for the product.

This comes at a time when the Centre has just sought expression of interest (EoI) for commercialisation of the product. It wants inputs from vendors on production of the tablet PC, which can be sold at 1,500 or less. The government plans to commercially launch the product next year.

“We already have close partnership with the HRD ministry and will respond to the EoI,” said Intel Technology India director (sales and marketing group) Sandeep Aurora. “The opportunity is immense for Intel, such as incorporating the processor to look at other PC technologies. We will collaborate with the entire PC eco-system and can act as a good match maker as well,” he said.

Intel feels the project will have immense potential to for PC penetration in the country. “This will go a long way in introducing computers at schools. We have worked on such low-cost PCs for students in other countries and will ensure that India does not repeat the same mistakes which others committed,” said Mr Aurora.

The government and education vertical is a big revenue generator for Intel India. It has been working with several state governments to take computers to the grassroot level. It recently commenced work in the North-East region. “We donate PCs to schools and undertake teacher’s training,” Mr Aurora said.

Intel India said it was still in talks with the West Bengal government and is yet to evolve a concrete plan about any kind of investment. ????????????

“We are in talks with the West Bengal government and are also evaluating a few other states about growing our R&D activities in India. No concrete decision has been taken. India has proved its mettle within Intel globally. In fact, we also have plans to grow our current manpower base of 2,500 in India,” said Intel Technology India director (sales and marketing group) Sandeep Aurora.
India is Intel’s largest non-manufacturing site outside the US.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/infotech/hardware/Intel-India-wants-to-partner-HRD-ministry-for-1500-PC-rollout/articleshow/6217072.cms

refrain from posting sad looking pics from sector v. construction is great, but the poor quality pictures makes it look erstwhile. thanks

^^The goal of the project update thread is to show progress of the specific project which IMO is more important than picture quality. Also considering the cloudy sky, the images are good.

Link road to bypass south choke-point
TNN, Jul 26, 2010, 03.15am IST

Kolkata: How about bypassing a section of the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass? And bypassing a connector too?

That's the way ahead for those who take the Santoshpur connector, linking Raja SC Mullick Road and EM Bypass. By December, commuters along this route will be able to avoid the zig-zag road beyond Jora-bridge in Santoshpur while travelling to EM Bypass and emerge a kilometre and a half ahead near Purbalok, bang opposite the Metro Cash & Carry warehouse.

Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) is currently building a 40-metre bridge across the Guniagachha canal and the existing road from the Bypass to Jora Bridge along New Horizon School and Santoshpur stadium is being widened and strengthened to carry more traffic.

The road to Santoshpur from the Bypass now meanders through a long stretch, making it an extremely long and tiring to reach Santoshpur and subsequently Jadavpur. The bottleneck at Ajoynagar makes it even worse. Every day, this part of Kolkata sees traffic jams which gets worse in the morning and evening peak hours. With thousands of vehicles burning up fuel in bumper-to-bumper jams, there is a spurt in pollution, too. Thankfully, this is set to change.

The two-lane wide and 900-metre long new road will run from EM Bypass to Jora Bridge. "It will help cut down the commuting distance by 1.6 km and therefore lead to fuel savings as well," said Biswajit Chowdhury, additional chief engineer. The relief for commuters will be immeasurable.

The road and the bridge together cost Rs 4.79 crore, and the new connector from Santoshpur to EM Bypass is expected to be thrown open for public use by the year end. For those travelling to north, it would mean taking a left and moving just a kilometre to reach the Jora Bridge. Those travelling southward have to go a little further and take a U-turn to enter the new connector.

While the KMDA insists that no new rotary will be built at Purbalok, a round-about has already been created and traffic signals installed. KMDA officials, when contacted, said they had no knowledge of the round about or the traffic signals.

Of late, the KMDA has been reducing the size of rotaries along the Bypass and has already slashed them at the intersections with Rashbehari connector and Park Circus connector. Traffic engineers said there was no need for simultaneous use of signals and rotaries. But agencies have not been able to do away with rotaries completely, one of the reasons being advertisement hoardings on them that bring in precious revenue.

Rajarhat to be first zero-energy town
TNN
Kolkata: Rajarhat is set to become Indias first near-zero energy satellite town (ZEST),thanks to efforts by the US department of energy (DOE) and the renowned Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL).
The BNL and DOE have initiated a special project that involves turning Indian and Chinese cities into energy-efficient hubs.A team led by Vatsal Bhatt,research engineer and energy policy analyst,BNL,was in the city on Friday to launch the project,which will be replicated in townships across India.Rajarhat is expected to house around one million people in the near future.
According to BNL,cities are responsible for nearly 75% of the worlds greenhouse gas emissions.
Katie Bolcar of the DOE explained the concepts of a nearzero energy community and the importance of creating ZESTs at a meeting of the Union urban development ministry in New Delhi on May 31.Debashis Sen,principal secretary,state urban development department,attended the meeting.
Bolcar told the participants that BNL wished to work with a satellite town to showcase the concept and set up a model of a zero-energy town in India.Rajarhat was picked as a pilot project.

^^you beat me to it

anyway..thats the greatest news to break through in India.

great news indeed:banana:

thanks Samit

saw this large project under construction just as you get of vidyasagar setu beside kona expressway.Any idea whats this?

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/9288/dsc00363t.jpg

is that gateway?

No thats not gateway,gateway is much further away.This thing is being constructed right at the foot of the bridge.

There are some construction going on near the ITC sonar bangla and Silver spring .Thought these are the construction for the park circus flyover but saw a signboard of kolkata metro indicating work going on for new garia metro line.

anyone else saw the same sign I am talking about?

saw this large project under construction just as you get of vidyasagar setu beside kona expressway.Any idea whats this?

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/9288/dsc00363t.jpg


A proposed project called HRBC Technical Park is mentioned in

http://www.dmaindia.org/projects.html

But this project finds no mention in the hrbc website.

saw this large project under construction just as you get of vidyasagar setu beside kona expressway.Any idea whats this?

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/9288/dsc00363t.jpg

according to the suncity

this is what its going to look like once finished...a commercial project with very industrial looking buildings.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u284/dave302de/delete.jpg
http://www.dmaindia.org/projects.html

its going to be surrounded by ramps and busy traffic, not sure how ppl are suppose to do their work in a peaceful environment

according to the suncity

this is what its going to look like once finished...a commercial project with very industrial looking buildings.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u284/dave302de/delete.jpg
http://www.dmaindia.org/projects.html


This seems to be a good project.It would give a nice touch to the skyline on other side of Hooghly and a good impression to those who would be driving in /out of the city via Vidyasagar Setu.

^^ driving through Kona expressway to Kolkata will become very pleasant..as one will get to see a myriad of skyscrapers...they can play the empire music in their cars..as they enter the grand city.

No thats not gateway,gateway is much further away.This thing is being constructed right at the foot of the bridge.

did u see this construction work going on the foreshore road?

Cancer grid link to Rajarhat
New Delhi, July 27: A 150-bed hospital coming up in Rajarhat will join a national cancer grid proposed by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) to introduce uniform standards of care and reduce patient flow to its flagship hospital in Mumbai.

The proposed grid will link the department’s Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, with the Tata Medical Centre, Calcutta, and a new hospital that the department plans to set up in Visakhapatnam, DAE chairman Srikumar Banerjee said today.

“Tata Memorial Hospital, which provides the best standards of cancer care in India, gets patients from across the country, including the east,” Banerjee said. The patients’ relatives have to arrange for their stay and patients sometimes have to return for follow-up visits. “The grid will allow patients to access similar standards of care from a hospital closer to their own place of stay,” Banerjee said. The DAE will hold a meeting on July 31 to finalise the proposal.

The grid will provide a network for seamless exchange and integration of data between the three participating hospitals and serve as a tool to expand training facilities for oncologists, a DAE source associated with the proposal said.

India faces a shortage of 200 to 400 medical and surgical oncologists, the source said. “The cancer grid is also intended to help develop the human resources India will need in the coming years,” the source told The Telegraph.

The Tata Medical Centre, Calcutta, is likely to be inaugurated in October this year, while the DAE hospital in Visakhapatnam is expected to be ready for operations about four years from now. The foundation stone for the hospital in Rajarhat, being built on 13.36 acres, was laid by Ratan Tata in February 2006.

Doctors at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, estimate that about 60 per cent of their patients come from outside Maharashtra — and one in five of these out-station patients are from either Bengal or the northeastern states.

The health ministry estimates that about 700,000 new patients are diagnosed with cancer each year. Doctors monitoring medical care standards have long argued that a standard protocol for treatment should be circulated across the country.

Tata Memorial Hospital had last year initiated an exercise to release guidelines for cancer care — the first of a planned series of guidelines aimed at reducing the complications associated with cancer therapy.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100728/jsp/frontpage/story_12739879.jsp

Can we have a page (inside or outside SSC) where in we have photos/construction updates for all Rajarhat ? That way in future we will be able to show how a new town got built.

Hi guys

I have been following this forum for a while now but did not have a reason to sign up. Having witnessed major development taking place after a recent visit to my favorite city, Kolkata, I think there can't be a better time to take a part in this. Bengal has always been close to my heart. A land of culture with versatile and hard working citizens. Sure, Bengal has struggled for some time now but the new generation of bengalis will bring change and help this flower flourish again. I myself am a student studying abroad and can't wait to come back. This visit was special for me because i got to tour the whole state, especially Kolkata. I felt the joy of travelling in the metro, enjoyed the evenings playing football at the maidan, and watched the giant buildings tower over me as i rode my bike through salt lake and rajarhat expressway. I love the kolkata and bengal threads because there are not too many forumers to clutter it up or post some unnecessary junk. I appreciate these forumers, both bengalis and non-bengalis, taking part in building a positive image of this beautiful city and state. I hope I can do the same. By the way, Howrah Bridge looks gorgeous from the sky at night (I was lucky enough to get a glimpse of it on my way back from Kolkata).

Thanks,
footballbengali

Can we have a page (inside or outside SSC) where in we have photos/construction updates for all Rajarhat ? That way in future we will be able to show how a new town got built.

thats a pretty good idea actually. there is already this website (http://savenewtown.blogspot.com/) but it would be nice to have a thread in SSC

Hi guys

I have been following this forum for a while now but did not have a reason to sign up. Having witnessed major development taking place after a recent visit to my favorite city, Kolkata, I think there can't be a better time to take a part in this. Bengal has always been close to my heart. A land of culture with versatile and hard working citizens. Sure, Bengal has struggled for some time now but the new generation of bengalis will bring change and help this flower flourish again. I myself am a student studying abroad and can't wait to come back. This visit was special for me because i got to tour the whole state, especially Kolkata. I felt the joy of travelling in the metro, enjoyed the evenings playing football at the maidan, and watched the giant buildings tower over me as i rode my bike through salt lake and rajarhat expressway. I love the kolkata and bengal threads because there are not too many forumers to clutter it up or post some unnecessary junk. I appreciate these forumers, both bengalis and non-bengalis, taking part in building a positive image of this beautiful city and state. I hope I can do the same. By the way, Howrah Bridge looks gorgeous from the sky at night (I was lucky enough to get a glimpse of it on my way back from Kolkata).

Thanks,
footballbengali

I wellcome you to SSC forums. Eager to see whats in your young mind.Since you are a student in the west ,I hope you will transmit some of your new found knowledge to fellow Kolkata people when you come back! I also wish like you that new generation of kolkata students will transform that stagnant society and economic growth will start again. Lord bless Kolkata.

http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/5391/kwic.jpg (http://img805.imageshack.us/i/kwic.jpg/)

Source: The Statesman

The Land department is probably trying to score some brownie points on behalf of its minister who is trying to pose as an epitome of honesty. It's like the government's left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing and then they make this a public spectacle by leaking half baked information to half truthful newspapers. Why not iron out and resolve the problems properly?

This a biggie under constuction on Lee road/elgin road.What project is this?
There is nothing off this size constructed in the area for decades.

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/8186/dsc00515b.jpg

There is another 5-6 floors below the last visible floor

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/7406/dsc00513eo.jpg

This a biggie under constuction on Lee road/elgin road.What project is this?
There is nothing off this size constructed in the area for decades.

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/8186/dsc00515b.jpg

There is another 5-6 floors below the last visible floor

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/7406/dsc00513eo.jpg

^^This is a project of the Rameshwara group of companies

naicee project :cheers:

Can we have a page (inside or outside SSC) where in we have photos/construction updates for all Rajarhat ? That way in future we will be able to show how a new town got built.
Anirban,

Please check out something I have put together. Will be posting regular updates, news, views, and opinions. Please join and follow http://savenewtown.blogspot.com

Latest videos added and pictures added from Shukhobrishti (the Shapoorji-Pallonji project) LIG phase 1, only 2 days from possession. Please have a look.

- NewKidOnTheBlog !

Latest videos added and pictures added from Shukhobrishti (the Shapoorji-Pallonji project) LIG phase 1, only 2 days from possession. Please have a look.

- NewKidOnTheBlog !

Can we have a page (inside or outside SSC) where in we have photos/construction updates for all Rajarhat ? That way in future we will be able to show how a new town got built.

Great idea.

Latest videos added and pictures added from Shukhobrishti (the Shapoorji-Pallonji project) LIG phase 1, only 2 days from possession. Please have a look.

- NewKidOnTheBlog !

cool updates

:cheers:

How to post images in SSC India

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

How to post youtube videos in SSC India

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=667104

This is a project of the Rameshwara group of companies.

Any renderings?Looks like 22-24 storeys residential.It looked pretty upscale.

Any renderings?Looks like 22-24 storeys residential.It looked pretty upscale.

I had posted it earlier when you and arijeetb had posted this building.

Here it is. It doesn't look that nice from the renders

http://www.agrawalarchitects.com/projects/rameshwara-mansion.html

Thanks suncity and sorry for making you post it all over again.

This building is under construction on Russel street.Is this the new Fortune Hotel?

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/1130/dsc00500d.jpg
http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/4956/dsc00498kk.jpg

Thanks suncity and sorry for making you post it all over again.

It took so much effort on my part.

:lol:

Why do you have to say sorry.

This building is under construction on Russel street.Is this the new Fortune Hotel?



I thought the Fortune Hotel was the erstwhile Rutt Deen Hotel in Loudon Street.

Is this in the TurfClub premises?

Could be Meghalaya House?

See last paragraphs in this 2001 news.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1826/18260430.htm

Very nice update avishar :cheers:

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/5300/dsc00491d.jpg

this large project is opposite mocambo in free school street.

^^pataka bhavan?

firecrackers house? lmao

siddha pines
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_wVOlTWS4N28/S_0cSm3N44I/AAAAAAAAE-o/kHWKBHGy_pI/s640/DSC00633.JPG
cc:asit kumar

cheesy mandir
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_wVOlTWS4N28/S_0cBmaHvMI/AAAAAAAAE94/vdEysp8a9s4/s640/DSC00621.JPG
cc:asit kumar

^^pataka bhavan?

firecrackers house? lmao

This could well be the corporate office of Pataka Bidi Company :)

^^lmao

perhaps...so.

or pataka chai

This could well be the corporate office of Pataka Bidi Company :)

This is infact the Corporate Office of Pataka Group of Companies which had bought the erstwhile heritage building that used to house the HQ of Dunlop,on Free School St.The beautiful heritage building was unfortunately pulled down after that deal.

Thanks suncity and sorry for making you post it all over again.

This building is under construction on Russel street.Is this the new Fortune Hotel?

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/1130/dsc00500d.jpg
http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/4956/dsc00498kk.jpg

This is the new building of Meghalaya House and is coming up at the same site where there used to be the old heritage structure ,which was later on demolished.

^^ no wonder ppl are mad..destroying heritage buildings to built this piece of block crap

if it was beauitufl i would have understood, but this is like blocks stacked together with no sense of scale.

Home with helipad at Rs 3.5cr
SUBHRO SAHA

A rooftop helipad to welcome your guests, the “Rolls Royce of Starwood Grand Spas” in your bionic building, an impregnable blast mitigation system — serviced residences coming up in New Town, Rajarhat, are promising Calcutta a new high in luxury living, all for a neat Rs 3.5 crore each.

Titled The V Service Residency, the property comprises fully serviced, customised condominiums in the league of the Ascotts and JW Marriott serviced apartments.

“The serviced apartment tower will rise 142 metres from the ground, but have only 32 floors, housing 96 luxury lairs,” Sujit Kanoria, the managing director of Shrishti Hotel Pvt Ltd, the developers, tells Metro. The project is expected to be complete in two years.

Concept-designed by Javier Pioz, an expert in bionic architecture, The V units are being sold only by word of mouth to an “exclusive club” of city residents and NRIs. The realtors are confident of a sell-out by the Puja.

“This project has created huge interest in the real estate trade as it has taken New Town pricing to a different plane. Compared with the current average pricing of Rs 3,200 (per sq ft) in New Town, The V is selling at Rs 8,100 by dint of its unique product positioning and this has taken the trade by surprise,” says Abhijit Das of property consultants Lemongrass Advisors.

“The V will usher in a new dimension in safe living. Designed by security advisers from Israel and the US, we will have a unique emergency rescue system, along with a fire protection and prevention system, as well as a blast mitigation design,” adds Kanoria.

The “first bionic building in the country”, The V will seek the platinum level of LEED (Leadership in Environment Engineering & Design) certification, “the only residential building in the country to do so”, according to Ash Bharj, the director (sales & marketing) of Shrishti Hotel.

An example of sustainable eco-design, bionic architecture creates spaces that maximise the use of existing natural resources and minimise energy consumption.

“Our design seeks to mimic the forms of nature and embrace technology,” explains Pioz.

The luxury Westin hotel next door, being developed by the same group and among the tallest in the sub-continent, an amphitheatre, a kids’ play zone and pool, a pergola, the health club run by Westin and The Heavenly Spa will be the other standout features at The V. At the City Walk next door, premium international brands will be wrapped around by sidewalk cafes, landscaped plazas and evening entertainment.

“We foresee The V becoming the most desired landmark in Calcutta when the Westin hotel is operational along with the retail walk because you have just over 90 apartments in the project and this kind of development cannot be replicated easily,” Das adds.

Civic board objects to biz project :bash:

TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Kolkata: Left Front decides,Trinamool Congress discards.This has been the trend in the civic bodies where the Trinamool has come to power replacing the Left Front.
Within months after state urban development department allowed entrepreneurs to run pollution-free trade such as setting up ATMs,run software business,in residential plots at Salt Lake,the Trinamool-run Bidhannagar Municipality decided on Friday that it will not issue the no-objection certificate to them.And those who have already obtained the NOC will be debarred from doing so after the expiry date.
The decision taken in the chairperson-in-council (CIC) meeting on Friday brought the municipality and the state urban development department once again at loggerheads.It is likely to kick off a legal debate as well because the land in Salt Lake belongs to the state urban development department.
It is the urban development department that has been reaping the benefits from these commercial establishments while the municipality has been providing the basic civic services to them, municipality chairman Anita Mandal said.
Senior CIC member Anupam Datta said they were not against giving NOC to these establishments in principle.But the municipality took the decision to protest against the urban development departments diktat,said Datta.The department is minting huge money by taking Rs 80 per square feet as fee for commercial use of residential plots,and the municipality is getting a paltry Rs 1,500 as trade licence fee, Dutta said.
Municipal affairs minister Asok Bhattacharya reserved his comment on the issue.He said he will open up only after a meeting with the Bidhannagar Municipality chairperson in a few days.I have heard about the matter.I will ask the chairperson about it when I meet her.I will not comment right now, Bhattacharya said.

Hi,
My friends' colleague working in Accenture,got mails regarding who ever want to shift in Kolkata apply in a portal.It stated that Accenture will start operation in September.

Anybody confirm on this?

Jagdishpur mouza IT park in a limbo

Forum Projects has reportedly exited from the proposed IT Park in Jagdishpur mouza on the north-eastern fringes of Kolkata.

As per sources, now the West Bengal Government has decided to do the development work on the IT Park itself instead of re-tendering and inviting fresh bids.

In Phase I of the project, 100 acre was slated to be acquired out of the total spread-over of 330 acre. At present, various details of the project are being planned

Source:Projects Today

Some other commercial projects in the park street/camac street area under construction.
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/5038/dsc00499ls.jpg
http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/7492/dsc00478go.jpg
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/6303/dsc00485ou.jpg

Telegraph (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100802/jsp/calcutta/story_12704951.jsp)

Pipe plan in East-West tunnel to keep city dry
DEEPANKAR GANGULY

STRETCHES TO BENEFIT
+Camac Street
+Park Street
+Shakespeare Sarani
+Free School Street
+CR Avenue
+Amherst Street
+BB Ganguly Street +Bidhan Sarani
+MM Burman Street +Hatibagan
+Bagbazar
According to CMC
A water pipe parallel to the underground tracks of the East West Metro from Subhas Sarobar in the east to the Hooghly in the west can rid the city proper of waterlogging, the Calcutta Municipal Corporation believes.

The civic body is working on a proposal to the Calcutta Metro Railway Corporation to either share the 4.6km tunnel for the underground tracks or use its technology to build a smaller parallel tunnel.

However, for the plan to succeed there has to be a convergence of intent of the Trinamul Congress-run civic body and the CPM-led state government. The Calcutta Metro Railway Corporation, which is building the East-West Metro, connecting Salt Lake in the east with Ramrajatala in Howrah in the west, is under the state transport department.

Although mayor Sovan Chatterjee met urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya after assuming office, there is no evidence yet of co-operation between the two sides for a project.

According to the CMC plan, the rainwater pipe will be connected to the city’s existing brick sewer network, which now struggles to hold the excess water after a heavy shower, resulting in waterlogging.

While the existing underground drainage network, which is over a century old, slopes down to the east, the proposed rainwater tube, running 50ft below, will slope towards the west.

Mayoral council member (drainage and sewerage) Rajib Deb said: “Over 20 waterlogging-prone pockets from Camac Street to Shyambazar will not go under water again if the project is undertaken.”

The south will benefit too because the new system will reduce the burden on the Palmer Bazar pumping station, Deb added.

Mayor Sovan Chatterjee has entrusted the CMC’s chief engineer (civil) P.K. Dua and the chief engineer (drainage and sewerage) Amit Roy to prepare a project report. “We will soon submit our proposal to the Calcutta Metro Railway Corporation,” said Chatterjee.

The civic body is ready to bear the additional cost for the water pipe project. “If the CMRC agrees, the benefit will be immense. Waterlogging will be a thing of the past and we will save a lot of money.”

According to civic engineers, if the rainwater tube is laid along with the work on the East-West Metro, the cost will be a third of what it would have otherwise been.

Of the 14.6km East-West Metro, only the 4.6km stretch between Subhas Sarobar and the river will be underground.

A senior engineer of the Calcutta Metro Railway Corporation refused to comment on the CMC plan.

Another engineer said accommodating the rainwater tube and the tracks in the same tunnel was fraught with danger. But a parallel tunnel is feasible, he added.

Kolkata among the top 25 travel destinations in India :banana:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/TCDestinations-cTop25-g293860

This could well be the corporate office of Pataka Bidi Company :)

dear Jacob302, that "Pataka" means "flag" in Bangla and not "fire crackers". Pataka Bidi company is headquartered in Murshidabad.

Hi,
My friends' colleague working in Accenture,got mails regarding who ever want to shift in Kolkata apply in a portal.It stated that Accenture will start operation in September.

Anybody confirm on this?

I too "overheard" some guys talking about Accenture. I hope all this points to good news. If Accenture takes up around 1lakh sqft then it will send strong signals and real estate activity will speed up.

Kolkata among the top 25 travel destinations in India :banana:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/TCDestinations-cTop25-g293860

OMG, Kolkata is the only metro city in the list.

OMG, Kolkata is the only metro city in the list.

Bangalore too is on the list.

I am reading this piece just after I read a page2 TOI article on how the second city of the British empire has turned into the squalor and filth capital of India. Anyway, I do not believe this report since I have personally seen better and cleaner places in India than some that are mentioned here.

OMG, Kolkata is the only metro city in the list.

This is a bit surprising considering Delhi is not there in the list. By any standard I think Delhi should have been there..its a part of the Golden triangle of tourism after all.

^^its not by quantity but quality.

^^its not by quantity but quality.

So you are saying that even 36K Crore could not improve the quality! :ohno: :)

So you are saying that even 36K Crore could not improve the quality! :ohno: :)

36k crore hasn't been spent yet. maybe after the commonwealth games is over, Delhi can be in the list.

Friends, Kolkatans, and Countrymen (and women) - lend me your eyes. http://allthingscoolkata.blogspot.com/

^^like your metro cash and carry pics. nice

Aditya Birla Minacs launches del centres in Kolkata, Ranchi
PTI
Mumbai, Aug 3 (PTI) Global business solutions provider, Aditya Birla Minacs, today announced the launch of its new delivery centers in Kolkata and Ranchi respectively, as a part of its Connect India expansion plans. The two centers, focusing on servicing telecom clients initially, would deliver a wide range of services supporting the entire customer life-cycle in a variety of regional languages like Hindi, Bengali, Oriya, Assamese and Khasi, a press release issued here stated. "The launch of these two centers will help us address the customer and business requirements of Idea in eastern India. The talent available in both Kolkata and Ranchi along with Minacs' robust Connect India model will further augment our customer service in the region," IDEA Cellular's Chief Service Delivery Officer, Navanit Narayan, said. The new state-of-the-art centers would provide the Aditya Birla Minacs' clients a competitive business advantage in the region, it said. "The launch of these two centers aligns with our strategic effort toward creating business solutions that meet our clients' needs. The objective is to deliver operational efficiency and increase speed of delivery, while catering to different levels of local complexity in the domestic market," Aditya Birla Minacs' President, APAC, Milind Godbole, said.MORE PTI PSK JJ AT
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/aditya-birla-minacs-launches-del-centres-in-kolkata-ranchi/196690.html

Friends, Kolkatans, and Countrymen (and women) - lend me your eyes. http://allthingscoolkata.blogspot.com/

Great photos. Please continue posting photos in skyscrapercity.com :cheers:

Rs 2,000 cr sought for Kolkata water supply
Kolkata, Aug. 3

The Railway Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, has sought Rs 2,000 crore from the Centre to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to provide 24-hour water supply in the city, said the Mayor, Mr Sovan Chatterjee.

Addressing members of the Bharat Chamber of Commerce here on Tuesday, the Mayor said there was a move to set up a hospital at Bagha Jatin area in the southern part of the city in collaboration with Christian Medical College Hospital, Vellore.

He pointed out that some business houses, in the name of restoration of heritage buildings, were exploiting them for commercial purpose. Such a practice must stop, he said. The beautification of the city was high on KMC's agenda, he observed.

The city, he said, generated an estimated 4,000 tonnes of waste every day. KMC is looking to process solid waste in the most modern way. Arrangements are being made to remove the waste in covered vehicles in place of open trucks, he said.

The traffic congestion, he felt, could be eased only through construction of flyovers and multi-utility routes. The encroachment of roads by auto-rickshaws and taxis is a matter of concern. The rules governing the issue of trade licences and mutation of property are being streamlined, he added.

Mr Pavan Poddar, President of the Chamber, suggested that foreign experts could be involved and foreign funds utilised for restoration of heritage buildings in the city. He also emphasised the need for making urban structures eco-friendly by incorporating energy efficient measures in construction and renovation of buildings.

JU draws up blueprint for third campus

Somdatta Basu | TNN

Kolkata: Jadavpur University has drawn up the blueprint for its third campus which will have facilities for a two-year postgraduate management degree (PGP) programme and other self-sustaining courses apart from cultural centres and auditoriums.
The eight-acre campus will come up on the garbage and debris-ridden premises of National Instruments Limited (NIL) the varsity took over after efforts to revive the ailing public sector undertaking failed.The university is in talks with the Indian Institute of Management,Calcutta (IIMC ) to work out details of management courses it will teach.
We held a meeting with IIM-C director Shekhar Chaudhury to work out the nitty gritty of the two-year PGP courses.We will begin with courses like environment management,disaster management,transport management,environment law,intellectual property rights or patent law on our third campus, said JU vice-chancellor Pradip Narayan Ghosh.
The campus will also house a business incubation and innovation centre,a centre on socially relevant technology,a Rabindranath Tagore Cultural Institute and funds-permitting and a convention centre besides more hostels.Students can do research on Rabindranath Tagore and the works will be exhibited at the centre.The centre will also have an auditorium.However,we will have to decide if it will be open only to the university or the public as well, the vice-chancellor said.
To set up the third campus,JU will keep NILs L-shaped building intact,but demolish other structures on its premises.If necessary,we will also construct hostel buildings on the third campus, Ghosh said.
A JU official said most courses that will be offered from the third campus will have to be self-sustaining.The university has already submitted a Rs 100 crore plan to the centre for setting up the campus but it is yet to be sanctioned.
We had taken over NIL with all its liabilities and assets.We will retain the employees of NIL and the staff quarters will,thus,remain unchanged, said another university official.

Rs 2,000 cr sought for Kolkata water supply

the mayor has used all the good things such as beautification, flyovers and multi-utility roads. I think he can make a start by looking at his own backyard that remains flooded for days after 30 minutes of heavy rain

Friends, Kolkatans, and Countrymen (and women) - lend me your eyes. http://allthingscoolkata.blogspot.com/

very good, especially your coverage of Metro C&C. :cheers:Please do post images here as well.

Fillip to cancer treatment in city

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: AMRI Hospitals is setting up a nuclear medicine facility that will help doctors diagnose cancer at a much earlier stage.A Pet CT scan with 64 slice will give doctors the added edge and also help specialists diagnose and treat disorders of thyroid,liver tumour,neuroendocrine tumour and bone cancer.
The hospital is also on a massive expansion mode,coming up with three new speciality facilities in eastern India,including in Burdwan and Bhubaneswar.The first of the three will be AMRIs Women and Childrens Hospital near Mukundapur on EM Bypass.The 275 bed hospital will open in October,offering 175 beds initially.The hospital will offer treatment for all diseases related to women and children, said executive director of the hospital,D.N.Agarwal.
In Bhubaneshwar,another 300 bed AMRI multi-speciality hospital will come up.The hospital would have ICUs and six operation theatres.There are also plans to set up a 100-bed AMRI hospital.Capacity will also be ramped up at the existing AMRI hospitals.TNN

Look West... with caution
5 Aug, 2010 0302hrs IST TNN[ Jhimli Mukherjee Pandey ]

After the boom in the east, it's time to strike gold in the west. Kolkata's growth that was slanted eastwards for decades is now moving beyond the Hooghly, creating a cityscape that is in a league of its own. Take a snapshot of West Howrah now and you could easily pass it off for a European locality.

A 10-km high-speed corridor, modern highrises, exquisite bungalows (with mind-boggling price tags), schools and hospitals by leading brands, shopping malls, swanky car showrooms, logistic hubs, a club fit for an international city... The poor cousin has come of age. And how.

In five years, at least 10 lakh people will start living and working in this zone. West Howrah is the new land of promise. Former chief minister Bidhan Roy had shown foresight in taking Kolkata's growth towards Salt Lake four decades ago, and those that came later followed his line. The realty boom on EM Bypass followed. And then the massive expansion in Rajarhat.

In the meantime, some growth matrices happened out of which emerged the need to look West. What followed was development that sprawls over 1,000 acres on either side of Kona Expressway, plus National Highways 6 and 3.

While state agency Howrah Improvement Trust (HIT) is setting up housing and retail centres on 750 acres of land along NH6, a little off Kona Expressway, most of the others are private developers. The biggest of these is the Kolkata West International City (KWIC) that is building a township and retail centres on 400 acres. Kolkata Gateway, a housing project by Bengal Unitech is coming up on nearly 50 acres, while the logistics hub, being jointly built by Unitech and KWIC is coming up on 80 acres of land.

The boost for all this was undoubtedly Vidyasagar Setu, which connected the bursting-at-its-seams city to West Howrah that has so far been neglected. It gave an outlet to the increasing pressure of population and infrastructure on Kolkata and its added areas.

In 2000, Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) and HIT, who own most of the land along Kona Expressway and the national highways, starting wooing investors for big projects here. Realtors did not need much persuasion. With the region under the Golden Quadrilateral and Kona Expressway part of the freight corridor, West Howrah was a natural choice. Buyers followed suit.

Every one of the 91 duplex houses that are priced at `1.15 crore has already been booked. So too 800 cheaper' duplex houses and several highrises that are yet to come up. Most of the owners are moving out of Kolkata. Some are NRIs who have chosen this new destination over Kolkata. And many have chosen this as their retirement destination.

"I scoured many projects in Kolkata before I settled for KWIC. I wanted to avoid the congestion of Kolkata but yet stay at a place from where I could easily drive to the city. This place is a 10-minute drive from Rabindra Sadan, thanks to the high-speed track," said Dubai-based professional Ranjan Sen.

You can see this change as you drive down Vidyasagar Setu on to Kona Expressway. After Drainage Canal Road crossing, where old Howrah's residential area comes to an end, the skyline is filled with multistoreyed buildings in varying stages of construction.

"We have 10 acres where we will build vertical housing for at least 400 families. We are already seeing a lot of enthusiasm among Kolkatans to shift to West Howrah because of the short commuting time and pollution-free environs," said Sushil Mohta, MD of the Merlin Group.

Unitech Gateway plans to complete 2,000 dwelling units by 2011. Unitech is developing a logistics hub for Rs 800 crores on 100 acres. South City projects is developing two wholesale-retail zones on NH-3 and 6.

School and hospital chains have also gauged this development boom. Julien Day School is already running a branch, and DPS is likely to open one soon. West Bank Hospital, a superspeciality hospital on Andul Road, has started building its specialty cardiac and oncology hospital below Vidyasagar Setu. Apollo Hospitals is also eyeing a unit along Kona Expressway.

Such massive development has naturally increased land prices of the area over the past 10 years.

KMDA has divided its plots into 19 blocks and will invite tenders from commercial developers, preferably for housing projects. Some commercial and industrial zones have also been identified. These plots add up to 100 acres. Privately held plots are selling for `7 lakh a cottah, a 10-time growth since 2000.

^^great. somehow that part is the least photographed of Kolkata and Howrah

Ad in todays TOI

http://a.imageshack.us/img835/6304/getimage.png

We all know that the other side of Hooghly river has always been neglegted and detested by the ruling class.

Its really nice to see that this area is under massive development and will see a sea-change in a couple of years:)


In the meantime, some growth matrices happened out of which emerged the need to look West. What followed was development that sprawls over 1,000 acres on either side of Kona Expressway, plus National Highways 6 and 3.

btw AFAIK NH-3 runs between Delhi and Mumbai. I don't understand why it is quoted here

Thanks Arijeet. Will try to post pics. here as well. Also follow my blog for New Town at savenewtown.blogspot.com

- NewKidOnTheBlog !

very good, especially your coverage of Metro C&C. :cheers:Please do post images here as well.

Look West... with caution
5 Aug, 2010 0302hrs IST TNN[ Jhimli Mukherjee Pandey ]

After the boom in the east, it's time to strike gold in the west. Kolkata's growth that was slanted eastwards for decades is now moving beyond the Hooghly, creating a cityscape that is in a league of its own. Take a snapshot of West Howrah now and you could easily pass it off for a European locality.

A 10-km high-speed corridor, modern highrises, exquisite bungalows (with mind-boggling price tags), schools and hospitals by leading brands, shopping malls, swanky car showrooms, logistic hubs, a club fit for an international city... The poor cousin has come of age. And how.

In five years, at least 10 lakh people will start living and working in this zone. West Howrah is the new land of promise. Former chief minister Bidhan Roy had shown foresight in taking Kolkata's growth towards Salt Lake four decades ago, and those that came later followed his line. The realty boom on EM Bypass followed. And then the massive expansion in Rajarhat.

In the meantime, some growth matrices happened out of which emerged the need to look West. What followed was development that sprawls over 1,000 acres on either side of Kona Expressway, plus National Highways 6 and 3.

While state agency Howrah Improvement Trust (HIT) is setting up housing and retail centres on 750 acres of land along NH6, a little off Kona Expressway, most of the others are private developers. The biggest of these is the Kolkata West International City (KWIC) that is building a township and retail centres on 400 acres. Kolkata Gateway, a housing project by Bengal Unitech is coming up on nearly 50 acres, while the logistics hub, being jointly built by Unitech and KWIC is coming up on 80 acres of land.

The boost for all this was undoubtedly Vidyasagar Setu, which connected the bursting-at-its-seams city to West Howrah that has so far been neglected. It gave an outlet to the increasing pressure of population and infrastructure on Kolkata and its added areas.

In 2000, Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) and HIT, who own most of the land along Kona Expressway and the national highways, starting wooing investors for big projects here. Realtors did not need much persuasion. With the region under the Golden Quadrilateral and Kona Expressway part of the freight corridor, West Howrah was a natural choice. Buyers followed suit.

Every one of the 91 duplex houses that are priced at `1.15 crore has already been booked. So too 800 cheaper' duplex houses and several highrises that are yet to come up. Most of the owners are moving out of Kolkata. Some are NRIs who have chosen this new destination over Kolkata. And many have chosen this as their retirement destination.

"I scoured many projects in Kolkata before I settled for KWIC. I wanted to avoid the congestion of Kolkata but yet stay at a place from where I could easily drive to the city. This place is a 10-minute drive from Rabindra Sadan, thanks to the high-speed track," said Dubai-based professional Ranjan Sen.

You can see this change as you drive down Vidyasagar Setu on to Kona Expressway. After Drainage Canal Road crossing, where old Howrah's residential area comes to an end, the skyline is filled with multistoreyed buildings in varying stages of construction.

"We have 10 acres where we will build vertical housing for at least 400 families. We are already seeing a lot of enthusiasm among Kolkatans to shift to West Howrah because of the short commuting time and pollution-free environs," said Sushil Mohta, MD of the Merlin Group.

Unitech Gateway plans to complete 2,000 dwelling units by 2011. Unitech is developing a logistics hub for Rs 800 crores on 100 acres. South City projects is developing two wholesale-retail zones on NH-3 and 6.

School and hospital chains have also gauged this development boom. Julien Day School is already running a branch, and DPS is likely to open one soon. West Bank Hospital, a superspeciality hospital on Andul Road, has started building its specialty cardiac and oncology hospital below Vidyasagar Setu. Apollo Hospitals is also eyeing a unit along Kona Expressway.

Such massive development has naturally increased land prices of the area over the past 10 years.

KMDA has divided its plots into 19 blocks and will invite tenders from commercial developers, preferably for housing projects. Some commercial and industrial zones have also been identified. These plots add up to 100 acres. Privately held plots are selling for `7 lakh a cottah, a 10-time growth since 2000.

^^What 10km road are they talking about? I hope they are not referring to Kona highway as a high speed corridor:nuts:
NH6 will probably get widened to 6 lanes in the future , so all the development along this highway is good news. With so much of land govt can think of setting up a IT corridor in this area.

We all know that the other side of Hooghly river has always been neglegted and detested by the ruling class.

Its really nice to see that this area is under massive development and will see a sea-change in a couple of years:)



btw AFAIK NH-3 runs between Delhi and Mumbai. I don't understand why it is quoted here

yes samrat u r right. NH 3 run through Delhi and Mumbai, via Agra and no where does these places pass or cuts through WB. Either the news reporters are callous or they think that the readers are callous!!!:bash:

Tata Realty targets Rs 30,000 crore projects by 2015

CHENNAI: Tata Realty and Infrastructure Ltd (TRIL) is targeting an order book of Rs 30,000 crore by 2015, building logistics parks, roads, airports, rapid transport systems, a top company official said Thurs day.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Sons, the Rs 900-crore equity-based TRIL is currently executing around Rs 8,000 crore worth of realty projects.

"We will soon start developmental work for logistics parks in Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi out of the 14 locations identified. Each of the three parks will measure around 25 acres and the total project outlay will be around Rs 200 crore," managing director Sanjay G Ubale told reporteRs in Chennai.

He said TRIL would also set up a logistics park at Guwahati and soon announce the foreign partner who would bring in the technology.

The company has budgeted Rs 1,400 crore for building 14 logistics parks with some cities having multiple parks.

TRIL is now executing the Pune-Sholapur road project with an outlay of Rs 1,500 crore.

It has floated a subsidiary to execute road projects investing $122.5 million and private equity firm Actis putting in $77.5 million.

"Our target is to do $2 billion worth of road projects in four yeaRs time frame," said Ubale.

Planning to bid for two greenfield airport projects at Nagpur and Pune, he said the company will be building a private airport at steel city Jamshedpur.

In the area of urban transportation, TRIL is in the process finalising the joint venture partner for mono rail business and would start bidding for projects in Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad, Ubale said.

Seeing the rush from corporates to set up units in SEZs before Dec 2011, TRIL has tweaked its strategy to lease out space to multiple companies at its upcoming Ramanujam IT SEZ here, instead of leasing out to a single player.

"It is a derisking strategy. As and when a company wants to expand we would provide the needed space. The probability of some tenants expanding operations is higher when their number is higher than hoping on couple of big tenants to expand," he said.

According to him, the Rs 3500-crore, 4.5 million square feet project will be completed in three phases. The fiRs t phase of 700,000 sq ft will be ready by this December and by next March another facility of similar size will be completed.

The project consists of IT SEZ, high end residential apartments and serviced apartments, convention centre and retail complex.

Ubale said the company will soon announce another residential apartment project in Chennai involving an outlay of Rs 600 crore.

The company is also building three SEZs for group company Tata Consultancy Services in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Kolkata.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/real-estate/news-/Tata-Realty-targets-Rs-30000-crore-projects-by-2015/articleshow/6261569.cms

^^What 10km road are they talking about? I hope they are not referring to Kona highway as a high speed corridor:nuts:
NH6 will probably get widened to 6 lanes in the future , so all the development along this highway is good news. With so much of land govt can think of setting up a IT corridor in this area.

like OMR in Chennai??? But we should also keep in mind that that if such thing happens then the speed on this 10km will be reduced drastically as developements means add in population and hence the road traffic will increase..also add to that autos and cycle ricks, who will then get the freedom of moving along the highway, as in the case of Rajarhat where ricks run on the expressway at snails pace, as if the road is their father's property!!
Also NH6 is atleast 10-12kms if one takes the Belghoria E'way from Airport!

Dream Villa Ballygunge Kolkata

Dream Villa , Jain Group has launched new housing project Dream Villa at Ballygunge Circular Road Kolkata. The project Dream Villa includes the style of international architecture.

Kolkata, West Bengal -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/04/2010 -- Dream Villa, Jain Group came with another world class residential project Dream Villa in Ballygunge Circular Road Kolkata at affordable price. Dream Villa Kolkata offers luxury bedroom apartment with all modern amenities like Hi-tech multi gym, Kid's play arena, Swimming pool, AC community hall, Guest rooms, Servant's quarters, Car parking space, indoor games, power backup, 24 hours security system etc.

Dream Villa is located on the exclusive Ballygunge Circular Road Kolkata, Dream Villa remains extremely well-connected to the rest of the city – as creating a world that is exclusive and quite like a retreat amidst generous acreage. An outstanding location advantage with provision for education and recreational facilities to make you live in a perfect global setting.

Jain Group is one of the most popular and well known developers in Kolkata for its rock solidity commitments, strong financial standing, and good market reputation. Jain Group is achieving heights in the real estate industry owing to its breath-taking infrastructures and constructions as well as sprawling properties.

Affinity Solutions Pvt. Ltd an associate of all the leading brands of Indian Real Estate market with more than 10 yrs of experience in real estate services handling the entire project in India. We understand the value of your time and money so provide the best services in Real Estate market with our unique portfolio management services.

For more details please visit:
http://www.affinityconsultant.com/property/property-in-kolkata/Jain%20Group%20Dream%20Villa-ballygunge-kolkata-property/439.html

^^like your metro cash and carry pics. nice
Thanks Jacob !

Railways to rope in consultants world class stations

The Union Ministry of Railways is planning to transform major railways stations in the country into world class stations. The stations are Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh, Howrah, Kolkata, and, Sealdah in West Bengal, Chennai Central and Anand Vihar in Delhi.

In this regard, the ministry has initiated the process to appoint consultants for transforming six major stations in the country into world-class stations. These stations are to be developed in PPP mode.

The stations are Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh, Howrah, Kolkata, and, Sealdah in West Bengal, Chennai Central and Anand Vihar in Delhi.

Besides, the consultancy works and preparation of master plan and feasibility report have been taken up for New Delhi, CST Mumbai and Patna stations. Bidding process for these stations is likely to commence after the master plan and feasibility report is in place and in-principle approval of the local agencies is obtained.

AMRI plans multi-specialty hospitals
AMRI Hospitals, in its bid to expand presence, is setting up three multi-specialty hospitals on EM bypass in Kolkata, Bardhaman in West Bengal and in Bhubaneswar, Orissa.

The three new facilities entailing an investment of Rs 550 crore are slated to be completed and operational by 2011.

The first hospital is likely to be AMRI's Women and Children's hospital near Mukundapur on EM Bypass. The 275 bed hospital is scheduled to be opened in October 2010, offering 175 beds initially.

While the Bhubaneswar hospital is to have a capacity of 300 beds with ICUs and six operation theatres, the Bardhaman facility is to be a 100 bed hospital.

Besides, the company intends to expand capacities at its existing Kolkata hospitals thereby taking the total number of beds to 1,400 from the existing 560 beds.

AMRI plans multi-specialty hospitals

^^the hospital boom along the bypass that was predicted a couple of years back is slowly but surely becoming a reality.

any counts on the number of hospitals on bypass?...btw is Fortis finally opening up after the land controversy?

any counts on the number of hospitals on bypass?...btw is Fortis finally opening up after the land controversy?

AFAIK, we have Ruby general, Desun, Fortis, Medica, Tagore institute, Shankar Netralaya, Peerless and AMRI.

AFAIK, we have Ruby general, Desun, Fortis, Medica, Tagore institute, Shankar Netralaya, Peerless and AMRI.

i guess, apollo can also be added...though m not sure!

Forum Projects plans investment over three years

Forum Projects proposes to add 3.7 million sq ft of retail space within the next three years, with a total investment of Rs 1,000 crore.

The projects are to span across the eastern region and encompass Rourkela, Bhubaneswar (Orissa) and Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), along with Kolkata and Howrah.

Also, the company plans to launch real estate projects in Howrah named Forum Pravesh, Bantala, and Adityapur, with a combined space of 6.7 million sq ft. It plans to set up a luxury condominium project called Atmosphere adjacent to Science City at Eastern Bypass, at an outlay of Rs 300 crore.

The company on 6 August 2010 launched Forum mall’s 42,000 sq ft annexe called The Courtyard in Kolkata as well.

http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/4346/07082010012009.jpg (http://img833.imageshack.us/i/07082010012009.jpg/)

Hidco plans green power project for New Town

Suman Chakraborti | TNN

Kolkata: With the Union urban development ministry recently selecting Rajarhat New Town as one of the eight upcoming satellite townships of the country,the Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco),the townships nodal implementing agency,wants to cash in on this opportunity to develop the township.The authorities will prepare a detailed project report (DPR) to come up with a green power concept for the township.
Senior Hidco officials held a meeting with the Centre last Friday where this issue was discussed.We will be preparing a DPR on green power concept for New Town and submit it to the Centre, said Hidco managing director Saurabh Das.
Once the township,which is slated to be three times bigger than its neighbouring Salt Lake,comes up,there will huge demand for power supply.With a population of about 20 lakh,including a floating population of more than five lakh and a business and financial hub that will include several IT and other office and commercial complexes,leaving apart the numerous malls and multiplexes that are already coming up,the demand for electricity will be huge.Taking into account the present power scenario of the state,there will be a huge deficit of power supply if alternative arrangements are not prepared beforehand.Already,the Hidco authorities are facing much trouble from the opposition to instal four electric towers at Rajarhats C h h ap n a mouza that will help supply power to a large area in Action Area-II of New Town.
Das said not only solar energy,they will look into the viability to develop other renewable energies as well.The plan is to frame a green power concept for the township so that renewable energies could be developed, he said.The authorities are hoping to include the project into the Centres JNNURM scheme to get funds.Already,the Centre has assured to provide 80% of fund assistance to Hidco to implement a solid waste management project and to develop the sewerage and drainage system.
Hidcos plans go along with the initiatives of its neighbouring Bidhannagar Municipality that also wants to develop the use of solar power in Salt Lake.The civic authorities have made budgetary allocations to switch over the streetlights of the township to solar.The authorities as a first step has decided to turn about 120 streetlights on the First Avenue strech from PNB island to Baisakhi More into solar with the help of the West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation (WBGEDC).WBGEDC managing director S P Gon Chaudhuri also recently held a meeting with officials of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to discuss how to use solar power in the city.

Parking woes set to end as mall gets bigger,swankier

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: Seven years ago,Kolkatas first exposure to a mall was both delightful and bitter.
Forum on Elgin Road redefined shopping.A chore became a pleasure.The change in cine-going experience was even more radical.The city that had stopped going to the theatres returned to embrace the multiplex.One started going to the movies not because great cinema was being screened,but because one wanted to experience the magic of films in a plush theatre with push-back seats.It was delightful.
But there was bitterness about the chaos it triggered in the neighbourhood.There just wasnt enough space to park the cars that streamed in.Elgin Road got choked,as did all connecting roads.KMCs archaic building rules were not designed for something like this.The old norms required all commercial buildings to provide a car park for every 900 sq ft builtup space.Forum provided more space to park cars but it still turned out to be woefully inadequate.
Its actually the Forum experience that made KMC and police wake up to the new reality.The buildings rules were radically revised.Commercial buildings were categorised into low- and high-footfall ones.In case of offices and non-retail establishments,a car park had to be provided for every 250 sq ft.In high-footfall projects like malls,a car park had to be provided for every 150 sq ft, a building department official said.
Elgin Road continued to be plagued with traffic jams till Kolkatans started thronging the new and larger malls like Metropolis,South City and City Centre,which had adequate car parking provisions.
In a bid to solve the parking riddle and woo customers back,Forum undertook an expansion plan with multi-level parking primary to the project.Courtyard,the annexe building of Forum,may have brought a dozen premium international and national retail brands to the city.But it is the 450-car parking lot that the neighbourhood is most excited about.
Addressing a press meet at the inauguration of the new mall,Forum Projects managing director Rahul Saraf said the parking facility will go a long way in enhancing the shopping experience at Forum.Parking has been a problem at Forum since the start as we didnt quite know how much space was adequate.Kolkata had no malls and we had to learn through experience.Ever since,we have been thinking about the need to rejuvenate Forum by augmenting facilities.The new parking lot will solve the problem and we have added a bevy of brands to entice shoppers, said Saraf.
The 40,000-sq-ft Courtyard has outlets by Aldo,Charles & Keith,Mothercare,Sisley,Rolex,Body Shop,Alcott,Inglot,Samsonite and Mango,among others.It has six levels of parking space from the second to the seventh floors.The basement,ground and first floors accommodate retail stores.
To gauge customer response and measure footfall,the mall will now use a software that will help track visitors.Apart from recording the footfall at each store,it will also store customer profile and the amount of time visitors spend at an outlet.The software will match footfall with the amount of money spent at each outlet to help retailers know if they need to do anything more, he added.

Ref:http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100809/jsp/business/story_12789048.jsp

Calcutta’s Salt Lake and Rajarhat can become attractive places for offices to lease space as rents have fallen and many new buildings have come up, according to a study by the Confederation of Indian Industry and real estate consultancy firm Jones Lang Lasalle Meghraj.

Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad are also likely to be attractive office properties this year, the study said.

Net absorption of office space is forecast to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 29.5 per cent to 42.6 million sq ft in 2012 from 19.6 million sq ft in 2009 on the back of demand from the banking, IT and telecom sectors.

Last year, 20 million sq ft were leased out, and this year it will go up 50 per cent to 30 million sq ft.

“Salt Lake is an established office destination of Calcutta, offering excellent retail and residential catchments, hotels and regional connectivity to IT/ITeS occupants. Rajharat will score high because of the ongoing SEZ projects, quality office and residential properties, besides proximity to the airport,” said Abhishek Kiran Gupta, head (research and REIS) of Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj.

Salt Lake has an established infrastructure but lacks scope for real estate growth. Therefore, landlords must continue to offer affordable rents.

Companies with a global footprint such as Amazon, FirstData, ANZ Bank, who are facing cost pressures, do not want to miss out on the cost arbitrage benefit. These companies will lead the race to acquire spaces in the top seven favourable destinations.

Global firms with a significant presence in India such as RBS, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, E&Y and Accenture will follow.

Domestic firms such as TCS, Wipro, Uninor and Reliance will also explore opportunities.

The study also states that despite demand, commercial lease and rental space will witness excess supply till 2011.

“With the predicted growth of net completions expected to outpace that of net absorption, a significant supply overhang is expected to remain over the next one year. This will lead vacancy level across India, which was 17.2 per cent in 2009 to rise to mid-20 per cent by 2010,” said Gupta.

The IT/ITeS sector will continue to lead the demand for office space followed by telecom, pharma and financial firms. Industrial growth might spur office space demand from the manufacturing and engineering sectors.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100809/jsp/calcutta/story_12786951.jsp

Calcutta airport is paying the price for the Red army bulldozing the civil aviation ministry into choosing a public rather than private pilot for its Rs 2,400-crore flight to modernisation.

The project, which was part of a larger privatisation plan but “remained” with the public sector Airports Authority of India following full-on protests by Citu — and off-line talks between the CPM brass and the ministry, sources said — is set to overshoot its August 2011 deadline by several months, if not a year and more.

Officials confirmed that even the bidding process for installation of some basic infrastructure was yet to take off in Calcutta while other airports — Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai — had either finished their projects ahead of schedule or were “on time”.

“The progress of work in Calcutta has been painfully slow to say the least. Tenders for installation of some basic infrastructure have not been finalised yet. It is very unlikely that the project will be completed within the deadline of August 2011,” a senior AAI official said from Delhi.

The official said “current estimates” suggested at least six extra months would be required to finish the project, but sources at the city airport insisted it would be a miracle if the delay was restricted to some months.

“With only a year left for the deadline, 60 to 70 per cent of the work should have been completed by now. However, only around 40 per cent of the project has been completed,” the official added.

The Indo-Thai consortium, ITD-ITD Cem, was awarded the project in 2008 but some of the sites are yet to be handed over to the company. “We have not been able to demolish the existing buildings because of various reasons,” the official said.

The delay in getting government clearance for the construction of a flyover from VIP Road till the main approach to the airport is being cited as one of the reasons for the project running well beyond schedule. “The state government gave the clearance only last month,” said a senior official involved in the project.

The Citu-backed Airports Authority of India Employees’ Union had picketed in front of various airports in 2007 against the civil aviation ministry’s move to hand over the modernisation projects to private players. The union had also resorted to flash strikes at airports, forcing the ministry to decide that the AAI would oversee the modernisation of Calcutta and Chennai airports while Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad would be handed over to private players.

“We struggled hard to keep the modernisation project with the AAI and didn’t allow them to privatise the airport. The project has been delayed because of a conspiracy hatched by officials in Delhi who want to prove that a government agency can’t handle the project efficiently,” claimed Dipankar Ghosh, the regional secretary (Calcutta) of the airports authority staff union.

The first phase of the billion-rupee modernisation project includes an integrated terminal building with 1,80,000sq m of space and an annual passenger-handling capacity of 20 million. Walkalators connecting the proposed Biman Bandar Metro station to the terminal have also been planned.

According to sources, tenders for construction of water, sewerage and effluent treatment plants, IT and electronics networking in the integrated terminal building and the proposed frameless aluminium façade of the building have not been finalised yet. Bids for contracts to operate and maintain the integrated terminal have been delayed. “We are on the verge of finalising the process. Tenders will be floated soon,” insisted an official.

In stark contrast to the laxity on display in the city of unionism and strikes, the first phase of Hyderabad airport’s modernisation project was completed almost six months ahead of schedule in March 2009. The swank terminal spans 1,05,259sq m with an annual handling capacity of 12 million passengers.

Delhi airport’s modernisation project with a budget of Rs 12,700 crore was also completed well before the deadline. “The project was over in 37 months. We were ready to open on March 31, 2010, beating the September deadline,” said an official of the Delhi Airport Corporation Ltd.

Mumbai airport is also poised to keep its 2012 date with modernisation. “The Rs 9,800-crore project is on track,” said a spokesperson.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100809/jsp/calcutta/story_12786951.jsp


The Citu-backed Airports Authority of India Employees’ Union had picketed in front of various airports in 2007 against the civil aviation ministry’s move to hand over the modernisation projects to private players. The union had also resorted to flash strikes at airports, forcing the ministry to decide that the AAI would oversee the modernisation of Calcutta and Chennai airports while Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad would be handed over to private players.

“We struggled hard to keep the modernisation project with the AAI and didn’t allow them to privatise the airport. The project has been delayed because of a conspiracy hatched by officials in Delhi who want to prove that a government agency can’t handle the project efficiently,” claimed Dipankar Ghosh, the regional secretary (Calcutta) of the airports authority staff union.



:lol:

The CITU and its conspiracy theories. As stupid as the conspiracy theories put out by its rival parties.

AAI is simply incompetent. CITU and all the other TUs are obstructionists. No wonder nothing gets done on time.

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/8772/20100809aj015101006.jpg (http://img525.imageshack.us/i/20100809aj015101006.jpg/)

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/8772/20100809aj015101006.jpg (http://img525.imageshack.us/i/20100809aj015101006.jpg/)

^^Did not know this was the first management institute in the country, Anyway the expansion is good news but what is the need to have a campus on less than an acre when they are already planning something on three acres??:ohno:
This distribution of land less than one acre by the govt and companies constructing 16 storey high-rises in Sector V ( leaving minimal free space and just one level basement) has already led to a lot of congestion and chaos and lack of free space.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100809/jsp/calcutta/story_12786951.jsp

Calcutta airport is paying the price for the Red army bulldozing the civil aviation ministry into choosing a public rather than private pilot for its Rs 2,400-crore flight to modernisation.

The project, which was part of a larger privatisation plan but “remained” with the public sector Airports Authority of India following full-on protests by Citu — and off-line talks between the CPM brass and the ministry, sources said — is set to overshoot its August 2011 deadline by several months, if not a year and more.

Officials confirmed that even the bidding process for installation of some basic infrastructure was yet to take off in Calcutta while other airports — Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai — had either finished their projects ahead of schedule or were “on time”.

“The progress of work in Calcutta has been painfully slow to say the least. Tenders for installation of some basic infrastructure have not been finalised yet. It is very unlikely that the project will be completed within the deadline of August 2011,” a senior AAI official said from Delhi.

The official said “current estimates” suggested at least six extra months would be required to finish the project, but sources at the city airport insisted it would be a miracle if the delay was restricted to some months.

“With only a year left for the deadline, 60 to 70 per cent of the work should have been completed by now. However, only around 40 per cent of the project has been completed,” the official added.

The Indo-Thai consortium, ITD-ITD Cem, was awarded the project in 2008 but some of the sites are yet to be handed over to the company. “We have not been able to demolish the existing buildings because of various reasons,” the official said.

The delay in getting government clearance for the construction of a flyover from VIP Road till the main approach to the airport is being cited as one of the reasons for the project running well beyond schedule. “The state government gave the clearance only last month,” said a senior official involved in the project.

The Citu-backed Airports Authority of India Employees’ Union had picketed in front of various airports in 2007 against the civil aviation ministry’s move to hand over the modernisation projects to private players. The union had also resorted to flash strikes at airports, forcing the ministry to decide that the AAI would oversee the modernisation of Calcutta and Chennai airports while Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad would be handed over to private players.

“We struggled hard to keep the modernisation project with the AAI and didn’t allow them to privatise the airport. The project has been delayed because of a conspiracy hatched by officials in Delhi who want to prove that a government agency can’t handle the project efficiently,” claimed Dipankar Ghosh, the regional secretary (Calcutta) of the airports authority staff union.

The first phase of the billion-rupee modernisation project includes an integrated terminal building with 1,80,000sq m of space and an annual passenger-handling capacity of 20 million. Walkalators connecting the proposed Biman Bandar Metro station to the terminal have also been planned.

According to sources, tenders for construction of water, sewerage and effluent treatment plants, IT and electronics networking in the integrated terminal building and the proposed frameless aluminium façade of the building have not been finalised yet. Bids for contracts to operate and maintain the integrated terminal have been delayed. “We are on the verge of finalising the process. Tenders will be floated soon,” insisted an official.

In stark contrast to the laxity on display in the city of unionism and strikes, the first phase of Hyderabad airport’s modernisation project was completed almost six months ahead of schedule in March 2009. The swank terminal spans 1,05,259sq m with an annual handling capacity of 12 million passengers.

Delhi airport’s modernisation project with a budget of Rs 12,700 crore was also completed well before the deadline. “The project was over in 37 months. We were ready to open on March 31, 2010, beating the September deadline,” said an official of the Delhi Airport Corporation Ltd.

Mumbai airport is also poised to keep its 2012 date with modernisation. “The Rs 9,800-crore project is on track,” said a spokesperson.

It really hurts to see Obstructionism @ work. Really at my wit's end. Don't know what will make Calcutta free of this malice and poor work ethics ! It seems we always lag behind other cities. I think what we need some one real efficient at the top, this problem has to be cut at the root ! Unionism and the blatant abuse of it has its tentacles spread deep and wide !

It really hurts to see Obstructionism @ work. Really at my wit's end. Don't know what will make Calcutta free of this malice and poor work ethics ! It seems we always lag behind other cities. I think what we need some one real efficient at the top, this problem has to be cut at the root ! Unionism and the blatant abuse of it has its tentacles spread deep and wide !

yes, the ills of unionism, michils and hartals have spread way too deep! In the long run Kolkata needs to get rid of AAI or atleast expect a change of terms and conditions of how AAI operates across the country.

It really hurts to see Obstructionism @ work. Really at my wit's end. Don't know what will make Calcutta free of this malice and poor work ethics ! It seems we always lag behind other cities. I think what we need some one real efficient at the top, this problem has to be cut at the root ! Unionism and the blatant abuse of it has its tentacles spread deep and wide !

Hmm... while the article does try to do a spin about unions and strikes (the unfortunate tendency of gossiping that has meshed into news reporting nowadays), the fact is that none of these are in anyway the real cause of delays.

It is simply the lazy bureacracy and work culture in AAI management (in Delhi and Kolkata) that is to blame here. They can come up with all sorts of excuses but the fact is that they are inefficient and have an incapable management.

I fail to understand how a delay by the state government to approve a flyover can have affected to construction schedule of the terminal building. Somebody explain this gem of an excuse by AAI to me.

Nobody asked AAI to delay floating of tenders for construction of water, sewerage and effluent treatment plants, IT and electronics networking in the integrated terminal building, the proposed frameless aluminium façade of the building and contracts to operate and maintain the integrated terminal.

In fact looks like the unions would be very happy to get the work speeded up because that would vindicate their stance that the central government agency can do its job. The only fault of the unions is that they had too much faith in their management while the rest of the world knew that their management was incapable of delivering.

Hmm... while the article does try to do a spin about unions and strikes (the unfortunate tendency of gossiping that has meshed into news reporting nowadays), the fact is that none of these are in anyway the real cause of delays.

It is simply the lazy bureacracy and work culture in AAI management (in Delhi and Kolkata) that is to blame here. They can come up with all sorts of excuses but the fact is that they are inefficient and have an incapable management.

I fail to understand how a delay by the state government to approve a flyover can have affected to construction schedule of the terminal building. Somebody explain this gem of an excuse by AAI to me.

Nobody asked AAI to delay floating of tenders for construction of water, sewerage and effluent treatment plants, IT and electronics networking in the integrated terminal building, the proposed frameless aluminium façade of the building and contracts to operate and maintain the integrated terminal.

In fact looks like the unions would be very happy to get the work speeded up because that would vindicate their stance that the central government agency can do its job. The only fault of the unions is that they had too much faith in their management while the rest of the world knew that their management was incapable of delivering.

Agree on all counts !

It's already known that AAI is good for nothing. As for the unions - a balance use of union to protect worker's rights is perfectly all right, what I object to is blatant abuse and a rewind to the notorious 70's in Bengal ! That's all.

News reporting almost always has been biased and will continue to be so. I guess we have to pick and choose what we want to believe.

Source: The Telegraph

http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/518/12082010017008007.jpg

Not the nicest building I have come across

Nabadiganta Administrative Building

GN 20-23, Nabadiganta

17 floors + 2 levels basement

Height 76 m

Floor area 600 sq m each floor

4 elevators

land area 20 katha

Centrally AC

Cost Rs 27 crores

Estimated time of completion - 18 months

http://www.kmdaonline.org/news/Events/nabadiganta.pdf

Render

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/5540/nanabadigantaadmin.jpg (http://img62.imageshack.us/i/nanabadigantaadmin.jpg/)

^^glass work is less, and more of cement work. Seems very conventional and outdated, but it may give a different look (if made properly) in a place where most of the buildings are made of glass and aluminum!!

Not the nicest building I have come across

Nabadiganta Administrative Building

GN 20-23, Nabadiganta

17 floors + 2 levels basement

Height 76 m

Floor area 600 sq m each floor

4 elevators

land area 20 katha

Centrally AC

Cost Rs 27 crores

Estimated time of completion - 18 months

http://www.kmdaonline.org/news/Events/nabadiganta.pdf

Render

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/5540/nanabadigantaadmin.jpg (http://img62.imageshack.us/i/nanabadigantaadmin.jpg/)

looks like a very classy building..should use stone to complete the exterior and not brick and plaster...and shouldn't paint it white..looks cheap..again need to use granite or marble for the exterior.

>Taj Getaway, Ruby is getting shaped!...three levels have been constucted, though work seemed stalled!
>A glass building has comeup between ruby and desun
>Some construction work is going on the plot beside Emami Tower.(If anyone knows about this building, please enlighten me and also lemme know its name!)
>Emami Tower instals a statue of either Shiva or Buddha, couldn't make out the figure properly!
>A new island and signals are been instaled at Singhabari.
>Fortis, i guess will be openeing this weekend as a gas baloon was seen fying high, though an emegency exit, completely made of iron was being instaled, painting of that staircase is still left!
>Soil testing for metro is going on at various loactions in Bypass, boards have been put up with various details.
>Parama Island flyover seems like will never start..one could see nothing other than the baricading and few pilers..only some work was seen near silver springs, where medians were broken and the lamposts been removed/in the process of removal!
>The plot taken over for Park 2 has been walled, cement work complete.
>Foothpaths have been tiled, beautified and guarded in sec-5, from nicco park xing to CTS.
>Because of road construction work there is a huge traffic jam at College More, had to detour from oppositte electronic complex.
>Some Constuction work is been carried out in TOI campus.
>The land opposite to Wipro is also up with some constuction work as it was baricaded, i guess it was Ambuja, could read it properly as it was raining heavily.
>The landscaping underneath the Wipro Flyover is still untouched other than some wild plants!
>EW metro work is in full swing. Girders are been placed in between 10# tank and the Petrol Pump, however the roads are not so good. Had to drive like a snake, from one flank of the road to the other, somehow escaped from rearing into an i20 (thanks to the ABS). The road was slushy and add to that heavy rain!
>Karunamayee island has demolished to give space to a Metro Pillar! (A pole came up in place on a hole :shocked:)
>Karunamoyee Bus Terminus is being expanded (WIP)

:applause:

Not the nicest building I have come across

Nabadiganta Administrative Building

GN 20-23, Nabadiganta

17 floors + 2 levels basement

Height 76 m

Floor area 600 sq m each floor

4 elevators

land area 20 katha

Centrally AC

Cost Rs 27 crores

Estimated time of completion - 18 months

http://www.kmdaonline.org/news/Events/nabadiganta.pdf

Render

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/5540/nanabadigantaadmin.jpg (http://img62.imageshack.us/i/nanabadigantaadmin.jpg/)

^^The immediate reaction is that it is ugly, lanky and outdated! However they could have gone for columns and less of glass making it a Victorian feel, something like a modern day Empire State building.

>Taj Getaway, Ruby is getting shaped!...three levels have been constucted, though work seemed stalled!
>A glass building has comeup between ruby and desun
>Some construction work is going on the plot beside Emami Tower.(If anyone knows about this building, please enlighten me and also lemme know its name!)
>Emami Tower instals a statue of either Shiva or Buddha, couldn't make out the figure properly!
>A new island and signals are been instaled at Singhabari.
>Fortis, i guess will be openeing this weekend as a gas baloon was seen fying high, though an emegency exit, completely made of iron was being instaled, painting of that staircase is still left!
>Soil testing for metro is going on at various loactions in Bypass, boards have been put up with various details.
>Parama Island flyover seems like will never start..one could see nothing other than the baricading and few pilers..only some work was seen near silver springs, where medians were broken and the lamposts been removed/in the process of removal!
>The plot taken over for Park 2 has been walled, cement work complete.
>Foothpaths have been tiled, beautified and guarded in sec-5, from nicco park xing to CTS.
>Because of road construction work there is a huge traffic jam at College More, had to detour from oppositte electronic complex.
>Some Constuction work is been carried out in TOI campus.
>The land opposite to Wipro is also up with some constuction work as it was baricaded, i guess it was Ambuja, could read it properly as it was raining heavily.
>The landscaping underneath the Wipro Flyover is still untouched other than some wild plants!
>EW metro work is in full swing. Girders are been placed in between 10# tank and the Petrol Pump, however the roads are not so good. Had to drive like a snake, from one flank of the road to the other, somehow escaped from rearing into an i20 (thanks to the ABS). The road was slushy and add to that heavy rain!
>Karunamayee island has demolished to give space to a Metro Pillar! (A pole came up in place on a hole :shocked:)
>Karunamoyee Bus Terminus is being expanded (WIP)

^^Nice updates there, Studd! A common observation is that in the wake of all the construction activity roads have taken a huge toll. And ofcourse the monsoon rains have been breaking off roads bit by bit. Sections of Salt Lake bypass all the way till Technopolis are un-motorable and no one seems to be bothered. I am surprised why Gammon has to take 50% of a major road for construction of a station. If that is the case, then Karunamoyee and all other areas where elevated stations are coming up will be in one huge mess for months onwards!

Sections of Salt Lake bypass all the way till Technopolis are un-motorable and no one seems to be bothered.

I think everyone is resigned to the fact that there will never be a competent administration or rule of law. In that situation people just accept the reality and move on. Kind of sad that we can never expect the authortities to competently deliver anything of quality, anything on time and anything within budget. The only thing we can expect from them is poor quality work, clueless management, wastage of money and a bag full of ready excuses.

^^The immediate reaction is that it is ugly, lanky and outdated! However they could have gone for columns and less of glass making it a Victorian feel, something like a modern day Empire State building.

What?????....comparing brick n mortar building with an elegant sandstone building. Its a case of 'kahan raja bhoj, kahan gangu teli!'

^^i didn;'t know they were using sandstone for their Nabadiganta Headquarters. awesome.

What?????....comparing brick n mortar building with an elegant sandstone building. Its a case of 'kahan raja bhoj, kahan gangu teli!'

does the article say sandstone?

Render

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/5540/nanabadigantaadmin.jpg (http://img62.imageshack.us/i/nanabadigantaadmin.jpg/)

what an eyesore!! full of unnecessary decoration (but the expectation is that it will be attractive) and bad bad aesthetics. who is the architect of this building? must be someone from within the club. can we stop this from being made?

^^i don't like heavy top buildings..but for this i would make an exception because the model looks bad, but the real thing will look really good..because i have seen buildings liike this in Philadelphia and Atlantic City.

>Taj Getaway, Ruby is getting shaped!...three levels have been constucted, though work seemed stalled!
>A glass building has comeup between ruby and desun
>Some construction work is going on the plot beside Emami Tower.(If anyone knows about this building, please enlighten me and also lemme know its name!)
>Emami Tower instals a statue of either Shiva or Buddha, couldn't make out the figure properly!
>A new island and signals are been instaled at Singhabari.
>Fortis, i guess will be openeing this weekend as a gas baloon was seen fying high, though an emegency exit, completely made of iron was being instaled, painting of that staircase is still left!
>Soil testing for metro is going on at various loactions in Bypass, boards have been put up with various details.
>Parama Island flyover seems like will never start..one could see nothing other than the baricading and few pilers..only some work was seen near silver springs, where medians were broken and the lamposts been removed/in the process of removal!
>The plot taken over for Park 2 has been walled, cement work complete.
>Foothpaths have been tiled, beautified and guarded in sec-5, from nicco park xing to CTS.
>Because of road construction work there is a huge traffic jam at College More, had to detour from oppositte electronic complex.
>Some Constuction work is been carried out in TOI campus.
>The land opposite to Wipro is also up with some constuction work as it was baricaded, i guess it was Ambuja, could read it properly as it was raining heavily.
>The landscaping underneath the Wipro Flyover is still untouched other than some wild plants!
>EW metro work is in full swing. Girders are been placed in between 10# tank and the Petrol Pump, however the roads are not so good. Had to drive like a snake, from one flank of the road to the other, somehow escaped from rearing into an i20 (thanks to the ABS). The road was slushy and add to that heavy rain!
>Karunamayee island has demolished to give space to a Metro Pillar! (A pole came up in place on a hole :shocked:)
>Karunamoyee Bus Terminus is being expanded (WIP)


well all i can help u out is dat the building..."glass one as u meant"....b/w desun n ruby hospital is dat of some bussiness come design school...!

Two new hospitals will be opening soon. Fortis will commission its 400-bed unit, off the EM Bypass, by the end of August while the 150-bed Tata Medical Centre in New Town is likely to open its doors to patients in October.

More here (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100813/jsp/calcutta/story_12805229.jsp)

Purple Movie Town, a Rs 37 crore venture at Sonarpur, on the southern fringes of the city, will throw open doors this winter. It is spread over 6.5 acres. Veteran art director Nitish Roy, who has worked with Mrinal Sen, Shyam Benegal and Mira Nair and has designed the Ramoji Rao film city, is the design brain behind the movie town.

More here (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100813/jsp/calcutta/story_12806793.jsp)

^^why is it called PURPLE? btw, doesn't look like much of a set...compared to Ramoji Film City....they would have better invested the money putting up another world class golf course and a garden of the likes of Longwood(link (http://www.longwoodgardens.org/)).

^^i didn;'t know they were using sandstone for their Nabadiganta Headquarters. awesome.

dude by sandstone i was reffering to Empire state building!

does the article say sandstone?

by sandstone i ws refering to Empire State Building!

^huh? empire state building is all steel and limestone...have you not seen its documentary?

^huh? empire state building is all brick and mortar...have you not seen its documentary?

aisa hai kya???....dint knew that...:ohno:

aisa hai kya???....dint knew that...:ohno:
^^the structure is steel, but have limestone paneling outside.

Jacob trying to play safe!!!:)

well we aren't suppose to post pics with faces online. I am waiting for suncity to take that pic down. : )

Here's some Renders of Taxilla-Swabhumi Hotel, Kolkata
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/2237/swabhumihotelculturalco.jpg

http://img807.imageshack.us/img807/2237/swabhumihotelculturalco.jpg

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/2237/swabhumihotelculturalco.jpg

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/2237/swabhumihotelculturalco.jpg

http://img815.imageshack.us/img815/2237/swabhumihotelculturalco.jpg

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/2237/swabhumihotelculturalco.jpg

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/2237/swabhumihotelculturalco.jpg

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/7537/projecttaxshilaswabhumi.jpg

Here's some Renders of Taxilla-Swabhumi Hotel, Kolkata
http://img405.imageshack.us/i/projecttaxshilaswabhumi.jpg/

Buddhadeb lays foundation stone of Rabindra Udyan

http://sify.com/news/buddhadeb-lays-foundation-stone-of-rabindra-udyan-news-national-kinwacagfgg.html

West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Friday laid the foundation stone of the Rabindra Udyan as part of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore at Rajarhat in the city's northeastern outskirts.

'To celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, we decided to do something unique. So we decided to set up a garden that would also showcase the life and works of the great poet,' Bhattacharjee said.

The garden, slated to come up on five acres, will be completed in the next few months.

Here's some Renders of Taxilla-Swabhumi Hotel, Kolkata
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/2237/swabhumihotelculturalco.jpg

http://img807.imageshack.us/img807/2237/swabhumihotelculturalco.jpg

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/2237/swabhumihotelculturalco.jpg

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/2237/swabhumihotelculturalco.jpg

http://img815.imageshack.us/img815/2237/swabhumihotelculturalco.jpg

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/2237/swabhumihotelculturalco.jpg

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/2237/swabhumihotelculturalco.jpg

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/7537/projecttaxshilaswabhumi.jpg



Simply WOW....if this can come up in flesh it would be an architectural wonder!!!

Buddhadeb lays foundation stone of Rabindra Udyan

http://sify.com/news/buddhadeb-lays-foundation-stone-of-rabindra-udyan-news-national-kinwacagfgg.html

5 acres? what kinda garden is that..gardens need more than 10 acres.

Simply WOW....if this can come up in flesh it would be an architectural wonder!!!

true..fantastic structure..would love to see it come up :cheers:

Anandadhara, Garia EM Bypass

looks like six towers ranging from 26-30 storeys

renders from here (http://kolkata.olx.in/)

1
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/3056/anandadharakolkata.jpg (http://img3.imageshack.us/i/anandadharakolkata.jpg/)

2
http://img830.imageshack.us/img830/144/anandadhara3.jpg (http://img830.imageshack.us/i/anandadhara3.jpg/)


3 - layout

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/4499/anandadhara2.jpg (http://img202.imageshack.us/i/anandadhara2.jpg/)

Happy Independence Day to All!

Restoration plan for historic BBD Bag chalked out

KOLKATA, 14 Aug: The kolkata municipal corporation (KMC) has chalked out a comprehensive plan to beautify the historic heritage district at BBD Bag.
The estimated cost for the proposed project is Rs 20.62 crores and the funds will be available under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM). The duration of the project is 15 months.
Incidentally, the civic authorities over the past two decades, have been trying desperately to involve business houses to restore and beautify the heritage zone in the city. But the project failed to garner financial support from the private sector.
It has been found that the area is a huge pedestrian thoroughfare and the project will bring much needed relief to the pedestrians, who suffer due to a marked lack in walkable pavements in the area. The state government also proposes to turn the area into a spot of attraction for both domestic and foreign tourists. There are 15 heritage structures in the area surrounding BBD Bag.
Senior civic officials said that traffic congestion in areas surrounding BBD Bag has become a routine affair. The existing pavements are generally narrow, broken and encroached by hawkers, which makes walking on the pavements difficult. Decorative street fixtures, mainly lamp posts and guard rails look slovenly, due to poor maintenance. Moreover, the lamp posts and railings are modern in style and does not go with the historic environment. It has been decided that medians and footpaths will be paved with granite cobblestones and curb channels will be installed. Ornamental railings made of cast iron will be put up along with cast iron lamp posts. Decorative building and road signs will be installed as a part of the beautification programme. Drinking water fountains, fire hydrants and public restrooms will be set up. Horticulture and soft landscaping of the area will also be a part of the proposed project. The civic authorities had held meetings with architects and historians before chalking out the restoration and beautification programme. A senior civic official said once the beautification programme will be completed, the area will have a changed look.

Restoration plan for historic BBD Bag chalked out
This is just a gr8 Independence Day News for Kolkata.......they can convert it into a premiere tourist attraction.......once completed n maintained properly.....i believe even private sectors will start cooperating....
they can use it for shopping, dining, art n museum galleries, drama n theaters....signature stores, ....etc...:banana:^^:cheers::):applause:

This is just a gr8 Independence Day News for Kolkata.......they can convert it into a premiere tourist attraction.......once completed n maintained properly.....i believe even private sectors will start cooperating....
they can use it for shopping, dining, art n museum galleries, drama n theaters....signature stores, ....etc...:banana:^^:cheers::):applause:

it would be great if the municipal authorities visit some "world class cities" or even some small cities in Europe/US to understand how to design these areas, and how history can pay.

i seriously think they should demolish the building marked in red (the telephone bhavan? shift it to sector V or somewhere else) to clear the view of writers' buildings from raj bhavan .. the original design of the area. that will really give people a sense of the potential of dalhousie square. the entire square is full of history... CMC should do everything possible to allow it to find its place in the world tourist circuit. but first, maybe they should start by reading history books. and outsource... please outsource when you don't have the talent to do it yourself


http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/8693/laldighi.jpg

it would be great if the municipal authorities visit some "world class cities" or even some small cities in Europe/US to understand how to design these areas, and how history can pay.

i seriously think they should demolish the building marked in red (the telephone bhavan? shift it to sector V or somewhere else) to clear the view of writers' buildings from raj bhavan .. the original design of the area. that will really give people a sense of the potential of dalhousie square. the entire square is full of history... CMC should do everything possible to allow it to find its place in the world tourist circuit. but first, maybe they should start by reading history books. and outsource... please outsource when you don't have the talent to do it yourself


http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/8693/laldighi.jpg

Agree......i also believe dat dey shud start shifting the private offices to newtown's financial hub.......it in a way will reduce traffic volume n dey can develop d road pedestrian friendly n even promote city walk n tour package......as well as a cyclist pathway...!

Looks like Merlin Infinity has changed it's look

B+G+18

http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/1092/merlininfinity.jpg (http://img818.imageshack.us/i/merlininfinity.jpg/)

More info here (http://www.merlinprojects.com/navigator.php?Pdetails=86)

^^for the good or for the worse?

MANI KALA by Mani Group

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/3620/maniy.jpg (http://img230.imageshack.us/i/maniy.jpg/)

Surce:http://www.mani-group.com/manikala/index.html

Anandadhara, Garia EM Bypass

looks like six towers ranging from 26-30 storeys

renders from here (http://kolkata.olx.in/)

1
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/3056/anandadharakolkata.jpg (http://img3.imageshack.us/i/anandadharakolkata.jpg/)

2
http://img830.imageshack.us/img830/144/anandadhara3.jpg (http://img830.imageshack.us/i/anandadhara3.jpg/)


3 - layout

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/4499/anandadhara2.jpg (http://img202.imageshack.us/i/anandadhara2.jpg/)

:banana:...garia getting its third highrise, after Westwind and Highland Park!
Btw is this being built by Bengal Shelter?

:banana:...garia getting its third highrise, after Westwind and Highland Park!
Btw is this being built by Bengal Shelter?

You forgot Bengal Ambuja UPOHAR......
and Hiland Park is not in proper Garia, it is in Baghajatin.

^^highland is in Chakgaria and not proper Baghajatin, at least the big bazaar's slip says so!
afaik, Upohar is of 15 floors???

^^
Upohar is of 15 floors???

All 14 tower of upohar is of 21 floor.

see this link....

http://www.emporis.com/wm/cx/?id=120974

^^ok...

This is not real estate related, but since it is Kolkata related I am posting it here

http://allthingscoolkata.blogspot.com/2010/08/breakfast-flurys.html
http://allthingscoolkata.blogspot.com/2010/08/its-fair-time-ezcc.html

State government to invest Rs.100 crore to develop two office tower at salt lake.
They will rent this office space only to biotechnology companies.http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/9995/18082010003021.jpg (http://img697.imageshack.us/i/18082010003021.jpg/) Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

Its a very good news that 3 thousands jobs will be created in two towers having 16 floors and 1.5 sq.feet office space each but the report does not say when the work will start.

This was published in The Telegraph Today

Pre-Puja deadline for cool Metro
SANJAY MANDAL
Peeved with the slow pace of the extension work on the Metro Railway till New Garia and the technical glitches that have delayed rolling out of new air-conditioned coaches, the railway ministry has set a fresh pre-Puja deadline to get both projects on track.

“A new internal deadline has been set to complete the extension project and press the new rakes into service by the end of September. Officials have been asked to complete the construction of platforms and make the new rakes compatible by then,” a railway ministry official told Metro from Delhi.

The first air-conditioned rake has not rolled out yet because of “technical problems”, but a second prototype AC rake arrived from the Integral Coach Factory in Perambur on Wednesday.

Metro officials claimed that the technical glitches faced by the first AC coach, that arrived from the coach factory on July 17, have “almost” been rectified. “We will be able to set them right by August 24,” said an official.

The main hurdle, apparently, is that the Metro Rail’s power supply to the third rail is in direct current mode whereas all other railway networks in India, including the Delhi Metro, run on alternating current mode.

“As a result, the control circuits of the coaches are unable to synchronise the functions. Sometimes the doors are closing before the engine starts while at times the doors are not closing,” said an official.

Each coach has a circuit which controls the functioning of that coach and synchronises with the others.

But the official claimed that the AC trains were “almost ready” to hit the track. “The troubleshooting for the second coach will take far less time since some of the problems were communicated to the coach factory and so sorted out at source.”

Once Metro authorities give the go-ahead, other rakes will be rolled out.

The first two AC rakes of a proposed 13-strong fleet were originally scheduled to arrive in September 2009, but have missed the revised March 31 deadline as well.

The railway ministry has also removed a senior official involved in the project for the slow progress.

Metro Railway has been ferrying nearly five lakh commuters every day with 15 rakes. Out of the 18 rakes, two have been sent for an overhaul and another is undergoing repairs. Of the 18 rakes, 11 are to be phased out.

Guys, I am new to this forum but I am loving it. There is so much things going on in Kolkata that I missed. I am catching up as I go thru the pages. It's awesome.

I had a question about the current picture of real estate price. What is a reasonable price per square feet ? I know it depends on location but I was looking something in Rajarhat/New Town or Bypass or around VIP ? How much would a HIG condo with 3B/3B would cost these days ? Anyone can educate me with these ? Appreciate your help.

College St gets set for illuminating makeover

Swati Sengupta | TNN
Kolkata: To most Kolkatans,College Street is special: the heritage buildings,the rows of books,Coffee House... you just cant miss the special flavour of this part of the city.
Now,the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation (WBTDC) is taking up a project,with assistance from the Centre,to illuminate some heritage buildings in this zone with an environmentfriendly lighting system,cleaning up,renovating and decorating the footpath with ornamental lights and iron fencing,installing ornate lighting along the footpaths and placing signages at strategic locations to instruct and inform tourists about the area.
According to a senior WBTDC officer,this is one of the major illumination projects being taken up in Kolkata and the Centre is providing the funds to the tune of 5 crore.The state government is expecting to begin work by November this year.
There will be facade lighting on four buildings Presidency College,Calcutta University and two blocks of Calcutta Medical College.That apart,there will be eight signages installed at several crossings the crossing of College Street-MG Road,entry of Albert Hall from College Street,Presidency College,College Square among them.
Also,ornate architectural railings along the kerb of the footpaths will be placed on three stretches along College Street in front of Calcutta University,in front of Calcutta Medical College and in front of College Square.The railings will be similar to the ones used in BBD Bag,along with ornate street lights low-height Victorian-style street lamps.
There will also be installation of new entrance gates for some of these buildings.College Square during Durga Puja is a huge attraction,and apart from the illumination,signages and railings,there will also be improvement of the College Square itself and that included fencing,illumination and plantation.
All the lights will be set without disturbing the heritage buildings, said T V N Rao,managing director of WBTDC.The idea is to make it an attractive tourist destination,which is a e s t h e t i c a l ly pleasing.The lights are lowcost and lowmaintenance, he said.It will make walking along the footpath a much more pleasing experience as well as help clean the environment. WBTDC is also implementing the project.
While the Centre is providing the funds,the state governments job is to make the area available for the project.However,it is not a major problem,as most of the buildings are under the state government.The running cost which will also run into a few lakhs annually is going to be borne by the owners of the buildings.

ইম্*স েহাক রাজারহাটে,
কেেন্দ্র নয়া প্রস্তাব রাজ্যের
স্বপন সরকার ² কলকাতা

রায়গঞ্জ, খড়্গপুর, কল্যাণী— কোনওটাই নয়। রাজ্য সরকার এখন চাইছে, খাস কলকাতার গা ঘেঁষা রাজারহাটেই গেড় উঠুক এইম্*স-ধাঁচের হাসপাতালটি।

শুধু চাওয়াই নয়, শনিবার কেন্দ্রীয় স্বাস্থ্যমন্ত্রী গুলাম নবি আজাদের কাছে এই মর্মে প্রস্তাবও পেশ করে দিেয়ছে রাজ্য স্বাস্থ্য দফতর। তাদের তরফে কেন্দ্রীয় মন্ত্রীকে বলা হয়, নতুন হাসপাতালের জন্য রাজারহাটের নিউটাউনে ৪০ একর জমি তৈরি রেয়ছে। কেন রাজারহাটকেই বাছা হল, তার কারণও আজাদের কাছে ব্যাখ্যা করেছেন রাজ্যের স্বাস্থ্য-কর্তারা। রাজ্যের স্বাস্থ্যসচিব মানবেন্দ্রনাথ রায় বলেন, “আমরা কেন্দ্রীয় মন্ত্রীকে রাজারহাটে এইম্*স ধাঁচের হাসপাতাল তৈরির প্রস্তাব দিেয়ছি। কেন, তা-ও ওঁকে বুঝিেয় বলা হেয়ছে। তিনি ভেবে দেখার আশ্বাস দিেয়ছেন।”

পিশ্চমবঙ্গে এইম্*সের আদলে একটি হাসপাতাল গড়ার প্রেশ্ন কেেন্দ্রর সঙ্গে রাজ্য সরকারের বহু দিন ধরে ফাইল চালাচালি হচ্ছে। গোড়ায় ঠিক ছিল, কলকাতা মেডিক্যাল কলেজ হাসপাতালকেই এইম্*সের চেহারা দেওয়া হবে। কেন্দ্রীয় স্বাস্থ্যমন্ত্রক ও রাজ্য স্বাস্থ্য দফতরের মধ্যে বেশ ক’বার বৈঠক হলেও পরিকল্পনাটি শেষ পর্যন্ত ভেেস্ত যায়। তার পরে তদানীন্তন কেন্দ্রীয় তথ্য-সম্প্রচারমন্ত্রী িপ্রয়রঞ্জন দাসমুন্সীর উদ্যোগে রায়গেঞ্জ ওই হাসপাতাল তৈরির সবুজ সঙ্কেত দেয় কেন্দ্র, কিন্তু তা-ও বাস্তবািয়ত হয়নি। মাস তিনেক আগে খড়্গপুরে ‘এইম্*স’ গড়ার জন্য কেন্দ্রীয় সরকার প্রস্তাব পাঠায়। রাজ্য তাতে আপত্তি না-করলেও বিকল্প হিসেবে কল্যাণীর নাম কেন্দ্রকে জানিেয়ছিল।

কিন্তু খড়্গপুর না কল্যাণী, সে সম্পর্কে কেন্দ্র চূড়ান্ত সিদ্ধান্ত নেওয়ার আগেই রাজারহাটের নাম তুলে আনল রাজ্য! গত প্রায় এক দশক ধরে হাসপাতাল গড়ার কথা চললেও জায়গা নিেয় এ হেন দোলাচলে কি প্রকল্পটির ভবিষ্যৎ অনিিশ্চত হেয় উঠছে না?

রাজ্য স্বাস্থ্য দফতরের এক কর্তা বলেন, “মুশকিলটা হল, কাজের চেেয় আলোচনায় সময় নষ্ট হয় বেশি। কেন্দ্র স্পষ্ট করে জানাক, ওরা কী করতে চায়। আমাদের তো কোনও অসুবিধে নেই! আমরা চাইছি রাজ্যে এমন একটা হাসপাতাল হোক।” হঠাৎ রাজারহাটের নাম প্রস্তাব করা হল কেন?

স্বাস্থ্য-কর্তার ব্যাখ্যা, “আমরা মনে করি, প্রতিষ্ঠানটি কলকাতার কাছে গেড় উঠলে ভাল শিক্ষক, চিকিৎসক, গবেষক পেতে অনেক সুবিধে হবে। আমরা এই মুহূর্তে রাজারহাটে চিল্লশ একর জমিও দিতে পারব বলে কেন্দ্রীয় স্বাস্থ্যমন্ত্রীকে জানিেয়ছি।”

রাজারহাটে ‘এইম্*স’ তৈরির প্রস্তাবের রাজ্য সরকারের আরও একটা যুক্তি রেয়ছে। তারা বলছে, নিউটাউনে বড় মাপের একটি মেেট্রা ব্লাড ব্যাঙ্ক গেড় তোলা হবে। তার জমিও চিিহ্নত হেয় গিেয়ছে। তা ছাড়া ওখানে গেড় উঠছে চিত্তরঞ্জন ক্যানসার হাসপাতালের িদ্বতীয় ক্যাম্পাস, যার জন্য রাজ্য সরকার দশ একর জমি দিেয়ছে। উপরন্তু নিউটাউনে টাটাদের ক্যানসার হাসপাতাল তৈরির কাজ প্রায় শেষের মুখে।

সব মিলিেয় নিউটাউনে একটি ‘স্বাস্থ্য হাব’ গেড় ওঠার বিপুল সম্ভাবনা তৈরি হেয়ছে বলে রাজ্য সরকার মনে করছে। তাই তাদের মতে, রাজারহাটই হবে ‘এইম্*স’-এর যথাযোগ্য স্থান। রাজ্য সরকার এখন চাইছে, কেন্দ্র এ ব্যাপারে দ্রুত সিদ্ধান্ত জানাক। রাজ্যের স্বাস্থ্যমন্ত্রী সূর্যকান্ত মিশ্র একাধিক বার দিিল্লতে গিেয় কেন্দ্রীয় স্বাস্থ্যমন্ত্রীর সঙ্গে বিষয়টি আলোচনা করেছেন। সূর্যবাবুর কথায়, “এ যাবৎ কেেন্দ্রর সব প্রস্তাবেই আমরা সম্মতি জানিেয়ছি। ওরা আগে ঠিক করুক, হাসপাতাল কোথায় করবে। যেখানেই করুক, আমরা চাই তাড়াতািড় হাসপাতালটি গেড় উঠুক।”
http://www.anandabazar.com/24swasth1.htm

^^translate pls
or summarize in english

heres a update pic on Edens
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_yRf8uLI7rXE/THKroO6FkXI/AAAAAAAAAt8/kS9J0sCQ4Hk/DSCN0508.JPG
cc:rajib

small view
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_yRf8uLI7rXE/THKroO6FkXI/AAAAAAAAAt8/kS9J0sCQ4Hk/s640/DSCN0508.JPG

@skyscrapercity101 thanks a lot for those eden pics,looks like work is in full swing!Did you take those pics from the All india radio something(?) building

@skyscrapercity101: in a nutshell the article says that the State Health Dept. is planning to set up a hospitals like AIIMS in rajarahat, along with the 2nd campus of Chittaranjan Cancer Hospital, Central Blood Bank other than other private hospitals that are coming up in that area. For the AIIMS govt is ready with 40acres land. The Govt is planning to make that part of newtown a medical hub!

@skyscrapercity101: in a nutshell the article says that the State Health Dept. is planning to set up a hospitals like AIIMS in rajarahat, along with the 2nd campus of Chittaranjan Cancer Hospital, Central Blood Bank other than other private hospitals that are coming up in that area. For the AIIMS govt is ready with 40acres land. The Govt is planning to make that part of newtown a medical hub!

^^40 acres to setup one hospital???:nuts: You do not need more than 10-12 acres for a hospital like AIIMS. Even the Tata cancer center is on <10 acres. The other existing hospitals in the city do not take more than 1-3 acres. Land wastage does not augur well for the city.

Another AIMS in Ragarhat/New Town?
Original AIMS was planned for Calcutta and it was planned right after independence. But squabbling Bengal politicians could not figure out what to do with this thing and Bengal Govt. could not find a suitable land for this institution within Calcutta city limit. Calcutta lost this golden opportunity and AIMS was established in new India’s capital New Delhi. After sixty years another golden opportunity is knocking our door. This time it should be New Town/ Ragarhat since it is close to airport. Kolkata has already marked its place in medico-tourism. Patients visit the city from north east India,Bangladesh,Nepal, middle east even small number of NRIs visit super specialty hospitals in Kolkata in search of healthcare. The city is historically home to good quality surgeons and physicians although medical diagnostics was not that well developed there. Now with another AIMS near airport the business of medico-tourism will get a boost, overall economy and the airport will flourish. Bengal and its babus should never miss this opportunity this time!

WB govt sanctions Rs 10 crore to make Beliaghata canal pollution-free (http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/wb-govt-sanctions-rs-10-crore-to-make-beliaghata-canal/257835.html)
PTI

Kolkata, Aug 24 (PTI) The West Bengal government has sanctioned Rs 10 crore to make the Beliaghata circular canal pollution-free for the benefit of residents living beside it."The project will be taken up by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation," Urban Development Minister Asok Bhattacharya told reporters.In the next phase, desiltation of the canal would be taken up at the cost of Rs 40 crore, which would be shared with the Centre on a 70:30 basis. However the cost was yet to be sanctioned by the National Ganga River Basin Authority, the minister said after a meeting with his officials where Irrigation Minister Subhas Naskar was also present.The Union Urban Development Ministry wanted a detailed report on the project by the experts of Roorkie IIT, which had been sent.Bhattacharya also discussed with Naskar on making the Tolly Nullah a pollution-free zone.The Kolkata Citizens Forum had earlier demanded that the Tolly Nullah be made pollution free in public interest, he said.

^^40 acres to setup one hospital???:nuts: You do not need more than 10-12 acres for a hospital like AIIMS. Even the Tata cancer center is on <10 acres. The other existing hospitals in the city do not take more than 1-3 acres. Land wastage does not augur well for the city.

:rofl:...are they planning to make a AIIMS city????????:LOL:....i guess u have noticed 1 more thing that even Cancer hospital is getting 10 acres!!!...since they have too much space, they are wasting land, and look at sec-5, they are trying to sell every nook and corner!!!...SIMPLY STUPIDITY!!

Oaktree International School, Kolkata- U/C
kdIDeR-p3qk

Oaktree International School, Kolkata- U/C
kdIDeR-p3qk

Looks no different than a elite US school! Where is it coming up anyway?

^^have you seen the state of private and public US schools lately. dismal to say the least.


compared to them, this school is heaven.

^^have you seen the state of private and public US schools lately. dismal to say the least.


compared to them, this school is heaven.

That's why I mentioned "elite" :) But, if whatever shown in the video becomes a reality, there's no doubt this will be one of the best in the world!

so it looks comparable to an "elite school" in the US which is supposedly the most advanced nation in the world. what else do you want?

^^being advanced has nothing to do with being perfect. a swiss school is a lot better.

:rofl:...are they planning to make a AIIMS city????????:LOL:....i guess u have noticed 1 more thing that even Cancer hospital is getting 10 acres!!!...since they have too much space, they are wasting land, and look at sec-5, they are trying to sell every nook and corner!!!...SIMPLY STUPIDITY!!

^^I agree with you. What they are doing in sector V is rubbish as well trying to sell < .5 acres land where promoters are building upward of G+10. Why the heck can they not use whatever land is remaining in Sectors 1, 2 & 3 to build business/IT parks ?

But the wastage of space by govt institutions has a plus. Lesser employees mean lesser hawkers ( which is a boon for Kolkata !) and also lesser congestion. Take for example DLF IT park - just the presence of 3 towers on < 10 acres has spawned a hawker revolution in the area with > 50 hawkers selling eatables of every kind and occupying several 100 metres of pavements already.

so it looks comparable to an "elite school" in the US which is supposedly the most advanced nation in the world. what else do you want?

Chill mate! It was meant to be a compliment!

EPICENTRE BY SHRACHI GROUP
LOCATION-NEW TOWN Action area 3
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/3321/epicentreb.jpg (http://img137.imageshack.us/i/epicentreb.jpg/)

Thats a nice original design!looks like 25 odd floors.

^^I agree with you. What they are doing in sector V is rubbish as well trying to sell < .5 acres land where promoters are building upward of G+10. Why the heck can they not use whatever land is remaining in Sectors 1, 2 & 3 to build business/IT parks ?

But the wastage of space by govt institutions has a plus. Lesser employees mean lesser hawkers ( which is a boon for Kolkata !) and also lesser congestion. Take for example DLF IT park - just the presence of 3 towers on < 10 acres has spawned a hawker revolution in the area with > 50 hawkers selling eatables of every kind and occupying several 100 metres of pavements already.

Still i would say that >50 hawkers are too much for DLF city, as there are not many offices out there. Vodafone, Genpact, Lexmark, and both the IBMs (GDC and Daksh Intl) have their own Cafeterias where moderate food is available at subsidised rate.
Only the Tea n ciggy shops are doing brisk business. Especialy the tea stall beside the rear gate of DLF, and few opposite the main gate get good business as they are open for most part of the day/night!
Also add yaya's at the front part, which was supposed to be a mall, any clue what is its present status?

Still i would say that >50 hawkers are too much for DLF city, as there are not many offices out there. Vodafone, Genpact, Lexmark, and both the IBMs (GDC and Daksh Intl) have their own Cafeterias where moderate food is available at subsidised rate.
Only the Tea n ciggy shops are doing brisk business. Especialy the tea stall beside the rear gate of DLF, and few opposite the main gate get good business as they are open for most part of the day/night!
Also add yaya's at the front part, which was supposed to be a mall, any clue what is its present status?

^^well, they serve everything from luchi aloodum to biryani including takeaways!. Their convenient location also includes clientele from anamika housing complex and the large population of labourers at the various construction sites.

^^yes, even i must admit that, there was a shop (i dont know if its still there) it sold tandoori roti and many side dishes (both veg and non-veg), whose food was really liked by me, used to generally take it on saturdays! So, it seems things have changed since then, good. This shop was located in front of IRCTC complex. There was also a shopping complex, forgot the name.

^^well, they serve everything from luchi aloodum to biryani including takeaways!. Their convenient location also includes clientele from anamika housing complex and the large population of labourers at the various construction sites.

and you..sounds like you like them

traitor.

and you..sounds like you like them

traitor.

^^I do not patronize them since the uniquely ugly sight of Kolkata is largely due to them. However in rare occassions I have tasted their delicacies.

Chill mate! It was meant to be a compliment!

aahan? at least make it sound like one

aahan? at least make it sound like one

I thought my comment - "But, if whatever shown in the video becomes a reality, there's no doubt this will be one of the best in the world!" - is superlative enough to convey the idea :) Anyways, lets pass the word game. Any idea where it's coming up?

was referring to your first comment. anyways. toddu you have any idea about its whereabouts?

Deb olive branch to Mamata
A STAFF REPORTER
Repeated snubs from Mamata Banerjee have failed to dissuade housing minister Gautam Deb from trying to ensure her presence at Hidco events.

Deb on Thursday held out a land-cash carrot in an attempt to broker peace with Mamata amidst a turf war in New Town between the CPM and the Trinamul Congress.

“Mamata had mentioned in her budget speech that she wanted to set up a Metro link between Rajarhat and the airport but was not getting land.... We will give her both land and cash???????????????:nuts:,” said Deb, who is also chairman of Hidco, the implementing agency of the Rajarhat township.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100826/jsp/calcutta/story_12855659.jsp

was referring to your first comment. anyways. toddu you have any idea about its whereabouts?

Nope! Couldn't figure out even from their official site.

EPICENTRE BY SHRACHI GROUP
LOCATION-NEW TOWN Action area 3
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/3321/epicentreb.jpg (http://img137.imageshack.us/i/epicentreb.jpg/)

It looks something 30+.

Pl indicate the source

was referring to your first comment. anyways. toddu you have any idea about its whereabouts?

Oaktree International school is currently under construction on Diamond Harbor Road.

the satellite map is provided below..and as can be seen, its almost finished.
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&q=oaktree+international+school+kolkata&fb=1&gl=us&hq=oaktree+international+school&hnear=Kolkata,+West+Bengal,+India&view=map&cid=12754896354249239561&ved=0CBsQpQY&ei=0EZ2TMOVIYOwyQWIvrnwAw&ll=22.413945,88.284566&spn=0.010593,0.027466&t=h&z=16&iwloc=A

the school has all of these facilities, just like a small university of sorts.
-Auditorium
-Gymnasium(Indoors)
-Arts Building
-Open air theater
-football/cricket stadium
-tennis court
-basketball court(outdoor)
-badminton court
-jogging track
-olympic sized swimming pool
-separate hostel for boys and girls
-cafeteria

It looks something 30+.

Pl indicate the source

www.shrachi.com

Once upon a time in Tángra:http://allthingscoolkata.blogspot.com/2010/08/once-upon-time-in-tangra.html

EPICENTRE BY SHRACHI GROUP
LOCATION-NEW TOWN Action area 3
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/3321/epicentreb.jpg (http://img137.imageshack.us/i/epicentreb.jpg/)

As per the website, this will be near Rosedale and Uniworld City. The design looks nice.

As per the website, this will be near Rosedale and Uniworld City. The design looks nice.

hey Shrachi is also making the award winning steel housing project too.

http://www.shrachi.com/bengalshrachi/images/projects/restello/restello_big.jpg

http://www.shrachi.com/bengalshrachi/residential/restello/index.htm

CREDAI, Home Front 2010. Are things looking up again ? Check it out here. http://savenewtown.blogspot.com/2010/08/home-front-2010.html

Hiland Willows Explored. http://savenewtown.blogspot.com/2010/08/hiland-willows-explored.html

Convent Corner

www.belanis.com

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/5712/conventcornerkolkata.jpg (http://img824.imageshack.us/i/conventcornerkolkata.jpg/)

Hiland Sapphire

photos copyright www.belanis,com

http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/6012/hilandsapphire1.jpg (http://img690.imageshack.us/i/hilandsapphire1.jpg/) http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/5166/sapphire3hiland.jpg (http://img834.imageshack.us/i/sapphire3hiland.jpg/)

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

Hiland Woods

photos copyright www.belanis.com

http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/940/hilandwoods2.jpg (http://img203.imageshack.us/i/hilandwoods2.jpg/) http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/4236/hilandwoods4.jpg (http://img844.imageshack.us/i/hilandwoods4.jpg/)

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

Hiland Woods

photos copyright www.belanis.com

http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/940/hilandwoods2.jpg (http://img203.imageshack.us/i/hilandwoods2.jpg/) http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/4236/hilandwoods4.jpg (http://img844.imageshack.us/i/hilandwoods4.jpg/)

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

Hiland Woods looks nice. :cheers:Also good to see the basement parking designed to cover a larger area ( and not just the basement portion of the buildings). This is normally the norm for large constructions in Bangalore and Mumbai and it is good to see Kolkata following their footsteps.

Parle licenses Hippo rights to Keventer in East

ET KOLKATA
PARLE Agro has entered an agreement with Kolkata-based Rs 1,300 crore Keventer Group to set up a new manufacturing plant for its snack brand Hippo.As part of the deal,Parle Agro has licensed the rights of the Hippo brand to Keventer Agro,which will undertake manufacturing,sales and marketing of the products in the East.
The proposed facility will come up at Keventer Groups manufacturing park spread over 110 acres in Barasat,near Kolkata.Both Keventer and Parle Agro declined to specify the investment and capacity for the new plant.However,Parle Agro said it will incur the advertising and marketing costs for the promotion of Hippo in the East.
Since the Hippo brand has been licensed to us,we will undertake the investment on the proposed facility as well as responsible for sales.We target to make Hippo among the top three brands in this category in the next two years, said Keventer Agro managing director Mayank Jalan.
As part of the deal,Keventer Agro will give a percentage of its sales from Hippo to Parle Agro.It has similar arrangements for Parle Agros water and beverage brands like Frooti,Appy and Bailley.Currently,we have three plants which manufacture the Parle Agro range.This will be the fourth plant in the coffer, said Mr Jalan.
Parle Agro expects the new plant will provide substantial growth in the East.At an overall level,we expect healthy growth rate of 20-25 % with the addition of the new plant, said Parle Agro joint managing director and chief marketing officer Nadia Chauhan.
Both Parle Agro and Keventer expect the extension of their partnership into the food business will open newer business avenues.We are jointly exploring a lot of new businesses, said Mr Jalan,refusing to spell out details.
Keventer Agro,which has clocked a turnover of around Rs 600 crore,also plans to expand its manpower and distribution base by 20%.It currently has some 900 distributor and 400 sales staff.The snack market in the East is estimated to be worth around Rs 2,000 crore.

Is Keventer group of Biyani (the owner of Pantaloons)?

Is Keventer group of Biyani (the owner of Pantaloons)?

No its a kolkata based company.

the Group entered into a franchisee agreement with the food and beverage giant - PARLE to manufacture, package, distribute and market its well-known brands namely FROOTI - a popular mango drink, Appy and Appy Fizz- the in-style apple drinks and Bailey packaged drinking water.

http://www.keventer.com/agro/index.html

HAPPY JANAMASTAMI/GOKUL ASTAMI TO ALL FORUMERS!!!!!:)

>You have an ambitious agenda to transform Kolkata into London. Cleanliness will be your biggest challenge. With garbage dumps scattered all over Kolkata, what impression do tourists take back home?

Open garbage dumps are indeed a menace. We will do away with the ones in the heart of the city. Kolkata Municipal Corporation has sought advice from an internationally-renowned consultant that has helped modernise the solid waste management system in London as well as some Indian cities. I have asked them to take up a pilot project in Kolkata. To begin with, we will shut down 33 vats and introduce direct loading system. Over 100 major vats will be shut down in two-three years. We have undertaken a Rs 200-crore garbage disposal upgrade under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. I believe this project will bring about the desired change.

>The city’s roads have a long way to be on par with Delhi, Mumbai and other metros. Why can’t Kolkata have uniform roads instead of craters and bumps?

We do appreciate the apprehension of motorists who are inconvenienced by bad roads. But the problem in Kolkata is frequent digging by utility agencies. After we lay a road with mastic asphalt, it gets dug up by an agency.

>But isn’t there a problem with the way roads are laid and repaired in Kolkata? How is it that National Highways just outside the city are in such good condition? Do contractors conform to standards?

It is often alleged that laying of roads in Kolkata is not done according to proper specifications. I have asked my engineers to monitor road laying and repair to ensure that roads improve and last longer.

>Encroachment of pavements has only turned worse. More than 60% of pavements have been occupied by hawkers. Will KMC implement a high court directive to remove hawking from busy thoroughfares and return pavements to pedestrians?

It is a sensitive issue. It is true that we need to give relief to pedestrians, but at the same time we can’t drive out thousands of hawkers who have been conducting business for years. We have a balanced approach and plan to restrict hawking on some stretches of major roads.

>Municipal markets have become eyesores. Isn’t it time to modernise them?

I agree that municipal markets need a facelift. We plan to upgrade some of the major ones and are looking for joint venture partners.

>Many parks are in a sorry state. Curzon Park in the heart of the city has turned into a vast urinal. What are your plans for them?

I have asked the parks department to take up beautification projects. While modernisation of Deshabandhu Park is underway, we have big plans for Jatin Das Park in south Kolkata. Since we don’t own Curzon Park, we need to negotiate with the state government to take up any activity there. We have decided to build small parks wherever we find space.

>Kolkata, the Raj era capital of India, boasts of some majestic buildings. Unfortunately, several of them are in a sorry state. Do you have any plan to revive these historic structures?

This is a subject very close to my heart. KMC will definitely contribute to the restoration and maintenance of these buildings. We are starting with heritage buildings in and around Dalhousie and College Street. In Dalhousie, we will ensure that roads and lamp posts are also wellmaintained. We will encourage owners of heritage buildings to maintain them better. There is a proposal to offer tax sops if owners maintain heritage buildings well.

>Kolkata has a grand riverfront, whose potential has never been properly tapped. What plans do you have to rejuvenate the riverfront and ensure that there is a connect between the citizens and the river to which the city owes its genesis?

We have ambitious plans to develop the riverfront and have roped in consultant RITES to prepare a masterplan. After the document is handed to KMC, we will begin work in right earnest. Funds will not be a problem. We have identified 32 major ghats which will be given a facelift. Warehouses on Strand Road will be turned into museums, conference halls, eating joints and art galleries. We will also construct open air theatres. We plan to introduce pleasure rides on the Hooghly.

SOURCE: TOI

The unplanned and unchecked real estate growth on EM Bypass and its adjoining areas, sans basic civic amenities, could spell disaster across the city, says a World Bank report submitted to the state government.
It outlines how climate change and global warming are pushing these areas “to the brink of civic disaster”.
This first-of-its-kind study was conducted in some of the major cities in the country and identified Kolkata’s environment as the most vulnerable and has a grim forecast for the Kolkata of 2050.
The study warns that those who have either bought or
plan to buy homes along EM Bypass and other areas of the eastern fringes, like Tiljala, Topsia, Tangra and Pagladanga (Wards 58, 59, 65, 66) could be the worst hit by environmental degradation because of rapid real estate growth sans a matching improvement in civic amenities.
State chief environment officer Debal Roy said the World Bank study factored in Kolkata’s social, economic and environmental circumstances. While identifying areas vulnerable to climate change, the team considered the state of a locality’s drainage and sewerage systems and its hygiene standards. They were alarmed to find that ponds in eastern fringes are being filled up to make way for buildings that are being constructed in an unplanned manner in an area without a proper drainage system. Repeated waterlogging and accumulation of garbage is slowly degrading the environment.
Based on the report, the environment department is framing a new state action plan on climate change, Roy said. The department has been working on these lines for some time and had come out with a report a few years ago on ways to improve conditions in areas like Tiljala and Topsia. It recently decided to make it mandatory for billboards to be solar-powered.
Mayor Sovan Chatterjee said Kolkata Municipal Corporation would implement recommendations to improve the environment and include these measures in its own environment protection plan.
The World Bank had earlier sanctioned Rs 347 crore for development of Bengal’s coastal areas after the state submitted an integrated coastal zone management plan. The environment department is preparing poverty alleviation and skill development schemes for the coastal population. The government has taken an initiative on energy conservation, particularly for high-rise and multi-storied buildings in the hospitality sector.

SOURCE: TOI

TO THE MAYOR

Garbage-Free City
The city will be free of garbage. Open garbage dumps, called 'vats' for some reason, are currently located along roads and are not just an eyesore, but also a health hazard. They will become a thing of the past. Trash will no more spill on to the roads. Neighbourhoods will become clean. Tourists and visitors will not be shocked to see garbage openly dumped in upmarket localities like Camac Street, Free School Street and Brabourne Road. There will be no stench in the air. The city will adopt a modern and efficient garbage collection and disposal system that is sustainable.

Clean Smooth Roads
Less potholes, humps and undulations will make our journey smoother. Rains will no longer wash away the asphalt, baring huge craters. Potholes that currently make rides hazardous and trigger accidents, will be a thing of the past. Road repair will be prompt and not take an eternity. The repair job will be thorough and last long instead of being a quickfix that drains KMC's coffers. Let us do away with the cosmetic facelifts and have roads that are properly laid and last like National Highways.

Well-Maintained Parks
Parks are the only breathing space left in Kolkata, a city that has turned into a concrete jungle. Hence, they are our treasure and need to be zealously guarded. We will get back parks that are clean and green. They will be properly landscaped and not garishly decorated. Beautification will not mean paving of open spaces with concrete. Encroachments will be removed from Vivekananda Park and other parks. The grand Curzon Park that has turned into a vast public urinal and a den for anti-socials and drugpeddlers will be reclaimed for citizens. It will become a pride of Kolkata, much like Hyde Park is to London and Central Park to New York.

Encroachment-Free City
The menace called encroachment will finally end. Footpaths and roads will be reclaimed for pedestrians and traffic. KMC will implement Calcutta High Court's order to remove hawking from busy thoroughfares and provide alternative zones like hawking plazas with drinking water facilities, toilets and waste bins so that areas are not littered or sullied. More pavements will be properly paved and they will be repaired promptly after utilities dig them up. It will be a pleasure to walk and drive in Kolkata.

Neat & Clean Markets
Markets will become inviting once again. New Market will be repaired as will some of others that have colonial heritage structure. Others will be rebuilt on the lines of Lake Market. The shabby, ill-maintained, filthy look will disappear. Instead, markets will be clean, cheerful places that will invite customers. Currently, sections of the market where vegetables, fish and meat are sold are unhygienic. They will be clean and well maintained so that citizens are able to buy food stuff without feeling repulsive.

Beautiful Riverfront
The mighty Hooghly will have a grand riverfront that will draw citizens to relax after a weary day. It will be a holistic development with recreation as well as entertainment options. The entire area will be landscaped with sculpture, fountains, eating joints, contemporary museum, art gallery, conference centre and theatre for performing arts as well as open air theatres to make it an active zone. The museum, art gallery, conference room and theatre can be housed in the warehouses. There will be pleasure rides on the river in open boats.

Reviving Heritage Buildings
Kolkata, the Raj era capital of India, has some of the most grand buildings. They will become a major tourist attraction with localities that have a cluster of such buildings - Brabourne Road, Dalhousie College Street, Chowringhee, Chitpur - cleaned up turned into heritage zones with walks for tourists and visitors. Buildings will be given incentives by way of tax cuts if properly maintained. Those that are not maintained will be penalised. Encroachment will be removed to restore their glory. All buildings must be given a fresh coat of paint every two-three years. In case they are unable to, KMC can do the job and charge the owners in the house tax.

Efficient Drainage System
Monsoons will be a time for Kolkatans to enjoy and not crouch in fear of the city turning into a cesspool. The city's century-old drainage system will be revamped. Work under the JNNURM scheme that has been progressing very slowly, will be speeded up. Plastic carry bags will be banned. For good.

SOURCE: TOI

[COLOR="Navy"]TO THE MAYOR

Encroachment-Free City
The menace called encroachment will finally end. Footpaths and roads will be reclaimed for pedestrians and traffic. KMC will implement Calcutta High Court's order to remove hawking from busy thoroughfares and provide alternative zones like hawking plazas with drinking water facilities, toilets and waste bins so that areas are not littered or sullied. More pavements will be properly paved and they will be repaired promptly after utilities dig them up. It will be a pleasure to walk and drive in Kolkata.

SOURCE: TOI

Saw this today on TOI-Kolkata.

While many of these plans apparently look like a distant dream for Kolkatans,but the initiative is undoubtedly commendable. Its high time that some mass movement like this,is initiated at this moment to save the city from further degradation.

But,one thing is really disappointing. It is being seen that who-so-ever takes charge of the municipal corporation/administration,the issue of illegal encroachment on footpaths,is always been overlooked on the name of terming it as a 'social issue'. Over the years,this apathy from the administration, has just led to the cancerous growth of this problem in every other part of the city. Nowadays,not a single footpath in Kolkata stands encroachment-free and the city bears a shabby look everywhere.

Shall we never be able to rise above our political interests and really put a serious thought in this direction? Even if I start thinking that all the initiatives as cited above, get implemented by some day,I would still have doubts about the idea of dreaming about a ''hawker-free'' or rather ''hawker-controlled'' Kolkata someday in my life!