Since this is a project update thread I assumed this news belongs here.

Bengal DCL charged with misleading its customers. Details here.
http://groups.google.com/group/bengal-dcl-malancha

Since this is a project update thread I assumed this news belongs here.

Bengal DCL charged with misleading its customers. Details here.
http://groups.google.com/group/bengal-dcl-malancha

Bad:ohno:. Wonder why Bengal DCL is not thinking of its reputation which is bound to be hampered in the near future

Heritage on fix-it list (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080623/jsp/calcutta/story_9447301.jsp)

The state government has taken up a project to preserve monuments and heritage buildings in the city and the districts.

Town Hall and BBD Bag are some of the heritage spots that will come under the conservation project, which the public works department will undertake along with the civic body, state heritage commission and the directorate of state archaeology and museums.

Among the short-listed structures in the districts are the ancient temples of Kalna, terracotta temples in Bishnupur, a Buddhist monastery in Malda’s Jagjibanpur and the Jain temples in Purulia.

Around Rs 5 crore will be spent in the first phase of the project.

“Several monuments and heritage buildings across the state are in a deplorable condition. We will identify them and restore their glory,” said Gautam Sengupta, a member of the West Bengal Heritage Commission and the director of state archaeology and museums.

“There are many structures of historical importance that do not figure on the state or central heritage list. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s house in Chinsurah and the Hooghly Imambara are the most prominent among them. The commission is trying to identify the structures and conserve them,” said Sengupta.

A PWD official said the tender process for the conservation of the 108 buildings has begun and work will start after monsoon. “The construction work will be monitored by the local bodies, like municipalities and the district administration,” he added

Looks like the Lake mall will be the first signs of better things to come...

Fish, fun and films (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080624/jsp/calcutta/story_9455229.jsp)

The dank decrepit building will give way to an aluminium-glass elevation billed to revolutionise the daily shopping experience of Lake Market from January 2009. The first civic market to undergo a makeover under a public-private partnership (PPP) scheme, the Lake Mall will house a somewhat curious joint family of a regular fish-and-vegetable market, branded biggies, swank shops, cafes and cineplex.

The Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) has taken up reconstruction of old markets as part of its urban renewal scheme. The next two municipal markets in the reconstruction line are Park Circus and College Street.

“I hope the project will help in dispelling apprehension among traders and political leaders in other civic markets regarding their redevelopment,” said mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya.

Reconstruction of the old bazaar will not only give the area a whole new look, but will also provide for a very different experience for both sellers and buyers. “Above all, it will allow more traders to operate from one place,” said municipal commissioner Alapan Bandyopadhyay.

The Rs 100-crore reconstruction of Lake Market is being carried out jointly by Arun Plastics Private Limited, who won the global tender in 1997 and Venkatesh Foundation Private Limited, which later merged with Arun Plastics.

The G+ 7 mall will soon accommodate the existing 350 stall owners on its ground floor. According to joint municipal commissioner Sahidul Islam, who looks after the PPP schemes, “permanent resettlement of the stall owners will be complete by July”.


The old Lake Market on a three-bigha plot has given way to a 15-bigha shopping space through vertical escalation of floor space. Centrally air-conditioned (apart from the ground floor), the mall will have four lifts and escalators on each floor.

While the old market covered 42,000 sq ft, in the new one each of the eight floors will have 30,000 sq ft. There will also be a basement parking lot for 107 cars.

“It will be a fish-and-vegetable market topped with a mall. It will be a destination for both the middle class and upper income bracket households. It is a posh area and we are expecting business to grow by over 100 per cent at the new Lake Market. The CMC is also cooperating with us because it is their first market redevelopment scheme to take shape,” said Piyush Bhagat, the director of Venkatesh Foundation Private Limited, which is credited with developing the Silver Spring Arcade on EM Bypass.

The reconstruction of Lake Market is running late by five years. It was due to be completed by 2002. Five years have been spent in a legal battle after CMC terminated the agreement with Arun Plastics Private Limited. Though the tender for reconstruction was invited and reconstruction permission given to Arun Plastics during the tenure of the CPM-led municipal board in 1997, actual construction started only in 2003 when Venkatesh Foundation merged with Arun Plastics and started work during the Trinamul-BJP board tenure.

But all is not well despite the reconstruction and resettlement. Some traders fear that if the vendors on the pavements in front of the market are not removed, the shops in the mall will take a hit.


“Unless the CMC takes steps to remove the hawkers, our business will be in trouble. Shoppers will prefer buying from the hawkers on the pavements instead of coming inside,” said Pinto Banerjee, the president of Lake Bazaar Samyukta Byabsayee Samity.

Traders like Subrata Jana and Mantu Pramanik feel threatened by the hawkers outside but strangely not by retail giant Big Bazaar that will dominate the first and second floors of the mall.

“Big Bazaar will not be able to make a dent in our sales,” said Pramanik with confidence.

Shopper Aarti Chowdhury, a resident of Tollygunge who visits Lake Market daily, cannot wait for the mall to be fully operational. “It will be a novel experience to shop for vegetables and branded clothes all under one roof!”

Hey guys...I am probably gonna be blasted for this but I just added some more to my Kolkata Trip thread. I just wanted to make sure you guys saw it. I will delete this message soon.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=630549

Hey guys...I am probably gonna be blasted for this but I just added some more to my Kolkata Trip thread. I just wanted to make sure you guys saw it. I will delete this message soon.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=630549

No need to delete Vegchop. Great work indeed. Waiting for more & more. :banana: :cheers:

Hey guys...I am probably gonna be blasted for this but I just added some more to my Kolkata Trip thread. I just wanted to make sure you guys saw it. I will delete this message soon.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=630549

VegChop, Add the thread link in your signature. It'll be visible everytime you make a post.

Statesman News Service (http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=12&theme=&usrsess=1&id=210035)

RPG to invest Rs 13,050 crore

KOLKATA, June 25: Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was apprised of an investment plan worth Rs 13,050 crore by the RPG group involving diverse fields by Mr RP Goenka, group head and his son Mr Sanjeev Goenka, vice-chairman of CESC Ltd, who met the chief minister at his chamber at the Writers’ Buildings today.
Describing the power distribution system of CESC to be the best in the country, Mr Sanjeev Goenka refused to be drawn into any controversy when pointed out that the system has drawn flak from Mr Mrinal Banerjee, state power minister following widespread power cuts.
Power cuts are engulfing the city as the demand has surprisingly risen, he said. The situation is likely to improve after the Budge Budge unit starts producing 750 MW next year.
The chief minister has asked the RPG group to apply for necessary land and other requisites for setting up a school of international standard at Rajarhat. Mr Goenka said that work on setting up a management institute at Alipore is on.

Photo source: http://www.ilovekolkata.in/content/section/48/1889?cat=105&p=0&pos=

There are fears, however, that traders housed within the Lake Market Mall may not be able to take on the hawkers that occupy the pavements outside the building.
http://images.ilovekolkata.in/rwx_gallery/const_5.jpg

Lake Market is the first civic market to get a facelift under the public-private partnership scheme. This is the first market redevelopment project being undertaken by the KMC. The project is a joint partnership between KMC and Arun Plastics Private Limited.
http://images.ilovekolkata.in/rwx_gallery/const_1.jpg

Once Lake Market reincarnates as Lake Mall, it will offer a mixed bag of products that vary from fish and groceries to branded footwear.
http://images.ilovekolkata.in/rwx_gallery/const_3.jpg

The Lake Market Mall was supposed to be completed by 2002. But owing to a legal battle between KMC and Arun Plastics, the project got delayed. The Mall should open doors by January 2009.
http://images.ilovekolkata.in/rwx_gallery/const_4.jpg

The 3-bigha Lake Market is set to become a 15-bigha mall, thanks to plans of turning it into a 7-storeyed shopping plaza. With brands like Globus, John Players and Big Bazaar set to come up here, the mall seems set to draw crowds.
http://images.ilovekolkata.in/rwx_gallery/const_2.jpg

Photo source: http://www.ilovekolkata.in

http://images.ilovekolkata.in/rwx_gallery/bypass_pic1.jpg

http://images.ilovekolkata.in/rwx_gallery/bypass_pic2.jpg

http://images.ilovekolkata.in/rwx_gallery/bypass_pic3.jpg

http://images.ilovekolkata.in/rwx_gallery/bypass_pic4.jpg

^^It began about 2-3 months back after a 6 month delay owing to some land litigation issue. Hopefully should finish without any further hassles.

[QUOTE=SarafIndian;22064114]Photo source: http://www.ilovekolkata.in/content/section/48/1889?cat=105&p=0&pos=

There are fears, however, that traders housed within the Lake Market Mall may not be able to take on the hawkers that occupy the pavements outside the building.

They have reason to since they squat on both sides in huge numbers and would be resistent to the new developments.

^^

Plus the dada and didi goondas and unions will always side with them. Just read today as to why no one dares to take action against the polluting and illegal autorickshaws. They contribute crores to the union coffers and the police pockets.

More highrise towers!

The Princep, Calcutta Riverside

From the Economic Times of India (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Features/The_Sunday_ET/Special_Report/Where_the_river_flows/articleshow/3176331.cms)

Princep forms one of the residential offerings within as ecologically conscious and environmentally friendly, 262-acre integrated township Calcutta Riverside. Each and every apartment in Princep overlooks the Hooghly.

The Princep parcel would include six towers totalling 925 living spaces within high-rise condominium ranging from G+19 to G+26 floors.

Photo source: http://i.pbase.com

The Avishikta II complex on EM Bypass.
http://i.pbase.com/g6/75/610975/2/51975594.DJaf8Q3A.jpg

Saraf and others >

Please load images to websites like imageshack and then post them here.

All details by IU

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

Otherwise many pictures don't show up (they may be in your cache and show up for you) as websites like pbase will often prevent hot linking.

Plus there is the problem of the photos changing or site closing down, then the images are lost.

I know it is an extra step but it is worth it.

^^

Plus the dada and didi goondas and unions will always side with them. Just read today as to why no one dares to take action against the polluting and illegal autorickshaws. They contribute crores to the union coffers and the police pockets.

Simply disgusting:ohno:. Key Residential pockets such as Garia till Tollygunj and all of Behala are primary victims to this menace. And no one wants to open whole cans of worms!!. Perhaps some sort of divine intervention can alone cure this menace.

Source: TOI EPaper


Now, Satyam plans IT SEZ in Kolkata
Sumali Moitra | TNN

Kolkata: Its proposed facility at Salt Lake’s Sector V may be nowhere in sight four years after it inked a deal with Webel, but Satyam asserts that it still hasn’t given up on the city.
On Tuesday, Satyam global head (corporate services) H R Prasad said the company now wants to set up an IT SEZ in Kolkata, for which it is in talks with state IT minister Debesh Das. Although Prasad did not elaborate on the quantum of land that Satyam is seeking for this purpose, it would need at least 25 acres since that is the minimum area specified for an IT SEZ by the Union commerce department’s Board of Approvals (which has the final say on SEZ proposals nationwide).
Sources said Satyam has not specified its exact land requirement to the IT department, except indicating that it should be upwards of 25 acres. In case the proposal gathers momentum, Satyam, like its illustrious counterparts Infosys and Wipro, would also be provided land at Vedic Village. In the past, Satyam had cited “high land prices” at Rajarhat for not considering establishing a bigger facility here. The IT minister could not be reached for comment.
“We have submitted our plans and awaiting approvals,” Prasad said, in reply to a question on the status of Satyam’s proposed Sector V unit. Sources, however, said Satyam was in two minds about the 2.77-acre Salt Lake plot because of uncertainty surrounding the STPI scheme. “In case it decides to pursue the IT SEZ plan, Satyam may use Salt Lake to house a training facility,” sources said.
Satyam’s Salt Lake plot, given its size, cannot be converted into a SEZ and would be governed by the STPI scheme, which does not offer companies the same benefits as the SEZ scheme. Software exports from the city crossed the $1-billion mark in 2007-08.

Why the hell are they converting it into a mall
all the charm of the college street market would be lost :bash:

Source: Business Standard (http://www.business-standard.com/search/storypage_new.php?leftnm=3&leftindx=3&subLeft=1&autono=327182)


College Street market traders threaten strike
BS Reporter / Kolkata June 27, 2008, 0:48 IST

College Street Market Byaboshayee Samity will go on indefinite strike from July, supported by businessmen of 24 other markets in Kolkata, in the hope of getting back to the College Street Market (CSM) sooner.

Around 1000 CSM shopkeepers were asked by Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to relocate to Marcus Square in February 2006 for 18 months as CSM was to be converted into a mall.

Once ready, traders were promised shops inside the CSM mall.

The aim was to renovate the 89-year-old CSM into an international mall.

According to Bimal Nag, president of the Samity, "We cooperated with KMC and vacated stalls at CSM because we were promised completion of the mall within 18 months. Now 17 months have passed and no work is visible as the contract for building the mall was awarded to Bridge & Roof only after 16 months."

The Samity said as Marcus Square was a dilapidated area with no provision for drinking water and sanitation and suffering from blocked roads, few buyers visited Marcus Square.

Shops at Marcus Square were not able to generate even 20 per cent of the business they did at CSM.

"We have written to the chief minister of West Bengal to tell us exactly when the College Street Mall will be completed. We were promised it would be completed by August 15 this year, which now seems impossible. So after August 15 this year, we want the state government to compensate our losses by paying shops at least half of the business generated CSM."

Samity members claimed that on average, the 1,000 shops at CSM did sales of more than Rs 10,000 a day.

"The state government must work on improving infrastructure of Marcus Square. Marcus Square has abominable sanitation facilities," Nag alleged.

Video From: AjiNIMC

South city mall parking
t4acOOF7erM

Why the hell are they converting it into a mall
all the charm of the college street market would be lost :bash:

Source: Business Standard (http://www.business-standard.com/search/storypage_new.php?leftnm=3&leftindx=3&subLeft=1&autono=327182)

Ya, I also think the same. Some elements should remain same as they are. They are Kolkata's identity. It is not necessary to change it to a mall to prove us modern. We can build hundreds of mall but no one can make a College St. :ohno:

The College Street Market wasn't really a charming place. Don't confuse it with the main College Street boi para.

BTW Bengal Shelter is claiming that the last of the shopkeepers only moved a couple of months back.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080627/jsp/calcutta/story_9468976.jsp

“We had said that it would take 18 months from the time we got full possession of the site. The last of the traders left only two months ago,” said Samar Nag, the managing director of Bengal Shelter, which is constructing the mall.

The basement of Block A of the market is ready and the company intends to complete the first floor in the next six months. The first batch of traders will be allowed to move in immediately afterwards.

The College Street Market wasn't really a charming place. Don't confuse it with the main College Street boi para.

Ya, I am talking about the boi para, not college st market. That should be demolished or renovated. :)

Coffee House facelift

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080701/jsp/calcutta/story_9484491.jsp

The proposed renovation of Indian Coffee House, on Bankim Chatterjee Street, is scheduled to begin by August.

This was decided at a meeting between Bengal Shelter, which will execute the project, and Indian Coffee Workers’ Cooperative Society Ltd on Monday. The Society is running Indian Coffee House since 1958.

The Rs 25-lakh project includes repairs, painting the walls and renovating the staircase, kitchen and toilets.

There are also plans to hang a canvas on the wooden wall where paintings by Coffee House frequenters can be displayed, and set up a folding stage beside the counter. “We do not want a permanent stage as that will occupy space,” said Subhash Ganguly, an accountant of the Society, which wants the work to be complete before the Puja.

“The staircase will be paved with stones. Texture paints will be used in bright and dull colours to blend the old and the new. We will try to complete the work in a month,” said Amitav Biswas, of Prakalpa, the consulting agency of Bengal Shelter.

Coffee House facelift

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080701/jsp/calcutta/story_9484491.jsp

Thats good news. Hope they (Bengal Shelter) will create something unique. Also hope they don’t change(replace?) the chairs and tables. :lol:

They should have a special attention to the entrance section too.

Hawkers prevent Spencer's hyper mall inauguration (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Services/Hawkers_prevent_Spencers_hyper_mall_inauguration/articleshow/3197274.cms):bash:

KOLKATA: Hundreds of hawkers today foiled the inauguration of the second hyper mall of the Spencer's, promoted by the RPG Enterprises, in upmarket south Kolkata, dealing a major blow to the organised retail trade in West Bengal.

All trade unions, except the CITU, supported the hawkers who even prevented RPG Enterprises vice-chairman Sanjiv Goenka from entering the swank three-storied mall located near Gariahat, a major retail hub.

The police said around 10 am hundreds of hawkers converged on the area raising slogans. They also burnt pamphlets and discount coupons.

Local councillor Debasis Kumar said the CITU-affiliated hawkers were not present in the agitation.

The general secretary of the Hawkers' Sangram Committee, Shaktiman Ghosh, told reporters that some 6,000 hawkers conducting their trade between Ballygunge railway station and Rasbehari Crossing would be affected.

"We are more concerned here because the density of hawkers is very high compared to other locations. We will allow Spencer's to open here if they refrain from selling fruits, vegetables, food articles and cheap garments," Ghosh said.

Spencer's vice-president (Marketing) S S Shekhawat said the agitation and the blockade were based on misinformation spread by vested interests. "The fact is that we will sell no product which hits hawkers' interest."

Automobile engineering institute to come up in Kolkata (http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=23&theme=&usrsess=1&id=211624)

KOLKATA, July 3: In an effort to generate trained manpower for the automobile sector, George Telegraph Training Institute in association with Mukesh Himatsingka Group is all set to launch a private automobile engineering institute in the city.
The launch of the institute, christened George Telegraph Institute of Automobile Engineering (GTIAE) was announced on Saturday.
This industry-institute partnership is aimed at training and grooming an average student, enabling him to match steps with the fast-evolving automobile industry. The students enrolling in the institute for the session starting this October will be offered a course called the Advanced Automobile Technology, which is a 24-month course.
Admissions for this session has already started from 30 June. The minimum requirement for a candidate to be eligible for this course is clearing the Class X Board examinations with satisfactory marks.
Classes will be conducted in the Mukesh Hyundai building near Keshtopur.
Apart from theory lessons, the GTIAE students will get hands on training at the state-of-the-art workshops for their all-round development.
They will be provided with the opportunity to have a look at the latest Hyundai and Mahindra & Mahindra models, starting from passenger cars to heavy vehicles.
Industry experts from every sector will be conducting special classes.
Speaking about the infrastructure and faculty, Mr Gora Dutta, principal of the institute said: “In this institute we will try to give our students maximum practical orientation so that a successful student from GTIAE will always remain ahead of the rest. Moreover, our objective is to reach out to the non-metropolitan areas where vocational training is still unheard of.”

Source: Times of India

Green villas with style statement

WBREDA’s Housing Complex In Rajarhat Runs On Solar Energy & Has Looks To Die For


Jhimli Mukherjee Pandey | TNN

Kolkata: When the owners of the 25 houses in Rabi Rashmi Abasan at Rajarhat will walk in with their suitcases on Tuesday, they will add a chapter to the country’s ‘green’ revolution. This prestigious solar energy-run housing complex project of the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Authority (WBREDA) is the first of its kind in the country. The gates will be formally thrown open on Tuesday.
The complex consists of standalone duplexes of 2,000 sqft each, designed to run on solar energy. Each looks like a villa with sloping turrets and windows fitted with solar module plates to trap sun rays and convert them into usable electricity. WBREDA authorities said each building has the capacity to produce at least eight units daily, enough to run five fans and tubelights throughout the day.
Alternative arrangements for conventional electricity have been made, but in a fashion that will enable optimal use of solar energy. WBREDA took permission from the State Electricity Regulatory Commission to set up a special grid for the complex. While it will be able to bring an inflow of conventional energy to the complex to meet any shortfall, all the power generated from solar energy will also be flown out into this grid.
“This is called a net meter system, which will calculate the net use of conventional energy in a household after deducting the solar energy that the building had generated. On an average, a household with three bedrooms, a sitting and dining area and a study would use about 10 units of electricity per day. The building will generate eight units and the houseowner pays only for the two extra units provided by conventional energy,” explained S Bhattacharya, director of WBREDA.
The complex has been designed following “passive architecture” techniques, so as to keep them naturally cool during summer and warm during winter. Each building has a lily pool from where a cool breeze will flow in through specially designed louvres, move across the building and flow out through a chimney. Insulators have also been embedded between walls.
“It is to discourage the use of ACs, geysers and heaters,” Bhattacharya said. Water heaters run on solar power have been built atop each building, which will carry hot water to the kitchen and the three bathrooms.
The complex has been built at a cost of Rs 12 crore and apart from the state department of power, funds have been provided by the Union ministry of new and renewable energy. Bengal DCL has helped with the architecture and Mackintosh Burn has constructed the project in 18 months. Each building costs Rs 45 lakh.

http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/3075/pc0051300wu3.jpg
Each duplex at Rabi Rashmi Abasan is fitted with a solar module plate to trap sun rays and convert them into usable electricity

Source: Times of India

http://img393.imageshack.us/img393/8756/getimageqd6.png

Source: Times of India

Green villas with style statement

WBREDA’s Housing Complex In Rajarhat Runs On Solar Energy & Has Looks To Die For

[SIZE="1"]


Another news article..

Kolkata builds a housing project powered by sun

photo copyright VegChop

http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/6103/rabirashmigreenfieldvegwv5.jpg

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Kolkata-builds-a-housing-project-powered-by-sun/331990/

India’s first such project allows residents own power, surplus can be put back into grid
When Debabrata Dutta, a senior technical manager with Wipro Technologies, and wife Arunima finally settled down in Kolkata — after postings in the US and Bangalore — what they wanted was a home that combined the luxury of a bungalow with the security of a housing complex. They got both, with a bonus: being part of India’s first solar housing project.

Today, the couple are the proud owners of a “dream house” in Rabirashmi Abasan — christened thus by Chief Minister Buddadeb Bhattacharjee himself, for rabirashmi means sunrays.

The housing complex comprises 25 plush bungalows priced at Rs 43 lakh to Rs 45 lakh each for a built-up space of 1,700 sq ft. As Arunima says, they don’t mind paying extra for the “green” bonus.

The brainchild of the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency (WBREDA), Rabirashmi has been developed on a 1.76-acre plot in New Town Kolkata by Bengal DCL — a joint venture of the West Bengal Housing Board and Development Consultants Ltd. The construction was undertaken by Mackintosh Burn.

What is interesting is that it is perhaps the first project in the country where residents push power — generated in their rooftop solar photovoltaic panels — into the grid of power utilities. If they are “power surplus”, they can supply it to the state power utilities and the balance is adjusted to their total consumption of electricity. In this “net metering concept”, consumers pay only for the net energy consumption (calculated on how much they consume from power utilities and how much they push into the grid).

WBREDA is in-charge of general maintenance for the first year while each installation — be it the heater, inverter or solar lights — comes with a five-year guarantee.

There are several other features which make the housing complex every environmentalist’s dream, and has already drawn curious and interested delegates from the UK, the US and Thailand.

* The architecture is based on a “Solar Passive Concept” — buildings are oriented to receive the southern breeze while the cavities of walls have “puff insulation” that keeps extreme temperatures at bay. This means it is warm indoors during winters and cool during summers, almost dispensing with the need for air-conditioners. Plus, the windowpanes of the community centre are transparent photovoltaic panels which double up as windows.

* A “Grid Interactive Solar PV” means the buildings and community centre are connected with a “grid” or supply network of power utilities, says S P Gon Chaudhuri, Director, WBREDA.

* The complex’s own hydro-pneumatic water pump starts working when there is a reduction of pressure inside the pipes caused by opening of taps, flushing cisterns etc. The pump has a varying frequency so that it operates only up to the speed which is needed to get full pressure, thereby saving energy. It operates at maximum capacity only when all the taps are opened.

* Each bungalow has own “power plant” on the rooftop, comprising a solar photovoltaic panel with a capacity of two kilowatts. Household gadgets and electric installations can run on solar power during the day. Post sunset, with the generation dwindling, the system automatically switches to conventional electricity.

* The PV system also has an in-built power back-up system, which stores around 3 kilowatts of power. So, in case of an emergency at night, say during power cuts, one can switch to the back-up to harness stored power. An inverter helps the “switchover” post-sunset. All residents have been advised to opt for LEDs and CFLs.

* Each house is fitted with a solar heater on the rooftop connected to kitchen and bathrooms. The small water tank in the solar heater has a thermal insulation which provides round-the-clock hot water supply.

* There is a swimming pool heated by solar energy.

* All the 17 streetlights are fitted with solar photovoltaic panels.

Big Bazaar has started operations from Whitaway Laidlaw building. The heritage structure needs better maintenance though..

http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/4356/bigbazaarchowringheehe5.jpg

Greener pastures sans billboards (http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=1&theme=&usrsess=1&id=211932)

KOLKATA, July 5: The city may breathe easier ~ and look prettier ~ if the Kolkata Municipal Corporation's decision to remove billboards from in front of parks and water-bodies comes into effect. The decision has been taken to keep the city's greenery free from "visual pollution". The civic body's advertisement department will not renew leases or allot new slots for billboards in front of parks or water-bodies.
Civic authorities had earlier sought to remove billboards from in front of parks and water-bodies before the expiry of the lease period, but problems arose when the KMC could not provide space to relocate them. Why the civic body granted licences for billboards to be erected on these spots in the first place is, of course, open to question.
"Leases for 100-odd billboards that come to an end in August will not be renewed automatically. About 30 per cent of these billboards set up by various advertising agencies block views to parks, public squares and water-bodies," an official said. These spots will be kept billboard-free. At present, over 320 billboards have been erected in various areas of the city with the permission of the KMC which counts the monies accruing from the lease as easy revenue. Officials said advertisement inspectors are currently surveying the status of all billboards in the city and will present their report shortly. Based on the report, future tenders for billboards will be issued.
Earlier, the KMC had stopped issuing permits to set up a billboard on or near heritage sites. Moreover, the civic body has also stopped issuing permits to erect billboards on city roads.
Member, mayor-in-council (parks and squares), Mr Faiyaz Ahmed Khan said: "A decision to keep parks, squares and water-bodies free from encroachments has been taken and all billboards that cause visual pollution will be removed."

Big Bazaar has started operations from Whitaway Laidlaw building. The heritage structure needs better maintenance though..


Very nice. Retail giants are fighting for a space in Calcutta. Hope they will utilize these heritage places like this and maintain them properly. :cheers:

Kolkata got another fabulous shopping mall. Inside Mani Square mall. Photo source Anandabazar.
:cheers:
http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/1531/mani01ta4.jpg

Spencer's second hyper mall opens in Kolkata

The RPG Enterprises-controlled Spencer's hyper mall at Rashbehari Avenue was inaugurated this evening after the management and agitating hawkers unions reached an understanding over its opening.

The store was to be inagurated last Friday but hundreds of protesting hawkers and shop owners prevented it from opening.

On Saturday, Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya had convened a meeting with both parties to resolve the issue.

Local councillor and leader of hawkers' association, Debasis Kumar had set conditions for Spencer's to follow for opening the mall.

Kumar told PTI today that "Spencers has agreed not to sell less than three kg of vegetables, six kg of potatoes and onions, less than one litre of oil and 500 gm of masala and only branded and packaged rice and pulses."

However, they have not agreed on setting up the two-member committee to oversee the terms agreed between the both.

"They have also agreed to offer local employment. We have therefore decided to allow them to open the store," Kumar said.

The hyper mall was inaugurated by a customer. "The opening of the store was delayed by a few days due to apprehension by hawkers, but we do not compete with them as our customer profile is different from theirs," said VP (Operations) of Spencer's, Pravin Dalal.

source economictimes.com (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Services/Spencers_second_hyper_mall_opens_in_Kolkata_/articleshow/3208169.cms)

Spencer's second hyper mall opens in Kolkata



source economictimes.com (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Services/Spencers_second_hyper_mall_opens_in_Kolkata_/articleshow/3208169.cms)

^^It is good that sanity has finally prevailed. The store would benefit large areas of South Kolkata.

Godrej Waterside update

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/3992/watersidevr3.jpg

IT Park from South City developers - under construction in Sector V

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/2850/southcityitparksectorvlu0.jpg

Globsyn

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/7374/globsynma7.jpg

KMDA to set up second flyover in Baghajatin (http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=22&theme=&usrsess=1&id=212095)

KOLKATA, July 6: The Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) would be taking up the construction of a second flyover at Baghajatin for faster movement of traffic along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass.
The project is a part of the agency's move to add to the speed of vehicles particularly those bound for airport from south Kolkata and the southern suburbs.
The project was signaled off by the state urban development minister Mr Asok Bhattacharya last week. The KMDA traffic and transportation section would supervise the work. The work is expected to be completed within 18 months.
The estimated cost of the proposed flyover would be around Rs 6 crore and the fund would be provided by the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
The over-bridge would be built by the Indian Railways at an estimated cost of Rs 5 crore. The tender for starting the work would be passed soon and the work work would start from August.
A senior KMDA engineer said the widening of the EM Bypass between Ballygunge connector and Garia to turn it into a four-lane thoroughfare would not serve any purpose unless another flyover is not constructed.
There has been a sharp rise in the number of vehicles along EM bypass with the construction of more and more housing complexes. Traffic load is going to increase further once the South 24-Parganas district headquarters is shifted to Baruipur.
To combat the situation and for faster traffic movement, KMDA has decided to convert EM Bypass into a four lane thoroughfare with the construction of a flyover off Ultadanga. Another flyover is coming up near the electronics complex at Sector V in Salt Lake. The 17.5 km road from Ultadanga to Garia will be covered with mastic asphalt. The engineers have been instructed to ensure that work is completed within the stipulated time.
The construction materials would be tested to ensure that poor quality material is not used.

Another news article..

Kolkata builds a housing project powered by sun

photo copyright VegChop

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Kolkata-builds-a-housing-project-powered-by-sun/331990/

Source: Times of India

http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/5121/ad0031006yr6.png

@Arijeet,

Cool update regarding the IT parks. Thanks.

Statesman News Service (http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=6&theme=&usrsess=1&id=212178)

DVC sets up research centre

KOLKATA, July 7: The Research and Development Centre of the Damador Valley Corporation (DVC) was inaugurated by Mr Jairam Ramesh, Union minister for power and commerce at Salt Lake this morning.
The centre set up by DVC would analyse and give solution to the in-house problems encountered in Thermal and Hydro generation units as well as Transmission system, which so far has been out-sourced.
With the objective to become India's second largest power generating company and to give power to different regions in the country through the National Grid and to achieve one of the largest utilities of the country, the DVC felt it was essential to set up a research and development centre of its own with fully-equipped laboratories to cater to the needs of the power sector.
Mr Ramesh said by the end of 2011, DVC will be able to generate 11000 MW of power, which is now generating only 2400 MW. After 2017 it is expected to generate 17000 MW. He also added that approximately Rs 120 crore would be spent in the next four years for the development of the DVC. Mr Ramesh also told the DVC authorities and the professors of IIT Kharagpur, who will be in-charge of the research and development centre, to set the proper criteria for selecting research scholars. He said they should try to hire younger scholars who have fresh ideas and pay them properly so they are not wooed by other organisations.

Source: Business Standard
(http://www.business-standard.com/search/storypage_new.php?leftnm=1&leftindx=1&subLeft=1&autono=328204)

Merlin to build 2.5mn.sq.ft. complex
BS Reporter / Kolkata July 09, 2008, 0:53 IST

Kolkata-based Merlin Group has entered into an agreement the West Bengal Housing Board (WBHB) for construction of a housing project spread over 2.5 million square feet, in Sarsuna, on Diamond Harbour Road in south Kolkata.

The project would be developed as an "assisted sector" housing complex by a joint-venture company called Bengal Merlin Housing Ltd. It would involve an initial cost of around Rs 20 crore, including cost of land. WBHB will hold 11 per cent stake in the company while Merlin will hold the rest.

WBHB would acquire land for the project and would give speedy clearances and take care of legal formalities involved in it, said Sushil Mohta, managing director of the Merlin Group at a press conference to announce the project, in Kolkata on Tuesday.

He claimed the project would a corporate social responsibility project rather than a profit-oriented development.

The low income group (LIG) and middle income group (MIG) flats in the project would be priced between Rs 4 lakh and Rs 11 lakh, and the high income group (HIG) flats at Rs 13-15 lakh.

However, an increase in price of HIG flats was possible, claimed Mohta. Spread over 12 blocks, the complex will have a total of 200 dwelling units, ranging between 400-1,200 square feet area, with about 42 per cent units in the HIG segment.

The project was due to be completed by 2010. Merlin group also plans to develop similar joint-venture housing projects with the West Bengal government in areas like Barrackpore, Barasat (North 24-Parganas), Sonarpur (South 24-Parganas) and Uttarpara (Hooghly).

http://www.spinfocity.com/images/kolkata_master_plan.jpg

http://www.spinfocity.com/images/kolkata_master_plan.jpg

The plan is impressive for 50 acres and 4.5M sqft. The towers look like they will stand tall. What is also striking is the amount of green space which has not yet been seen in other IT parks in Kolkata

See the resemblance? I don't. (Status May, 08). Galleria details.
http://www.dlf.in/wps/portal/retail?jspName=dlf_galleria_kolkata/overview.jsp

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/7230/dlfgalleriacomparekn3.jpg

The Telegraph (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080710/jsp/business/story_9529830.jsp)

Sureka bets big on city projects

Calcutta, July 9: Calcutta-based Sureka Group will invest Rs 1,300 crore in various projects in the city and the surrounding areas over the next two years through its joint sector company, Bengal Park Chambers Housing Development Ltd.

“We already have projects worth Rs 500 crore and expect to invest another Rs 1,000 crore next year,” said Pradeep Sureka, director of Sureka Group.

The group is now busy acquiring land to set up a township near Calcutta. It would need 100-150 acres for the project. The initial investment for such a township will be around Rs 300 crore.

The township is likely to be executed by Bengal Park Chambers, a joint venture between the West Bengal Housing Board and the Sureka Group, as it would be easier to obtain the approvals. The township will comprise an IT park, a hospital, a school apart from residential and commercial properties.

The group plans to build 2,000 apartments across various projects from next year.

However, it has not yet decided on the issue of seeking private equity participation for its upcoming projects.

“It is not possible to do so in joint sector projects and offer stake to a private equity partner. We have to see how it works out,” Sureka said.

On inflationary pressure, Sureka said construction costs had gone up by 25 to 30 per cent in the city. “We have to absorb most of the cost without passing it on to the customers. The projects cannot be postponed,” said Sureka.

Bengal Park Chambers today launched its first project in the city, comprising 448 apartments, for the lower- and middle-income groups.

The Rs 30-crore project is coming up at Baruipur, which is set to become the company’s district headquarter for South 24 Parganas.

The complex will have two-bedroom flats priced at Rs 5.5 lakh and one bedroom units at Rs 2.6 lakh.

The project is part of a social commitment to meet the shortage of dwelling units in these segments, said Sureka.

India is estimated to have a shortage of 18 million housing units by 2010.

2nd under construction picture is not of galleria mall. It is Bengal Greenfield Terminus mall. If you see their site, you will find the resemblance.

See the resemblance? I don't. (Status May, 08). Galleria details.
http://www.dlf.in/wps/portal/retail?jspName=dlf_galleria_kolkata/overview.jsp

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/7230/dlfgalleriacomparekn3.jpg

Fresh vegetables will be missing in Metro’s new Kolkata outlet (http://www.livemint.com/2008/07/10011637/Fresh-vegetables-will-be-missi.html)

Kolkata: A year behind schedule, German wholesaler Metro Cash and Carry (India) Pvt. Ltd is set to launch its 100,000 sq. ft outlet in Kolkata in a couple of months. But it might have to start without produce, a key offering, because West Bengal’s agricultural marketing board has refused to allow it to trade in fresh fruits and vegetables.
Metro, which has already recruited and trained some 325 people for its Kolkata outlet, made a formal application to the agricultural marketing board two weeks ago for its leave to trade in farm products. But the company has been told it wouldn’t be permitted to do so.
“Though we specialize in fresh food across the world, we might have to start (in Kolkata) without farm products,” said the spokesperson for the company. “We are almost ready. We are tying up the loose ends. This typically takes a few weeks. We hope to launch before the festive season.”
In West Bengal, wholesale trade in farm produce cannot take place outside markets administered by the agricultural marketing board. There is, however, a provision in the Agricultural Produce Marketing Act under which one could start a wholesale market with the licence of the board.
Naren Chatterjee, chairman of the agricultural marketing board, said, “We have received Metro’s application. We have decided not to permit them to trade in farm products, and without our permission they cannot legitimately start business. We have communicated our decision to the company.”
Chatterjee is a leader of the Forward Bloc, a Left Front constituent that is opposed to the entry of private players in wholesale and retail trading of farm products. Another Forward Bloc leader and former legislator, Hafiz Alam Sairani, said, “Our party is opposed to players such as Metro. We will protest and resist its entry in Kolkata.” He even hinted at the possibility of party supporters targeting the Metro store to protest its launch in the city.
For Metro, it’s going to be its fourth outlet after Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai. It will also be Kolkata’s biggest. Metro’s outlet in Kolkata was delayed by a court case over land acquisition. The government acquired a disputed property under the Land Acquisition Act of 1894, and gave it to the firm. Those claiming right to the property moved the Calcutta high court opposing the government’s move. The court stayed the construction of the store, which had already started. The injunction, however, was later withdrawn.

DLF proposes green housing project off Kolkata (http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14712801)

Kolkata: Real estate developers DLF and the Kolkata-based Siddha Group have approached the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency (WBREDA) to set up environment-friendly green residential clusters at Rajarhat near Kolkata.

These two projects, with 400-500 units, involve an investment of around Rs 10 billion each.

"We have received proposals from the DLF group as well as the Siddha group for setting up clusters of such units at Rajarhat in Kolkata," WBREDA director S P Gon Chaudhuri said.

"We have agreed in principle for the DLF proposal but are yet to weigh Siddha group's proposal," he said.

The units would have solar panels on the terrace to generate power for residential use; excess power, if any, would be sold to the state grid.

"They proposed to build 400-500 houses spread across 70 acres. Apart from solar power, the projects would also have rainwater harvesting capabilities as well as equipment to convert waste into energy," Gon Chaudhuri said.

These units would be built with green materials, which are made by consuming lesser amounts of energy in comparison to traditional building materials.

The two proposals come close on the heels of WBREDA's Rabi Rashmi Abasan project, India's first commercial solar housing scheme.

Bigger Bypass to tackle jam

If driving past the Ruby rotary on the EM Bypass during peak hours leaves you on the edge, the good news is that you won’t have a bad time on that road every day for the rest of your life.

The Bypass will be expanded from two to four lanes from the rotary to Kamalgazi, on the southern fringes, during Phase III of a project that seeks to make up for the city planners’ lack of foresight when the speed corridor was conceived.

With the growth of high-end residential complexes and malls along the Bypass leading to a manifold increase in the vehicle count, the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) has drafted a blueprint to not only increase the lanes but also upgrade the service roads along that stretch.

The city planners have also lined up a bus corridor till Baruipur, the headquarters of South 24-Parganas district, and a flyover next to the one at Bagha Jatin. The Ruby-Kamalgazi Bypass expansion project is estimated to cost around Rs 40crore.

The railway authorities have been asked to do a feasibility study for the flyover project, which will have a budget of around Rs 39 crore.

More road space will not only ease the troubles of thousands who regularly fret over traffic snarls along the Bypass, especially near the Ruby rotary, but also strengthen Bengal’s case for a centrally-sponsored rapid bus transit system for the city.

The idea is to create a dedicated pathway for buses without infringing on the space for other vehicles plying on the Bypass.

“We want to convert the stretch from Ultadanga to Kamalgazi into eight lanes so that we have one lane on each flank for rapid bus movement. Before seeking the Centre’s nod for the scheme, we need to complete the lane-expansion project,” said P.R. Bavishkar, the CEO of the KMDA.

Traffic on the Bypass is expected to grow by around 15 per cent annually, more so because the proposed Barasat-Raichak expressway will pass through Baruipur.

Work on expanding the stretch from Ultadanga to the Parama rotary is in progress. During Phase II, the stretch from Parama to the Ruby rotary will be widened. Each of the extra lanes along the stretch from Ruby to Kamalgazi will be 7.2 metres wide.

“More housing complexes are set to come up in this area and mega malls are already under construction. So, we have to facilitate better connectivity along this stretch. We have begun work on the six-lane stretch from Kamalgazi to Baruipur and it should be complete in a year and a half,” a senior officer of the KMDA said.


The Telegraph Metro

Unitech, DLF projects in Kolkata hobble
Pooja Sarkar
Friday, July 11, 2008 03:41 IST


Funds crunch, land issues dog realtors

MUMBAI: The term City of Joy is clearly a misnomer for DLF and Unitech, India’s No. 1 and No. 2 realtors.

The companies embarked on major projects in Kolkata in the last couple of months but none is able to expedite them, albeit for different reasons.

Construction at Uniworld City (Unitech’s project on EM Bypass Road) has stopped because there are no funds. “The company is now seeking joint venture partners and private equity money,” a source familiar with the development said.

The project was to be executed in five phases but even the first one hasn’t been completed.

Unitech paid thrice the existing rate to buy land for the project —- Rs 33 crore per acre.

A Unitech spokesperson, however, denied the development saying construction was on and bookings have begun.

No. 1 realtor DLF isn’t much better off, either. It won a global tender for developing Bengal’s largest public private partnership (PPP) venture in Dankuni.

But due to inordinate delays in land allocation, the project has been put on ice, sources said.

Bengal was to hand over the land to DLF in the last quarter of 2007. The Communist Party (Marxist), which was very bullish on the project, was ruling Dankuni at the gram panchayat level when the bid was won by DLF.

But CPM later lost the seat to Trinamool Congress and consequently a new gram panchayat was formed, which is not too keen on the project.

Source : DNA [http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1176870]
----------------------
"Just a small correction... Uniworld City is at Rajarhat not EM Bypass"

Eden City project add came on Times of India. You guys know about the project?
http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/3655/ad0011414kj2.png

^^ Also, they are making a mega food processing park at Amtala(Behala).

http://www.edencal.com/projects/megafoodpark.php

The Telegraph (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080710/jsp/business/story_9529830.jsp)


Source: Business Standard
(http://www.business-standard.com/search/storypage_new.php?leftnm=1&leftindx=1&subLeft=1&autono=328204)


These are good initiatives. Kolkata needs a lot of middle class and low income housing.

Remember the Bengal NRI project?

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

Well the TOI today talks about Anandapur

REACHING FOR THE SKY


Render

http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/7889/anandapurbengalnrieg1.jpg

At 550 feet, seven highrises coming up at Anandapur will be the tallest residential buildings in the city by 2011

The city is reaching for the clouds, quite literally. Kolkata’s skyline is going to climb 550 feet high by 2011 — up from 330 feet now — when the city’s tallest residential venture will be ready at Anandapur, off Eastern Metropolitan Bypass.

The complex will have two 45-storeyed and five 40-storeyed residential buildings constructed by Bengal NRI Complex Ltd, a consortium between a group of realtors and the state government. The Rs 2,000-crore project will take off this year-end and be completed by December 2011, said a realtor associated with the project.

Joining hands to make it the country’s best-known residential complex are four realtors who built South City on Anwar Shah Road — the tallest residential buildings in the city right now. Two other realtors have also joined them. The former had eyed the 65-acre area in the ’90s, long before they had even sketched the 330-foot-high South City project, with the tallest tower being 35-storeyed. But litigation had delayed the Anandapur project.

Now, the plans are ready for a model township and the construction of the seven skyscrapers and more than 50 plush bungalows will start by this December. These will together house 8,000 people.

The realtor group has taken up the matter with municipal commissioner Alapan Bandyopadhyay and apprised him of the minute details of the project before submitting a building sanction plan. As part of its corporate responsibility, the group has assured the civic authorities that it would construct roads and take care of the street lighting system in the vicinity of the complex. “We will spend Rs 15 crore for building the infrastructure in the area,” an official said.

To address safety concerns of buyers, the consortium will hire a US firm to subject the towers to all modern tests to check their structural stability, said architects associated with the project. “It will go through wind tunnel test to ensure that the towers can withstand mighty winds at such a height. This is a mandatory test for all skyscrapers in America,” said an architect.

Eco-friendliness will be a key feature of the complex, making it the city’s first green re s i d e n t i a l area. With its own sewage pumping s t at i o n and sewage treatment plant, waste water from all the buildings will be treated and recycled for gardening and washing purposes. “Rainwater harvesting will be a salient feature of the complex,” said S K Todi, one of the realtors. A car park wide enough for 5,000 cars and a commercial zone will be the other features.

Besides, a centralised refuse container will collect and dispose of the 4,652 kg waste generated by residents, who are expected to consume 12.53 lakh litre of water every day.

^^Nice. The project is not dead at least. These are three other news from Times of India.

Green cover for tallest towers

Saikat Ray | TNN

Kolkata: One of the unique features of the Bengal NRI project lies in its plans for a green cover for the proposed housing complex. About 50 acres of the total 65-acre area of the complex would be left an open space, complete with a landscaped garden created by eminent horticulturists.
The garden apart, the open space will comprise “three parks meant for children, the elderly and women. We will plant thousands of trees to create a green cover for residents of the complex”, said S K Todi, a major realtor involved in the Rs 2,000-crore project.
Besides planting saplings in the entire complex, as many as 5,000 full-grown trees would be transplanted there from across the city and its outskirts with special care. Arjun, Chatim, Bakul, Palash, Krishnachura, Radhachura will be some of the species of full-grown trees to be transplanted. The Bengal NRI group has roped in a Thai firm to supervise the transplantation process and train local horticulturists to care for them once transplanted. “We will see to it that these trees are taken care of. Besides, we will plant a large number of saplings in the complex to make it eco-friendly,” Todi said.
Apart from the residential complex, the realtor group has been advised to plant saplings on both sides of roads leading to the residential arena as part of its corporate commitment. “We will do the needful to make people feel good about the project. We will ensure that the towers don’t necessarily become a concrete jungle,” an official of the project said.

LIC tower may cross 50 storeys

Subhro Niyogi | TNN

Kolkata: It promises to reshape the city’s skyline. And redefine the citizen’s ambition by touching heights unscaled yet.
Life Insurance Corporation of India’s (LICI) proposed super-structure along the EM Bypass will be taller than the 50 storeys originally conceived. LIC chief engineer B K Banerjee said the height of the proposed building opposite Science City has not been capped yet.
“Fifty storeys is the minimum height stipulated for the LIC tower. In all likelihood, we will go for a taller building that lords over the city and becomes an iconic structure in eastern India. There is no height restriction at the site as it is not in the aircraft flight path. A final decision will be taken when the LIC top brass sits with structural engineers and the design team,” Banerjee told TOI.
Though cost of construction will increase exponentially as LICI pushes the bar higher, senior officials reason that it will be compensated by the area’s realty potential. “Since the plot is 5 acre, we have to grow vertically. That is essential for returns on the investment that will go into the project,” explained one of them.
LICI has already spent Rs 276.2 crore to purchase the plot. Construction cost of a 75-storey highrise could touch Rs 1,000 crore. LICI is keen on a builtup floorspace of at least 600,000-700,000 sq ft. That is apart from the 150,000-200,000 sq ft of multi-storeyed parking lot that the building will require.
With the land survey contour and environment impact study completed, the company will soon appoint a consultant and then float an international tender inviting architecture and structural engineering firms. LICI itself has a huge team of 464 engineers countrywide. “Any design will be done in conjunction with in-house experts,” he said.
While the company has decided to give the building a commercial character with plush, high-end offices, it is yet to take a final shape. “The consultant will help us arrive at the right mix. We are still undecided on whether to add just a retail section or also go in for a convention centre as well,” Banerjee said. Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services is in the fray for the consultant’s slot along with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young.

Apeejay’s ‘spectacular’ gift for city

Subhro Niyogi | TNN

Kolkata: The Apeejay Surrendra group has vowed to construct a Manhattan-style skyscraper on the plot it recently acquired along the EM Bypass.
Speaking to TOI, Apeejay Surrendra group chairman Karan Paul said the group was determined to create the most defining building in Kolkata.
“We will pull out all stops to create an iconic building. It is the grand vision of the family to gift Kolkata, our home, something spectacular,” Paul said. It will also be a fitting edifice to mark the group’s centenary in 2010.
He, however, refused to divulge how tall the proposed building would be as Life Insurance Corporation of India, too, is in the race to build the tallest tower in the city. With the latter stating that its building would be more than 50 storeys, the Apeejay Surrendra group could push the bar higher at 60-75 storeys.
The group has appointed US architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), which is involved in multiple prestigious projects worldwide, including Terminal 3 at Changi International Airport, Canary Wharf development, Burj Dubai, Brunswick building, Chase Manhattan Bank, China World Trade Centre, City Santa Fe and Infinity Tower.
“We loved what SOM did for our hotel project in Hyderabad and are confident they will do something extra special in Kolkata. We hope to finalise everything in a couple of months and begin work early next year,” he said.
While the building will have a futuristic design, Paul is keen to blend Indian motifs in general and Bengal in particular in the building’s architecture. “We want to build a structure that is extremely contemporary with local motifs integrated in it so that it does not seem out of place,” said Paul.
Apart from the super-luxury hotel, the building will also have a retail and commercial section. “The focus will be on the hotel. Anything else that is housed in the super-structure will only complement the hospitality business,” he added.
The group purchased the 3.35 acres near Science City for a whopping Rs 135.77 crore. While two hotels — ITC Sonar Kolkata and Hyatt Regency — are already located along the stretch, three more hotels — Hilton, JW Marriott and Holiday Inn — are underway in adjacent plots.

Green cover for tallest towers


They are at least taking care of the 'green' stuff. That may be one less excuse for the anti development activists who regulary protest against such projects.

The Apeejay Surrendra group has vowed to construct a Manhattan-style skyscraper on the plot it recently acquired along the EM Bypass.

I thought this was supposed to be in New Town?. The TOI piece had a render of World Bengal tower in it.

Remember the Bengal NRI project?

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

Well the TOI today talks about Anandapur

REACHING FOR THE SKY


Render

http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/7889/anandapurbengalnrieg1.jpg

^^After South City this project would raise the expectations a few more notches up.:cheers:

^^After South City this project would raise the expectations a few more notches up.:cheers:

Yes, if it comes, it would be something awesome. Look at the height.. :nuts:

Yes, if it comes, it would be something awesome. Look at the height.. :nuts:

^^550ft (~170m) is great for the city. However I think Souty City is more than the 330 ft as quoted in the piece.

One-stop shop for utilities by X’mas (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080711/jsp/calcutta/story_9525722.jsp)

Come Christmas, the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) will gift the city a mall that promises to be a one-stop shop where you can pay your property tax, submit an application for BSNL broadband, book an LPG cylinder and even buy railway tickets.

The second floor of the sprawling VIP Market in Kankurgachhi will be converted into the proposed Citizens’ Mall, a first for a city that has dedicated malls for various products but none for essential services. If the venture succeeds, the civic authorities intend to open such malls across the city.

Municipal commissioner Alapan Bandyopadhyay said three more service malls — in Jadavpur, Behala and Kasba — were on the drawing board. “ We are searching for land in those places.”

The Kankurgachhi project will be a joint venture with private companies. The CMC will at first utilise the 18,000-sq-feet floor space that has been vacant in VIP Market since 1994. As many as 10 more floors will be added after the civic body enters into agreements with private parties.

Only official utilities like a counter for payment of property tax, one for approval of building plans and another for registration of births and deaths will be available in the beginning. Telecom service providers and power and gas supply agencies will be given space to set up counters after the addition of extra floors.

“We are in discussions with BSNL, CESC and other consumer service providers and they have all agreed to collaborate with us. Citizens will not have to pay anything extra for the services they can avail themselves of at Citizens’ Mall,” Bandyopadhyay said.

The reason why the CMC has chosen VIP Market for the city’s first such mall is the fact that the G+2 structure has a plinth that can take the weight of 13 floors.

Private parties will maintain the air-conditioned mall

economictimes (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Transportation/KoPT_to_set_up_Diamond_Harbour_port/articleshow/3226596.cms)

KoPT to set up Diamond Harbour port

12 Jul, 2008, 1755 hrs IST, PTI

KOLKATA: The Kolkata Port Trust will finalise the terms and conditions for setting up port facilities at a cost of Rs 1.2 bn at Diamond Harbour through PPP model at its forthcoming board meeting this month.

The Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) would also float the Request for Qualification soon.

"The Request for Qualification document will be finalised and will take the board's approval to develop the Diamond Harbour port facility on BOT basis through Public Private Partnership (PPP)," KoPT chairman AK Chanda said on Saturday on the sidelines of the 51st AGM of Calcutta Customs House Agents Association.

Request for Qualification is a process by which prospective bidders are shortlisted for the contract. Diamond Harbour is situated about 50 km from the city.

Chanda said the company had decided to go for the facility at one go against earlier proposal of development in two phases.

"After the expert committee on containerisation's recommendations, we have decided to build the facility at one go," he said.

The total project cost has been estimated at Rs 1233 crore and involves construction of four ship handling jetties and two barges. The total capacity would be 1.6 mn tonne.

The port project would be spread over 120 acres most of the land of which belongs to defence.

About KoPT's performance, Chanda said in 2007-08 the port has handled 57.28 mn tonne and earned a net surplus of Rs 530 crore which was 15 per cent higher than the previous year despite the fact that the cargo handling charge, including rental and surcharge, came down by 20 per cent during the year.

Sun

thanks. this one looks very ambitious. 2x40-F & 2x45-F. incredible. 550 feet high. cant wait for this one to go up. I'll look gigantic & definitely will dwarf South City.

Remember the Bengal NRI project?

Render

http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/7889/anandapurbengalnrieg1.jpg

Madhumita Mookerji

KOLKATA: These may not look like conventional homes but are fitted with all the modern amenities. And a lot more.

The lily pool in front of each house looks pretty but serves a more serious purpose. The breeze flowing over it cools the house on entering it through a natural draft circulation process called the chimney effect.

Installed on its roof are solar panels and solar water heaters, which will offer inmates electricity as well as provide them with warm water for a relaxing bath at the end of a tiring day.

Sounds surreal? This is what India’s first solar housing project— Rabi Rashmi Abasan—at Rajarhat on the outskirts of Kolkata has to offer. This housing project has a group of 25 houses.

Priced at Rs 45 lakh per house, this housing project has already found its share of takers among the upper end of the social spectrum.

But, S Bhattacharya, director in-charge of West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency (Webreda), told DNA: “Although the buyers were mainly from Kolkata, there have been considerable enquiries from outside West Bengal,” underlining the general interest that solar energy is generating across the country.

These 25 houses will ensure at least 60% of energy savings without compromising on comfort, said Bhattacharya.

The houses have been funded mainly by private players, with minor participation from the central and state governments and have come up on land provided by the West Bengal Housing infrastructure Development Corp. Webreda has been involved with the technical aspects.

Source (http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1177464)

Source: Telegraph (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080715/jsp/calcutta/story_9551312.jsp)

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/3042/15zzbridgebigsp9.jpg

Renovated bridge too high for road

KINSUK BASU

If reaching Entally from Beliaghata Main Road still is a painfully long ride, blame it on a standoff between the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) and Eastern Railway.

The century-old Convent Bridge that connects the eastern part of the city with Entally has been renovated, but an increase in the height of the structure by around 600mm has created a new problem. The civic body is now engaged in a dispute with Eastern Railway over whose responsibility it is to elevate the road on either side of the bridge to match the level of the structure.

A source said the project would “cost a lot of money”, which is why neither side was willing to take it up.

After trying and failing to mediate between the contending parties, senior police officers of the traffic department have asked the government to intervene.

“We have had several meetings with representatives of both agencies. We have now asked the state transport department to intervene so that the stretch can be reopened to traffic by this month,” said K. Harirajan, the additional commissioner of police (traffic).

Convent Bridge was closed for repairs from May 25 on condition that Eastern Railway, its caretaker, would wrap up work in quick time. The temporary closure of this bridge meant diverting all vehicles to Entally and those coming from the opposite direction towards Beliaghata, Tangra or the EM Bypass.

When the planks that had been used for concrete casting were removed a week ago, the traffic police department was aghast to see that the bridge was higher by almost two feet. Traffic police officers and representatives of the CMC and Eastern Railway who conducted a joint inspection later estimated that another Rs 2 crore would be required to raise the road level at both ends of the bridge to match the height of the renovated structure.

“We were not informed earlier that the height of the bridge would be raised. A near two-foot increase in height is a lot. You have to have the roads at either end tapered for quite a distance so that all makes of vehicle can rise up the slopes,” said Saumitra Bhattacharya, the deputy chief engineer (civil) in the CMC. “We have asked Eastern Railway to do the job or foot the additional expenditure.”

Railway officials argued that the original structure was raised on steel girders placed sideways, and that these had become weak over the years.

“But now we have built it with steel girders placed below, which is a modern technique and makes the structure more durable. In any case, it’s the state’s responsibility to build and maintain roads. In Calcutta, the CMC does this job. Bickering over money should not keep the bridge closed to traffic,” said a senior engineer of Eastern Railway.

News: Times of India

Govt hands over land to Westbank

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/9348/pc0052700ap0.jpg

But Places A Rider: 15 Beds Have To Be Reserved For Social Welfare Department

Ajanta Chakraborty | TNN

Kolkata: Land hurdles of a different kind have been overcome and Kolkata and its twin, Howrah, now have a multi-speciality hospital to look forward to. Surgeons from Sweden and London will work here along with their counterparts in the city.
On Monday, Writers’ Buildings handed over three acres off Vivekananda Setu (on the bridge’s Andul Road arm) to Westbank Hospital for the 300-bed project. But there are strings attached. The hospital must reserve free beds for the government’s use or the land will be confiscated.
The land hasn’t come free, though. Westbank has paid Rs 3.5 crore for the leasehold rights — it will shell out Rs 29 lakhs annually as rent. Land and land reforms minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah said: “The lease deed has a unique proposition. The hospital will have to return the land unless it reserves some free beds for the social welfare department, the original owners.”
The proposal, which was first mooted before chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee six years ago, had got stuck between the files over this issue, making the project cost escalate from Rs 25 crore to Rs 50 crore.
Over the last one year, even after Westbank paid up the land cost, social welfare minister and senior RSP leader Biswanath Choudhury had insisted upon including the above clause. He told TOI: “Land can’t be given away just like that. And this was premium land. So, we made the hospital reserve 15 free beds for us.”
The hospital authorities were only too happy to oblige. “In keeping with our social commitment, we aim to provide the best possible cure at the least possible cost. We shall tie up with a Swedish heathcare group to provide subsidised treatment in our cancer wards,” said executive director Asish Chakraborty.
Indeed, the new Westbank Hospital will have a strong Western connection. The existing 150-bed facility was set up about a decade ago by a band of 23 doctors who had left behind promising practices abroad to “serve at home”. Said consultant of breast and colorectal surgeon, Partha Pratim Sen: “We shall use our contacts in London and Sweden to rope in doctors.”
The hospital will have state-of-the-art cancer, neurosurgery, high-risk obstetrics, neo-natal intensive care unit and trauma and orthopaedic units. The cancer wing will have guidewair localisation biopsy (by which breast cancer can be detected before a patient feels the lump) — a rare facility. The project will be completed in two phases — the first, comprising the cancer unit and a few beds, will be operational from 2010 and the second phase, with a bouquet of services, will start functioning from 2011.
“We shall start constructing the boundary wall from next week,” said Chakraborty.

BOOST TO HEALTHCARE

State-of-the-art Westbank Hospital to become fully operational by 2011

AREA

3 acres

LOCATION

Andul Road off Vivekananda Setu

Facilities

Neo-natal intensive care unit
Neurosurgery unit
High-risk obstetrics unit
Trauma and orthopaedic unit
Cancer unit with the rare guidewair localisation biopsy facility

For the common man

15 beds reserved for government’s social welfare department
Hospital to tie up with a Swedish heathcare group to provide subsidised treatment in the cancer wards

Bantala SEZ

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Bantala SEZ

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IT campus under construction, probably Cognizant Tech

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Kolkata's landmark Old Silver Mint to be re-incarnated
(http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ET_Cetera/Kolkatas_Old_Silver_Mint_to_get_renovated/articleshow/3244324.cms)

KOLKATA: Eight developers have bid for a Rs 150 crore project that will see the Old Silver Mint, a fine piece of Grecian architecture on Strand Road here, developed into a museum, hotel and food court, an official associated with the project said.

The pre-qualification bid was completed July 10 and the final bid will take place within three months, said Sudip Datta, vice-president at project adviser Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS).

The project will be a public-private partnership between the Security Printing and Minting Corp under the finance ministry, owner of the mint, and the winning bidder.

IL&FS, selected by Security Printing as the project adviser, has already prepared the project report, though the revenue sharing model is yet to be worked out.

The 179-year-old heritage structure, standing within a 12.5 acre compound off the Hooghly river, was used for minting coins and manufacturing medals and decorations before Independence but fell into disuse after the facility was shut down in 1952.

The mint's foundation was laid in March 1824 and production began Aug 1, 1829. The facade of the building was designed after the Temple of Minerva in Athens.
The palatial building stood forlorn all these years, bearing the marks of the ravages of time, till West Bengal governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi took an initiative more than a year ago for revamping the edifice and reusing the vast premises adjoining it.

"The premises are divided into two plots. The first plot will house a mint museum, art and culture centre and a convention centre. The open space would be used to build a food court, tea-coffee shop and a bookshop," Datta said.

"In the second plot, there are two existing buildings, which would be connected to convert into a hotel," he added.

Datta said revamping cost would be kept at a low Rs 140-150 crore because it did not involve any major construction, with the main structure of the heritage building being retained.

Eight developers have placed bids, including some from the city, but the IL&FS official refused to name any. The finance ministry will bear 20 per cent of the project cost, with the rest borne by the developer.

"The developer will own the property for 32 years. After that, it would return to the finance ministry," Datta said.

The project is expected to be completed by 2010.

IT campus under construction, probably Cognizant Tech

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/3677/bantalasez4fr1.jpg

Cool. Seems some big activities. Thanks Arijeet. :cheers:

Cool. Seems some big activities. Thanks Arijeet. :cheers:

^^Thanks Saraf. Cognizant site area is 20 acres. In addition, Tech Mahindra and Patni would also be planning their campuses here. In addition to the above, there would be two towers titled 'Kolkata IT Park'.

Concretization work between Hazra & RB avenue crossings

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/3319/concretizationtramtracknu8.jpg

Wikimapia (http://wikimapia.org/#lat=22.6215971&lon=88.449018&z=16&l=0&m=a&v=2) seems to show updated project structures for Rajarhat/Kolkata region.

Wikimapia (http://wikimapia.org/#lat=22.6215971&lon=88.449018&z=16&l=0&m=a&v=2) seems to show updated project structures for Rajarhat/Kolkata region.

Yes google earth has updated Kolkata!

Here's a view of the ramps of Nivedita Bridge. ArijeetB had posted an aerial photo eralier.

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Yes google earth has updated Kolkata!

Here's a view of the ramps of Nivedita Bridge. ArijeetB had posted an aerial photo eralier.

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/9098/belghoriaexpresswayendsnx9.jpg

awesome capture sun..

looks like traffic gonna disperse nicely once off the bridge..

Hopefully one can expect to breathe easier in the coming months...

Legal thrust for clean air Order a wake-up call for govt (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080719/jsp/calcutta/story_9571357.jsp)

Over 24,000 taxis, of the 40,000-odd plying on city roads, have to be phased out by March 31, 2009.

Around 8,400 public and private buses, of over 14,000, will have to be taken off the road by March 2009.

Over 80,000 autorickshaws, including unregistered ones, in and around Calcutta will either have to be scrapped or converted to cleaner fuel like LPG or CNG by December 2009.

The high court on Friday gave a fresh lease of life to the city’s ambient air by converting an environment department notification into an order.

“We think the government can no longer sit back and see the air quality of Calcutta deteriorate. The court order has made it mandatory for them to act in a time-bound manner,” said Subhash Dutta, who filed a petition in the high court in 2007 on rising vehicular pollution in the city.

During the hearing of Dutta’s petition on Friday, the division bench of chief justice S.S. Nijjar and Justice P.C. Ghosh gave its seal of approval to the environment department notification issued on Thursday..

“It was drawn up on the basis of orders of the Supreme Court and Bombay High Court, as well as various orders issued by the state transport department,” said Biswajit Mukherje, the chief law officer of the state environment department.

The Telegraph has been campaigning for over three years against the rising air pollution in Calcutta. A few months ago, scientists from the state pollution control board made a presentation to the transport and environment ministers on the “alarming air quality” of Calcutta, which is a health hazard for its residents.

Several studies have shown that automobile emission is responsible for around 60 per cent of the city’s air pollution.

“Air pollution could not be reduced as the transport department did not enforce emission norms properly and took no initiative to introduce cleaner fuel,” said auto emission expert S.M. Ghosh.

With the court making the environment department notification an order, the government will now have to phase out old vehicles.

It will also have to crack down on unauthorised autorickshaws, prevent adulteration of fuel and act against auto emission testing centres that issue fake pollution under control (PUC) certificates. The notification/court order also made it mandatory for the government to scrap two-stroke autos by December 2008.

Oil companies have been directed to ensure steady supply of cleaner fuel like LPG and CNG.

“We will implement the notification properly,” said state advocate general Balai Roy.

Hopefully one can expect to breathe easier in the coming months...

Legal thrust for clean air Order a wake-up call for govt (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080719/jsp/calcutta/story_9571357.jsp)

This time court is strict. But, I have a doubt if it is going to be implemented really. Just look at the figures. :ohno:

From Times of India

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/3503/pc0011600wk7.jpg

This time court is strict. But, I have a doubt if it is going to be implemented really. Just look at the figures. :ohno:

From Times of India

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/3503/pc0011600wk7.jpg

^^Yes, political debate as expected has started following the HC ruling. One can expect joint protests from all the operators/owners of these vehicles in the coming days. They will most probably demand money from the govt for the makeover and also demand answers for the exlclusion of private vehicles from the 15 yr ban:ohno:

The problem is that all political parties and trade unions have promoted LAWLESSNESS and VIOLENCE as fundamental rights in Bengal. So many people (encouraged and incited by political leaders and goons) don't hestitate to indulge in violence to get what they want. The majority of the peace loving people are held hostage to this goon politics of trade unions and goonda leaders. The unionized police force is of course long been made incapable of doing anything except when it comes to fleecing the common people by taking bribes.

Under these circumstances, it is very doubtful that the court's orders can be enforced.

According to a newsreport, apparently the bus owners claim they are making a loss of Rs 200 per bus everyday now. Now one wonders why the hell are they running the buses then so happily? Shouldn't they gladly get out of the bus running business? :nuts: And you have a government which weeps for the poor and blames the imperialist world for all its woes and yet sides with the bus owners and raises ticket prices.

The media has been carrying out a campaign against illegal autorickshaws, exposing the crores made by trade unions and police from illegal activities like the kantatel scandal. And you have these pompous trade union leaders dancing in Delhi as if they are the rockbeds of honesty!

When egged on by the media, the PVD seizes for some publicity a few illegal autos, the auto unions block roads, barge into the compound and repossess the autos as police express helplessness!

A major store opens and hawkers unions illegaly running their businesses try to enforce rules on a legally run business! And the Mayor sides with the illegal because he is afraid that if not him then our great Didibhai will take advantage of the situation and cause chaos in the state as usual.

Look at Barrabazar - that whole place is a firetrap run by not so poor businessmen. The Government cannot even do anything about the thousands of illegal building extensions and firetraps here because it is afraid of angering the business people.

If everybody is so afraid of enforcing the law, because of fears of antagonizing votebanks, then why have a government?

It will take decades to roll back the wrong policies that the political parties have been following in West Bengal.

That the state continues to function and progress despite such useless politicians and unions, is a tribute to the common people who are trying their best to improve the state. And despite all the hoopla, not a single political entitity from Didibhai to the Politburo are for the common man - they are all after the gaddi.

Columbia Asia hospital opens in Kolkata

photo:

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/1808/columbiaasiakolkatawp5.jpg

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Healthcare__Biotech/Columbia_Asia_hospital_opens_in_Kolkata/articleshow/3253841.cms

Kuala Lumpur-based multinational hospital chain Columbia Asia Hospitals has opened its Kolkata unit, the fourth in India after two in Bangalore and one at Gurgaon.


Columbia Asia, having its origin in Seattle, US, is engaged in delivery of modern healthcare across Malayasia, Vietnam and Indonesia, its Chief Executive Officer Tufan Ghosh said.

Ghosh said the Columbia Asia has invested USD five million for the 100-bed Kolkata unit at Salt Lake.

posted in transport forum

Taksashila Hotel and Cultural Centre

A 350 room 7 star luxury hotel cum retail development in Calcutta.

By architect Morphogenesis

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/9235/swabhoomihotelcomplex1fn7.jpg

Taksashila Hotel and Cultural Centre



Looks cool. Any idea where will it be built and which company has proposed this?

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/9235/swabhoomihotelcomplex1fn7.jpg

nice!!

Under construction - Flyover linking EM Bypass & VIP Rd

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/3669/p5250003ou8.gif

Security cameras for tech hub (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080721/jsp/calcutta/story_9567829.jsp)

http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/4230/21tigeryg1.jpg
Police will use electronic eyes to keep watch over Sector V.

The IT companies there will provide technological guidance in setting up the closed-circuit cameras. In the first phase, to be completed in a month, six cameras will be installed at road intersections and in front of offices. More cameras will be set up in the next six months.

A team of policemen has also been handpicked to work in the tech hub. Special inspector general (presidency range) Somen Mitra said the officers are “young and smart”. They have been specially trained to interact with techies, following “allegations of rough behaviour by policemen”.

Moreover, a “high-speed” vehicle is being used for a month and a half to maintain vigil in the area, which is home to 200 IT and BPO offices.

The IT companies have welcomed the initiative. “Sector V is growing rapidly. Precautionary measures like installation of closed-circuit cameras were needed,” said Kalyan Kar, the managing director of Acclaris.The feed from the cameras will be monitored “round-the-clock” at Bidhannagar North police station. “If we spot anything suspicious, we will rush to the site,” said an officer.

According to police, there will be special vigil on the entry and exit points of Sector V, especially the Rajarhat-New Town and EM Bypass routes.

Companies and employees want more police outposts and patrolling in Sector V.

“More outposts are a must. To lodge a snatching complaint we now have to go all the way from Sector V to Bidhannagar North police station,” said an employee of IBM’s city office

Construction update - Diamond City West @ Behala - The project comprises 10 towers each of G+13 floors.

http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/2448/19052008514lci8.jpg

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Diamond City West - The Lake & two views

http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/2889/lakegv1.jpg

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NASSCOM sets up Eastern Regional Council (ERC) in Kolkata (http://www.webnewswire.com/node/445049)

Submitted by editor on Tue, 07/22/2008 - 00:59

NASSCOM, the premier trade body representing the Indian IT-BPO industry, announced that it has set up the Eastern Region Council in Kolkata, and that the Council convened for its first meeting on July 10th at Kolkata.

Led by Mr. V.V.R Babu of ITC, the council is currently represented by 12 member companies from Kolkata and Eastern Region. NASSCOM has, for the first time set up Regional Councils across the country to specifically focus on issues, which are unique to regions. The ERC is the first such council to be formed.

NASSCOM also shared highlights from the NASSCOM - A.T Kearney study on ‘location roadmap for IT- BPO growth: assessment of 50 leading cities’ on the three cities from West Bengal namely Kolkata, Siliguri and Durgapur. As per the report findings, Kolkata has been classified as a leader location; Siliguri and Durgapur as aspirant locations.

Talking about the meeting highlights, Mr. Som Mittal, President, NASSCOM said “We are very pleased to announce the formation of the Eastern Region Council. The first meeting of this council was attended by Dr. Debesh Das, Hon'ble Minister-in-Charge, Department of Information Technology, Government of West Bengal and Mr. Siddharth, Secretary, Department of Information Technology, Government of West Bengal, in addition to the members of the council. We presented the findings of the NASSCOM – A.T. Kearney report to them, and the buoyant mood of the discussion reflects the high interest level of the Government in furthering IT in the State. The group also discussed specific issues for the eastern region and as a next step the ERC would work out more specific recommendations to be presented”.

“The group deliberated on the various action points that flow from the recommendations of the report, in addition to the integrated township model, and concluded that all locations including Kolkata, Siliguri and Durgapur will need to do a lot to be able to tap into the IT opportunity that exists, and this needs to be done now,” he added.

Mr. V.V.R. Babu, Sr. Vice President: ITC Infotech, said “We are all very excited about this council and personally it is an honour to lead this effort with NASSCOM. The vast industry representation from large, small and medium companies and analysts, as well as Government and other agencies will help bring a clear focus and cover multiple viewpoints for these focus areas. The objective of this council will also be to help get companies from this region to focus on niche businesses like Animation, Legal services and analytics and also look at areas like cyber crime, especially with the involvement of Government and its agencies. With significant growth in IT industry’s presence in east India, the ERC, under NASSCOM will work towards enabling the further growth of the industry in the region”.

NASSCOM had announced setting up of the Kolkata office in June 2007.

Focus Areas of the ERC

Talent development
Emerging Companies
Animation
Cyber-Security
North-Eastern Region

Diamond City West - The Lake & two views


Nice update on Diamond city project Arijeet. :cheers:

NASSCOM sets up Eastern Regional Council (ERC) in Kolkata (http://www.webnewswire.com/node/445049)

Submitted by editor on Tue, 07/22/2008 - 00:59

NASSCOM, the premier trade body representing the Indian IT-BPO industry, announced that it has set up the Eastern Region Council in Kolkata, and that the Council convened for its first meeting on July 10th at Kolkata.

Led by Mr. V.V.R Babu of ITC, the council is currently represented by 12 member companies from Kolkata and Eastern Region. NASSCOM has, for the first time set up Regional Councils across the country to specifically focus on issues, which are unique to regions. The ERC is the first such council to be formed.

NASSCOM also shared highlights from the NASSCOM - A.T Kearney study on ‘location roadmap for IT- BPO growth: assessment of 50 leading cities’ on the three cities from West Bengal namely Kolkata, Siliguri and Durgapur. As per the report findings, Kolkata has been classified as a leader location; Siliguri and Durgapur as aspirant locations.

Talking about the meeting highlights, Mr. Som Mittal, President, NASSCOM said “We are very pleased to announce the formation of the Eastern Region Council. The first meeting of this council was attended by Dr. Debesh Das, Hon'ble Minister-in-Charge, Department of Information Technology, Government of West Bengal and Mr. Siddharth, Secretary, Department of Information Technology, Government of West Bengal, in addition to the members of the council. We presented the findings of the NASSCOM – A.T. Kearney report to them, and the buoyant mood of the discussion reflects the high interest level of the Government in furthering IT in the State. The group also discussed specific issues for the eastern region and as a next step the ERC would work out more specific recommendations to be presented”.

“The group deliberated on the various action points that flow from the recommendations of the report, in addition to the integrated township model, and concluded that all locations including Kolkata, Siliguri and Durgapur will need to do a lot to be able to tap into the IT opportunity that exists, and this needs to be done now,” he added.

Mr. V.V.R. Babu, Sr. Vice President: ITC Infotech, said “We are all very excited about this council and personally it is an honour to lead this effort with NASSCOM. The vast industry representation from large, small and medium companies and analysts, as well as Government and other agencies will help bring a clear focus and cover multiple viewpoints for these focus areas. The objective of this council will also be to help get companies from this region to focus on niche businesses like Animation, Legal services and analytics and also look at areas like cyber crime, especially with the involvement of Government and its agencies. With significant growth in IT industry’s presence in east India, the ERC, under NASSCOM will work towards enabling the further growth of the industry in the region”.

NASSCOM had announced setting up of the Kolkata office in June 2007.

Focus Areas of the ERC

Talent development
Emerging Companies
Animation
Cyber-Security
North-Eastern Region


^^Good news. The revenue from IT/ITES( both domestic and exports) of WB need to grow much higher than the national average if it were to come near the 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th states such TN, AP, MH & NCR region.

The identification of secondary cities is a step in the right direction.

^^Good news. The revenue from IT/ITES( both domestic and exports) of WB need to grow much higher than the national average if it were to come near the 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th states such TN, AP, MH & NCR region.

The identification of secondary cities is a step in the right direction.

After Kolkata I really like to see Durgapur/Asansol as a good IT destination. Durgapur has all the potential to become a IT destination. Well, this bloody city got all except an airport. But, its not that far from kolkata and Kolkata-Durgapur rail-highway connectivity is one of countries best.

Cannot wait see the new airport at Asansol.

After Kolkata I really like to see Durgapur/Asansol as a good IT destination. Durgapur has all the potential to become a IT destination. Well, this bloody city got all except an airport. But, its not that far from kolkata and Kolkata-Durgapur rail-highway connectivity is one of countries best.

Cannot wait see the new airport at Asansol.

Not to mention the excellent road connectivity between the two cities. I recall reading about Kalyani also in the list of prospective cities/towns, perhaps as part of some other survey. Any planned development ( as in the case of Kalyani) would aid in developing IT infrastructure.

Nice update on Diamond city project Arijeet. :cheers:

^^Thanks Saraf.:) While Behala is witnessing quite a boom in the housing sector, for the future it is a scary thought to imagine how the place would become in the absence of proper roads, waterlogging (one of the worst in Kolkata) during rains etc.

^^Thanks Saraf.:) While Behala is witnessing quite a boom in the housing sector, for the future it is a scary thought to imagine how the place would become in the absence of proper roads, waterlogging (one of the worst in Kolkata) during rains etc.

Do you know the status of the ABD water project there? When I was in Behala I saw them digging almost all the roads to install pipeline.

Do you know the status of the ABD water project there? When I was in Behala I saw them digging almost all the roads to install pipeline.

^^Not aware of ABD. Most of the roads in the region are dug up as part of Kolkata Environment improvement project (KEIP) to build up a sewarage/drainage network in the region. It would probably complete by 2010.

Tech Mahindra to invest $150 mn in 3 yrs (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Infotech/ITeS/Tech_Mahindra_to_invest_150_mn_in_3_yrs/articleshow/3265906.cms)

MUMBAI:IT services and telecom solutions provider Tech Mahindra will invest USD 150 mn over the next three years to set up 4 development centres across India.

"The company will spend USD 150 mn over the next three years (to develop four centres)," Mahindra & Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra told shareholders at the 21st Annuam General Meeting of Tech Mahindra here on Tuesday.

Tech Mahindra Vice-Chairman, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Vineet Nayyar later said that the investment would be made to set up centres in Pune, Kolkata, Chandigarh and Nodia.

Nayyar said apart from the 9,000-seat Pune facility, the first phase of which is in the final stages of completion at Hinjewadi SEZ, others will come up this year or in early 2009.

The Noida centre would be a 4,000-seater facility, while the ones at Kolkata and Chandigarh would house 3,000 people each, he said.

At present, the company has three 'establishments' in Noida, two in Kolkata and one in Chandigarh.

The development centres would be used for accommodating the existing facilities or for expansions of the company's operations in the respective cities, a company official said.

Nayyar said the company is looking at acquisitions in the BPO/KPO space, but yet to identify a target.

"We are interested in the telecom space. However, it has to be a strategic fit to our existing operations," the official said, adding the BPO/KPO vertical of the company employs 3,445 people.

By architect Morphogenesis

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/9235/swabhoomihotelcomplex1fn7.jpg

sweet.

Looks cool. Any idea where will it be built and which company has proposed this?

No idea:-( found on the website www.morphogenesis.org

Yatra Capital to invest in Calcutta hotel project (http://telegraphindia.com/1080724/jsp/business/story_9593660.jsp)


Mumbai, July 23: Yatra Capital, a Jersey-based private equity firm, will invest 4.4 million euros in an upcoming Taj hotel in Calcutta.

Yatra Capital will acquire a 40 per cent stake in Jalan Intercontinental Hotels Private Limited, the company which is building the 200-room property. The hotel will be managed by Indian Hotels Limited under the Taj Gateway brand. Built over a 1.9-acre plot, the hotel will be located at the junction of the Rashbehari Connector and EM Bypass.

Yatra Capital is the first Jersey-based company to be listed on Euronext, Amsterdam.

Yatra invests in India through Mauritius-based fund — K2 Properties Limited.

The hotel will cater to the needs of IT and ITeS companies located in Sector V of Salt Lake, Rajarhat and New Town.

“The investment reiterates Yatra’s confidence in Calcutta as a business destination. I am happy to note that a long-term agreement has been signed with Taj Hotels for operating the hotel,” said Nigel Broomfield, chairman of Yatra Capital Limited.

This is Yatra’s third investment in the city after it invested around 20 million euros in Riverbank Holdings and another 16.75 million euros in a joint venture with Forum Park for an IT special economic zone.

Aditya Jalan, managing director of Jalan Intercontinental Hotels Private Limited, said, “We are delighted to partner Yatra Capital in this milestone development. We are sure the project will benefit enormously from the international experience that Yatra brings through its board of directors and Saffron, its adviser for investment in India.”

At present, there are around 1,500 rooms available in the premium segment in Calcutta.

Occupancy levels have increased at an average rate of 15-18 per cent over the last few years.

The company has also signed an agreement with Indian Hotels for long-term management and technical assistance.

^^ Welcome to SSC Anirban. :cheers:

Thanks !!:)

Air-India resumes Kolkata-London direct flight (http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage_c_online.php?leftnm=10&bKeyFlag=IN&autono=43136)

Air-India will reintroduce its direct flight between Kolkata and London from July 26.
The flight will be operated with A330 aircraft which has a two-class configuration of 24 club class and 255 economy class seats.

Air-India sources said today that the Kolkata-London flight would be operated on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, leaving Kolkata at 1315 hours, reaching London at 1935 hours.

The London-Kolkata flight on Tuesday would leave London at 1905 hours and reach Kolkata at 0925 hours next day.

The flight on Thursday and Saturday would leave London at 2125 hours and reach Kolkata at 1145 hours next day.

This deal is final it seems. :cheers:

Here, nothing is done without our CM's "intervention". God save us. :ohno:
______________________________________________________________

Zee Telefilms to upgrade Technicians

Ajanta Chakraborty

Kolkata: Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has finally sorted things out to let Zee Telefilms upgrade and modernize Technicians Studio, giving Kolkata its first state-of-the-art mega film studio. The private partner has agreed to absorb all studio employees as well. :cheers:
The decision to upgrade and modernize Technicians Studio I and II and the renovation of Sangeetkala Academy in a public-private-partnership (PPP) was announced more than a year ago. But problems had cropped up over the price of the property. The matter has now been resolved after the chief minister’s intervention. The Cabinet is all set to give its approval to the project on Tuesday.
The studio’s development includes six air-conditioned shooting floors, 20 air-conditioned rest rooms, a 400-seat banquet hall, a film preview theatre, set godowns, an art direction department, directors’ rooms, wardrobe rooms and post-production facilities, including a colour film processing laboratory, editing suites, digital sound recording etc.
Technicians Studio II will have movie-related and associated merchandise and retail. This area will have a food court and a family entertainment centre, and a 1,000-seat multiplex theatre.
The vacant plot on 36, Prince Anwar Shah Road will include 44 service apartments, four presidential suites with recreational facilities, a health club with a rooftop swimming pool. A 24-hour shopping centre and a food court will also come up here.
The financial bid of Zee Telefilms was found unacceptable by a committee of secretaries headed by the chief secretary — the offer made was much below the market valuation of the properties. But fresh negotiations were made, in which the valuation of the properties was increased. Zee agreed to pay the revised amount of Rs 31.3 crore, but wanted a rebate of Rs 4.53 crore — the amount payable to the existing employees as wages and other benefits for the next 15 years, because all of them would be absorbed by the organization.

Times of India

Some updated google earth views of interchanges and bridges

Belghoria Expressway - NH34

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/140/belghoriaexpnh34kolkatack3.jpg

Belghoria Expressway - Nivedita Bridge

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/8356/belghoriaexpnivediatkolko4.jpg

Vivekanada and Nivedita bridges

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/2286/vivekniveditasetukolkatac5.jpg

NH6-NH2

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/7766/nh2nh6kolkatasjr1.jpg

NH6-Kona Expressway

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/8083/konaexpresswaynh6kolkatpi8.jpg

Kona Expressway - Vidyasagar Setu

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/2589/konaexpresswayvidyasagayq2.jpg

Vidyasagar Bridge

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/6453/vidyasagarsetukolkataszi9.jpg

Vidysagar Setu - AJC Bose Road and others

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/2006/kolkatainterchangesaz3.jpg

Is this news new?

KMDA plans BRTS on EM Bypass (http://in.biz.yahoo.com/080726/203/6vwqz.html)

The Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) has finalised a detailed plan for a Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass that will be submitted to the Union ministry of urban development for funding.

"We will be submitting the project report next week," PR Baviskar, chief executive officer of the KMDA, said.

The BRT project, stretching for around 20km from Ultadanga in the north to Garia in the south, would cost Rs 220-crore to implement. The Union government may contribute 35% of the project cost if it is accepted under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

The state will contribute 35% and the rest would come from the KMDA, whose jurisdiction covers the 1851sqkm of the Kolkata Metropolitan Area.

Baviskar said each 7.2m wide BRTS bus lane would be on the outer flank of the EM Bypass, to avoid the need for road overbridges, as Kolkatans prefer to walk across a road rather than climb an overbridge to cross over.

"The corridor will be wide for one bus to overtake another. But it will ensure that buses do not mingle with ordinary motor traffic," he said. There will be no restrictions or call for uniformity regarding the buses that can operate on the BRT.

"We will thereafter be taking up the BRTS on the Kalyani Expressway," Baviskar said.

The KMDA has already submitted the proposal for a 4.5km flyover that will extend the AJC Bose Road flyover over the congested Park Circus crossing and onward over the Park Circus connector to the Parama Island junction on the Bypass, between ITC Sonar hotel and Science City.

This flyover will enable traffic to enter and exit the city via the Park Circus connector alignment without getting stuck as it does now on the surface road.The flyover will cost Rs 350 crore.

Some updated google earth views of interchanges and bridges

Belghoria Expressway - NH34

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/140/belghoriaexpnh34kolkatack3.jpg

Belghoria Expressway - Nivedita Bridge

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/8356/belghoriaexpnivediatkolko4.jpg

Vivekanada and Nivedita bridges

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/2286/vivekniveditasetukolkatac5.jpg

NH6-NH2

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/7766/nh2nh6kolkatasjr1.jpg

NH6-Kona Expressway

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/8083/konaexpresswaynh6kolkatpi8.jpg

Kona Expressway - Vidyasagar Setu

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/2589/konaexpresswayvidyasagayq2.jpg

Vidyasagar Bridge

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/6453/vidyasagarsetukolkataszi9.jpg

Vidysagar Setu - AJC Bose Road and others

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/2006/kolkatainterchangesaz3.jpg

Just amazing Sun.. Awesome.. :banana:

Please post them to our highway thread too.

Just amazing Sun.. Awesome.. :banana:

Please post them to our highway thread too.

Yes, it is good that GEarth has updated Kolkata. I will post some new pics of the Belghoria exway & interchanges in the expressway thread soon:)

Just amazing Sun.. Awesome.. :banana:

Please post them to our highway thread too.

These are google earth pics. So may not be suitable for that thread. But Arijeet is going to post some pics there!

:)

NBCC's Vibgyor Towers (New Town) from google earth

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/8214/nbccrbowrajarhat4kolkatnk0.jpg

Kolkata West International City

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/8343/kwestintlcitycj9.jpg

^^ nice pics there..


Aerobridge gateway for IT hub
Swati Sengupta | TNN

Kolkata: Imagine how thrilling it would be to sip coffee and bite into your favourite snack in a glass-walled cafeteria 25 feet above the ground with cars zooming past below. You may have seen something like this in foreign countries. But we are talking about the latest addition to the city — and the first of its kind in Kolkata — a glass-walled ‘aerobridge’ that will connect two buildings on both sides of the road at the upcoming IT logistics hub on Salt Lake Bypass.
Touted as the “iconic gateway to Sector V”, the bridge with glass cover and roof will offer a panoramic view of New Town and Sector V. Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) will complete the process of forming a joint sector company with South City Projects (Kolkata) Limited and Merlin Group within two weeks, which will then develop the logistics centre on Salt Lake Bypass at the point leading to Rajarhat.
A consortium of South City Projects and Merlin Group has already inked a development agreement with KMDA to set up the centre over 4.563 acre that will be on the lines of Delhi’s India Habitat Centre.
With two plots separated by the Salt Lake Bypass, the proposal is to connect these with the eight-metre-high air-conditioned bridge that will pass over the Bypass. The 50-feet-by-20-feet glass bridge — 25 feet above the ground and connected to the second floors of two buildings on both sides — will contain a number of coffee and sandwich parlours.
There will be escalators on both sides, leading to the coffee and snack bars, and going in to grab a bite and enjoy the beauty of the city’s vastness will be the most attractive part of the project. “We have completed the blueprint of the project. The glass bridge is the most attractive part of it,” a senior KMDA official said on Sunday.
The project, said to be one of the biggest public-private-partnership projects of the state, will have a likely investment of around Rs 250 crore to Rs 300 crore. It is expected to be completed by 2010.
The centre will have all the logistics facilities Sector V is looking for at the moment — hotels offering short staying facilities for IT professionals and working women, executive suites, business centres, rest places for women, food courts serving multi-speciality cuisines round the clock, tea and coffee parlours, food joints, stores carrying products and services for IT/ITES industries, recreational areas, entertainment facilities such as clubs and gyms, conference and exhibition halls, convention centres and much more.


Source: TOI EPaper

^^ nice pics there..



Source: TOI EPaper

^^Good beginning. Sector V badly needed this. Hopefully if the food served at the food courts are at reasonable rates, the sidewalks can be rid from the menace of hawkers.

Kolkata West International City

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/8343/kwestintlcitycj9.jpg

I never knew that this project is going on. Quite silently. It's a big project. Isn't it? Did you see construction work there?

It's an awesome update. :banana:

I never knew that this project is going on. Quite silently. It's a big project. Isn't it? Did you see construction work there?

It's an awesome update. :banana:


It was taken as I was passing by. I think it is around 400 acres of residential and commercial development.

It was taken as I was passing by. I think it is around 400 acres of residential and commercial development.

Thats cool. I thought they could only constructed that good looking gate. :shifty:

They got the land and project is going on. Good sign of progress. :cheers:

Is this news new?

KMDA plans BRTS on EM Bypass (http://in.biz.yahoo.com/080726/203/6vwqz.html)

Ya, they are talking about this. Not so new discussion..:)

Ya, they are talking about this. Not so new discussion..:)

I do not foresee any development on BRTS soon. Currently widening of stretches between Parama island and Ultadanga and reducing the area of Parama & Ruby rotaries are in progress.

After this they would perhaps construct flyovers at Ruby & Parama islands and parallelly widen the EM bypass to some sort of uniformity in width (6/8 lanes) all through its length. Once this is done, they can build up a case for BRTS and send the proposal to the center. Not sure why they are hurrying through this now. Don't think it is the need of the hour

^^Good beginning. Sector V badly needed this. Hopefully if the food served at the food courts are at reasonable rates, the sidewalks can be rid from the menace of hawkers.

Don't Kolkatans have an attraction towards buying stuff from hawkers (cheap + sympathy factor)? If people didn't buy from hawkers, hawkers wouldn't be around. In front of our house, the hawkers belonging to CITU and Trinamool Unions are slowly encroaching on the footpaths and from one encroacher selling vegetables, it has now grown to several. The residents grumble about the municipality not taking any action, but they are the ones who patronize the hawkers. If you say anything it is "aha re - gorib manush duto poysha korey khacche". On the other hand the same residents will say "Jata sob jata - kono kaj korey na councillor gulo, poysha niye hawker boshacche - puro jayga ta nongra korey rekhecche". The municipality will sometimes carry out eviction drives and then you will have the socialist activists weeping for the poor while drinking imported wine and discussing about the last interview they gave to a gora newspaper about Indian society.

As there is a great demand for what hawkers sell, the planners need to incorporate them into the city plans (which anyway are non existent). Create pedestrian and hawker only zones and ensure that everybody sticks to that zone. Selling off footpaths to hawkers is not the solution. But sadly that is what the police and trade unions are doing.

Don't Kolkatans have an attraction towards buying stuff from hawkers (cheap + sympathy factor)? If people didn't buy from hawkers, hawkers wouldn't be around. In front of our house, the hawkers belonging to CITU and Trinamool Unions are slowly encroaching on the footpaths and from one encroacher selling vegetables, it has now grown to several. The residents grumble about the municipality not taking any action, but they are the ones who patronize the hawkers. If you say anything it is "aha re - gorib manush duto poysha korey khacche". On the other hand the same residents will say "Jata sob jata - kono kaj korey na councillor gulo, poysha niye hawker boshacche - puro jayga ta nongra korey rekhecche". The municipality will sometimes carry out eviction drives and then you will have the socialist activists weeping for the poor while drinking imported wine and discussing about the last interview they gave to a gora newspaper about Indian society.

As there is a great demand for what hawkers sell, the planners need to incorporate them into the city plans (which anyway are non existent). Create pedestrian and hawker only zones and ensure that everybody sticks to that zone. Selling off footpaths to hawkers is not the solution. But sadly that is what the police and trade unions are doing.

^^Personally I consider hawkers as eye sores and would not want to see them around and definitely not in Sector V. I am also hoping that hawkers may naturally leave Sector V in the next couple of years once all the construction activity is over and there are food courts that sell at reasonable rates to the customers.

What you have said is very true. Today they rule the roost because the public for saving a buck here and there patronize them. They have all the support from the hardliners and most( especially the food vendors) believe that they are above the law. They were evicted from Park Street, but the very next day they were back sticking up red flags and protesting.:bash: It is just a matter of time before they are back in the city's prime street. The unions also argue that if they were not allowed to operate they would turn criminals and start committing all kinds of crimes.

The arguments and discussions will simply go on....

^^Personally I consider hawkers as eye sores and would not want to see them around and definitely not in Sector V. I am also hoping that hawkers may naturally leave Sector V in the next couple of years once all the construction activity is over and there are food courts that sell at reasonable rates to the customers.

What you have said is very true. Today they rule the roost because the public for saving a buck here and there patronize them. They have all the support from the hardliners and most( especially the food vendors) believe that they are above the law. They were evicted from Park Street, but the very next day they were back sticking up red flags and protesting.:bash: It is just a matter of time before they are back in the city's prime street. The unions also argue that if they were not allowed to operate they would turn criminals and start committing all kinds of crimes.

The arguments and discussions will simply go on....

for me they are justified in earning their bread..and its roti kapda and makaan first and then aesthetically good looking cities..
i remember an article by Shobha De in Times Of India about sprucing up image of Delhi as a better looking city by evicting slums and sending them out to a place where they wud be isolated from every damn thing..their wud be no water supply, no physical infrastructure, no drainage systems..nothing let alone social infrastructure..she very rightly countered the rehab policy by stating that we need not throw the poor out so that the city looks cleaner..
now think of that..where wud these hawkers go if they are asked to pack there bags..the money for rehab policies in place go into the coffers of the commies..a very little of it reaches these ppl..
there is no trade off dude..

for me they are justified in earning their bread..and its roti kapda and makaan first and then aesthetically good looking cities..
i remember an article by Shobha De in Times Of India about sprucing up image of Delhi as a better looking city by evicting slums and sending them out to a place where they wud be isolated from every damn thing..their wud be no water supply, no physical infrastructure, no drainage systems..nothing let alone social infrastructure..she very rightly countered the rehab policy by stating that we need not throw the poor out so that the city looks cleaner..
now think of that..where wud these hawkers go if they are asked to pack there bags..the money for rehab policies in place go into the coffers of the commies..a very little of it reaches these ppl..
there is no trade off dude..

I am not sure if creating zones or buildings for hawkers may help since they may tend to come back to their original hawking place. Forcing will not solve the problem since that would lead to widespread violence. Making them naturally give up their business and return to wherever they came from is the best but that would mean a lot of commitment from the public which is again a million dollar question. For example if the public did not patronize the hand pulled rickshaws when the ban came in, the majority of them may have gone back to UP/Bihar.

Hawkers remain a menace whereever they go and whatever they do. Hawkers "auditing" the Spencers hyper @ Rash Behari Avenue is a shame for Kolkata; dampens the image of the city for outsiders.

The big question is do people have a right to illegally encroach footpaths and vacant land? Does the great Mayor of Kolkata, the pompous politburo, the CITU have the right to auction off footpath to hawkers in the name of socialism? Do hawkers have a right to barge into legally opened stores and show muscle power?

The answer is NO.

It's shameful that the government always bows down to muscle and mob power. What kind of message does it carry? That the government has no spine, is not interested in upholding the law of the land and runs on the diktat of the politburo?

No..you cannot mix two aspects of life. And, I believe nothing is birth right (excepting few freedom rights like freedom of speech etc). Everything else is privilege.

First people will give as many birth as possible without having any consideration of raising them properly. Then people will expect as they have now come to this mother earth, they can make shanties anywhere to live. Then they can open their pan-biri shop anywhere on the road or footpath. They can use electricity, water illegally. They can do all other regular activities openly in heart of the city. No...sorry ...this cannot be supported.

They cannot pass their burden to other citizen who wants to live a better life.

This will only drag the image of that city. Ripple effect will be less investment and more joblessness and more such shanties. There will be more crime, lawlessness, muscle flexing, dadagiri ..... It will not help any class of the society.

And, believe me this is THE TRUTH whether you accept it or not !


for me they are justified in earning their bread..and its roti kapda and makaan first and then aesthetically good looking cities..
i remember an article by Shobha De in Times Of India about sprucing up image of Delhi as a better looking city by evicting slums and sending them out to a place where they wud be isolated from every damn thing..their wud be no water supply, no physical infrastructure, no drainage systems..nothing let alone social infrastructure..she very rightly countered the rehab policy by stating that we need not throw the poor out so that the city looks cleaner..
now think of that..where wud these hawkers go if they are asked to pack there bags..the money for rehab policies in place go into the coffers of the commies..a very little of it reaches these ppl..
there is no trade off dude..

I am not sure if creating zones or buildings for hawkers may help since they may tend to come back to their original hawking place. Forcing will not solve the problem since that would lead to widespread violence. Making them naturally give up their business and return to wherever they came from is the best but that would mean a lot of commitment from the public which is again a million dollar question. For example if the public did not patronize the hand pulled rickshaws when the ban came in, the majority of them may have gone back to UP/Bihar.

Hawkers remain a menace whereever they go and whatever they do. Hawkers "auditing" the Spencers hyper @ Rash Behari Avenue is a shame for Kolkata; dampens the image of the city for outsiders.

if u reread my post i never vouched for creating a separate zone for them..rather that wud be a nail in the coffin..

u'r talking of giving up their businesses..thats not small..
if u talk of law (or lawlessness for that matter) let me ask u something..
the hand pulled rickshaws were legal before they were banned right??
just becuz a law came into being these ppl became jobless overnight..
they were on the right side of the law before the law came into existance..
what was done for providing employment to them..i think nothing..
u say many of them might have gone back to their native places..then what??the problem's not localized to calcutta as if they leave the place and its gone with them..may be for calcutta but the problem wud remain..
having said that i wud also like to point out that the dadagiri by the trade unions is completely unacceptable..its not justified in any way..
the problem is every one out their cuts corners with the authorities..
when Dhirubhai Ambani / Mahatma Gandhi do that its because that the laws dont have any credibilty..
wen the not so influential ppl do that its breaking the law..

No..you cannot mix two aspects of life. And, I believe nothing is birth right (excepting few freedom rights like freedom of speech etc). Everything else is privilege.

First people will give as many birth as possible without having any consideration of raising them properly. Then people will expect as they have now come to this mother earth, they can make shanties anywhere to live. Then they can open their pan-biri shop anywhere on the road or footpath. They can use electricity, water illegally. They can do all other regular activities openly in heart of the city. No...sorry ...this cannot be supported.

They cannot pass their burden to other citizen who wants to live a better life.

This will only drag the image of that city. Ripple effect will be less investment and more joblessness and more such shanties. There will be more crime, lawlessness, muscle flexing, dadagiri ..... It will not help any class of the society.

And, believe me this is THE TRUTH whether you accept it or not !

Our discussions are leading to one of the basic problems of our country i.e. population growth leading to poverty which leads lack of education and thereafter unemployment. When a youth is unemployed he can be motivated by a lot of forces which are by and large detrimental to the society.

But why is this so much of a problem in Kolkata and not so in the other metros in the country ?
The union is a huge can of worms that has spilled and poisoned ordinary people's minds to the extent that many do not fear the law whilst fully trusting the union to protect them in the time of need. The state needs to generate jobs and more jobs for uneducated youths so that they can attempt to start living without the influence of the union.

Our discussions are leading to one of the basic problems of our country i.e. population growth leading to poverty which leads lack of education and thereafter unemployment. When a youth is unemployed he can be motivated by a lot of forces which are by and large detrimental to the society.

But why is this so much of a problem in Kolkata and not so in the other metros in the country ?
The union is a huge can of worms that has spilled and poisoned ordinary people's minds to the extent that many do not fear the law whilst fully trusting the union to protect them in the time of need. The state needs to generate jobs and more jobs for uneducated youths so that they can attempt to start living without the influence of the union.

The dogmas of the Left Front, its fear of accepting new things, is what has done it for West Bengal. The state unit of the CeePeeEm may have changed somewhat recently but the Delhi unit remains as useless as ever and is hell bent on destroying Bengal at the alter of third rate politics. And now we have an opposition that wants to outdo the Left and take Bengal a few more steps backward.

Our discussions are leading to one of the basic problems of our country i.e. population growth leading to poverty which leads lack of education and thereafter unemployment. When a youth is unemployed he can be motivated by a lot of forces which are by and large detrimental to the society.

But why is this so much of a problem in Kolkata and not so in the other metros in the country ?
The union is a huge can of worms that has spilled and poisoned ordinary people's minds to the extent that many do not fear the law whilst fully trusting the union to protect them in the time of need. The state needs to generate jobs and more jobs for uneducated youths so that they can attempt to start living without the influence of the union.

the problem in other cities is as much as is their in kolkata if not more..
its just that the visibility factor is greater here cuz of all the hullabaloo created by the trade unions..

if u reread my post i never vouched for creating a separate zone for them..rather that wud be a nail in the coffin..

u'r talking of giving up their businesses..thats not small..
if u talk of law (or lawlessness for that matter) let me ask u something..
the hand pulled rickshaws were legal before they were banned right??
just becuz a law came into being these ppl became jobless overnight..
they were on the right side of the law before the law came into existance..
what was done for providing employment to them..i think nothing..
u say many of them might have gone back to their native places..then what??the problem's not localized to calcutta as if they leave the place and its gone with them..may be for calcutta but the problem wud remain..
having said that i wud also like to point out that the dadagiri by the trade unions is completely unacceptable..its not justified in any way..
the problem is every one out their cuts corners with the authorities..
when Dhirubhai Ambani / Mahatma Gandhi do that its because that the laws dont have any credibilty..
wen the not so influential ppl do that its breaking the law..

Dude - my comment about hawker zones was a general one and not in response to your post.

The hand pulled rickshaw wallas are very well employed thanks to the masses patronizing them. Many of them save up enough money to send back home to their villages . If they are here, tomorrow the unions would bring them under their purview as well and they would start protesting for their rights just like our hawkers and the auto drivers even though they have no legal right to do so. Better leave than add to the city's woes.

Dude - my comment about hawker zones was a general one and not in response to your post.

The hand pulled rickshaw wallas are very well employed thanks to the masses patronizing them. Many of them save up enough money to send back home to their villages . If they are here, tomorrow the unions would bring them under their purview as well and they would start protesting for their rights just like our hawkers and the auto drivers even though they have no legal right to do so. Better leave than add to the city's woes.

i think we both are talking different things while we discuss the same subject..
i am talking about the people and u discussing the city..

Rotary hurdle for township traffic (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080729/jsp/calcutta/story_9591523.jsp)

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/4271/29roadfb5.jpg

Bidhannagar Municipality is planning to lease its 33 rotaries to advertising agencies for beautification at a time when police and the transport department have started trimming rotaries across Calcutta for smoother traffic flow.

Seven rotaries in the township — near PNB, ABN AMRO, Prashasan Bhavan, Karunamoyee, Bidhannagar College, EZCC and CA block — have been leased for beautification. The municipality will earn Rs 27 lakh annually from the advertising agencies that will maintain them.

“This is an experiment. If the project earns us revenue and makes Salt Lake look good, we will hand over the other rotaries for beautification,” said municipality chairman Biswajiban Majumder.

Traffic planners, residents and the police, however, are concerned about the problems caused by the rotaries.

“With four large billboards in a rotary facing the roads, it becomes difficult for motorists and pedestrians to see traffic on the other side. We fear an accident every time we approach a rotary,” said Pratim Saha, who works in a City Centre store.

“There has been a massive increase in the flow of vehicles into Salt Lake. Rotaries can ease congestion only if there is proper planning. Given the current traffic situation in Salt Lake, oval rotaries are the best bet,” said Prasad Ranjan Das, a retired chief architect of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation.

Senior police officers feel the rotaries only add to traffic congestion. “They consume a lot of road space and increase the chances of accident with vehicles having access to left and right turns all the time,” said a senior officer of North 24-Parganas police.

“Since Salt Lake rotaries are huge with diameters of over 50 metre, pedestrians find it difficult to cross the road. Vehicles bump into pedestrians near the rotaries,” he added.

Since January this year, there have been 16 major mishaps in Salt Lake, in which two were killed.

“The rotaries should be resized keeping in mind the peak-hour vehicular density —between 7,000 to 8,000 per hour — at major points in Salt Lake like Sector V, Karunamoyee, PNB, FD block connector, City Centre and Mayukh Bhavan.”

Transport department officials are also dissatisfied with the current arrangement.

“The average road width near the rotaries is hardly 7 metre. Trimming the rotaries will widen the road and minimise confusion. Rotaries and traffic signals do not go together but they coexist at many places in Salt Lake. The rotaries should be demolished,” said A.K. Das, the executive traffic and transport engineer of the transport department.

For the municipality officials, though, the rotaries serve their purpose.

“The rotaries were built to ease traffic congestion and still do so. The drive will only improve Salt Lake’s appearance,” said Somnath Mukherjee, the financial officer of the municipality.

He pointed out that to accommodate the increase in vehicular density, the PNB rotary has been trimmed by 20 per cent and the one at Karunamoyee has been made oval.

Residents would rather have even smaller rotaries than beautified ones.

“The City Centre rotary looks good. But if it were made smaller, the traffic flow would be smoother on weekends. The benefits of trimming the PNB rotary is evident,” said D.K. Ganguly, a resident of FD Block.

Calcutta Riverside summary (http://www.cmdaonline.com/jt_sector-riversite-project.html)

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/352/riversideog9.jpg

Batanagar township to get 5-star hotel (http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=326594)

Batanagar township project, a 50:50 joint venture between Bata India and Calcutta Metropolitan Group, will sign on an international 5-star hotel chain and a hospital within two weeks, informed P M Sinha, chairman, Bata India, after its 75th annual general meeting in Kolkata.


"The Batanagar project will be completed by 2013. We are in the process of signing on an international 5-star hotel chain in the township. We are also in the process of signing on a hospital, retail chains, schools and fast food joints," Sinha said.

"We will not have any management control with any of the companies setting up shop in the township. We are not selling the land, we are developing a township," Sinha added.

The company is developing around 262 acres leased to it in Batanagar. The estimated total investment in the project is around Rs 1,300 crore.

Sinha said, Bata's equity in the project is in the form of land. The project cost excludes the cost of land, school, hospital and hotel construction.

The company has also got approval from the central government for setting up an IT special economic zone (SEZ), which would be spread over 25 acres and entails an investment of Rs 333.5 crore.

Mani group website (http://www.mani-group.com/It_Raj/index.html)

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/4372/maniup0.jpg

I do not foresee any development on BRTS soon. Currently widening of stretches between Parama island and Ultadanga and reducing the area of Parama & Ruby rotaries are in progress.

After this they would perhaps construct flyovers at Ruby & Parama islands and parallelly widen the EM bypass to some sort of uniformity in width (6/8 lanes) all through its length. Once this is done, they can build up a case for BRTS and send the proposal to the center. Not sure why they are hurrying through this now. Don't think it is the need of the hour

Arijeet, I am really amazed that you are telling that the widening of EM Byepass is not the need of the hour. Moreover they are not at all hurrying through it. In fact KMDA & Left Government is doing exactly what they are doing for the last 30 years in West Bengal i.e they are doing the work at snails's pace. With the increased traffic, traffic snarls during office hours in EM Byepass is a common sight nowadays.

Widening of stretches between Parama island and Ultadanga is going on for last 1.5 years if not more. I really do not know when is it going to get over. Reducing the area of Parama & Ruby rotaries started in March 2008. Just reducing the rotary is taking more than 5 months !!!!!!!! Can anybody imagine these things in any other metro or in any upcoming metroes like Pune, Bangalore????
The tender notification for constructing guard walls for widening of EM byepass between Ruby to Patuli came in December. Work started in End March. Not even 30% of the work is done. You will have to see to it to beleive it that construction of a guard wall takes 1 year ( may be more). Repairing of Baghajatin Flyover took more than a year. A second bridge is supposed to come up there. God knows when is it going to happen. There is a huge traffic snarl near Ruby and parama island and flyover is the need of the hour.
Currently from Ruby to Patuli, the road is just 1.5 lanes on each side and from Patuli to Kamalgazi, it is just a 2 lane road.

Arijeet, I am really amazed that you are telling that the widening of EM Byepass is not the need of the hour.

He is referring to the BRTS not the EMBP. Unless the EMBP is widened, there can be no BRTS.

ALIGNMENT ANXIETY PLAGUES PLANNERS

Lane hurdle for bus rapid transit

Swati Sengupta

Kolkata: The Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) — touted as the solution to the city’s traffic mess — is yet to get off the ground as authorities have not been able to sort out a number of key planning issues.
For example, should the dedicated BRTS tracks be set up next to the median dividers, as in most Indian cities? Or should the bays be right next to the footpaths? Can the speed limit be set at 60 km per hour? Or should it be kept at 40 km per hour, keeping in mind Kolkata’s unruly traffic?
Officials of the state urban development department are still not sure “what would suit Kolkata”. This, despite the fact that the department has
already prepared the BRTS project proposal to be placed before the Centre for funds.
“Kolkata, with its idiosyncrasies, has quite a maddening form of traffic and people always flout rules. Therefore, we are still not sure if dedicated bus bays towards the divider would be suitable. People might cross the bays instead of using the overpass or subways,” a senior KMDA official said on Monday. Officials also fear that in such a case, people might not board these buses as they are more used to boarding buses from to footpaths.
The dedicated fast track lanes for high-speed buses are proposed to come up on two stretches in the state initially. This will stretch for 62 km in two parts: a 21-km stretch from Ultadanga to Kamalgaji along the EM Bypass and a 41-km stretch between Kalyani and Birati.
BRTS has dedicated bus bays and stations, use of smart cards and rapid ticketing systems, pre-boarding fare collection, rapid boarding and alighting, transit prioritization at intersections, platforms as high as bus floors, uninterrupted bus movement, computer controlled traffic signals. In short, the system can move a large number of passengers swiftly.
If the dedicated bays are next to the footpaths, chances are people will use them more, feel some state officials. This alignment, they feel, will minimize the chance of accidents. At the same time, there is a chance the bays will interfere with the rest of the carriageway at the turnings. “However, we can increase space by using more service roads. There are pros and cons for both. So, we have not been able to come to a conclusion yet,” a transport official said.
In the next few weeks, transport, traffic police and urban development departments will decide what the final shape of the project will be.
Though it was planned to use special high speed buses, already operating in Kolkata, for the service to prevent the project cost from escalating while purchasing expensive buses, the government is not too sure about what the speed of BRTS should be.
“For Kolkata, the speed has to be kept under check. Otherwise, it may lead to accidents,” the official added. So, even as the BRTS speed is around 60 km per hour, in Kolkata it might not be more than 30-40 km per hour.

IS THERE A SOLUTION?

ROUTES

Kalyani to Birati

Distance: 41 km

Ultadanga to Kamalgaji (EM Bypass)

Distance: 21 km

PROBLEM AREAS

Whether BRTS should be near medians/dividers or footpaths

Whether BRTS speed should be 60km/hr or 30-40km/hr

PROBLEMS TO BE SORTED OUT JOINTLY BY

Transport department

Urban development department

Traffic Police

Times of India

Only widening may not be a solution for BRTS. They need to make proper lane marking, perhaps an access controlled road.

I do not foresee any development on BRTS soon. Currently widening of stretches between Parama island and Ultadanga and reducing the area of Parama & Ruby rotaries are in progress.

Is there any plan for such a flyover? And yes I think, it is not too much a necessary now. They should modernize bypass and extend it till Baruipur.

After this they would perhaps construct flyovers at Ruby & Parama islands and parallelly widen the EM bypass to some sort of uniformity in width (6/8 lanes) all through its length. Once this is done, they can build up a case for BRTS and send the proposal to the center. Not sure why they are hurrying through this now. Don't think it is the need of the hour

Why don't they revamp the tram system in Kolkata. Does anyone have any idea how long the existing tram tracks are and what the patronage is?
If only they could introduce more modern cabs.

Why don't they revamp the tram system in Kolkata. Does anyone have any idea how long the existing tram tracks are and what the patronage is?
If only they could introduce more modern cabs.

They(mainly HRBC) did some good job. In last 3 years most of the tram tracks have been concretized. Work is in progress on remaining tracks. There is a news of giving the body works to company like BHEL. But nothing finalized. Lets hope for the best. :cheers:

They(mainly HRBC) did some good job. In last 3 years most of the tram tracks have been concretized. Work is in progress on remaining tracks. There is a news of giving the body works to company like BHEL. But nothing finalized. Lets hope for the best. :cheers:

Yes, I did read somewhere that 'international style' trams would soon run on the concretized tracks. If it becomes a reality then it would do justice to the revamped tracks.

Only widening may not be a solution for BRTS. They need to make proper lane marking, perhaps an access controlled road.



Is there any plan for such a flyover? And yes I think, it is not too much a necessary now. They should modernize bypass and extend it till Baruipur.



My view is let them complete the flyovers and build up the bypass to uniform width and also cover it with mastic asphalt as they have reported. This is important since this monsoon has left craters in major stretches of the bypass:bash:

Secondly let them revamp the bus fleet by dumping the battered buses into the scrapyard and introducing new ones. The new ones run by WBSTC & CTC have visual appeal.

BRTS would be successful on EM Bypass only if there are 8 lanes, marked appropriately and monitored by authorities ( atleast initially) to ensure compliance.

Kolkata tops in ‘ethics at workplace’ survey (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/07/31/stories/2008073152011400.htm)

Nearly 45 per cent people in the corporate workforce in eight Indian cities don’t bat an eyelid while logging incorrect entry/exit times, 46.8 per cent feel using the office telephone for personal long distance calls is fine.

Around 60 per cent people lie while applying for leave, support making tall promises to clients or consider it is ethical to take printouts and photocopies at office for personal work. More than 62 per cent are okay with doing personal wok during office hours.

These are amongst the findings of a survey, the fourth in the ‘World of Work’ series, commissioned by staffing company TeamLease Services, to understand the changing scenario at workplaces in India, and released today. The study titled ‘Nothing Ethical about Ethics’ presents views of the corporate workforce on ‘Workplace Ethics’ across New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Pune.

Among the cities reviewed, Kolkata emerged as the city most sensitive to unethical behaviour with an ‘ethics index’ of 76, Delhi stood at 53 and Ahmedabad at 21.

According to the report, 74 per cent of Ahmedabadis disagree that falsifying entry and exit times is unethical. In Kolkata, Delhi and Hyderabad, 78 per cent respondents held it unethical.

Fudging expense report is routine in most cities except in Kolkata which recorded the highest response against it. Seventy five per cent respondents from Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune (apart from Ahmedabad) conceded they lied to take leave, and did not consider it unethical. However, almost 78 per cent of the Kolkata workforce differed on this.

Amongst the other findings, taking credit for subordinate’s ideas is not unethical said Ahmedabad and Bangalore; the other six cities differ with an average score of 42 per cent. One in every four respondents in Chennai reported mobile/wallet thefts at the workplace.

Around 96 per cent of the respondents would not shy away from directly confronting an unethical colleague. Ahmedabad is more likely to speak to the colleague’s supervisor, while Kolkata is least likely to adopt this indirect way. Pune strongly believes in ‘whistle-blowing’ while protecting identity.

One-third respondents in Bangalore, Delhi and Hyderabad are unaware of their company’s ethical policy, while those in Mumbai and Chennai were better informed on this count.

While no single solution to check unethical behaviour emerged, respondents in Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai felt that having open-lines of communication would help check it. Those in Delhi and Ahmedabad felt flexible work schedules would curtail it.

A structured questionnaire was administered using a mix of telephonic and computer-aided-telephonic-interviewing (CATI) technology, to working men and women across all levels from the top 500 companies in India for a sample size of 401. The study was conducted by research firm Synovate during May and June 2008.

SOURCE: TOI EPaper


Neighbour’s envy: State’s first biz park in Kolkata in 3 years
Ajanta Chakraborty | TNN

Kolkata: Kolkata will get its first business park and the country its second. A concept, which is pretty upmarket in the West, has recently been adopted by the state urban development department, in line with chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s fetish for an industry-driven economy.
So, the 100-odd acres at the southern end of Eastern Metropolitan Bypass in Nonadanga is tipped to become the next happening place once the snazzy business park comes up there in about three years’ time. Only it will be built on a public-private-partnership (PPP) model. For, unlike Sector V, the government has decided not to invest in this project other than offer its stamp of authority.
KMDA, which owns the land, hopes to earn a huge revenue in the bargain simply because a cottah at Nonadanga costs not less than Rs 50 lakh these days.
A senior urban development official said: “Only Pune has such a park. So, we would be the pioneer in developing something as trendy as a business park here in Kolkata.”
Echoing the same, KMDA chief executive officer P R Baviskar said: “This is a very new concept that would do wonders for the city’s future image.” Explaining the rationale behind the concept, he added: “Kolkata has such a unique characteristic, which is conducive to a lot of business activity. But all these activities are done in different parts of the city. So, it would be a good idea to bundle them together.”
Apart from corporate buildings, office areas, cyber cafes and cafeteria, the business park will have money exchange offices, space reserved for stock brokers, financial consultancy houses, insurance companies and other related activity.
Sources in the urban development department said to make the business park futuristic and user-savvy, only the best development proposal will be considered. “The developer must rope in only the top architects, preferably from abroad, and town planners so that the park can be portrayed as a showpiece-cum-business centre for Kolkata,” said an official.
KMDA has decided to ask for bids soon. The competitive bidding process will be meant for developing 20 acres of the total land (91 acres to be precise) earmarked for the business hub. KMDA has decided to form a joint venture company with the highest bidder so that it can use this land (20 acres) for its own purpose. The developer will create the core infrastructure for the remaining 71 acres and hand it back to KMDA for the business park.
The project has come as a pleasant surprise for the city’s realtors. “Kolkata could well do with such a township. We would definitely be interested in participating in the bidding process and be involved in such an interesting project,” said S K Rungta, vicepresident of Credai and chairman of the Rungta Group.
WHAT IS A BUSINESS
PARK?
A business park or a business estate is an area in which many office buildings are grouped together for commercial purposes, not industrial or residential
In contrast to a business park, an industrial park focuses on promoting industry rather than offices
THE PARK WILL HAVE...
t Special landscaping t Access roads, parking t Flexible-use office buildings t Companies can either lease or purchase space in the park t For corporates, the park is likely to be a smart costing decision considering the affordable rates t The park will provide offices that a company might want to network with

SOURCE: TOI EPaper

^^Cool. We can expect some high rises:)

Spencer's to shut 40 & open 300 outlets (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Services/Spencers_to_shut_40__open_300_outlets/articleshow/3308214.cms)

KOLKATA: RPG Group company Spencer’s Retail has decided to close down at least 40 unviable outlets and open another 300 in the next 12 months. The company is also looking at developing the Old Mint building on Strand Road where it intends to put up a mall to begin with.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the 30th AGM of CESC, Sanjiv Goenka said: “At least 10% of our existing Spencer’s outlets are loss-making and we have decided to close them down. Currently, there are about 410 outlets nationally and the exact number of loss-making stores will be mapped and a decision on closing them down will be taken soon. Stores that have turned unprofitable are mainly due to very high rents, bad hinterland and poor sales. Parallely, we intend to open 300 new stores in the next 12 months.” Mr Goenka, however, declined to disclose details of locales which will see shutdown of outlets.

Interestingly, CESC through its 100% subsidiary—CESC Properties Ltd—has also bid for developing the Old Mint building in consortium with Bengal Silver Spring Projects. “We intend to put up a mall and ‘much more’, but I am unable to share the details now,” he said. Mr Goenka added: “The building will offer about 3 lakh sqft of space that can be developed.”

Spencer's to shut 40 & open 300 outlets (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Services/Spencers_to_shut_40__open_300_outlets/articleshow/3308214.cms)

^^Along with Metropolitan bldg, Mckenzie house and Statesman House we now have 4 major heritage structures to be converted to malls/retail centres.

Spencer's to shut 40 & open 300 outlets (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Services/Spencers_to_shut_40__open_300_outlets/articleshow/3308214.cms)

I am sure, Gariahat will be the first one they are going to shut down. :hahano:

I am sure, Gariahat will be the first one they are going to shut down. :hahano:

^^Let us hope not anyways. I think it is perhaps a little early for Spencers to decide if the outlet is generating profit or not. But it will be a body blow if it happens and at the sametime a moral victory for the notorious hawkers of RB avenue.:bash:

Some few years back I remember they made the "Behala Hawkers Corner" for chowrasta hawkers. Most of the hawkers moved there. But, still DH road here has no place to move. It is really interesting to know, who are the people moved to the hawkers corner and who are the guys currently on footpath. :nuts:

Kolkata tops in ‘ethics at workplace’ survey (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/07/31/stories/2008073152011400.htm)

This should be music to the Bengali and Kolkata haters like Jaidip BS Mazumdar who writes a venomous Kolkata Korner in Outlook.

Terminus Mall, New Town

http://www.greenfieldrealestates.com/web/terminus/image/pop_2.jpg

Update
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/8213/galerianewtownwt0.jpg

Block by Block Mall, New Town

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/4458/blockbyblockjb9.jpg

This plot of land is located next to DLF Hilton on the EM Bypass.
Could it be this? (http://www.expresshospitality.com/20080531/market22.shtml)

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/1889/bypasslandwh0.jpg

Red Fort Capital ties up with Godrej Properties Enters Kolkata market with an investment in Godrej Genesis IT park (http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/real-estate/2008073111637.htm)

The Godrej Genesis project is an IT Park located in the heart of Kolkata’s Salt Lake Sector V, nestled between the international airport and the city center and will be developed over a span of three years.

Speaking at the announcement, Parry Singh, Managing Director, Red Fort Capital said, “It is our pleasure to partner with Godrej Properties Limited which is one of the leading real estate development companies operating in the country. This investment is our first real estate investment in the Kolkata market and we aim to broaden our investment program here.”

“Red Fort Capital continues to evaluate and invest in commercial and residential projects in key locations in Tier 1 and 2 cities. As a business strategy for the year, we are planning to invest in various projects across India over the next two years”, he further added.

“We are happy to be associated with Red Fort Capital

KMC to waive sanction fee on fair grounds (http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=22&theme=&usrsess=1&id=216400)

Kolkata, July 30: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has decided to waive the building sanction fee charged on the construction of stalls coming up in the Milon Mela fair grounds on EM Bypass. Moreover, if things go as planned, the fair ground will be ready by December this year and may host the next edition of the Kolkata Book Fair.
“The Booksellers and Publishers Guild has sought our permission for organising the next Kolkata Book Fair at the Milon Mela fair grounds. We are ready to support the Guild in this regard,” Mr Sabyasachi Sen, principal secretary, commerce and industries department said. Mr Sen met the city mayor, Mr Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya, and the municipal commissioner, Mr Alapan Bandopadhyay, today at the KMC headquarters.
Commenting on the Guild's demand to organise the fair at the Maidan, Mr Sen said that the final decision to host the fair at Milon Mela would be taken by the Guild and the WBIDC has only received an application from them till now.
Mr Sen further pointed out that construction work on the first phase of the Milon Mela would be complete by December this year. Work on the second phase of the project will also start by December and the entire 18 acres of the fair ground will be available for organising the book fair.
Milon Mela is supposed to be the city's first trade fair complex, similar to Delhi's Pragati Maidan, and is a joint venture between the civic body and the WBIDC.
Meanwhile, city mayor Mr Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya pointed out that the building sanction fees on the stalls put up by the WBIDC will be waived completely as the civic body is a partner in the project.
When asked about the time-frame for the completion of the fair grounds, Mr Bhattacharyya said: “No deadline has yet been fixed on the completion of the project and it cannot be fixed easily in case of projects like this.”

Block by Block Mall, New Town

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/4458/blockbyblockjb9.jpg

Kolkata definitely getting some largest malls in the country. This looks huge. :banana:

Red Fort Capital ties up with Godrej Properties Enters Kolkata market with an investment in Godrej Genesis IT park (http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/real-estate/2008073111637.htm)

There is one existing IT park project from Godrej going on at Sev-V.(I think the water side). Is this a new one?

There is one existing IT park project from Godrej going on at Sev-V.(I think the water side). Is this a new one?

^^ Yes, this is a new one

Terminus Mall, New Town

http://www.greenfieldrealestates.com/web/terminus/image/pop_2.jpg

Update
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/8213/galerianewtownwt0.jpg

Sun - so this is the Terminus Mall ? Where abouts is Galleria then ?

Sun - so this is the Terminus Mall ? Where abouts is Galleria then ?

Yes, Civitas pointed it out in Vegchop's thread and I checked my earlier photos too.

Don't know about the status of DLF Galleria.

Areva - under construction on Salt Lake Bypass near Technopolis

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/2136/arevaad8.jpg

Looks like Forward Bloc goons have "softened" their opposition to Reliance retail. Wonder what Trinamool goons are going to do.

Reliance opens retail mart

Tie-Up With Keventer Group Lets Company Gain Foothold In Market


Times epaper


Kolkata: Reliance finally entered the retail mart in Bengal on Saturday — albeit through the backdoor — by joining hands with the Keventer Group. It comes more than a year after Forward Bloc activists forced the corporate giant to close down its retail outlets in the city.

This time, Reliance has kicked off with three pilot shops at Rajarhat, Phoolbagan and Budge Budge.

The Bloc-controlled State Agriculture Marketing Board had earlier refused to issue the APMC licence required for retailing food products to Reliance. The Bloc, too, seems to have softened its stand on the retail issue. Bloc leader and marketing board chairman Naren Chatterjee’s initial reaction to Reliance’s foray was: “Very good (khub bhalo).” But he was quick to add, “Only comrade Asok Ghosh will comment on this.”

Chatterjee was once vehemently against Reliance’s foray into the retail mart in the state. However, the Bloc’s central leadership is still adamant about not allowing agri-retail by “Reliance or anybody else”.

“We have heard about the Reliance Fresh shops. We are still strongly opposed to agri-retail. We shall discuss it at our national council meeting in Lucknow this month,” said Debabrata Biswas, party general secretary from Delhi. Would they resort to “vandalism” again? “That has to be decided by the state leadership,” he replied.

To ensure a smooth passage in the second innings, Reliance has decided not to sell fruits and vegetables, only food products. Reliance has tied up with the city-based agri firm to market fruits and vegetables.

Incidentally, Keventer Fresh, having an APMC licence, supplies food and vegetables to other retail chains like More of Aditya Birla Group and Future Group. M K Jalan, chairman of Keventer Fresh, said it will manage both back and front ends in fruits and vegetables for Reliance Fresh. “It is for the first time that Keventer Fresh will be at the back end, too. We are managing the back end for other big retail players also,” he added.

Reliance, incidentally, had opened six outlets in the city last July at Girish Park, Panihati, Ekta Heights on Raja S C Mullick Road, Rajarhat and near 89 Cinemas. But all of them were shut down due to protests by Bloc activists. Also, Reliance had employed over 800 people in the state for the retail business but later retrenched 400 as its retail plans failed to roll. Sources said it will give preference to the retrenched employees this time. “We have already appointed 30 people from those retrenched last September,” a source added.

Hi Guys,

From what I've gathered (maybe wrong about it...) is that Rajarhat/New Town is the more happening part of Kolkata these days with new construction.

Would this section of the city also contain the (must see) larger malls? I need a (very short) list if possible please.

Hi Guys,

From what I've gathered (maybe wrong about it...) is that Rajarhat/New Town is the more happening part of Kolkata these days with new construction.

Would this section of the city also contain the (must see) larger malls? I need a (very short) list if possible please.

Rajarhat is just one big construction site. Nothing much happening there yet in terms of visiting it. Unless you want to see lots of cows and lots of sites being levelled or under construction.

South City Mall (south Kolkata) and Mani Square (near Salt Lake) have opened recently and are probably the biggest malls in Kolkata. City Centre in Salt Lake is a crowd puller during evenings and weekends. There is also Forum on Elgin Road.

Hi Guys,

From what I've gathered (maybe wrong about it...) is that Rajarhat/New Town is the more happening part of Kolkata these days with new construction.

Would this section of the city also contain the (must see) larger malls? I need a (very short) list if possible please.

Couple of big malls under construction there. I know few names like City Centre-II, Block-by-Block, Terminas etc.

When completed City Centre II will be the biggest in Kolkata. I heard it is just 3 times bigger than Salk Lake city centre. Another mall DLF Gallaria, we don't know if it going on or not.

I don't know if Unitch contains any mall. Suncity or Arijeet may tell it.

Hi Guys,

From what I've gathered (maybe wrong about it...) is that Rajarhat/New Town is the more happening part of Kolkata these days with new construction.

Would this section of the city also contain the (must see) larger malls? I need a (very short) list if possible please.

^^Rajarhat is the future of all developments in the greater Kolkata region and that includes commercial development in the form of malls as well. 1-1.5 years down the line you can perhaps witness 5 malls i.e. Axis mall, Terminus Mall, Block by Block, City Center 2 and DLF Galleria.

^^Rajarhat is the future of all developments in the greater Kolkata region and that includes commercial development in the form of malls as well. 1-1.5 years down the line you can perhaps witness 5 malls i.e. Axis mall, Terminus Mall, Block by Block, City Center 2 and DLF Galleria.

Arijeet, what is the name of that mall which contains the Adlab in Sec-V. Is it a mall?

Would they resort to “vandalism” again? “That has to be decided by the state leadership,” he replied.

:bash: What a proud answer!. Sad state of affairs really.

Arijeet, what is the name of that mall which contains the Adlab in Sec-V. Is it a mall?

RDB Boulevard. Not sure what outlets it has besides the multiplex.

:bash: What a proud answer!. Sad state of affairs really.

I don't expect them anything better than this.

Rajarhat is just one big construction site. Nothing much happening there yet in terms of visiting it. Unless you want to see lots of cows and lots of sites being levelled or under construction.

South City Mall (south Kolkata) and Mani Square (near Salt Lake) have opened recently and are probably the biggest malls in Kolkata. City Centre in Salt Lake is a crowd puller during evenings and weekends. There is also Forum on Elgin Road.

Thanks to Sun, Saraf, Arijitb!

I'll have the next visit with family in-tow and have that emptied-wallet feeling at the Sari shops again :)

Not to get too off-topic but can the Sari-shop owners still spot a 'bangal' and overcharge -- even if I speak English? I've got to brush up on my 'Santiniketani Bangla' ;)

:bash: What a proud answer!. Sad state of affairs really.

And these are our great socialist leaders! In the name of socialism, they have destroyed the Public Distribution System and looted as much as they can. No wonder they are so afraid of organized retail. It will render their two paise party useless and they don't want to lose their power. Plus Didi is also flexing muscles on this issue.

Thanks to Sun, Saraf, Arijitb!

I'll have the next visit with family in-tow and have that emptied-wallet feeling at the Sari shops again :)

Not to get too off-topic but can the Sari-shop owners still spot a 'bangal' and overcharge -- even if I speak English? I've got to brush up on my 'Santiniketani Bangla' ;)

For sari Gariahat, Colege St, Hatibagan are some best places. I think you are aware of that. If you buy from New-Market they will charge more. :)

Some folks claim that Treasure Island offers 'fashionable' (read Bollywood inspired) and 'afforfable' sarees and salwar suits.

Truly speaking they have not "softened" their stance. It is all about money. Do you remember "License Raj" monopoly ?
Keventer supplies fruits/vegetables to Pantaloon’s Food Bazaar or Aditya Birla’s More. Now they will be supplying to Reliance Fresh. They have APMC licence.
So, it is quite understandable that this group sends regular payment to the political ba***ards. So, they are the King in West Bengal.

Looks like Forward Bloc goons have "softened" their opposition to Reliance retail. Wonder what Trinamool goons are going to do.

Reliance opens retail mart

Tie-Up With Keventer Group Lets Company Gain Foothold In Market


Times epaper

Truly speaking they have not "softened" their stance. It is all about money. Do you remember "License Raj" monopoly ?
Keventer supplies fruits/vegetables to Pantaloon’s Food Bazaar or Aditya Birla’s More. Now they will be supplying to Reliance Fresh. They have APMC licence.
So, it is quite understandable that this group sends regular payment to the political ba***ards. So, they are the King in West Bengal.

I wonder if the 'suitcase full of cash' can make Mamata soften her stance against industrialization. From return 1000 acres she has come down to 400 acres of land. How much will be needed to come to zero. Maybe Buddha should tap Amar Singh to do his jadoo.

I wonder if the 'suitcase full of cash' can make Mamata soften her stance against industrialization. From return 1000 acres she has come down to 400 acres of land.

:hahaha:

Burn Standard to sell Alipore land (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080805/jsp/business/story_9647974.jsp)

SOHINI MOOKHERJEA

Calcutta, Aug. 4: Burn Standard Company Ltd is looking to raise funds by unlocking the value of its real estate property in Alipore.

The land, which National Buildings Construction Corporation Ltd (NBCC) is set to buy at the current market rate, will be valued by an independent agency. NBCC plans to develop the plot for a premium housing complex.

The market value for the 11-acre plot could range between Rs 110 crore and Rs 160 crore.

“We have agreed to pay Burn Standard at the current market rate after the valuation is done by an independent agency. NBCC will develop the project on a self-sustaining basis and the profits will be equally shared between the two. Since both are public sector companies, we do not see any problem,” said Arup Roy Choudhury, chairman and managing director of NBCC.

However, Burn Standard, which is under the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR), is awaiting approval for the project.

The next BIFR meeting will take place on September 30. Burn Standard’s relief package is in excess of Rs 1,500 crore.

There are also other hurdles such as shifting the existing guest houses, residences and offices. Burn Standard has operations in Bengal, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu.

NBCC is also developing a Rs 1,500-crore 38-acre township at Mozakulai near Howrah.

“Real estate is one of our major areas of focus in the coming years. We will be building complexes and townships across the country. Our township projects will be different as we plan to provide employment to the locals. Bengal is one of the states where we have a few projects lined up,” said Roy Choudhury.

NBCC has signed a memorandum of understanding with RK Millen & Co in 2007 for a 50:50 joint venture for the Mozakulai project. The township will have commercial and residential spaces, IT parks and malls. There will also be a special employment centre for the local zari workers.

Infospace, New Town - status as on 03/08/2008

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2157/infospacekm7.jpg

DLF IT Park, New Town - status as on 03/08/2008

http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/530/dlfitpark2is7.jpg

Merlin Acropolis - status as on 03/08/2008. This could be the stadium section

http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/1884/acropolisxj9.jpg

Reliance Fresh returns to Kolkata amidst police security (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Services/Retailing/Reliance_Fresh_returns_to_Kolkata_amidst_police_security/articleshow/3325421.cms)

KOLKATA: The Mukesh Ambani-owned food mart Reliance Fresh, which left West Bengal last year following stringent political resistance, has re-started business here under police security.

Reliance Fresh opened three stores in the city - at New Town, Budge Budge and heritage park Swabhumi - quietly and without any fanfare Aug 1. But employees at the Swabhumi store told IANS that they still feared resistance from Left parties.

"On Sunday afternoon, around 50 men armed with sticks came to protest outside the store. We had to pull the shutters down with customers inside for 20 minutes. This sudden protest triggered panic among the customers," one employee said.
The situation came under control after the police reached the spot.

Incidentally, the store experienced the maximum footfall Sunday before the protesters assembled. Forward Bloc, a Left Front partner is resisting the opening of food marts, forcing Reliance Fresh to fold up business in the state last year. The party says retail stores owned by big corporate houses would hamper the livelihood of vegetable sellers.

"Not only Reliance, all these retail food outlets are illegal and we are conveying the message to the state government," the Forward Bloc-controlled state agricultural marketing board chairman Naren Chatterjee told IANS.
Reliance Fresh staff said the stores are presently stocking fruits but no raw vegetables. "But very shortly we will begin stocking vegetables also," they said.

The 4,500 square feet Swabhumi store is also awaiting the launch of a non-vegetarian section adjacent to the main outlet very soon, the staff said.

The non-vegetarian section is named Delight, designed in a shop-in-shop format. Reliance plans to open a few more stores in the coming months, including a hyper mart in Kolkata's Bagha Jatin neighbourhood.

Reliance Fresh has tied up with Jayshree Tea and the Goodricke Group for a select range of packet teas. The store stocks cereals, pulses, fruits, packed foods, frozen foods, cosmetics, toiletry, utensils and crockery among a host of daily use goods.

Last month, West Bengal's communist government's efforts to portray an industry-friendly image had received a jolt when small shopkeepers and hawkers demonstrated and stopped RPG Enterprise vice chairman Sanjiv Goenka from inaugurating a new mall of the group's retail arm Spencer's here. But unlike Ambani, Goenka did not have to wait for a year to open the store; he successfully opened it after three days.

Infospace, New Town - status as on 03/08/2008

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2157/infospacekm7.jpg

are there any takers for the IT parks that are coming up

are there any takers for the IT parks that are coming up

Genpact has booked up space ( 700000 sqft) for about 7000 in Infospace.

From what I read these days, Development and BPO jobs aren't finding enough qualified applicants in Western (Pune), Northern (Gurgaon) or Southern (B'lore) parts of India and hence the salary rises and job-hopping (every couple of months) in those cities and environs. Call center jobs are supposedly different for skill reasons.

I'm trying to figure out if the feverish IT-park construction going on in Kolkata at present (Rajar Hat and New Town area) is because of cheaper salaries compared to those areas?

From what I read these days, Development and BPO jobs aren't finding enough qualified applicants in Western (Pune), Northern (Gurgaon) or Southern (B'lore) parts of India and hence the salary rises and job-hopping (every couple of months) in those cities and environs. Call center jobs are supposedly different for skill reasons.

I'm trying to figure out if the feverish IT-park construction going on in Kolkata at present (Rajar Hat and New Town area) is because of cheaper salaries compared to those areas?


The northern, southern & western are more established markets in the IT/ITES space while the eastern region has been a late entrant. Kolkata has the advantage of having a cheaper cost of living & lesser attrition while at the same time having qualified manpower.

Then again, "Feverish" may not be the right word, it is perhaps a demand and supply situation.

The northern, southern & western are more established markets in the IT/ITES space while the eastern region has been a late entrant. Kolkata has the advantage of having a cheaper cost of living & lesser attrition while at the same time having qualified manpower.

Then again, "Feverish" may not be the right word, it is perhaps a demand and supply situation.

Thanks @arijeetb. From what I've seen -- Kolkata has a profusion of IT talent and I hope it will meet or surpass what has already been demonstrated in Bangalore. Borders or no borders -- this can only be a good thing for the region.

Tatas aren’t pulling out, neither is govt: Buddha
CPM Scouts For Plots Outside Project Area To Settle Land-Losers
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata/Singur: After marking time for over a month to fathom the poll reverses in south Bengal, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was back to his combative mood on Tuesday. Giving a clear battle cry to the Opposition, he said he’d see to it that the Nano rolled out of Singur.

“Don’t worry. The Tatas aren’t pulling out, neither is the government. Let the Opposition make up its mind. We are open to talks, meaningful talks,” the chief minister told a party gathering at Mahajati Sadan.

He made it clear the government would not return 400 acres of acquired land to the unwilling farmers. “In that case the entire project will fall through. I can’t let it happen. What will I say to the 6,000-odd unemployed youth who will be getting jobs once the project starts?” the CM said, reiterating that the change from agriculture to industry was an “irreversible historical process”.

At the same time, Bhattacharjee took the onus of protecting the interests of the poor farmers who have turned landless after the acquisition. “We are working on a package that will include the price of land, their rehabilitation and training for future employment,” he said, hinting that the government had substitute plans ready.

The Hooghly CPM is already scouting for alternative land outside the project area to rehabilitate the unwilling farmers, if need be. A site had been identified at Beraberi mouza but the landowners were reluctant to give it to the government. On Tuesday, CPM leaders in Singur informed the party mandarins they had identified another plot at Karerbheri at Joymollah — under the only CPM-run gram panchayat, Gopalnagar. Owners here are close to CPM and have agreed to give their land at current prices. There is a good chance that the government may buy out this land for rehabilitation.

“We will submit the list of landowners to Alimuddin Street when we meet the leaders there on August 11,” CPM Hooghly district committee member Dibakar Das told TOI.
The news came as a great relief to policymakers, who were desperate for a way out of the impasse. This will also give some elbow room to commerce and industries minister Nirupam Sen for negotiations.

“Who are they (Opposition) to decide that so much land isn’t required for setting up an automobile unit? We have got the land estimate done by a central body. Everyone knows that Maruti took 1,200 acres to roll out 3.5 lakh cars. I am not bothered about who sets up shop here. I want manufacturing units to come in this state, so that the youth get jobs,” Bhattacharjee said.

The CM was also unfazed by Opposition protests against the proposed power plant at Katwa, Burdwan. “Who says there will be no power plant in Katwa? What will the villagers do then? Spend all their lives without electricity?”

More cops at Nano unit

Kolkata: With the Nano rollout date drawing near and Trinamool threatening an agitation near the factory, the state has decided to increase police deployment in and around the premises. It has asked the Tata authorities to upgrade private security, too. Police have been told to make arrests, so that law and order is not violated.

At present, 600 policemen are deployed in Singur. IG (law and order) Raj Kanojia is working out how many more are needed, not just in and around the factory, but all over Singur.

With several violent incidents taking place in Singur over the past few weeks, home secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty held a law and order meeting at the factory site on Tuesday.

Chakraborty will visit the area again next week to review the law and order situation. He however, claimed the meetings had nothing to do with Trinamool’s agitation programme

Source - TOI

MAUREEN NANDINI MITRA

New fuel for Kolkata vehicles

kolkata may soon become the first city in India to have vehicles running on methane if a deal between Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ongc), a private gas distribution company, and the West Bengal government goes through.

ongc and Calcutta Compressions and Liquefaction Engineering, a Kolkata-based company, signed a memorandum of understanding on July 10 for distribution of coal bed methane (cbm) in Kolkata and adjoining areas starting January 2009. Calcutta Compressions is working on a distribution and pricing deal with the state government.

cbm is a natural gas found in coal beds that can be used for domestic, commercial and industrial purposes and even for generating electricity. In recent decades it has become an important source of clean energy in the West. Removing methane from underground coal mines also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions since methane’s global warming potential is 21 times higher than that of carbon dioxide. Experts say India has enough recoverable sources of cbm for its extraction and commercial use to be viable.

ongc will source the gas from two cbm blocks in Jharkhand’s Jharia coal mines where it is currently focusing its exploratory efforts. ongc officials say the company will extract about 50,000 cubic metres of cbm per day from these blocks to start with. Jharkhand has an estimated 23 million cubic metres of recoverable cmb.

Calcutta Compressions is setting up a compression unit at Parbatpur in Jharia. With a Rs 450-crore investment plan for the project, it would initially transport the gas, filled in cylinders, to Kolkata where it would be sold at specially installed pumps, said Kingshuk Ghosal, co-founder and director (technical) of Calcutta Compressions. The idea is to first sell it to taxis and auto-rickshaws and eventually to buses.

The price of cbm would be negligible compared to petrol and 30-35 per cent less than lpg, said Ghosal.

Calcutta Compressions will also tie up with Greater Calcutta Gas Supply Corporation, a state-owned gas distribution firm which owns a network of pipelines in and around Kolkata.

The project comes close to the Calcutta High Court’s ruling making it compulsory for auto-rickshaws to switch to lpg or cng by March 31 next year.

Source (http://www.downtoearth.org.in/full6.asp?foldername=20080815&filename=news&sec_id=4&sid=23)

DQ Entertainment to start operations in West Bengal (http://www.sindhtoday.net/south-asia/9620.htm)

Kolkata, Aug 6 (IANS) Animation company DQ Entertainment will shortly start operations in West Bengal, Information Technology (IT) Minister Debesh Das said here Wednesday.

‘India’s best gaming and multimedia company has come to West Bengal and will start operations soon,’ he said on the sidelines of ICT East, a seminar on the state’s IT sector, organised by industry lobby Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the state government.

DQ Entertainment develops and distributes 2D traditional animation, Flash, 3D gaming art and animation.

It has set up its unit in Salt Lake, where Kolkata’s IT hub is located.

Das said though the country’s IT growth rate plummetted in the last fiscal to 29 percent from 32 percent the previous year, West Bengal maintained its growth rate at 45-46 percent during the same period, and was likely to maintain it this fiscal.

Kiran Karnik, former president of National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom), the industry forum, said he was hopeful of West Bengal’s growth as an IT destination.

‘In the east, I find West Bengal, in particular, is very well positioned,’ he said.

Regarding the Indian IT industry, Karnik said the country should now concentrate more on security software development because it had a huge international market.

India has exported IT and IT-enabled Services worth $40 billion last fiscal and hopes to achieve a target of $60 billion by 2010-end.

CII signed an agreement with Bengal Engineering and Science University and West Bengal University of Technology to impart soft skills to students of these universities.

DQ Entertainment to start operations in West Bengal (http://www.sindhtoday.net/south-asia/9620.htm)

Kolkata, Aug 6 (IANS) Animation company DQ Entertainment will shortly start operations in West Bengal, Information Technology (IT) Minister Debesh Das said here Wednesday.

‘India’s best gaming and multimedia company has come to West Bengal and will start operations soon,’ he said on the sidelines of ICT East, a seminar on the state’s IT sector, organised by industry lobby Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the state government.

DQ Entertainment develops and distributes 2D traditional animation, Flash, 3D gaming art and animation.

It has set up its unit in Salt Lake, where Kolkata’s IT hub is located.

Das said though the country’s IT growth rate plummetted in the last fiscal to 29 percent from 32 percent the previous year, West Bengal maintained its growth rate at 45-46 percent during the same period, and was likely to maintain it this fiscal.

Kiran Karnik, former president of National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom), the industry forum, said he was hopeful of West Bengal’s growth as an IT destination.

‘In the east, I find West Bengal, in particular, is very well positioned,’ he said.

Regarding the Indian IT industry, Karnik said the country should now concentrate more on security software development because it had a huge international market.

India has exported IT and IT-enabled Services worth $40 billion last fiscal and hopes to achieve a target of $60 billion by 2010-end.

CII signed an agreement with Bengal Engineering and Science University and West Bengal University of Technology to impart soft skills to students of these universities.


^^Somehow the target of 60B for 2010 looks conservative. Assuming a average YOY growth of 30%, it would definitely touch 68B after a couple of years. I am positive the export sector can beat this target.

MAUREEN NANDINI MITRA

New fuel for Kolkata vehicles

kolkata may soon become the first city in India to have vehicles running on methane if a deal between Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ongc), a private gas distribution company, and the West Bengal government goes through.

ongc and Calcutta Compressions and Liquefaction Engineering, a Kolkata-based company, signed a memorandum of understanding on July 10 for distribution of coal bed methane (cbm) in Kolkata and adjoining areas starting January 2009. Calcutta Compressions is working on a distribution and pricing deal with the state government.

cbm is a natural gas found in coal beds that can be used for domestic, commercial and industrial purposes and even for generating electricity. In recent decades it has become an important source of clean energy in the West. Removing methane from underground coal mines also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions since methane’s global warming potential is 21 times higher than that of carbon dioxide. Experts say India has enough recoverable sources of cbm for its extraction and commercial use to be viable.

ongc will source the gas from two cbm blocks in Jharkhand’s Jharia coal mines where it is currently focusing its exploratory efforts. ongc officials say the company will extract about 50,000 cubic metres of cbm per day from these blocks to start with. Jharkhand has an estimated 23 million cubic metres of recoverable cmb.

Calcutta Compressions is setting up a compression unit at Parbatpur in Jharia. With a Rs 450-crore investment plan for the project, it would initially transport the gas, filled in cylinders, to Kolkata where it would be sold at specially installed pumps, said Kingshuk Ghosal, co-founder and director (technical) of Calcutta Compressions. The idea is to first sell it to taxis and auto-rickshaws and eventually to buses.

The price of cbm would be negligible compared to petrol and 30-35 per cent less than lpg, said Ghosal.

Calcutta Compressions will also tie up with Greater Calcutta Gas Supply Corporation, a state-owned gas distribution firm which owns a network of pipelines in and around Kolkata.

The project comes close to the Calcutta High Court’s ruling making it compulsory for auto-rickshaws to switch to lpg or cng by March 31 next year.

Source (http://www.downtoearth.org.in/full6.asp?foldername=20080815&filename=news&sec_id=4&sid=23)

Let us hope something comes out of all these initiatives and kolkata is able to breathe easier in 2009.:)

Bharat Chamber of Commerce (BCC) To Develop Park Circus Maidan As A Model Park (http://www.kolkatascoop.com/story/2008/8/6/33119/47525)

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is flooded with offers for the development of the Park Circus Maidan. But development work on the grounds it seems is still a distant dream.
Speaking at a Press conference organised by the Bharat Chamber of Commerce (BCC), mayor, Mr Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya today expressed his willingness to hand over the park to the BCC for development. He said: “I have asked the BCC to help the civic body in developing the Park Circus Maidan as a model park. It is just a proposal and it is upto the BCC to decide on it. A detailed discussion in this matter is expected soon.”

While mayor, Mr Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya wants the BCC to develop the park into a model one, he seems to have conveniently forgotten the fact that the Kolkata Environment Improvement Project (KEIP) has already allotted a sum of over Rs 2 crore for the development of the same Park Circus Maidan.

Incidentally, a decision to undertake beautification work in the Park Circus Maidan, was taken way back in February 2006. Following this a Rs 2.16 crore project was presented to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) officials in August 2007 at Manila, where it was approved under the KEIP. However, development work in the park was due since then with the grounds playing host to a number of events, especially the fairs and pujas.
Under the draft proposal prepared by the KMC, beautification work involves the laying of paver blocks for a new walkway, pay and use toilets, children’s corner, a fountain and an overhauling of the greenery in the park. The Park Circus Maidan presently covers 75 bighas of land, of which 60 per cent is free space.
Moreover, officials said that Reliance Retail too has shown interest in developing a children’s park in the same place.

When asked about these numerous offers, Mr Bhattacharyya said: “It is not mandatory that I have to hand over the park to KEIP. I can use the KEIP funds for carrying out other development work elsewhere. I will hand over the park for development to the person or organisation best suited for the project.”

^^Somehow the target of 60B for 2010 looks conservative. Assuming a average YOY growth of 30%, it would definitely touch 68B after a couple of years. I am positive the export sector can beat this target.

Yes, and after Infosys starts operation, it will get another big boost. According to another anandabar (http://www.anandabazar.com/7bus2.htm) news Infosys is getting land in next 2 months. Same time, wipro would get land for the 2nd campus. Then ITC and ICICI would be allocated. I think state govt got some 1600 acre land near Vedic village. Though lot of others are waiting for land.

Another news, about Capgemini's expansion here.


From: Times of India

Capgemini books into Unitech SEZ

Kolkata: Capgemini Consulting India on Wednesday said it has taken up 200,000 sq ft at Unitech’s IT SEZ in Rajarhat to cash in on the fiscal incentives associated with duty-free enclaves and added that it is keen to acquire BPOs, including those in India.
The firm — which has started handling domestic clients in the consulting and technology outsourcing segments — already has a 80,000-sq ft facility operational at Sector V. “Currently, we have 850 people working in Kolkata. This number will rise to 1,000 in a few weeks. By 2009-end, we intend to have 2,000 professionals working for us in Kolkata,” Capgemini Consulting India CEO Baru Rao said on the sidelines of CII’s ‘ICT East’ programme.
Rao said Capgemini would shortly start moving people to the Unitech facility, which would function as a retail centre of excellence. The Sector V facility, however, would be retained for the time being.
The CEO said Capgemini intends to raise nationwide headcount to 22,000 by December from 19,800 presently. “By 2010, we aim to have 40,000 people working in India, or 40% of Capgemini’s total global workforce,” he said. As on date, 26% of Capgemini’s international workforce operates in India, he added.
Rao said future expansions of Capgemini in India would take place within SEZs. Its upcoming facilities in Chennai and Mumbai are located in special economic zones, he added.
Former Nasscom president Kiran Karnik said Bengal should focus on engineering and security services within the IT domain. Multimedia and gaming are other options that Bengal could explore, he added.
CII (eastern region) on Wednesday signed an MoU with Bengal Engineering & Science University and West Bengal University of Technology (WBUT) to make their students more employable.

Four new flyovers to come up at New Town

Ajanta Chakraborty

Kolkata: Get ready to zip into the airport via New Town’s main artery. Four new flyovers are going to be built from junctions along this stretch that are prone to accidents. Construction will begin in a few months from now.
Propelled by the state transport department, which keeps getting reports of road mishaps at New Town every other day, Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco) has taken this urgent step to construct flyovers on four crowded crossings along the thoroughfare. The state government has sanctioned Rs 100 crore for the project and has just selected two consultants to draw up the design and a detailed project report (DPR) for the flyovers.
Hidco convened an emergency meeting on the issue on Wednesday so that the flyovers’ project could be commissioned in the beginning of January. “We want to have uninterrupted traffic flow along New Town’s main thoroughfare. Of course, the frequent accidents have also been taken into consideration,” said Goutam Deb, Hidco chairman and state housing minister. “We have realised that unless the flyovers are built immediately, the future plans for New Town will be jeopardised,” he added.
The flyovers have been lined up to be constructed on the main arterial road (MAR) in the following manner. The first one will come up on the MAR-Rajarhat Road crossing, the second on the Sixth Intersection where four roads meet, the third in the sub-central business district where at least four shopping malls are to be built in the next two years and the fourth on the Bagjola Bridge-Canal Bank Road crossing. As the toe of the bridge is always congested, the authorities have decided to build a flyover at its crossing with Canal Bank Road to join with MAR.
“These flyovers were supposed to be built three years later. They were among the 16 flyovers in the master plan for Action Areas I and II of Rajarhat. But we have decided to execute the first phase immediately, given the rate of accidents at New Town,” said a transport department official.The other preoccupation, of course, is to keep the lifeline passing through New Town free for airport-bound traffic.
Hidco has already issued letters of intent to prepare the DPR. The Delhi-based CRAFTS and Stup Consultant have been selected for the job. Hidco intends floating tenders as soon as the DPR is ready in about two months’ time.

Times of India

Four new flyovers to come up at New Town

Ajanta Chakraborty

Kolkata: Get ready to zip into the airport via New Town’s main artery. Four new flyovers are going to be built from junctions along this stretch that are prone to accidents. Construction will begin in a few months from now.
Propelled by the state transport department, which keeps getting reports of road mishaps at New Town every other day, Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco) has taken this urgent step to construct flyovers on four crowded crossings along the thoroughfare. The state government has sanctioned Rs 100 crore for the project and has just selected two consultants to draw up the design and a detailed project report (DPR) for the flyovers.
Hidco convened an emergency meeting on the issue on Wednesday so that the flyovers’ project could be commissioned in the beginning of January. “We want to have uninterrupted traffic flow along New Town’s main thoroughfare. Of course, the frequent accidents have also been taken into consideration,” said Goutam Deb, Hidco chairman and state housing minister. “We have realised that unless the flyovers are built immediately, the future plans for New Town will be jeopardised,” he added.
The flyovers have been lined up to be constructed on the main arterial road (MAR) in the following manner. The first one will come up on the MAR-Rajarhat Road crossing, the second on the Sixth Intersection where four roads meet, the third in the sub-central business district where at least four shopping malls are to be built in the next two years and the fourth on the Bagjola Bridge-Canal Bank Road crossing. As the toe of the bridge is always congested, the authorities have decided to build a flyover at its crossing with Canal Bank Road to join with MAR.
“These flyovers were supposed to be built three years later. They were among the 16 flyovers in the master plan for Action Areas I and II of Rajarhat. But we have decided to execute the first phase immediately, given the rate of accidents at New Town,” said a transport department official.The other preoccupation, of course, is to keep the lifeline passing through New Town free for airport-bound traffic.
Hidco has already issued letters of intent to prepare the DPR. The Delhi-based CRAFTS and Stup Consultant have been selected for the job. Hidco intends floating tenders as soon as the DPR is ready in about two months’ time.

Times of India


^^Good news for the future. In the process of developing New Town, hope they realize that Kolkata needs flyovers much more urgently and are working towards them.

Yes, and after Infosys starts operation, it will get another big boost. According to another anandabar (http://www.anandabazar.com/7bus2.htm) news Infosys is getting land in next 2 months. Same time, wipro would get land for the 2nd campus. Then ITC and ICICI would be allocated. I think state govt got some 1600 acre land near Vedic village. Though lot of others are waiting for land.

Another news, about Capgemini's expansion here.


From: Times of India

Cool news about CG:cheers:. This is the second company to book space in Infospace. This means about 1M sqft ( Genpact has booked 700000 sqft) of space should be operational in the next 1.5 years

Cool news about CG:cheers:. This is the second company to book space in Infospace. This means about 1M sqft ( Genpact has booked 700000 sqft) of space should be operational in the next 1.5 years

Another news.

________________________________________________________________________

Genpact to recruit 7000 in Kolkata

Kolkata August 08, 2008, 5:33 IST

India’s largest business process outsourcing (BPO) firm Genpact has entered into a contract with Unitech to build a 7,000-people office in Kolkata and is looking at positioning Kolkata as its main centre for handling most of its voice and non-voice projects, due to availability of cheap and skilled labour.

Speaking on the sideline of CII ICT seminar, Shantanu Ghosh, senior VP and business leader of Genpact, said, “We have over 16 centres now in India employing over 25,000 people. But for our future projects, we are looking at handling maximum voice and non-voice projects at the Kolkata centre.”

Currently, it has 750 people at its Kolkata centre.

“Currently our domestic business is negligible but we are aiming at a significant growth as we take on more Indian clients who we would cater to from our India centres itself. So far we were managing global outsourced projects from other locations. But now we plan to get into India to India business. All the growing sectors will be potential clients for us for who we would manage the back office,” Sarkar said.

The company, which posted a global turnover of $823 million, plans to grow revenues by 28 per cent.Genpact is also looking at opening 2-3 centres every year.

Business Standard (http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=330794)

More news on CG (http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=330691)



Capgemini sees Kolkata as services hub
Bs Reporters / Kolkata August 07, 2008, 5:54 IST

IT services and outsourcing company, Capgemini Consulting India Ltd (CCIL) was looking at making Kolkata the retail hub for its worldwide operations, using its Retail Centre of Excellence at its new facility at Rajarhat.

It aimed to raise its workforce to over 22,000 by end-2008 with Kolkata unit having 1000 people within the next few weeks from 850 now.

By the end of 2009, its two facilities in Kolkata would jointly have around 2000 people, said Baru S Rao, chief executive officer, CCIL.

Capgemini planned to employ 40,000 people by 2010, making its Indian operations account for nearly 40 per cent of its global manpower against 26 per cent now.

Capgemini now had 19,800 people in India.

Around 400 of them worked on the domestic sector servicing 10 clients.

The company currently operated from an 80,000 square feet rented premise at Asyst Park in sector-5 of Salt Lake, the IT hub of the city.

It would be shifting to its new premises at the Unitech IT SEZ in a few weeks.

The new 200,000 square feet office would house around 1700 people.

Capgemini will retain its old centre as well.

Capgemini served software development and business process outsourcing (BPO) clients from its existing facility and would add retail clients.

The Kolkata unit has grown three times in strength in a year, claimed Anish Sarkar, vice president and head of sales of CCIL.

The company was open to acquisitions in the BPO space, both in India and overseas, ideally engineering services companies, Rao said.

It was in the process of building a 10,000 people facility at the Mahindra World City near Chennai, and moving to a new facility in Mumbai. The first phase of the Chennai project with 2000 seats would be complete by the second half of 2009.

It currently had operations in six cities in the country. Capgemini expected a five to six per cent growth in global turnover this year.

It reported net global turnover of $6.67 billion for the first half of 2008 with a margin of $510 million.

Tallest in town & country
- 250m office tower in heart of the city (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080809/jsp/calcutta/story_9668146.jsp)

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/5541/09zztalltowerbiguz9.jpg
Calcutta — and India — will get its tallest building at 250 metres when a commercial property comes up on Chowringhee, next to Tata Centre.

The tower, to rise to a height equivalent to 83 storeys, will be the city’s first run in the construction Olympics that is dominated by Burj Dubai at 636m.

“We will actually construct 54 floors, but at 250m, it will easily be the tallest commercial structure in the country, its height corresponding to an 83-storey tower,” says A.N. Shroff, the leader of the consortium Diamond Group that is developing the building.

To come up on the vacant land that was once the proposed site for a Grand Hyatt, the 54-storey structure will tower over the Chowringhee skyline, housing 10 levels of car parking at the base and a helipad on top.

The tallest building planned in the city before this was the Life Insurance Corporation’s 50-storey commercial structure on the Bypass.

Shroff had purchased around five bighas that belonged to the Maharaja of Darbhanga in 1993 from the high court, and the Diamond Group later bought another portion. The company is in the process of acquiring another contiguous chunk to enable access to the property from Middleton Street as well.

While Burj Dubai is the tallest structure in the world in all four of the criteria listed by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, the Imperial Towers in Mumbai, at 60 storeys, is the tallest India has till date.


“The Chowringhee building will have many firsts, like a 4.2m floor-to-ceiling height, a grand entrance lobby 42ft high, a sky garden on the 29th level, restaurants on the 50th and 51st floors and three levels of viewing galleries above that,” says Vinoo Chadha, principal architect for the project.

His city-based Design Cell has designed the tower, which tapers off at the top, and will have a programmed illumination system to project varied façade views at different times during the night, showing just a brilliant blue streak along the spine at 2am.

“All necessary structural precautions are being taken, including the seismic load factor,” said Chaddha.

Structural expert Joseph P. Colaco from Ottawa is doing the structural design along with local structural engineer Sanjeev Parekh. Construction, outsourced from a Singapore firm, is expected to take 24 to 30 months from the date of sanction.

With the land cost at Rs 432 crore, construction is estimated to cross Rs 200 crore. “We want this building to be the calling card of contemporary Calcutta, and will bring in services to match the grandeur of the structure, like the rooftop helipad,” said Shroff.

The tower will yield 35-36 floors of office space, with a food court and convention centre spanning three levels.

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/6340/09taxibiguq1.jpg

Kolkata Cab, a fleet of 100 luxury taxis, was launched in the city on Friday. The cabs will be available 24x7 and can be called by dialling 44-222-222 or 44-333-222. Fitted with electronic fare meters, the air-conditioned taxis will have a distress button that a passenger can press in case of an emergency. The fare has been fixed at Rs 15 per km and passengers can pay through credit cards

State demands share of project cost hike (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080809/jsp/calcutta/story_9666380.jsp)

The state government will ask the Centre to pay half the amount by which costs of several infrastructure projects have gone up because of delays.

The projects include Parama flyover (cost estimated at Rs 331 crore), phase I of Vivekananda Road flyover (about Rs 220 crore), Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) on the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass (about Rs 395 crore) and Nagerbazar flyover (about Rs 68 crore). The Union government will bear 35 per cent of the costs of these projects.

“We will soon meet Union urban development minister Jaipal Reddy in New Delhi. The Union government has only agreed to pay a portion of the project cost. We want them to pay half the amount by which cost has gone up as well,” said state urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya on Friday.

“There has been a nearly 30 per cent cost escalation of the projects and we want the Union government’s help to go ahead with the work. These are all statutory projects and this cost sharing is required to start work,” he added.

The urban development department has prepared detailed project reports for the BRTS scheme and the Park Circus and Vivekananda Road flyovers.

Last week, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee met the Union urban development secretary M. Ramchandran in this regard.

“The Central public works department has given its nod for the Vivekananda Road flyover. The Centre wants drainage and sewage networks under the road to be shifted before work begins on the flyover. That will take Rs 30 crore,” said Bhattacharya.

Some of the other projects on the list are water supply scheme for Rajpur-Sonarpur municipality, drinking water supply project for Calcutta and its adjoining areas and drainage and sewage work in different parts of the city.

The minister claimed Bengal had sought Rs 1,100 crore from the Union government for upgrade and overhaul of the drainage and sewage system but the fund never came through, though Mumbai was provided with Rs 1,200 crore for similar work.

“It’s not that the Union government has shown any preference or discriminated against us. If we had got the money for the project, Calcutta’s sewage system would have been transformed,” said Bhattacharya.

Sops for green switch (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080809/jsp/calcutta/story_9666685.jsp)

The state will cut certain taxes for vehicles abiding by green norms and will give Rs 10,000 to each autorickshaw owner for switching to LPG, transport minister Subhas Chakraborty said on Friday.

A similar sop is being considered for the owners of old taxis who would upgrade their vehicles to meet environment norms.

“The state of transport system reflects the state of affairs. So, we can’t afford to sit back. The transport department is planning changes to keep pace with the changing needs,” Chakraborty said at the launch of Kolkata Cab, a radio taxi service.

The minister asserted that his department was keen on addressing the demand for a better mass transit system.

“Given the low road space and the density of vehicles, Calcutta is second only to Seoul in terms of speed. Vehicles here move at an average speed of 25 km per hour. Cops are doing a tremendous job managing traffic in our intricate road network. But we plan to increase the road space soon as the demand for space will shoot up once Nano rolls out,” the minister said. On the dais was S. Krishnan, one of the vice-presidents of Tata Motors.

The minister said seven international firms have submitted bids for the proposed ring road that will cost around Rs 8,000 crore. “Work on the 50-km, six-lane road will start at the earliest,” Chakraborty said.

The department has also decided to buy 1,000 low-floor buses, each to cost around Rs 18-20 lakh.

^^Good to know that the elevated ring road project is still on; however in this report 43 km has changed to 50 km and 4 lanes to 6 lanes:nuts:

Tallest in town & country
- 250m office tower in heart of the city (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080809/jsp/calcutta/story_9668146.jsp)

Looks like just a proposal for now. Doesn't say anything about approvals. Plus some land is still not in their possession. Will they get permission to build that tall there? Will it not become some masala controversy for the activists?

Also they were supposed to believe a tall tower on Gurusaday Road. Whatever happened to that?

Looks like just a proposal for now. Doesn't say anything about approvals. Plus some land is still not in their possession. Will they get permission to build that tall there? Will it not become some masala controversy for the activists?

Also they were supposed to believe a tall tower on Gurusaday Road. Whatever happened to that?

Yes, for the moment it is another of those ambitious proposals. Diamond group is yet to have the residential 'Diamond Top' on Gurusaday Dutta road approved and it is only a few floors taller than South City.

Approval for the height in the CBD is a big question mark.Let us wait n watch

Tallest in town & country
- 250m office tower in heart of the city (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080809/jsp/calcutta/story_9668146.jsp)

wow... thats unique and kickass design..
any more renders?

Check out the Bengal Silver Sping photo in TOI

http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/9827/toikanda2as0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

and the one by Kanad Sanyal in my flickr album

http://www.flickr.com/photos/85296574@N00/376553431/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/183/376553431_61b8d28ef9.jpg?v=0

pretty similar?

Check out the Bengal Silver Sping photo in TOI

http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/9827/toikanda2as0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

and the one by Kanad Sanyal in my flickr album

http://www.flickr.com/photos/85296574@N00/376553431/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/183/376553431_61b8d28ef9.jpg?v=0

pretty similar?

TOI is the cheapest newspaper around..
bloody plagiarists :bash:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quote

Tallest in town & country
- 250m office tower in heart of the city

unquote

The height of Burj Dubai, the tallest tower of the world at present, mentioned in the report is not correct. The height, when completed will be 819 metres and the No. of floors is 162.

What is the current status of the other skyscrapers of "Biswa Banga Shikhar" Westin Calcutta hotel and Unitech Air?

I am sorry to say that I could not understand why these TOI paper clippings on Bengal Silver Spring are here again?

Tallest in town & country
- 250m office tower in heart of the city (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080809/jsp/calcutta/story_9668146.jsp)

Wow!! Thats an awesome structure. Hope one day they will make it. :cheers:

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/6340/09taxibiguq1.jpg

Kolkata Cab, a fleet of 100 luxury taxis, was launched in the city on Friday. The cabs will be available 24x7 and can be called by dialling 44-222-222 or 44-333-222. Fitted with electronic fare meters, the air-conditioned taxis will have a distress button that a passenger can press in case of an emergency. The fare has been fixed at Rs 15 per km and passengers can pay through credit cards

Nice. This is another pic from Anandabazar

http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/5992/9cal01of4.jpg

Sops for green switch (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080809/jsp/calcutta/story_9666685.jsp)



^^Good to know that the elevated ring road project is still on; however in this report 43 km has changed to 50 km and 4 lanes to 6 lanes:nuts:

You are positive about the project??? :lol:

Check out the Bengal Silver Sping photo in TOI

http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/9827/toikanda2as0.jpg[/IMG]

and the one by Kanad Sanyal in my flickr album

http://www.flickr.com/photos/85296574@N00/376553431/ (http://imageshack.us)

[url]http://farm1.static.flickr.com/183/376553431_61b8d28ef9.jpg?v=0

pretty similar?

Don't know. But if they steal it, shame on them. :bash: It may be case, they take the picture from a same location. Though they look exactly same.

wow... thats unique and kickass design..
any more renders?

Design looks really cool. But somehow I have a strange feeling that I have seen something very similar to this in reality in some intl thread in SSC. :shifty:

Just hope this is not a rip off.

http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/5992/9cal01of4.jpg
^^Good that Radio taxis have finally arrived ( albeit a little late) in Kolkata. I would go for the Logan cabs rather than the indigo marina. I guess out of the 100 odd, many would serve passengers from the airport ( as I see from the pic).


You are positive about the project??? :lol:
^^It is no doubt very ambitous, something unheard of in India as yet . I was also surprised that the Vivekananda rd & Parama island mega flyover projects are not scrapped by the center . Let us see what materializes and what does not.:)

Check out the Bengal Silver Sping photo in TOI

http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/9827/toikanda2as0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

and the one by Kanad Sanyal in my flickr album

http://www.flickr.com/photos/85296574@N00/376553431/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/183/376553431_61b8d28ef9.jpg?v=0

pretty similar?

This is cheap:bash:. Kanad da ( and the bengal flickr club) should take up the matter with TOI.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quote

Tallest in town & country
- 250m office tower in heart of the city

unquote

The height of Burj Dubai, the tallest tower of the world at present, mentioned in the report is not correct. The height, when completed will be 819 metres and the No. of floors is 162.

What is the current status of the other skyscrapers of "Biswa Banga Shikhar" Westin Calcutta hotel and Unitech Air?

I am sorry to say that I could not understand why these TOI paper clippings on Bengal Silver Spring are here again?

Yes, there was some BS in the piece from Telegraph with respect to accuracy. I guess they were too overwhelmed by something of this size:lol:

Westin ( or perhaps Shristi intercontinental) twins are supposed to be under construction ( according to Emporis) and so is Unitech Air. Biswa banga shikhar is in proposal stage.

Thank you Arijeet once again for the information.:)

Spencer’s opens third hyper mart in Kolkata (http://www.sindhtoday.net/south-asia/10517.htm)

Kolkata, Aug 9 (IANS) The Rs.135-billion RPG Enterprise’s retail arm Spencer’s Retail Ltd Saturday launched its third hyper mart in the city.

‘Kolkata is a case study of success for us. We set up our first store here in April last year and since then the growth has been unprecedented. We are already spread over 2 lakh (200,000) square feet in West Bengal which garners a footfall of about 5.5 million on a per annum basis,’ said Sanjiv Goenka, vice chairman of RPG Enterprises.

This is Spencer’s 24th store in the city and 27th in West Bengal.

The new store is spread over 60,000 square feet and offers a wide range and assortment of merchandise in food and grocery, fruits and vegetables, electrical and electronics, home and office essentials, garments and fashion accessories, toys, personal care, music and mobility solutions.

Incidentally, this is the first hyper mart Spencer’s has launched after the Rashbehari Avenue outlet, which encountered lots of agitations from the hawkers’ here and the store’s inauguration was deferred.

By the end of March 2009, the company plans to increase the total number of stores by another 300, which would include 75 in large formats.

Goenka said: ‘Large format is currently driving modern retail in India. It promises to be a superior shopping experience for the current day discerning shopper who values time and money and also looks out for choice before making a purchase decision.’

Looks like Spencers is on a roll in Kolkata. :)Wonder where this is located.

Spencer’s opens third hyper mart in Kolkata (http://www.sindhtoday.net/south-asia/10517.htm)



Looks like Spencers is on a roll in Kolkata. :)Wonder where this is located.

Good.

Meanwhile the Forward Bloc (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080809/jsp/frontpage/story_9668360.jsp) continues its pathetic games in trying to stop organized retail/wholesale in food to take off in Kolkata. This party has messed up the public food distribution system which is fountainhead of corruption. Instead of cleaning up its corrupt ways, it is trying to divert attention from its corrupt practices. And then there is Mamata Didi (http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=595760)ready to churn up her nonsense against everything that will keep her 'firebrand' image alive. She will now be organizing yet another protest on September 1 against organized retail. She will soon have to change her name to Andolan (Protest) Didi. I hope someday soon, people just get fedup of her and the other parties who have made protests the only business in their lives. They care nothing for the people.

It is in Mani Square mall located on E M Bypass...

Spencer’s opens third hyper mart in Kolkata (http://www.sindhtoday.net/south-asia/10517.htm)



Looks like Spencers is on a roll in Kolkata. :)Wonder where this is located.

Tangra stretch beats monsoon blues

Subhro Niyogi

Kolkata: As traffic lurches from one pothole to another this monsoon, at least one stretch shows that Kolkatans can get perfect roads if the authorities do their bit properly. Even two monsoons after it was repaired, the road has not developed a single crater.
Welcome to Gobinda Phatik Road — commonly known as the Park Circus-EM Bypass connector. For years, it was a nightmare for the 10,000-plus vehicles that took this road daily.
A 100 metre stretch — 50 metres on either side of Tangra crossing — would get cratered after the first heavy shower each season, slowing traffic to a crawl and leading to traffic snarls that extended over a kilometre.
All that changed when KMDA undertook a major road augmentation project on this stretch two years ago. A proper layer of high-grade bitumen was applied, the kerbs were developed and raised pedestrian pathways built to prevent water from adjoining areas spilling on to the road.
“Water accumulation and seepage is the major cause for road damage. While Kolkata Municipal Corporation has now begun comprehensive drainage work in the area under the Kolkata Environment Improvement Project (KEIP), we did some cursory drainage work to safeguard the road. We then decided to top the semi-dense bituminous concrete (SDBC) layer with one-inch mastic asphalt layer to withstand the heavy traffic pressure and prevent seepage,” KMDA director-general Debdas Bhattacharya said.
The problem on the stretch, explains KMDA chief engineer Anindya Ganguly, was that the road’s foundation was laid over tannery slush 15-20 years ago. This led to seepage from below and minor surface subsidence. “It is only now that the ground has stabilised,” he said.
But even now, a short stretch of road on the northern flank opposite Milan Mela ground gets flooded during a heavy shower due to backflow of brackish water from China town’s outlet drain.
“We have set up a task force to find a comprehensive solution. As an immediate measure, we have set up a pump near Science City to pump out water into the irrigation canal. Work on a long-term solution is already underway. KMC is developing a canal parallel to the Bypass. This may be linked to the cross drain opposite Science City,” he added.
Not only are commuters glad that the nightmare is past them, officials at the Ganges Ford are relieved they finally have a decent road overlooking the showroom. “Earlier, the road was a shame. It was ironic to have a showroom selling hi-tech cars along a stretch of road that wasn’t even lowtech. Now, everyone in the locality is glad that there’s a proper, all-weather road. It just goes to show that they can build a good road if they want,” said Utpal Chowdhury, corporate manager at the dealership.
The only ones who aren’t delighted are Md Yusuf and Sk Raza. Mechanics at the VIP service station located near the stretch, they made brisk business when cars broke down regularly during rains in the past. “We used to get at least 10-12 breakdown cases each week. There would be patti and spring problems. But ever since the road was properly repaired last year, we get very few urgent repair jobs,” said Yusuf.

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/8418/pc0021100ur0.jpg

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/4889/pc0020900yw0.jpg

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=TOIKM/2008/08/10/2/Img/Pc0021000.jpg
(Clockwise from top left) This stretch of the Park Circus-Bypass connector was a nightmare even two monsoons ago but is a driver’s dream now; mastic asphalt work is on; the stretch near Milan Mela still gets flooded after a heavy shower


Times of India

^^Not only the Tangra stretch, but the entire Park Circus connector has been laid with mastic asphalt and is thus pothole free.

It is in Mani Square mall located on E M Bypass...

^^Thanks Civitas. The mart would increase footfalls considerably.

^^Not only the Tangra stretch, but the entire Park Circus connector has been laid with mastic asphalt and is thus pothole free.

Somewhere I was reading that mastic asphalt is not good for high-speed roads. Particularly when it is raining asphalt roads become slippery. I am not sure if it is true. But it would surely protect kolkata roads from heavy rain.

Somewhere I was reading that mastic asphalt is not good for high-speed roads. Particularly when it is raining asphalt roads become slippery. I am not sure if it is true. But it would surely protect kolkata roads from heavy rain.

You are right. While on the one hand asphalt hardens the surface, it also makes the road slippery during rains and can be dangerous especially for two wheeler riders.

You are right. While on the one hand asphalt hardens the surface, it also makes the road slippery during rains and can be dangerous especially for two wheeler riders.

So, for the high speed roads like bypass,vip or park circus connector they should think some alternative in future.

So, for the high speed roads like bypass,vip or park circus connector they should think some alternative in future.

^^Bituminous roads end up as craters as we see during the rains. EM Bypass is a shame to drive on today.

High speed roads typically have speed limits of 60 kmph and it is safe to drive on asphalted roads at this speed provided there are no sharp curves or turns.

^^Bituminous roads end up as craters as we see during the rains. EM Bypass is a shame to drive on today.

High speed roads typically have speed limits of 60 kmph and it is safe to drive on asphalted roads at this speed provided there are no sharp curves or turns.

Quality of bituminous and technology also could be factor. Don't kno what kind of bitumin our KMDA use. Look at the newly built NHAI roads too. They are quite ok during rain.

Quality of bituminous and technology also could be factor. Don't kno what kind of bitumin our KMDA use. Look at the newly built NHAI roads too. They are quite ok during rain.

^^Yes, I too get the feeling that sub standard quality is in use. In Hyd last year, there were craters on many important roads with lesser rainfall than Kolkata & I see a similar pattern here with the current condition of the roads especially the EM Bypass. Our states are to blame for this.

Luxury cruisers to hit Hooghly waters soon (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Kolkata_/Luxury_cruisers_to_hit_Hooghly_waters_soon/articleshow/3347260.cms)

KOLKATA: The state government has decided to open up the Hooghly to luxury cruise operators. As part of a central government scheme, the infrastructure along the banks will also be upgraded.

The project will be taken up in two phases, with the first and the more "operative" part involving a public-private-partnership (PPP). This is expected to generate a huge revenue for the state government.

The state tourism department is likely to invite bids soon. The selected company will get subsidies from the ministry to operate cruises between Kolkata and Murshidabad, along a specific route connecting several heritage points. The cruiser will travel from Kolkata, through Dakshineswar, Belur Math, Chandernagore, Barrackpore, Mayapur, Plassey, Nabadwip, Jiaganj and Behrampore to Murshidabad.

The operator is expected to come up with attractive three to four-day packages in luxury cruisers. The bidders will have to arrange for two types of vessels - luxury vessels for the foreign tourists and the more affordable ones for domestic clientele.

A senior official said, "The tourism ministry will contribute its share of Rs 125 crore for this part of the project that is being developed under private public partnership."

The second part of the project involves upgrading the infrastructure, including renovating the ghats and landing spots that dot the route. Around Rs 25 crore has been sanctioned for this section of the project. It is in fact this bit of the entire project that the bidders are more interested in.

R Sushila, executive director of Vivada, which has been running its own private cruises in the same route, said, "We are interested in participating in the bidding. However, the government must ensure that the landing areas are fit for the cruisers."

The state tourism department has already sought notes from Vivada, but the latter is apprehensive about the project.

"We have been operating in the route for quite some time and know the specific problems here. The terminals are in a real bad state. For instance the ghats at Chandernagore, Plassey among others are in very poor shape, considering that these are heritage sites," said Sushila, adding, "Why don't you look at the condition of the not-so-far Kumartuli ghat. Our clients - some of whom are even foreigners - wouldn't want to get off on these ghats. You can't have cruises unless there are attractive sight-seeing elements in these places."

Vivada has also pointed out to the state tourism department the concerns over the receding river levels and need for dredging along the route, so that the waterways become navigable. A senior official at the Writers' said: "We shall look into all these aspects. Around Rs 25 crore has already been sanctioned for improving infrastructure of these spots."

As per the tourism department's plan, the infrastructure will be developed and the ghats beautified so that passengers can experience a pleasant tour from the beginning till the end. Some state government agencies will also be involved for the job, added the official.

Science school moves to Haringhata campus

Kolkata: The state government’s plans of developing Haringhata as the state’s new education district seems to be finally reaching fruition, with Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), moving to the township on Sunday.
IISER, an advanced institute of the Union ministry of human resources development for the propagation of pure sciences, which started operating two years ago, will work towards creating a new genre of scientists, much on the lines of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Classes will begin at the Haringhata campus from Monday.
IISER will now operate from buildings that originally belonged to the West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences (WBUAFS). All this while, the institute was functioning from the extension centre of IIT-Kharagpur at Salt Lake, and has about 120 students who are pursuing their integrated MSc in pure science streams. This year’s intake will increase the count to 200.
While 201 acres of land have been allotted to the institute by the state government, it will presently function out of a few buildings of the WBUAFS, until its own campus is ready. Construction work has already started and is expected to be completed over the next 18 months.
Some of the condemned buildings of WBUAFS have been renovated for hostels and classrooms, while erstwhile staff quarters have been spruced up for housing faculty. The renovation work has been carried out by KMDA. The institute is fully residential, much like IIT-Kharagpur. “We’ll function from here till our new campus, which will be a self-sufficient one, is ready,” said Sushanta Duttagupta, director of the institute.
“IISER is the next revolution to look out for after the IITs,” said Duttagupta. Minister of state for panchayat affairs Bankim Ghosh said: “Haringhata is gradually becoming the new education hub. Soon, WBUT will also be here, along with a few other projects, including the Reliance IT Park.
When IISER’s own campus is ready, it will perhaps be the country’s first green campus — where every effort would be made to keep the environment clean and maintain the ecological balance. The institute has just approved the special “green design” submitted by architects Suresh Goyel and Associates Consortium, to be built at a cost of Rs 500 crore.

Times of India

The Telegraph 11.08.2008

Northern link to Bypass

North Calcutta is set to get a new connector to the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass in 2010.

The Rs 30-crore passage will extend through a tunnel under railway tracks near Ultadanga station to link Tallah on BT Road with VIP Road at the point where the slip bridge to the Bypass starts.

After a meeting with the mayor and the municipal commissioner last week, Rail India Technical and Engineering Services (RITES) agreed to take up the tunnelling work under Sealdah main section. It will cost about Rs 25 crore.

The engineers of RITES estimated that it would take about two years to complete the tunnelling. The civic authorities want the work to be completed in 18 months so that the two-lane Bypass connector can be opened to motorists by March 2010.

“North Calcutta deserves this project. South Calcutta has Bypass connectors at Park Circus, Bondel Gate, Rashbehari and Baishnabghata. North Calcutta has only two connectors — at Khanna and Maniktala. The Beleghata connector is in central Calcutta,” said mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya

“The Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) and the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners have built the rest of the connector but it cannot be used because of the railway tracks. A tunnel is the only solution. RITES will construct it and the CMC will provide the funds,” said municipal commissioner Alapan Bandyopadhyay.

Once the 4-km connector becomes operational, Bypass-bound motorists from Barrackpore, Dakshineswar, Dankuni, Belur, Dunlop and Sinthee need not cross the Shyambazar five-point intersection and drive up to Khanna to access the Bypass.

From Tallah, they can head east by taking Canal East Road, which will lead to the newly built Canal West Road. One arm of the road will extend under the rail tracks to meet VIP Road.

According to civic deputy chief engineer (civil) Soumitra Bhattacharya, the tunnelling is difficult since it has to be done without disrupting the traffic flow overhead.

“The Dum Dum to Bidhannagar Road stretch is the busiest in the Sealdah section. Movement of goods and passenger traffic cannot be suspended even for an hour for the tunnelling work. We are capable of doing this,” said a technical expert of RITES after a meeting with the municipal commissioner.

Lake Mall - status as on 11/08/2008

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/9761/lakemall1oi0.jpg

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/9475/lakemall2fj9.jpg

The Telegraph 11.08.2008

The engineers of RITES estimated that it would take about two years to complete the tunnelling. The civic authorities want the work to be completed in 18 months so that the two-lane Bypass connector can be opened to motorists by March 2010.


Why cant they use improved tunnelling technology like the TBMs used by Delhi Metro, and finish the work sooner? I am not sure if this is the right technology, but pretty sure something quicker do exists. Guess, may be that will not fill in enough pockets, and babus will not get a chance to extend the project and ask for more money..

Lake Mall - status as on 11/08/2008

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/9761/lakemall1oi0.jpg

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/9475/lakemall2fj9.jpg

Nice update Arijeet. Eager to see it to be completed. :cheers:

Nice update Arijeet. Eager to see it to be completed. :cheers:

Thanks Saraf. It should take about a yr more I guess. I

also hope the govt is going to work on moving the eye-sores ( hawkers) who have left the sidewalks and are now hawking on the busy carriageway.

Thanks Saraf. It should take about a yr more I guess. I

also hope the govt is going to work on moving the eye-sores ( hawkers) who have left the sidewalks and are now hawking on the busy carriageway.

As long as Kolkata's political parties and intellectuals take pride in shabbiness and indiscipline, there is little scope for footpaths to be free of illegal encroachments.

Nice update of the Lake Mall!

Check out the Bengal Silver Sping photo in TOI
http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/9827/toikanda2as0.jpg

and the one by Kanad Sanyal in my flickr album

http://www.flickr.com/photos/85296574@N00/376553431/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/183/376553431_61b8d28ef9.jpg?v=0

pretty similar?


Another ad with an image modified from your album-


http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/9555/ad0111019ht9.png


original image-
http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/4550/1952489360ca9146322dowc1.jpg

^^Bloody plagiarists, again:bash:

4-lane solution to VIP chaos (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080812/jsp/calcutta/story_9659663.jsp)

A four-lane artery will be laid parallel to VIP Road in Baguiati to ease traffic load between the airport and Ultadanga.

The plans for the 500-metre bypass have been finalised by Rajarhat-Goplapur municipality and North 24-Parganas police.

“We will overhaul traffic management on this stretch. City-bound buses from north will ply down a dedicated thoroughfare instead of VIP Road,” said Tapas Chatterjee, the chairman of Rajarhat-Gopalpur municipality.

“The two pedestrian crossings on VIP Road, which see a footfall of nearly 2,000 per hour, are primarily responsible for the congestion in Baguiati. So, we will construct a four-lane parallel road between Joramandir and Narayantala,” said Monodip Mukherjee, the executive engineer of the municipality.

Work on the project will start next week after a Bangalore-based firm dealing in sophisticated signalling systems finalises the blueprint, he added.

Municipal officials said space for the proposed road would not be a problem. “The bypass will come up on the space demarcated for a bus stand of route number 44 as well some adjoining vacant land,” an official said.

“The first bay, farthest from VIP Road, will be dedicated for autorickshaws, which will only be allowed for one-way movement,” he added.

The second lane will serve as a parking bay for nearly 25 buses, while buses on route 44 will ply on the third lane, where a 100-feet long bus shed will be constructed.

All other buses will enter the fourth lane from VIP Road near Joramandir. They will ply parallel to VIP Road, bypassing the two bottlenecks at Baguiati, and re-enter VIP Road near Narayantala,” said Sugata Sen, the additional superintendent of police of Barasat

Slow flow on speed-up connector (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080812/jsp/calcutta/story_9681534.jsp)
It was touted as the solution to the car crawl in an increasingly congested pocket of south Calcutta. Now, 18 months old, it is a problem child. Find anyone who takes the Anwar Shah Road connector from the EM Bypass to Jadavpur police station and you will find a victim of slow flow and car clot. “It can take anything between 10 to 30 minutes to negotiate the Jadavpur crossing. It’s symbolic of what ails many parts of Calcutta — myopic planning and autorickshaw anarchy,” rues D. Dasgupta, a resident of the area.

Purpose

The 3.5 km stretch from Jadavpur PS to EM Bypass was officially inaugurated on March 1, 2007. “The aim was to speed up the movement of vehicles coming from EM Bypass and heading towards areas like Tollygunge and Behala and vice versa. It should take 10 minutes to cross the 3.5 km connector,” says Debdas Bhattacharyya, the director general (operations) of the CMDA.

Earlier, the way into this part of town for those on the Bypass was either through Gariahat or through a circuitous Santoshpur route. “That usually took close to an hour,” points out Bhattacharyya.
The 47B terminus

Problems

Commuters have a different story to tell. The 10 minutes that the CMDA official earmarks for crossing the connector is invariably spent at its Jadavpur end, waiting for the lights to turn green. “The car queue often reaches Shahidnagar bus stand, which is almost 175 metres from the Jadavpur police station crossing. During peak hours, we are caught in jams that last forever,” says Sanjoy Sengupta, a resident of Shahidnagar.

With the car count on Prince Anwar Shah Road — and at the Jadavpur police station crossing — rising alarmingly post-South City Mall, it’s getting worse by the week.

The narrow serpentine lane of the flyover is also a safety hazard, given the menace of autos and overtaking.

One solution

To ease the traffic flow, the CMDA authorities have decided to construct another flyover parallel to the existing one from Jadavpur PS crossing to Selimpore Naskarpara. The new flyover will be 700m long and 11.5m wide. “Work will start in December and will be completed in two years,” says Bhattacharyya.

The new flyover will be used by vehicles heading towards the Bypass while the present one will be used for down traffic. What about roadblocks for land acquisition? “The land required for building the flyover belongs to us, so there is no problem,” says Bhattacharyya.
The Trinamul office on the connector

Road hogs

While the CMDA is trying to widen the road, auto stands and bus terminuses have decided to eat up a lot of the existing space. If the auto stand at the Jadavpur mouth of the connector is a pain, buses on the Dhakuria-BBD Bag and 47B routes have grown terminus roots on the connector. A permanent structure has already been constructed for the 47B terminus. “We are widening the road to ease the flow of traffic. But the terminus and stands are going to defeat the entire purpose,” rues a senior official of CMDA involved with work on the Anwar Shah Road connector.

“It’s really tough to say whether the auto and taxi stands are temporary or permanent. At the moment, the terminuses are on the connector but if they cause traffic congestion, we will have to shift them a few metres away,” says Kumaresh Banerjee, a local Citu leader.

“The 47B bus used to have its terminus near the South City Mall and we were asked by the police to shift out. The permit of the route is till EM Bypass where the connector ends, but if the buses terminate there it will again create traffic snarls,” he adds.

Adding a shade of orange to the road-hog debate is a Trinamul Congress party office between KP Roy Road and Garfa Main Road. The CMDA alleges that the local Trinamul leadership is not willing to shift the party office from there.

“They are not allowing us to demolish the office. It occupies almost 4m of the road,” points out Bhattacharyya.

The local Trinamul leadership dismisses the CMDA allegation. “The authorities have never spoken to us directly. They approached us through a contractor. We told him that we are ready to move but they should compensate us so that we can build a party office elsewhere,” says Hirendranath Aich, the president of ward committee 105.

Compensation for vacating CMDA land? “Well, we are ready to move without any compensation. But at least the CMDA authorities must write to us,” Aich relents. :nuts:

Rare books in click queue (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080812/jsp/calcutta/story_9681546.jsp)

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/5742/12varnapx6.jpg

Varnaparichay, the book mall coming up in the new-look College Street market, may still be in the nascent stage, but digitisation of rare books and manuscripts for the e-library is on in full swing.

Called Granthagar, the electronic database occupying 10,000 sq ft will be housed on the seventh floor of Varnaparichay.

With a click of the mouse, readers will be able to access a staggering collection of books, journals, manuscripts and vital government records on history, sociology, anthropology, linguistics, Indology and sports. Around five million pages are being digitised.

“We will set up several computer terminals at Varnaparichay for people to access the e-library,” said Samar Nag, the managing director of Bengal Shelter Housing Development, which has commissioned the Rs 12 crore-plus project along with the South Asia Research Foundation (SARF).

The SARF committee, formed specially for the Varnaparichay e-library, has some of the top names from the academic world — Gowher Rizvi, former head of Ford Foundation’s South Asia operations, Gillian Evison, librarian of the Indian Institute Library at Oxford University, and Ashis Nandy of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi, among others.

The SARF team has gathered most of the rare books from the personal collections of people across the country.

“We have got books from the Burdwan Rajbati and Harish Mukherjee’s family, for instance,” said Boria Majumdar, one of the SARF trustees.

Other valuable documents are the Asiatic Society Journals of Bengal dating back to the early 19th century and journals published during the Bengal Renaissance, like Prabasi, Manasi and Bharatbarsha. Some rare government documents will be made available too. “All 11 volumes of the British government’s report on the 1946 riots in Calcutta are being digitised. The collection is rare,” added Majumdar.

In order to preserve the age-old documents, the SARF team is steering clear of “destructive scanning”, a common method in the digitisation process.

The Granthagar will benefit research facilities in India and also abroad.

Students, teachers and researchers associated with the foundation’s listed institutions will be able to access the e-library from any corner of the world. Others will have to drop into Varnaparichay. By 2010, if all goes well

Another ad with an image modified from your album-


http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/9555/ad0111019ht9.png


original image-
http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/4550/1952489360ca9146322dowc1.jpg

We need to kick those damm a**es. :bash:

You guys should use watermark on your photos..

Slow flow on speed-up connector (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080812/jsp/calcutta/story_9681534.jsp)

Adding a shade of orange to the road-hog debate is a Trinamul Congress party office between KP Roy Road and Garfa Main Road. The CMDA alleges that the local Trinamul leadership is not willing to shift the party office from there.
..
“They are not allowing us to demolish the office. It occupies almost 4m of the road,” points out Bhattacharyya.

The local Trinamul leadership dismisses the CMDA allegation. “The authorities have never spoken to us directly. They approached us through a contractor. We told him that we are ready to move but they should compensate us so that we can build a party office elsewhere,” says Hirendranath Aich, the president of ward committee 105.
..


This part is shocking. :hammer:

4-lane solution to VIP chaos (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080812/jsp/calcutta/story_9659663.jsp)

Good plan. :cheers: Do they have enough space to make that?

Check out the Bengal Silver Sping photo in TOI

http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/9827/toikanda2as0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

and the one by Kanad Sanyal in my flickr album

http://www.flickr.com/photos/85296574@N00/376553431/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/183/376553431_61b8d28ef9.jpg?v=0

pretty similar?

really shameful. planning to do anything about it sun?

This part is shocking. :hammer:



Good plan. :cheers: Do they have enough space to make that?

^^Guess so. Perhaps they will fill up the canal.