Kolkata Project Update II - project news from Kolkata

[dover16]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070913/images/13road.jpg

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070913/asp/calcutta/story_8187767.asp

Rs 650cr plan to unclog roads
DEEPANKAR GANGULY AND SIMI KAMBOJ

The civic body and the state government are planning to build five mini-flyovers at intersections and widen and extend several arterial roads to decongest important zones in the city.

The five flyovers will be constructed at Moulali, Ballygunge Phari, Mullickbazar, Ultadanga and Shyambazar by the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) at a cost of Rs 150 crore.

The Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) and the transport department, on the other hand, have joined hands to draw up a Rs 500-crore blueprint for widening and extending arterial roads.

The plan includes extension of Amherst Street from BB Ganguly Street to Lenin Sarani, extension of Jadavpur Central Road to Deshapran Sashmal Road and construction of a link between Belgachhia Road and Ultadanga.

According to government officials, extension of Amherst Street via Sashi Bhushan Dey Street will help south-bound vehicles to reach Lenin Sarani without taking Chittaranjan Avenue and clogging Esplanade. The proposed extension of Jadavpur Central Road is expected to help vehicles moving westward to reach Deshapran Sashmal Road, Rashbehari Avenue and Tollygunge.

The construction of the link from Belgachhia Road to Ultadanga (over the Ultadanga railway yard) will benefit south-bound vehicles, including those moving towards Salt Lake. The cars will be able to avoid the congestion at Jessore Road-Lake Town crossing and Shyambazar.

The flyover on BT Road, connecting Bhupen Bose Avenue and RG Kar Road, will reduce congestion at the Shyambazar crossing, while the one at Ballygunge Phari will reduce congestion on Gariahat Road by connecting Hazra Road with Bondel Road and Broad Street.

The Mullickbazar flyover will start near Assembly of God Church school and stretch over AJC Bose Road to the tram tracks. The flyover on Moulali will connect Lenin Sarani to CIT Road over AJC Bose Road.

The flyovers will be built on turn-key basis and the CMC will soon invite expressions of interest along with conceptual designs from builders.

Five more flyovers on city intersections will be considered in the second phase, said officials.

The CMC is also working towards providing a mastic asphalt coat to all city roads. About 80 per cent of the city roads have a mastic asphalt cover now.

“After two or three years, the civic roads department will only have to do maintenance work. The number of cars on the road is likely to shoot up. We should prepare for that,” said CMC commissioner Alapan Bandyopadhyay.

The roads to be widened in the north under the CMDAtransport department master plan include Jessore Road (from Shyambazar to Barasat), Rajarhat Road, Howrah-Amta Road, Andul Road (from NH 6 to Vidyasagar Setu), Foreshore Road (from Telkalghat Road to Vidyasagar Setu) and Dum Dum Road.

In the south, Biren Roy Road (East and West), MG Road, Coal Dock Road, Hyde Road and Taratala Road will be widened.

“The metropolitan centre is the hub of cultural and business activity. Though it covers only 15 per cent of the total metropolis, around 47 per cent of Calcutta Metropolitan Area’s (CMA) population is concentrated here,” said a CMDA official.

Transport department officials feel that the measures would cut travel time by 50 per cent and decongest Shyambazar, Ultadanga, Belgachhia, Dum Dum, Howrah, Esplanade, Sealdah station, Behala and the Port area.

“There is no scope to build new roads. But existing roads will be widened to the extent possible,” said an official. The department is trying to determine to what extent the roads in the city can be widened.

Thirty per cent of the funds for the projects will be provided under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission while the state government will foot the rest of the bill.

Road widening will begin after Puja and will be carried out in phases.

[SarafIndian]

DLF, India’s largest real estate company, is poised to invest Rs 100,000 crore in Calcutta and Dankuni in the next seven years.

“Our second largest land bank after Karnataka is in Bengal. The integrated Dankuni township, to be spread across 4,840 acres, alone will account for Rs 50,000 crore,” A.S. Minocha, the chairman of DLF Commercial Developers Ltd, told Metro from Gurgaon.

Other projects spanning IT, residential, hospitality and retail add up to Rs 50,000 crore.

Tower I of the group’s first IT park in Rajarhat has been completed and taken up by IBM. The Rs 350-crore project has two more towers being readied, adding up to 1.3 million sq ft.

The second IT park, coming up on 25 acres in Action Area II of Rajarhat, is a Rs 700-crore project, with six towers and 2.5 million sq ft of leasable area. It is billed to be ready by end-2009. Designed by Hafeez Contractor, the park will have nearly 100,000 people working in three shifts.

DLF is also set to bring in three hotels, with a combined investment of Rs 1,000 crore. The 600-room Bypass address with Hilton will be the showpiece.

"We recognise some very positive changes taking place in West Bengal and the government is focused on economic growth. We want to partner the state in that growth," said Rajeev Talwar, group executive director.

The Dankuni township, for which DLF coughed up Rs 56 lakh per acre, has been conceptualised as a "walk-to-work" module. The group has shortlisted two US town-planner firms, who will provide three concept design solutions each in the next two months.

"We will freeze a design by this yearend and should break ground by the middle of next year. Dankuni will be one of the most modern townships in the country, complete with housing in all income segments plus hotels, hospitals, schools, colleges, lakes, malls and lots of landscaped greenery," declared Minocha.

[SarafIndian]

^^ http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070913/asp/calcutta/story_8303948.asp

[SarafIndian]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070913/images/13road.jpg

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070913/asp/calcutta/story_8187767.asp

Did they start working on Sector-V(Wipro Junction) flyover?

[IndiansUnite]

Rosedale Garden, New Town --> 6 towers @ G+25 floors

Walkthru Video (http://www.rosedalenri.com/videos/walkthru.mpg)

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/1072/rosedalerm8.jpg


http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/1558/iso01ct7.jpg

Website (http://www.rosedalenri.com)

[arijeetb]

Did they start working on Sector-V(Wipro Junction) flyover?

Is there a flyover being constructed here ? I read a report of a new link road starting here for faster access to the airport without having to go thru rajarhat.

[arijeetb]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070913/images/13road.jpg

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070913/asp/calcutta/story_8187767.asp

Great news. If these projects are completed in the next 3 years it would do a world of good for Kolkata's traffic.

Can someone pls clarify ?The Mullickbazar flyover will start near Assembly of God Church school and stretch over AJC Bose Road to the tram tracks.
Will this go over the existing flyover on ajc bose rd?

[Hindustani]

If these really & finally come up, It will change the trend of Calcutta highrises from mostly concrete to mostly glass.

Rosedale Garden, New Town --> 6 towers @ G+25 floors

Walkthru Video (http://www.rosedalenri.com/videos/walkthru.mpg)

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/1072/rosedalerm8.jpg


http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/1558/iso01ct7.jpg

Website (http://www.rosedalenri.com)

[Suncity]

If these really & finally come up, It will change the trend of Calcutta highrises from mostly concrete to mostly glass.

These are under construction.

[sidney_jec]

Source: TOI Epaper


IT’S HOT
Dubai firm bags tender for Rajarhat IT hub
Sumali Moitra | TNN

Kolkata: A consortium, led by Dubai’s Emirates Trading Agency (ETA), has bagged the much-touted Webel tender to develop an IT hub on 330 acres at Rajarhat after edging out a string of competitors, including DLF, Shapoorji Pallonji and Tata Group.
Mall developer Rahul Saraf, who has since diversified into development of IT infrastructure, is a part of the ETA-led consortium.
Emirates Trading Agency belongs to the $4-billion ETA-Ascon group, whose interests range from engineering and construction to property development and retail.
Sources said although the tender to build a tech hub at Rajarhat’s Jagadishpur mouza was opened last month, the state has so far decided to keep quiet on the ETA-related development fearing that doing so could hinder land acquisition for the venture. The 330-acre plot, identified for the IT project, is yet to be acquired.
“The cost of the 330-acre plot alone could exceed Rs 1,000 crore and the total project, which is likely to be completed in 5-7 years, could cost upwards of Rs 4,000 crore,” an official said.
The sources said that as part of the arrangement with Webel, the ETA-led consortium would have to return 160 acre to Webel after some time for use by the latter. “Doing so will not diminish the attractiveness of the deal as rent
for commercial space will continue to be on the upswing at Rajarhat for the next few years given the IT boom we are witnessing in the state,” the official added. State IT minister Debesh Das and ETA officials could not be reached for comment.
The controversy generated by the police firing in Nandigram on March 14 that killed 14 people has already pushed back the Jagadishpur IT project by six months. Initially, the choice of the developer for this venture was supposed to have been made by April. Webel had invited expressions of interest for the project last year.
Although a late starter in the IT arena, the city has made giant strides in this segment since 2003 with software exports from here growing faster than the national average.
Exports from the city’s software technology park (STP) surged 46% to Rs 3,162 crore in 2006-07. The high pace of growth was sustained in the first quarter of 2007-08 with exports from the Kolkata STP rising 41% to Rs 916.52 crore between April and June.
Bengal has set itself a target to emerge as one of India’s top three IT states by 2010 with a 15% share of the country’s total software exports by the end of the decade. Currently, the state’s share of India’s overall software exports is less than 5%. Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, National Capital Region and Mumbai account for the bulk of India’s software exports.

[sidney_jec]

Source: TOI Epaper


TECH BOOM
IT major to invest Rs 250 cr in state Ajanta Chakraborty | TNN


Kolkata: Brand Buddha is shining again. Two days after being promised a Rs 17,000-crore investment from SAIL, the CM is all set to sign an agreement with internationally acclaimed IT major Rolta. Bhattacharjee will meet a team
from the Mumbai-based group on Friday to clinch the Rs 250-crore deal.
A source at Writers’ Buildings said Rolta India Limited will set up an IT park at Nonadanga in east Kolkata. The investment will be made in a phased manner.
IT minister Debesh Das said: “We are happy to have finally got Rolta to invest in the state. The fact that Kolkata is their first venture outside Mumbai means a lot to us.”
The government has long been trying to get Rolta — one of the country’s leading IT companies specialising in GeoSpatial Information Systems (GIS), Engineering Design Automation (EDA) and eSolutions (eS) — to invest here. Initially, the government had decided to accommodate Rolta in Salt Lake’s Sector V. But now, Rolta will be allotted land at Nonadanga.
The project will have facilities to deliver GIS services, ED solutions and software development services worldwide. Sources said the facility is part of Rolta’s expansion plan.

[sidney_jec]

Source : TOI EPaper

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/7532/getimageap4.png

[Suncity]

Forum Projects website

http://www.forumprojects.in/

Technopolis 2

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/5990/technopolis2qn6.jpg

[Jai]

That's a damn fine looking project

Good one Sun

[Suncity]

Genexx Valley - one of Kolkata's largest residential projects
http://www.genexxvalley.com/

photo copyright Prathap

http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/8877/kolkataprathapqd4.jpg

[SarafIndian]

Is there a flyover being constructed here ? I read a report of a new link road starting here for faster access to the airport without having to go thru rajarhat.

Just look at this

Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority (NDITA) was created after segregating from Bidhannagar Municipality with a view to improve the infrastructure and civic amenities of this area and bring them in tune with the expectations of the domestic and multinational IT companies.

All the roads running through the sector have already been renovated. The drainage system has been cleaned up and as a result there was no water logging in Sector V even during the heavy showers this year.

We have already entrusted the beautification work to reputed firm under Private Public Partnership (PPP) model and the beautification work is now going on in full swing.

The water supply system and sewerage system will also be upgraded through PPP. A reputed company called JUSCO has been selected for undertaking this work, expected to begin shortly.

About 9.5 lakh sq ft built-up area for office space is now under construction, which will be completed within the next two years. In addition to this, some small plots measuring between 10-40 cottahs each are likely to be allotted by the UD department to the prospective entrepreneurs within six months for creating office space.

Many foreign companies are coming up mostly in the IT sector in the Industrial Township area. Multinational companies like IBM, Skytech, Cognizant Technology Solutions have already set up their units here. GE Capital, Oracle and even Microsoft have shown interest for setting up their units in Sector V.

One flyover and two RCC concrete bridges will come up soon to tackle the traffic congestion, especially at JK Saha Bridge near WIPRO crossing. The work of the RCC concrete bridges will start in September and the work for construction of flyover will start in the month of October this year. Tender formalities are being completed.

All the nine key roads in Sector V have already been renovated except a small proportion of 300-meter stretch in front of JDS Technologies. This portion is also under renovation. Work order has also been issued for repairs of the patches and potholes on some other roads. Scheme for laying pipelines departmentally has been withdrawn since water supply scheme will now be executed by our private partner under PPP model.

E-Waste management problem has not yet assumed alarming proportion, but plans have already been drawn up in collaboration with BCCI for tackling this problem. A seminar was organized for e-waste management in 2006, where MIC’s Environment department, secretaries of the department and some experts in e-waste management participated.

A presentation was made on e-waste management in the US and other developed countries of the world. A few definite guidelines for e-waste management in Sector V emerged in course of the discussion.

Parking zones for Sector V have already been identified and these will be manned by our private partners that are being selected through a transparent process.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Economy/Nabadiganta_construction_is_in_full_swing/articleshow/2313116.cms

[sidney_jec]

Source: TOI Epaper


Traffic chaos at Dunlop on new bridge approach
Suman Chakraborti | TNN
Kolkata: The worst fears have come true. Ever since the Second Vivekananda Bridge has been thrown open to vehicular traffic, there has been severe traffic congestion 0at the Dunlop junction of BT Road.
Officials of the Second Vivekananda Bridge Tollway Company (SVBTC) had earlier warned that there would be severe traffic chaos if the Dunlop traffic interchange project was not implemented. This is because vehicles driving down the bridge would merge with traffic on BT Road. This is exactly what has happened, resulting in the Dunlop 0junction getting choked everyday, particularly during rush hour in the mornings and evenings.
“This was bound to happen. Unless the government first executes the Dunlop traffic interchange project, which involves a flyover connecting the Dunlop junction with the new bridge, traffic chaos would continue to dog that stretch,” said an SVBTC official. They claimed that there was no immediate solution to the problem as the flyover would take at least a year to come up.
Although the interchange project was conceptualised four years ago, PWD did not take any initiative to start work on it. The project provides for a flyover with a ramp connecting the bridge for a smooth vehicular dispersal.
PWD officials said they will start executing the Dunlop traffic interchange project. “The state-run Mackintosh Burn will construct the flyover at the place,” said an official. There is also a need to set up a ramp on GT Road on the Howrah side to prevent traffic bottleneck.

[jdutta2002]

BS Reporter / Kharagpur September 17, 2007



Delays in land allotment is holding back the plans of Infosys to set up an IT park in Kolkata.

N R Narayana Murthy, non-executive chairman, Infosys, on the sidelines of the 53rd annual convocation of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, said it was up to the West Bengal government to start the project.

"The ball is in the West Bengal government's court now. Once they identify the land , the project would come up," he told reporters.

"West Bengal is an important place for us," he added. He refused to make any further comments on the issue.

Infosys had sought 100 acre for setting up a software development facility in the state. The facility is expected to create around 5,000 jobs in the IT and BPO industry.

According to the earlier plan, Infosys was supposed to get 100 acre at a proposed 850-acre IT facility opposite Vedic Village, a real estate project near Salt Lake area.

[jdutta2002]

Murthy hopes to get land in Kolkata soon
16 Sep, 2007, 0358 hrs IST, TNN

KOLKATA: Infosys Technologies chief mentor N R Narayana Murthy on Saturday said the company is still hopeful that the West Bengal government will shortly identify land for its proposed Kolkata software campus.

"The ball is in the West Bengal government's court to locate suitable land. Kolkata is a great place and we don't want to shelve our plans here," said Mr Murthy.

Mr Murthy, however, did not elaborate further, saying "I am not up-to-date with the company's business affairs." He was talking to reporters on the sidelines of the 53rd convocation of IIT-KGP.

Incidentally, IIT-KGP awarded the title of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) to Mr Murthy.

Infosys plans to set up a software campus over 100 acres which is slated to generate at least 5,000 IT/ITeS jobs.

[sidney_jec]

Source: ibnlive.com


KMC to lease 5 acres of land, builders queue up
Monday September 17, 09:00 PM
Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation wants to lease five acres of the city's prime property.

Last year, DLF-Hilton paid the municipality Rs 32 crore an acre and Emmar MGF paid Rs 35 crore. This year, analysts see more than 50 per cent appreciation. That's because it's strategically located. Besides, the area is dotted with hotels and is a commercial district.

"There won't be any more residential allotment on the bypass. So, any land bank, which comes for bid, would be for commercial usage. Which I suppose is very nice because you know you have created that stretch and you should not waste it doing residential,” said Regional Director, Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj, Abhijeet Das.

Besides, this commercial district offers, a 450-metre frontage with no height restriction. That's why companies like DLF, Unitech, ITC Emmar MGF and Leela are expected to bid.

Sources say that the minimum bid would range between Rs 350 and 450 crore. The bids opened on September 12 and will close on October 5.

Connecting the airport in the north and the metro railway in the south, the EM Bypass has become one of the hottest properties in Kolkata. But who will bid for the five-acre plot in Kolkata, we would have to wait and watch.

[sidney_jec]

Source: TheStatesman.net



Heritage hub on the river
Statesman News Service
Kolkata, Sept. 17: The Army and the state government have grand plans to set up a world class heritage site and tourist spot at both east and west ends of Prinsep Ghat. The proposal, which has come from Army authorities, include setting up of an amphitheatre, a floating theatre jetty, a mobile military-railway museum and even a bird sanctuary and a waterbody.
The state transport secretary, Mr Sumantra Chowdhury, today held a meeting with Army officials, railways and officials of Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners and environmentalists to discuss the proposal. According to the proposal put forward by the Army, an amphitheatre would be erected at the Kolkata end of Vidyasagar Setu by HRBC. Alternatively, the site may be used as a band stand. The land on which the project will come up belongs to the defence ministry. There are proposals for the setting up of a floating theatre at the Man of War jetty. A 30 foot high stage would be erected over a barge while the audience would be sitting at the banks. Both the stage and the amphitheatres would only be used for cultural functions and there would be a bar on social and political ones. The forest department would set up a bird sanctuary as well.
There are also proposals for setting up a mobile Army and railway museum where arms and ammunition would be put on show. A museum on Netaji is also on the anvil where the inmates of Cellular Jail in Andamans would also find a special mention. Tanks from Bangladesh war may also find a place. The chief minister, himself, has insisted that the site should be named after Sir James Prinsep.
According to a state government official present in the meeting, the Army has proposed that the state government should put in around Rs five crore but that is still under consideration of the finance department.

[Suncity]

Anyone heard about this (proposed) project?

From the Meinhardt website

Render

http://img468.imageshack.us/img468/8387/bengalnricomplexzq4.jpg

Bengal NRI Complex

http://www.meinhardt.com.au/projectdetail.php?pid=3934

Location: Kolkata
Country: India
Client: Bengal NRI Complex Limited
Architect: ACTA, Singapore

The Bengal NRI Complex, a 67 acre township development with a total built up area of 7.6 lakh Sq ft, is a fine blend of luxury with safety and security, supported by the state of the art building management system. This first of its kind ambitious development comprise of 150 independent residential bungalows, a recreational building, 2 towers of G+ 41 storeys, 5 towers of G+ 35 storey, and 1 level of basement car park each. The independent bungalows comprise of 3 bedroom apartments of 2,145 Sqft to hi-tech 5 bedroom duplex of 6,825 sqft built-up-area.

Meinhardt is providing Infrastructure Master-planning and Detailed Engineering design services for C&S and MEP.

The only thing that I came up with in google search is from WBIDC website:

http://www.wbidc.com/about_wb/social_infrastructure.htm

The Bengal NRI Complex, Prachi, is being built on the eastern fringe of the EM Bypass

[Suncity]

Shriram partners Int funds for Rs 5,000 cr township

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Services/Property__Cstruction/Shriram_partners_Int_funds_for_Rs_5000_cr_township/articleshow/2381049.cms

Shriram Properties Ltd has tied up with funds of Walton Street Capital and Starwood Capital Group to develop a Rs 5,000 crore township on Hindustan Motors Uttarpara property.

HM signed an MoU with Shriram Properties for real estate development on 314 acre excess land at Uttarpara in Hooghly district, about 12 km from Kolkata.

A Shriram Properties statement said the development would encompass 20 million square feet of residential, retail, office and civic space.

HM had earlier said that it would hand over 314 acre in Uttarpara over the next two years to Bengal Shriram High Tech City Ltd, a joint venture with Shriram Properties Ltd of Bangalore with the auto company.

HM would hold a minority stake in the venture.

[wcgokul]

^^ awesome......Billion dollar+ project........:)

[Civitas]

Real picture of West Bengal communists ... courtesy Rabin-da

Alas!! What can Budhhadeb do !! Yesterday he confessed that contribution of Indian communists in Oxford dictionary is the word 'Gherao'. I really feel sorry about him.

These monsters are created by them and whole state is suffering.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070919/asp/calcutta/story_8326964.asp


Leader scuttles car park ban

The underground parking lot and the pedestrian plaza on Lindsay Street, unveiled five months ago to ease congestion, have been reduced to a farce — thanks to the intervention by a CPM leader on behalf of attendants manning parking lots near New Market.

.......
.......

And they are not just dropping a name. CPM strongman Rabin Deb told Metro: “Yes, I have spoken to mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya and municipal commissioner Alapan Bandyopadhyay and told them not to impose restrictions on roadside parking in the New Market area till the Puja. As people prefer to park on the road (rather than underground), let them (the parking attendants) earn some money now.”

[SarafIndian]

One of the world's premier real estate private equity funds, Starwood Capital, is planning to start a 200-room luxury hotel in the city at a cost of about Rs 250 crore. Starwood has assets under management of over $6 billion.

"We will tie up with a local partner for the five-star property in central Kolkata. While the local partner will provide land, the majority of the investment will be made by us," Starwood Capital India Advisors managing director Balaji Rao said. "Work on the hotel project is likely to start this year," he added.

However, Rao refused to disclose the name of the partner saying doing so would be premature. He also ruled out any immediate possibility of taking over an existing hotel property in Kolkata.

Starwood owns luxury hotel brands like Crillon and Baccarat in Europe, the Caribbean Islands and US.

Beside hotels, Starwood's realty investments include residential and commercial land development, office, retail, mixed-use, industrial, health clubs and golf courses.

Starwood, on behalf of its affiliated funds, has led the formation of several market leading companies, which include Groupe Taittinger and Societe du Louvre, Europe's second largest hotel network and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

Kolkata has recently been seeing a lot of interest from hotel majors, with DLF proposing to pump in Rs 600 crore on setting up a hospitality project here. Emaar Properties too is expected to start construction on its proposed hotel in the city shortly.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Business/India_Business/Starwood_to_set_up_hotel_in_Kolkata/articleshow/2381551.cms

[SarafIndian]

HCL Infosystem Ltd will develop a system integration centre here in the next 8-12 months.

'We will develop a system integration centre here. We would be able to deliver projects in West Bengal and also outside the state. The project would tentatively be completed within next 8-12 months,' HCL Infosystem Ltd chairman and CEO Ajai Chowdhry told reporters on the sidelines of an IT seminar, ICT East 2007, organised by Confederation of Indian Industry here Tuesday.


He said 1.5 acres of land has been bought at Rs.10.2 million per acre on the southern fringe of the city.


'We will develop a training centre, regional data centre and a repairing centre. It would be the second system integration centre of HCL in India,' said Chowdhry.


HCL Infosystem already has one system integration centre in Chandigarh. The company is planning to develop five such centres across the country in the near future, he added.


HCL's computer hardware manufacturing plants include four facilities - two centres at Puducherry and one each at Chennai and Uttarakhand.


'We have already identified nine areas like telecom, airport, power, e-governance, banking and finance, etc. on which this system integration centre can work on,' he said.


'We are also going to launch five more integrated systems such as media and entertainment, retail, railway, airports and health from this year,' he added.


'We will hire about 1,000 people locally at the Kolkata centre,' said Chowdhry.

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/india/news/article_1357192.php/HCL_to_set_up_system_integration_centre_in_Kolkata

[sidney_jec]

source: Statesman website


IBS to set up new residential campus
Statesman News Service
KOLKATA, Sept 18: The ICFAI Business School (IBS) will be opening a new residential campus in the city in two years time, the director of IBS, Prof Santanu Ray, announced today.
The authorities of the business school said they were presently looking for suitable sites where the campus can be built. “We have planned to come up with a residential campus for which we require about 25-30 acres of land. We are discussing the matter with the state chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and we have also committed a Rs 100 crore investment in West Bengal,” said Prof Ray.
He added that the new campus will be a residential one, in order to provide greater opportunities to students to interact with the faculty. “Management is not learned in a day. One has to live, eat and sleep management to become an efficient management professional.” The new campus, however, will not be in Salt Lake like the already existing one. “We are checking out plots at EM Bypass, Kona Expressway and Diamond Harbour and will soon zero down one of these. Once the land is chosen, the campus will come up in a couple of years,” added Prof Ray.
IBS is also trying to get the status of a deemed university for which it is awaiting a no-objection certificate from the West Bengal government. The director today also announced the beginning of the admission of students for the 2008 session of the MBA programme. Students can avail the online admit cards from 20 November at (www.ibsindia.org/ibsat). Interested students will have to sit for the IBSAT test on 16 December.
Prof Arup Choudhuri, associate dean and academic coordinator, finance faculty, said: “The admission procedure consists of two levels. Students will have to make a five-minute micro presentation followed by a two-minute question-answer round. They are then required to clear a domain interview with the director and some faculty members.”
He added, each campus has its own threshold of marking students. The students are asked to give their preferences for six campuses. If they successfully clear the set threshold, they are given admission in their preferred campus.

[Ajaypp]

Anyone heard about this (proposed) project?

From the Meinhardt website

Render

http://img468.imageshack.us/img468/8387/bengalnricomplexzq4.jpg

Bengal NRI Complex

http://www.meinhardt.com.au/projectdetail.php?pid=3934



The only thing that I came up with in google search is from WBIDC website:

http://www.wbidc.com/about_wb/social_infrastructure.htm

Nice project there, Sun. However, 760,000 sft sounds way too small for a project this size. Should be closer to 7.6 million given the scale and the height of the highrises. Impressive! :okay:

[sidney_jec]

Dont know whether these have been posted before..

Calcutta Riverside Masterplan

http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/3653/masterplanid4.jpg

Renders

Plaza near riverside
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/3213/plazanearriversidehousiyz7.jpg

Aprtments
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/6879/riversidepromenadeii7.jpg

http://img487.imageshack.us/img487/3010/river5nd6.jpg

http://img487.imageshack.us/img487/2295/river6pl1.jpg

For more renders visit

http://www.calcuttariverside.com/

[sidney_jec]

Again From the website, images of the actual site:


http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/7651/status1.jpg

http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/240/status2.jpg

http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/4607/status3.jpg

[SarafIndian]

^^ Very nice find. Thanks sidney_jec...

[Suncity]

Nice project there, Sun. However, 760,000 sft sounds way too small for a project this size. Should be closer to 7.6 million given the scale and the height of the highrises. Impressive! :okay:

I was actually a bit surprised the usage of the word 'lakh' in a foreign website.

[Jai]

One of the world's premier real estate private equity funds, Starwood Capital, is planning to start a 200-room luxury hotel in the city at a cost of about Rs 250 crore. Starwood has assets under management of over $6 billion.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Business/India_Business/Starwood_to_set_up_hotel_in_Kolkata/articleshow/2381551.cms

Some more news from Starwood

Starwood, Walton Street to Invest in $1B Mixed-Use Project in India (http://www.cpnonline.com/cpn/content_display/regions/international/e3i31d64fe32d365c02ee13c30e05ed07c1)
Sept 18, 2007
By: Barbra Murray, Contributing Editor

http://www.cpnonline.com/cpn/photos/stylus/10013.jpg

Starwood Capital Group and Walton Street Capital, acting through sponsored funds, have joined forces to invest in a 20 million-square-foot mixed-use project in the Kolkata, West Bengal area that is being developed by India's Shriram Properties. The integrated township will cost an estimated $1 billion to realize.

Located in Uttarpara about 15 miles from central Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, the development will occupy approximately 314 acres of land that had been owned by Hindustan Motors, which will hold a minority stake in the project. Plans for the development call for office, residential and retail space, as well as civic infrastructure. Architectural firm HOK has been tapped to design the project.

Demand for commercial and residential is already strong, but the call for such space is on target to become even stronger. "Kolkata is one of the emerging metropolitan markets in India," Balaji Rao (pictured), Starwood Capital India Advisors managing director, told CPN. "It is a very large metropolitan market but it never had the IT industry that Delhi and Bangalore had. Now supply of residential and commercial space is lagging behind."

According to a report by real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle, developer interest in Kolkata is on the rise, spurred by appealing government initiatives, cost effective land prices, and positive economic drivers. Investment in construction endeavors has been increasing steadily over the last six years, with an annual growth rate of 6 percent. U.S. developers of all property types have been making plans to take advantage of the blossoming real estate market across India. Beverly Hills-based Hilton Hotels Corp. formed a joint venture with India's DLF Ltd. to develop 75 hotels and serviced apartments over the next seven years. Hilton is investing $143 million in the joint venture for a 26 percent ownership, and a few months ago the partnership announced that its first property, the Hilton Garden Inn hotel in Saket, is on target to open next year. Houston-based Hines has also partnered up with DLF, announcing lat month that it had signed a memorandum of understanding to master plan and develop a 15-acre site in Gurgaon. The first phase calls for an 860,000-square-foot office tower.

Greenwich, Conn.-based Starwood is a private global real estate investment firm specializing in the creation and acquisition of real estate-related investments of behalf of commingled investment funds. Starwood and its affiliates have invested approximately $6 billion of equity capital in transactions representing $30 billion of asset value over the last 16 years. Headquartered in Chicago, Walton Street is a private real estate investment company that has received equity commitments totaling over $3.5 billion through its funds since its inception in 1995.

Website of Shriram Properties (http://www.shriprop.com/)

[sidney_jec]

Some more news from Starwood

Starwood, Walton Street to Invest in $1B Mixed-Use Project in India (http://www.cpnonline.com/cpn/content_display/regions/international/e3i31d64fe32d365c02ee13c30e05ed07c1)


Website of Shriram Properties (http://www.shriprop.com/)

Jai is this project apart from the township being developed on HM land or the same project??

[Jai]

the hell if I know :)

[Suncity]

RMZ Corp. Creates History By Being The First Developer In India To Be Awarded LEED Pre-Certification - Platinum for Ecospace, Kolkata - Gold for RMZ Millenia Business Park, Chennai

http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/construction-building/200709214646.htm

RMZ Corp. India’s leading corporate real estate developer has received the distinction of being the first developer ever in India to be awarded a LEED pre-certification for its projects. The company has been awarded LEED Pre-Certified Platinum Rating (Core & Shell) Green Building in India for Ecospace Kolkata and LEED Pre-Certified Gold Rating (Core & Shell) Green Building in India for RMZ Millenia Business Park, Chennai.

Ecospace comprises of eight state-of-the-art towers across 2 million sq. ft. of built-up area on 20 acres of land. Incidentally – It is India’s first project to get precertification for Platinum rating. It would also have gyms, food courts, specialty restaurants and incubation centers. 60% of the land will be kept open keeping in mind the need for protecting the environment. This project is a joint initiative between Ambuja Realty and RMZ Corp and owned in equal measures. RMZ Corp will provide the master plan, concept plan and implement the project on behalf of Ambuja Realty. The project will complete in 30 months with the first phase of handover, on a lease basis, beginning in 18 months time.

Ecospace, Kolkata is the first project in India to get a pre certification for platinum rating. The Design Team of Ecospace, Kolkata, in addition to the LEED requirements have also attempted innovations such as

use of locally manufactured regional materials
reduction of water use up to 50%
Green education propagation

[sidney_jec]

Source: TOI Epaper


New company for better urban planning

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: Funds might be coming in thick and fast for Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s government — from the Centre or private companies. Even projects worth Rs 2,800 crore have already been cleared by the Centre. But, be it flyovers, roads, shopping malls or townships, the state government always has to hire professional bodies for preparing its projects for Kolkata and elsewhere in the state.
Now, the state urban development department has formed a joint sector company with the renowned IL&FS Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (IIDC), to bring professional expertise in preparing projects for urban areas. The joint sector company has been named Bengal Urban Infrastructure Private Limited.
A study on projects like the ring road would be taken up by the company. Many subsequent ventures in urban areas, including roads, bridges, flyovers, water treatment plants, drainage plans, malls, townships and so on, can be prepared professionally before the project is placed before the Centre or funds from private companies are sought.
The new company, jointly owned
by the state and IL&FS on a 50-50 share basis, has been formed primarily for preparation and implementation of private-public-partnership (PPP) projects.
Urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya said preliminary studies required before taking up important projects, for which land acquisition is essential, can be done by this company.

[IndiansUnite]

DLF announces Rs 700-cr IT park (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blnus/02261324.htm)

DLF Ltd has announced plans to develop its second IT Park in Kolkata. The company is developing the facility on 25 acres of land offering 2.5 million sq ft of IT/ITES workspace.

Mr A.S. Minocha, Chairman of DLF Commercial Developers Ltd, said: "We believe that our upcoming IT Park will become an important part of the new IT Corridor at New Town Rajarhat, and will generate 40,000 jobs, directly or indirectly."

The IT Park will involve an investment of Rs 700 crore and will be developed in phases. The first phase is expected to get operational by the end of this year or early next year. - Our Bureau

[dover16]

DLF announces Rs 700-cr IT park (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blnus/02261324.htm)

More from Telegraph:


http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070927/images/27DLF.jpg
Building dreams

DLF lines up second tech park
KAKOLY CHATTERJEE

New Delhi, Sept. 26: DLF plans to set up its second infotech park at Rajarhat with an investment of Rs 800-1,000 crore.

Spread over 2.5 million sq ft, the park will have six towers. DLF officials said the project was slated to be completed by the end of 2009. The first phase is likely to be completed by the end of this year.

Companies such as GE, Siemens, IBM, Microsoft, Semantec and Accenture were expected to take up commercial space in these towers, the officials added.

The park will also have a residential complex, recreational centres and malls. It is also likely to house the company’s multiplex chain DT cinemas.

The Delhi-based realtor is estimated to have invested Rs 350 crore in the first IT park at Rajarhat. The park, covering 1.3 million sq ft, has three towers. The first tower has been taken up by IBM.

In the next seven to eight years, DLF plans to invest Rs 90,000-Rs 100,000 crore in Bengal. In the pipeline are a Rs 500-crore luxury retail wing to be completed by 2009 and a chain of three hotels in a joint venture with the Hilton group at an investment of Rs 1,000 crore.

DLF has also drawn up plans to build an integrated township in Durgapur covering 95 acres.

It is a public-private partnership project envisaged by the Asansol Durgapur Development Authority.

The project, involving an investment of up to Rs 4,000 crore, is expected to be completed in four years.

Based on a cross-subsidy model, the Durgapur project will have co-operative housing plots, residence for low, middle and high-income groups as well as bungalows, individual plots, commercial and retail space.

The township will have multiple environment protection measures such as solar lights, rain-water harvesting, waste-water management and a sewage treatment plant.

DLF officials said the cabinet in Bengal recently agreed to allow the company to directly purchase land for the development of another proposed township at Dankuni.

[SarafIndian]

^^ DLF investments in bengal prove how bengal's investment climate is booming.. :banana:

[sidney_jec]

Does anyone has any idea about the status of the INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL to be built by Shrishti Developers?

http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/6050/shristihotelkukrejamt2sf5.jpg

[trilion_2000]

DLF Creating New Generation Workspaces in Kolkata

DLF Ltd has announced its second IT Park in Kolkata. The Company is developing this state of the art, world-class facility on 25 acres of land offering 2.5 million sq.ft. of IT/ITES workspace.

Speaking about this DLF IT Park, Mr. AS Minocha, Chairman DLF Commercial Developers Ltd said, "With a succession of our first fully leased and operational IT Park in Kolkata, we have seen the inclination towards the city froth many IT/ITES Companies and believe that our upcoming IT Park will become an important part of the new IT Corridor at New Town Rajarhat, and at the same time will generate 40,000 jobs, directly or indirectly."

DLF IT Park spells success. It will present an ultramodern integrated Tech City that offers a modem workspace and is fully-equipped to operate any IT/ITES major 24X7. The IT Park space is spread over an area of 25 acres and will offer developed workspace clubbed with serviced apartments, retail and recreational, all set to revolutionize IT workspace in New IT Corridor. Efficiently designed by the renowned architects, it is a ready-built IT workspace to offer unmatched scalable advantages.

This IT Park will involve an investment of Rs 700 crores approx and will be developed in Phases. The first phase of the said development is expected to get operational by the end of this year or early next year. It would cater to all the international and national IT/ITES Companies and will be surely the first choice for IT-ITES Companies in times to come.

The location advantage of DLF IT Park is not found elsewhere in Kolkata. It is located in the new IT corridor of New Town, Rajarhat and in close proximity to key residential areas and Salt Lake. The project is just 10 minutes drive from CBD and Airport.

Over the past decade DLF properties have emerged as the preferred destination for both Indian as well as multinational conglomerates apart from leading IT/ITES firms due to its cost effective office space and best in class infrastructure. DLF is also responsible for triggering the corporate shift from Delhi to Gurgaon in 1990's based on the "walk to work" culture. This culture implied that corporates could now co-locate their offices and residential places in order to save time in commuting.

Source: Equity Bulls

Posted On: 9/26/2007 2:20:19 AM

[arijeetb]

DLF Creating New Generation Workspaces in Kolkata

DLF Ltd has announced its second IT Park in Kolkata. The Company is developing this state of the art, world-class facility on 25 acres of land offering 2.5 million sq.ft. of IT/ITES workspace.

Speaking about this DLF IT Park, Mr. AS Minocha, Chairman DLF Commercial Developers Ltd said, "With a succession of our first fully leased and operational IT Park in Kolkata, we have seen the inclination towards the city froth many IT/ITES Companies and believe that our upcoming IT Park will become an important part of the new IT Corridor at New Town Rajarhat, and at the same time will generate 40,000 jobs, directly or indirectly."

DLF IT Park spells success. It will present an ultramodern integrated Tech City that offers a modem workspace and is fully-equipped to operate any IT/ITES major 24X7. The IT Park space is spread over an area of 25 acres and will offer developed workspace clubbed with serviced apartments, retail and recreational, all set to revolutionize IT workspace in New IT Corridor. Efficiently designed by the renowned architects, it is a ready-built IT workspace to offer unmatched scalable advantages.

This IT Park will involve an investment of Rs 700 crores approx and will be developed in Phases. The first phase of the said development is expected to get operational by the end of this year or early next year. It would cater to all the international and national IT/ITES Companies and will be surely the first choice for IT-ITES Companies in times to come.

The location advantage of DLF IT Park is not found elsewhere in Kolkata. It is located in the new IT corridor of New Town, Rajarhat and in close proximity to key residential areas and Salt Lake. The project is just 10 minutes drive from CBD and Airport.

Over the past decade DLF properties have emerged as the preferred destination for both Indian as well as multinational conglomerates apart from leading IT/ITES firms due to its cost effective office space and best in class infrastructure. DLF is also responsible for triggering the corporate shift from Delhi to Gurgaon in 1990's based on the "walk to work" culture. This culture implied that corporates could now co-locate their offices and residential places in order to save time in commuting.

Source: Equity Bulls

Posted On: 9/26/2007 2:20:19 AM

With phase 1 getting completed by year end this is a positive announcement from DLF.:)

[dover16]

http://www.bengalpeerless.com/gallery/alaktika/alaktika.jpg

At New Town nature will be your next door neighbour .It will be a township with vast stretches of green belts- of sprawling parks, landscaped canals and treelined avenues.Set amidst this serene sylvan green, at Alaktika nature will escort you to the door and peace will usher you in.It is designed for people who believe that lots of light, space and clean air are essential for good living.
Alaktika is at a convenient distance from all the necessary facilities, be it prime Educational Institutions, Healthcare Units, Shopping Arcades or Airport.
So you are right in the middle of the most happening area in the city. Yet cocooned in solitude in an island of green. .
Bengal Peerless is a Joint Sector Company of West Bengal Housing Board and The Peerless General Finance and Investment Company Limited. Driven by a social commitment to provide quality housing with ambience for peace for the People of all section of society, the company has developed various housing projects like Anupama, Animikha, Sonar Taree and Avishikta.
Alaktika the second housing project of Bengal Peerless at Newtown offers architecture blended with nature , serenity and life .

Location : NewTown, Kolkata
No. Of Flats : 390

http://www.bengalpeerless.com/Images/alaktika_siteplan_big.jpg

http://www.bengalpeerless.com/Images/alaktika_loc_big.jpg

[Civitas]

^^
Alaktika is a 3.5 years old project. Now it is nearing completion.

[Jai]

Does anyone has any idea about the status of the INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL to be built by Shrishti Developers?

http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/6050/shristihotelkukrejamt2sf5.jpg

KOLKATA | Vedic Hotels | 150m (http://indianskyscraperblog.wordpress.com/2007/07/17/kolkata-vedic-hotels-150m-app/)

[Nitro]

^^
So am i right in saying that two of the most tallest projects in Kolkata are still at the proposal stage?

[sidney_jec]

KOLKATA | Vedic Hotels | 150m (http://indianskyscraperblog.wordpress.com/2007/07/17/kolkata-vedic-hotels-150m-app/)

Thanks for the link..
anws does anyone have any inf abt the commencement of construction activities at the site??

[Jai]

^^
So am i right in saying that two of the most tallest projects in Kolkata are still at the proposal stage?

That's a fair statement. Those three and 'diamond top' or whatever it is called

[dover16]

From Times of India ePaper (Sat Sep. 29, 2007)

Magnet House converted to swanky E Mall

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: Funan IT Mall and Sim Lim Square in Singapore. Panthip Plaza in Bangkok. And now, E Mall in Kolkata.
India’s first speciality mall for electrical and electronic goods opened its doors on Friday, introducing a one-stop shop for all electrical and digital products. It also embodies the successful renovation-cum-conversion of an 80-year-old office building into a chic mall.
The makeover of GEC Magnet House on Chittaranjan Avenue into the 80,000 sq feet E Mall costs Rs 38 crore. Its locational advantage — at the vortex of the electronic trade hub in the Chandni market-Madan Street-Ganesh Chandra Avenue belt — has attracted major brands in television, home entertainment goods, office appliances, cellphones and electrical goods.
The four-level mall has 40 shops in the first two levels. The third level is occupied by Pantaloon Retail’s electronic store. The fourth level has a food court.
Promoted by Hooghly Investments, a concern of Hooghly Enterprises that owns 11 jute units, SembCorp E&C of Singapore has done the renovation. The renowned Asian engineering and construction services firm had also engineered the makeover of a hotel into Funan IT mall. The mall interiors have been done by J P Agarwal.
“Renovation will help retain heritage buildings and make
these commercially viable as well. Magnet House was a solid structure. While retaining the exterior shell, walls, columns and beams were reinforced. Nearly 60% of the floor had to be recast. But it has been worth the effort,” said Hooghly Investments CEO Sanjay Bajoria.
Mackinnon Mackenzie building at Dalhousie and Metropolitan Building at Esplanade are also being renovated for re-use. Pantaloon Retail will be involved in these, too.

[dover16]

From Times of India ePaper (Sunday Sep. 30, 2007)
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JS00vMjAwNy8wOS8zMCNQYzAwMjA0&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom

On makeover track

If Eastern Railway has its way, the chaotic Howrah station will have a new terminal with world-class facilities for suburban trains. Jayanta Gupta reports


For those passing through the chaotic and crowded Howrah station daily, this could come as a breath of fresh air. Eastern Railway is planning to build a separate terminal for suburban trains in Howrah. If everything falls into place, the terminal will take three years to build at a projected cost of Rs 300 crore.
The grand plan has been submitted to the Railway Board with an appeal for a detailed survey. “The idea is to create more capacity at Howrah and develop it into a world-class station. Demand for passenger trains is growing. Once the freight corridors become a reality, we will have to start thinking about more revenue generation from passenger traffic. If we create a separate terminal for suburban trains, we can handle more long-distance ones at Howrah station,” says A K Maitra, divisional railway manager, Howrah.
Land has already been selected to the north of the existing complex. The proposed terminal will come up to the north of Rabindra Setu, beyond the Kolkata Port Trust quarters. As ER has a lot of vacant land there, there’s no question of acquisition. However, local trains will have to take an elevated path to reach the spot.
Plans are on to start the elevated section between Howrah and the EMU Carshed (about two km from Howrah). The elevated tracks will cross two major roads in Howrah — Kings Road and Dobson Road, before reaching the terminal. The platforms will also be elevated with sufficient space at ground level for a modern bus stand. Once buses are shifted there, the area around the existing station complex will be decongested. Since the site will be on the banks of the Hooghly, ferry services can also be arranged up to Armenian Ghat, Fairlie Place, Shipping and Babughat.
For commuters, it will be a dream come true. Commuting to work will no longer mean long waits in crowded trains — upto 20 minutes at times — in the yard outside Howrah. There are plans to construct five elevated double discharge platforms. This will help commuters to get off trains faster. Escalators have been planned to take them to the ground floor. There are also plans to create a moveable pathway between the new terminal and the existing complex. The Foreshore Road will also be widened and extended to the new terminal. This will allow movement towards Vivekananda Setu on the Howrah side.
“Such steps will have to be taken to decongest Kolkata. People will prefer to live in the suburbs once they realise that they can reach Howrah by train in barely 15-20 minutes. The state government will have to work out details such as transportation to and from the new terminal. Traffic flow will be much smoother once the area around the existing complex is cleared up,” Maitra says.
The Howrah complex will still have to handle suburban trains of South Eastern Railway. Maitra says that even these trains can be taken to Shalimar if the government improves connectivity.
Maitra feels construction will not be a problem once the project is cleared — in spite of the fact that the elevation will have to be quite high to clear the existing Bankim Setu. Railway engineers have already worked out the technical details. There may be some hiccups on the funding issue, however.
Once the rate of return has been calculated, it will have to be decided how much the state government will have to contribute, whether a special purpose vehicle (SPV) will have to be launched or if there needs to be private participation.

[sidney_jec]

Source: Economicyimes.com


Bengal energy sector to see Rs 5k-cr investment

1 Oct, 2007, 0314 hrs IST, TNN

KOLKATA: West Bengal is slated to attract investments of over Rs 5,000 crore in the renewable energy segment in the next five years. Bulk of this will go into setting up capacities for manufacturing equipment for the sector.

“Over the past three years, West Bengal has attracted investments of Rs 1,200 crore in setting up 200 MW green generation capacities revolving around solar, mini-hydel and bio-mass resources.

In the next five years, the state will witness investments of Rs 5,000 crore in this area. As much as 60% of the investments will go into setting up manufacturing units that will cater to the renewable energy segment,” West Bengal government’s special secretary to the power department SP Gon Chaudhuri told reporters in Kolkata last week. He was talking to reporters at a press conference to discuss and share the roadmap for Indo-German collaboration in the power and energy sectors. “We are targeting an additional capacity of 500 MW by 2015 in the green energy sector,” he added.

Incidentally, a team representing 16 German companies is visiting the city to meet various stakeholders including the state power minister Mrinal Banerjee. “We have identified 3-4 projects in the non-conventional energy segment and work is likely to begin over the next few months,” said an official from the delegation.

Incidentally, Germany accounts for around 30% of global power generation from non-conventional sources. Global capacity in the segment is currently placed at about 1,00,000 MW. Nevertheless, this delegation has selected West Bengal and Maharashtra for entering the green energy sector in India.

The German delegation has also decided to set up a vocational system of training for West Bengal and Maharashtra to hone manpower skills in the green energy sector.

Dwelling on India’s potential for generating power from solar energy, Mr Chaudhuri said: “The country can generate 7,00,000 MW of power from solar energy, while the potential for wind energy is about 45,000 MW.”

[SarafIndian]

It has been 16 months since Metro leased 7.53 acres of land along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass from the state government and its industrial development agency

The Indian cash and carry arm of German retail giant Metro AG, which is getting ready for a court battle in Bangalore, where it has been accused of overstepping its mandate of selling only to institutions and retailers, may have reason to smile—in Kolkata.
After eight months of battling it out in Kolkata’s civil court, the high court and even the Supreme Court, the multinational has finally won permission to resume construction of its first store in the city.
This means that the firm can launch its operations in the city in due course. It has been 16 months since Metro leased 7.53 acres of land along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass from the state government and its industrial development agency. In February, the company found itself dragged into a 45-year-old litigation over the ownership of the land it had leased.
That was when the Alipore civil court, where the case was being heard, issued an injunction restraining Metro, or any third party in the case, from changing the character of the land till the case was cleared. Metro appealed to the court to vacate the injunction, with the state government too pressing its case. When this was not immediately granted, the company moved the Calcutta high court and later the Supreme Court, only to be returned to the lower court each time.
Finally, on Friday, the court vacated the earlier stay. Officially confirming the district court’s ruling vacating the stay on the construction of its wholesale centre, company’s spokesman Manish Bhargava refused to elaborate on what would be next on its agenda.
Another company executive, who did not wish to be identified, said the company’s board is expected to meet this week to chalk out a plan for Kolkata. “The tentative plan is to open about four-five stores in the city by 2010,” he said. However, Metro’s efforts to pick up land at other locations in the city have not been successful.
Metro’s entry into Kolkata hinges on the one property it leased. The firm, which has already hired 60-odd people in preparation for its rollout, has been deploying the workforce in Bangalore and Hyderabad where it has stores, while it waited for the litigation to end.
Metro, with its cash and carry format, has not faced much opposition in West Bengal until now. Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, talking about his party’s objection to the entry of foreign direct investment in the retailing of agricultural produce at the meeting of the executive body of industry lobby Ficci, said Metro has been allowed in the state as an experiment.
The strong opposition posed by parties such as Forward Bloc, a constituent of the Left Front government in the state, and the main opposition party Trinamool Congress, has already spooked the rollout plan of several organized players in the agri-retail sector, including Reliance Industries Ltd and ITC Ltd. The Forward Bloc has made some noise about the entry of Metro, too, although it has focused its ire squarely on Reliance.

http://www.livemint.com/2007/10/03001840/Kolkata-court-vacates-stay-on.html

[SarafIndian]

http://www.newkerala.com/oct.php?action=fullnews&id=7809

Ohhh.. I am not able to copy the contents :wallbash: .. Can anybody post the screenshot of the page??..

[sidney_jec]

Source: TelegraphIndia.com

Can anyone pls confirm this..:shocked:
or is it just a typo


Setu due for special effects
- A GARLAND OF LIGHTS, A COAT OF COLOUR
SIMI KAMBOJ

A Rs 6-crore scheme has been drawn up to beautify Vidyasagar Setu. A Telegraph picture
After Howrah bridge, it’s the turn of Vidyasagar Setu to don a new look. By December, the 15-year-old Setu will be illuminated and given a coat of paint as part of a Rs 6-crore scheme of the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC), the custodian of the structure.

“Philips has designed a lighting scheme for the bridge. We’ve asked the company to restrict the cost to Rs 5 crore. The annual electricity charges will be around Rs 30 lakh,” said a state transport department official.

Paint manufacturers — including Asian Paints, Berger and Jenson & Nicholson — have been asked to provide samples. “These will be used by computer applicators to work out combinations that will suit the structure,” said an HRBC official.

Transport secretary Sumantra Chowdhury said the beautification is likely to be complete by December. “In addition, the Park Street and Gariahat flyovers will be painted by the Puja. The HRBC will fund these projects,” he added.

Construction of the nine-lane Vidyasagar Setu, which can bear a load of 85,000 vehicles daily, began in 1978. It was opened in October 1992 by the then Prime Minister, P.V. Narasimha Rao. The contractor consortium of Braithwaite, Burn and Jessop built the structure — which has a main span with a length of around 457 metres — at a cost of Rs 388 crore. The Calcutta Port Trust (CPT) lit up the 64-year-old Howrah bridge in November last year. The eight-month project cost Rs 3.5 crore.

“All famous bridges of the world look attractive when they are photographed in the evening. A well-decorated Vidyasagar Setu will be another feather in our cap,” said a CPT official.

[dover16]

http://www.newkerala.com/oct.php?action=fullnews&id=7809

Ohhh.. I am not able to copy the contents :wallbash: .. Can anybody post the screenshot of the page??..

Here it is ..

Kolkata, Oct 2 - The Indian IT industry is battling a severe shortage of skilled professionals that may slow its progress on the fast growth track. This is especially true in West Bengal, which has emerged as one of the fastest growing IT destinations.

'Every year, about 300,000 IT professionals pass out from different universities across India. But only 10 percent of them are employable by MNCs operating in India. This is a crucial problem the industry is now facing,' National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) vice-chairman and ZenSar Technologies CEO Ganesh Natarajan told IANS.

According to a Nasscom-McKinsey study conducted recently, India will face a severe shortage of 500,000 knowledge workers by 2010. The study also pointed out that there are alarming indications of a mismatch between academic performance and industry expectations.

Natarajan said Nasscom is tying-up with finishing schools and encouraging centre of excellence programmes to develop manpower quality across India.

The IT and ITes industry in West Bengal, which has emerged as a one-stop destination for IT giants like Cognizant, IBM, Wipro, and HCL, is also facing a similar crunch.

'To meet this challenge we, on behalf of the state government, will collaborate to set up finishing schools in the state. Presently, there are two finishing schools -- in Kolkata and Durgapur. We are setting up a third in Siliguri shortly,' West Bengal principal secretary, IT department, Siddharth told IANS.

He said the government is also considering other places in West Bengal for setting up similar finishing schools to meet requirements of the IT sector.

West Bengal IT Minister Debesh Das has pointed out that the state would require 200,000 IT professionals by 2010. Presently there are about 44,000 IT professionals working in the sector in West Bengal.

The state has about four million sq ft of space occupied by IT and ITeS companies. It is expected that by 2010, they will occupy an additional 20 million sq ft.

The sector is growing at a rate of 71 percent in West Bengal against the national growth rate of 36 percent. The IT and ITeS sector in West Bengal generates about Rs.32 billion worth of business every year.

'Since West Bengal is poised for rapid growth in IT and ITeS in the next few years, our aim is to help bridge the gap between quality engineering graduates and the industry standard,' said Siddharth.

[SarafIndian]

Following controversies over land acquisition for industrial projects, the Kolkata Metropolitian Development Authority has decided to acquire 4,800 acre directly for the Rs 50,000-crore Dankuni township project to be developed by real estate major, DLF.

"We have decided to acquire the land directly from farmers for the township and we have prepared an attractive rehabilitation package," state's Urban Development Minister Asok Bhattacharyya said at an interactive session with the members of the Merchant Chamber of Commerce.

Under the normal process land is acquired by the Land and Land Reforms Department and then transfered to the project developer.

"We have formed a procurement committee which will negotiate with the land owners within the price band fixed by the district magistrate in consultation with the Land and Land Reforms department," he said.

"This will reduce misgivings about acquisition and also reduce legal cases generally associated with land buyout," he said.

Under the rehabilitation package each family that lives below the poverty line would be provided two cottah of homeshead land. Land losers would be provided space at cost in the commercial complexes if they desired.

"The children of the land losers will be provided education up to class XII for free. One member of the family will be provided technical education. We have also decided to avoid places of worship, burial grounds, places thickly populate areas," Bhattacharyya said.

http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=508564

[dover16]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071004/asp/calcutta/story_8392779.asp

Airport duo in suburbs
A STAFF REPORTER
Plans for a second airport in Calcutta are yet to see the light of day, but if chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has his way, two small private airports could come up on the northern fringes soon.

Airstrips at Kanchrapara and Barrackpore, owned by the defence ministry, may be leased out to private parties for the purpose.

“The defence ministry has already given the nod. The airstrips will be developed by private parties,” Bhattacharjee said, while speaking at the 102nd annual general meeting of the Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BNCCI) on Wednesday.

These two airports will be modelled on the airport at Andal, near Asansol.

“We need smaller airports within the state, apart from the one at Dum Dum,” Bhattacharjee said, adding that another new airport at Cooch Behar was ready and would be operational shortly.

The Airports Authority of India will expand Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at Dum Dum and the work will be completed by 2010. But the chief minister feels that even after expansion, the airport would barely suffice in handling the growing traffic till 2015.

“Both domestic and international air traffic is growing steadily,” Bhattacharjee said, adding that the airlines are demanding more operations from the city and are planning to increase connectivity around the globe.

Listing the upcoming infrastructure development projects in the state to the BNCCI members, Bhattacharjee said the Planning Commission and the ministry of railways had approved the East-West Metro corridor, between Salt Lake and Howrah, last week.

He also said the Centre had okayed plans for a deep-sea port in the state near the proposed chemical hub at Nayachar.

[dover16]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071004/asp/calcutta/story_8388061.asp

Riverside luxury in reborn township
SUBHRO SAHA

Start your day with nine holes of golf. Have business meetings downtown — a 25-minute drive away; return to the lure of a candle-lit dinner on the river or simply relax on the promenade.

You can do all this at the Holiday Inn resort, set to come up inside Calcutta Riverside, a part of the Rs 1,400-crore Batanagar rejuvenation project. The 200-room property, with 50 serviced apartments along with a golf course, will be the first of the chain in the state, located on the Hooghly.

The Rs 150-crore “international, four-star deluxe” resort is expected to be opened to guests in 40 months. Holiday Inn is owned by the UK-based InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), which licences it out to franchisees and third parties who operate hotels under management agreements.

The Holiday Inn chain of resorts was founded in 1952 in Memphis, Tennessee, by homebuilder Kemmons Wilson to provide “inexpensive family accommodation” for travellers within the US.

In India, the chain has properties in Goa, Manali, Jaipur, Agra, Khajuraho and Mumbai.

“This will probably be the first resort in the country to have a golf course and a riverfront promenade. The Calcutta Riverside Holiday Inn will also bring to us an experience akin to some the popular waterfront food-and-beverage zones in Bangkok, Singapore, Paris and Amsterdam,” observes a veteran in the hospitality industry.

With an 800-bed multi-speciality hospital also tied up with the Asia Heart Foundation, and international alliances for a “knowledge village” being completed, the contours of the 256.94-acre Batanagar redevelopment are now firmly in place.

Riverbank Holdings (a 50:50 joint venture between Bata India Ltd and Calcutta Metropolitan Group Ltd), implementing Calcutta Riverside, is in the process of tying up with Dulwich College, London, and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, among others, for the knowledge campus.

“We will also be raising $30 million by way of equity for our 25-acre IT SEZ,” says Sumit Dabriwal, the managing director of Riverbank Holdings. The company has cancelled its letter of intent with Reliance Retail for anchoring its 440,000-sq-ft mall. “Instead, Pantaloon Retail will do a large Home Town format and a Big Bazaar,” Dabriwal adds.

[arijeetb]

Source: TelegraphIndia.com

Can anyone pls confirm this..:shocked:
or is it just a typo

It sure is. :lol:

[sidney_jec]

It sure is. :lol:

u never know..
if the govt can have 3 lane roads its no big deal if the bridge is made 9 lane ;)

[sidney_jec]

JUST 28 passenegers on board :(


Source: outlookindia.com


Air India Express service starts maiden operation


KOLKATA, OCT 7 (PTI)
Air India Express, a subsidiary of Air India, began its operations from Kolkata today with a flight to Singapore.

There were 28 passengers on board the maiden flight, airline sources said adding it would operate on the first, third and fifth days of the week.

Speaking on the occasion, Chairman of the National aviation company of India, V Thulasidas said Air India Express would launch flights to Dhaka, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok within a fortnight.

Air India Express would operate Boeing 737-800s on the Kolkata-Singapore sector.

[sidney_jec]

Source: expressindia.com


Howrah township to get a facelift soon

Kolkata, October 7
The Howrah Township is set to get a facelift with the Howrah Development and Rejuvenation Plan (HDRP) launched by the state government. The HDRP is part of a larger road map chalked out by the state government under the Kolkata Urban Services for the Poor (KUSP), an eight-year programme for the Urban Local Bodies (ULB).

In the first step, consultants Mott Mc Donald have been appointed by the DFID to identify three key projects in Howrah and then “market” these internationally in a way to rope in investors. The investors, in turn, will develop the projects. The survey by Mott Mc Donald, which took off last month, is expected to be completed in a year.

“The KUSP will help support HDRP with the purpose of attracting external support,” said Arnab Roy, Project Director, Change Management Unit, KUSP. DFID will be pouring in funds to the tune of Rs 1crore for the development of Howrah.

The KUSP, supported by DFID, will target 38 municipalities and two Municipal Corporations, excluding Kolkata Municipal Corporation. But, a separate HDRP was drawn up to give special focus to the development of Howrah and to improve the living standard of its masses.

Key sectors like housing, road transport, railways and infrastructure will be surveyed of which three sectors will be identified for roping in investment which will change the face of Howrah.

On its part, the state government has proposed the beautification of the riverfront as one of the key projects.

[sidney_jec]

Source: expressindia.com


Durga Puja gift from Beijing: Direct flight for Kolkata

Kolkata, October 7 In The run-up to Durga Puja, a gift from one bastion of Communism to another. Come end October, as the festive season wraps up in West Bengal, people from the state planning a package tour to China will have another reason to celebrate as they would no longer have to go to Delhi to board a flight.
For the first time, Kolkata will be linked directly to China as Eastern China Airline starts operating flights between the West Bengal capital and Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan province.

“Every year a lot of people from eastern India visit China, either for business or for travel. That has necessitated the inauguration of direct flights between Kolkata and Kunming,” Mao Siwei, the first Consul General of China to Kolkata, told The Indian Express.

The much-awaited Chinese Consulate at Kolkata is going to open at the end of this year and Siwei is currently looking for office space. Putting up for the time being at a hotel, Siwei said Kolkata has always been a hub for Chinese people. “It is the only city in India which has a sizeable Chinese population staying in ‘China Town’. You won’t find another China Town in any other city of this counrty,” he said.

Siwei himself is an old India hand, having worked in Chinese missions in New Delhi and Islamabad in the ‘90s. He was also a Visiting Scholar at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University between 1993 and 1998.

Trade is at the back of the mind of both the governments, and the direct flight is another step in that direction. Last year the volume of trade between India and China stood at Rs 78,400 crore. Siwei expects it to rise with the new mission in Kolkata coming up.

Siwei said that’s the message he got from Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee as well. “He told me that he wanted large-scale investment in West Bengal. I told him our government agreed with that,” the Consul General said.

While Chinese firm Dong Fang is already helping build the 600 MW Santaldihi project at Murshidabad, the prospect of more trade has increased since the opening of the Nathu-La border pass.

It was during the three-day visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to India last year that it was agreed that China would set up its second consular office after Mumbai in Kolkata. India at the same time will open its consular office at Guangzhou.

Before the Consulate plan too, Kolkata and Beijing were exploring trade opportunities. In November 2005, Commerce and Industries Minister Nirupam Sen went to China at the invitation of the China Economic Cooperation Center. The 20 frontline industrialists from the state who were part of the delegation were hosted by several high-ranking officials during their visit.

[sidney_jec]

Source: TOI.com


Facelift for bridges linking Bypass

Kolkata: With the Beliaghata bridge repaired, the focus is now on three of the most vital bridges that link key areas in central and south Kolkata to the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass.

Bridges no. 1, 2, and 3 that run parallel to Bridge no. 4, are not only under-utilised, they are the most vital links to EM Bypass and can reduce the load on the much-used Bridge No. 4 connecting Park Circus with Bypass.

However, these three bridges need a facelift. Besides repairs, these bridges and the approach roads need to be widened.

A high-level meeting held three months ago and attended by the top brass of Eastern Railway, Kolkata Municipal Corporation and the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, decided that these three government agencies would coordinate to repair and widen the bridges.

However, three months down the line, the future of these bridges look bleak. In fact, KMC’s deputy chief engineer (roads) Soumitra Bhattacharya made it clear that the civic body had no plans to either repair or widen the bridges or their approach roads.

"We discussed the proposal with Eastern Railway officials who didn’t respond positively," said a senior

KMC official who attended the meeting. Eatern railway officials, on the other hand, pleaded ignorance.

"We learnt of the plan from newspaper reports. We don’t know anything about the project," said a senior
ER official.

A KMDA official also felt that it was too early to take a call. "We have to cross several hurdles before the project is actually taken up. We have to acquire land in order to widen the bridges and the approach roads," the KMDA official said.

Despite the usual passing-the-buck game, there is a consensus among officials of these agencies that these bridges need to be refurbished in order to make them motorable links to the EM Bypass. But there are problems. A visit to Bridge no. 1 shows how difficult it is for motorists to cross it. Only a few choose to drive along the bridge that connects CIT Road to Convent Road and ultimately to the EM Bypass.

The problem with Bridge no. 2 is that the approach road to the bridge, which connects Ananda Palit Road to Pottery Road in Tangra, has been completely taken over by hawkers and vegetable vendors. Hundreds of these vendors need to be removed before the bridge can be repaired or widened.

Though Bridge no. 3 is broader in comparison to the two other bridges, the approach road needs widening. And this can be done only by acquiring land. However, the civic body needs to demolish some railway quarters to acquire the land.

[dover16]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071009/asp/calcutta/story_8413105.asp

Malleria past million mark
- 1.1 million sq ft of shopping space with plex, hotel & park
SUBHRO SAHA

The mall mania in town just grew bigger and moved north.

A million square feet of shopping space with a 13-screen cineplex, Hong Kong-style night market and built-in amusement park, topped by a star hotel — it’s all coming up on Jessore Road.

After its debut in the city with the 200,000-sq-ft Forum on Elgin Road in 2003, mall-eria is set to grow five times and scale the million-sq-ft peak for the first time in 2010.

Being developed by the city-based Fort Group, the 1.1 million-sq-ft “destination mall” coming up opposite the Ordnance Factory could stack up against biggies like Unitech’s Great India Place in Noida (1.5 million sq ft).

The retail block will have three principal anchors — a 100,000-sq-ft in-house furniture format, 150,000 sq ft of electronics and a hypermarket — besides a multiplex and three mini anchors, in books, music and stationery formats.

The Rs 350-crore project will have a 250-room business hotel and 64 serviced apartments, besides a miniature, “Nicco Park-style” entertainment park, themed around a waterbody on the 14.5-acre campus, and parking for 1,800 cars.

“We hope to break ground in March next year and complete construction by March 2010,” Vivek Kathotia of the Fort Group told Metro.

The rest of the retail racks will be taken up by factory outlets across apparel, shoes and fashion accessories.

“Our rentals will be at least 60 per cent less than the city core areas and the aim is to create a destination for all,” stressed Kathotia.

The northward mall movement seems to be just what the consumer ordered.
“With the revival of the north in terms of infrastructure and formatted housing, people want shopping and entertainment options in their neighbourhood,” said Jitendra Khaitan of Pioneer Properties.

While the Fort Group project will be Calcutta’s first million-plus mall, Bengal Unitech Universal will do a 1.2 million-sq-ft retail stop inside its Rajarhat convention centre and Shapoorji Pallonji is planning a 1.4-million-sq-ft mixed-use project, also in New Town.

“With the kind of economic and employment growth predicted in Calcutta in the coming years, ‘million-plus’ malls will have enough secondary demand. But the developers need to ensure that the projects have enough destination value,” says Abhijit Das, the regional director of international property consultants Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj.

The concept design for the Jessore Road mega mall has been done by SAA of Singapore; Calcutta’s Espace and Mumbai-based Shekhar Patki are the ground architects.

“We are leveraging the one-acre waterbody, creating a night bazaar around it, while the 40,000-sq-ft F&B block will also overlook the water,” says Moloy Ghosh of Espace.

A toy train and wading pool for children will be key attractions at the theme park.

[arijeetb]

Map of Kolkata metro showing the proposed stations of East West corridor.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/85/Kolkata_Circular_Metro_rail.jpg

[SarafIndian]

From Statesman (http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=22&theme=&usrsess=1&id=173099)

A matter of great interest

Anindita Chowdhury

KOLKATA, Oct. 10: The estimated cost of the East West Metro has escalated even before a single brick has been laid down for construction. This is because state government officials had overlooked to calculate the interest to be paid to the funding agency during the construction on the loan. The project will now have to go back to the state Cabinet for fresh clearance.
Initially the project cost was estimated at Rs 4310 crore and the completion cost was put at Rs 5068 crore. The state Cabinet had even approved the project on 14 June, this year. However, the Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC) appointed SAPROF study team which has recast the project cost at Rs 4801 crore. The completion cost has also escalated to Rs 5165. “ The interest to be paid during the construction period was not calculated by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation while preparing its study report. Later, the study team appointed by JBIC pointed it out to us about the interest rate of 3 per cent payable quarterly during the six years of construction,” said an official of the state government.
JBIC will provide Rs 2840 crore as loan for a period of 30 years. A total of Rs 233 crore will have to be paid as interest for the construction period. The cost has escalated due to various other reasons too including screen doors on platforms to prevent suicides. It has been decided to install screen doors on platform as a barrier between the platform and tracks as a safety measure at a cost of more than Rs 120 crore. This would also enable the air-conditioning system to work better. The cost has also spiralled due to the decision to construct an eco-friendly terminal station in Central park of Salt Lake in a bid to protect its existing greenery said the official. A JBIC team will again visit in the first week of November after which the decision to grant the loan will be cleared by it.
Incidentally, the state government had earlier decided to cut corners, and terminated the project at Howrah station to save Rs 680 crore instead of Dasnagar as planned in the beginning to peg the project cost at Rs 4200. But it has now escalated once again.

[SarafIndian]

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Centre-asks-state-to-conduct-mobility-study-for-LRTS/227482/

Centre asks state to conduct mobility study for LRTS

Kolkata, October 11: The Central government has asked for a ‘mobility study’ from West Bengal before it sanctions funds for the Light Rapid Transit System (LRTS), which is intended to improve the transport system in Kolkata.
Speaking on the sidelines of a meet on technical education, Managing Director of Consulting Engineering Services (CES) Professor S S Mukherjee said: “Since the project has received in-principle agreement from the Union government, negotiations are on between the state and centre to persuade it to release funds for the project on the precondition that the state will give an in-principle agreement to submitting the mobility report at a later date.” CES has been appointed consultant for the LRTS project by the state government.

The mobility report is an impact assessment study to ascertain the projected effects of the LRTS on movement of people in the city. “In a city like Kolkata, compiling the mobility report is going to be a long-drawn process. As the Central funds are also not going to come at one go, we are urging them to start releasing them to expedite the project,” said Mukherjee.

The Union government is supposed to fund 35 per cent of the construction cost of the Rs 4,300-crore project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Emphasising the need for the LRTS in Kolkata, Mukherjee said, “In the last four years, Kolkata had registered the highest growth among all metros in the number of automobiles plying on the roads. On the other hand, the proportion of road space to total available space in the city is merely 7 per cent as compared to Delhi, which has 22 per cent road space.”

[sidney_jec]

Source: Business-standard.com


Eurasia Ship plans Kolkata office

BS Reporter / Kolkata October 11, 2007
Hong Kong-based Eurasia Ship Management Company is looking for office space in Kolkata to expand its operation in the eastern region of the country.

It was looking to start its own office in the city, as it planned to make Kolkata the training and recruiting hub for this region.

It had India offices at Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai, and a rented facility at Kolkata.

The $6 million company would merge with Hamburg based Schulte group from January 1 next year, and the merged entity will be called Bernard Schulte Ship Management Company.

“This would synergies investments in people, training, information technology and quality assurance,” said D N Prasad, director of the company.

In the post merger scenario, the entity, by the virtue of managing 650 ships world over, would become the second largest ship management company in the world after the UK based V Ships Ltd.

The company has 2000 merchant navy officers in its fold and it wants to increase it to meet the growing demand of the global shipping industry. We need additional workforce to handle the cargo and other logistic marine support in the country, he added.

According to the director the industry would be requiring another 10,000 people by the end of this year.

Headquartered in Hong Kong, the company is fully owned subsidiary of Bernard Schulte Ship Management Company and it works as a third party organisation to manage 125 bulk carriers, container ships, tanker fleet, VLCCs and LPG gas carriers ranging from 2000 to 6000 TEU.

[Civitas]

from TOI ePaper of 14-Oct-2007


BOOST TO STATE SPORTS
State plans swanky sports city in Rajarhat
Debashis Konar | TNN

Kolkata: The state government is planning to set up a sports city in Rajarhat with the help of private partners. A company in Dubai and another in Australia have expressed interest in setting up this sports city at Dharsa Moktapur and Mahammadpur.
The state sports department, along with the youth services department, will build five stadiums, including an indoor stadium, a golf course, a swimming pool, a velodrome, a couple of residential schools along with a hospital, recreational centres, restaurants, commercial centres and a mall on a 245-acre plot.
Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC) will be the nodal agency while Hidco will acquire land for the sports city, an HRBC official said.
“The primary reason for selecting Rajarhat is that the private operators can earn revenue by building commercial complexes, which they can sell at a premium,” the HRBC official said.
He added that nearly Rs 1,000 crore is likely to be invested in
the sports city that is slated to be completed by 2010. Though the private operator will be building the infrastructure, it will be owned by the state. Only the commercial complexes and the recreation centres would be owned by the operator.
State additional chief secretary Ashok Patnayak said a number of sports complexes will be coming up in the sports city, which will also house a gymnasium and an indoor stadium.
The stadiums will have 40,000-60,000 seats each and the indoor stadium 25,000. There will be basketball, volleyball and tennis courts along with an astro-turf for hockey.
There will be space for residential plots, which would be equipped with a multiplex, complete with a shopping mall and restaurants. The place will be ideal for the sports freak and there are plans to set up an amusement park, too, with provisions for skiing and scuba diving.
Schools for football, cricket and mountaineering are also expected to come up in the sports city.

[anan355]

I was doing some real estate survey in the different parts of the city. Basically I was looking for some investment in real estate in Kolkata when I came back to the city after 3 years. I gathered a whole bunch of information. But in the threads in skyscraper city I found hardly any mention of the southern parts of EM Byepass specially of Baishnavghata Patuli and Kamalgazi , which are the 2 important junctions and excellent investment destinations.

Is anybody interested. In that case I can share some facts.

[sidney_jec]

I was doing some real estate survey in the different parts of the city. Basically I was looking for some investment in real estate in Kolkata when I came back to the city after 3 years. I gathered a whole bunch of information. But in the threads in skyscraper city I found hardly any mention of the southern parts of EM Byepass specially of Baishnavghata Patuli and Kamalgazi , which are the 2 important junctions and excellent investment destinations.

Is anybody interested. In that case I can share some facts.

please do the honours :)

[anan355]

As I told before, I was looking for real estate ( predominantly apartments) for investment and not for keeping those as assets. Moreover I also wanted the investment to give a handsome return in 2-3 years time frame. I talked to a whole bunch of real estate consultants and friends . I did an extensive survey in the net and looked at the infrastructure projects and their deadlines ( both actual and relaxed ).



Rajarhat & Unitech were obviously the 2 names which I heard again & again .
Unitech gave a fantastic return to the investors who invested when it was launched at 1600-1700/ sq ft level. In less than 2 years time the rates are hovering around 3100-3300 / sq feet. Nearly the same level ( somewhat lower) appreciation happened for most of the projects in Rajarhat.
Even now it is expected Rajarhat, with this high rate , would give a 50 % - 60 % return in a time span of 3 years . Obviously the rate of appreciation is getting flattened as the township is nearing completion but still it is pretty nice.

I explored EM Byepass. With the city poised to grow from Barasat to Baruipur, this road is going to be the lifeline of the metropolis.
If one looks at the central and southern parts of EM Byepass, Parama Island ( Science City ) is going to be one of the most upmarket commercial zones with 3 five-star hotel projects on the anvil. But the problem is there is only residential appartment complex ( Silver Spring). The rates are 4200+/sq feet.
Kasba Golpark ( Ruby Hospital) is turning out to be an excellent mixture of residential and commercial zone with Nonadanga being declared as an IT complex. The upcoming projects are here carrying a price tag of 3000+/sq feet.

If you look further beyond, the next 2 junctions on EM Byepass are Baisnavghata Patuli and Kamalgazi. In Patuli, rates are hovering around Rs. 1800-Rs 2200 / sq feet and in Kamalgazi those are Rs. 1300-Rs1800 / sq feet depending on the facilities offered by the project as well as which stage of completion it is in.

Advantage Patuli / Kamalgazi:

1. Entry Barrier ( price) for investment is less.
2. The place is going to get a huge infrastructure facelift by next 2-3 years as Garia
Metro is scheduled to open by 2009 latest . Moreover the current 4 - lane byepass
beyond Ruby Hospital is going to be upgraded to a 8-lane expressway by 2010 .
3. Salt Lake Sector V as well as Rajarhat is not more than 30-45 min journey from these
2 places. So the place is bound to be pretty popular as residential abode for IT
professionals. This was pretty evident in the way IT professionals lapped up the
Sherwood Project in Narendrapur (3-4 bus stops beyond Kamalgazi).
http://www.sherwoodestate.com/ The project which was launched at Rs 900/ sq
feet is now selling at Rs. 1800/ Sq feet.
4. Nonadanga IT Zone ( near Ruby Hospital) is a 10 min jouney.
5. The South 24 Pargana district head quarter is scheduled to get shifted from Alipur to
Baruipur by 2008. Land aquisition is already over and construction work has also
started I heard. With Salim group supposed to build a township of 3000 acres in
Baruipur and a health city coming up in Sonarpur- Baruipur , Patuli and particularly
Kamalgazi is scheduled to be a gateway to these places.

I have already invested in other parts of the city and decided to invest in this
stretch also. If Rs. 1000/ sq feet of profit can be acheived by investing in any of
these 2 places and that too with such low entry barriers, I think that is a pretty
nice option.

Some of the projects which I came across in this belt are:
http://www.nkrealtors.com/sonar_faq.html
http://www.remacindia.com/project.aspx?id=69#javascript()

Any criticism, ideas, suggestions, questions are most welcome.

[Suncity]

Not really the place for real estate investment discussions.

Information about highrise or large scale projects and project photos are always welcome.

[dover16]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com//Cities/Kolkata/LIC_creates_record_in_realty_mart/articleshow/2465118.cms

LIC creates record in realty mart
17 Oct 2007, 0335 hrs IST,TNN

KOLKATA: You may call it the sensex-induced feel-good factor. Just a day after the stock market breached the 19K mark, LIC created a new record in Kolkata by putting in a winning bid of Rs 276.2 crore or Rs 55.24 crore per acre for a 5-acre plot opposite Science City on the EM Bypass.

The site had been put on the block by Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). The KMC tender opened on Tuesday, with The Park being the only other contender to LIC. The civic body had fixed a reserve price of Rs 275 crore for the plot.

The price quoted by LIC eclipsed previous high bids of Rs 34 crore per acre offered by Emaar MGF for a 6-acre plot belonging to Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) and Rs 27 crore per acre by DLF for another 5.54 acre KMC plot located on the Bypass last year.

"LIC is likely to hand over the entire amount and gain possession within a month. It may choose to develop office space at the site for renting out. A shopping mall may also come up on the plot," said a source.

On Monday, 55 companies, including Reliance Engineering Associates, which had purchased tender documents for the plot opposite Science City, decided not to submit bids saying the reserve price fixed by KMC was very high.

Sources said LIC is unlikely to ask for any relaxation of the ground coverage and floor space index (FSI) norms at the site opposite Science City. As per existing rules, the KMC allows ground coverage of 35% and FSI of 2.48% for plots which are above 5,000 sq m in size (as in this case).

During the pre-bid meeting, however, some bidders had urged KMC to allow higher ground coverage and FSI. "No extra facilities will be given to LIC," a source said.

Municipal commissioner Alapan Bandyopadhyay said the proceeds from the land sale would be used in infrastructure development. "Augmentation of water supply and upgrade of the sewer network top our list of priorities," he said. "We are planning to auction more plots in future," he added.

[SarafIndian]

^^ 276.2 crore? :nuts:

[SarafIndian]

They made it finally.. :banana:

Kidderpore flyover ready, finally

17 Oct 2007, 0332 hrs IST,TNN

KOLKATA: The Rs 34-crore Kidderpore flyover will finally be inaugurated on Wednesday after a delay spanning more than a decade and missing several deadlines. Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee will throw it open to vehicular traffic during the day.

The 550-metre flyover has been constructed with a pre-fabricated steel structure. It will take off around Fancy Market on Circular Garden Reach Road at one end and come down near the approach to Vidyasagar Setu close to Hastings at the other. From there, commuters can either take Race Course Road or AJC Bose Road. They would also be able to take Diamond Harbour Road from below the flyover. This project of the state transport department project was executed by the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC).

The flyover project was conceived by the state transport department a decade ago. Several factors came in the way of building it on time. After missing several deadlines to start work for almost a decade, construction work began in January this year. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and transport minister Subhas Chakraborty had to intervene to get the project started and completed.

HRBC finally gave the contract to Mackintosh Burn Limited, a state public sector undertaking, to execute the Rs 34-crore project.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Kolkata/Kidderpore_flyover_ready_finally/articleshow/2465115.cms

[sidney_jec]

any updates on the constructions of the so many hotel projects..
1) Intercontinental by Shrishti developers
2) Mariott Courtyard by unitech
3) Taj Gateway hotel
4) Radisson
5) Ritz Carlton by Nitish Estates.
...
and so many more

[dover16]

any updates on the constructions of the so many hotel projects..
1) Intercontinental by Shrishti developers
2) Mariott Courtyard by unitech
3) Taj Gateway hotel
4) Radisson
5) Ritz Carlton by Nitish Estates.
...
and so many more

Yes add to the list ..

6) JW Marriott by Emaar-MGF (super luxury)
7) Holiday Inn Bangla by Emaar-MGF
8) Hilton by DLF - 600 rooms (can't wait to see the design!)
9) Holiday Inn Resort by Kolkata Riverside

[dover16]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071018/asp/calcutta/story_8423526.asp

Bypass new hospitality hotspot
- Hotel double bill due
SUBHRO SAHA

The Bypass billed as the Chowringhee of tomorrow, is fast becoming Calcutta’s hospitality hotspot.

Emaar-MGF Land Pvt Ltd, which made real-estate history in Calcutta by quoting a record Rs 213 crore for a 6.24-acre plot on the Bypass, is doing a double-bill — bringing in both JW Marriott and Holiday Inn.

The company has entered into an operating agreement with the Marriott Group to develop a 250-room JW Marriott property, the “most luxurious brand” in the Marriott bouquet. There are 39 JW Marriott Hotels worldwide.

Emaar-MGF Land, a joint venture between Emaar Properties PJSC of Dubai and New Delhi-based MGF Development Limited of India, also has a management agreement with the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) to develop Holiday Inn Bangla, with approximately 250 keys, next to JW Marriott. Both hotels are expected to open doors in fiscal 2009-2010.

The two-in-one address is coming up next to DLF’s Rs 500-crore, 600-room hotel with Hilton. Neighbour ITC Sonar Bangla is poised for expansion, while the five-acre plot in Chandra Garden, opposite Science City, tendered by the Calcutta Municipal Corporation, could also house a hotel. Further down the Bypass, the 200-room Taj Gateway hotel is coming up opposite Ruby General Hospital.

“The reason why the Bypass is emerging as the preferred corridor for hospitality chains is location. It is equidistant from both the ‘old economy’ areas of Park Street/Camac Street/Shakespeare Sarani/BBD Bag/AJC Bose Road and the ‘new economy’ zone of Salt Lake and New Town, Rajarhat,” feels Abhijit Das, the regional director of Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj, international property consultants.

It is also true that there aren’t large parcels of land in the city core areas any more. So, large-format international hotel chains can only come up on the Bypass, where the government’s nodal agencies have created large land banks, points out an industry expert.

[Suncity]

photo copyright akrs


Uniworld City rising..

<---scroll if needed--->

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/152/unitechakrsnew1jl4.jpg

Unitech Infospace phase I

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/9892/unitechinfospace2ih8.jpg


The three 23-28 story Krishnachura towers u/c

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/7927/krishnachurazv7.jpg

[sidney_jec]

photo copyright akrs


Uniworld City rising..

<---scroll if needed--->

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/152/unitechakrsnew1jl4.jpg
......


are Uniworld City and Rosedale Garden projects one and the same???

[SarafIndian]

http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14544791

Chip design centre to go live by 2008

Ambar Singh Roy | Thursday, 18 October , 2007, 09:13

Kolkata: An exclusive VLSI chip design, testing and prototype manufacturing centre that is proposed to be set up here in Kolkata is expected to be operational by the end of 2008.


To be called the India Design Centre, the “one-stop-VLSI-shop” will be spread over 100,000 sq.ft, according to Siddharth, Principal Secretary in the IT Department, West Bengal.

Siddharth said land required to set up the project had been identified and the process of selecting the vendors was on. The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-KGP), has prepared the concept note for the project. Besides IIT-KGP, resources would be drawn from the engineering colleges in Shibpur and Jadavpur as well.

According to him, the ground floor space of the proposed facility would comprise a laboratory and prototype-manufacturing facility. Post-graduate courses on VLSI would be conducted on the first floor of the building, where a training facility would also be housed. The courses would be conducted under the aegis of IIT-KGP. An incubation centre would be set up on the third floor and the fourth floor would be let out to companies.

The commercial space at the India Design Centre would be let out only to companies engaged in in designing, testing and manufacturing of VLSI chip prototypes.

“For the entrepreneur in the VLSI space, the India Design Centre provides for an entire eco-system that is required at one place. It will also provide a big boost to revenue generation in the IT sector in the State since the per-seat revenue generation is more in the VLSI industry”, Siddharth said.

[Suncity]

are Uniworld City and Rosedale Garden projects one and the same???

No. The Rosedale Garden is in front. Then there is a road. Then the Uniworld City. The buildings under construction are in Uniworld.

[Civitas]

under the modified plan (height restriction from AAI), all three Akankha-Krishnachura towers are 24 storied




The three 23-28 story Krishnachura towers u/c

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/7927/krishnachurazv7.jpg

[Suncity]

the newly opened one way bridge + flyover

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/5458/kidderporeflyovervc2.png

[arijeetb]

[QUOTE=Suncity;15955111]photo copyright akrs

Unitech Infospace phase I

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/9892/unitechinfospace2ih8.jpg

Great:cheers:Kolkata's largest IT park will surely be a treat for the eyes once complete. New town gives the impression of a sort of mini Manhattan in the making with Uniworld towers , Rosedale etc in the vicinity

Any idea if this is the 'tall' one ( according to the render) posted earlier ?

[fred_the_cute_guy]

[QUOTE=Suncity;15955111]photo copyright akrs

[B]
New town gives the impression of a sort of mini Manhattan in the making with Uniworld towers , Rosedale etc in the vicinity


But, where is the averge height heading to? Still 20+. Not even 30+, let alone 50+ stories...

Hyderabad seems to be headed in the second-best direction after Mumbai.

[arijeetb]

[QUOTE=arijeetb;15985110]

But, where is the averge height heading to? Still 20+. Not even 30+, let alone 50+ stories...

Hyderabad seems to be headed in the second-best direction after Mumbai.

Well..we also have the Vedic hotels at over 40 floors each I guess which is the tallest that we r aware of yet.
As for Hyd, ICICI tower( 28 flloors) is the tallest that is under construction....so thats a certainty. we need to wait for some more time for the 100+ projects of Lanco & APIIC.

[Civitas]

Unitech Air is of 41 floors. As of now that is the tallest project.
3 towers of South City are of 35 something.

[QUOTE=fred_the_cute_guy;16016523]

Well..we also have the Vedic hotels at over 40 floors each I guess which is the tallest that we r aware of yet.
As for Hyd, ICICI tower( 28 flloors) is the tallest that is under construction....so thats a certainty. we need to wait for some more time for the 100+ projects of Lanco & APIIC.

[Suncity]

Unitech Infospace phase I



Any idea if this is the 'tall' one ( according to the render) posted earlier ?


This looks like one of the lowrise buildings.

[Jai]

Unitech Air is of 41 floors. As of now that is the tallest project.

Unitech Air is probably the only building that would be completed anytime soon. Vedic Hotels, Biswa Banga Shikhar, that 'Diamond Top' building... no news has been heard from any of them for a long time

[SarafIndian]

TCS IT SEZ Cleared

http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/20/stories/2007102057211900.htm

The Centre on Friday cleared 10 new Special Economic Zones (SEZs), including an information technology and IT-enabled services (ITeS) SEZ of Tata Consultancy Services in West Bengal. It also gave in-principle approvals to three SEZs, including two in Tamil Nadu.

Eight SEZs of IT and ITeS sectors were given final approval, while one each of biotechnology and warehousing sectors were also cleared. TCS will construct its IT SEZ in 16 hectares in Kolkata, while another IT SEZ by Bengal Shristi Infrastructure Development Limited will come up at Asansol.

[Suncity]

Can anyone in Kolkata confirm if work has started on the Shrishti InterContinental (Vedic Hotels/Hudco) project?

[jdutta2002]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071024/images/24project.jpg

SANJAY MANDAL

The Rs 2,000-crore airport modernisation project will take off on January 1, 2008.

“Our first task will be to construct the integrated terminal building. Work will begin on New Year’s Day,” said S.P.S. Bakshi, the regional executive director (east) of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the director of the modernisation project.

The revamp is scheduled to be complete by January 2010.

The AAI is now setting up infrastructure support for the mega project. “We are trying to ensure that work is not hampered by the lack of power, water or drainage services,” explained Bakshi.

The detailed project report for modernisation has been finalised by the AAI headquarters in Delhi. “The report has been submitted to the civil aviation ministry for its approval,” said K. Ramalingam, the AAI chairman.

The plan envisages two terminals at the airport — the large integrated one for domestic and international flights and a smaller one for international flights. The facilities at the terminals will be on a par with some leading international airports, including ground-floor arrival and first-floor departure.

“The terminals will have the capacity to handle 20 million passengers annually,” stated Bakshi.

Once the terminals are ready, work will start on a modern air traffic control (ATC) building. The current ATC office is situated between the international and domestic terminals. “It will be shifted to the other side of the runway. This will ensure that even if a third runway is built, the ATC will be able to control air traffic movement from its strategic location,” said Bakshi.

A grant of Rs 200 crore has been sanctioned for the modernisation of the ATC. A major portion of the funds will be used for upgrade of equipment. State-of-the-art LCD monitors will replace the sets that are being used for almost 10 years. New software will also be installed to automatically feed aircraft code and call sign information into the radar system.

In addition, several modern aerobridges will be built. The road network around the airport will be improved with the help of the public works department.

Underpasses and flyovers will be constructed to ensure smooth traffic flow to and from the airport.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071024/asp/calcutta/story_8460664.asp

[arijeetb]

TCS IT SEZ Cleared

http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/20/stories/2007102057211900.htm

Any idea about the location of the TCS SEZ?

[SarafIndian]

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Kolkata-gets-solar-streetlights/232219/

Kolkata gets solar streetlights

Kolkata, October 24 Kolkata today became the first city in the country to have streetlights powered by solar energy. The stretch between Chingrighata and Dhapa on E M Bypass was illuminated by 22 solar streetlights. The lights will automatically get switched on at sunset and will go off during the day hours.
The Left Front government has hired a US-based company, SOL Inc, to implement the project, said S P Gonchowdhuri, Director of West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency (WBREDA).

He added, “The Salt Lake area of the city will be the maiden urban sector to have solar streetlights in India. We have roped in SOL India Pvt Ltd, which is the Indian branch of the American company, SOL Inc for implementing this project.”

Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (CCFL) is being used for lighting. Soumitra Sen, the company’s representative in eastern India, said: “We are using 32 watt bulbs which are fully controlled by a computer.” “It will be concentrated lighting unlike the present scattered ones,” said Gonchowdhuri. He added in case of a very cloudy weather, the solar lights will be effective for three full days, and they will work for five days during partially cloudy weather. By Monday, 30 solar streetlights will be operational, said the director of WBREDA.

At present, the solar streetlights have been put up on one side of the EM Bypass and if all goes well WBREDA has plans to install them on both sides of the street. They are also keen on using solar energy for lighting other streets of Kolkata.

A sum of Rs 12 lakh was spent on the project with both the Central and state governments sharing 50 per cent of the cost. KMC too has similar plans. “We have floated a tender for 100 poles for a stretch of 1 km- they will put up on Dhapa’s Khana Beria road, under ward no 58,” said Sushil Sharma, a KMC official.

[SarafIndian]

Any idea about the location of the TCS SEZ?

They were about to take 40 acre at Rajarhat. May be it is there.

[SarafIndian]

land hurdle

Bengal blooms

The hospitality industry in Kolkata has never had it so good with the average occupancy in star-category hotels hovering at around 75 per cent, as per the latest statistics available with HRAEI. By Joy Roy Choudhury

Kolkata has emerged as an important IT/ITeS destination in the country, which has scaled up business travel to the city thus pushing up occupancy in the city's star-category hotels. Though there are a number of luxury hotels in the city, the industry is feeling the heat due to an acute shortage of business category rooms to accommodate mid-level and lower-level executives.

Buoyant on the industry's growth, international hospitality players have now started taking Kolkata seriously. Emaar-MGF combine has just acquired a plot of land adjacent to the existing ITC Sonar Bangla Hotel to set up a five-star deluxe property on the busy Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. DLF-Hilton combine is also planning to set up a business hotel in the city.

City-based Shristi Infrastructure Development Corporation (SIDCL) along with HUDCO, the PSU has tied up with InterContinental Hotels Group to set up a five-star hotel complex at New Town in Kolkata. Even ITC has plans to set up another hotel in the state. The erstwhile state government owned Great Eastern Hotel now taken over by the Suris-owned Bharat Hotels Group, too will become fully operational by the end of 2008 after being re-christened Grand Great Eastern Hotel.

New entrant into the business, D S group, has recently acquired the 'non-operational' MBD Airport Hotel in the city and plans to revamp and renovate it into an international standard five-star hotel. The hotel will also have a large convention centre and banquet halls along with commercial area. Moreover, EIH has unveiled its plans to set up a Trident brand hotel in the city.

Local steel baron Bipin Vohra's S P S group has taken over the decade-old Hotel Rutt-Deen and plans to launch it shortly after a complete makeover. The hotel has been re-christened The Loudon. According to S K Khullar, president of Hotel & Restaurant Association of Eastern India (HRAEI) and former president of FHRAI, by 2009, more than 2,000 rooms will be added in the five-star category. "There could be further additions with the state keen on selling plots to five-star hotel developers," he said.

There are 10-12 luxury hotels coming up in the city with 2,400-odd rooms, most of which will be operational by 2009-10. Several star-category hotels are also coming up at important industrial towns like Durgapur and Siliguri. Ginger has opened its first hotel in Durgapur and Bhubaneswar too.

The hospitality industry in neighbouring Bhubaneswar and Guwahati too are also showing definite signs of growth. D S Group has signed an MoU with Guwahati Municipal Development Authority (GMDA) to set up the first five-star hotel of north-east in Guwahati, Assam. But stray incidents of violence and carnage unleashed by banned outfits like ULFA has affected the hospitality industry in the state.


Teething problems

The hospitality industry in Bengal is besieged with few teething problems too like high taxation rates, paucity of land, problems with service providers, health and hygiene issues and local issues like uncalled for strikes in this part of the country for reasons not related with the industry.

Alok Chowdhury, secretary general of HRAEI, says, "There's an immediate need for 2,000-2,500 rooms in the budget room segment. By 2009-10, the demand may double. At present, only 400 budget rooms are currently available in the city." The crisis will deepen with lack of any major additions in this high-demand budget category.

Senior officials at HRAEI said that the state government has to address this situation or risk losing tourists and business travellers. Rajesh Mishra, president of Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), who hails from the city, said, "The state government should put greater thrust on development of budget hotels."

Mishra believes that investment worth Rs 300-500 crore is stuck in West Bengal due to non-availability of land. “The hospitality industry is facing severe shortage of rooms all over the country and West Bengal is not an exception. But we are not getting any response from the state government," he says.

HIDCO, the developing authority for the upcoming satellite township in New Town in the outskirts of Kolkata, has been informed about paucity of land and its rising prices in the state. We have also informed the state administration about the present crisis but no steps have been taken so far. Acquiring land is a problem as government goes for the highest bidder, he said.

The cost of setting up a three-star property in Kolkata is around Rs 6-7 lakh per room, excluding the land cost which has gone up to Rs 10 lakh. Mishra says, "There is a requirement of 15 hotels in New Town. There is a shortage of nearly 3,000 rooms in smart or budget hotels category. Almost all development in the hospitality sector barring one or two is in the luxury segment."

He added that a land crisis in the city has made it almost impossible for developers to launch projects in the smart or budget category. If the government does not address the issue immediately, the bulk of the market will be lost, he claimed. "Land use laws need to be overhauled in many such commercial or business districts to make way for hospitality projects," he added. It should encourage the public-private participation model and strengthen it for developing hotels, restaurants and food plazas in the state.

The hotel and the restaurant industry in the state is further grounded by the imposition of luxury tax by the state government which has increased manifold in the last couple of years. Experts feel that the state government should emphasise more on tourism promotion and understand the importance of the industry as a revenue earner. If it provides the kind of support and co-operation the sector needs, then Kolkata can become a 'hospitality hub' in this part of the world in the years to come.

http://www.expresshospitality.com/20071031/management06.shtml

[Suncity]

Work on the Omega Tower and the Infinity Benchmark Tower is going on

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/9884/kolkatyttoweryi1.jpg

Work on the Infinity Waterside building has also started

photo copyright Rajarshi

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/2623/infinitylakeside3rajarsdu7.jpg

[SarafIndian]

Work on the Omega Tower and the Infinity Benchmark Tower is going on


Work on the Infinity Waterside building has also started

photo copyright Rajarshi



Is it "Infinity Waterside" or "Godrej Watarside"(just beside the TCS gdc)?

[dover16]

TimesOf India ePaper Oct 25, 2007

REALTY BOOM


After Bypass bounty, KMC eyes slum land
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: After mopping up a record Rs 276 crore by selling a 5-acre plot off Eastern Metropolitan Bypass last week, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has now set its eyes on some prime plots at prime locations in the city proper.
KMC has decided to develop a number of slums in the city and generate revenue by selling surplus land there for commercial purposes. Besides, it is also looking at its own plots lying unutilised in the city proper. “We are hoping to generate good revenue by selling off land that has been lying unutilised for years,” a senior KMC revenue department official said.
One such plot is located off Ballygunge Circular Road. The 20-bigha plot was leased out to the washermen decades ago. Now, the civic top brass wants to sell the land to real estate developers.
The drive received a boost after mayor Bikash Bhattacharya announced on Tuesday that the Union urban development ministry had sanctioned Rs 120 crore for the development of a slum at Entally. KMC plans to build 6,480 dwelling units for the slum’s inhabitants there. The land that would remain after the construction, will be sold. The project, to be implemented under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission scheme, will be the first of its kind in the city.
“We have decided to build fivestorey buildings to accommodate all the slum-dwellers. We will reserve the right to sell the remaining land,” the mayor said. According to KMC sources, the civic body could earn a handsome revenue by selling the vacant land after completion of the slum development project. “Around 10 acres will be left for sale after the dwelling units come up. The land in the heart of the city will definitely fetch us a handsome price,” a KMC official said.
After Entally, the civic body will turn its focus on Pearabagan bustee, one of the largest slums in south Kolkata. Located off Sarat Bose Road, the land
can fetch a fortune for the civic body, feel KMC officials. KMC has undertaken basic development of the slum, such as providing sanitary facilities under an Asian Development Bankfunded project.
The mayor said KMC would construct multiple housing blocks. Of the Rs 120 crore needed for constructing the dwelling units, the Centre has agreed to disburse Rs 60 crore. The rest will be collected from the state urban development department and the beneficiaries. KMC will also chip in with funds and arrange for bank loans for slumdwellers who would not be able to pay up front.
“If a slum-dweller fails to pay, we will arrange for bank loans with easy repayment options,” the mayor said.

[sidney_jec]

land hurdle
.............
New entrant into the business, D S group, has recently acquired the 'non-operational' MBD Airport Hotel in the city and plans to revamp and renovate it into an international standard five-star hotel. The hotel will also have a large convention centre and banquet halls along with commercial area. Moreover, EIH has unveiled its plans to set up a Trident brand hotel in the city.
..............


media has the ability to screw any news that comes across
a few days back i heard that the existing hotel is being demolished to make way for a new radisson hotel..
:bash:

[Suncity]

Is it "Infinity Waterside" or "Godrej Watarside"(just beside the TCS gdc)?


It's the same.

[SarafIndian]

Statesman (http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=23&theme=&usrsess=1&id=174521)

Kolkata sets the example

Saket Sundria

KOLKATA, Oct 25: An old adage, “What Bengal thinks today, the rest of India thinks two weeks hence” is set to be proved right again, albeit after long.
After the city planned and implemented the country's first automated car park, several other cities are trying to follow in its footsteps. Enthused by the city’s success in building and operating automated car parks, 25 commissioners of municipalities from across the country will take a look at the systems to find a solution to parking woes in their own cities. The commissioners are here to participate in a symposium on Modern City Development being organised by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) tomorrow. Apart from traffic, the bureaucrats will share ideas about the solutions to major city problems as well as key infrastructure developments.
The special focus will be on the multilevel automated car parking system. KMC is already ahead in the country in this field with its two already existing automated car parks in the city. The developers of these two parking systems, Simpark Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, will be highlighted in the Symposium. The company is also reaping the benefits from these projects. Within one year, the company is going to built several such automated car parks spaces throughout the country. A senior official of the company said: “We are on the verge of bagging orders for at least 5000 car parking slots in several major cities, including Delhi and Bangalore.” Meanwhile the city will get its third automatic car parking near City Centre. The previous two are near New Market and Rawdon Street. This one with 550 car parking slots is being planned by the Kolkata Municipal Development Authority, at an estimated cost of Rs 45 crore. It will be also be implemented by Simpark Projects. A senior official said, the company is working on 12 projects with the Delhi Municipal Corporation. “Ours is the only company in the country working in the area and after the two projects in Kolkata we have received tremendous response and several cities have approached us to find a solution to their parking woes. More interest is likely to be generated after the symposium.”

[arijeetb]

They were about to take 40 acre at Rajarhat. May be it is there.


I doubt it. They were planning to allocate huge chunks of land near Vedic village to IT companies for a knowledge hub. Not sure about the progress of the knowledge park or if TCS has been allocated 40 acres there.

[anan355]

Any updates on the Eastern Expressway that is planned to connect Barasat to Raichak via Baruipur??? It is supposed to run parallel to EM Byepass.

[kvijayasundaram]

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/10/27/stories/2007102750921100.htm

The West Bengal Government on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding with an international consortium led by South Korean company Komex Inc to set up a solar wafer manufacturing project in Durgapur at a total investment of $400 million.
The first phase of the project envisages setting up of a 100 MW “solar wafer” manufacturing facility at an investment of $40 million.

The MoU between the project partners was exchanged at Writers’ Buildings here in the presence of the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

The proposed joint venture company would be labelled Kits Solar Ltd. The Komex-led consortium would hold 90 per cent of the equity, while the balance 10 per cent would be held by the State Government through the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency (WBREDA)......

[Suncity]

Cross posting from the cityscape thread

photos copyright Abhishek

Unitech Infospace - phase I u/c, New Town

http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/6960/unitechinfospaceabhishexl0.jpg

The entrance to the under development Kolkata West International City in Howrah and is being built by Indonesian companies.

<---scroll if needed; stitched photo --->

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/4296/kolkatawestabhisheksht6.jpg

[SarafIndian]

http://www.business-standard.com/iceworld/storypage.php?leftnm=8&subLeft=3&chklogin=N&autono=302654&tab=r

Chirag to set up Rs1000cr factory

R P group, manufacturers of the Chirag brand of computers, is investing Rs 1000 crore over the next two years in setting up a hardware manufacturing plant in Baruipur in West Bengal.

The 30-acre plant is expected to be operational within the next two years and would manufacture all computer hardware and IT components except chips.

Speaking to reporters, Kaustuv Ray, chairman of the R P group, said, “We have bought 30 acres in Baruipur. We have applied for SEZ status.”

The company has roped in China-based Hasee and Taiwan-based Topstar for technological support.

The company is also planning to import its branded products all over the world.

R P group also launched its branded laptops in India today which at present is being imported from China. The laptops range between Rs 24,000 and Rs 36,000.

Speaking at the launch, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, chief minister of West Bengal, said, “There are 600 colleges in West Bengal and 68 engineering colleges. A new manufacturing plant for IT components in the state will ensure more employment opportunities for the fresh graduates.”

[IndiansUnite]

Not sure if these videos have been posted before or not.

Uniworld City - Sun posted an U/C pic today (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=16185272&postcount=1057)

-QqIDVQyxls


Rosedale Gardens - renders can be found here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=9454756&postcount=425)

V2mo7Sky7NM

[Suncity]

Another picture of Uniworld City u/c
http://www.unitechgroup.com/projects/residential/kolkata/kolkata_uni.shtml

photo copyright Sourav

<--scroll if needed--->

http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/5651/unitechsouravsoo5.jpg

Sunrise Point
http://www.surekaproperties.com/proj_resi_point.html

photo copyright Abhishek

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/1876/sunrisepointabhishektd1.jpg

Greenwood Sonata
http://www.shrachi.com/bengalshrachi/residential/greenwood_sonata/index.htm

http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/3395/shrachisouravsbz1.jpg

Hiland Woods

http://www.hilandcal.com/

photo copyright Abhishek

http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/2667/hilanbdwoodsabhisheknh8.jpg

Some others - Bengal Ambuja (Ujjwala), Bengal DCL (Uttara) etc

http://www.bengaldcl.com/uttara.htm
http://www.bengalambuja.com

photo copyright Sourav

http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/9669/dclambujasouravsik6.jpg

[SarafIndian]

Economictimes (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Media__Entertainment_/Warner_Brothers_considering_animation_studio_in_Kolkata/articleshow/2507975.cms)

Warner Brothers considering animation studio in Kolkata

KOLKATA: A team of executives of the Time Warner group that met West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee has said that entertainment company Warner Bros is considering setting up an animation studio here.

Richard Parsons, chief executive officer of the Time Warner group, spent a busy day Wednesday despite a shutdown called by the Trinamool Congress and spoke to Bhattacharya for over an hour.

Time Inc editor-in-chief John Huey, Fortune Money Group president Vivek Shah, Time Warner (International) senior vice president Tom Peter Wolff, Time Inc international relations and public policy director Alvin Lee accompanied Parsons on the trip.

"We were extremely happy to meet him. The chief minister wants us to set up a state-of-the-art animation studio here. We will discuss it and send a team shortly to explore how we can carry the proposal forward," Parsons said.

"The chief minister told us about his government's success in the education sector and the talent pool here. So he wants our expertise to set up animation academies and also state-of-the-art studios and laboratories," added Parsons, who presented a pack of DVDs - including a Harry Potter movie and "Gone With The Wind" - to Bhattacharya.

Earlier in the day, Parsons got a whiff of Bengal politics when he met firebrand opposition leader Mamata Banerjee.

Mamata Banerjee gifted him five of her paintings and a copy of the party mouthpiece, "Jaago Bangla" (Wake Up, Bengal).

"I am extremely impressed with her. She is a courageous lady," said Parsons.

Over lunch, Parsons interacted with industrialist Sanjiv Goenka, actress Rituparna Sengupta and others from the field of arts.

Time Warner and ABP Pvt Ltd, which publishes The Telegraph and the Ananda Bazar Patrika, have reached an understanding to launch the Indian edition of Fortune, the world's leading business magazine, and the visit of the team to India was part of the formal announcement for the tie-up.

[SarafIndian]

Business - Standard (http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?autono=302852&leftnm=8&subLeft=0&chkFlg=)

Kolkata IT design centre partner choice soon

West Bengal, which is planning a Rs 300 crore India Design Centre (IDC) in Kolkata to promote the semiconductor sector, intends to finalise its partner for the project in a fortnight.

Based on a public-private partnership (PPP) model, the IDC is expected to become operational within a year from now with a built-up space of 500,000 square feet in Salt Lake area.

"We are negotiating with a reputed IT infrastructure provider which has been shortlisted for the partnership. The partner will develop the 18-floor building. The state government will hold a 30 per cent stake in the project while the rest will be with the partner," said West Bengal IT Secretary Siddharth who is the city for the Bangalore IT.in event.

The IDC will have chip design and testing facilities, an incubation centre and a prototype manufacturing centre.

[Suncity]

Some more renders of Elita Garden Vista

1
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/7933/elitagardenvista4ik9.jpg

2
http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/8366/elitagrdenvista5hl0.jpg

[SarafIndian]

TOI (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Kolkata/Tatas_to_build_flyover_in_Singur/articleshow/2510523.cms)

Tatas to build flyover in Singur

KOLKATA: Tata Motors will construct a "right-turn flyover" in Singur, connecting the small car plant site to the eastern flank of Durgapur Expressway to prevent traffic congestion when cars start rolling out next year.

The factory, located on the east of Durgapur Expressway, will initially manufacture 2.5 lakh units per year. Production will later be increased to 5 lakh units.

The decision to build the flyover was taken at a meeting convened by West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) on Thursday.

The meeting, held at the WBIDC camp located within the site premises, was attended by Tata Motors general manager D Sengupta, additional district magistrate Liyakat Ali and panchayat samiti sabhapati Ranjit Mondal.

It was decided that a ramp will rise from within the factory, cross over to the east of Durgapur Expressway and then take a right turn and merge with the expressway a few hundred metres away. Similarly, a right turn flyover has also been proposed from the eastern flank of the expressway into the factory.

The decision to build the flyover was taken to ensure smooth flow of traffic on National Highway 2. With hundreds of trucks expected to move in and out of the factory every day — carrying cars and components — it will be a must to ensure smooth entry and exit.

Construction work is currently on in full swing at the factory site. Foundation of the main plant has been laid. Work at the vendor park will also begin soon. Work on the engine and transmission plant is 60% complete. Work has also started on the paint shop. The first car is expected to roll out in less than a year with company chairman Ratan Tata publicly committing to the deadline.

A decision was also taken to dredge the Ghiakunti basin into which water drains out from the Julphia canal. The decision follows the flooding of neighbouring villages and inundating the factory site during this year’s rains.

[Civitas]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071105/asp/business/story_8512180.asp
Tatas plan warehouse hub in state
SAMBIT SAHA
THE BIG PICTURE
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071105/images/05Real.jpg

Calcutta, Nov. 4: Tata Realty and Infrastructure Ltd, the Tata group’s infrastructure and real estate development arm, is planning to set up a business-cum-logistic park in the state.

The company has recently entered into a 50:50 joint venture with Dubai-based Jafza International to set up seven such parks in the country. Bengal is being considered as one of the locations.

These parks, modelled on Jebel Ali Free Trade zone, will be spread across 100-500 hectares. Warehousing and distribution facilities will be set up in that area.

Tata Realty and Jafza plan to invest Rs 2,400 crore to set up these parks in the first phase.

The first park is expected to come up in a couple of years, Tata Realty CEO Dinesh Chandioke said.

The companies are yet to announce specific locations, as land acquisition is a hurdle in the country.

Chandioke, however, said one of the parks might be set up in the state.

Business and logistic parks are usually built near ports to help move export and import cargoes.

Each park will have a separate free trade warehousing zone and a domestic tariff area unit.

The parks will be set up in different phases and each one will provide multimodal connectivity for both international and domestic trade.

Tata Realty will try to acquire land on its own or seek government assistance depending on a local situation.

The Tatas are also coming up with an IT park and a housing project in Rajarhat.

The first phase will come up over 50 acres, which will be expanded to 200 acres.

While Tata Housing Development Company Ltd is primarily handling the IT park project, Tata Realty could also play a part in it.

This project is likely to be launched in two to three weeks. Tata Realty is setting up eight IT parks in the country.

The company also plans to bid for the modernisation of airports partnering Singapore’s Changi Airports International. It is bidding for the rapid transport system project in Mumbai.

It will also take up SEZ projects in the future.

Chandioke said Tata Realty would focus on FDI-compliant, large-scale projects only in the infrastructure and realty space.

The company recently concluded a $750-million realty fund, including $50 million contribution from Tata Realty itself, to invest in India.

The logistic parks will also be partly financed from this fund. Tata Realty is planning to launch an infrastructure fund with a corpus over $1 billion next year.

[SarafIndian]

Is the news below authentic? Can anyone give further info?..

Pricey for Infy, juicy for Tata
SIMI KAMBOJ

Calcutta, Sept. 10: The Tatas and another company have agreed to buy land in Rajarhat at prices dubbed “abnormally high” by Infosys and Wipro.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the country’s largest IT services company, and Pecon, a Calcutta-based infotech firm, are expected to pay the Bengal government Rs 1.5 crore an acre to set up special economic zones (SEZ) in Rajarhat.
The price is more than double the Rs 50-70 lakh per acre that Infosys and Wipro were prepared to fork out.

TCS needs 40 acres, while Pecon has sought 25 acres in New Town, government officials said.

“The two firms are the first to propose SEZs since Wipro set up one at Salt Lake Electronics City in 2004. TCS has already been allotted the land after it agreed to pay the specified rate,” IT minister Debesh Das said today.

The state’s screening committee on SEZs cleared the TCS project today. The board of approvals, under the Union commerce ministry, will take it up in Delhi on September 18. The Pecon plan will be considered by the state panel once the company gets possession of the land.

Infosys had offered Rs 50-70 lakh an acre. The firm, which requires 100 acres to set up operations in Bengal, claimed other states were ready to offer land at that price.

For Wipro, which wanted 40 acres, the government initially cut the price to Rs 1.81 crore an acre and then slashed it further to Rs 1.51 crore. But the company wrote back saying it would not pay more than Rs 60-70 lakh.

Real estate players such as DLF, Shapoorji Pallonji and Unitech have booked land in Rajarhat for SEZs, though the state finds similar plans by IT firms more attractive.

“SEZs being set up by IT companies are certainly more desirable. They occupy relatively less land and provide employment to more people,” said a senior official of the state commerce and industry department.

TCS has announced “aggressive growth plans” for Calcutta, buoyed by the 45 per cent growth last year in its Bengal operations against 40 per cent in the rest of the country.

Pecon has big plans, too. “We are paying Rs 1.5 crore per acre. The building plan for the 25,000sqft office we are planning has been sent to the Rajarhat municipality,” said Pecon managing director Mahesh Shah.

The Rs 20-crore project is expected to offer over 1,000 jobs.

The company, which mostly offers software services at present, intends to diversify into knowledge process outsourcing solutions and IT support services.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070911/asp/frontpage/story_8302685.asp

[arijeetb]

Is the news below authentic? Can anyone give further info?..

1-1.5 cr/acre has been the going rate in Rajarhat for quite some time now. Guess only the companies ( such as Tata) who realize value for money based on their own strategic plans will invest. Also if the money is too much for Infy or Wipro they can build skyscrapers ( a couple of towers each of 25 floors) on lesser amount of land.

Since the issue is not resolved, there is information that wipro is going to go vertical on the existing property at Salt lake:ohno:

[Suncity]

It would be great if these companies built some iconic highrise towers. Why do these companies want to build low rise campuses over acres and acres of land in a land starved region?

[arijeetb]

It would be great if these companies built some iconic highrise towers. Why do these companies want to build low rise campuses over acres and acres of land in a land starved region?


True - all around the Kolkata region is abound in lush farmlands compared to lesser proportions of farmland and more wasteland in some of the other states. However, today WB needs companies such as Infy and expansion from Wipro, hence it is good for its economy if a competitive deal ( lesser price) is arrived at.

[dover16]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071105/asp/calcutta/story_8487938.asp

Luxury line-up at lifestyle lair
- Versace, Tag Heuer among premium brands in talks for shop stop space
SUBHRO SAHA


http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071105/images/05atriapix.jpg
Atria will house top-notch brands


Calcutta’s retail bar is ready to be raised again early next year. Atria, a 20,000-sq-ft shop stop on Gurusaday Dutt Road promises to bring “super-luxury retail” to the city, after the debut by Marks & Spencer on Chowringhee with the Guess-Next-The Body Shop bouquet in tow.

“We are in talks with Versace, Hugo Boss, Tag Heuer, Disney and Lacoste, among other premium brands, and we hope to sign on the dotted line with a few of them by next month,” Harsh Patodia of real estate developers Heritage Group tells Metro.

“Yes, we are seriously looking at Atria for the First Line formalwear range of Versace and the deal could happen soon,” confirms city-based retail franchisee Varun Kataruka, who is steering some of the luxury brands to Calcutta through a holding franchisee agreement. Versace currently has a presence in Mumbai and Delhi.

Kataruka says negotiations are “in the final stages” with brands Ted Lapidus, Daniel Hecter and Bogart for Atria, with DKNY also in the queue.

The Rs 10-crore retail rendezvous opposite Mainland China, being developed by Heritage Group and PS Group, is expected to open its doors in February next year, and the promoters hope to lure the likes of Versace and Heuer by dint of their “location advantage”.

Atria’s location is “in perfect synergy” with the profile of brands like Versace, Prada and Tag Heuer, feels Abhijit Das, the regional director of international property consultants Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj.

“If the deal comes through, it will trigger an exponential jump in high-street prices in the entire region. The ripple effects of this will be felt in the retail space market. At the same time, this will bring in other top-notch brands,” adds Das.

Billed as the “most exclusive” retail address in the heart of south Calcutta, Atria complements Astral, the luxury sky-condominium project being developed by the same combine. “Our effort is to bring in a boutique retail experience for the high-income group in Calcutta, used to similar high-street formats abroad,” says Pradip Chopra of the PS Group.

Some Indian retail players re-launching with high-end products have also evinced interest in the Gurusaday Dutt Road lifestyle lair.

[SarafIndian]

True - all around the Kolkata region is abound in lush farmlands compared to lesser proportions of farmland and more wasteland in some of the other states. However, today WB needs companies such as Infy and expansion from Wipro, hence it is good for its economy if a competitive deal ( lesser price) is arrived at.

It would be great if these companies built some iconic highrise towers. Why do these companies want to build low rise campuses over acres and acres of land in a land starved region?

Land is a big asset for a populous country like India. We should use our land very carefully and miserly. Use of thousands of acres only for some swimming pools, some low-rise luxuries buildings or golf courses etc is a stupid idea.

[Ajaypp]

It would be great if these companies built some iconic highrise towers. Why do these companies want to build low rise campuses over acres and acres of land in a land starved region?

Sun - I believe IT firms and ISPs aiming for IT/ITES firms prefer mid-rises with large floor plates because of the nature of the business - large numbers of employees, shift-based work and the need for supervision and coordination of large teams.

All these aspects of the knowledge/services sector are facilitated by the large, open designs of today's IT parks. Very seldom, have business parks deviated from this across India and the world. One typically sees about 6-12 floors with floor plate sizes of at least 30,000 sq.ft.

“SEZs being set up by IT companies are certainly more desirable. They occupy relatively less land and provide employment to more people,” said a senior official of the state commerce and industry department.

^^ - I disagree with this. IT companies, Infosys being the best example, tend to over-engineer their campuses, since they view their campuses as being signature representations of their corporate image. On the other hand, a property developer tries to maximise the returns from the space while still maintaining a good standard of design and aesthetics. Consequently, IT firms often go in for extensive landscaping, aesthetic elements and so on, which gobble up a lot of land.

Where an Infosys or Wipro may demand 100 acres of land to setup a signature campus with 15,000 seats , a DLF or Unitech may develop an IT park with 50,000 seats.

Also, an IT firm will develop its campus in phases which are in line with business needs. A property developer will maximise revenue by building as much space as possible in the shortest amount of time. For example, if Infosys and Ascendas are both building 2 million sq.ft of space, the former may do it in 5 years, while the latter may just take 3 years provided the market is strong enough to absorb it all. Of course, the flip side is that the developer is market dependent while the firm generates demand internally.

In toto, there are pros and cons for both models of development. The best way is to have a judicious mix of multi-tenanted facilities and custom-built campuses to have the best of both worlds.

[zoxtannin]

True - all around the Kolkata region is abound in lush farmlands compared to lesser proportions of farmland and more wasteland in some of the other states. However, today WB needs companies such as Infy and expansion from Wipro, hence it is good for its economy if a competitive deal ( lesser price) is arrived at.

I think the main problem is with the miserable limits of FSI in the country. The average Floor Space Index in India is around 1.5 , much much lower than any other modern developing cities. Even Mumbai has a max of 2.5 I think. This has to change at first. We need to go vertical. The more you can get from a piece of land, the better it is, since land is scarce in India.

Our sleeping politicians will sight thousand excuses like not enough road space, lack of proper fire fighting equipments etc. Most of them are true, but these bunch of disillusioned old people will do nothing about it. They say calcutta has the least road % among the metros, and most roads are not suitable for highrises. Agreed, but what are the city planning division doing? Why are new building plans still sanctioned in improper way? Why not keep a foresight in mind and work towards it? We dont have tall fire fighting machines to fight incase there is fire in highrises. Hence dont allow tall buildings. What a crap. Spend money to get these machines, and earn double that amount from the rent and taxes from these buildings. I am sure people are willing to pay incase they get facility.

These are just lack of vision from our politicians, and I think being in Govt or opposition doesnt make any difference. These people will never rise above their personal gains or vote bank politics.

However it is nice to see these pictures here. Quite an impressive thread for Calcutta for sure.

[Suncity]

South City

photo copyright topshot

<---scroll if needed--->
http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/8969/southcity2topshot2snx0.jpg

[Suncity]

Bel-Air

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/1122/belairstatus12lz5.jpg

[Hindustani]

Wow. Calcutta again is underrepresented in terms of highrises coming up.

[Suncity]

Globsyn Crystals taking shape

photo copyright Vikash

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/8136/globsyncrystalsviewvikadz1.jpg

Omega (u/c)
photo copyright Sourav

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/6282/bipsouravszq1.jpg

[Suncity]

Akankha, New Town

photo copyright Abhishek

http://img489.imageshack.us/img489/6910/akankhaabhishelqg8.jpg

[sidney_jec]

17 new malls in the offing..
for complete story click here (http://www.business-standard.com/search/storypage_new.php?leftnm=0&leftindx=0&subLeft=10&autono=303965)


Kolkata to get 17 new malls, 5.5mn sft by 2009

Namrata Acharya / Kolkata November 12, 2007


After a bullish phase for the residential real estate segment over the last one year, retail is the next big thing for property developers in Kolkata.

According Rajneesh Mahajan, head, transaction services – retail, Cushman & Wakefield, the next two years will see an additional 5.5 million square feet (sft) of shopping space getting occupied in Kolkata.

Most of the development is planned in the emerging suburban markets, primarily due to availability of land.
....
....

[arijeetb]

http://www.kolkatascoop.com/story/2007/11/7/03941/5657

[dover16]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071114/asp/calcutta/story_8544836.asp

Cheaper land option for tech firms
- 160 acres three km away from Rajarhat will help scale down crore-an-acre price tag
- SOHINI MOOKHERJEA

The Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government has finally worked out a way to offer land to information technology (IT) majors at below a-crore-an-acre mark.

Wipro, Infosys and ITC Infotech, which have been demanding lower land rates for some time, now have the option of setting up shop on a 330-acre complex in Jagadishpur, on the eastern fringes of the city.

“Hidco was asking for Rs 2.16 crore per acre in Rajarhat. It brought down the price to Rs 1.5 crore per acre. But even that was too high. So we had to offer cheaper options to the companies,” said a senior IT department official.

A consortium, led by city-based Forum Projects, will develop the Jagadishpur township, barely three km from the IT park in Rajarhat. The IT department had floated the tender and invited expressions of interest from realtors.

“We will give 160 acres to the IT department, which they can allot to any company. In the remaining 170 acres, we will develop a township with residential estates, clubs, hotels and retail space,” said Rahul Saraf, the managing director of Forum Projects.

According to him, the company will invest Rs 1,300 crore in the project in the next four to five years. About Rs 200 crore will be spent on creating basic infrastructure, which will be ready in 18 to 24 months. To meet the deadline, the consortium has started land acquisition for the project.

“We think the economics of the project will allow selling of land at below Rs 1 crore an acre,” said the IT department source. He also hinted that the government may absorb a part of the cost to sweeten the deal for the companies.

IT minister Debesh Das, however, declined to comment on the price at Jagadishpur. “We are trying our best to offer land to the firms,” Das told Metro.

Supply of land for IT companies is lagging behind demand, with Rajarhat out of bounds because of the price factor and Sector V and the IT special economic zone in Bantala sold out.

“We are keen on expansion and want land close to the airport and our current site in Sector V. But we are yet to hear from the government about the new site,” said Sudip Banerjee, the president (enterprise solution and chief strategist) of Wipro Technologies.

Banerjee, on an earlier visit to Calcutta, had pointed out that Wipro expected the government to offer a competitive price, in the range of Rs 50 lakh to Rs 60 lakh an acre. Infosys and ITC Infotech had also placed similar demands before the government.

[Suncity]

Ekta Floral
27 Christopher Road, Kolkata 700046

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/6162/ektafloral1vm8.jpg

[SarafIndian]

Telegraph (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071120/asp/calcutta/story_8566823.asp)

Realty plans for facility

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/20acropix.jpg
An artist’s impression of Acropolis

A home-grown real estate company has announced an investment of Rs 10,000 crore in housing and infrastructure over the next five years at a time when outstation majors are dropping anchors in Calcutta.

“We expect commercial property rates to appreciate at least 50 per cent by 2010 and by that time, we hope to invest around Rs 2,000 crore in housing and infrastructure projects with our joint-venture partners. This should go up to Rs 10,000 crore over five years,” Merlin Group managing director Sushil Mohta told Metro on Monday.

The city-based realty firm, which is developing the 750,000-sq ft mixed-use project Acropolis on the Kasba connector as a public-private partnership in conjunction with the Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), plans to put this money into creation of industrial estates, factory outlets, hospitality stops, retail infrastructure and housing.

The housing and infrastructure projects will be rolled out through Bengal Merlin Housing Ltd, formed in partnership with CMDA, and Bengal Merlin Infrastructure Ltd, with West Bengal Small Industries Development Corporation, respectively.

“South Calcutta is fast becoming an alternative CBD (central business district) and the need to create quality commercial infrastructure in the area is greater than ever before. Through our joint-sector partners, we want to participate actively in creating such facilities,” Mohta stressed.

Merlin Group has formed a consortium with South City Projects and CMDA to develop “premium housing, commercial and high-end retail space” over another 600,000 sq ft of space near the Ruby crossing.

To be developed across 6.5 acres at the Kasba Rajdanga ground, near Siemens, the Rs 400-crore Acropolis will comprise a 4,000-seater sports stadium, a 17-level IT-enabled business tower and a shopping mall with a four-screen multiplex, besides two mini-anchors. The property will have a three-level car park for 750 vehicles.

[SarafIndian]

http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/841602/

Merlin Group to build stadium on E M connector

KMDA gets Rs 20.65 cr from Merlin Group

Merlin Group, which won a bid for a 1.97 acre plot on E M Connector on lease, today said it will build a stadium on four acre and give the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) Rs 20.65 crore in cash.

"As per terms of the bidding for the plot under PPP model, besides cash we will build a stadium with sitting capacity of 4,000 people on four acre just beside the commercial plot," Merlin Group executive director S Ahmed said here today during launch of commercial project Acropolis.

Merlin Group won the bid, racing ahead of some other national and local realtor groups.

There is no revenue sharing agreement with KMDA after the project is complete and begins generating returns.

The group said it would be a major commercial project of South Kolkata and its estimated value would be Rs 400 crore.

"Acropolis will be completed by 2010 and leaseable area of 7.5 lakh sq.Ft and will house retail showrooms, four-screen multiplex and business club among a host of modern facilities," Ahmed said.

Meanwhile, the Merlin Group said its two group companies, Bengal Merlin Infrastructure Ltd and Bengal Merlin Housing Ltd would invest Rs 2,000 crore to construct housing and other industrial infrastructure over the next few years.

[sidney_jec]

HIDCO for more revenue.
Source: TOI Epaper


Hidco plots to go under the hammer

Suman Chakraborti | TNN
Kolkata: Plots, belonging to Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco) and lying vacant, will soon go under the hammer.
In a bid to garner revenue, Hidco has decided to auction its vacant plots like other state agencies such as Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority and Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority.
“The particular commercial plots that have been earmarked for joint venture projects with us will be handed over to our JV partners after negotiations. All other vacant plots would be handed over to private developers after competitive bidding,” said a Hidco official.
Nearly 10% of the land in New Town has been reserved for development as a commercial area. These include the area earmarked to build the central business district (CBD), sub-CBDs and the adjacent roads.
Most of the commercial plots in Action Area I have been handed over to private developers like Bengal Ambuja, Bengal Peerless, Bengal Shrachi and others for real estate development. Hidco has already auctioned a plot to a reputed hotel group to build a five star hotel in the township.
Officials said Hidco is spending crores to set up the 3,779 hectare township, billed as the country’s most sought after, without spending a single penny from the government’s coffers. “We are collecting the required amount of money as short term and advanced loans from public and other institutions after acquiring plots in New Town. We are also taking short-term soft loans from various financial institutions and repaying those accordingly,” an official said.
Hidco’s annual turnover is around Rs 400 crore. The authorities use the funds to execute various projects. According to estimates, it would cost about Rs 5,000 crore to fully develop the township. “We have already spent more than Rs 1,500 crore,” said an official.
However, to avoid any funds crunch in the near future, officials said the money, generated by auctioning commercial plots, could be used to implement various development projects. Auctioning plots would also boost Hidco’s turnover.

[Suncity]

HIDCO for more revenue.

Officials said Hidco is spending crores to set up the 3,779 hectare township, billed as the country’s most sought after, without spending a single penny from the government’s coffers.

Source: TOI Epaper

The crores being spent is not visible at first glance (I am referring to the infrastructure - not the booming housing construction). The main Rajarhat highway is in shambles. I wonder if someone is keeping an eye on where the crores are going - hopefully not into someone's pockets without delivering the corresponding services.

[Suncity]

Eastern High being developed by West Bengal Housing Board, New Town

photo cc rights suncity

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/5465/easternhighkolkatakz4.jpg

[Suncity]

Globsyn Crystals

photo cc rights suncity

http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/9783/globsyncrystalsvb1.jpg

Omega

photo cc rights suncity

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/6735/bipparkzb7.jpg

Infinity Benchmark

photo cc rights suncity

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/4108/infinitybenchmarkkm2.jpg

[SarafIndian]

http://inhome.rediff.com/money/2007/nov/23mine.htm

Australia sees a 'gold mine' in Kolkata

Mining industry in Australia is looking at India as a huge investment destination, particularly in contract mining with Kolkata as the hub of operations.

The Australian High Commission on Thursday reported that four Australian mining companies Mintech Pty Ltd, Salva Resources, Indian Resources and Thiess Leighton India are in the process of opening offices in Kolkata shortly.

Miltech is setting up its first mineral analysis laboratory at Kolkata and presently it is on the process of identifying the land, which it expects to be completed by March next year.

The investment for the project would be between Rs 5-10 crore for the initial set up and it is expected to be operational in one and a half years time.

Salva Resources is a mining consultancy service provider and acts to link leading Australian mining companies who are interested to come to India.

"We are acting as a consultant to a number of small and mid sized resources companies from Australia, who are interested to invest in India," said Lachlan Broadfoot, managing director of the company.

The Indian Resources is a Perth-based subsidiary of Monark Gold Group is also looking to set up office at Kolkata to monitor the operation of the Eastern India.

The company has already entered into a joint venture with the Hindustan Copper Ltd [Get Quote] and is looking for further projects in the region. Thiess Leighton India too is opening its office in Kolkata to control the projects of Eastern India. The company has 3 offices in the country at Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai and has recently bagged a coal mining project with Jharkhand based Avijeet Group.

Speaking at a trilateral mining seminar on mining, John McCarthy, Australian High Commissioner to India said, with the change in the legislative norms and reforms more and more Australian companies would come to India.

"As the progress done on the mining reform path gathers momentum, more and more Australian mining companies would come to India," he said.

Terming West Bengal the right state, the high commissioner added that Kolkata should be the headquarters for the operations in India.

[Suncity]

photos cc rights suncity

Mani Square (http://www.mani-group.com/manisquare/index.html)+ IMAX

http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/8540/kolkatanov209manisquarekx8.jpg

ManiTech

http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/5844/manitechub4.jpg

[Ajaypp]

Sun - I remember seeing the persps of Mani Square along the Bypass for atleast the last 3 years. Is it mixed-use or just retail+multiplex? And I didn't know that it included an IMAX screen. Way to go, must be the third in India, after Mumbai and Hyderabad! :okay:

[Suncity]

Sun - I remember seeing the persps of Mani Square along the Bypass for atleast the last 3 years. Is it mixed-use or just retail+multiplex? And I didn't know that it included an IMAX screen. Way to go, must be the third in India, after Mumbai and Hyderabad! :okay:

I think the tower block is for offices. Not sure. You will know better.

Is the IMAX in Mumbai still there or has it been closed down?

I think there is an IMAX in Ghaziabad (http://www.adlabscinemas.com/imax.asp) as well. Gujarat Science City (http://www.scity.org/)also has an IMAX theatre.

Kolkata already screens large format movies at the space theatre in Science City (http://www.sciencecitykolkata.org.in/).

The Pushpa Gujral Science City (http://www.pgsciencecity.org/)in Kapurthala also screens large format movies in its dome theatre.

[Suncity]

Noticed the Emaar MGF site on EM Bypass. The banners are up. Is the hotel (or whatever they are going to build) design completed?

Site

http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/5302/kolkatanov260emaarft0.jpg


Render?

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/7301/sanonarchiemaarie2.jpg

[Civitas]

Found it from axiomestates. But, did not see anything on dlf's website.

http://www.axiomestates.com/img/dlf_new_t_heightlogo.jpg

http://www.axiomestates.com/img/dlf_new_t_height.jpg

Strategically located in Action Area III in New Town, Rajarhat, New Town Heights by DLF is spread across 15 acres. Construction has been limited to only 30 % of total area, leaving over 70% to open green space.
Comprising of 9 towers of 14 - 26 floors the project offers 2 & 3 bedroom apartments.

http://www.axiomestates.com/new_town_heights_kol.htm

[Suncity]

Found it from axiomestates. But, did not see anything on dlf's website.



Nice find. Thanks.

It is partially mentioned in DLF's November corporate presentation:

http://www.dlf.in/wps/DLFpdfs/DLF_city/corporate_presentation_nov_07.pdf

Page 14 under Mid-Income homes. They are defining mid-income homes as homes for families having post tax income in the range of Rs 1 to 1.2 million per annum and price range of Rs 4-5 million for 1500 sq ft flat.

More from axiomestates

1
http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/5930/dlfnewtownhomesmf6.jpg

2 - layout

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/8337/dlfnewtownhomeslayoutik8.jpg

[SarafIndian]

Economictimes (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ET_Features/The_Sunday_ET/Property/Retail_train_finds_a_station_in_Kolkata/articleshow/2568486.cms)

Retail train finds a station in Kolkata


The pebbled and polished new face of Kolkata’s real estate is changing. Retail, IT and ITeS — all seems to have pumped in a good dose of adrenaline into the moribund commercial real estate business in the city. A close look at Kolkata’s retail-real-estate tango confirms that the Bengali heartland could be the next station where the World Retail Express is headed. That the city is the ‘gateway’ to Bangladesh only clinches the case for Kolkata as a rocking option for retailers.

National and international developers are jostling against each other to explore the city’s untapped potential. Some of the mega retailers at the city’s doorstep are Germany’s Metro AG and US’ iconic retailer Wal-Mart. Biggies like Shoppers’ Stop, D’damas, Dollarstore, Spencer’s, Marks and Spencer, Next, Guess, Body Shop, Esbeda, Kimaya, Tommy Hilfiger and even home grown Pantaloons, Westside and Crossword have either set up shop or are asking real estate consultants to spot strategic locales in Kolkata. Some are already part of the city’s emerging landscape.

Says Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj regional director Abhijit Das: “The entry of big guns will enhance the market dynamics in favour of the end consumer. It will also direct the market towards higher value additions and value creations.”
Real estate consultants agree higher disposable incomes, changing consumption patterns, appreciable infrastructural developments initiated by the government in the city and over-all economic resurgence has also infused a new lease of life to a city that still takes pride in its mellow, laid-back ways.

Local real estate developers like South City, Hiland Group, Mani group, Bengal Peerless and Merlin Group appear to have sensed the excitement and risen to the occasion. Most are busy building glitzy stand-alone shopping malls to create the perfect spawning ground for mega retail action or malls woven as an integral part of residential cum commercial complexes. Some 10 million square feet (sq.ft.) of retail space developed by 30-odd retailers is expected to become operational by 2010-11. Retail and commercial rates are, therefore, in a tizzy. Consultants say Kolkata’s commercial property prices, both office and retail, have appreciated by 25% on an average.

“The maximum appreciation has happened in malls which are nearing completion and also in Grade A office building in central business district (CBD). Significant appreciation has also happened in IT buildings in Sector V,” the consultant adds.

That on the Camac Street stretch have gone up to Rs 150 per sq.ft. and more for grade A office space and Rs 250 per sq.ft. for highstreet retail space. While demand for retail and office space in the heart of the city is still high and commands hefty premium, the fever is also spreading to the peripheries — Rajarhat, Salt Lake (Sector V) and the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass stretch primarily because of shortage of parking space, frequent waterlogging and lack of plug ‘n’ play infrastructure, observe industry sources. The buzz is getting louder by the day. A case in point is the recent property deal clinched by Life Insurance Corporation. The public sector behemoth grabbed about five-acre property close to ITC Sonar — on the arterial EM Bypass for a whopping Rs 55.24 crore per acre. And why not ? “The average return on commercial properties in Kolkata by way of rentals amount to nearly 10 % per annum,” PS Group director Pradip Kumar Chopra says.

Realty business’s affair with IT is also sizzling. With government help in terms of ready availability of space at subsidised rates, estimates suggest about 20 million sq.ft. of new plug-and-play IT infrastructure will come up in Kolkata by early 2010 largely due to the expansion plans of IT biggies like IBM, Cognizant and Satyam.

Clearly, Kolkata looks tantalisingly poised on the threshold of the next wave of realty action. Says Ambuja Realty Group chairman Harshavardhan Neotia: “Living a lifestyle ... looking better, eating out, better houses complete with infrastructure facilities ... all this has contributed to the buoyancy in Kolkata’s realty market.” Cineplexes, shopping malls and hotels are also coming up. Large-format food stores and restaurants are dotting the landscape and doing brisk business.

With Charles Correa, Mumbai-based Hafeez Contractor and Balkrishna Doshi putting their signatures on the city, lifestyle and recreation is transforming the very look and feel of Kolkata.

[arijeetb]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071126/asp/calcutta/story_8593300.asp
Add-ons boon at airport
- Extra check-in counters, X-ray machines and trolleys spell comfort for fliers

A string of steps promises to end the chaos and congestion at Calcutta airport’s domestic terminal.

The traffic-handling capacity of the terminal has gone up recently, with the addition of check-in counters, X-ray machines, over 1,000 new trolleys and an entrance. According to a survey by the Airports Authority of India, the acquisitions have increased the terminal’s traffic-handling capacity by nearly 40 per cent.

“Several other measures will be taken by early next year, improving things further,” said airport director V.K. Monga.

The canopy work is expected to be complete early next year. It spans 2,650 sq metres — from one end of the terminal to the other — and will expand the lounge area.

By January, the conveyor belts will have X-rays built into them to scan the registered baggage of passengers. “The X-ray machines being used now will not be needed then. We can remove them and use the space to set up more check-in counters,” added Monga. After the addition of 18 check-in counters over the past two months, the number of counters now stands at 46.

“The processing, check-in and security check is taking less time. This reduces flight operation time,” said the airport director. Extension of the secondary runway by 440 metres and a fifth taxiing bay between the primary and secondary runways will also speed up flight operation.

The secondary runway, once it is extended, will have Category I Instrumental Landing System (ILS). Some ILS components have arrived at the airport. The installation will start this year.

The check-in counters are functioning full-strength round the clock after deployment of more Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel. The counters used to run full strength from 5am to 9pm. Skeletal staff used to man the counters at night. “The additional hands have been of great help,” said a CISF officer.

Trolleys are the latest addition to the airport infrastructure. There were 1,400 trolleys in the terminal but a large number of them were not usable. The 1,100 trolleys recently acquired have brakes. Eight hundred more trolleys will be purchased by January.

The domestic terminal handles about 10,000 passengers every day. During peak hours, about 1,100 passengers board flights per hour. The number of domestic flights per week has gone up to 676 from 616 in summer.

If the rate of increase in flights persists, said airport officials, the infrastructure could again feel the strain in a couple of years.

“The modernisation project must be completed by the target date of January 2010. Otherwise, there will be major problems with flight operations,” predicted a senior airport official.

The modernisation plan, of about Rs 2,000 crore, envisages two new terminals at the airport — an integrated large one for domestic and international flights and relatively smaller one for international flights. The first terminal will have the capacity to handle 1.6 crore passengers per year. The second terminal will be able to handle 40 lakh passengers.

[Suncity]

City Centre II Mall, New Town

http://www.ambujarealty.com/projects/retail/index.asp#CityCentreNewTown

photo cc rights suncity

http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/1071/kolkatanov168citycentretv4.jpg

[sidney_jec]

B for BOOST...
nah..
its B for BULLSHIT..
better B for BASTARDS
Whenever I come across a news abt revamp of BBD Bagh I become emotional (meri aankh me khushi ke aansu aa jaate hain :X )
(bloody a!@#$%^s)
It gives me a sense that India is still united..
Dont believe me..look at this

Mumbai - Marine Drive
Delhi - CP &
Kolkata - BBD Bagh..


100's of project announcements and none even come out of the boardroom :bash:

Source: TelegraphIndia.com (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071127/asp/calcutta/story_8594696.asp)


Boost for city brand
- Offer from UK to share expertise

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

BBD Bag, or Dalhousie Square, which a team of urban regeneration experts from the UK wants to help rejuvenate. A Telegraph picture
How to bring fun and public activity back to the heart of the city? How to keep iconic and loved structures intact, link places to monuments and engage the community? How to create a Brand Calcutta?
.........
....

[sidney_jec]

Howrah revamp on anvil
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071127/asp/calcutta/story_8595128.asp


Revamp plan for Howrah

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

A monument in Howrah. Calcutta’s twin town is set for revitalisation. A Telegraph picture
Parts of Howrah are set to benefit from a “first-of-its-kind” integrated inner-city regeneration programme, with the aid of a UK-based multi-disciplinary consultancy firm.

A 260-sq-km zone on the west bank, spanning the Howrah Municipal Corporation area, Bally, Uluberia and Bagnan, among other places, with a population of over three million, has been earmarked for a revitalisation plan under the UK’s Department for International Development umbrella. The project is set to unfold over the next 15-20 years.
.......................
.......................

[dover16]

[Suncity;16705139]Noticed the Emaar MGF site on EM Bypass. The banners are up. Is the hotel (or whatever they are going to build) design completed?

It will be a 250 room super luxury JW Mariott hotel, not sure if this render is valid ..

[Suncity]

Convention Centre site, New Town

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/5584/kolkatanov180conventionra1.jpg

[Suncity]

India’s tallest green building in Sec V

TOI epaper

In just over six months, the IT hub at Salt Lake will be home to the country’s tallest green building. The 16-storey tower is also the second green building in the city after Technopolis, another IT facility in Sector V.
Apart from incorporating the environment-friendly standards required for US green building certification agency LEED’s gold rating, the Rs 100-crore building will have an exclusive parking lot for bicycles, a first in the country. There will be provision to expand the initial capacity of 220 bicycles if the trend catches on.
“We wish to encourage techies living in Salt Lake and New Town to cycle down to work. There will be shower stalls so that they can freshen up,” PS group director Pradeep Chopra said. The Tech Park is being developed jointly by PS group and Srijan group.
With IT majors insisting on green buildings, developers are going green despite a 20% hike in development cost. The high capital investment is, however, offset by low maintenance cost as the stress on efficiency leads to 20% saving in energy and water consumption, 38% reduction in waste water generation and 22% slash in construction waste.
Apart from using materials that have good insulation to prevent the heat to seep in, the air conditioning system will be so designed that the chiller unit consumes electricity at night when tariffs are low and cools the building during the day without the need for major electricity consumption when tariffs are high.

[SarafIndian]

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Green-SEZ-to-reduce-greenhouse-gas-emissions/244368/

'Green SEZ’ to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Though many SEZs have already come up or are in the pipeline, the city is soon likely to have ‘green SEZs’, which will be designed in a manner that will enable them to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Two such SEZs in the state are being mooted by real estate majors, P S Group and the Srijan Group. The Srijan Group SEZ, which will cater to the IT and ITeS industry, will come up on 50 acre-plot alongside the Kona Expressway. “We are yet to approach the Board of Approval (BoA) for SEZs for permission but we will be doing that soon,” said R N Agarwal, Director of Srijan Projects. The company is expecting to start work on the project in the next six months and plans to finish it in the next three to four years. Land for the proposed project is being directly purchased from the farmers without the intervention of any government agency.
The expected cost of the project is going to be Rs 1,000 crore. Another mega SEZ is being planned in the state by the P S Group, which claims that the new SEZ that is being proposed at Rajarhat will span anywhere between 250-400 acres and will involve an investment of Rs 3,000-3,500 crore.

The Rajarhat SEZ, which will be a service sector SEZ, will in all likelihood involve infrastructure for services such as IT, education, tourism and health. The P S Group has already signed an FDI agreement with a Singapore-based SEZ infrastructure development company which is going to partner the P S Group in the Kolkata project as well as in other SEZs that the company has planned in Jaipur, Raipur and Chandigarh. The total investment for all the four SEZs is in the range of Rs 9,500 crore. “The FDI partner will be financing up to 75 per cent of the project cost for the projects,” said Pradip Chopra, Chairman and MD of the PS Group.

[SarafIndian]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071128/asp/business/story_8601409.asp

Freight corridor to connect Calcutta
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/28link.jpg
New Delhi, Nov. 27: The government plans to extend the Rs 28,000-crore east-west freight corridor to a new port near Calcutta.

The cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) today agreed in principle to lay the freight corridor and extend it to Calcutta following a demand from the Bengal government and pressure exerted by the Left.

“In view of the representation by the Bengal government and considering the possibility of increase in freight traffic, the eastern corridor will be extended up to the proposed deep sea port in the Calcutta area,” finance minister P. Chidambaram said.

The government plans to construct a deep sea port, possibly at the Sagar island, as neither Calcutta nor Haldia ports has sufficient depth to cater to large ships.

The finance minister said RITES was conducting a pre-feasibility study for the Sonnagar-Calcutta section of the eastern corridor. The CCEA will approve the extension only after the study is complete. However, no time frame has been set for the study.

The dedicated multi-modal high-axle load freight corridor will cost around Rs 28,181 crore, of which the eastern corridor will need Rs 11,859 crore and the western corridor will cost about Rs 16,592 crore, Chidambaram said.

“On the eastern side, the corridor will be from Ludhiana and on the western side the corridor will connect Jawaharlal Nehru port near Mumbai to Tughlakabad and Dadri near Delhi,” the finance minister said.

The eastern corridor will start from Ludhiana, pass through Ambala, Saharanpur (Haryana), Khurja, Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh) and Sonnagar (Bihar). From Sonnagar a feeder route to Durgapur will pass through Gomoh. From Durgapur, the corridor will eventually be extended to the new port being planned near Calcutta.

Other primary feeder routes from Sonnagar would be to Tatanagar through Garhwa Road and Barkakana to Bokaro via Chandrapura. These feeder routes will be upgraded to carry heavier trains carrying minerals.

However, there have been differences regarding the costing of the project between the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the railways. While the agency had projected a cost of Rs 50,000 crore in its report on the dedicated freight corridor, the railways estimated it at Rs 28,000 crore.

Besides, the Japanese agency wants the tracks to be fully electrified and operation of double-stack or double-storied containers. Railways officials, however, do not agree with the agency’s suggestion. They feel international standard double-stack containers run by electric traction are not commercially viable.

Dedicated Freight Corridor of India Limited will acquire 5,270 hectares of land for the 1,483km Delhi-Mumbai western corridor. It will acquire 3,563 hectares for the 1,279km Delhi-Calcutta eastern corridor.

The Japanese agency had also ruled out extending the corridor to the ports of Calcutta and Haldia as both are river ports of shallow depth of 8 and 8.5 metres, respectively.

The eastern corridor is expected to result in industrial development of the region and generate enough transport demand.

[arijeetb]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071128/asp/calcutta/story_8600144.asp

Airconditioned Tata Indigo taxis will ply on the city roads from early next year.

The state transport department has decided to initially grant permits to 300 such taxis. “They can be summoned over the phone,” said transport minister Subhas Chakraborty at Writers’ Buildings on Tuesday.

Special phone booths will be set up at strategic points in the city, from where the taxis can be booked. Personal phones cannot be used to call a taxi. The passenger has to mention from where he or she wants to be picked up.

“A hub will route the request to the appropriate driver. He will also be given the passenger’s phone number,” added Chakraborty.

Like the existing taxis, the Indigo taxis will be privately owned. The fares will be 25 per cent higher than that in ordinary taxis.

Also, the meters of the new taxis will start to run as soon as the driver receives a request. The passenger has to pay for the distance the taxi travels to pick him or her up.

Transport department officials said the 300 taxis would be on the road within the next two months. The number of taxis may be increased after gauging the public response.

“We have plans to increase the number of airconditioned taxis. Unless we are sure about their service, we cannot do so. We will keep an eye on the new taxis for a couple of months and then decide whether to increase their number,” said a senior official.

BUS FLEET: Besides taxis, new buses are set to ply on the roads. The state cabinet on Tuesday approved a plan to buy 400 new buses. The bill will come to Rs 68 crore, with each bus costing Rs 17 lakh.

“Five per cent of the amount will be funded by transport corporations like the North Bengal State Transport Corporation, South Bengal State Transport Corporation and the Calcutta Tramways Company,” said the transport minister.

The government will take the remaining amount as a loan from the state cooperative bank.

Hope they release renderings of the new buses

[arijeetb]

http://www.godrejproperties.com/CommGodrejWaterside.htm

[Suncity]

Terminus Mall, New Town

http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/4469/kolkatanov188terminusmagi2.jpg

[Suncity]

Hiland Woods, New Town

http://www.hilandcal.com/project_hwood.htm

photo cc rights suncity

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/553/kolkatanov179hilandwoodfk3.jpg

[Suncity]

Not sure what happened to the Shrachi-Hudco-Vedic-Intercontinental hotel but here's another proposal. Will the DGCA/AAi give permission for such a tall complex? I have heard that Akankha and Hilandwood had to reduce number of floors - but not sure - also the last time the Vedic hotels was reported in Telegraph, there were some clearance issues from the state which wanted a helipad on top ?

Westin Kolkata will be 1,000 feet tall??

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS74319+29-Nov-2007+BW20071129

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide continues its aggressive expansion in Asia Pacific, announcing agreements to manage three new Westin hotels in three of the fastest growing markets in India Hyderabad, Pune and Kolkata. Westin has previously announced hotel developments across the country, including hotels in Gurgaon, Sohna and Bangalore.

The Westin Kolkata, Rajarhat, located in a prime spot in Rajarhat, the new central business district of Kolkata city, will open in 2010. The hotel will be a key part of an eight-acre, mixed-use development consisting of hotel, offices,residences and retail shops. The Westin hotel will be housed in a tower that will soar more than 1,000 feet into the sky, giving the new development a high degree of visibility. The new Westin will offer 323 guestrooms, including 31 suites, as well as five restaurants and bars, more than 21,000 square feet ofmeeting space, Heavenly Spa by Westin, an outdoor swimming ool,WestinWORKOUT gym and business center.

[Hindustani]

Wow. Great shot Sun.

Hiland Woods, New Town
photo cc rights suncity
http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/553/kolkatanov179hilandwoodfk3.jpg

[Euromast]

Ideal Heights, near Sealdah
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/7514/idealheightskolkatauk7.jpg

[SarafIndian]

Now infy got a new issue for not coming in Bengal.

Telegraph (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071130/asp/frontpage/story_8611320.asp)


Infy pricks, Buddha pledges - Nandi effect on investors

Calcutta, Nov. 29: Nandigram is beginning to bite Bengal where it hurts most, emboldening prospective investors to voice concern in public and question the government’s pace of work.

Infosys, the IT giant whose proposal for a project in Calcutta is caught in a price tangle, today said the company would weigh risk factors before deciding on the state even if land of its choice was offered now.

“The news of Nandigram has even reached Bangalore and it creates a misconception and fear psychosis in the minds of clients,” T.V. Mohandas Pai, the human resource director of Infosys, said in Calcutta.

Pai’s choice of words — “misconception” — makes it clear he does not share the perception of the clients. But he added that the company has not heard from the Bengal government for the last six months. “The slow pace at which the government works here will hurt the state much more in the long run,” he said.

The Infosys official did not make the comments on his own but was replying to specific questions on the sidelines of a meeting on human resource development. Infosys co-chairman Nandan Nilekani attended the meeting but was not present when Pai fielded the questions.

The IT company had been driving a hard bargain with the state over the price and location of land (see chart). But the company — or any other business venture — had so far taken care not to make comments in public critical of the government, although some industrialists had expressed concern at the lack of speed.

Today’s comments suggest the widespread outrage caused by the CPM’s “recapture” of Nandigram had been noted by industry. This is in contrast to the largely restrained response to the March 14 firing in which 14 people were killed.

Industry was then willing to give the benefit of doubt to the government which said a law-and-order situation had spun out of control after provocation.

The expression of concern was not limited to Infosys today. ITC chairman Y.C. Deveshwar said his company was unable to start an agri-cum-food project as the state was yet to provide land. Orissa has offered plots, he said.

“ITC is from Calcutta. We want to do it here. I have made a commitment to the chief minister. So we are still waiting,” Deveshwar said.

Eager to allay the fears, industries minister Nirupam Sen issued a statement in the evening, reaffirming the government’s commitment to “industrialisation efforts”.

“The delay in land acquisition is due to a process of consultation with the stakeholders in order to generate confidence that this will help them for a better future. The state government is always for responsible industrialisation and seeks the cooperation of all sections of society, including the Opposition...,” Sen’s statement said.

IT minister Debesh Das admitted a long time had passed since the Infosys project was mooted but said the state was in touch with the company.

If more prospective investors air their misgivings, an unintended fallout of the Nandigram “recapture” could be the further shrinking of the state’s bargaining power.

Questions have often been raised why high-technology, cash-rich companies should be gifted huge tracts of land for a song, ignoring the value of other positives — such as manpower and political stability — a state like Bengal has.

But issues such as Nandigram could overshadow such strengths, especially with other states falling over each other to pamper investors.

[Jai]

Not sure what happened to the Shrachi-Hudco-Vedic-Intercontinental hotel but here's another proposal. Will the DGCA/AAi give permission for such a tall complex? I have heard that Akankha and Hilandwood had to reduce number of floors - but not sure - also the last time the Vedic hotels was reported in Telegraph, there were some clearance issues from the state which wanted a helipad on top ?

Westin Kolkata will be 1,000 feet tall??

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS74319+29-Nov-2007+BW20071129
Awesome news. At least people are thinking big. That's the first step

[Suncity]

Awesome news. At least people are thinking big. That's the first step

Or it could be a typo - although I did see the same news at the starwood website.

:)

[Suncity]

Greenwood Sonata, New Town

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

photo cc rights suncity

1
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/2972/bengalshrachifw8.jpg

2
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/3262/bengalsharachi3ep1.jpg

[Suncity]

Atria mall (Astral heights) on Gurusaday Road nearing completion

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/9063/astralatriamallog8.jpg

[Civitas]

from TOI ePaper

Brand Bengal Loses Sheen
The state’s delay-it-now tactics have forced several companies to put off investment plans. Thousands of crores are at stake but the government is acting pricey on land. This way, Bengal could lose the investment race
Ajanta Chakraborty & Udit Prasanna Mukherji | TNN


Brand Bengal, till yesterday. Today, a question mark. The frustration brewing for a year with the Nandigram and Singur controversies and repeated bandhs, reached a flashpoint on Thursday with Infosys director Mohandas Pai’s outburst.
Several industry majors and even government officials feel Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s ‘Do it now’ mantra is losing steam.
Pai had hit out at “the slow pace of work” in Bhattacharjee’s government after waiting two years for the Bengal administration to get its act in order. But Infosys is not the only investor whose plans have been tied up in red-tape. Another glaring example is Reliance Retail. The retail giant had applied for land ceiling clearance six months ago. Since then, the note has been doing the rounds of the departments of land and land reforms, commerce and industries, labour and food processing.
“Red-tape is a big reason for the Reliance project setback,” said a senior official at Writers’ on Friday. “But the biggest reason is lack of political will. Thanks to the militant stand taken by Forward Bloc, the CM’s dream project which would have pumped in Rs 4,000 crore and employed around 50,000 people, is now stumbling backwards.”
The list of delayed projects in the do-it-now governance seems too long for the chief minister’s comfort. The sorry story begins with Bhattacharjee’s favourite brand, the Tatas. Telcon, a joint venture between Tata Motors and Hitachi of Japan, asked for 300 acres to manufacture earth-movers at an investment of Rs 300 crore.
Telcon MD Rana Sinha said their project has been delayed for nine months because they haven’t got land. “Due to the delay, we might lose market share,” Sinha rued.
Another Tata Group company, Tata Metaliks, is also facing the music. MD Harsh Jha said, “We asked for 500 acres two-and-half years ago for our expansion project in Kharagpur, but the government told us then that it could only give 350 acres. We are yet to get the land.”
ITC’s food processing hub, which needs only 60 acres but would have brought the state a investment of Rs 1,000 crore, has been delayed by two years. Chairman Y C Deveswar, said, “Orissa is keen on the project and is ready with the land. It’s because of my commitment to the Bengal chief minister that we are still waiting for land here.”
On Friday, the chief minister assured Deveswar on Friday that the land will be cleared soon.
ITC also wanted 40 acres for a model horticulture farm, which was supposed to be used as the backbone for their cash and carry venture. But the state has not been able to find any land.
Industrialist Abhijit Sen, former president of Bengal Chamber of Commerce and one of the biggest promoters of Brand Bengal, is a worried man. “It’s certainly very worrying for us and the entire state. Infosys and ITC are on the rethink mode. And now, the Tatas have said that because of the slow pace of work at Singur, the first Rs 1-lakh car will roll out from Uttaranchal. These are terrible blows,” he said.
“There is unnecessary politicising of industry issues. It’s not so in other states.”
A case in point is Reliance, which has managed to open its Reliance Fresh outlets in Gujarat, Delhi, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerela, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab, Orissa and even in Patna, where it faced stiff opposition. But not in Bengal. An industry department official said, “In fact, Reliance had to sack 500 of the 1,000 people it had employed here and transfer 350 to other states. The rest have quit the organisation.”
TOMORROW NEVER COMES
RELIANCE RETAIL:
Still waiting for land ceiling clearance six months on. Rs 4,000 cr project put on hold. 500 of 1000 workers sacked, 350 transferred
TATA TELCON: Rs 300 cr earth mover factory waiting for land clearance in Kharagpur
TATA MOTORS: Due to delays in Singur, the first Rs 1-lakh car may roll out in Uttaranchal
TATA METALIKS: Still waiting two and a half years later for 500 acres in Kharagpur
ITC: Rs 1,000-cr food processing hub needs only 60 acres but state can’t find the land. Orissa is raring to grab the project
ITC: Still waiting for 40 acres to set up model horticulture farm

[Suncity]

Dhoot applies Nandigram balm

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071201/asp/bengal/story_8614823.asp

Videocon today said conditions for industry were “conducive” in most of Bengal, playing down the possibility of Nandigram affecting investor confidence.

“The business climate in Bengal is good. The problem of Nandigram is restricted to only a small area. In the rest of the state, conditions are conducive for industry,” said Venugopal N. Dhoot, the chairman of Videocon and president of business chamber Assocham.

An Infosys official, while referring to lack of pace in Bengal in allotting land, had mentioned yesterday that Nandigram had created “a misconception” among clients.

Dhoot was in Calcutta to release an Assocham study that ranked Bengal third in terms of investment announcements made during the first 11 months of 2007.

“There is a propaganda going on. But the investment numbers talk about a different picture. I don’t know about (the) political or social problem of Nandigram. I only understand economics,” Dhoot added.

He praised chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s approach. “Investment is coming because he has stuck his neck out for the cause of industry.”

T.V. Mohandas Pai, the human resource director of Infosys, had said: “The news of Nandigram has even reached Bangalore and it creates a misconception and fear psychosis in the minds of clients.”

Asked about Pai’s contention that land was not easily available here, Dhoot said: “Other IT companies are buying land to build campuses. Infosys has not come, but Wipro and TCS have… rules could not be broken for one company.”

The speedbreaker in the Infosys project is land price, which the IT giant finds too high. Infosys had initially wanted the government to provide around 100 acres but it later scaled down the requirement by a few notches.

Assocham will hold a spe- cial session on Bengal at the India-European Union meet in Brussels on December 3 and 4. It will highlight business opportunities in the state to international investors.

According to the study, investment proposals worth Rs 215,000 crore have been announced in 2007 and Rs 50,000 crore will flow into the state in the next four months. Steel, real estate, chemicals and petrochemicals are some of the big drivers of investment in Bengal, the study says.

The study refers to 31 big projects, including Dhoot’s Rs 15,000-crore steel and power plant near Asansol.

His company is also developing four special economic zones (SEZs) in Bengal. Two of them are multi-product, one for biotech and the other electronics. It is setting up an IT park in Salt lake and an LCD television-manufacturing facility in Calcutta. Videocon has a unit that makes consumer appliances in the state.

[Suncity]

Genexx Valley update
http://www.genexxvalley.com/

1
http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/9656/genexx17sju8.jpg

2
http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/7828/genexx16skq7.jpg

[Suncity]

Reliance undecided on Bengal outlets

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Reliance-undecided-on-Bengal-outlets/245564/

Even after the state government’s assurances of “all sorts of protection”, Mukesh Ambani-controlled Reliance Fresh is undecided on whether to go ahead with its plan to open outlets in the state.

The company had put on hold its plans for West Bengal following a spate of attacks on the retail outlets by Forward Bloc activists and Trinamool Congress and BJP.

The president and chief executive of the lifestyle division of Reliance Retail, Bijou Kurien, said: “If the government makes up its mind then you can see everything. If the government cannot reach a consensus on the entry of Reliance Fresh into the state, there is no way. West Bengal has great consumption potential.”.

On the issue of the relocation of staff recruited for Reliance Fresh in Bengal, Kurien said that most of them have been shifted on their own will. He added that those who were keen on staying back in Kolkata were asked to do so while the company waited for the other retail initiatives to come into the state. Around 1000 employees recruited for Reliance Fresh centres in Bengal and Uttar Pradesh have been given placements.

Kurien said that a clear national policy was required with respect to the marketing of agricultural produce to do away with the ambiguity and laws that varied from state to state.

Reliance plans lifestyle store in Bengal

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071201/asp/business/story_8614924.asp

Reliance Retail is studying the markets in Bengal and Uttar Pradesh for its specialty retail format, which it plans to launch next fiscal. The company, however, is not considering Bengal for the 400 Reliance Fresh outlets or 30 hypermarkets being set up across the country.

“If the Bengal government wants we can go ahead and do all the formats. But it is up to them to decide and if not then we can look at other format stores for Bengal,” said Bijou Kurien, president and chief executive (lifestyle division) of Reliance Retail.

[Suncity]

Block By Block Mall, New Town
http://www.shrachi.com/bengalshrachi/retail/blockbyblock/index.htm

photo cc rights suncity

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/1606/kolkatanov195blockbyblolg5.jpg

[IndiansUnite]

CP Kukrejas website (http://67.19.244.50/~cpkukrej/main.php) has some new renderings of the Vedic Hotel by Shrishti Infrastructure. It still has the other (http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/4355/image1lo0.jpg) rendering though.

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/1541/35555482ko7.jpg

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/35/78663506zn8.jpg

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/2954/67994005lm8.jpg

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/6451/86152215yn0.jpg

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/2433/44035428wi2.jpg

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/7222/48665906ws9.jpg

[dover16]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071203/asp/calcutta/story_8607964.asp

US chain chalks up hotel plan
SUBHRO SAHA

A US-headquartered budget hotel chain is checking into Calcutta, continuing the boom in the city’s hospitality sector.

Berggruen Hotels, which launched its brand of boutique budget hotels, Keys, in India in January this year, will build a 280-room Keys hotel next to Ruby General Hospital, on the EM Bypass, and another 200-room property in New Town, Rajarhat.

“We are in the final stages of acquiring the one-acre plot next to Ruby and the trendy three-star budget hotel will open its doors in January 2010,” Sanjay Sethi, managing director and CEO, Berggruen Hotels, tells Metro from Mumbai.

The group, backed by Berggruen Holdings Inc. with an equity capital of $100 million, is also in the process of acquiring land for its Rajarhat property. “We could do a 200-room upscale hotel or a mix of rooms and serviced apartments, to be ready by April 2010. We should be spending around Rs 115 crore on the two projects,” adds Sethi.

Keys Hotels, one of the first brands with private equity funding from the US developing a chain of hotels in India using local expertise, is also hunting for a third property in central Calcutta for another contemporary business hotel.

Berggruen Holdings is a private company founded in June 1984 by Nicolas Berggruen. It manages and invests its proprietary capital, exceeding $1.5 billion in a range of asset classes, including direct private equity, stocks and bonds, hedge funds, private equity funds, art and real estate.

Berggruen Advisers was started in September 2006 by Kabir Kewalramani, in association with Nicolas Berggruen. The company has invested in a Greenfield chain of boutique budget hotels, serviced apartments and real estate in India.

“Calcutta definitely needs a quality branded product in the budget hospitality segment and we will bring to the table contemporary business hotels with price points of $50 to $55 (around Rs 2,000). There’s growing aspiration among business travellers in that segment and our competitive pricing will drive volumes,” declares Sethi, the ex-general manager of Taj Bengal.

Keys hotels will come with fully equipped business centres and meeting rooms with the services of a business concierge, in-room Internet access and a direct-dialling facility to take care of all business needs, according to a group spokesperson.

“After work, residents can make use of a full-fledged gymnasium, a sports bar and an all-day restaurant to unwind,” she adds.

[Suncity]

CP Kukrejas website (http://67.19.244.50/~cpkukrej/main.php) has some new renderings of the Vedic Hotel by Shrishti Infrastructure. It still has the other (http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/4355/image1lo0.jpg) rendering though.



The original one looked better. But this is not bad either. When will they build it though?

[SarafIndian]

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=22&theme=&usrsess=1&id=179013

Romanian consulate office in city

KOLKATA, Dec. 2 : The state’s cultural, industrial and educational scenario is expected to receive a boost with the opening of the Romanian consulate office in Kolkata. On the occasion of the Romanian National Day celebrations in the city today, Mr Vasile Sofineti, the Ambassador of Romania in India expressed his delight on the the ripe investment prospects in West Bengal in the near future. While introducing the consul general of Romania in Kolkata, Mr BK Poddar, Mr Sofineti focussed on their attempt to improve the Indo-Romanian relations. He said: “Our prime intention of establishing a consulate here was to study the prospects of West Bengal in different fields such as cultural, economic, educational, information te-chnology and science and inform the Romanian people about the investment conditions here.” The ambassador also stressed on their plans to open an Indo-Romanian Chamber of Commerce soon which will convey a detailed idea about both the countries’ industrial prospects and what each country has to offer. n SNS

[kolkatausa]

The original one looked better. But this is not bad either. When will they build it though?

haha, i was going to say the same thing.

But i think that this new model is more Bengal centric(due to its angular shape) than the other one, which looked very middle eastern(due to its curvy shape).

[SarafIndian]

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=6&theme=&usrsess=1&id=179061

Salim to pay for ‘cheap’ dumping

KOLKATA, Dec. 3: The Howrah Municipal Corporation has agreed to allow the Salim group to dump “only the non-beneficial wastes” from the Kolkata West International City project at the civic body’s Belgacchia dumping ground, but for a hefty amount as the company had disagreed to dump off the commercial wastes.
An official of the HMC said: “We have asked the Salim group to meet us this week for negotiating the price. Since they will not be dumping the commercial waste at our dumping ground, we will be asking them to pay a hefty amount for it. How can we let them dispose off only the non-beneficial waste? It will be a huge loss for us.”
The Salim group had met the authorities of the HMC in April with the proposal of dumping their wastes at the civic body’s dumping ground from 2008 with the completion of the first phase of the Kolkata West International City project. The civic authority was initially not interested in the proposal as the Salim group had clearly mentioned that they would not dispose off the beneficial wastes at the HMC’s dumping ground which would have helped in generating power.
But after the Salim group had sent a letter to the HMC, the civic body replied positively, asking them to inform the civic body about the quantum of non-beneficial waste they would be disposing off based on which HMC would fix the charges.
“We have informed them that they will be charged for dumping their non-beneficial wastes at Belgacchia but will also have to pay an amount for not giving us commercial wastes which could be used in generating power from our proposed green power plant. The amount will be decided at a meeting this week.”
“The Salim group told us that they would separate the non-biodegradable and non-recyclable waste from the commercially useable ones themselves and then dump the non-biodegradable and non-recyclable waste at our dumping ground. It may be possible that they want to make money out of the beneficial wastes which is why they are not interested in disposing it off,” said the official.

[SarafIndian]

TOI (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bengal_to_get_its_own_Silicon_Valley/articleshow/2593336.cms)

Bengal to get its own Silicon Valley


KOLKATA: The foundation for West Bengal's own Silicon Valley will soon be laid off Rajarhat near Kolkata airport.
Spearheaded by NRI scientist Santosh Mukherjee, the Santech research valley will come up through tie-ups between US-based Santech International Inc. and international organisations, including reputed foreign varsities. Earlier, the company had tied up with IIT Kharagpur to set up the San Tech IIT Resource and Development Initiative.

Santech's San-lab (USA), which operates from New Jersey, is an R&D company dedicated to emerging fields of nanoelectronics and telecommunications. It is credited with many an innovation in convergence connectivity.

Mukherjee said they will soon apply for the status of a special economic zone (SEZ) to set up the research valley on a 25-acre plot near Rajarhat. It will be the first of its kind in Asia in the field of semiconductor applied nanotech. "The total investment of Rs 1,000 crore, with FDI contributing 50%, will be made in phases," he added.

Work on the project will start early next year. Talks are on with the state IT department regarding the execution of the project. A written proposal on the plan has also been sent to chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

San-Lab (USA) will work in the above dedicated R&D areas from its global facility centre of San-Lab (India). The research activity will soon rope in San-Lab (Singapore), too.

Wall Street Financial Analyst has predicted that these targeted fields of San-Lab's R&D interests will have a market exceeding $356 billion dollars by 2018 and nearly 10,000 people are expected to be employed once the valley becomes operational.

The valley will have five towers. "Four towers will be for the companies that will conduct similar research and development and one tower would be set up for San-Lab's own research wing, which will also house a laboratory to carry out scientific research of international standards," Mukherjee said. The valley will also have state-of-the-art facilities on IT and telecom for conducting research in emerging technologies like nanotechnology, too.

The organisation is also in the process of tying up with two US universities for advanced research in nanotechnology and telecommunications. "We are about to finalize a deal with EDC in New Jersey and College of Nanoscience and Engineering of a New York varsity to undertake R&D jointly," Mukherjee said.

The valley will also have residential apartments for foreign and Indian scientists as well as malls, clubs, golf courses, swimming pools and gyms.

[Suncity]

South City

http://www.southcityprojects.com/

Tower 1

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/7661/southcitytower1ux9.jpg

Tower 2

http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/8208/southcitytower2hs8.jpg

Tower 3

http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/7122/southcitytower3ks7.jpg

Tower 4

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/8426/southcitytower4wb7.jpg


The 900,00 sq ft mall

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/751/southcitymallfq7.jpg

[SarafIndian]

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1137513

Riverside hypermarket project called off

KOLKATA: Reliance Retail’s plans for setting up a hypermart, spread across 1.5 lakh sq ft at the Calcutta Riverside, has been called off.

The Reliance hypermart was supposed to have started operations by 2010, by when
the Calcutta Riverside project is targeted to reach completion as well.

Riverbank Holdings was slated to hand over the retail space to Reliance by October 2009 for the various fitments.

However, Sumit Dabriwal, managing director, Riverbank Holdings, told DNA Money:
“We mutually terminated the letter of intent (LoI) many weeks back and agreed not to do the stores as per our previous agreement.”

The Reliance hypermart was supposed to anchor the Esplandade mall while two speciality retail outlets - a 30,000 sq ft furniture and lifestyle store and a 20,000 sq ft outlet for electronics and computer peripherals, were also on the anvil, according to reports.

Citing “several reasons” behind the termination of the LoI, Dabriwal declined to discuss them, merely adding: “Things didn’t work out strategically.”

But Riverbank Holdings has not abandoned the idea of the hypermart and is now keen to go ahead and ally with another retail player.

[Suncity]

Looks like one more project in Mamata didi's agitation jhola bag.

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Mamata-again-asks-secular-parties-to-form-front/246136/

Mamata said her party will start an agitation at Dankuni where a large housing project will be set up.

“People who do not support land acquisition for the township at Dankuni can contact us. We were unaware of the land acquisition at Rajarhat and failed to oppose it there. Land was distributed amongst CPM leaders and cadres in Rajarhat. The common man has hardly benefited from Rajarhat townships. This is a lesson for us and we do not want to repeat the same mistake for Dankuni,” said Mamata.

[zoxtannin]

Wonder how much more damage will these disillusioned politicians will do to Bengal. A bunch of worthless vote hungry attention seeking frogs, living in their own crooked well, totally unaware of the progress of rest of the world. Its a typical crab mindset. When someone, is trying to bring in investment and creating jobs, putting up a good face of Bengal, its doesnt go easily with other leaders. Be it Singur or Nandigram, they mislead the locals, and then let them fight for their own political reasons. Shame on these leaders

[Suncity]

Axis Mall, New Town
http://www.axiskolkata.com/

photo cc rights suncity

http://img454.imageshack.us/img454/5711/kolkatanov193axismallom7.jpg

[Civitas]

What is the status of Reliance 62000 sqft hypermarket in Axis Mall of Rajarhat ?

Is it called off as well ???

I guess unfortunate dwellers of West Bengal will have to remain happy with muddy and dirty markets....someone shouting ...... dada rui machh 150 taka kilo ......patal 3 taka saw ........ really feel sad for the poor bangali babus :bash:

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1137513
Riverside hypermarket project called off

KOLKATA: Reliance Retail’s plans for setting up a hypermart, spread across 1.5 lakh sq ft at the Calcutta Riverside, has been called off.

The Reliance hypermart was supposed to have started operations by 2010, by when
the Calcutta Riverside project is targeted to reach completion as well.

Riverbank Holdings was slated to hand over the retail space to Reliance by October 2009 for the various fitments.

However, Sumit Dabriwal, managing director, Riverbank Holdings, told DNA Money:
“We mutually terminated the letter of intent (LoI) many weeks back and agreed not to do the stores as per our previous agreement.”

The Reliance hypermart was supposed to anchor the Esplandade mall while two speciality retail outlets - a 30,000 sq ft furniture and lifestyle store and a 20,000 sq ft outlet for electronics and computer peripherals, were also on the anvil, according to reports.

Citing “several reasons” behind the termination of the LoI, Dabriwal declined to discuss them, merely adding: “Things didn’t work out strategically.”

But Riverbank Holdings has not abandoned the idea of the hypermart and is now keen to go ahead and ally with another retail player.

[dover16]

What is the status of Reliance 62000 sqft hypermarket in Axis Mall of Rajarhat ?

Is it called off as well ???

I guess unfortunate dwellers of West Bengal will have to remain happy with muddy and dirty markets....someone shouting ...... dada rui machh 150 taka kilo ......patal 3 taka saw ........ really feel sad for the poor bangali babus :bash:

The Riverside Project is now going with Pantaloon as the anchor - it's all a political game played by selfish dirty politicians. Good news is that in the end WB has enough population and markets to justify the big boys opening shop. Remember businesses coming to Bengal with these projects are not doing charity, they are seeking higher profits than elsewhere. So they will all come sooner or later.

[SarafIndian]

Looks like one more project in Mamata didi's agitation jhola bag.

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Mamata-again-asks-secular-parties-to-form-front/246136/

Now it is not "farm-land" or "farmers". Now it is "common man". :weird:

[Suncity]

Adlabs Multiplex, Nabadiganta

photo cc rights Suncity

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/548/adlabskolkataai0.jpg

[arijeetb]

Adlabs Multiplex, Nabadiganta

photo cc rights Suncity

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/548/adlabskolkataai0.jpg

Would be a good hangout for the techies:). This should be a mall cum multiplex?

[arijeetb]

Land deals in Kolkata fetch record 325 crore

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Business/India_Business/Land_deals_in_Kolkata_fetch_record_325_crore/articleshow/2607628.cms

[Suncity]

Some Unitech Uniworld City updates from Unitech Google Group
photos copyright Bong_TX/RR

1
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/8553/gardentowerunitechseo0.jpg

2
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/4528/p1000203unitechsjw7.jpg

3
http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/7672/p1000223unitechsbs3.jpg

4
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/5179/p1000221unitechstb3.jpg

5
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/1415/p1000229unitechsfx6.jpg

6
http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/6148/p1000213unitechsxh3.jpg

7
http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/3451/unitech3sfl0.jpg

8
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/7904/p1000211unitechspn5.jpg

[Hindustani]

Sun.............nice update there.

[arijeetb]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071211/asp/calcutta/story_8651309.asp

[Suncity]

Free and bigger apartment for tenants! And you thought this was a win win situation for all?


Tenement scheme hits a hurdle
Statesman News Service


The state government’s effort to develop buildings under Bon Hooghly Tenement Scheme (BHTS) in Baranagar has run into a rough patch after nearly 298 families residing there refused to give their consent for the project.

The refugee relief and rehabilitation (RRR) department, had decided to demolish the existing 746 houses of the project and would give all the residing families a bigger flat under the project, free of cost. The buildings are spread over 18 acres of land and all these new flats would be constructed over six acres of land and the rest 12 acres would be used by the private partner who in return will pay Rs 21 crore as the cost of the land. This apart it would construct the new flats executing a fund of Rs 32 crore.

Ms Reena Venkatraman, the secretary, RRR department, said: “The buildings were declared condemned in 1982. We recently decided to go for the project on request of the residents themselves. But now 298 families are refusing to accept the proposal demanding the project should be implemented as they wanted. They are demanding to carry out the project phase by phase but it is not a viable option.”

She also said that the new flats would be bigger than the existing ones. Earlier the houses were of 250 square feet but the new flats would be of 644 square feet. And these will be given free of cost though the residents used to stay here as tenants.

Officials of the department alleged that the situation is being politicised. Though 446 families have agreed to the proposal, rest 298 families are opposing the project saying they do not trust the government any more. However, they also said that the evacuation notice will be given today and if the families don't leave their houses, they would be evicted forcefully.

[kolkatausa]

^^^^^^^^
"However, they also said that the evacuation notice will be given today and if the families don't leave their houses, they would be evicted forcefully."


Thats more like it. Taking hard stance against dumb people should be made mandatory by the government. As much as I hate communists, I love what they are doing in Bengal. Hey Sun, do you live in Kolkata?

[Suncity]

^^^^^^^^
[ Hey Sun, do you live in Kolkata?

No.

[Suncity]

Unitech Infospace Phase I

photos copyright Bong_TX/RR

1

http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/4213/infospaceunitechsyd2.jpg

2
http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/1333/infospace2unitechsjt4.jpg

[SarafIndian]

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=22&theme=&usrsess=1&id=180534

‘Kolkata could be the next Tokyo’


KOLKATA, DEC. 13: The Consul General of Japan in Kolkata, Mr Noro Motoyoshi, described Kolkata as a “promising city” with enormous potential of becoming the next Tokyo.
Despite infrastructure problems, the recent Japanese Overseas Development Assistance loan of Rs 5809.2 crore extended towards West Bengal by JBIC, would only help the geographically central city between the Saarc and Asean countries to develop optimally. He also mentioned the construction of 72 flyovers and East-West metro, while speaking in a meeting organised by the Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industry today.
Pointing out the “drastically and dramatically growing” Indo-Japanese relations that has seen a remarkable enhancement over the past 4 years, ...

[SarafIndian]

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Software/More_land_to_Wipro_Infosys_soon_West_Bengal/articleshow/2620551.cms

More land to Wipro, Infosys soon: West Bengal

KOLKATA: The West Bengal government will soon provide additional land to software firms Infosys and Wipro for expanding their facilities, the state's minister for information technology Debesh Das said on Thursday.

Replying to questions in the assembly, he said that land required by Wipro and Infosys could not be given at Rajarhat as demanded, since no land was available there.

Wipro was also not willing to pay the land price as demanded by the government, he said, adding problems of both Infosys and Wipro would be resolved soon through talks with these two companies. Besides Wipro and Infosys, many companies have also approached the government for land, he said.

Stating that 54 IT companies had been given land during 2006-07, he said that as per an agreement with the government, Rolta, HSBC and HCL would set up units on five acre, 3.5 acre and 1.5 acre respectively.

While Rolta would invest Rs 150 crore, HSBC would put in Rs 50 crore and HCL Rs 30 crore in setting up the facilities, he said.

Pointing out that a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers had identified Durgapur, Siliguri, Kharagpur, Haldia and Kharagpur as potential IT hubs, Das said a 150-acre Advanced IT Park was being set up near IIT-Kharagpur so that technological advice could be taken from the institute when necessary.

While Shapoorji Pallonji group was developing an 25-acre IT SEZ at Durgapur, another 25-acre SEZ was coming up in Siliguri, he said, adding a 200-acre IT hub would be set up at Kalyani.

Das also said 55,000 new jobs were generated in the IT sector during 2006-07. At the same rate, 1.50 lakh jobs were expected to be generated by 2010.

[Euromast]

A rectilinear volume, punctuated randomly encloses the public spaces of this hotel with rectilinear projections on either sides, that house the rooms in 4 levels... one of them projecting towards the front like a wedge. The hotel is situated along a busy arterial road in Kolkata, fronts a 24' high fly over and is flanked by commercial buildings on either side. The punctuated skin allows privacy to the public space including a restaurant, bar, lobby, gymnasium and conference rooms, while allowing natural light in the daytime. In the night the building would glow like a lantern with L.E.D ' s of varying colors installed in each of the circular punctures The hotel is entered through a 24'0" high entrance lobby, allowing visibility of the lounge and restaurant at the lower level, along with the bar & restaurant at the upper level. The rooftop is also enveloped by the punctuated skin houses a swimming pool, a lounge bar and a gymnasium. The juxtaposition of rectilinear composed white blocks housing the rooms against the randomly punctuated envelop of gray exposed concrete creates a strong presence on a road cluttered with a glass-aluminum commercial buildings, creating a unique identity. Designer/Architect – Sanjay Puri & Nimish Shah. Area of project – 58,000 Sq. Ft.

http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/7271/17173100020verve20kolkakf8.jpg

More Fotos (http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=1717)

[Mahratta]

Its a very nice concept but would be even nice if it didnt have those massive windows and was much, much taller.

[Civitas]

So much plan and so little implementation :( .... that too so minuscule and ad hoc plan

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071217/asp/calcutta/story_8637091.asp

Fast-track blueprint for Bypass
- Bus bays, flyover planned to speed up traffic
KINSUK BASU
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071217/images/17flyover.jpg
Dedicated bus lanes and a flyover at the Ruby rotary are part of a Rs 250-crore state blueprint to transform the EM Bypass into a high-speed corridor.

The plan also calls for widening the stretch between Ultadanga and Parama Island to four lanes and between Parama and the Ruby rotary to three lanes. The 600-metre, Rs 17-crore flyover has been visualised from Calcutta International School to CCI Canal, near the Housing Board flats.

Named Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), the blueprint is modelled on projects in Ahmedabad and Pune. The Centre has promised to fund the project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. Bengal Urban Infrastructure Development Pvt Ltd, a joint venture between the state and Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd, has been asked to submit the detailed project report (DPR) within a month.

“The idea is to transform the Bypass into a corridor that will cater to the increasing vehicular traffic for years. In keeping with this, the DPR will offer the option of setting up underpasses for pedestrians to cross the road,” said Debdas Bhattacharya, the chief engineer of the traffic and transportation department of the Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority.

“The bus bays will have fences to ensure there is no overlap of traffic,” he added. The flyover will allow “the south-bound traffic to head for Garia without being caught behind cars turning towards Gariahat”.

A senior engineer of the transport department said: “With buses moving along specified routes, the rest of the Bypass flanks will be divided into two or three lanes each, according to the speed of traffic. The project will enable the Bypass to once again become what it was originally meant to be — a high-speed corridor.”

The expansion of the Bypass has been put on hold. A new company will be awarded the contract and the work will be part of the BRTS project. The plan includes reducing the Parama rotary and culling out space for diversions.

The state has also sought the DPR for the five-km Sodepur-Dum Dum road, which will connect the airport with Kalyani, from Bengal Urban Infrastructure Pvt Ltd. The Rs 350-crore project has been hit by protests over land acquisition at Belghoria, Sodepur and Birati.

[SarafIndian]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071218/jsp/bengal/story_8681956.jsp

Rs 4000-crore IT park plan by Mahindra

A STAFF REPORTER

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/18arun.jpg
Arun Nanda, the Mahindra & Mahindra executive director who was in
Calcutta. File picture

Calcutta, Dec. 17: Mahindra & Mahindra is set to invest Rs 4,000 crore in Bengal over the next few years to develop a 100-acre IT special economic zone.

Arun Nanda, the executive director of the company and president of its infrastructure development wing, today met information technology minister Debesh Das, chief secretary Amit Kiran Deb and tourism minister Manab Mukherjee at Writers’ Buildings.

The conglomerate with interests ranging from automobile, IT and financial services to infrastructure development and real estate is also keen on setting up a hotel in Rajarhat.

“All I can say that it was a courtesy visit. Being a Calcutta lad, I came to see the developments taking place here,” Nanda said.

However, sources said the group had asked for 100 to 200 acres and wanted the land as soon as possible. It is apparently willing to look beyond Calcutta — at places like Kalyani and Siliguri — for the land.

This should come as good news for the land-strapped infotech department with the likes of Infosys, Wipro Technologies and ITC Infotech awaiting land allotment in Calcutta or very close to it.

The government is expected to get back to Mahindra & Mahindra with a proposal and possible sites for its projects in two to three months.

Hundred acres could mean workspace for 40,000 to 50,000 people, a source said. “They are planning something big,” he added.

This is the second big-ti-cket IT park planned in the state after DLF announced its Rs 700-crore project in New Town Rajarhat.

The DLF investment figure did not include the cost of land. The project would be completed in phases with the entire park becoming operational in two-three years.

The 2.5-million sqft DLF park is set to house big names like Accenture, Microsoft, Symantec, Siemens and IBM.

Mahindra’s IT company, Tech Mahindra, is building a 12-acre SEZ in Bantala. It is likely to employ 2,000 people in the first phase (18 months).

The proposal for the hotel comes at a time the city is fast becoming a hot destination for hospitality biggies. Taj’s Gateway brand, Intercontinental and DLF Hilton are setting up hotels. Starwood Capital and Trident are looking for space.

[Suncity]

Hiland Willows, New Town

More details here (http://www.hilandcal.com/project_hwillows.htm).

http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/8885/hilandwillowszd7.jpg

[SarafIndian]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071220/jsp/business/story_8690062.jsp

Pact review on Ffort menu

Calcutta, Dec. 19: Ambuja Realty’s 10-year contract with Carlsons Hotel Worldwide for Ffort Radisson will come up for review next month.

Under the contract, which will expire this year, Ambuja uses Carlsons’ Radisson brand. Carlson is launching its own Radisson hotel in the city with another city-based developer next month.

“We are going to discuss this in a month’s time as the contract, which started in 1997, is up for renewal,” said Harsh Neotia, chairman of Ambuja Realty.

“We are open to renewing the contract if the terms and conditions remain the same. However, usually after 10 years, a contract undergoes a revision. We have to then see how it works out for us before taking any decision,” he added.

“Usually such contracts have a barring clause of five to 10km. Ffort is 50km away from Calcutta, so that is not a problem. The profile of the properties will be different. Ffort is a resort, while the city property could be a luxury hotel,” Neotia added. Ffort Radisson is a luxury resort styled on an old fort theme complete with a moat and is spread over 60 acres of landscaped greenery.

Ambuja will also begin talks with other hospitality brands for partnership in two hotels, which will be ready in the next one and half years in New Town Rajarhat and Siliguri.

The existing City Centre in Salt Lake has been built over 4 lakh sq ft. The Haldia and Raipur centres will come up over a similar area, while the New Town one will be slightly bigger at a built-up space of 4.5 lakh sq ft. The Siliguri centre will be bigger than this.

The New Town City Centre will be the first of its kind with a 150-room hotel and a butterfly park with a combination of the usual retail stores and the more exotic perfumeries, chocolatiere and candle shops.

Alliances for other hospitality projects, including one in the Sunderbans which is waiting for sanctions, a heritage property in north Calcutta and a tea tourism project, are also on the anvil.

[Suncity]

Godrej (Infinity) Waterside

http://www.infinityitpark.com/waterside.html

photo copyright Rajarshi

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/7990/infinitygodrejwatersidenr0.jpg

[arijeetb]

So much plan and so little implementation :( .... that too so minuscule and ad hoc plan

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071217/asp/calcutta/story_8637091.asp


Not sure if this is a good idea. Also if they are decongesting this artery, they should do something about Science city roundabout as well since the traffic could pile up there once this is built.

Also it is time that the authorities thought about underpasses instead of these hump like structures

[Suncity]

Not sure if this is a good idea. Also if they are decongesting this artery, they should do something about Science city roundabout as well since the traffic could pile up there once this is built.

Also it is time that the authorities thought about underpasses instead of these hump like structures

One of the problems of underpasses is waterlogging. They become swimming pools during the monsoons. Example is the Manicktola tram/road underpass. But of course that is just a few days in a year.

[arijeetb]

One of the problems of underpasses is waterlogging. They become swimming pools during the monsoons. Example is the Manicktola tram/road underpass. But of course that is just a few days in a year.

Yep - i agree. Chennai has many railway underpasses where-in travel turns into a nightmare during Oct/Nov but on the + , they have done away with the need for railway crossings. Since Kolkata experiences more rainy months it could be a bigger issue.

Coming back to the flyover one should think of complete decongestion with more ramps (like they are thinking now with the AJC Bose rd flyover)

[Suncity]

Harsh Neotia plans IT park at Sector V

TOI epaper

Real estate baron Harsh Neotia is planning to boost his connection with the city’s IT parks arena.Neotia’s Ambuja Realty group — which is already co-developing a 2-million sq ft plug-and-play facility at Rajarhat in association with Bangalorebased RMZ Corp — intends to build a 500,000-sq ft IT park near the Wipro campus in Salt Lake’s Sector V. Neotia said the Sector V project would come up on a 1.8-acre plot, belonging to the group, by 2010. Sanctions have already been sought to eliminate any delay in starting construction. Project cost has been pegged at Rs 150 crore, he added.

[Civitas]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071225/jsp/calcutta/story_8704953.jsp


Health hub on Bypass stretch
- Seven private hospitals keen to open
DEEPANKAR GANGULY

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071225/images/25healthbig.jpg
Seven private hospitals, with over 2,000 beds, are set to come up on a 2.5-km stretch of the EM Bypass, from Ruby General Hospital to the Garia connector, by 2008. The projects, involving an investment of around Rs 500 crore, are to be launched in six months.

“We have okayed five proposals and other two are being considered. The project reports suggest work will begin soon and will be over in 15-18 months,” said municipal commissioner Alapan Bandyopadhyay.

The biggest among the proposed hospitals — Neotia Elbit Health Citi, at Chakgaria — will have 1,000 beds. The others are Sankara Nethralaya, PN Memorial’s Neon Hospital, a multispeciality hospital of Armenian Church, a multispeciality facility each of Eastern India Health Foundation and Wockhardt and a general hospital of AMRI, which will also house a mother-and-child centre.

“There are already three private hospitals in the zone. After the projects are commissioned, the stretch will emerge as a health hub, like hospital clusters in Hyderabad and Chennai,” said Aloke Roy, of the Eastern India Health Foundation.

The private groups have expressed willingness to share the cost of developing infrastructure — roads, street lights and water and sewer lines — in the area. The civic commissioner will soon call a meeting with the representatives of the groups to finalise the cost-sharing.

What has led so many private players to zero in on the Bypass stretch? Roy thinks that several factors, including easy availability of land and access to the airport, has prompted the choice. “From the environmental point of view, too, the region is ideal for hospitals. The 12,500-hectare East Calcutta Wetlands is close to the stretch. Since the wetlands have been declared a Ramsar site, they will remain open forever.”

The secretary-general of the Indian Chamber of Commerce, Rajiv Singh, feels the new hospitals will have a “multiplier effect” on the state’s economy. “They will create employment opportunities and promote health tourism.”

Singh said the city needs a strong healthcare base not just for the people of the state, but also for patients from the Northeast, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan who flock to Hyderabad, Chennai and other south Indian cities for treatment.

The industry is upbeat about the entry of more players, though there is also a fear about the availability of trained manpower.

Health services director Sanchita Bakshi said there should be one nurse for every five beds. “And ideally, there should be a backup pool of 15 per cent of the total number of nurses.”

Going by the calculation, the seven hospitals will need around 480 nurses for the 2,000-odd beds. A health department source said the total demand for doctors, nurses, technicians and ayahs for the new hospitals will cross 2,000.

[Civitas]

from TOI ePaper of 12/27

Fresh move on new airport
Transport Dept Identifies 6000 Acres in Uluberia; Project To Take Off Soon
Ajanta Chakraborty | TNN

Kolkata: Never mind civil aviation minister Praful Patel’s comment that Kolkata doesn’t need a second airport, the state government has renewed its initiative for the greenfield airport project. The transport department has identified 6,000 acres of land in Uluberia for the project.
The ball was set rolling last week as transport minister Subhas Chakraborty, prodded by chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, convened several meetings at Writers’ Buildings.
“We have found the land in Uluberia. Around 6,000 acres will be needed for the greenfield airport. The project will take off soon and the airport will come up at Uluberia,” said Chakraborty.
The airport will have separate runways for domestic, international and cargo flights. It will have the capacity to cater to 40 million passengers annually as opposed to 0.8 million passengers handled by Dum Dum airport. The minister said the Uluberia land is appropriate for the second airport given its proximity to the city. “An airport must be easily accessible from the city.”
Only three months ago, at a time when the Left-UPA rift became apparent over the nuclear deal, Patel had stressed more on the modernisation of the existing airport at Rs 2,000 crore rather than setting up a new one. A senior state government official said, “At that point of time, the reason behind the Centre’s reluctance to set up a new airport was more political than administrative. Now things have changed and the aviation ministry has given us a feedback that the Centre will not come in the way of a second airport here.”
Patel had earlier argued against the viability of a greenfield airport when the existing one has the capacity to handle traffic for the next 20 years.
The Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government isn’t buying this logic and
has, therefore, put forth a feasibility study report prepared last year by Consulting Engineering Services (CES). The report said the second airport was absolutely necessary because even after a revamp, Dum Dum airport would only be able to accommodate 20 million passengers — but the capacity would saturate by 2015. The state government had since been trying to find land for the second airport. Steps were taken to identify land in South 24-Parganas, along the proposed Eastern Expressway. But this process was stalled after the government started facing opposition to the expressway project, which was supposed to be built by the Salim group.
“Since we couldn’t find the land, the second airport project had been shelved. Now that the land has been identified, we will be able to push for the airport project all over again,” said an official.
The West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) has, meanwhile, signed an agreement with a consortium led by Kolkata-based infrastructure developer Pragati47 for an aerotropolis in the industrial hub at Andal. Christened Bengal Aerotropolis Projects, the planned city with an airport as its core and surrounded by clusters of enterprises, would cost Rs 5,500 crore.

[Suncity]

from TOI ePaper of 12/27

TOI and Subhash Chakraborty are a bad combination. We have been promised flying gondolas and a 90 storey tower before.

[SarafIndian]

TOI (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Kolkata/Crores_for_Ganga_clean-up_project/articleshow/2653871.cms)

Crores for Ganga clean-up project

KOLKATA: The long-awaited Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) at Bantala could soon be functional. Funds for the project that has been sanctioned by the union environment ministry recently, will start flowing in shortly, said union minister of state for environment and forests Namo Narayan Meena on Wednesday.

An amount of Rs 135 crore has been earmarked for the project. Speaking at the inauguration of the River Festival at the Millennium Park on Wednesday, Meena said the project should help to clean up the Ganga for which the state has already received more than Rs 3 crore.

"Toxic wastes from the tanneries of Tangra, Tiljala and Topsia are polluting the Ganga for a long time. Once the CETP starts functioning, the wastes will no longer have to be dumped into the river. We are also working in tandem with the state government on a national river conservation plan and several more projects are in the pipeline," added Meena.

Seven ghats on the Ganga, that have been renovated with assistance from the union ministry, were also thrown open on Wednesday. At least six more in north Kolkata are going to be taken up, said state urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya. "Almost 70% of the Rs 4.4 crore earmarked for the Ganga project in West Bengal has been released. Now, it is up to us to do the work urgently," said Bhattacharya. The union minister, on the other hand, stressed on the need for using the river responsibly.

Cricketer Jhulan Goswami and archer Dola Banerjee were felicitated at the programme.

[arijeetb]

from TOI ePaper of 12/27

^^The report does not sound convincing. Also the fact that Dumdum handles .8M today and the projection after modernization seem incorrect.

[Suncity]

Howrah is finally getting a hotel managed by an all India chain..

Fortune Park Panchwati, Kona Expressway, Howrah - 711403

http://www.fortunehotels.in/hotel_Kolkata.aspx

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/4680/fortunehotelkolkatamr7.jpg

[Euromast]

@ Suncity any status updates on Kolkata convention center,Infospace IT park Kolkata,World Bengal tower Kolkata



Nice Renderings here (www.rmjm.com)

[Suncity]

@ Suncity any status updates on Kolkata convention center,Infospace IT park Kolkata,World Bengal tower Kolkata



Nice Renderings here (www.rmjm.com)

Convention Centre is surrounded by big barricades. Cannot see anything from outside yet. If they are really building something behind those barricades, then maybe by next year end something should be visible.

Infospace IT Park first phase construction is going on.

World Bengal Tower - proposal or reality? Don't know. Yet to ascertain exact location or if it really is under consideration. I would close the chapter on this one for now.

Also nothing yet on the twin tower hotel/commercial complex by Shrishti.

[Suncity]

More Big Bazaars

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071231/jsp/calcutta/story_8715503.jsp

The New Year is set to bring more retail cheer to Calcutta, in the shape of 10 new Big Bazaar outlets in and around the city.

Kolkata's third Big Bazaar, spread over 40,000 sq ft, will open on Lee Road in January.

Another 40,000-sq-ft outlet will come up in February, and will be housed in the restored Metropolitan Building, a listed heritage structure.

April will see Salt Lake flagging off its maiden Big Bazaar outlet, a 50,000-sq-ft store in IB block.

The 41A AJC Bose Road premises of the Jugantar and Amrita Bazar Patrika offices, now being converted into a retail-cum-commercial block, will be the address for the largest Big Bazaar outlet in eastern India, spread across 100,000 sq ft, expected to be ready by May 2008.

Lake Mall, the refurbished, contemporary avatar of Lake Market, will also boast a Big Bazaar, as will The Terminus mall coming up in New Town, Rajarhat. Diamond City North on Jessore Road and the Riverside Mall in Howrah will be other upcoming stops.

Pantaloon Retail will set up more stores in all the malls and consumption centres being set up through Kshitij, its reality asset management arm. Two such malls are coming up on VIP Road and Diamond Harbour Road, and two in Madhyamgram and Kharagpur.

[Civitas]

^^
This is good news indeed.
But, I cannot understand how much bribe Pantaloons Retail pays to CPI(M). Government does not allow Reliance/Walmart. But, BigBazar is welcome. Nice !!!
This is another form of Licence Raj, killing competition in favour of Pantaloons.
More Big Bazaars

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071231/jsp/calcutta/story_8715503.jsp

[SarafIndian]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071229/jsp/calcutta/story_8720499.jsp

Rs 136-crore wish list

Work will start on rebuilding the Bagha Jatin flyover on January 5, 2008. A part of it collapsed in August.

The Centre on Friday okayed four key infrastructure projects in the city, worth Rs 136 crore, under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

The projects are:

4Construction of two ramps to the AJC Bose Road flyover, near the Beckbagan connector (Rs 18.6 crore)

4Construction of a flyover at the Dunlop crossing (Rs 37.5 crores)

4Extension of the EM Bypass to Baruipur (Rs 53.9 crore)

4Sewerage and drainage work in Salt Lake Sector V (Rs 26 crore).

“Now that the Centre has approved the projects, we’ll start work soon,” urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya said at Writers’ Buildings. The Centre will bear 35 per cent of the project cost under the renewal mission.

The flyover at the Dunlop crossing will be constructed by the public works department, the extension of the Bypass will be handled by the Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority and the ramps to the AJC Bose Road flyover will be built by the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners.

The government is yet to identify the implementing agency for the drainage-sewerage work in Salt Lake.

Bhattacharya also announced that the dismantling and reconstruction of the Bagha Jatin flyover will start on January 5. The construction, to cost around Rs 50 lakh, is likely to be over in four months.

The Eastern Railway chief bridge engineer, M.K. Gupta, has written to the minister, assuring him of “all help” to reconstruct the flyover.

Bhattacharya will inspect the site on January 5.

The flyover was partially closed on August 19, after the south-eastern part of it, over the railway tracks, caved in.

On September 11, it was closed fully. The part of the flyover over the tracks was built by Ircon and the rest by the CMDA.

[arijeetb]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071229/jsp/calcutta/story_8720499.jsp

Good news on the road infrastructure front. In addition to the road widening of EM Bypass, relay of Rajarhat expressway and other key roads, I am guessing 11 flyovers/ramps should become operational in the next 2-2.5 years.

1) Ballygunj phari
2) Ultadanga crossing
3) Wipro crossing
4) Ramps on AJC bose rd flyover
5) Ruby general hospital flyover
6) Moulali
7) Mullickbazar
8) Shyambazaar
9) Dunlop crossing
10) Bypass-Baruipur flyover
11) Park Circus to Parama island

Also I believe #11 has not yet been approved by the center.

[arijeetb]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071231/jsp/calcutta/story_8708830.jsp

The civic authorities have finally woken up to the need for a big, organised parking lot near Park Circus Maidan, one of the most congested zones in the city.

Since no space is available for large-scale parking overground, chances are the city fathers will go underground to create the facility.

An inspection of the Park Circus Maidan — the venue for Book Fair 2008 — by civic engineers revealed that the only space available for creating a parking lot, overground or underground, is on northern side, on Suhrawardy Avenue. The inspection, joined by police, was part of an initiative to identify parking space for Book Fair visitors.

“The area is badly in need of a big parking lot and we are considering both overground and underground options,” said mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya. “It’s too early to say whether the Park Circus car park will be modelled on the plaza under Lindsay Street.”

Municipal commissioner Alapan Bandyopadhyay said: “We will invite expressions of interest after finalising the site. The car park will be constructed in a joint venture with private parties.”

Civic engineers think the northern pavement of the Park Circus Maidan is least used by pedestrians, as it has been occupied by encroachers. “At 10 ft below the ground, we can set up the largest parking zone in the city that can accommodate 400 cars,” said an engineer.

“If lifts can be installed in the middle of the Suhrawardy Avenue pavement and at its eastern and western ends, motorists can approach the facility from the seven-point crossing, Darga Road-CIT Road and Suhrawardy Avenue,” he pointed out.

“The civic body and the traffic department, over the past 40 years, have never bothered to upgrade the traffic infrastructure of this busy locality,” alleged mayoral council member and local councillor Farzana Chaudhury.

The seven-point crossing was given its only facelift in the past 50 years during the commissioning of the AJC Bose Road flyover.

So, snarls are a common sight on Darga Road, Suhrawardy Avenue, Congress Exhibition Road, Dilkhusa Street, Shamsul Huda Road, Biresh Guha Street, Broad Street and CIT Road.

[Suncity]

^^
This is good news indeed.
But, I cannot understand how much bribe Pantaloons Retail pays to CPI(M). Government does not allow Reliance/Walmart. But, BigBazar is welcome. Nice !!!
This is another form of Licence Raj, killing competition in favour of Pantaloons.

I don't think Big Brother (at least the WB mandarins (http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Compromise-formula-for-retail-devised-CM/255548/)) are against Reliance Fresh or other Indian retailers. The reason why Reliance Fresh is a big issue is that they are talking about getting stuff directly from farmers in a big way. Now that will hurt the "middlemen". And who are most of these "middlemen"? I am guessing mostly party members of various political parties especially some of the smaller Left Front constituents (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071223/jsp/bengal/story_8700732.jsp)who fear loss of revenue into their coffers. Also trade unions especially the dinosaur variety of hardliners (http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1141169) are opposing it. Then there is Madame Bandh who wants to oppose everything.

If Reliance Fresh gets produce directly from the farmers, the WB political parties cutting across ideology, will lose their control over farmers. The tears for farmers are all fake. It is all about losing control and funds.

[scorpiogenius]

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL CALCUTTA FORUMERS!

[Suncity]

Looks like there really is something in the works called Bengal NRI complex (http://www.meinhardt.com.au/projectdetail.php?pid=3934) or maybe it is the Rosedale???

KMC road to get pvt touch

Statesman News Service

Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will for the first time construct and widen a seven-kilometre-long road from Choubhaga Road to Kalikapur through Eastern Metropolitan Bypass with the help of a private partner.
A token amount of Rs 1 crore has already been handed over by the private partner ~ Bengal NRI Complex Ltd to the mayor.
In the seven-kilometre-long stretch, three and a half kilometres will be built by the KMC along with Bengal NRI Complex Ltd. The Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) will build the remaining 50 per cent of the stretch. The total cost of building this road is expected to be around Rs 30 crore.
“KMC will be constructing over three kilometres of the road at a reported cost of Rs 15 crore of which Rs six crore will be paid by the Bengal NRI Complex Ltd,” municipal commissioner Mr Alapan Bandopadhyay said.
The road will act as an approach road from the city and does not involve any land acquisition or fill up of any water body. “The tendering process for building the road will start soon. Even the Heritage School has agreed to pay another Rs 50 lakhs to help build the road,” city mayor Mr Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said.

[arijeetb]

Looks like there really is something in the works called Bengal NRI complex (http://www.meinhardt.com.au/projectdetail.php?pid=3934) or maybe it is the Rosedale???

KMC road to get pvt touch

Statesman News Service

^^The renders look strikingly similar to Rosedale Gardens. This one looks to be taller with G+41 and G+35.

[arijeetb]

Looks impressive, however does not mention the location
http://www.meinhardt.com.au/projectdetail.php?pid=3329

[arijeetb]

Any updates on when the Metro Extension to Garia will become operational?

[dover16]

^^The renders look strikingly similar to Rosedale Gardens. This one looks to be taller with G+41 and G+35.

Rosedale is being built by Bengal Shrachi which should be different. Besides Rosedale has only 16 odd acres as opposed to 67 acres on this one (wonder what location)! This one also seems to include 150 detached bungalows besides the 7 towers!

[dover16]

Looks impressive, however does not mention the location
http://www.meinhardt.com.au/projectdetail.php?pid=3329

This one "Milon Mela" was reported earlier, close to ITC Sonar Bangla hotel on Park Circus connector - this was supposed to be a rush project to host Book Fair, but now will take its own sweet time, it seems. Also can you imagine that only 1 out of 5 exhibition halls will supposedly be air-conditioned! Hopefully better senses will prevail.

[arijeetb]

This one "Milon Mela" was reported earlier, close to ITC Sonar Bangla hotel on Park Circus connector - this was supposed to be a rush project to host Book Fair, but now will take its own sweet time, it seems. Also can you imagine that only 1 out of 5 exhibition halls will supposedly be air-conditioned! Hopefully better senses will prevail.

^^Thanks for the update!. Quite a letdown from the renders. Without airconditioning, do they plan to do business only in wintery evenings or what? :nuts: While book fairs may be a yearly affair, exhibition halls are typically good to hold job fairs say quarterly in big cities like Kolkata and a comfortable atmosphere is mandatory. An example to quote is HITEX in Hyderabad.

[arijeetb]

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/3638/02roadbigmy9.jpg

Vehicles from Gariahat took 40 seconds, on an average, to cross the Ballygunge Phari intersection before the Gariahat flyover came up. After the high-road became operational, as revealed in a study by IIT Kharagpur, the duration went up three times.

While the six-point Ballygunge Phari crossing is the worst hit, following the commissioning of the flyover, other intersections — like Gariahat, Gol Park and Deshapriya Park — have not been spared either.

Metro identifies the problem points...

Lack of planning

The flyover was constructed to ensure smooth flow of traffic at the Gariahat crossing. But the planners did not take into account the possible fallout on the other intersections in the vicinity.

After the high-road was thrown open to traffic, the Gariahat crossing became decongested but the clogs at the others have intensified.

A traffic simulation model developed by Bhargav Maitra, an associate professor in the civil engineering department of IIT Kharagpur, points out that the Gariahat flyover has only “shifted the location of the overall traffic problem and enhanced it”.

Copspeak: “One has to wait at the signal here any time in the day. We can’t help it, given the volume of traffic at the crossing,” said a senior police officer.

Left turns

The Hazra autorickshaw stand is too close to the crossing and should be shifted 100 metres down the road, pointed out an urban planner. “This will keep the left turn always open. The same should be done on all other approaches if we want to reduce snarls.”

Copspeak: “Vehicles moving straight block any left-bound lane in our city,” said a sergeant posted at the crossing.

Narrow lanes

Traffic flows in both directions on many narrow lanes and bylanes leading to Syed Amir Ali Avenue. Experts suggest one-way movement be enforced on these lanes and roadside parking be banned.

Maitra has suggested that the authorities select certain corridors and “prioritise” them. To ensure smooth flow of north-south traffic at the Phari crossing, he points out, “no entry” boards should be erected at certain points during rush hours.

Mayorspeak: “The Calcutta Municipal Corporation, along with police, is conducting surveys for the construction of a network of mini flyovers across Syed Amir Ali Avenue, from the Bondel Road-Broad Street side to the Ballygunge Circular Road-Hazra Road side. This will speed up the north-south flow.”

[SarafIndian]

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=22&theme=&usrsess=1&id=183430

Three flyovers in 18 months

KOLKATA, Jan. 1: The board of Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) has cleared the proposal to set up three flyovers, two underpasses and a bypass for faster movement of traffic in the city. This is the first time that the agency has prepared such a comprehensive traffic management plan.
The construction of the flyovers which is likely to start in February-March would be completed in 18 months. KMDA's board meeting held in December last year was presided over by the state urban development minister and chairman of the agency Mr Asok Bhattacharya.
A senior KMDA official said estimated cost of the projects would be around Rs 260 crore and funds would be provided by Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). A global tender would be floated soon and construction work is likely to start in February-March.
The three flyovers would come up at Parama island, Duttabad and Vivekananda Road. Construction of the three flyovers would definitely ensure faster movement of airport bound traffic. He said with the settlement of more and more people in the newly constructed Rajarhat township, enhanced road connectivity in the northern fringes of the city has become a necessity. Also, population in northern fringes which include Kestopur, Baguiati upto Birati has gone up in the past few years. The population in Barasat and Madhyagram is likely to go up in the next few years as real estate boom has taken place in both the areas. This rapid urbanisation calls for construction of wider roads for faster movement of traffic. The flyover connecting Dattabad with Ultadanga would ease traffic congestion in Ultadanga which is at present a regular feature. The flyover at Vivekananda Road would make movement easier for Kankurgachi and Ultadanga bound traffic. In addition to this, an underpass would come up at Patipukur and the existing under pass at Dum Dum will be repaired.
Steps would be taken to widen the roads off Ballygunge and Prince Anwar Shah Road connectors. Park Circus connector would be turned into an eight-lane throughfare. Similarly, the Prince Anwar Shah Road connector would become a four-lane road. The official said all senior engineers of KMDA have been asked to ensure that the projects are completed on time to prevent cost escalation and stem wasteful expenditure

[SarafIndian]

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Rly-board-gives-nod-to-Rs-300crore-terminal-near-Howrah-station/256777/

Rly board gives nod to Rs 300-crore terminal near Howrah station

Kolkata, January 1 Eastern Railways has rolled out a plan for setting up a suburban terminal near Howrah station with an investment of Rs 300 crore.
“The East-West corridor is also likely to be connected with the terminal,” said ER general manager N K Goel. While the proposal has received a nod from the railway board, ER is in the process of finalising a consultant.

Speaking at an interactive session after flagging off the Howrah-Chandanpur EMU locals, Goel said, the terminal will have the capacity of accommodating 10-15 platforms.

The number of footfalls in Howrah station is around 10 lakh per day. While ER carries 6.4 lakh commuters per day from Howrah station, it carries almost 13 lakh passengers per day from Sealdah.

As a part of the project to upgrade Howrah station to a global standard, the zonal railway is making a separate provision for the suburban passengers.

Meanwhile, ER has started augmenting the number of coaches in EMU locals from 9 to 12 in a few sections and plans to convert all the rakes in its system to 12-coach ones in next few years. The augmentation would increase the capacity of the EMU locals by at least 33 per cent.

The ministry has set ER an earning target of Rs 3609.07 crore for the current fiscal. While it is likely to earn Rs 1325 crore from Passenger traffic, originating freight traffic is likely to fetch Rs 2025 crore for the zonal railway.

Other earnings from items like commercial hoarding and parcel would be Rs 260 crore.

[Civitas]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080102/jsp/business/story_8733988.jsp


Mumbai, Jan. 1: Infosys, Wipro and TCS had better watch out: Anil Ambani is getting ready to challenge their domination of the infotech industry.

Ambani is preparing to take on the technology titans with a cash chest of $2 billion (roughly Rs 8,000 crore) which he plans to invest in an infotech venture that is being tentatively labelled as Tech Reliance.

Initially, Tech Reliance will provide IT infrastructure management services to Ambani’s telecom, energy, utilities, financial services and entertainment businesses. Sources say the company hopes to emerge as one of the top five technology firms in the country once it starts offering IT consulting services as well.

Telecom service is fast emerging as one of the biggest moneyspinners for technology giants. For instance, the telecom vertical of Infosys earned $258 million in revenues in the six months ended September 30 out of the overall revenues of $1.41 billion — accounting for just over 18 per cent of its revenue pie. It was the second-biggest revenue earner for Infosys after financial services.

Reliance ADAG chairman Anil Ambani has been watching the IT space for over a year now and is now ready to make his move. Ambani’s push into IT is part of the group’s drive to unlock value and derive synergies from its various companies.

In recent times, telecom companies have started outsourcing their IT operations to trim costs and focus on their core operations.

In December, Vodafone outsourced all its IT operations, with the exception of network service platforms, to IBM for five years. Earlier, Bharti Tele-Ventures had outsourced its software, hardware and IT requirements to IBM for about $700 million for a 10-year period.

Market observers said Tech Reliance would do well if it remained “domestically oriented”.

“As an IT infrastructure management service, they should do very well as they will have an assured market and an anchor customer in Reliance itself. It will help them reduce their costs and be more focused on the IT playfield. As the company gathers experience, it can foray into managing other networks,” said Dipen Shah, IT analyst at Kotak Securities.

Tech Reliance will function out of the four to five development centres that are being set up across the country. Two of these will be located in Mumbai and Calcutta.

The Calcutta centre will be housed at the proposed 50-acre Dhirubhai Ambani Knowledge City at Kalyani in Nadia district.

According to Anil Ambani’s key aides, the group will give priority to infotech this year.

The Tech Reliance initiative is expected to lead the next phase of growth for the group.

Ambani has handpicked a team of IT professionals to lead this initiative. Employees working with Reliance ADAG are also part of this team. The core group of 15 members will draw up the road map for Tech Reliance.

The group is also headhunting senior management employees from leading IT companies to lead various functions at Tech Reliance.

A Reliance spokesperson refused to comment on the development. He, however, said, “The group continuously explores new avenues for growth and we seek to enhance value for our stakeholders”.

Group company Reliance Communications recently announced plans to offer high-end remote network management solutions to global telecom players and tied up with the US-based GlassHouse for the purpose. The company also plans to ride on the 65,000km undersea cable link that is managed by group subsidiary FLAG Telecom, a leading provider of international network transport and data services.

[Suncity]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080102/jsp/business/story_8733988.jsp

Interesting news indeed. Hopefully this will put Kalyani on the IT map.

[dover16]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080103/jsp/bengal/story_8737818.jsp

Calcutta, Jan. 2:
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s government has gone back to business. If Singur topped its agenda on the first day of 2008, the chemical hub at Nayachar featured on the second.

A steering committee headed by the chief minister was formed today to oversee work on the hub and a slew of other projects to be implemented by the Indonesia-based Salim Group over the next 15 years.

After a meeting with industries minister Nirupam Sen, IT minister Debesh Das, Sunderbans minister Kanti Ganguly and fisheries minister Kiranmoy Nanda, Bhattacharjee said: “We met to prioritise our plans for more and more industry in the state. It was a review meeting on important projects. That (industry) is the need of the hour.”

New Kolkata International Development, a consortium led by the Salims, will build:

• Chemical hub

• Barasat-Raichak expressway

• Raichak-Kukrahati bridge

• Townships in Baruipur, Kalyani and Haringhata

• IT hubs at Kalyani, Durgapur and Haldia

The Centre, Bhattacharjee said, wanted “us to form a steering committee to supervise work related to the Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region (PCPIR), which includes the chemical hub”.

The committee formed today will additionally look into “big projects like construction of townships, bridges and expressways”.

Several ministers and departmental secretaries would form part of the committee.

Bhattacharjee said the state was awaiting the environment impact assessment report of the committee led by former ONGC chairman Subir Raha. “The petrochemicals region is very important to us. I’ve told (Union chemicals minister) Ram Vilas Paswan to bear with our delays. We expect to get the report soon.”

The Centre had sought clarifications on the project’s environment impact, especially because of Nayachar’s proximity to the sea.

“The Centre would have to give the final nod to the project. We are hopeful about Nayachar,” the chief minister said.

The Salim consortium has appointed Singapore firm Jurong to conduct soil tests.

For the Raichak-Kukrahati bridge, the company has appointed a US consultant, which would begin a survey soon. “We want construction of this bridge as early as possible as it is important for the chemical hub,” Bhattacharjee said.

He also underscored the importance of the expressway that would reduce travel time between Calcutta and Haldia by half. “Work on 25km of the 98km road will be done in the first phase. Diamond Harbour Road will be expanded and become a national highway with the construction of the expressway.”

District magistrates have been asked to identify land for the townships.

The new towns and tech hubs will take care of the rush for IT plots in Calcutta and the need for housing, Bhattacharjee said.

A meeting chaired by the chief minister yesterday decided to make the Tata Motors site in Singur flood-proof before the onset of monsoon. The small car, the government said, should come out without a rain hitch.

[dover16]

From the Times Of India Kolkata ePaper Jan 3, 08

Traffic planners face Rajarhat challenge

If the warning signals are ignored now, the township will throw up a traffic mess
Suman Chakraborti | TNN

Kolkata: While the rest of the city’s traffic lurches from one bottleneck to another, Rajarhat — with its futuristic skyline and multiple-lane roads — promises to be a driver’s delight.
Or does it?
An indication of things to come is already visible. Obscure traffic signals that don’t always work have been installed at four-point junctions in such a way that motorists can’t even see them. Vehicles enter the nascent township from all directions in a haphazard manner.
Given the track record of transport management in Kolkata, those shifting base to Rajarhat fear that the authorities display similar lack of vision while preparing the traffic plan for the 3,779-hectare township.
Though traffic flowing through Rajarhat has not yet peaked, if the situation is not tackled now things might get out of hand once the car count shoots up. “Rajarhat will witness major traffic snarls if the authorities don’t get down to executing a traffic management plan now. Traffic signals are not working already and crossing roads is becoming increasingly dangerous,” said retired naval architect Amalendu Bhattacharya, a resident of New Town’s Animikha housing complex.
“Very soon, we’ll see traffic congestion starting from the Technopolis building at the entry point to New Town,” said another resident.
However, Hidco officials assure that these problems would be solved. “With an estimated population of 15 lakh and a floating population of nearly five lakh, there would be tremendous pressure on New Town roads. We are carefully setting up a traffic system in the township to ensure that the mistakes made in the city and Salt lake are not repeated,” said a Hidco planning department official.
Hidco has given transport infrastructure top priority and allocated about 400 hectares for developing this.
According to Hidco’s traffic and transportation study, New Town will account for a maximum of 10 lakh passenger trips a day. The study stresses on developing various public transport modes like bus services, suburban and metro railway systems and electronic trolley bus or light rail transit (LRT) systems. The authorities have made provisions for underground metro services as well.
New Town will have flyovers, carriageways, subways and grade separators at all key intersections to ensure smooth traffic movement. “Unlike Salt Lake, there will be no island or rotary at traffic junctions. All four-way traffic junctions would have electronic traffic signalling systems,” said an official.
According to a study by Trammell Crow Meghraj Property Consultants Private Limited, New Town would require at least 23 flyovers at all its intersections and may need more grade separators at traffic intersections in future.
The township will have several arterial and link roads to effectively connect it to key areas of the city like the airport, Bypass, the proposed eastern expressway and other areas. “All arterials roads of the township will have 10 lanes to ensure easy and speedy traffic movement,” said an official. The township will have at least five bus terminuses of international standard and several taxi stands. The government is working on the proposed metro project from Rajarhat to Howrah’s Ramrajatala. There are also plans to include New Town in the proposed LRT alignments.
Authorities are also constructing the Southern extension of the main arterial road, which will link up with EM Bypass. A 15-km road will connect the airport to the Bantala Leather Complex. Work on an inner road network of 50 km will also start soon.

[arijeetb]

From the Times Of India Kolkata ePaper Jan 3, 08

23 flyovers?? Are there 23 well planned roads yet in Rajarhat? Why think of flyovers when authorities should plan the layouts of all the possible roads here. 3 sectors of Salt lake do not have flyovers, yet there is no traffic congestion

[SarafIndian]

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=23&theme=&usrsess=1&id=183704

15 acres allotted for IT university

KOLKATA, Jan. 3: The state government today handed over the deed for 15 acres to the Mani Bhoumik Educational Foundation near Ruby General Hospital, off the EM Bypass, for setting up a world-class information technology university. :banana:The proposed university would impart IT education with associated subjects such as science, engineering and molecular biology.
Chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today handed over the deed to the helmsman of the foundation, Mr Mani Bhoumik at Writers’ Buildings. The chief minister said such a personality as Mr Bhoumik is always welcome in the state, especially, when he has ideas. Mr Bhoumik also praised the chief minister's effort to “modernise the state”.
The proposed university would have facilities for undergraduate students in the first phase of its development. The teaching facility would consist of the best talent, in keeping with its objective “to get the best”.
Research facilities would be available for computer science, engineering and related sciences. The university would be residential. There are proposals for exchange of faculty and students with Ivy League universities. Facilities would include hostel facilities for 500 students and world-class living facilities for teaching staff. There will be an auditorium to accommodate 1,000 people, a fully equipped library, cyber cafe, gymnasium and a hotel to accommodate visiting professors and parents. n SNS

[dover16]

From Times of India ePaper Kolkata Jan 4, 08

BIGGER AND BETTER

Buzz over new mega mall

It has the biggest brands in the market under its belt. And if that’s not enough, check out the stats of South City Mall
Subhro Niyogi | TNN

Kolkata: It’s being billed as the mother of all malls. Spread over a million sq ft including a retail space of 650,000 sq ft, South City Mall — the mega entertainment hub on Prince Anwar Shah Road — is a colossal structure. But beyond its sheer size are the mindblowing statistics.
With some of the biggest brands under its belt, the mall — the largest in eastern India — is poised to break all records with footfall estimated to touch 50,000 on weekdays and 70,000 on weekends. In the festive season, the figures may double!
“The country hasn’t seen a mall like this and it won’t see one for some time to come. From six anchor stores and 130 retail outlets to a six-screen multiplex and the largest food court in the city, it will be a complete entertainment and hangout zone,” said South City Projects vice-president (mall operations) Sanjeev Mehra.
The mall’s crowd-pulling potential will put the road infrastructure to test. Though it will have one of the largest multi-level car parks in eastern India with capacity for 1,300 cars and 500 two wheelers, Mehra acknowledges it will be a challenge that both South City and south Kolkata will have to tackle in the days to come.
“We have built taxi bays and taxi drop-off points to ensure roads do not get clogged. The bus stand is being shifted with infrastructure support from us. But beyond these short term interventions, there is a need for a long-term solution. A flyover is on the drawing board. But till it comes up, there is no magic solution. I am hoping that all stakeholders will come up with innovative steps to ensure that the mall doesn’t become a traffic-stopper,” he said.
Inside the mall though, there are no such issues with five-metre high ceilings and six-metre wide corridors offering shoppers ample space to move around. “Each floor will have eight washrooms, baby changing rooms and drinking water facilities. These will complement the largest and widest retail options that South City Mall will bring,” Mehra
added.
Apparel majors Shopper’s Stop and Pantaloons will occupy 83,000 sq ft and 71,000 sq ft respectively. Cineplex major Fame Cinema will introduce the city’s first six-screen multiplex on a floor plate of 60,000 sq feet. The viewer count is pegged to be around 1,500 cinegoers at a time. Also in the lineup is hypermart Spencer’s spread over 72,000 sq ft. Mini-anchors Starmark and Timezone will occupy 20,000 sq ft and 14,000 sq ft respectively.
Small format stores will include brands like Kanz, Liliput, Little Johnie, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, Louis Philippe, Arrow, Zodiac, Hoffman, Turtle, Puma, Planet Sports, Adidas, Reebok, Nike, Spykar, Levis, Pepe, Lacoste, Provogue, Moustache, INC. 5, Catwalk, Rocia, Metro, Woodland, Himalaya Optics, GKB, Lladro, Carbon, QNQ, Titan, Swarovski, Infinity Crystal, Lucera, Orra, Marks & Spencer, Guess, Next, The Body Shop, Wills Lifestyle, Cookie Man, Chemb, Chique Fashions, Indus Tree Craft and Bombay Dyeing.
“The wide retail options will complement flavours from acclaimed kitchens that have eluded this city of food lovers so far,” Mehra said.
Blue Foods will host the food court with 13 different cuisines from India and abroad. Spread over 30,000 sq ft, Foodtalk will host brands like Café Coffee Day, Kookie Jar and Subway. South City Mall will also introduce four specialty restaurants catering Indian (Singree 5,165 sq ft), Chinese (Mainland China 9,985 sq ft), Thai (Benjarong 4,640 sq ft) and Spanish (Zara 4,725 sq ft) cuisine.


WHEN FIGURES SPEAK


It is the largest mall in eastern India, spread over one million sq ft

It has retail space of 650,000 sq ft, with six anchor stores, 130 retail outlets, a six-screen multiplex and a large food court

Footfall is estimated to touch 50,000 on weekdays and 70,000 on weekends. In the festive season, the figure should be double

There will be parking space for 1,300 cars and 500 two-wheelers. Daily accommodation is expected to be 6,500

[Suncity]

Mani Square on Bypass vies for market share

TOI epaper

South City may be vying for the ‘King of Malls’ crown, but there’s a challenger — Mani Square on Eastern Metropolitan Bypass.

This mall promises to outshine South City with a new footfall record when it opens shop sometime in February-March.

“Mani Square will break every record. It will be the biggest crowdpuller that Kolkata has ever seen,” said Mani Square chief operating officer Lou Armstrong. The British expatriate and native of Derbyshire has been in mall management for nearly 20 years.

The 710,000 sq ft development with 400,000 sq ft retail space has just about everything to draw the crowds: a larger-than-life cine experience, a huge Mc-Donald’s outlet, a host of retail anchors, fine dining facilities and more.

The retail experience is spread across four levels and include a 60,000 sq ft Spencer’s outlet, a 30,000 sq ft Westside store, a 15,000 sq ft Furniture Bazaar, a 15,000 sq ft E-Zone and a 7,000 sq ft StarMark store.

The 100 mini-stores in the mall will include watch boutiques Rado and Tissot, shoe majors Adidas, Reebok, Nike and Puma as well as high street fashion brands Votu, Stanza and Sepia.

Above the retail levels is the entertainment zone anchored by the 20,000 sq ft family entertainment centre Amoeba. It will have a bowling alley and simulation game options. It will also be home to the 5,000 sq ft Horror House, the Indian adaptation of Scary House.

A 650-cover food court will also be housed on this level.

The mall’s star attraction is the Imax theatre with its eightstorey screen. At 80 ft×120 ft, it promises to be an awesome experience. Also on offer will be three regular Cinemax screens.

The next level is reserved for gourmets. On offer are speciality restaurants, with fine dining specialist Anjan Chatterjee booking 17,000 sq ft to introduce three concepts. The next two levels comprise conference and banqueting facility. Above all, there will be five levels of plug and-play office facility with IT firms dominating the floorspace.

[Suncity]

Omega, BIP

photo copyright Naveen

http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/9894/kolkatatowernaveenbiplaga5.jpg

[sidney_jec]

Hey folks..
i am back but not with a bang..
hope u all missed me :P

anws back to business..

Source : Statesman.net (http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=23&theme=&usrsess=1&id=183855)


Kolkata to have ecological park soon

Pranesh Sarkar
KOLKATA, Jan. 4: The state government has finally geared up to set up an ecological park to retain the unique character of East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW). The East Kolkata Wetlands Management Authority, which is headed by the chief secretary, Mr Amit Kiran Deb, will hold a meeting in this regard on 16 January.
A senior official at the Writers’ Building said that the Authority would meet to finalise the plan of the park. He also said that the park was needed to save the EKW from illegal encroachments.
However, the effort to set up the park was initiated in late 2006 when a delegation led by the chief secretary, Mr Amit Kiran Deb, had visited the Hong Kong Wetlands Park. The delegation found that the Hong Kong wetlands are similar to the East Kolkata Wetlands. This prompted the authorities to set up a park that would have world-class conservation, education and tourism facilities, on the lines of the famous Hong Kong Wetland Park.
The idea was initiated after it was found that a large portion of the EKW was facing illegal encroachment. Environmental experts had cautioned that if the character of the EKW gets changed, Kolkata would face troubles. Because the EKW are known all over the world for the multiple use they lend themselves to. The resource recovery system, developed by the local people through the ages, is the largest in the world. It treats the waste water and thus has saved the city civic authorities the efforts of having to construct and maintain a wastewater treatment plant.
However, the state government had engaged a private consultant of international repute to prepare the plans for the proposed park. It was learnt that after the agency submitted the report recently, the state government might finalise the matter in the meeting.
This apart, the state government had pulled down more than 30 structures a few months ago which were constructed illegally on the wetlands over the past few years because encroachment is a problem for the unique wetlands and may lead to it losing its place on the Ramsar List.
The proposed park will have world-class conservation, education and tourism facility on East Kolkata Wetlands. If the park does come up on East Kolkata Wetlands, it would be the first of its kind in India.

[Suncity]

Hey folks..
i am back but not with a bang..
hope u all missed me :P

anws back to business..

Source : Statesman.net (http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=23&theme=&usrsess=1&id=183855)

Wasteful expenditure:

1) Hongkong trip - Was it a shopping and sightseeing trip with the eco thing as an add on?

2) Appointing consultant of 'international repute' when there are so many self proclaimed environmentalists on the streets of Kolkata willing to give consultancy for free.

Warning signal:

"If the park does come up" - now that means it is still an if.