Welcome on board Vaga Bond!!

Source: TOI Epaper


Rs 200-crore makeover gets under way at IIM-C
Jhimli Mukherjee Pandey | TNN

Kolkata: Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta — the oldest and the largest in the chain of IIMs — is all set to get an international look. The Rs 200-crore makeover includes constructing new buildings and remodelling old ones to match the most glamorous institutes in the West.
The massive project has begun with the construction of two hostels and an academic complex to meet the demands of the 35% rise in student intake from the next academic session.
The IIM-C management feels that the existing hostels cannot absorb any more inmates and are not equipped with the gadgets befitting a premier institute of this stature. The new hostels will be centrally air-conditioned and every room will have modern amenities. The longstanding demand for better dining facilities for students is also being addressed.
“We are going to have a completely new dining complex that will be able to seat at least 300 students together,” said chief administrative officer of the institute, Dinesh Verma. The mammoth academic complex that is coming up will have state-of-the-art classrooms, fitted with multimedia teaching tools.
The metamorphosis has been designed by one of the country’s best known architect firms — Christopher Charles Benninger Architects Private Limited. “When the new hostels and academic complex are commissioned next year, we will immediately move students into them so that the older buildings can be retro-fitted to match the international look of the newly-constructed portions,” Verma explained.
A large part of the 135 acre campus of the institute is lying underutilized. This has helped the institute plan expansions related to housing for the faculty and for executives who come for short-term programmes. This apart, embankments and beautification along the seven water bodies within the campus will also be part of the package.
“We went for this largescale remodelling of the campus because we did not have a campus that fits modern day demands, especially since we are the oldest campus. An institute of our stature should not look and feel any different from that of a world class campus anywhere in the developed countries, especially at a time when we have started attracting foreign students and are about to start a bouquet of new courses,” Varma added.

^^Some Pics from the architect's website.

Pics CC Christopher Charles Benninger Architects Private Limited

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/5043/iimc4rj2.jpg

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/4310/iimc1ib8.jpg

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/3977/iimc2of0.jpg

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/5354/iimc3wa6.jpg

Hi... I am a new member in this forum. I would like to thank everyone here (especially SarafIndian) for the excellent work they are doing. I went through most of the threads and they are very informative...Excellent work guys..

I will try to contribute from my side as well...

Welcome to SSC. :cheers: :banana:

And you are making me shy man.:laugh: I am a very small contributor here.

Vivekananda road flyover(ph-I) tender from Telegraph

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/06_12_2008_019_004.jpg

Vivekananda road flyover(ph-I) tender from Telegraph

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/06_12_2008_019_004.jpg

Hope this project moves fast. However I am not sure if it is a good idea to have a down ramp at CR avenue and then have the second part extend till girish park.It can lead to heavy congestions at CR avenue and may lose the purpose of being a high speed corridor

Source: TOI Epaper

Centre push for heritage revival
Kolkata: The Centre might soon take up restoration and conservation of 56 heritage buildings in the city. Union home minister P Chidambaram announced this at the foundation stone laying ceremony for restoration of the old mint on Strand Road.
The 56 heritage structures — 41 of which are classified under grade-I heritage buildings by KMC — are under the Centre’s care but are in desperate need for repairs.
The 179-year-old silver mint, for instance, is lying in a state of utter neglect. Two years back, Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi had written to Chidambaram, who was then Union finance minister, urging him to get the massive structure and the accompanying Raj-era buildings restored.
The project will be undertaken by a consortium of firms in association with the Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd (a wing of the ministry). A construction company called The Eden City Group is part of the consortium. The finance ministry will spend Rs 147 crore on the project, which is expected to take two years.
The old mint will be converted into a heritage tourism site with a currency and coins museum, a heritage hotel, food courts, parks and retail shopping areas.
“Post restoration, the mint should not be just another museum, but a heritage hub that attracts people. It should be comparable to a Louvre in Paris, the Lincoln Centre in New York or the Kennedy Centre in Washington,” Chidambaram promised.
The old mint reminds one of Doric style of architecture. Chidambaram hoped the hotel would attract tourists from across the world to stay in a heritage location. The developers said the hotel design will be in sync with the surroundings.
The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach), first drew the Governor’s attention to the condition of the old mint. “This massive colonial structure was built by the British in 1829 to mint silver coins. Later, a copper mint was added. In 1960, after the new mint came up on Diamond Harbour Road, the old mint started acting as a silver refinery, but very soon that stopped. It was then let out to the CRPF,” said GM Kapur, state convener of Intach.
“We have identified all the heritage buildings that belong to the centre and have requested Chidambaram to get them restored. The museum is important as it will inform about the trade related activities of the past,” state finance minister, Asim Dasgupta said.

Source: TOI Epaper

Centre push for heritage revival

Good that they are realizing importance of those assets. Centre's help is interesting.

56 buildings
well wat will happen to most of them
will there be any attempts to restart offices within the ones which have been damged badly
or its just the 'turn it into a mall job'

hows the lalit great eastern hotel coming up by the way

56 buildings
well wat will happen to most of them
will there be any attempts to restart offices within the ones which have been damged badly
or its just the 'turn it into a mall job'

hows the lalit great eastern hotel coming up by the way

There are some that would be turned into malls but those are undertaken by private entities such as Mckenzie house & Statesman house. Not seen much progress on Lalit great eastern upto 3 months back. Not sure about present status.

Khub bhalo mach hobe 'dada'!! :lol:

Metro cash & carry's opening ceremony
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/4bus1.jpg

Photo source: Anandabazar

^^Dada's face is glowing seeing all those fishes:)

Boost for German biz (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081210/jsp/calcutta/story_10215491.jsp)

Losing the Nano had all but spelt curtains for new business in Bengal, but making Metro Cash & Carry happen has given the state a “second chance”, feels Bernd Muetzelburg, the German ambassador to India.

“The West Bengal government deserves a special vote of gratitude for allowing Metro to operate in Calcutta. Bengal is surely on the radar of German business,” the ambassador said on the sidelines of the annual meeting of Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) eastern region members last week.

His buoyancy over Metro was echoed by Ranjit Pratap, the president of IGCC. “We have been trying to bring Metro Cash & Carry to Chennai for quite sometime now, but have run into too many roadblocks. Calcutta’s achievement is a huge one.”

Lauding the government’s efforts “to create an investor-friendly environment”, Muetzelburg stressed that Lufthansa’s decision to leave Calcutta was “a mistake they shouldn’t repeat”, and other German firms looking at cost-effective business should pick Bengal.

Most German firms have not shelved expansion plans in India, and there are quite a few SMEs waiting to come to Calcutta in partnership with local players, according to officials of IGCC, the largest bi-national chamber of commerce in the country with over 7,000 corporate members.

Acknowledging that the terror attack on Mumbai has left a deep scar not only on India but also the rest of the world, the envoy underlined the need for resilience.

“While it’s important to remain vigilant, we mustn’t over-learn our lessons from this tragedy, and India must not revert to the licence raj and the Hindu rate of growth. Of course, the next couple of months would be crucial, and if there’s a repeat attack somewhere, the impact could be quite permanent,” he said.

Mumbai-based Bernhard Steinruecke, the director-general of IGCC, however, preached zero-tolerance. “If these things don’t change and terror is not stamped out, German companies might not come here anymore,” he emphasised in his address.

Greenfield Ambition, AA2, behind city centre2, new town

update can be found here http://www.nkrealtors.com/greenfield_status.html

(http://www.nkrealtors.com/greenfield_status.html)

vivek kedia
Visit www.allbhajans.com (http://www.allbhajans.com) for some soulful devotional music

Source: TOI EPaper


Premji places trust in Bengal
Morale-Booster Message After Meeting CM
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: If he was unhappy with the delay in handing over the promised 90 acres at Vedic Village for the company’s proposed second campus in the city, Wipro chairman Azim Premji clearly did not show that on Thursday.
Instead, the normally reticent industrialist chose to deliver a morale-boosting message to the state government, saying that his company was here to stay and grow despite uncertainty surrounding the handover of additional land.
“We are committed to Bengal, to growth and your government,” Premji told reporters after a meeting with chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee at Writers’ Buildings, their first formal interaction this year.
Premji was in the city in connection with RBI’s central board meeting.
“We have enough land at our existing facility in Salt Lake,” Premji said, when asked about the possible impact of the delay in getting the Vedic Village land on the company’s growth plans during the short-to-medium term. “There is no emergency on that front (getting land at Vedic Village),” he added.
In April, the state had promised 90 acres each to Infosys and Wipro at Vedic Village as part of its plan to boost the growth of the IT sector here.
However, the government has thus far not indicated a specific date by which time it hopes to physically hand over the plots to these companies. Currently, Infosys, which is India’s second-biggest software exporter, does not have a facility here.
Premji’s decision to give the government more time on the Vedic Village land, however, could be attributed to the belt-tightening exercise being engaged in by domestic IT companies following the global financial meltdown. Software majors have been forced to revise their growth projections for the current fiscal because of the present economic climate.
At the last meeting between Premji and the CM on December 12, 2007, at Writers’ Buildings, the latter had promised the Wipro chief that additional land would be found soon. Earlier this month, Wipro’s Sector V office was rocked by a huge controversy surrounding some prospective employees being given revised job offers and asked to take up BPO positions.
However, the problem was sorted out last week following the intervention of the state IT department and Nasscom.

Source: TOI EPaper


Audi gets ready to open city showroom
Subhro Niyogi | TNN

Kolkata: Twenty-three years after Ravi Shastri got an Audi for being the champion of champions in the Benson & Hedges tournament, the German luxury car maker is all set to set up shop in the city.
Jyoti Prakash Bagaria, who has been appointed the dealer of Audi Kolkata, also has the city dealerships of Ford and Honda.
“When the six Audi models that are currently sold in India are displayed at the showroom, we expect a huge turnout. That should translate into good enquiries and concrete sales,” said Bagaria.
Audi India managing director Benoit Tiers said the appointment would strengthen the company’s dealership network and give customers the opportunity to experience the world of Audi and its premium service.
“Kolkata will be the gateway to eastern India for Audi. We already get many enquiries for our products, especially from Kolkata. We acknowledge the potential of the eastern India market and this is the reason we decided to come to Kolkata at the earliest,” he said.
Audi’s entry will complete the holy trinity of German luxury carmakers. While Mercedes set up a showroom a decade ago, BMW rolled in earlier this year. Audi’s date with Kolkata is pegged around May-June next year.
The entire Audi portfolio — comprising R8, A4, A6, A8, Q7 and TT — will be showcased at the 5,000 sq-ft showroom near Ruby hospital along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, around 2 km from the BMW showroom near Paroma Island on the expressway.
The Kolkata showroom will display six cars on an area of 5,000 sq ft and have a total strength of 12 employees trained by Audi. “Though the slowdown has hit the auto industry, we don’t expect any delay in the opening of the showroom,” said Bagaria. He expects to sell over 50 cars priced between Rs 28 lakh and Rs 1 crore.

Dhanuka IT SEZ starts work on Jan 19

Sumali Moitra

Kolkata: So what if there’s a meltdown? City-based Dhunseri group is gearing up to become one of the early movers to seize advantage of the market, as and when it recovers.
As part of this endeavour, the group, whose major businesses include tea and petrochemicals, intends to lay the foundation stone of its Rs 125-crore IT SEZ project in Bantala on January 19, 2009, so that it can have the first phase of the project ready by mid-2010, if not earlier.
Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has already confirmed his presence at the inaugural ceremony (which would most likely be held at a city hotel) and virtually lay the foundation stone through the click of a button. “We had to start sometime so that we were ready when the economy was back on track and thus have decided to begin next month,” Dhunseri chairman C K Dhanuka told TOI. “We will build 3.6 lakh sq ft in the first phase, and a similar one during the second phase which will start after we have gauged the market response,” he added.
Dhanuka’s IT project would come up on a 6-acre plot within Jagmohan Dalmiya’s IT park, which has been carved out of the Calcutta Leather Complex. However, Dhanuka did not elaborate on the number of jobs that are likely to be generated because of his venture.

Times of India

Solar power at Rs15/unit (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/solar-power-at-rs15/unit/08/11/343323/)

After signing a power purchase agreement (PPA) with West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (WBSEDCL) for its 5MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Bankura, Astonfield Renewable Resources (ARR) aimed to build a solid waste to power plant at Dhapa in Kolkata.

Astonfield Solar Private Ltd (ASPL), a subsidiary of ARRL, signed the PPA with WBSEDCL at a tariff of Rs15 per unit for the next 20 years. "Of this, the state government would pay Rs5 per unit of power while the rest would come from the Centre as a part of the subsidy scheme for solar power generating companies", said Sourabh Sen, co-chairman and director of Astonfield Management Inc., a group company.

The solar PV plant coming up over 26 acres would cost $21 million and go onstream in October 2009. It would produce 7 million units of power every year.

Sen claimed the company was in the final stages of negotiations with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to develop a 54MW solid waste to power plant at the city's waste disposal ground in Dhapa near the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass.

Sen said it would would employ direct combustion technology to generate power from the solid waste deposited at the site which is roughly around 3200 tons per day.

The project would require around 20 acres for the purpose out of the 186 hectare area at Dhapa for the plant.

Eight technical proposals from bidders had been submitted for the project.

ARRL planned to develop the plant on a build-own-operate basis with an investment of around $100 million with 70:30 debt-equity ratio. "The power generated from the project would be pumped into the grid and a PPA with the West Bengal State Electricity Board would be signed", claimed Ravinder Raina, president of Asonfield Management Consultancy, one more Astonfield group company.

Finally they start the work it seems. Again, TOI is not happy.. :lol:

Traffic diversion for flyover work

Kolkata: Starting Thursday morning for the next five months, buses plying along AJC Bose Road will have to take a different route, thanks to the construction of a ramp on the AJC Bose Road flyover to Shakespeare Sarani. Work was scheduled to begin on Wednesday night.
The traffic restrictions meant no buses will ply on Sarat Bose Road and AJC Bose Road-Exide crossing Thursday morning onwards. Major roads like Asutosh Mukherjee Road, Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Lenin Sarani, Gariahat Road, CIT Road, S N Banerjee Road will have to bear the burden of the buses that plied through AJC Bose Road to reach Moulali. The city police’s traffic department will be monitoring vehicular movement in the first few days after which a final call on the routes will be taken.
DC (traffic) Dilip Banerjee said bus routes will have to be diverted to prevent traffic congestion. “There is no problem with smaller vehicles and no restrictions are being imposed as of now. The plans of diversion have been taken after a meeting with bus and minibus owners. Let us see how traffic circulation goes and then routes will be fixed,” said Banerjee. Later, restrictions could also be imposed on smaller vehicles if the situation demands.
Buses plying to and from Sealdah will have to take a detour. Those plying along Asutosh Mukherjee Road and turning right into AJC Bose Road will now have to take Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Park Street flyover and then Lenin Sarani to reach Moulali. Similarly, buses coming from Sealdah will have to take Surendranath Banerjee Road to travel south.
Buses, which take Sarat Bose Road, have been asked to take either Asutosh Mukherjee Road or Gariahat Road, Park Circus, CIT Road and reach Moulali crossing before reaching their destinations.
The left ramp descending from the flyover to the Shakespeare Sarani crossing was planned long ago. The move was aimed at helping vehicles from Howrah, Kidderpore, Behala and Alipore reach Sealdah station faster.

Times of India

Times of India (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Kolkata_/Big-screen_experience_set_to_enthrall_cine-goers/articleshow/3859613.cms)

Big-screen experience set to enthrall cine-goers

19 Dec 2008, 0124 hrs IST, Subhro Niyogi

KOLKATA: Get set for the Imax experience: 3D images that loom as high as eight storeys and sound that pulsates all of 12,000 watts. It's certainly
not for the faint-hearted. The larger-than-life experience of wide-screen movies begins on January 8 with Space Theatre and Into the Deep.

Hollywood blockbusters in a large format are expected to follow suit with Aeren R Entertainment, the company that has set up the giant screen at Mani Square, negotiating a print share deal with Imax theatres in Bangkok, Manila and Hong Kong.

"Apart from Dark Night, King Fu Panda, The Day the Earth Stood Still and Eagle Eye that were released last year, we should screen Transformers 2, Madagascar 2, Aliens vs Monsters, Night at the Museum 2, Watchman, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Christmas Carol, Avatar, the next editions of Toy Story, Shrek and Star Trek," Aeren director Jim Patterson said.

The blockbusters will be a huge draw, classics like Wild Ocean, T-Rex, Into the Deep, Sea Monster, Fly Me to the Moon and Space Theatre will be the basic content at the theatre. "The programming for a day will comprise eight to nine shows, with two classics and a Hollywood movie being screened in turn," said Patterson, who will decide on the programme and lead the marketing initiative.

The average price of tickets is pegged at around Rs 200 with premium seats going for Rs 250. Students will get to watch shows at Rs 100. The company is in talks with banks and FMCG companies to offer some seats for a deep discount. "It's a premium experience with the projection system and fitment costing Rs 18 crore. Hence, tickets will cost more than what they do in multiplexes," he explained.

The giant screen at Mani Square will be the fourth Imax theatre in the country and only the second commercial one in operation. The Adlabs' Imax dome in Mumbai is finding it difficult to source content and the Science City Imax in Ahmedabad operated by the Gujarat government screens educational movies.

"With Kolkata now joining the flat screen and Gurgaon set to be added thereafter, the success of these two Imax theatres could trigger the growth of more Imax screens across the country," said Patterson.

Once 10 Imax theatres come up, it would be viable to convert 35-mm Bollywood blockbusters into 70-mm format. Fast-paced Hindi movies like Dhoom, Dhoom 2 and Krish, which use special effects, will be ideal for Imax theatres.

Finally they start the work it seems. Again, TOI is not happy.. :lol:



Times of India

^^Looks like it is a big big deal constructing a ramp that is 300 m long. The good news is the ramp will free up some of the congestion currently happening below AJC bose flyover and the bad news is one can expect a major bottleneck at Theatre Rd/AJC Bose rd crossing in the future.

I think the next will be the exit ramp from Park street flyover to Mayo Rd, however there the traffic adjustments will perhaps be lesser.

Watch tower at Howrah

21 Dec 2008, 0314 hrs IST, TNN

KOLKATA: A security watch tower for Railway Protection Force and Government Railway Police was inaugurated by Eastern Railway general manager R N

While the ground floor has been assigned to the GRP for security control in the circulating area and traffic regulation, the first floor will be manned by RPF personnel. When required, sharpshooters can use the elevation for a clear view in the north and south directions.

Verma also inaugurated a Ride On Sweeper Machine' at the station. It has been imported from Germany at a cost of Rs 29.12 lakh and is the first one of its kind in the Indian Railways.

Times of India

^^^heard about that. Kolkata is at it again...trying to maintain its clean image(good for it).

but they should get more for the inner districts. And any plans as to when the Howrah Grand renovations are to start?

^^^heard about that. Kolkata is at it again...trying to maintain its clean image(good for it).

but they should get more for the inner districts. And any plans as to when the Howrah Grand renovations are to start?

^^Yeah, sweeping machines are the only way forward, be it at stations, roads or any public space. And given the size of the stations in Kolkata & Howrah, they sure need them.

Source: Business Standard


Imax plans mega dome in Kolkata
BS Reporter / Kolkata December 19, 2008, 0:47 IST

Kolkata will get its first 3-dimensional (3D) Imax in January with 20 metre screen and 12,000 watt sound system.

This also would be the largest financial investment ever made in a Kolkata cinema.

According to Jim Patterson, director, Aeren R Entertainment, “Our aim is to offer differentiation to our consumers so that the concept becomes viable and successful. The cost of such domes range between $3 and $5 million per hall excluding land or rental cost, ticket prices will be kept reasonal. For instance, at Kolkata, tickets on an average will be priced at Rs 200.”

Imax intends to show around 10 movies in 3D in 2009 like Star Trek, Shrek, etc, where consumers can almost ‘get inside’ the movie.

Currently there are two Imax in Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.

While the Kolkata project would be opened in January next year, the Delhi project could see the light of day around the middle of the next year.

The company is also likely to open 10 more properties by 2010.

The Imax theatre network currently consists of more than 295 theatres in 40 countries.

Approximately 60 percent of the theatres are located in North America, while the remaining 40 percent are spread internationally.

Roughly half of the theatres are part of commercial theatre complexes. The rest are located in institutional venues, such as museums and science centers. More than half of the Imax theatre network is equipped with Imax 3D technology.

AJC Bose Road flyover to get an arm (http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=23&theme=&usrsess=1&id=237285)

KOLKATA, Dec. 22: Construction of an arm of AJC Bose Road flyover will begin soon.
A meeting to discuss construction of piers, shifting of utility services and management of traffic in areas surrounding AJC Bose Road was held today. Additional chief secretary (transport) Mr Sumantra Chowdhury and senior police officers were present at the meeting. A senior police officer said a blueprint to divert Mullickbazar-bound traffic via AJC Bose Road will be prepared. The arm will connect the flyover with Mullickbazar. Traffic jams on Beckbagan-Mullickbazar stretch in morning and evening peak hours have become a regular feature. Traffic situation becomes so bad sometimes that commuters take more than a hour to reach Sealdah from Beckbagan. Construction of the arm of the 2.5 km long flyover will ease traffic congestion and help augment traffic movement. Earlier, the city police had raised questions regarding construction of 8 piers that will support the arm. The problem was discussed in today's meeting. A scheme to divert traffic will be prepared to facilitate construction.
A senior official of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) said though underground 60 inch water pipeline and sewer lines are situated on AJC Bose Road their shifting will not be a difficult job. He said the utility services will be shifted in such a way that it does not affect construction of the piers. n SNS

^^Does this mean the arm crosses the AJC Bose/Theatre rd crossing ?
Or is this a case of false reporting?

AJC Bose Road flyover to get an arm (http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=23&theme=&usrsess=1&id=237285)



^^Does this mean the arm crosses the AJC Bose/Theatre rd crossing ?
Or is this a case of false reporting?

I heard that AJC will have more than one arm. Not sure though.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES CAN SAVE BOTH MONEY AND POWER, ONLY IF THEY STREAMLINE THE WASTE DISPOSAL SYSTEM

Subhro Niyogi

Kolkata: Don’t think this is rubbish. Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) can generate 20 mw of electricity out of 4,000 tonne of waste it dumps at Dhapa daily. That is enough to light 16,000 middle income homes in summer. All that civic bosses need to do is streamline the disposal system and set up power plant with an investment of Rs 120 crore. From the third year on, it can draw precious power out of the waste with no additional requirement and barely any recurring cost.
Not just that, the civic body can bid for a clean development mechanism (CDM) project under the Kyoto Protocol and earn lakhs of rupees for tapping methane, an extremely hazardous greenhouse gas (GHG).
For the present though, West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation (WBGEDC) is not attempting the Herculean task of getting KMC’s act together. Instead, it is trying to ensure that the mindless, unscientific dumping that has led to the catastrophe called Dhapa is not repeated at other major urban centres like Salt Lake, Siliguri, Durgapur, Asansol, Haldia and New Town.
“To be frank, the situation in Kolkata is beyond redemption. KMC has to locate an alternative landfill site and begin work afresh to make it work. But there is a lot of scope to adopt scientific municipal waste disposal in other major urban civic body clusters. We are creating a blueprint for major corporation and municipalities to adopt a technique called ‘engineering landfill’ so that methane can be tapped to generate power,” said WBGEDC managing director S P Gon Chaudhuri.
He has had several rounds of discussions with municipalities of Siliguri, Durgapur-Asansol and Salt Lake and hope to start the first project early next year.
Explaining the waste to power mechanism, Gon Chaudhuri said a 20 feet deep pit on a 1.5 km × 1 km plot would serve as the waste collection centre. The pit will be lined with geotextile to prevent seepage of chemicals. Special perforated PVC pipes are to be then set up in grid formation with vertical pipes 42-43 feet tall that can be sealed at the end.
“These pipes will channelise the methane that is generated from the decomposing waste. Once the pit is filled with garbage (for a municipality that generates 1,000 tonne a day, it will take a year and a half to fill the pit), 20-feet-high embankment is to be created after the pipe ends sealed. Over the next year and a half, waste can be dumped in the embankment, thereby creating a 40-feet stack of waste. At the end of third year, enough methane will be generated from the pit to power a 5 mw power plant for next three years,” explained Gon Chaudhuri.
Careful layout of landfill will ensure that a second site is ready for methane tapping once the first is exhausted. By the time the methane generation stops, the waste would also have converted into earth and can be used for landscaping.
Gon Chaudhuri has discussed the issue with Housing & Infrastructure Development Corporation chairman and housing minister Gautam Deb. That latter is believed to have evinced interest in adopting the technology for New Town, the showcase satellite township that is projected to have a resident population of 10 lakh and floating population of 5 lakh. At 0.5 kg of waste generated per capita, the township will generate 750 tonne waste daily.
“We need to manage the waste properly because methane leakage is a major cause of global warming. That will be one of the biggest challenge in future,” said the winner of the Ashden award (Green Oscar) in 2003.

The landfill gas extraction and power generation facility incorporates

l Gas pumping station to create a vacuum on the landfill network l Flare station to burn off the gas unused in the generation of electricity l Gas conditioning plant to reduce impurities to the landfill gas engine l Gas compressor to provide gas at a suitable pressure l Landfill gas engine and generator plant installed in a canopy enclosure l Transformer and switching station to increase voltage from the generator for connection to the local electricity supply grid to export the electricity generated

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/Pc0020700-2.jpg

1. Municipal waste dump

2. Earth layer to cap landfill

3. Pipes to extract methane

4. Blower plant

5. Gas compressor

6. After cooler

7. Flare stack

8. Gas Engine

9. Generator

10. Transformer

11. Switching station

12. Supply grid

13. Electricity consumer

Times of India

one big question though about the road infrastructure in the city

this belghoria expresssway is impressive and is important as it connects the smaller towns of bengal as well as the haldia port with the airport

but are there any plans to widen or convert vip road+em bypass into something like an express highway to facilitate a better connectivity with the main city

well they have already connected south calcutta with em bypass quite effectively

but em bypass and vip road both have 2-4 lanes and since these areas will witness fast growth isn't it wise to improve the infrastructure here because ultimately new town will emerge to be the centre of business in the city

one big question though about the road infrastructure in the city

this belghoria expresssway is impressive and is important as it connects the smaller towns of bengal as well as the haldia port with the airport

but are there any plans to widen or convert vip road+em bypass into something like an express highway to facilitate a better connectivity with the main city

well they have already connected south calcutta with em bypass quite effectively

but em bypass and vip road both have 2-4 lanes and since these areas will witness fast growth isn't it wise to improve the infrastructure here because ultimately new town will emerge to be the centre of business in the city

Yes, there is a major plan to modernize EM bypass and make a BRTS too. They are already converting it to a 8 lane road. The project is going very slow though. This project is under JNURM. They will extend it to Baruipur. Hope they will make it a nice one.

And NHAI is connecting Haldia with Kolaghat with a nice highway. They already completed two lanes. Another two lane is u/c. In the mean time they are in a process to give the tender to some other company to make it faster.

Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority has invited RfP for the construction of the Rs 153-crore Vivekananda Road flyover project (phase-I) from Howrah Bridge approach to Chitta Ranjan Avenue on turnkey basis under JNNURM. The scope of work for the developer includes design and execution of the project as well as operation and maintenance for an initial period of two years.

The RfQ document is priced at Rs 20,000 and will be available till January 20, 2009. The last date of submission is January 28, 2009.

Source: http://www.projectsmonitor.com/NEWPROJECTS/rfp-for-flyover-in-kolkata

And NHAI is connecting Haldia with Kolaghat with a nice highway. They already completed two lanes. Another two lane is u/c. In the mean time they are in a process to give the tender to some other company to make it faster.

i think they were laying the groundwork for it
2 yrs back when i was in calcutta
isn't that done yet

i think they were laying the groundwork for it
2 yrs back when i was in calcutta
isn't that done yet

^^sorry ..my knowledge is poor in this aspect, but is the highway connecting Haldia with Kolaghat part of NH-06 towards Mumbai? I recall a section of NH-06 is still of two lanes only.

if u r travelling from cal to kgp by the nh-6(bombay road)
u take a left turn near kolaghat thermal power station
this is the road to haldia as well as digha

i think they were laying the groundwork for it
2 yrs back when i was in calcutta
isn't that done yet

The previous contractor was very slow. So NHAI kicked them. Now they are in a process to give the work to some other company. Not sure how much they progressed.

if u r travelling from cal to kgp by the nh-6(bombay road)
u take a left turn near kolaghat thermal power station
this is the road to haldia as well as digha

^^thanks. so this is the road they are widening and it is not a NH.

^^thanks. so this is the road they are widening and it is not a NH.

Is it? But NHAI is doing that.

New Delhi, Dec. 26 To undertake on-going works related to special repairs of Farakka Barrage gates and their operating system, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Friday gave its approval for the “Farakka Barrage Project” at an estimated cost of Rs 350 crore.

The works include repair of unlined canal banks, construction of road bridges and cross-drainage works across the feeder canal; special repairs and improvement of rail-cum-road bridge at Farakka Barrage and canal head regulator.

Additional works

Additional works to be undertaken for the safety of Farakka Barrage include repairs of Jangipur barrage and project colonies including hospital and school buildings besides the river training and anti-erosion works in critical reaches along the river Ganga-Padma and Bhagirathi.

The Farakka Barrage Project, constructed in 1975 with the prime objective of preservation of Kolkata Port and for increasing the navigation depth of the Bhagirathi-Hooghly waterway, has a 2,225 m long barrage across Ganga with a canal head regulator to divert 40,000 cusec of water through a feeder canal for inland navigation to maintain Kolkata Port.

Special repairs

Due to its continuous use, most of the barrage gates, feeder canal and appurtenant works need special repairs and upkeep of the operating system.

Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/12/27/stories/2008122751650500.htm

Hey does anybody have any updates on the Acropolis office project in kolkata?

Is it? But NHAI is doing that.

^^Ok. I get it :)

Cinemax launches 1st property in Kolkata (http://www.indiantelevision.com/aac/y2k8/aac795.php)

MUMBAI: Cinemax India has launched its first property in Kolkata, West Bengal. The three-screen multiplex, with a seating capacity of 758, opened to the audiences with the screening of the Aamir Khan-starrer Ghajini.

The new property is Cinemax’s second multiplex in the eastern region. The multiplex operator entered the eastern market in 2007 at Guwahati.

Cinemax India senior vice president Devang Sampat said, "We, at Cinemax have always strived to provide the best movie-viewing experience to our patrons across the country. We have laid strong emphasis on screen size, picture and sound quality and innovative consumer offers, which have kept our viewers coming back for more. Our latest and first property in Kolkata is a step towards reinforcing our philosophy of providing a state-of-the-art entertainment complex, a Cinemax Hallmark."


With this addition, Cinemax India now has a total of 22 theatre properties and 65 screens.

latest update on 29th December 2008 for greenfield ambition new town AA2

http://www.nkrealtors.com/greenfield_status.html

Regards
Vivek Kedia
go to www.allbhajans.com for hindi bhajans

50-storeyed building coming up in Kolkata (http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/50storeyed-building-coming-up-in-kolkata/405304/)

Kolkata is gearing up for its tallest building, a 50-storeyed commercial complex, which will come up on a 5-acre plot opposite the Science City on the E M Bypass.
According to Building department sources, the company has begun construction.

A project of the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), the state-owned company plans to develop the complex with a budget of around Rs 400 crore. At present, the tallest building in Kolkata is the 36-storeyed South City Residential Complex, set up by a consortium including the Merlin group. “We have leased the land to LIC. But we are yet to receive the plan,” said Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya.

The company had paid the KMC over Rs 276 crore for the 5-acre plot, acquired through a bidding process. It had already shortlisted around 14 design consultants for the project. “The building, at least 50 metre in height, will be the most stylish building in the city,” said a KMC official. :nuts:

http://telegraphindia.com/1090101/jsp/calcutta/story_10324209.jsp (http://telegraphindia.com/1090101/jsp/calcutta/story_10324209.jsp)

Calcutta 2009


Environment

We put this above all else, because this year will be our big battle in the war against air pollution. Calcutta High Court has banned all two-stroke autos from January 1. But the deadline has run into roadblocks galore, with politicians going into reverse gear and unions revving in revolt.

Two-stroke autos are supposed to go off the road from Thursday, four-stroke autos plying within municipal limits have been told to switch to clean fuel by March 31, and those in greater Calcutta will have to convert to LPG by December 31. If this is achieved, the city will breathe far more easy this year.

A drive to clean up the Hooghly is also on the cards. The environment department has said Puja idols must henceforth be lead-free.

Infrastructure

From waterlogging-free streets to fast-track corridors, flyovers to state-of-the-art facilities for fliers, new Metro Railway routes to market makeovers — 2009 promises to be a landmark year for development of infrastructure in Calcutta.

The long-awaited Tollygunge-New Garia section of Metro Railway — an 8.7km stretch with six stations — is likely to be opened in March. On the other side of town, work will begin on the East-West Metro project from Salt Lake to Howrah.

Flyovers will be the flavour of the construction season. The Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority has planned a flyover from the Beleghata intersection to Captain’s Bheri on the EM Bypass to end traffic snarls at the Chingrihata intersection. The 16-metre flyover will stand on a single pier and straddle the Rajarhat bridge.

Another flyover will connect Vivekananda Road to Howrah via Kalikrishna Tagore Street and Old Mint on Strand Road. One arm of the bridge will lead to Nimtalaghat Street. The Rs 153-crore project, a part of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, is to be completed in 18 months.

The AJC Bose Road flyover, the city’s longest, will finally get the two ramps that were sanctioned in 2005. Two box bridges will come up in AL and GE blocks of Salt Lake to relieve the pressure on JK Saha bridge and reduce the time it takes to reach Sector V.

The Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) has lined up a slew of projects, and set end-2009 as the deadline for the completion of ones that are underway. VIP Market will undergo a makeover along with CMC properties in Ballygunge, Belvedere Road, Behala and Mullickbazar. Four drainage pumping stations will be set up in Behala, which bears the brunt of monsoon flooding every year.

Six markets that were handed over to Bidhannagar Municipality by the urban development department in 2008 — in AB-AC, AE, CA, CK, EC and BD blocks — will be renovated.

Most of the upgrade planned under the Rs 2,100-crore modernisation project for Calcutta airport will be completed in 2009. The secondary runway will be extended by 360 metres and an Instrument Landing System installed there to take the pressure off the primary runway. A special inline baggage screening system will replace the X-ray machines.

Sector V will get its own water supply network. The beautification project undertaken by the tech hub’s administrative body, Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority, along with two companies, is expected to be completed this year.

An electronic surveillance system comprising 20 CCTVs will also be in place. The flyover being constructed to ease traffic flow at the Wipro crossing will be operational by March.

Education

The new hostel and academic complex of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, will become operational this year. The stipend of doctoral students will go up. They will also get an annual contingency grant and teaching assistantships.

Studying at the oldest B-school in the country, IISWBM, will become costlier. Fees for the two-year MBA course will go up by Rs 50,000 to Rs 4.36 lakh.

Up to five colleges affiliated to Calcutta University are set to earn UGC’s centre of excellence tag. The controller’s of the university’s departments will relocate from College Street to a new building on the Alipore campus. The university will also launch a one-year postgraduate course in comparative studies of post-Independence experiences of China and India, in collaboration with Kunming University of China.

Jadavpur University will start its school of nuclear studies and postgraduate courses in geography and education. It will receive grants worth crores under the second phase of the Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme of the World Bank.

Health

Wockhardt’s 350-bed, super-speciality hospital off EM Bypass will start operations in the second quarter of 2009. AMRI Hospitals will launch a 250-bed mother and child care hospital at Mukundapur. Apollo Hospital is also slated to start a 50-bed oncology unit on campus.

In the government sector, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital will upgrade their cardiology and dialysis units.

Information Technology

The Wipro and Infosys SEZs will mature and take shape in 2009, according to IT department officials. The government has acquired 100 acres in Kalyani for developing an SEZ in collaboration with the private sector.

Work on the 2,600sq ft India Design Centre, a hub of the semiconductor industry, will begin in Sector V in 2009. Two to four finishing schools will come up across the state.

Housing

The real estate bubble burst in 2008 and the tremors will continue to be felt this year. Demand has slumped and prices have been slashed. There are hopes of a slow revival in the second half of the year.

At Rajarhat, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s showpiece township, a thousand more residents are set to move into the seven housing estates in New Town’s Action Area I. Three new housing estates are expected to come up in Action Area III.

Malls

Several malls will be completed in 2009. The list includes The Terminus, Axis Mall and City Centre II in New Town, with a combined retail space of 12,30,000sq ft. Forum, on Elgin Road, will expand during the year. The mall, which opened on March 7, 2003, will extend to The Courtyard, a 40,000sq ft space with five parking levels.

Multiplexes

Movie mania will grow in 2009 with INOX theatres coming up at City Centre 2 at Rajarhat in the first half, followed by Jessore Road and Howrah in the second half of the year. The Fame chain is planning to cross the river and head into Howrah.

For the existing plexes, driving footfalls through events and promotions will be the mantra this year.

INOX will host art and photography exhibitions, rock band auditions and a host of other activities. It is planning to ramp up its technology quotient to facilitate both offsite and onsite ticket booking services. INOX Swabhumi will introduce complete meals.

Fame is planning to roll out national campaigns like free vacation offers and free merchandise with food and beverage purchase. Fame will also be pushing its value-added services through kiosks, the Fame website, IVR (landline number ticketing service which can be used from both mobile and landline) & NGPAY (mobile ticketing service).

That size does matter even on the big screen will be proved when the IMAX theatre shows The Dark Knight from January 9. In the 450-seater hall at the Mani Square mall, the screen is roughly 10 times bigger (64 ft x 86 ft) than other plex screens with enhanced images and a 12,000-watt sound system.

Cable

More than 30 per cent of the 25 lakh cable homes are expected to opt for digitalisation by switching to the set-top box for better picture and sound quality. Some will migrate to direct-to-home (DTH) services. With the DTH market becoming more competitive, consumers can expect better packages. Interactive games and video-on-demand will gain currency. There are no plans for expansion of CAS.

Tech Tools

Apple’s footprint in the city will expand. Imagine, the premium Apple store at City Centre, will open a branch at City Centre II in Rajarhat and another in south Calcutta.

Great Eastern Technocity will open an 8,000sq ft outlet in Nagerbazar by January-end, modelled on its store on Sarat Bose Road.

Hitachi and Sony are expected to launch super-thin OLED TVs, the next big thing in visual technology.

High-speed Internet on mobile phones will become a reality with the launch of 3G services.

Action on the IPTV front should hot up with Airtel and Reliance joining the fray.

Astronomy

Space enthusiasts and skygazers can look forward to hobnobbing with the stars in 2009 with the United Nations declaring it the International Year of Astronomy to commemorate 400 years of Galileo observing the solar system through a telescope.

MP Birla Planetarium and amateur astronomy organisations and trusts in the city will take part in the global celebrations with year-long programmes involving students, teachers and enthusiasts.

The year is also special as the country will witness a total solar eclipse on July 22. North Bengal will experience a total eclipse and Calcutta will see a partial one, where the moon will cover more than 90 per cent of the sun. The next total solar eclipse in India will occur almost three decades later.

Calcutta can also look forward to a partial solar eclipse on January 26 and a partial lunar eclipse on December 31. Scientists expect the occasional meteor shower to light up the night sky this year too.

Puja calendar

Durga puja is in late September. Starting from September 25 (Saptami), Puja will take place over the usual four days. Sadly, this includes a weekend this year.

That leaves Kali puja and Diwali to light up October. But here too the office-goer will be robbed of a holiday as Kali puja falls on October 17, a Saturday

50-storeyed building coming up in Kolkata (http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/50storeyed-building-coming-up-in-kolkata/405304/)

This news article appeared earlier also. Only new thing is that the building department says the work has already begun whereas the Kolkata mayor says that they haven't received the plan. How work can begin if the plan is not received or passed yet? Another anomaly is the height of the building. you cann't make a 50- storey building having only 50 metre height (also the KMC official says it will be most stylish building which does not agree to the statement of the Mayor!):ohno:

9,000 auto-owners to apply for LPG switch (http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=22&theme=&usrsess=1&id=238689)

KOLKATA, Jan. 1: Around 9,000 auto-rickshaw owners and drivers belonging to Auto Bachao Committee, will apply for conversion of their vehicles to the LPG mode tomorrow.
A senior leader of Trinamul trade union Congress and Auto Bachao Committee said around 9,000 auto-rickshaws owners and drivers from different parts of the city and also from the outskirts would apply to Motor Vehicles department for conversion of their two-stroke autos into the LPG mode.
Only six two-stroke auto rickshaws were seized by city police today. No trouble, however, was reported during the day.
A senior police officer said a team comprising 15 officers has been set up to seize two-stroke auto rickshaws. "We have seized six two-stroke auto rickshaws from eastern and central parts of the city today. The drive against two-stroke auto rickshaw will continue. There are 30,000 registered auto rickshaws in the city," said Mr Pradip Chatterjee, joint commissioner (administration) of Kolkata police.
A trouble broke out at Sealdah following a scuffle between members of two rivals auto union over conversion of two-stroke auto into four-stroke LPG mode. Police officers reached the spot to bring the situation under control.

^^Is the so called Auto Bachao committee a wing of TMC? Tomorrow I am sure there would be detailed statistics about how many TMC autos were converted V/s Citu affiliated ones and use this to prove political points.

9,000 auto-owners to apply for LPG switch (http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=22&theme=&usrsess=1&id=238689)



^^Is the so called Auto Bachao committee a wing of TMC? Tomorrow I am sure there would be detailed statistics about how many TMC autos were converted V/s Citu affiliated ones and use this to prove political points.

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
just saw mamata jhi holding a dharna in protest against the entire order on 24 ghanta

Diamond heritage - Restoration underway for Mckenzie house on 16, Strand Road; slated for completion in Dec 2011.

Render from the group's website (http://www.diamondgroupweb.com/dia_com_heri.htm)
http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/1332/diaheribwq0.jpg

Source: - Merlin website (http://www.merlinprojects.com/kol_apt_resi2_pers.html)

Merlin Residency -II (Cambridge)

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/9826/merresi2rkv6.jpg

Township in Rajarhat designed for Tata housing by Aedas architects
website (http://tatahousing.in/pages/project_details.php?pid=26)

http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/5198/r2br6.jpg

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/9782/r4lw5.jpg

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/6303/r3sm3.jpg

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/217/r1hj5.jpg

^^Excellent find - IU:cheers: This project appears superior to Uniworld city in most aspects.

^^
true .. it looks more sophisticated than uniworld city .. as per tata's website, it is 20 hecters i.e. 50 acres ...so, half the size of uniworld city

its roof tops are green ... really nice planning as well

but finally, the reality is no body knows when everything will come up in newtown .... you have to see the pace of development yourself to believe it ... even a snail moves faster than hidco
new apartment complexes are completed .. but, hidco could not provide electricity, sewage, water .... there is absolutely no road in proper shape other than just a single the MAR of 12 kms
it is just unbelievable that almost 10 years has past from newtown's inception without any substantial progress ... everything looks nice on papers !!

SP Infocity at Action Area III, New Town
Source: website (http://www.spinfocity.com/contents/kolkata.htm)

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/3585/kolkataview1bigve2.jpg

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/6407/kolkataview2bigxa4.jpg

CHENNAI: Sankara Nethralaya will incur a capital expenditure of Rs.80 crore in 2009-2010 on its expansion programme, according to Tarun Sharma, Director of Shri Bhagwan Mahavir Vitreoretinal Services, Sankara Nethralaya.

Speaking on the occasion of the presentation of the ‘Friends of Sankara Nethralaya Award’ here on Sunday, he said, “We need the support of more friends to continue our programme of making healthcare affordable.”

“Sankara Nethralaya will start a 50,000 sq ft facility in Kolkata on January 21. An overseas centre in Mauritius will become a reality soon,” said S.S.Badrinath, founder and Chairman emeritus of Sankara Nethralaya.

...

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2009/01/05/stories/2009010557190200.htm

West Bengal is expected to see at least five new multiplexes in 2009 for an investment of over Rs 200 crore.

While 2008 saw inauguration of two multiplexes in Kolkata - Fame at South City mall and Cinemax at the Mani Square mall - multiplex owners have pinned hopes on prompt delivery of shopping malls so that the respective multiplexes could open in time too.

For one, Fun Cinemas, the Essel Group-managed multiplex chain, will foray into eastern India in 2009.

According to Vishal Kapur, COO, Fun Multiplex, “We are planning to set up close to 40 screens over the next three years in Eastern India with our brands Fun Cinemas and Talkie Town. Fun Cinemas is positioned as a lifestyle brand and Talkie Town a value brand with ticket prices at 50 per cent cheaper than Fun Cinemas. We will invest around Rs 1 to 1.5 crore per property in this expansion. Areas like Durgapur, Howrah and Asansol have been identified where Talkie Town would be functional in the next one year.”

Fun has signed on two properties in Kolkata, in Axis Mall and Lake Mall. Each property will be a 5-screen, 1200-seater multiplex.

Talkie Town will look at acquiring some of the standalone dilapidated theatres and rebrand them into either a 4-screen plex or a standalone theatre.

Currently the company has 10 Talkie Town in the country which are all revamped models of dilapidated standalone theatres.

“We are looking at standalone properties in Kolkata for acquiring and rebranding them as Talkie Town but most properties in the city are rather small. Our smallest Talkie Town is a 200-seater, while the largest is around 1200-seater. We would therefore look at smaller cities for setting up the Talkie Town brand, in places like Durgapur, Howrah, Asansol, Jharkhand, among others,” Kapur explained.

Currently the company operates 63 screens in 20 locations in India.

Cinemax is planning two more properties in Kolkata, one in a shopping mall in Salt Lake.

“We have also bought over the Hind cinema hall in Central Kolkata where another Cinemax will come up. Depending on how promptly the shopping malls are completed, we expect the new Cinemax multiplexes to start in 2009,” Devang Sampat, VP-marketing and programming of Cinemax, said.

Cinemax inaugurated its first multiplex in Kolkata’s Mani Square mall in 2008 which witnessed 12,000 walk-ins in the first five days.

According to Alok Tandon – COO, Inox Leisure, “East India is top-most on Inox’s expansion map and by 2010 we aim to have 19 multiplexes and 71 screens in the East. Apart from properties in Kolkata like Rajarhat (City Centre-2), Jessore Road, Panditya Road, Howrah etc, multiplexes in Siliguri, Kharagpur, Asansol, Haldia, Guwahati are also in the anvil which will strengthen our foothold in Tier-II cities. On an average we spend between Rs 2- 2.5 crore per screen.” Currently Inox has six multiplexes in West Bengal with 22 screens.

According to a spokesperson of Big Cinemas, “We inaugurated one major cinema at RDB Mall in Kolkata, 36 cinemas and 71 screens across India. Our expansion rate has been growing at 300 per cent on a year on year basis. At the moment we have one multiplex in Kolkata with three screens. It would not be possible to reveal details until they are formalised.”

For most multiplex chains, 2009 is expected to see more big-ticket releases, compared to 2008, which was a lack-lustre year for Bollywood till December, when releases like ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’ and ‘Ghajini’ set the cash registers ringing again.

For 2008, most multiplexes are of the opinion that poor content in the beginning of the year has hit box office earnings for this year, resulting in 10-15 per cent less occupancy levels throughout the year compared to 2007.

However, business did not see a dip as prices of movie tickets, food and beverages were hiked by 10-15 per cent in most multiplexes during the year.

According to a report by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Hindi film industry is around Rs 11,000 crore and is projected to reach Rs 17,500 crore by 2012. While domestic box office collections account for Rs 8,250 crore, overseas box office collections is around Rs 1,000 crore. Home video makes up around Rs 750 crore.

Source: http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/5-new-multiplexes-linedfor-kolkata/21/06/345243/

Small and medium booksellers in Kolkata are planning a host of events during the week-long Kolkata Book Fair this year. This is an attempt to boost revenues and recover the losses of around Rs 17 lakh incurred in 2007-08. The losses were sustained when the venue was shifted from the centrally-located Maidan to the Salt Lake Stadium.

This year, the Kolkata Book Fair, will be inaugurated on January 28 and will conclude on February 8. According to the Publishers and Booksellers guild, the organisers, the Guild is facing a severe fund crunch. This is one of the reasons why several events and activities are being planned to increase footfall and revenues.

As Milan Mela grounds, the venue for this year’s fair is not yet ready, the Guild will have 18 acres for the fair instead of the 23 acres on the Maidan. The Maidan had been hosting the fair for 31 years.

Tridib Chatterjee, general secretary, the publishers Guild, said: “Hiring the Milan Mela grounds itself costs Rs 40 lakh. It would have cost us Rs 1.5 crore, but thanks to the Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s intervention, the rent has been reduced to Rs 40 lakh. However, we are still running a deficit of Rs 61 lakh.”

For this year’s fair, the 33rd edition, the Guild is planning a slew of new steps to boost revenues and recover the losses sustained earlier.

As part of the measures, there will a fleet of dedicated buses to ferry book lovers to and from the venue from six points in the city (three of these have been finalised – Taratolla in South Kolkata, Esplanade in Central Kolkata, and Shyambazar in North Kolkata).

Credit and debit cards will be acceptable at every stall. The fair will be branded with a theme song, Oi Dakche Boi, created by percussionist Bikram Ghosh. It is a music video and will be released soon.

While Scotland is this year's theme country, there will be an international pavilion with at least 18 participating countries. US, Sweden, Vietnam and Cuba will also be setting up stalls and registering their presence.

In a first, the fair will also be giving out awards like the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ worth Rs 2 lakh, ‘Promising Literateur Award’ and ‘Promising Publisher Award’ for Rs 51,000 each. The guild is also in the process of attracting corporate sponsorship for the annual event.

“These are difficult times for small and medium businessmen. We have approached a few corporations for sponsorship so that the fair can match international standards,” said Chatterjee. “The book fair’s expenses include Rs 61 lakh just for basic preparations before holding the fair. Apart from the rent, we would have to spend around Rs 20 lakh towards readying the ground, and another Rs 3 lakh on setting up stalls and other infrastructure,” Chatterjee pointed out.

“We have not raised the fee for participants although the number of stalls would be less this year because the venue is smaller,” Chatterjee added.

The Kolkata Book Fair is the second-largest in the world after Frankfurt and used to do a business of at least Rs 14 crore every year with 2.2 million visitors at the Maidan grounds in central Kolkata. According to the Guild, of the 800 stalls set up every year, about 650 stalls are set up by Kolkata-based small and medium Bengali book publishers. Each of these publishers used to do a business of close to Rs 3.8 lakh during the 10 days of the fair. This was when it was held at the centrally-located Maidan for over 31 years.

At the Maidan, a non-AC hanger used to cost Rs 95,000 daily, Rs 10,000 for administrative building, Rs 40,000 for open space, and Rs 10,000 for open-air theatre daily.

The old Maidan offered the organisers an area of 23 acres and that too without charging any rent. The only payments the Guild made for hosting the fair were to the police, CESC and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).

The Kolkata Book Fair was shifted from the Maidan area in 2007 as the High Court felt it was causing environmental pollution. The fair at the Maidan faced a legal challenge from some environmental activists who managed to get it shifted to Salt Lake Stadium in 2007. The High Court had cancelled the Book Fair on Park Circus Maidan and directed the Guild to restore Park Circus to its original condition and hand it back to KMC at the earliest.

The bench issued the order in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by local residents of Park Circus who pleaded that the fair and its visitors in the densely populated residential area, housing several schools and colleges and two important hospitals, would violate the Pollution Act, Environment Protection Act and Noise Pollution Act.

Source: http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/kolkata-book-fair-forced-to-reinvent-itself/21/06/345204/

Source: TOI Epaper

Pay Rs 65000, drive away with zero-pollution auto

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/884/getimagedx7.jpg
Auto owners flustered with the EMI on new LPG autos have an alternative at hand. The West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation, along with automobile manufacturer Tara International, is offering them a package that will turn out cheaper than an LPG switch and be even more environment friendly.
What’s better, they don’t need to dump their old vehicles. All they have to do is pay Rs 65,000 and have a battery-driven engine mounted in their old auto.
WBGEDC managing director SP Ganchouhuri said Tara International had approached them to manufacture battery autos in the city. “They have already started manufacturing such autos at their Barasatunit ,” he said, adding that WBGEDC has run “10 to 15 battery autos on an experimental basis”.
The company’s battery-operated two-wheelers have been a success, Ganchoudhuri said. “So far, more than 10,000 green two-wheelers have been sold. We now plan to introduce battery-run autos in the city that would drastically cut down auto emission,” he said.
It would cost about Rs 1.25 lakh to convert an old auto into a battery-driven one, Ganchoudhuri. “The Centre will give a subsidy of Rs 50,000 and another Rs 10,000 subsidy would be given by the state. An auto driver will only have to shell out about Rs 65,000, that too in phases,” Ganchoudhuri said.
According to a scheme that is being worked out, a driver would be able to repay the entire amount simply by paying Rs 200 daily to get the batteries recharged.
Ganchoudhuri said: “The old fuel-based engine would be replaced by a motor that would have rechargeable batteries. These autos can run up to 80 km per charge and can have a maximum speed of 60 km per hour, carrying six passengers. WBGEDC is designing small solar panels that would tap solar energy to recharge the batteries. So, the auto owner doesn’t even run up an electricity bill. The battery auto is not only a zero-emission vehicle, it is also soundless.”

THE PACKAGE

PRICE OF BATTERY CONVERSION: Rs 1.25 lakh Central subsidy: Rs 50,000 State subsidy: Rs 10,000 Owner pays: Rs 65,000

THE BENEFITS

Mileage per charge: 80 km Cost of charge: Rs 200 Top speed: 60 kmph Load capacity: 5 plus driver Pollution: Zero

SP Infocity at Action Area III, New Town
Source: website (http://www.spinfocity.com/contents/kolkata.htm)

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/3585/kolkataview1bigve2.jpg

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/6407/kolkataview2bigxa4.jpg

Looking good.

I think it is time for government(s) to think beyond just IT and IT-SEZ. Let them start considering other sectors (like Financial) as well for such complexes. Kolkata definitely needs something on the lines of the Bandra Kurla complex for all the regional Bank, Insurance etc head quarters.

Source: UNI


IMAX theatre opened in Kolkata

Kolkata, Jan 7 : Reel-life sharks are now real enough to run shivers across the spines in a movie hall in Kolkata, as giant and ravenous jaws leap out of the screens to feed on the viewers.

For the first time, the movie-goers were empowered with such an experience here, thanks to the opening of the city's first giant screen IMAX theatre, unveiled by the Aeren R Entertainment at Mani Square yesterday.

Talking to newspersons, IMAX Corporation Director John Schreiner said such a movie hall in Kolkata was the fourth in line with Hyderabad, Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

''Spread over an area of 13,000 sq ft, the IMAX uses two huge projectors that multiplies images ten times the size of a regular cinema onto a seven storey-high screen. Primarily films in the three-dimensional format are being screened at IMAX theatres, which entails wearing 3D glasses,'' Mr Schreiner elaborated.

Armed with 450 seats and sound systems worth 12,000 watts of uncompressed power, the theatre housed a 20-metre high and 30-metre wide screen as well as 29 recliners in the last row, he explained.

The IMAX Corporation had joined hands with Aeren R Entertainment to come up with the theatre in Kolkata, in which the latter was the investing partner, he said, adding another hall would come up under similar partnership at Gurgaon during the current year.

The IMAX Corporation would also tie up with Satyam Cinemas for setting up two theatres in Chennai and Bangalore each by 2010, according to him.

''By 2010, altogether nine IMAX theatres will be operational in the country. Out of the five new entries, four will be digital.

There are plans to double the number of such theatres worldwide in the next two years. Currently, there are 340 IMAX theatres across 42 countries. At least 100 new halls will be added across the globe during the current year,'' the IMAX Corporation Director stated.

When asked whether the ongoing global financial meltdown would alter their expansion mode, Mr Schreiner said the entertainment industry was recession resilient and cited that the enthusiam of movie-goers was hardly dampened during the Great Depression in America in the 1930s.

He further informed that Sydney in Australia housed the biggest IMAX screen(28 metres by 35 metres) in the world, followed by Hyderabad(22 metres by 31 metres).

Aeren R Entertainment Director Jim Patterson told mediapersons that the IMAX theatre in Kolkata entailed an investment of Rs 18 crore, excluding the real estate costs.

Hoping that the movie theatre would annually notch up a viewers' footfall of around five lakh, Mr Patterson said the tickets would be priced around Rs 200, adding special concession would be considered at Rs 100 for students.

Moreover, the Aeren R Entertainment would aim at entering into tie-ups with firms like banks and mobile service providers for the latter's brand promotion, Mr Patterson further informed.

--- UNI

Hi Guys,

Happy new year to all of you. Reached kolkata on 31-Dec night. Went to my native place. Returned back to kolkata yesterday. Some quick update:

1. Almost all the pillars of u/c wipro junction flyover are completed.
2. Some of pillars of VIP road flyover are done at bypass end. I think this is going to be a huge flyover. Those pillars are massive.
3. A huge water supply project by JUSCO is going on at Sec-V. They are digging and tunneling through most the sec-v roads and putting concrete pipes.
4. Globesyn crystals work is still going on (Though almost done).
5. Pinnacle is almost completed. They are putting glasses. It looks great.
6. Infinity benchmark is almost done. Looks like it is done.
7. They are putting glasses on Godrej waterside(If I identified correctly). I can see a portion of it 12 floors completed.
8. Plenty of 10-15 floor building u/c in Sec-V saltlake area.
9. Roads are in bad shape in Sec-V due to pipeline and construction work.
10. Traffic condition is bad especially in wipro junc. I believe number of cars became at least double in last two years.
11. It seems Tantia is doing a large construction near Technopolis area. Not sure what it is.

I have taken some photos but can not upload right now due to security reason(Accessing from my office desktop). I will upload them sometimes later. I can not even see photos on SSC :ohno:.

Source: Reuters


Vintage Kolkata trams glam up to make a comeback

By Sujoy Dhar Sujoy Dhar – Mon Jan 5, 11:42 pm ET

KOLKATA, India (Reuters Life!) – They've been rumbling down Kolkata's roads for more than a 130 years, and now vintage trams are undergoing a makeover in their only home in India to entice commuters and reduce choking pollution.

For decades, the trams have fought a bitter turf war with cars and buses in Kolkata, a former British colonial capital and a city of over 15 million people considered an urban nightmare due to its belching public transport and congested roads.

The slow-paced but environment-friendly trams, which often fill the air with electric sparks as they trundle down their tracks, have been plying Kolkata since 1873, but over the years they have been abandoned in favor of faster transport, and their tracks have been pulled out to make way for more vehicles.

But now, the vintage contraptions are back in after a multi-million, government-funded makeover which began a few years ago. So far, 12 trams have been renovated at a total cost of over 14 million rupees ($290,000), with 12 more slated for renewal.

"After fears that trams might be phased out there is hope," says Zainuddin Khan, a tram driver for the past 30 years.

"The remodeled cars with the large airy windows are comfortable and they contribute nothing to the pollution levels," he added, steering a freshly painted white-yellow-green car out of a sprawling downtown depot into a narrow city road.

RENEW AND REVIVE

The Calcutta Tramway Company (CTC) has a fleet of 272 but only 100 trams trundle out of the depots, criss-crossing the city, often with a few tourists on board. Kolkata is the only city in India to have an electric tram network.

"Besides some heritage tour cars, we have renovated two trams for regular use, in our own workshop. Twelve more are getting ready," CTC managing director Pradip Kumar Chattopadhyay told Reuters. "A new tramcar would cost 24 million rupees. But in our workshop we spend much less to renovate an old rake," he added.

The oldest tramcar in Kolkata is 70 years old while the last a new car was purchased was 30 years ago.

According to SS Ghosh, a CTC engineer overseeing the renovation project at an expansive workshop in the heart of Kolkata, the basic 1920s technology of the trams remains the same, but they will be equipped with modern features such as uninterrupted power supplies and polycarbon bodies.

Many commuters are happy with the makeover.

"I have been using trams for over 10 years now. With the revamped cars I have no desire to swap this eco-friendly means for a faster, polluting vehicle," said Hemant Kanoria, 47.

Satish Kumar, a 32-year-old tourist from Bangalore, was thrilled to take a ride on a remodeled tram with his family. "This is unique and I feel nostalgic," he said.

Renowned local artist Samir Biswas, whose works form part of an advertising campaign that adorns the sides of the trams, says the cars always get his creative juices flowing.

"They have invariably featured in my city sketches in the past three decades. We must keep the tramcars going," he added.

Ignoring repeated raps from the courts, Kolkata's government have yet to phase out aged, polluting vehicles or convert them to use cleaner fuel such as compressed natural gas. In the meantime, eco-friendly commuters can hop on a tram.

(Editing by Miral Fahmy)

Source: Reuters (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090106/lf_nm_life/us_india_trams_1;_ylt=A0oGkt4CDWVJ3QwAr1SNBqMX;_ylu=X3oDMTBxYWI3cjhwBHBndANhdHdfbmV3c19yZXN1bHQEc2VjA3Ny)


Vintage Kolkata trams glam up to make a comeback

By Sujoy Dhar Sujoy Dhar – Mon Jan 5, 11:42 pm ET

KOLKATA, India (Reuters Life!) – They've been rumbling down Kolkata's roads for more than a 130 years, and now vintage trams are undergoing a makeover in their only home in India to entice commuters and reduce choking pollution.

For decades, the trams have fought a bitter turf war with cars and buses in Kolkata, a former British colonial capital and a city of over 15 million people considered an urban nightmare due to its belching public transport and congested roads.

The slow-paced but environment-friendly trams, which often fill the air with electric sparks as they trundle down their tracks, have been plying Kolkata since 1873, but over the years they have been abandoned in favor of faster transport, and their tracks have been pulled out to make way for more vehicles.

But now, the vintage contraptions are back in after a multi-million, government-funded makeover which began a few years ago. So far, 12 trams have been renovated at a total cost of over 14 million rupees ($290,000), with 12 more slated for renewal.

"After fears that trams might be phased out there is hope," says Zainuddin Khan, a tram driver for the past 30 years.

"The remodeled cars with the large airy windows are comfortable and they contribute nothing to the pollution levels," he added, steering a freshly painted white-yellow-green car out of a sprawling downtown depot into a narrow city road.

RENEW AND REVIVE

The Calcutta Tramway Company (CTC) has a fleet of 272 but only 100 trams trundle out of the depots, criss-crossing the city, often with a few tourists on board. Kolkata is the only city in India to have an electric tram network.

"Besides some heritage tour cars, we have renovated two trams for regular use, in our own workshop. Twelve more are getting ready," CTC managing director Pradip Kumar Chattopadhyay told Reuters. "A new tramcar would cost 24 million rupees. But in our workshop we spend much less to renovate an old rake," he added.

The oldest tramcar in Kolkata is 70 years old while the last a new car was purchased was 30 years ago.

According to SS Ghosh, a CTC engineer overseeing the renovation project at an expansive workshop in the heart of Kolkata, the basic 1920s technology of the trams remains the same, but they will be equipped with modern features such as uninterrupted power supplies and polycarbon bodies.

Many commuters are happy with the makeover.

"I have been using trams for over 10 years now. With the revamped cars I have no desire to swap this eco-friendly means for a faster, polluting vehicle," said Hemant Kanoria, 47.

Satish Kumar, a 32-year-old tourist from Bangalore, was thrilled to take a ride on a remodeled tram with his family. "This is unique and I feel nostalgic," he said.

Renowned local artist Samir Biswas, whose works form part of an advertising campaign that adorns the sides of the trams, says the cars always get his creative juices flowing.

"They have invariably featured in my city sketches in the past three decades. We must keep the tramcars going," he added.

Ignoring repeated raps from the courts, Kolkata's government have yet to phase out aged, polluting vehicles or convert them to use cleaner fuel such as compressed natural gas. In the meantime, eco-friendly commuters can hop on a tram.

(Editing by Miral Fahmy)

City Centre II

photos copyright kulxp

1
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/5536/citycentre2kulxp2ko1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

2
http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/255/kulxpcitycebtre2qr8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

3
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/172/citycenter2kolkatahs9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The city centre hoarding says something about a five-star hotel.Which hotel is this??
By the way suncity and sarafindian thanks for the updates.
Other than that
1.construction of the acropolis is going on full swing.
2.The taj gateway construction has also started.

Hi Guys,

Happy new year to all of you. Reached kolkata on 31-Dec night. Went to my native place. Returned back to kolkata yesterday. Some quick update:

1. Almost all the pillars of u/c wipro junction flyover are completed.
2. Some of pillars of VIP road flyover are done at bypass end. I think this is going to be a huge flyover. Those pillars are massive.
3. A huge water supply project by JUSCO is going on at Sec-V. They are digging and tunneling through most the sec-v roads and putting concrete pipes.
4. Globesyn crystals work is still going on (Though almost done).
5. Pinnacle is almost completed. They are putting glasses. It looks great.
6. Infinity benchmark is almost done. Looks like it is done.
7. They are putting glasses on Godrej waterside(If I identified correctly). I can see a portion of it 12 floors completed.
8. Plenty of 10-15 floor building u/c in Sec-V saltlake area.
9. Roads are in bad shape in Sec-V due to pipeline and construction work.
10. Traffic condition is bad especially in wipro junc. I believe number of cars became at least double in last two years.
11. It seems Tantia is doing a large construction near Technopolis area. Not sure what it is.

I have taken some photos but can not upload right now due to security reason(Accessing from my office desktop). I will upload them sometimes later. I can not even see photos on SSC :ohno:.

^^Thanks for the updates, Saraf:).
The wipro junction flyover and the two connectors from Salt Lake onto the bypass would go a long way in decongesting the junction.

If you work in Sector V ( which I believe you do) let me know if you have any information on the proposed occupants of these new towers such as Omega, Benchmark, Pinnacle etc. There was a 2008 report on commercial space absorption of major cities in ET, but nothing on Kolkata:ohno:

The city centre hoarding says something about a five-star hotel.Which hotel is this??
By the way suncity and sarafindian thanks for the updates.
Other than that
1.construction of the acropolis is going on full swing.
2.The taj gateway construction has also started.

^^Good to know that Taj gateway construction has started. And it is high time the construction of the proposed flyover at Ruby crossing started. The last I saw was they were trimming the roundabouts at Parama island and Ruby crossing to increase road space.

The city centre hoarding says something about a five-star hotel.Which hotel is this??


Not sure. But they run the Ffort in Raichak.

Other than that
1.construction of the acropolis is going on full swing.
2.The taj gateway construction has also started.

Great updates. Thanks.

Photos will be great as well.

:)

I have taken some photos but can not upload right now due to security reason(Accessing from my office desktop). I will upload them sometimes later. I can not even see photos on SSC :ohno:.

You have to tell your office that you are doing PR work for India, West Bengal and Kolkata. So they should give you some leeway.

:lol:

New Year Gift For Jadavpur University (JU): An 86-acre Campus (http://www.kolkatascoop.com/story/2009/1/8/25748/70298)

Grappling with a shortage of space for a long time now, Jadavpur University (JU) has finally taken over the campus of National Instruments Limited (NIL).
The NIL was a sick central public sector undertaking which has been closed.

The university took over the 86-acre campus situated on Raja S C Mullick Road in Jadavpur on January 1.

The university is yet to decide how this new campus will be utilised.

According to Vice-Chancellor (V-C) Pradip Narayan Ghosh, the university officials are still deliberating on a series of suggestions, which include setting up a research incubator. The university is also planning to set up additional facilities pertaining to management and engineering.

The V-C also promised that the university will absorb the 60-odd employees of the sick PSU. "None of our existing departments will be shifted to the new campus. We will add new facilities at the new campus," said Pro Vice-Chancellor (academic) of the university, Siddhartha Datta.

The university had to pay Rs 8 crore for the takeover. Most of the money will be spent on repaying the loan and the interest of the NIL. NIL has mortagaged its property to State Bank of India.
The university also aims to connect the existing mother campus of Jadavpur University and the new campus thro-ugh an underground tunnel.

A senior executive council member of the university said that none of the conventional programmes will be housed at the new campus. Some professors of JU have welcomed the decision to take over the NIL land saying that if the land would have been taken over by some private developer then the ambience of the entire area would have been changed.

"It is a great relief that we have got around 86 acres . We will hopefully face no space problem, which we were facing a few years ago," said Partha Pratim Biswas, an executive council member of Jadavpur University.

The university with a strength of 10,000 students has a 58-acre campus at 188 Raja SC Mullick Road and a 26-acre campus at Sector III, Salt Lake.

The space crunch issue was not only raised by the university but also by the Central monitoring bodies. Last year, the representatives of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council who have rated the university as one of the best in the country (3.61 in a scale of 4) had also asked that the university must expand its campus.

Infinium Digispace

http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/1074/infiniumdigispacekolkatgy2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

One of the towers u/c at Heritage Srijan Park
from heritagesrijanpark website

http://img352.imageshack.us/img352/5963/heritagesrijanparkao3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Hiland Sapphire - not sure how old these pics are

photos copyright Ankita

1
http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/5913/hilandsapphireankitafx3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

2
http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/8606/jhildandsapphire2ankitavb4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Source: Telegraph (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090113/jsp/calcutta/story_10325691.jsp)


New road to ease Bypass chaos
DEEPANKAR GANGULY

Motorists who take the Bypass route to the heart of the city every day and are caught in peak-hour traffic snarls at the Parama rotary can expect a smoother ride from Puja.

The Calcutta Municipal Corporation has lined up a 2.5-km road from Chingrihata to the Park Circus connector to ease the pressure on the EM Bypass. Once the road is complete, motorists headed for Park Circus or coming towards Salt Lake, Rajarhat and the airport from there can avoid the busy stretch from Chingrihata to the Parama rotary.

Vehicles coming from Park Circus will then take a left turn between Milan Mela and ITC Sonar Calcutta and meet the EM Bypass at Chingrihata. Park Circus-bound traffic will be diverted at the Chingrihata end of the new connector.

“The volume of traffic will increase manifold once Milan Mela, the city’s new trade fair ground, starts hosting events more frequently. This road is meant to pre-empt chaos in that area,” a CMC official said.

The substitute connector will run through the backyard of some landmark projects, including Silver Spring and DLF, before reaching Chingrihata via a 100-feet road along the southern bank of the New Cut Canal.

At present, any Sector V or airport-bound motorist coming from Chowringhee, Park Street or Shakespeare Sarani loses at least half an hour because of stoppages at different points along the route. Municipal commissioner Alapan Bandyopadhyay and police commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakrabarti did a recce of the route last week.

“The budget for the project is Rs 10 crore and the entire amount will come from the CMC’s coffers,” the municipal commissioner said. The estimate includes the cost of widening the narrow road along the New Cut Canal.

The CMC has decided on alignments at two places to avoid disputes and encroachment, Bandyopadhyay said.

According to the chief municipal architect and town planner, Dipankar Sinha, the proposed new road will be 60 feet wide. It will have 10 feet wide pavements on either side, leaving 40 feet for the carriageway.

“The 30-ft-wide road along the southern bank of the New Cut Canal will be turned into a 100-ft-wide road,” the municipal commissioner said.

The CMC intends widening the entire stretch of the New Cut Canal Road, right up to Palmer Bazar, after completing the Bypass connector. “Motorists coming from Sealdah will then get a straight road to Chingrihata via DC De Road,” Sinha said.

Source: TOI EPaper (http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArchiveView.asp?Daily=TOIKM&AppName=1&login=default&Enter=true&Skin=TOI&GZ=T&BaseHref=TOIKM%2F2009%2F01%2F13&Page=12)


Neotia swims against tide on Rajarhat IT park project
Sumali Moitra | tnn

Kolkata: Harsh Neotia has always aimed to be different.
Small wonder, therefore, that the realty baron should choose to launch the first phase of his Rs 140 crore maiden IT park project at Rajarhat in April when caution would have been the watchword for many other developers.
However, the Ambuja Realty group chairman has a sound business reason for deciding on an April-start. With almost 70-75% of the investment necessary for the first phase of 0.5 million sq ft having already been made, an early launch would ensure that payback starts happening that much quicker.
With four clients already in the bag — which includes the likes of HDFC Bank and BPO player Acclaris — and negotiations on with several others, Neotia has by now already managed to obtain some sort of an insurance shield for his venture. True to its style, though, the group isn’t willing to reveal more on the issue till things take a more concrete shape.
Ambuja Realty’s IT park — located adjacent to a similar facility being put by RMZ — is slated to come up on 10 acres in two phases. The ultimate plan is to develop 1 million sq ft of built-up space. Work on the second phase would start once Neotia gauges the response to the first.
What is certain, however, is that Ambuja Realty is not in any tearing hurry to start building another IT park at Salt Lake’s Sector V. The group is keen to conserve resources at this juncture and only move ahead on such projects where some work has already gone in.
“I would rather have three finished projects than five incomplete ones,” Neotia said. In line with this thinking, the group is working hard to ensure that it is in a position to launch the City Centre II venture at New Town, Rajarhat, by the middle of this year.
As well as start operations at the business hotel, slated to come up there, by June-July. “At this stage, the debate is still on whether we should induct a foreign partner for the hotel project,” Neotia said.

hi ...
any body has any information about the new hotel project in kolkata

as per my knowledge

1)TAJ GATEWAY ruby connector-- work started
2) EMAAR MGF,JW MARRIOT,HOLIDAY INN -work started
3)DS Group- Airport hotel,raddison hotel-work started
4)Dlf hilton hotel-work not started
5)WEST INN kolkata--dont know
6) bengal ambuja city center II -work started
7)bengal ambuja Takshasila - Swabhumi- dont know
8) unitech with rcgc -ritz carlson -dont know
9) unitech countryyard marriot rajarhat- dontknow
10)emaar mgf with rctc park hayatt-dont know

thanks in advance

Kolkata may get monorail running on LPG in two years (http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200901131301.htm)

Kolkata (IANS): A monorail service running on cooking gas? With an eye on the record books, that is exactly what a Kolkata-based company has planned for the city two years on.

"No monorail system in the world runs on LPG (liquefied petroleum gas). We want to be the first to do so. We have spoken to Indian Oil (Corporation) for providing us with adequate support for such a service," Biplab Bhattacharya, director of Andromeda Technologies, told IANS.

Andromeda has got the contract for constructing the first stretch of 20 km of monorail from Budge Budge to Taratala on a build-own-and-operate basis for an approximate cost of Rs.600 million (Rs.60 crore) per km.

The train will use hybrid technology that will enable it to run on both electricity and LPG. It will have four coaches, each with its own electric generator, which would accommodate 150 passengers.

"We expect to start the project in March 2009. It will take a little more than two years to complete the work. Indian Oil officials have said they can ready proper infrastructure for LPG support within the time frame when the monorail work is scheduled to be completed," Bhattacharya said.

The company plans to run the train with hydrogen gas in future, he added.

"We are also planning a feeder service with around 40 LPG buses, which will help the commuters travel to their destinations from the monorail stations," Bhattacharya said.

As of now the city has no LPG or compressed natural gas (CNG) buses.

Asked whether the city was equipped to supply fuel for the LPG bus service, an Indian Oil official said: "Now there are 12 LPG pumps in the city. We have five pumps. If there is market requirement, I am sure we will be able to meet it. There is no shortage of LPG. We have a refinery at Haldia."

The monorail will be the latest addition to the various rail transport networks in the city. Apart from the general railway service, the city already has the metro railway, the circular rail and the tram.

Once the first phase is complete, the government will take a call on awarding the contract for the second phase stretching 52 km till Rajarhat in the city's northeastern fringes.

"Based on how the first phase goes, we will consider how to award the contract for the remaining work. The main constraint for such a project within the city is space," said West Bengal Transport Secretary Sumantra Chowdhury.

The total expense for the first phase will be to the tune of Rs.12 billion, with a debt-equity ratio of 4:1. Now Andromeda is looking for overseas financial partners and hopes to clinch a deal soon.

The company will initially rope in coaches from Germany. But in due course, it will get coaches manufactured in India.

It will partner German companies Fernmeldewerk Munchen Aubing GmbH for signalling and Derap AG & Helbling Technik for technological know-how.

hi ...
any body has any information about the new hotel project in kolkata

as per my knowledge


9) unitech countryyard marriot rajarhat- dontknow



Did read somewhere that work on this may have started.

Kolkata may get monorail running on LPG in two years (http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200901131301.htm)

Not sure about this project. Where will they get the funds from in this market. How will they make money?

3)DS Group- Airport hotel,raddison hotel-work started

Where exactly are they building this? Kolkata needs to have one in the airport along the lines of the recently constructed Novotel at HIAL

Where exactly are they building this? Kolkata needs to have one in the airport along the lines of the recently constructed Novotel at HIAL

This is the revamp of the old Airport Ashok hotel near the airport.

Rs. 600 million per Km! btw...600 million is not the same thing as 60 crore. Million is the same as crore.

100 lakhs = 10 million = 1 crore

This is the revamp of the old Airport Ashok hotel near the airport.

or they are breaking it down to make way for a brand new hotel..
there are so many conspiracy theories behind the revamp of this hotel..
i think this project would never see the light of the day..:ohno:

Source: Business Standard (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/abb-setsglobal-centreexcellence-in-kolkata/16/51/52704/on)


ABB sets up global centre of excellence in Kolkata
BS Reporter / Kolkata January 12, 2009, 15:57 IST

ABB, a global power and automation technology group, has set up a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Kolkata. This centre will deliver engineering and project management solutions to ABB’s customers in the metals segment across the world.

Biplab Majumder, managing director, ABB India, said: “In these times of recession and given the low confidence levels in the economy, this is another opportunity for our customers to further cut down on their operating costs. It will support the global sales team of ABB in the areas of marketing, process know-how, engineering, project management and commissioning.”

ABB also has a regional project office (RPO) for power T&D projects in Kolkata. The RPO has capability to provide global solutions in design, engineering, project management and commissioning for electrical, structural, industrial and civil projects.

From the DS website


DS Group is all set to emerge as one of the largest players in the hospitality segment in India. Besides its flagship venture, Manu Maharani, the company has invested in a number of other ambitious hotel projects.
The group has acquired the Airport Hotel at Kolkata. The plan is to revamp and renovate the hotel into an international standard five star hotel by the year 2008-2009. The hotel will have a large convention centre and tastefully done banquet halls along with sprawling commercial area of over 3,00,000 sq. ft.


the radisson hotel website shows two hotels for Kolkata..one is the Airport hotel and the second one is Radisson Hotel Hastings (?)..any idea about the project? the mailing address provided is this

Hastings Park Road
Kolkata, IN
65 6511 9266

Local trains already serve this location which is connected to the circular rail link at Taratala. For a link so small, I don't see how it can rake in the fund it needs from the private sector. Rs. 600 million per Km! btw...600 million is not the same thing as 60 crore. Million is the same as crore.

If Joka - Panihati light rail and East west metro was working by then, in that case, that link is a very good one as hardly anyone will use the local trains towards the new township of Batanagar riverside.

100 lakhs = 10 million = 1 crore

I am adding to the above:

100 crore = 1000 milliion = 1 billion (one arab in Hindi)

1000 billion = 1 trillion = 10 Kharab(Hindi)

IT fair for the future All things IT on one platform (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090115/jsp/calcutta/story_10391528.jsp)

The seeds of future success are sown in tough times.

Fighting the fear of an economic downturn and the shadow of the Satyam scam, the biggest information, communication and technology (ICT) show in this part of the country gets underway on Thursday morning.

Over 1,000 delegates from the entire gamut of the new-age knowledge economy will troop into the city for the three-day conference and four-day exhibition of Infocom 08-09, between January 15 and 18. The ICT show is an initiative of Businessworld, an ABP Group publication.

“Infocom certainly helps the state to pitch for more IT industry here. This year, the programme is very timely as the industry is witnessing a global recession,” said Bengal IT minister Debesh Das, who will click the event open.

Keeping in mind the efforts of India Inc to emerge triumphant in gloomy economic conditions, the theme for this year’s conclave is ‘Innovate to Integrate’.

The Infocom forum will also attract representatives from small and medium enterprises, policy makers, and academicians from India and abroad, for 20 sessions, conducted on two parallel tracks.

Over 70 speakers will take part in the brainstorming sessions to chart out how to maintain growth in hard times.

“Downturn offers us more opportunities. There will be rainy days, but we need to find ways to avoid the storm. Infocom will give us the platform to think, get strategies ready and act,” said Roopen Roy, the managing director of Deloitte Consulting.

“One Satyam can never be bad for the whole industry. Infocom gives us the platform to hear it from the leaders, to get better ideas and plan accordingly,” said Kalyan Kar, the managing director of BPO firm Acclaris.

Infocom 08-09 will be divided into two parts, but both on the Bypass — the conference at ITC Sonar Calcutta and the exhibition on the Salt Lake Stadium grounds.

Over 150 exhibitors will set up stalls at the 100,000 sq ft-plus exhibition venue.

Not just geekspeak, the conclave will have a host of other attractions, ranging from quiz competition to job mart, innovation hub to The Telegraph Careergraph ITEdufair. The Telegraph Auto Weekend Carnival@Infocom has been added to Infocom 08-09, where leading automobile companies and finance companies will set up stalls.

“Given the increased usage of IT and telecom services in the automobile sector, like the navigational tools and in-built GPRS systems, we have decided to bring them together. From now on, the auto fair will become part of Infocom,” said an organiser.

As identifying future leaders is one of the major objectives of the annual conclave, six students from B-schools across the country will be given the Infocom Future Leadership Award.

DLF Hilton Hotel - enviromental clearance

http://www.enviswb.gov.in/Env_application/EIA/uploads/DLF_Hilton_Hotels_REC.pdf

Conditions for Environmental Clearance for the proposed 5 Star Hotel by M/s. DLF - Hilton Hotels Limited, at 8, JBS Haldane Avenue, E.M. Bye-Pass, Kolkata, West Bengal.


Subject : Environmental Clearance for the proposed 5 Star Hotel by M/s. DLF - Hilton Hotels Limited, at 8, JBS Haldane Avenue, E.M. Bye-Pass, Kolkata, West Bengal.

Sir,
This has a reference to your application no. DHHL/SEIAA/07-08/01 dt. 15th October, 2008 and subsequent communications for Environmental Clearance for the proposed 5 Star Hotel by M/s. DLF - Hilton Hotels Limited, at 8, JBS Haldane Avenue, E.M. Bye-Pass, Kolkata, West Bengal.

The proposal has been examined and processed in accordance with EIA Notification, of 2006. The proposed project is a construction of Luxury 5 Star Hotel having 549 Guest Rooms & Service Apartments alongwith Retail Area, Recreational Facilities, Internal Roads, Utilities etc. There will be 22 floors and 1 basements in the proposed building. The maximum height of the proposed building is 91.9 m.

91.9m,thats about 300ft. very impressive,will be kolkatas tallest hotel.

Source: TOI EPaper


Star hotel brings cheer in season of gloom
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: Even as hotel projects countrywide get delayed, a hotelier from Shillong has decided to beat the gloom with the launch of an upmarket boutique hotel in the heart of Kolkata.
“We are aware that several star hotel projects that were announced along EM Bypass have been delayed. But we didn’t want to wait for the economy to improve. A room crunch exists even now and that will only accentuate in future. Also, this was the best time to recruit people as a lot of experienced staff were being laid off by other hotels,” said Kishan Tibrewalla, proprietor of Hotel Polo Towers in Shillong and chairman of Chocolate group of hotels that unveiled the luxury hotel, Chrome, on AJC Bose Road on Thursday.
The Federation of Hotels & Restaurants Association of India pegs occupancy of five-star hotels in Kolkata at 82% and for three months a year, all 1,239 rooms in the six hotels go choc-a-bloc. The average room rent in the city now touches Rs 8,000.
“Though our service will be luxurious, it will be sans the formality. It’s the warm personal touch that will set the hotel apart and develop its own loyal list of clients,” said Deval Tibrewalla, the 24-year-old chief executive of Chocolate group.
One innovation is a personalized butler service. “You don’t have to hunt for the number combination to ring for housekeeping or front desk or room service. Just press a single button for the personal butler,” said Chrome general manager Anson Jose.
The hotel has an eye-popping exterior architecture and interior decor by Delhi-based award winning architect Sanjay Puri. The Chrome houses 63 rooms of seven types. The ‘Edge’ suites project out of the building, allowing guests a cool view of the city rush by. The hotel has an Indian restaurant that serves a 15-course connoisseur dinner, a round-theclock coffee shop and a night club.

^^ pic from hotel website http://www.chromehotel.in/, quite chic

http://www.chromehotel.in/images/about_pic_1.jpg

91.9m,thats about 300ft. very impressive,will be kolkatas tallest hotel.

yes, once the render is out we can start a separate thread for this.:)

State to seek Rs 150 cr for old bus replacement (http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=23&theme=&usrsess=1&id=240487)

KOLKATA, Jan. 16: The state government will seek Rs 150 crore from the Union urban development ministry to replace the 15-year-old buses and minibuses which had been banned by the Calcutta High Court from plying on the Kolkata streets from 1 April onwards.
According to estimates by the state transport department nearly 1,500 private buses and minibuses would be off the streets due to court orders. In a bid to extend financial support to the owners of private buses and minibuses to replace their fleet the state government has decided to seek funds from the Centre under a scheme of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
The state government will seek funds for buying 800 buses for various state transport corporations and another 1,700 buses for private owners. In case of the latter, the buses would be run on a public private partnership basis although the ownership of the buses will remain with the state government. According to the state transport secretary, Mr Sumantra Chaudhuri, the government will pay 35 per cent of the cost of a bus while the owners will give another 15 per cent and the rest will come from bank loans. Following the repayment of loan over a period of 10 years the buses would be handed over to private owners. Ats of now, the state would form a corporation and the buses will be leased out to private parties.
The state transport minister, Mr Subhas Chakraborty, will hold a meeting with private bus owners in the city on 22 January over the financial package being offered to them.
However, the state government has ordered preparation of detailed project reports for seeking funds under the central scheme. The last date of application for the central scheme is 30 June, 2009. However, with the deadline by the Calcutta High Court expiring on 31 March, 2009 state government officials are skeptical whether the new fleet will be ready by that time.

Photo cc SarafIndian

Godrej waterside u/c. Taken on today morning. This is really a massive construction. Photos taken only on eastern side which I believe only 30% of the total construction. There are huge activities on the western part. But somehow I coudn't reach there. May be some other day.

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00311.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00312.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00313.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00315.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00316.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00317.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00318.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00319.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00320.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00322.jpg

^^ Godrej waterside cont.

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00323.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00325.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00326.jpg

Photo cc SarafIndian

Taken on today morning.

Some unknown u/c building at Sec-V
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00306.jpg

Which building u/c?
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00314.jpg

Some godrej project getting started at simico
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00329.jpg

South city Pinnacle u/c
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00310.jpg

Wonderful updates, Saraf :cheers: Looks like recession has not affected ongoing projects in Sector V. From what I see of Waterside, the 1st tower may get topped out anytime soon.

Wonderful updates, Saraf :cheers: Looks like recession has not affected ongoing projects in Sector V. From what I see of Waterside, the 1st tower may get topped out anytime soon.

Thanks Arijeet. :) Here are some photos I have taken of Globesyn Crystals. I think Erricson occupied one(or two) floor of it and currently working there even though it is not fully completed. This building is too wide to adjust in a single frame.:lol:

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00336.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00330.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00333.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00331.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00332.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00335.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00305.jpg

[QUOTE=SarafIndian;30891738]Photo cc SarafIndian

Which building u/c?
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00314.jpg

^^ This could be one of the Vipul IT parks. The render for this is available in http://agrawalarchitects.com

Some godrej project getting started at simico
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00329.jpg

^^ The render for this is available in http://agrawalarchitects.com

QUOTE]

Which building u/c?
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00314.jpg

^^ This could be one of the Vipul IT parks. The render for this is available in http://agrawalarchitects.com



http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=30605730&postcount=1819

Source: The Hindu Business Line (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/iw/2009/01/18/stories/2009011850901500.htm)


A PPP solution to decongest Kolkata

Rajarhat Newtown, on the outskirts of Kolkata, is a self-sufficient township that promises affordable residential and commercial space, apart from decongesting the city.

— A. Roy Chowdhury
Manish Basu

The West Bengal housing policy has lured private developers to join hands in the Rajarhat Newtown project aimed at spreading the city’s boundaries on its eastern fringes. What the government needs to do now is develop basic infrastructure to support the development.

The genesis

The project was conceived in the early 1990s to decongest Kolkata.

The government zeroed in on the 35 sq.km stretch of barren land on the eastern fringes of Kolkata — the Rajarhat Newtown area, which was to be developed under public-private partnership with the public sector Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO).

The plan for Rajarhat Newtown area was to avoid repetition of the earlier model of developing a satellite dormitory township like Salt Lake, where people would reside but travel to the city for work, Mr Sunil Roy, Principal Consultant, HIDCO said.
Business district

At Rajarhat new central business district areas with offices and modern infrastructures would be developed to make it self-sufficient. Some of the proposed projects in the Rajarhat area are: an international convention centre, shopping malls, office buildings and five star hotels which are too large to be developed within the city boundaries, he said.

Among other commercial units, the project includes setting up of a number of IT-SEZs by Unitech, DLF, Shapoorji Pallonji group and non-SEZ IT and office space by Bengal Ambuja and the Shrachi group.

Private partnership

HIDCO has stipulated that while 60 per cent of the units in the area are to be built by individuals and co-operatives, the rest would be left to private developers, joint sector companies and HIDCO for development, Mr Roy said.

Like in other parts of West Bengal, the private developers are partners through joint sector companies with the West Bengal Housing Board.

The government supplies land and also facilitates approvals. In an effort to boost affordable housing, it is mandatory that 50 per cent of the units cater to the low- and middle-income groups.

The joint sector model has now been replaced by ‘assisted sector’, with the government holding 11 per cent stake in the partnership and acting only as a facilitator while the developers need to buy land directly. Over 10 companies have been formed under each sector as of now.

This model of building LIG and MIG houses in PPP mode is successful as it has a large level of political acceptance, Mr Roy said. In another unique model, the housing board has allotted the construction of 12,000 LIG and 8,000 MIG units on 150 acres in Rajarhat to the Shapoorji Pallonji group.

The company has been given a plot of 50 acres for building commercial space at low prices. Apart from affordable housing through PPP, the West Bengal Housing Board has taken up development of over 900 LIG and nearly 1,000 MIG units in Rajarhat and other places, sources in the housing board said.

Win-win model

While affordable housing is largely unprofitable for private developers, they have grabbed the opportunity for two reasons.

The developers can make up their margins with free-pricing of HIG units built on land available at low costs, and the model provides a solution to the land acquisition problem, with the government facilitating land sanctions and conversions.

As for the buyers, houses are available at competitive prices. A HIG flat at Rajarhat costs Rs 3,000 a sq.ft, whereas one in Ballygunge would cost anywhere between Rs 6,000 and Rs 10,000, Mr Harshvardhan Neotia, Chairman, Ambuja Realty, said.

The prices of the LIG and MIG units across the State are fixed by the housing board at around Rs 3 lakh and Rs 6 lakh respectively.

The residents, at least for the time being, can save on property tax payment as no tax structure has been formulated in the area yet, Mr Kumar Shankar Bagchi, Managing Director, Bengal Peerless, said.
Infrastructure hassles

Among residential projects, of the proposed 1.5 lakh units to be developed in Rajarhat, nearly 5,000 flats have been delivered to customers. However, only 1,000-1,500 of them have been occupied so far, Mr Roy said.

The reason: inadequacy of basic infrastructure such as internal roads, electricity, sewage, drinking water, transport, market place and security.

Of the five proposed sectors in the area, only action area-1 has given electricity; the other areas currently run on generators. Action area-2 would be given power within a month, Mr Roy said.

There were also plans to connect the area with the main city through a light rail transit and an extension of the proposed east-west metro corridor in future. The completion of the basic infrastructure development would take 3-4 years, he added.

“We face a lot of inconvenience for lack of transport as there is no bus service in the region after 8 p.m.,” a resident of one of HIDCO’s housing project said.

The area also does not have any panchayat or corporation body yet. The newly formed Newtown Development Authority should look at developing all parts of the area more homogenously, he said.

Source: TOI Epaper
City to host solar power meet

Kolkata: Even as the state struggles to shrug off the investor unfriendly image following the Nano pullout and breathe in an air that is choked with pollution, Kolkata has managed to outbid 50 cities to bag the prestigious 18th International Photovoltaic Science and Engineering Conference & Exhibition. Photovoltaics are basic tool to tap solar energy.
This is only the second time in 16 years that the conference will be held in India. The last time it was held in Delhi when solar power was still an emerging concept and was viewed with scepticism. This time, though, it will be a different proposition with increased consciousness about global warming and the need to switch from fossil fuels to renewables. Solar power has emerged as a major source to replace conventional energy.
For the host status, however, South Korea gave India a tough fight. In the end, India won just by four votes. The tally was 17 to India and 13 to Korea.
“The Koreans were very keen to hold the conference in their country. Hence, we had to make a fresh presentation to the conference members following the voting process and managed to bag it for India,” said Ashok Barua, general chairperson of this edition of the conference.
Once the conference came India’s way, Bengal with its impressive work on solar energy convinced the committee that Kolkata was best suited to host the conclave. “It is an international conference of repute and member countries like Japan, Germany, US competed in the vote, Barua said.
State power department special secretary S P Gon Choudhury is very enthused about the prospect of having some of the top investors in the sector attending the conference. “We have managed to attract the meet since the state generates about 25% of the country’s total solar power. But the real challenge will be to convert the visits into business,” he said.
The state has attracted Rs 4,000 crore in solar power production, much of which is expected to go on stream by 2012. Of this, about Rs 2,600 crore are in solar equipment manufacturing segment, including solar photovoltaic cells and modules.

Rs. 130-crore IT Park in West Bengal (http://www.hindu.com/2009/01/20/stories/2009012055581600.htm)


KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Monday laid the foundation for the Rs. 130-crore information technology infrastructure project here.

Developed by the Dhunseri group, the IT Park, to be set up on six acres at the Bantala Special Economic Zone near here, is expected to generate 7,000 jobs, once completed. The first phase is expected to be completed by 2011.

“It is a good attempt that will offer job opportunities to thousands of youth in the State,” Mr. Bhattacharjee said.

Admitting that West Bengal was a late starter in formulating IT policies, he said the State Governmentwas “always trying to speed up its growth rate which is currently higher than the national average.”

Mr. Bhattacharjee, however, pointed out that though job opportunities in this sector were increasing, availability of skilled professionals was a problem as many qualified students were not up to the mark.

On the global economic meltdown, its effect on India and the steps taken by the Centre to tackle it, Mr. Bhattacharjee said: “I spoke to the Prime Minister, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen and the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India recently. It is a deep-rooted crisis and will not get solved so easily… I do not think that the measures taken by the Centre are enough. They are trying to protect the corporate bosses. They should look after the toiling masses instead.”

He urged the Centre to take a holistic approach and spend as much to create economic protection for the working-class. “Our State Government is trying to concentrate on developing infrastructure — power, irrigation, roads, bridges — which should not be hit by the meltdown effect,” Mr. Bhattacharjee said.

^^7000 jobs over 6 acres is foolishly optimistic:nuts:

^^I don't know why everybody and their uncle is chasing that IT/BPO business. Instead of focusing on IT/BPO, it is probably a better idea to diversify to electronics manufacturing. I am sure India's cost base will be less than that of Japan/Taiwan/Singapore/Malayasia (the 4 big countries that dominate the electronics manufacturing).

Rs. 130-crore IT Park in West Bengal (http://www.hindu.com/2009/01/20/stories/2009012055581600.htm)




^^7000 jobs over 6 acres is foolishly optimistic:nuts:

Maybe it is for all of Bantala SEZ.

Source: ET (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News_by_Industry/Couple_invent_fuel-less_auto_engine/articleshow/4000214.cms)


Kolkata couple invent fuel-less, battery-less auto engine
19 Jan 2009, 1127 hrs IST, AGENCIES
KOLKATA: Kanishk Sinha, 30, and his wife Lipika, 25, chose to do something different from looking for jobs—they invented a fuel-less
environment-friendly auto engine.

"This engine is switched on by a chemical reaction between zinc and oxygen; hence it is pollution-free. This technology also increases the durability of the engine," Kanishk Sinha, chairman of the Jasper Motor Vehicle company, told reporters.

He said the engine can be used in cars as well as other vehicles like three-wheelers, apart from water pumps.

"A water pump can run for five years without any interruption on this engine and a four-wheeler car can run 450,000 km," said Sinha.

The young couple established the company registered in the US five years ago with Rs.1 billion (Rs.100 crore) raised from non-resident Indians. They got the engine patented with BigPatents India, a body supported by the Ford Foundation.

All Jasper engines are manufactured in Washington as the company does not have a manufacturing facility in India. "We source all our engines from the US," Sinha said, but added he was looking for land in Bihar and West Bengal to set up a manufacturing unit in India.

The couple has approached Kshiti Goswami, West Bengal's public works department minister, for land in Bardhaman district.

"They came to me. I am aware of their project. But if they are seeking land in Bardhaman they have to speak to the Bardhaman Development Authority. It's not within our purview to provide them with land," Goswami told reporters.

Sinha said he will soon be speaking to the Bardhaman Development Authority, which has been set up to ensure the planned and sustainable development of the district.

Currently, Jasper has set up a 28-dealer network in Rajasthan, Bihar and New Delhi, and plans to add 15 more dealers in the next few months. It has begun testing waters in West Bengal and Assam.

The company manufactures 15,000 engines a month, but Sinha is not planning to increase production immediately. "We will be focussing more on marketing now," he said.

As part of the strategy to promote sales, the company will not tinker with the Rs.35,000 price tag.

The couple is also planning to file a writ petition in the Calcutta High Court seeking permission to get the engine fitted on to the city's auto-rickshaws.

The decision follows a spate of violent protests by three-wheeler owners and drivers in the city as the High Court issued a directive banning two-stroke polluting auto-rickshaws.

Photo cc SarafIndian

Wipro Junction flyover u/c

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00293.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00292.jpg

^^

Hopefully that flyover will reduce the jams at that junction (a lot of the problems seem to arise from bad quality drivers and helpless traffic cops).

^^

Hopefully that flyover will reduce the jams at that junction (a lot of the problems seem to arise from bad quality drivers and helpless traffic cops).

Hope so. This place is horrible right now. Sometimes we need to wait for more than 25 minutes to pass it. :ohno:

Hope so. This place is horrible right now. Sometimes we need to wait for more than 25 minutes to pass it. :ohno:

I know.

Any pictures of the Ultadanga flyover u/c?

I know.

Any pictures of the Ultadanga flyover u/c?

Not till now. Next day will to go there and take.:)

photo cc SarafIndian

Infinity Benchmark u/c

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00339.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00340.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00341.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00342.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00343.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00347.jpg

What's building next to Benchmark in this pic?

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00343.jpg

What's building next to Benchmark in this pic?

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00343.jpg

That is RDB's south side part.

That is RDB's south side part.

Thanks.

Saraf, there is a red and blue building near the SDF building. Any clue what that one is?

Thanks.

Saraf, there is a red and blue building near the SDF building. Any clue what that one is?

I could not see that yet.:lol: I will look around.

I could not see that yet.:lol: I will look around.

^^I took a pic of it a few months back. If I remember , then it is in the same road as the TCS offices. But we are clueless as to who built it, who are the tenants etc. The building has about 10 floors.

Cool updates Saraf.:) Benchmark truly justifies its name. My fav commercial building in Kolkata as on today:cheers:

Sector V will look really world-class if the 'till-date-incompetent' authority does following:

1. Removes all the hawkers and shanties. Sorry, if you are poor, I didn't make you that. So, you have no right to make my place look like slum and take away my right to walk on the pavement.
2. Construct proper pavement and put barricade other than specified zebra-crossing. Because, we Indians are too unruly for enjoying freedom.
3. Create lane markings and put cat's eye
4. Create proper turning lanes in every crossing. They have space in the middle, now occupied by ugly bushes or garbage.
5. Put traffic signal in every crossing with green channel for major road
6. Put cameras with each traffic light. Did I say democracy doesn't work in third world countries !
7. Finally, regularly maintain all these to keep it working and clean.

Wow !! Is there any optimistic person in the forum ? At least, I am not.

Wow !! Is there any optimistic person in the forum ? At least, I am not.

Well you are more optimistic than one long time forumer in the Hyderabad threads.

:lol:

Source: TOI (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com//Cities/Kolkata_/Buddha_opens_new_Sankara_Nethralaya_/articleshow/4009721.cms)


Buddha opens new Sankara Nethralaya
21 Jan 2009, 0649 hrs IST, TNN

KOLKATA: The chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee inaugurated the new premises of Sankara Nethralaya in his own constituency at
Mukundapur.

The CM appreciated the services of Sankara Nethralaya of Chennai. He said he had even got his eyes examined there. "Dr S S Badrinath wanted to start a new hospital and I encouraged him to do something big. Land is not a problem and I am assure more land for expansion for research facilities and various training programmes," Bhattacharjee said.

The CM thanked Sunderbans affairs minister Kanti Ganguly for organising the land for the hospital. Health minister Surjya Kanta Mishra said the hospital must strive to control blindness and aid the national blindness control programme.

Sankara Nethralaya, built on an area of 50,000 sq feet, has six floors and will have sixty beds for patients. It also plans to launch mobile teleopthalmology community service to serve villagers.

Coffee House turning a pink leaf

22 Jan 2009, 0405 hrs IST, Jhimli Mukherjee Pandey

KOLKATA: Good old Albert Hall or College Street Coffee House is all set to have a new look. The cracks on the roof, the dampness on the poster
smeared walls, the broken and shaky chairs and tables, are all going.

The old world ambience will remain, but with frescoes on the walls, arty lampshades and polished mahogany doors and windows. A soft pink shade of expensive paint will cover the walls. Soon, College Street Coffee House will give modern day cafes a run for their money.

The project is a golden jubilee gift to Coffee House from Bengal Shelter, which is building Barnaparichoy the country's first book mall only a stone's throw away. TOI had first reported the news of the makeover in February last year.

Even the damaged staircase will be broken down and built anew. To make this possible, Coffee House is likely to remain closed for about a week from January 23 a first in 50 years.

"A year ago, a few ardent fans of the coffee house, led by writer Saibal Mitra asked me to help out Coffee House. I was only happy to accept because I have spent some of my best days there and am an ardent fan myself," said Samar Nag, chief of Bengal Shelter.

Albert Hall has been the regular haunt of the quintessential Bengali intellectual the likes of Mrinal Sen, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Shakti Chattopadhyay, Manna Dey, Soumitro Chattopadhyay and the quality of its food vis a vis its pricing has always remained its USP. Cold coffee with cream together with a chicken omelette will cost you an unbelievable Rs 27.

"I am thrilled. Only today I was talking about the sad condition of the place with the state tourism minister, Manab Mukherjee and you gave me this brilliant piece of information. For 25 years, starting from the early '60s, I have been a regular there. I will surely go back to see how the place looks once it is renovated," said Sunil Gangopadhyay. "I am extremely happy that the place is finally getting a facelift. I was a regular there in the '80s and '90s and even today I visit occasionally. I only hope that this will not affect its age-old ambience," said poet Subodh Sarkar.

Government Art College has been roped in for embellishing the interiors. Vice-principal Dipali Bhattacharya has visited with her students and planned a big fresco to cover a wall. A large number of paintings will be put up.

"We had to use plastic chairs because we could not afford wooden chairs. We are happy that now all these plastic chairs will go and wooden chairs to match the design of the old ones will be brought in. The doors and windows are also being replaced," said Subhash Ganguly, spokesperson of the Indian Coffee Workers' Co-operative Society that runs the cafe.

Times of India

Ideal Heights, Calcutta

http://kolkataskyline.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/idealheightskolkata.JPG

Update

Tower 1
http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr322/Bob885/stratus1.jpg

http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr322/Bob885/stratus.jpg

Tower 2
http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr322/Bob885/nimbus.jpg

Tower 3
http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr322/Bob885/cumulus.jpg

Link (http://www.pioneerkhaitan.com/con_projects_IH.asp)

Source: TOI Epaper



Centre grants Rs 292 cr for new flyover
Kolkata: The Centre has sanctioned Rs 292 crore for a 4.3 km long Park Circus — Parama Island flyover. This is likely to ease the east- and airportbound traffic. The Centre has given a total grant of 716 crore for various developmental projects, said urban development and municipal affairs minister Ashok Bhattacharyya.
Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) had planned the flyover to zip past the chaos at Park Circus 4 No bridge. “Due to the eastward expansion of the city, traffic often surpasses its saturation level at the Park Circus connector. It will increase manifold once the permanent fair ground at Milan Mela is thrown open for mela organisers. The road just cannot handle the pressure,” said senior KMDA official.
Traffic from the Gariahat flyover from the south and the AJC Bose flyover from the west congregates at the mouth of Bridge No 4. Keeping these factors in mind, the transport and traffic planning directorate had designed a long flyover to create a kind of inner ringroad connecting some of the new flyovers for a high-speed access to airport.
“The new flyover would link AJC Bose Road flyover with Chingrighata flyover to give uninterrupted access to airport through Rajarhat Expressway.
“Besides, the centre also sanctioned Rs 312 crore drinking water project at Kamarhati which would generate 30 million gallon per day potable water. The project would benefit 8.18 lakh people of the area. The Centre has also approved Rs 112 crore solid waste management plan. Under JNNURM the Centre has also approved a project worth Rs 18.46 crore.

^^Assuming they keep the original design, with twin rotaries at Park Circus and Parama island, this will be a landmark flyover project for Kolkata.

rotary is very bad design ... there should be cloverleaf or stack interchanges

Source: TOI Epaper



^^Assuming they keep the original design, with twin rotaries at Park Circus and Parama island, this will be a landmark flyover project for Kolkata.

is a cloverleaf possible in such a tight and urban space?

^^I would say it is next to impossible in Park Circus 5 point crossing, but not sure about Parama island. Also do we require one in Parama island? It is not a intersection. This will be the most challenging flyover prject in kolkata given the space constraints especially around bridge no.4

4 level stack is better if space is the issue
and, there is always option of demolishing near-by dilapidated buildings, if there is political will

Bengal's IT sector looks beyond recession days (http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200901251251.htm)

Kolkata (IANS): The global economic meltdown has reduced the pace of growth of West Bengal's showpiece IT sector, but the state wants to build IT infrastructure and develop a talent pool so that it's ready when times get better.

"During the last financial year, the IT sector in the state grew around 46 percent in dollar terms against the national growth of 28 percent," state IT Minister Debesh Das told IANS.

"The way we were growing in the past has slowed down now," he said, adding: "Nasscom (National Association of Software and Services Companies) predicted an all India growth of 15 percent. I hope our growth will be more than that."

The state government had set a target earlier to become one of the country's best three IT states by 2010, which Das said would be impossible to achieve now.

The IT sector boom in the state started in 2001-02. Among the various big national and international IT companies in the state, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is the major player, contributing 45 percent to the growth of the IT units in the state.

"During this time of downturn, we will concentrate on infrastructure building,"Das said.

Emphasis will also be given to IT education. This will help the state develop a talent pool, so that when the downturn ends, it will be ready to cater to the needs of the industry.

Recently, the city-based Dhunseri Group has started a project to build a twin-tower IT office complex at an investment of Rs.1.3 billion (Rs.130 crore/$26 million).

"The state government is constructing buildings in Durgapur and Siliguri. These are completely public projects," Das said. Each building is coming up in 2-3 acres, he added.

Siliguri is the gateway to northeastern India, while Durgapur is an industrial town.

"It is at the heart of the cities. It will be completed by 2009," Das said.

"In Durgapur and Siliguri, we are talking to a few companies, who will be interested in setting up offices in these two locations. They are modelled on a well-appreciated IT infrastructure building we had constructed in the Salt Lake area near the city," the minister added.

West Bengal contributes 3-4 percent to the nation's IT coffers.

"We had earlier targeted a figure of 15-20 percent matching with the growth rate of the IT sector over here, but now it is not possible," Das said,"though in IT export, we have crossed the $1 billion mark in 2007-08".

The state is gearing up to house its first animation park at the newly developing Rajarhat town in the northeastern fringes of Kolkata.

"We want to build a laser park as well as an animation park in the state. We are in talks with Warner Bros though it's at an initial stage. We have talked to a few other national and international companies too,"Das said.

Animation major DQ Entertainment has already set up its first venture in Salt Lake, employing 300 professionals.

"A few companies from the Silicon Valley have shown eagerness to shift to Kolkata due to the facilities we provide over here. Talks are still on, six to seven companies have contacted us," the minister said.

He is hopeful that registrations for the software technology park in 2008-09 will surpass those of 2007-08.

In the last fiscal, 33 companies registered for the software technology park in the city. This fiscal (2008-09), 30 companies have registered so far.

Asked to what extent the recent Satyam scam will impact the IT industry and its future overseas deals, Das said: "Satyam scam is not related to IT. It's a monetary scam. It won't affect our image. IT industry depends on the services it delivers. No such scam would affect it adversely."

4 level stack is better if space is the issue
and, there is always option of demolishing near-by dilapidated buildings, if there is political will

^^I am not hopeful of authorities working towards demolishing old buildings. Also the buildings in Park circus crossing are not too old enough or crumbling to justifiy demolition. I think for any project in kolkata, one has to work within the confines of available space.

Source: Live Mint


Reliance Kolkata project in municipal wrangle

Auction was won two years ago but municipal authorities are yet to sign a lease agreement in the face of protests

Kolkata: The plans of Reliance Industries Ltd, or RIL, to rebuild Park Circus market are still in limbo nearly two years after it won an auction to do so, as municipal authorities are yet to sign a lease agreement with the firm in the face of local protests.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation, or KMC, now wants Reliance to promise that it will not sell farm produce in the renovated market, but the company is unwilling to do so.
Changing equation: The Park Circus market, which was to be rebuilt by Reliance. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation now wants the firm to promise that it will not sell farm produce in the renovated market.
The dilapidated 68-year-old market, one of the 22 owned by KMC, was put on the block for redevelopment and Reliance Retail Ltd and Reliance Engineering Associates Pvt. Ltd, both subsidiaries of Mukesh Ambani-controlled Reliance Industries, won the bidding.
At the time of the auction, KMC had said it would lease out the market for 99 years to the winning bidder, which could keep around 154,000 sq. ft for its own use and rebuild the remaining 76,000 sq. ft to rehabilitate around 400 traders in the market and house KMC’s administrative offices.
The market’s shopkeepers, who mostly sell groceries, vegetables, fish and meat, banded under the state’s main opposition Trinamool Congress party to oppose the move, fearing they would be unable to compete with Reliance Retail. The Forward Bloc party, a constituent of the ruling Left Front, also joined forces with them.
“We are insisting that they (Reliance) not sell agricultural products from the renovated Park Circus market but they aren’t willing to accept this condition,” joint municipal commissioner, development, Sahidul Islam, told Mint, adding that negotiations led by mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya are continuing.
Municipal commissioner Alapan Bandopadhyay, however, dismissed possibilities of the deal being called off.
“They (Reliance) are naturally eager to start business but I don’t think they can be said to be pushing us to return the money,” he said. Reliance had paid KMC Rs30.33 crore—the amount it had bid for control of the market—a year ago.
An emailed questionnaire on the issue sent to RIL on 21 January wasn’t answered.
Though traders led by the Trinamool Congress and the Forward Bloc have been opposing the entry of retailers and wholesalers such as Reliance and Metro Cash and Carry (India) Pvt. Ltd, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has so far welcomed investments in the retail business.
In September, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee personally intervened to remove obstacles for the launch of German wholesaler Metro’s 100,000 sq. ft store. But, it now seems even he is unable to build a consensus within the Left Front on giving Reliance control of the Park Circus market.
Local elected representative to KMC, Farzana Choudhury of the Communist Party of India, said: “We understand that there has been a delay which no investor would like…but at the end of the day it has to be a political decision taken by the Left Front.”
Park Circus isn’t the first KMC-owned market to be redeveloped. Three other markets—at Gariahat, Lake Market and College Street—have been rebuilt. The College Street market is being rebuilt by a private real estate developer—Bengal Shelter Housing Development Ltd—into a mall dedicated to book stores.
The civic body plans to redevelop 17 markets, Park Circus included, and the mayor even suggested floating an omnibus tender for all of them two years ago.
But the stiff political resistance to leasing out Park Circus market seems to have forced KMC to put the plan of redeveloping its markets on the back burner. Soon after Park Circus, KMC was expected to invite bids for the Entally market in central Kolkata, but there has been no action on that front.
Commissioner Bandopadhyay said the civic body was unable to find a suitable site that traders could move into while the Entally market was being rebuilt.
There was a similar stand-off between Reliance and state authorities a few months ago, when the retailer was looking to launch Reliance Fresh stores in Kolkata and its suburbs.
The state agricultural marketing board, which is controlled by the Forward Bloc, refused to grant a licence for Reliance to source farm produce from wholesale markets governed by the board. Reliance had been waiting for the licence for almost a year.
Unable to get a licence, Reliance tied up with the Keventer Group, which was licensed to buy from some agricultural marketing board-controlled markets, and started retailing fruit and vegetables through its stores in Kolkata.
The Keventer Group has since applied for 11 more licences armed with a Calcutta high court order that has asked the agricultural marketing board to process the applications within a month.
The Keventer Group had moved court alleging that the board was sitting on its application for licences for almost a year.

Chocolate Hotels recently opened Chrome Hotel at AJC Bose Road in Kolkata. Deval Tibrewalla, CEO, Chrome Hotel, said, “We travelled a lot and grew bored of the standard luxury hotels with their standard plastic smiles. So, we decided to make merry hotels, happy fun places.” It aims to offer eclectic stylish ambience, an unconventional approach and service delivered to guests by a friendly, engaging staff. The property is targeting ‘style seekers and trend setters’.

Expanding into four levels of rectilinear projections, Chrome houses 63 rooms classified into seven types, for example an exclusive High Chrome floor for those who want ultra luxury rooms and Edge Suites with sweeping views. Tibrewalla says, “There is no standard room at Chrome.” The seventh category of rooms has not been revealed as yet.

Chrome also offers KhanaSutra, a North Indian restaurant with two Chef studio gazebos and a connoisseur menu (15 courses); Nosh, a round the clock bistro serving finger foods, coffee and a live bar with salad counter; a night club designed in a Zen theme; Strip, a pool lounge serving global finger foods; Knock, which offers in- room dining to every room, serving global cuisine round the clock. A butler service is on offer, as well. Facilities include a business centre, conference room and library.

Source: http://www.hospitalitybizindia.com/detailNews.aspx?aid=3389&sid=1

Photo cc SarafIndian

Photos taken today.

Don't know which building u/c. Near shrachi/rubi golpark.

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00721.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00723.jpg

They make rubi golpark smaller.

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00725.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00726.jpg

Another u/c building near rubi golpark. Don't know what.

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00742.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00743.jpg

Acropolis u/c. Sorry for bad quality photo. Actually taken from moving car. Better luck next time.

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00731.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00733.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00734.jpg

The red building...

Sugam Business Park

http://www.sugamhomes.com/sugam_business_park.html

Srijan Tech Park
B+G+15

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/1219/srijantechparkpq5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

^^ looking good. I saw it today while coming to office. They have already put the glasses on the remaining places(means it is done). I had no camera with me(not allowed in my office). Otherwise could have taken some photos.

Photo cc SarafIndian

A building u/c near science city.
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00751.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00752.jpg

Emaar-Mfg hotel u/c site. Construction going on.
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00760.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00761.jpg

Wipro jn flyover once again.
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00680.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00681.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/DSC00682.jpg

^^Saraf, thanks for sharing the updates:)

"THE Hub" looks exactly like the render. The (long) building under construction near Ruby crossing must be Akash.

deleted....

I was on a very brief trip to Kolkata last week. Did not get the opportunity to click, however here are some observations:

1. Saw movement of construction equipment at the site of the new intergrated terminal.
2. Service road under construction in VIP road proceeding towards the airport along the left flank
3. Random road widening on sections of EM Bypass. Parama Ruby roundabouts have been truncated given more road space. A service road outside of Science city ( maybe for a free left for vehicles coming from south and proceeding to Park Circus) has been constructed.
4. Work is progressing on the EM bypass flyover connecting with VIP Road. With every visit slums seem to increase along the northern part of EM Bypass ( near ultadanga). KMRC may face major hurdles here.
5. Many commercial midrise buildings in South/Central Kolkata have made progress in the last 5 months. Fort Oasis ( 24 fl *3) is making good progress much to the disgust of the locals in the area
6. Some roads ( for example Hungerford street in Central Kolkata) that were completely dug up have been repaired and given a coat of mastic asphalt.
7. Concretization of tram tracks have been completed along some stretches in Hazra/RB avenue crossings. With this, SP Mukherjee road looks almost as wide as 8-9 lanes in some stretches.
8. Saw quite a few green autos in South Kolkata;they ply alongside the majority of the polluting pieces of crap.
9. The only signs of restoration in Dalhousie Square are the lamps installed along the median and in the periphery of the Royal Insurance & GPO buildings. The herculean task for the project's success would be the rehabilitation of the street dwellers.

Source: TOI Epaper

State plans BRTS in new avatar
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/2796/getimageqc9.jpg
Kolkata: The state government’s ambitious Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) plan is now ready in a new avatar. After being turned down by the Centre for containing several flaws, the proposal has now been remodelled and the first phase of the facility to run between Ultadanga and Garia Station Road for 15.5 km is now ready to be cleared by Delhi.
Bengal Urban Infrastructure Development Pvt Ltd, a joint sector company formed with the state government, has prepared the new model of BRTS, a high-quality transit system that delivers fast, comfortable and low-cost transport. An improvement from the regular bus service, BRTS is affordable and fast due to dedicated tracks.
The project, which will cost a whopping Rs 300 crore, will pass through five flyovers — at Ultadanga, Parama Island, Ruby crossing, the EM Bypass-Prince Anwar Shah connector and the overbridge at Baghajatin railway station.
With the traffic count between Beliaghata and Science City at 7,000 PCU (passenger car unit), the BRTS will provide high-speed ride over this stretch without being hindered by the increasing traffic count along the EM Bypass. These buses will move at 60 kmph and stop only at their designated stops. Among the changes made from the earlier plan, a second-tier flyover at Chingrihata over the existing one going towards Rajarhat has been dropped. Two service roads — one opposite ITC Sonar and another near the water bodies close to Chingrihata — have also been dropped.
There is also a plan to tie up with the railways, Metro and other transport organisations to integrate the network into BRTS, so that it might be possible for a person to purchase a single ticket and to travel the entire distance involving rides in BRTS, trains, trams, Metro and so on. The Centre had particularly stressed this integration plan.
The Kolkata BRTS bay would be based on the Pune model — towards the footpath. “If the bays are towards the divider, passengers can meet with accidents if they cross the road in a hurry,” said an official. In Ahmedabad and Delhi, the bays are towards the dividers.
The smart bus stops will be more of bus ‘stations’, with pre-boarding ticketing and comfortable waiting facilities for passengers. The multi-door buses will be on the same level of the bus stations to allow easy and comfortable boarding and alighting. The buses will look completely different — large, high-capacity and comfortable, said a senior official of the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority.
Service roads would be integrated with the main road and routine traffic would not be allowed to hinder the dedicated BRTS tracks. “BRTS will work in coordination with operators of smaller buses to create new feeder services to the bus stations,” an official added.
There will also be overpasses and signals showing when the next buses would arrive in the model of modern cities around the world.

^^On the pretext of this project, let us hope Kolkata gets modern buses.

Source: TOI Epaper


State allots land for knowledge city
Kolkata: A knowledge hub with the country’s best institutions not very far from Kolkata. Along with it, a second science city. The knowledge city or an institutionbased town project has just got under way with the state government allotting land in Baruipur to various institutions. Land-filling and construction will begin this year and the project is likely to be completed by 2011.
A meeting was held at Writers’ Buildings on Monday to thrash out the quantity of land for each of these institutions, including the National Institute for Research in Mangroves, the National Institute for Pharmaceuticals Education and Research, Institute of Nano Science and Technology, National Institute of Ocean Technology and a Council for Scientific and Industrial Research innovation complex, R K Pachauri’s Tata Energy Research Institute. The National Council of Science Museums’ second Science City project, too, will be allotted land in Baruipur.
The state government has 500 acres of vested land to set up the South 24-Parganas district headquarters in Baruipur. But around 120 acres of this had been kept aside for the A-grade institutions so that a knowledge hub could come up in the area. Some of the institutions have asked for the land for free while others are ready with their cheques for a down payment, a senior government official said.
After the meeting at Writers’, CPM MP Sujan Chakraborty met officials of the chief minister’s secretariat to finalise the land allotment to the various institutions. “Construction of the knowledge city will begin this year and the project will be completed by 2011,” he said.
While working out the allotment to the various institutions, the government realised that it would need more than the 120 kept aside for the knowledge city. “We have asked KMDA to allot some more land to accommodate all the projects,” said a government official.
Some very ambitious projects — close to chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s heart — are likely to be included in the knowledge hub. Among them is the National Institute for Research in Mangroves, which will have its research centre spread over 15 acre in Baruipur and its field centre, covering 50 acres, at Jharkhali in the Sunderbans.

LAND ALLOTMENT

National Institute for Research in Mangroves: 15 acres
National Institute for Pharmaceuticals Education and Research (Niper): 35 acres
Institute of Nano Science and Technology: 35 acres
National Institute of Ocean Technology: 10 acres
CSIR innovation complex: 25 acres
Tata Energy Research Institute: 10 acres
Second Science City project: 10 acres
Spice Board’s branch: 1 acre
Institute of Machine Intelligence (a proposal of Indian Statistical Institute): 10 acres
DRDO: 10 acres

State allots land for knowledge city
:TOI Epaper

Hopefully Miss Mamata and her gang of intellectuals do not oppose this project as well.

Mamata don't hang with intellectuals.

I agree. She only hangs around dead intellectuals nowadays. The living intellectuals hang around her though.

I was on a very brief trip to Kolkata last week. Did not get the opportunity to click, however here are some observations:

1. Saw movement of construction equipment at the site of the new intergrated terminal.
2. Service road under construction in VIP road proceeding towards the airport along the left flank
3. Random road widening on sections of EM Bypass. Parama Ruby roundabouts have been truncated given more road space. A service road outside of Science city ( maybe for a free left for vehicles coming from south and proceeding to Park Circus) has been constructed.
4. Work is progressing on the EM bypass flyover connecting with VIP Road. With every visit slums seem to increase along the northern part of EM Bypass ( near ultadanga). KMRC may face major hurdles here.
5. Many commercial midrise buildings in South/Central Kolkata have made progress in the last 5 months. Fort Oasis ( 24 fl *3) is making good progress much to the disgust of the locals in the area
6. Some roads ( for example Hungerford street in Central Kolkata) that were completely dug up have been repaired and given a coat of mastic asphalt.
7. Concretization of tram tracks have been completed along some stretches in Hazra/RB avenue crossings. With this, SP Mukherjee road looks almost as wide as 8-9 lanes in some stretches.
8. Saw quite a few green autos in South Kolkata;they ply alongside the majority of the polluting pieces of crap.
9. The only signs of restoration in Dalhousie Square are the lamps installed along the median and in the periphery of the Royal Insurance & GPO buildings. The herculean task for the project's success would be the rehabilitation of the street dwellers.

2/10 autos are green I assume(atleast in Saltlake area). The number is increasing everyday but slowly. Green autos are very comfortable(less noisy).

^^Saraf, thanks for sharing the updates:)

"THE Hub" looks exactly like the render. The (long) building under construction near Ruby crossing must be Akash.

Which one is "the hub'?

Sarafindian one the buildings around ruby which is nearer to the road(not the long building),is the five-storey toyota showroom.(the first picture in post 1885)

Which one is "the hub'?

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=31629850&postcount=1887

Hopefully Miss Mamata and her gang of intellectuals do not oppose this project as well.

Don't give her ideas.

green autos? Saraf, do you have any pictures? What are they like and how do you spot them apart? Do they use battery powered engines?

Instead of two-stroke old autos, the news ones are supposed to be four stroke and CNG powered. Less polluting, a lot less considering all the old ones use a fuel which is a mix of regular hydrocarbon-based oil and any type contaminants that ingenious Indian mind can think of.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=31629850&postcount=1887

Thanks Sun :)

green autos? Saraf, do you have any pictures? What are they like and how do you spot them apart? Do they use battery powered engines?

They are 4 stroke cng autos. Green color(unlike the yellow-black) autos. They look same as the old autos but less polluting. Will post photos.

Which one is "the hub'?

the one with the glass cladding. it is located next to HPL

the one with the glass cladding. it is located next to HPL

Thanks. Got it. Thats a nice looking building. It is great to see lots of glass structure coming up at saltlake area. Wish they will modernize the roads and other facilities as well. :)

Just to let you guys know; they are building the front section of Globesyn crystals. That should be another building(or a part) a bit shorter than the main section.

2/10 autos are green I assume(atleast in Saltlake area). The number is increasing everyday but slowly. Green autos are very comfortable(less noisy).

^^Green autos will add more color to the already verdant Salt Lake. I was referring to 1/10 green autos in the Ballygunj area. I also saw maybe 02/10 existing autos ( i am guessing they are 4 stroke) with LPG stuck behind.

30cr for tram tracks repair (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090206/jsp/calcutta/story_10490978.jsp)
The state government has decided to repair the tram tracks on Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, where a steel strip jutting out of the tracks had pierced the belly of a taxi on January 24, and in Behala.

Around Rs 30 crore has been earmarked for repairing a two-km stretch on Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, near Wellington Square, and a 6.5-km stretch in Behala.“We decided to repair the tracks after the accident near Wellington Square,” a Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC) official said on Thursday.

On January 24, a jutting metal strip had pierced the taxi’s undercarriage, punctured its rear seat and entered the boot, missing the lone passenger and the driver by inches.

Metro had published reports on the death traps caused by damaged tram tracks.

Transport minister Subhas Chakraborty and CTC chairman Rajdeo Goala had met finance minister Asim Dasgupta to request for Rs 30 crore for the repairs.

“We were assured that funds would not be a problem for repairing the tram tracks,” said Goala.

The tracks on some other routes, too, would be repaired in the next few months, said Pradip Chattopadhyay, the managing director of CTC.

Buses to be replaced: The government will buy 25 low-floor air-conditioned buses next month for plying in the city as part of its exercise to phase out commercial vehicles older than 15 years, the transport minister said on Thursday.

The buses will be bought from Ural India Ltd’s manufacturing unit in Haldia, set up with Chinese collaboration. Each bus will cost around Rs 25 lakh.

Asked about the fares on the new buses, Chakraborty said: “The fare structure will not be much higher than what is followed on existing buses.”

^^Do they need 30cr just for repairs? Or is it for concretizing the stretch. The tracks in Behala still run on elevated ground all the way till Joka ; Concretization will facilitate faster traffic movement in the overburdened DH road

The proposed India Design Centre


http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/2936/indiadesigncentreinfiniwf4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Saraf/ArijeetB - any idea if this has gone beyond the artist's impression?

The last i heard government was yet to allot land for the semiconductor hub.I dont think the project has found any takers.

The last i heard government was yet to allot land for the semiconductor hub.I dont think the project has found any takers.

Isn't Infinity IT parks supposed to develop it? The picture is from http://www.infinityitpark.com/

The India Design Centre looks cool.

AMP Baiskakhi u/c at Baiskakhi,saltlake. Sorry for very bad quality photos. It was around 8 pm and I had no option but taking photos with my 2 mp mobile camera. It seems the project is quite big.

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/01022009.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/01022009003.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/01022009002.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff132/SarafIndian/01022009001.jpg

The proposed India Design Centre


http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/2936/indiadesigncentreinfiniwf4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Saraf/ArijeetB - any idea if this has gone beyond the artist's impression?

I think it is still in planning/design stage Sun. I didn't see any activitis yet.

Dr. Kaushik Banarjee's Hospital
Sitaram


Gitaram hospital is in Baharampur, not Kolkata.

Firms bet big on Ambuja facility

Kolkata: At a time when all that one hears is about job cuts and projects being shoved into the back-burner, here’s some reassurance that all isn’t lost.
Four companies — two Indian and two international — have booked office space in an under-construction business park at New Town. When the companies move into the building by mid-year, they may recruit over 1,000 professionals including MBAs, engineers, designers and animators.
HDFC Bank has signed for 38,000 ft and reserved the right to an additional 60,000 sq ft at Ecospace, the top-of-the-line office space being developed by Ambuja Realty. German engineering giant ThyssenKrupp AG has signed 20,000 sq ft for a backend engineering centre.
HDFC Bank, which is currently the anchor tenant, has booked an entire floor of the first building to set up its regional operations hub. “It will be the back office for processing accounts, fixed deposits, credit cards and loans of customers in the entire eastern region. We have 125 branches in the east and are opening another 36 soon. The initial recruitment will be for 300 professionals. If we grow to 1 lakh sq ft, there will be more recruitments,” said HDFC Bank senior V-P and regional head (east) Madhusudan Hegde.
Australian firm e.magination has confirmed 10,000 sq ft. Local BPO firm Acclaris has also signed on the dotted line but not finalised the floorspace yet. What’s particularly interesting is that all the deals have been struck in the past three months.
“The fact that customers have firmed up plans to set up operations in Kolkata in the past couple of months is extremely encouraging. I have always believed that the slowdown effect is far less worse than we are making it out to be. The inherent strength in the Indian economy or the locational strength of Kolkata hasn’t changed. I expect these four deals will act as a catalyst and encourage others to repose faith,” Ambuja Realty MD Harsh Neotia said.

Times of India

^^ Great news for kolkata.Kolkata should leverage its low-cost strength to tide through this recession,and the government should also do its part by beefing up infrastructure in places like Rajarhat.

^^ lets hope for the best. :)
_

Taken by my cell phone.

An u/c office in Sec-V

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/11022009.jpg

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/11022009001.jpg

Southcity pinnacle u/c

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/11022009003.jpg

A part of godrej waterside u/c

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/11022009004.jpg

State approval for flyover

From The Telegraph

The state government on Thursday approved the construction of an elevated 7.5km flyover from Jinjira Bazar in Mahestala to Batanagar for better connectivity with the city. The decision was taken at a meeting in Writers’ Buildings on Thursday. The project will cost Rs 400 crore. A health city, an IT hub and a special economic zone will also come up in the Mahestala-Budge Budge area.

Kolkata After waiting for years, the Park Circus Maidan will finally get a makeover as the Kolkata Municipal Corporation has decided to beautify the site under the Kolkata Environment Improvement Project. The renovation work will begin from February 14.
According to Faiaz Ahmed Khan, MMiC (Parks and Squares), the estimated cost of the project is Rs 2.15 crore and the renovation work will be completed in one year. However, the civic authorities feel that the expense can rise.

Interestingly, the proposal to renovate the Park Circus Maidan was first mooted by the KMC and Rs 2 crore was sanctioned by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in August 2007. Kolkata Environment Improvement Project (KEIP) was supposed to carry out renovation work. Despite the sanction of funds almost two years ago, the renovation work had been stalled due to several reasons, including renting out of the area for different fairs, religious festivals and meetings.

Meanwhile, the KMC received many proposals from many corporate houses and chambers of commerce but not a single entity was ready to beautify the area without having any commercial interest.

Earlier, Reliance Retail Ltd had proposed the construction of a children’s park in the area, Bharat Chamber of Commerce had also sent a proposal for it development. However, no proposal got materialized. “The CESC sent a proposal to us but they wanted to set up a substation inside the park, which we cannot allow,” Mr Khan said.

Indian Express

Does anyone have latest update on this project?


Regards,
csourav

CTC switches to bio fuel
Source: TOI Epaper

Kolkata: In the first voluntary step towards lowering vehicular pollution in the city, Calcutta Tramways Co. (CTC) has started using bio-diesel in its bus fleet from February 2. Though 25% of the vehicles have already switched to the green fuel, CTC officials are keen to gradually hike it to 35% over the next few months.
On Tuesday, CTC chairman Rajdeo Goala and managing director P K Chattopadhyay signed the pact with Emami group directors Aditya V Agarwal and Manish Goenka for regular procurement of bio-diesel. While CTC’s 300-bus fleet consumed 5.4 lakh litre diesel a month till January, the pact with Emami will reduce its diesel consumption by 1.35 lakh litre. Instead, an equal quantum of bio-diesel will be used in its fleet. With Emami offering bio-diesel at Rs 1.44 less than the price of diesel, it will lead to savings of around Rs 2 lakh per month.
“The primary reason for going for biodiesel is to make our fleet an environmentfriendly mode of transport. The financial benefits are secondary. During trials conducted in January, we have seen a 35% improvement in smoke value. That means emissions from buses, which use a mix of diesel and bio-diesel, emit 35% less pollu tants than those using only diesel,” ex plained Chattopadhyay.
CTC, which began operating buses in November 1992, carries 0.16 million passengers per day or 58 million passen gers per annum in the 250-odd buses that it plies daily.
Emami will be able to meet CTC’s month ly requirement with less than a day’s pro duction at the Haldia plant that has a daily capacity of 300 tonne. Though it is in talks with several other institutions — including other transport corporations in the state, Kolkata Police, Kolkata Municipal Corporation, power utilities CESC and West Bengal State Electricity Board as well as coal, iron ore and other mineral mining firms —lack of environmental concern has led to poor response.
Praising the CTC management for accepting the fuel within a month of conducting trials, Goenka hoped others would be as proactive. “Unfortunately, all that the organizations are concerned of is mileage and whether it will harm their engine. No one is bothered about environment and how much the vehicles are polluting right now,” he said, a hint of frustration unmistakable in his voice.
Despite the fuel being tested and approved by SGS of Singapore to be of European Union standard, which is far more stringent than the Bureau of Indian Standard norms, companies insist on conducting field trials, thereby delaying the process. Against the BIS sulphur limit of 50 mg/kg, EU has a limit of 10 mg/kg. The bio-diesel manufactured by Emami has a sulphur count of 0.83 mg/kg. CSTC has already conducted trials. Others, too, insist on testing the fuel before agreeing to use.
Indian Oil Corporation has inspected the facility and is likely to begin purchasing bio-diesel from May for premixing with diesel sold through its retail outlets in the city. “If it happens, we will be able to sell our entire stock and go in for capacity expansion,” said Agarwal. Meanwhile, the company plans to set up two dispensing stations at Haldia and Balasore in a month and a half.
Two more companies have bio-diesel manufacturing facility in the state. While Coastal Energy has a 200-tonne plant at Falta, Air Bridge Greens has set up a 30,000-litre-a-day plant at Domjur in Howrah

Soon, only green autos on Garia-Golpark route
Source: TOI Epaper

Kolkata: At a time when most two-stroke auto owners are dragging their feet to switch over to the LPG mode despite a high court order, auto operators on the Garia-Golpark route have set a precedence. With the purchase of 52 four-stroke LPG autos on Tuesday, it is turning fast into a ‘green auto’ route.
All the 52 autos will hit the streets on Wednesday morning, sending a positive message across the city. Upbeat with the development, the Citu union leaders on the Garia-Golpark route have organised a flag-off ceremony. Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, minister of state for labour Anadi Shaw and Sunderbans affairs minister Kanti Ganguly will attend the programme.
On Tuesday, the Bajaj showroom in Taratala was bustling with auto owners, taking out their new vehicles. It virtually looked like a Citu rally as the new autos flaunting red flags headed towards Garia in a row.
“I had to shell out about Rs 1 lakh for this four-stroke auto. But I got it against a nominal downpayment. So, I have no regrets. I am happy that I played my part to make the city’s environment healthier,” said Netai Sen, an auto owner.
Going by the records available with the public vehicles department, this is by far the highest four-stroke autorickshaw sale in a day. “Sale of four-stroke LPG autos was never more than seven a day. Tuesday’s figures surpassed all records,” said a PVD official.
Bajaj officials also endorsed PVD’s view. “This is undoubtedly a positive development. We have never seen such a huge number of autos being sold from our showrooms across the city in a day. The bulk purchase is the highest since we started manufacturing four-stroke LPG autos in 2003,” said N V Hariharan, national sales manager of Bajaj Auto.
Citu leaders on the Garia-Golpark route worked overtime to bring about this change, pushing aside political opposition and the initial reluctance of some auto owners. A total of 132 four-stroke LPG autos are plying on the route that has a fleet of 450-odd autos. Citu leaders expect the LPG switchover to be complete sometime in April. “It was a difficult task. At times, we ran out of steam. We could not have made the progress without the help of the auto owners, who realised the need of the hour. We are still trying to meet the deadline,” said Dilip Das, the Citu leader on the route.
All the 318 two-stroke autos on the route have also submitted applications for the switchover. Out of those, 150 either have problems with papers or have no valid papers at all. “Our target is to expedite the process for the 168 autos that have valid documents. We expect the process to be complete by February. And by next month, we expect the 150 illegal autos to set their records right,” said Das.
Bhaskar Mazumdar, who had bought the first four-stroke autos (WB-04C-2442 and WB-04C2443) on this route in March 2003, was also present at the Bajaj showroom on Monday. “I came here to motivate the others and take part in the rally. I have told the other auto owners about the benefits of four-stroke autos and I am happy that they have realised it,” he said.

Pranab walks political tightrope for Bengal
Source: TOI Epaper

Kolkata: Let CPM general secretary Prakash Karat swear at the UPA government in Delhi. Back home, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee share the same platform when it comes to the state’s development. Mukherjee will inaugurate the prestigious East-West Metro project at Salt Lake Stadium on February 21.
In fact, Pranab has carved out a niche for himself in Bengal, coming out of the destructive political culture that never allows the ruling coalition and Opposition to agree on a single issue. He is at this political tightrope walk despite his working on a pre-poll alliance with Trinamool Congress.
Even chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has openly acknowledged Pranab’s role in getting the projects sanctioned by the Centre.
The Light Rail Transit (LRT) project that the chief minister will launch on Wednesday is also listed under the JNNURM scheme, that has been given special emphasis in the Interim Budget Pranab placed on Monday.
And what’s more, the LRT project has got a six-kilometre extension. It was earlier decided that the first phase of the LRT alignment would run on a 32-km stretch from Joka to Panihati. The alignment has now been further extended by six kilometres to Barrackpore.
Transport department officials said the project, at an estimated cost of Rs 4,000 crore, would be jointly executed by SREI and the Czech-based AMEX Corporation on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis. “The financial contributions the Centre and state will make for the project are yet to be decided,” said an official.
The Delhi-based Consulting Engineering Services was earlier appointed to conduct a detailed project report on the project. And, SREI and Amex Corporation were selected from four companies to execute it. While SREI is supposed to bear the cost, Amex will lend the technology.
An official said the advanced mass transit corridor will run over BT Road. Thus, it was only logical to make Barrackpore the terminal point for LRT instead of Panihati. “The viability is high. We know there will be a tremendous demand from commuters if the LRT is extended. Thousands of commuters travel from Barrackpore to Kolkata every day. The LRT will simply be a boon for them,” said a transport department official.
From Joka, the scheduled elevated route of the LRT would follow Taratala, Kidderpore, Esplanade, Lenin Sarani, Moulali, Sealdah, Manicktala, Shyambazar and then take BT Road to end in Barrackpore.
The fare for the LRT has been proposed to be Rs 4 per kilometre. “Earlier, when we had planned to run the advanced mass transit from Joka to Panihati, the projected commuter movement was about 25,000 an hour in one direction. With the stretch being extended till Barrackpore, we estimate the number to increase up to 27,000 passengers an hour,” added another official.
With Barrackpore coming up rapidly on the radar of importance, the government wants to make it an important terminal point. “There is a long-distance train from Barrackpore to Jhansi. There is a possibility that more trains will also be added from the station. With LRT being extended, the infrastructure will be ready,” explained the transport official.

^^Lots of inaugurations this month:)

hey arjeet, whats with the light rail transit? its seems unnecessary for Kolkata.

hey arjeet, whats with the light rail transit? its seems unnecessary for Kolkata.

Whats your view ? I think it would augur well for Kolkata. Was surprised that the project got approved. We may need to move it in a separate thread under infrastructure.

Whats your view ? I think it would augur well for Kolkata. Was surprised that the project got approved. We may need to move it in a separate thread under infrastructure.

I think CM launched the project today.

From TOI

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/Ad0030302.png

From TOI

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/Ad0030302.png

Will this be a 4 lane flyover? Also does this also mean that the modernization of the Strand Road mint is now in archives ? I recall there was some issue raised that the beauty of the mint will be marred by the presence of the flyover in front of it.

Will this be a 4 lane flyover? Also does this also mean that the modernization of the Strand Road mint is now in archives ? I recall there was some issue raised that the beauty of the mint will be marred by the presence of the flyover in front of it.

4 lane as I know. Not sure about the other issues.

Newsreport of projects already mentioned.
Source: The Telegraph (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090219/jsp/calcutta/story_10557329.jsp)

LRT, flyover flagged off
- Deadlines set for projects

The state government on Wednesday launched two major infrastructure projects aimed at improving the city’s mass transit system.

Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya inaugurated the Light Rail Transit (LRT) project at Taj Bengal, while urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya laid the foundation stone for the construction of the first phase of the Vivekananda Road flyover at Girish Park.

The state government claimed the LRT project would be completed in five years and the flyover in 18 months. A transport department official told Metro that the projects were launched hurriedly as the Lok Sabha elections are approaching.

“More projects will be launched over the next few weeks. No one can say when these projects will be completed,” added the official.

The LRT will connect Joka in the south with Barrackpore in the north through air-conditioned coaches plying on elevated tracks.

Minutes before the inauguration, the government signed an MoU with Srei — an infrastructure and finance company which is leading a consortium of Czech company Amex International and the West Bengal Transport Infrastructure Development Limited — for executing the project.

The cost of the project, which will be executed in two phases, has been estimated at Rs 6,000 crores.

“We have planned a Ring Road apart from the East-West Metro and the LRT,” said transport minister Subhas Chakrabarty.

Earlier in the day, Asok Bhattacharya launched the Rs 153-crore flyover project from Howrah bridge to Girish Park. A ramp of the flyover will lead to Nimtala.

The Empire, Gurusaday Road
http://theempire16a.com/

1
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/3796/empirekolkatasvm7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

2
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/2528/empire4kolkatasgh7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Source: TOI Epaper

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/2536/getimagexl4.png

City Center II
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3031/3065468118_a708d18046_o.jpg
cc:Mariyam

source: Indian Express (http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/panel-for-beautification-of-hooghly-river-soon/425947/)

Kolkata: The state government will soon set up a committee to look into the beautification, conservation and preservation of the river Hooghly and its ghats.
“Recently we had a meeting at the Prime Minister’s office and we placed the proposal there,” said ML Meena, Principal Secretary, state environment department. He was speaking at the Environment Partnership Summit organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce at a city hotel.

Meena said the state had approached the Centre with a proposal for the conservation of Hooghly. Accordingly the plan for setting up a River Basin Management Authority has been cleared by the Centre.

He also said the state environment department will soon set up an environment compliance service centre. The service centre will act as an advisory body and help remove the bottlenecks that will make obtaining environmental clearances easier.

The centre, a first-of-its-kind in the state, will come up at a cost of Rs 12 crore at the state Pollution Control Board (PCB) office and will act as a nodal agency and will aid industries to solve their environmental management crisis.

Officials of the PCB pointed out that the centre will have details about the latest technologies available for a particular type of industry and will have a website where these details would be mentioned.

A prospective investor after approaching the West Bengal Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (WBIDCL) with his proposal for setting up an industry can come to the environment compliance service centre to get suggestions about non-polluting technologies that are available. If needed he can use the website to get details about the latest technologies available. However, suggestions made by the service centre are not binding on the prospective investors, officials added.

The centre is expected to come into operation within a year, Meena added.

From my cellphone.

Pinacle seen from my office.
http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/13022009.jpg

Crystals
http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/13022009001.jpg

Crystals u/c
http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/20022009003.jpg

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/20022009002.jpg

Some unknown u/c
http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/20022009004.jpg

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/20022009.jpg

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/20022009005.jpg

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/20022009001.jpg

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/17022009001.jpg

source: Indian Express (http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/panel-for-beautification-of-hooghly-river-soon/425947/)

Kolkata: The state government will soon set up a committee to look into the beautification, conservation and preservation of the river Hooghly and its ghats.
“Recently we had a meeting at the Prime Minister’s office and we placed the proposal there,” said ML Meena, Principal Secretary, state environment department. He was speaking at the Environment Partnership Summit organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce at a city hotel.

Meena said the state had approached the Centre with a proposal for the conservation of Hooghly. Accordingly the plan for setting up a River Basin Management Authority has been cleared by the Centre.

He also said the state environment department will soon set up an environment compliance service centre. The service centre will act as an advisory body and help remove the bottlenecks that will make obtaining environmental clearances easier.

The centre, a first-of-its-kind in the state, will come up at a cost of Rs 12 crore at the state Pollution Control Board (PCB) office and will act as a nodal agency and will aid industries to solve their environmental management crisis.

Officials of the PCB pointed out that the centre will have details about the latest technologies available for a particular type of industry and will have a website where these details would be mentioned.

A prospective investor after approaching the West Bengal Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (WBIDCL) with his proposal for setting up an industry can come to the environment compliance service centre to get suggestions about non-polluting technologies that are available. If needed he can use the website to get details about the latest technologies available. However, suggestions made by the service centre are not binding on the prospective investors, officials added.

The centre is expected to come into operation within a year, Meena added.

With every new government initiative there seems to be the formation of yet another bureaucratic government organization /company /committee. I wonder how much money is diverted from actual funds to do this and worst still these persist even if the project is a failure or fails to take off in some cases. There seems to be no accountability on government. When will people realize the downsides of big government? In India, specially Bengal, there seems to be lack of awareness that government only acquires money by imposing more on taxpayers (read hapless middle class) or begging and then flaunting it! I wonder how long this can possibly continue?

Source: TOI Epaper

The occupants of Infinity Benchmark at Sector V will be the below mentioned B-school.
http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/3788/getimageqj0.png

With every new government initiative there seems to be the formation of yet another bureaucratic government organization /company /committee. I wonder how much money is diverted from actual funds to do this and worst still these persist even if the project is a failure or fails to take off in some cases. There seems to be no accountability on government. When will people realize the downsides of big government? In India, specially Bengal, there seems to be lack of awareness that government only acquires money by imposing more on taxpayers (read hapless middle class) or begging and then flaunting it! I wonder how long this can possibly continue?

much of what u said we all democratic Indians are well aware of.but we here in this forum should have to be somewhat optimistic of whatever project is being proposed.it's not only the problem of west bengal but actually whole of India.but i feel many things are surely changing and many are on the way of struggle(specially due to this global economic downfall which even have severly affected the job of our dear forum members).we have no other choice but to do our own studies here and hope our leading government does his own job in the same honest manner for what they are being elected for.

Wary Bengal clears decks for NSG's eastern hub (http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1232844)
Kolkata: Once bitten twice shy. After the controversy over Tata's small car factory in Singur, the West Bengal government is determined not to repeat the same mistake with the proposed eastern zone headquarters of the National Security Guard (NSG) in the state.
To avoid any kind of land row, the functional responsibilities of the NSG headquarters will be divided into two sections -- anti-hijacking squad and the main eastern zone regional centre.

The anti-hijacking squad will come up near the Kolkata airport, while the regional centre will be set up in any of the three places -- Panagarh in Burdwan district, Kalaikunda in West Midnapore and Barackpore in North 24 Parganas.

All the three places have defence airbases. This arrangement will not require a large amount of land at one place.

NSG director general JK Dutt discussed the plan with chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Friday. "The NSG's eastern India hub will come up in West Bengal. We are looking for land and the state government is cooperating with us," Dutta said.

"We hope there will be no controversy on this issue since the security of the eastern India is involved," a senior official of the state home department told DNA.

I don't think Mamata Bannerjee and the new "intellectual" party (comprising of people who have declared themselves buddhijibees) would have dared to oppose a NSG site. That would have given the Left Front to beat them with the stick of "unpatriotism".

And national security is far more important in these days than the whims of silly people like Miss Mamata or political wannabees like Ms Aparna Sen or Ms Shaonli Mitra.

^^I want to be a politician, Sun. How do I apply?

^^I want to be a politician, Sun. How do I apply?

Mamata is looking for young politicians.

political wannabees like Ms Aparna Sen or Ms Shaonli Mitra.

God bless West Bengal then.

thanks for the updates Sarafindian.

Radio cab fleets head for city (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090223/jsp/calcutta/story_10535996.jsp)

At least three dial-a-cab services will be rolled out in the next few months.

Delhi-based Mega Cabs is expected to be the first off the block in April, followed by Easy Cabs and Meru Cabs. The market buzz is that Bangladesh-based Reliance Cabs will join the fray soon.

The fleet of 100 Indigo Marinas of Kolkata Cabs, which was launched by Orix Auto Infrastructure Limited in August 2008 after the state floated a tender, is also set to double in April, said the CEO of the company, Niraj Kumar.

Mega Cabs will also use Indigo Marinas. “We are currently hiring staff and acquiring cars to launch our services in Calcutta,” Manish Dhariwal, the director of Mega Corporation, which runs Mega Cabs in Delhi, Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali, told Metro.

Easy Cabs wants to enter the Calcutta market in the next three months. “We are in talks with the government to obtain a licence,” said Easy Cabs managing director Rajiv K. Vij.

The company runs Esteem, Versa, Indigo Marina and Logan taxis in New Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore.

Calcutta is firmly on the radar of Meru Cabs, present in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Delhi.

“We hope to finalise the Calcutta plans very soon,” Gavin Dabreo, the vice-president (marketing) of Meru Cabs said. The company uses Esteem, Logan and Indigos for their service.

Blue Arrow, the first radio taxi (luxury cabs that can be hailed over phone) service in the city, closed shop but the prospective entrants are upbeat about the market.

Kolkata Cabs, which charges about Rs 15 per kilometre (higher than what the black-and-yellow taxis charge), does not plan to reduce fares to take on the competition. “Our customers are more concerned about the overall service than the fare,” said Kumar.

The “no-refusal” cabs have “comfortable seats, GPS monitoring, digital tamper-proof meters, receipt printers and lost-and-found facilities”. “Payment through credit or debit card will be introduced soon,” added Kumar.

According to industry estimates, the number of radio taxis in India will increase from 6,000 now to over 30,000 in the next two years.

^^ Easy & Meru have both revolutionized taxi services in Hyd and Blr. Hope Kolkata will go the same way.

Sounds really good although Rs 15/km sounds a lot expensive. Anybody on top their head know how much regular cab charges?

Sounds really good although Rs 15/km sounds a lot expensive. Anybody on top their head know how much regular cab charges?

^^I have traveled by these cabs in Hyd and Blr. Personally I am ready to pay more for the quality of the service at Rs. 5/km more.

To re-iterate with an example from my experience, everything starting with the call to the call center was a breeze. They confirm by providing cab & driver number 30 mins before the journey, they help you with your luggage onboarding and offboarding and keep you pleasant company throughout the journey. I paid 400 for the 25km journey( that was covered in 35 mins) from my residence to the Bangalore Intl airport cruising along the 6 laned NH-07.

Landing in Kolkata airport, the serpentine queue at the Bengal taxi association counter was a put-off. Anyway,the queue moved fast and once outside I was accousted by child touts pulling my luggage, tugging at my sleeve etc to direct me to the cab numbered in the receipt. :nuts: :ohno:And then began the journey thru congested VIP road in the non-airconditioned taxi in humid weather. The same distance of 25km cost me 250 but I was exhausted by the time I got off

Most avail these for travel to and from the airport and if the air traffic increases these will benefit. People of Kolkata need choice. Initially if their numbers increase fast there may be protests but I believe they will eventually be a blessing for Kolkata.

but i believe this option is for upper middle class and middle class families only. They don't really care about the price as long as they feel safe and uncheated.

^^I would use the term 'executive class' people, typically those employed in the burgeoning services sector in India who avail these facilities the most.

Taken from my cell phone.

A building u/c near Rashbihari(Just besides Chetlha bridge). The building is only 10-12 flr I think. But quite tall looking.

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/22022009013.jpg

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/22022009014.jpg

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/22022009015.jpg

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/22022009016.jpg

A large area u/c near new alipore. Could be a residential complex.
http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/22022009017.jpg

The Chetla Road building is Diamond Heights

http://www.diamondgroupweb.com/dia_hei.htm

The Chetla Road building is Diamond Heights

http://www.diamondgroupweb.com/dia_hei.htm

Thanks for the info Sun. The building is quite large and it seems they are going to finish the work within 3-4 months. :cheers:
__

Here a is large area they closed for construction I think. This place is just opposite to Spring valley, EM Bypass. Any idea what are they going to do here?

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/DSC00788.jpg

This building u/c is I think part of Kolkata International School.
http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/DSC00790.jpg

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/DSC00790.jpg

^^Nice updates, Saraf:cheers: I think this is a hospital besides the international school. There is a nice waterbody in front of it.

Anyway,the queue moved fast and once outside I was accousted by child touts pulling my luggage, tugging at my sleeve etc to direct me to the cab numbered in the receipt. :nuts: :ohno:

The touts outside the "high security" airport speaks of the quality of "high security" being provided by the security forces. Anyway the political parties, trade union leaders, AAI Babus, security staff probably share cut money from the touts.


People of Kolkata need choice. Initially if their numbers increase fast there may be protests but I believe they will eventually be a blessing for Kolkata.

The sorry state of local transport is because of CPM thug - Mr Subhash Chakroborty, the dumbos in the pompous politburo, the transportation mafia, the trade unions and Miss Mamata Bannerjee and her band of rona dhona "intellectuals". These people have a vested interest in the transportation business and are thus not very agreeable to change for the better.

The touts outside the "high security" airport speaks of the quality of "high security" being provided by the security forces. Anyway the political parties, trade union leaders, AAI Babus, security staff probably share cut money from the touts.

^^Not sure they would do harm, but yes it speaks volumes of the irony in our public systems.Circa 2011. I would be ashamed stepping out of the sleek terminal and being accousted by them.


The sorry state of local transport is because of CPM thug - Mr Subhash Chakroborty, the dumbos in the pompous politburo, the transportation mafia, the trade unions and Miss Mamata Bannerjee and her band of rona dhona "intellectuals". These people have a vested interest in the transportation business and are thus not very agreeable to change for the better.


I read a report that WB has ordered for 1200 new buses for which they got a substantial sum from the center. Hope they hit the roads in the next few months.

Slip road for easy airport access (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090224/jsp/calcutta/story_10579831.jsp)


http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/7812/57955483.jpg
A slip road that allows vehicles approaching the airport from the north to bypass the traffic congestion on VIP Road was inaugurated on Monday. It will be opened to traffic on March 4.

“Vehicles can now enter the airport directly from Jessore Road, via Airport Road. Fliers will thus be able to avoid the congestion at the VIP Road-Jessore Road and VIP Road-Airport Road crossings,” said V.K. Monga, the director of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport.

“The launch of the 30m long, one-way slip road is the first step towards clearing the traffic chaos in and around the airport and part of the larger plan of modernisation and expansion,” he added

Another slip road — linking VIP Road to Airport Road — is slated to be ready by the end of March. It will allow vehicles on VIP Road to reach the airport without congesting the Jessore Road crossing.

Inaugurating the slip road, MP Amitava Nandi said: “The two slip roads were proposed in a meeting between the Airport Advisory Committee, police and the public works department. The suggestions were conveyed to the Airports Authority of India and a proposal was sent to Delhi.”

Work left on the slip road, such as levelling of drains and construction of a rotary, will be completed before March 4, added Nandi.

The MP emphasised that the two slip roads would reduce the traffic load at the northern end of VIP Road, making access to the airport easier.

“Snarls on VIP Road were causing a lot of problems and this is the first step towards solving them,” said Dipak Bhattacharya, the chairman of Dum Dum Municipality.

“Illegal shops and other encroachments had sprung up on Jessore Road. They had to be removed to build the slip road. The local authorities concerned were co-operative and worked hard to complete the work on time,” he added.

According to traffic police, about 16,000 vehicles, including trucks, use the Jessore Road stretch between Barasat and Lake Town during peak hours (9am to 11am and 5pm to 8pm). About 700 vehicles travel the stretch at other times of the day.

Once both slip roads are functional, some vehicles will be able to avoid the VIP Road-Jessore Road intersection, moving from Jessore Road to VIP Road through Airport Road.

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/961/europa1.jpg

Premium Shopping Mall

Proposed Total Build up Area : 4,50,000 sq. ft.of mall space.

Project Start Date : June, 2007.

No of Floors : Lower basement, Upper basement, G+5

Interest has been shown by anchors like Westside, Reliance, Spencers, Globus and Fame Cinemas for 40% of proposed rental space(as mentioned in their website).

Address : 136, Jessore Road,
Kolkata - 700055

Status as on 07th Aug 2008(a bit old, but i think has not been discussed here):
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/5207/19771779.jpg
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/4849/50455436.jpg
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/8657/39681506.jpg

^^great find. and welcome to SSC

Thanks...

Salboni, an older residential project near Belgacchia Metro Station
http://www.bengaldcpaul.com/Salboni/ProjectDetails.htm

photo copyright Abhishek Das

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/3175/dcpaulbuildingbelcgachi.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Water mains project

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090225/jsp/calcutta/story_10583628.jsp

Italian company ITD-ITD CEM Joint Venture on Tuesday was awarded the Rs 305-crore contract to lay a pipeline between Palta water works and Tallah pumping station.

Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya will flag off the project at Yatra Mancha in Bagbazar on Friday.

The company, hired for the modernisation of the city airport, has been given 30 months to lay the 26km pipeline.

Pipe on the 15.8km stretch under BT Road, between Parkside Road and Tallah, will be laid without digging trenches to ensure that traffic is not disrupted.

don't accuse me since it's again from Indian Express & i was unable to find it in other source.

Kolkata Following the Calcutta High Court order to phase out taxis that are more than 15 years old by March 31 this year, Transport Minister Subhas Chakraborty on Tuesday announced a new package that includes waiving excise duty on new cars to be bought by the affected taxi owners.
The minister said he was confident that the state government would be able to implement the HC order.

According to Chakraborty, a taxi owner will get Rs 45,000 as scrap value from the vehicle manufacturer. The excise duty of Rs 23,000 will be relieved as the Union government has agreed to the proposal from the state government.

Apart from this, the state government will give every taxi owner Rs 20,000 for surrendering his old taxi.

Rest of the amount will be provided through bank loans, said Chakraborty, adding that the government would hold talks with banks to finalise loans for the affected taxi owners.

The transport department has also decided to launch 1,200 new buses for a pollution-free city. Chakraborty said these would include 80 Volvo buses that will ply in and around the city on a joint venture basis.

“The government will buy these buses and will tie up with interested parties that want to work on a joint venture basis,” said the transport minister.

“After one year, everyone will see a new transport system in the city,” Chakraborty added.


source: Indian express (http://http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/subhas-offers-package-to-phase-out-old-taxis/427749/)

Is it really possible???

Kolkata records good growth in office rental rates

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Economy/Indicators/Bangalore-second-best-performing-office-location-Report/articleshow/4190804.cms

Bangalore has emerged as the second best performing office location in Asia, with an 18 per cent growth rate in rentals, according to a
report by global property consultants Cushman and Wakefield.

The Silicon Valley of India recorded 18 per cent growth in rentals after Kuala Lumpur (58 per cent) and became a new Indian entrant in the ranking, followed by Kolkata (3rd), Pune and Hyderabad (7th).

The Asian survey includes 27 key locations across 13 countries, the 'Office Space Across the World 2009' report said.

Office rents globally rose on an average by three per cent, significantly below the 14 per cent achieved in 2007 and the lowest growth rate since 2004.

That is good news but the amount of office space absorbed in kolkata is way lower than bangalore.Lets hope all the new office space being constructed in places like rajarhat gets absorbed fast.

Three New JNNURM projects for Kolkata approved (http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=47982)
Ministry of Urban Development has given approval to three new JNNURM projects in Kolkata, West Bengal. The Central sanctioning and monitoring committee for the sanctioning of projects under submission-1, Urban infrastructure and governance (UIG) has sanctioned Transmunicipal surface water supply scheme for Dum Dum, North Dum Dum and South Dum Dum municipality, Municipal solid waste management project of 13 municipal towns of Kolkata (Halisahar, Kanchrapara, Kayani, Gayeshpur, Nalhati, Bhatpara, Khardah, Barasat, Madhyamgram, Mahestala, Pujali, Baruipur and Uluberia) and construction of flyover from Parks Circus to Parama Island.
The first project will improve the deteriorating ground water supply, both in quality and quantity by augmenting the existing water treatment plant at Kamarhati from 140 MLD to 280 MLD by utilizing the water from existing source. After implementation of the project 24Hrs connectivity will be provided to 100% households. The project will reduce the wastage of water by replacing the leaky pipe and installing water meters to measure the actual consumption. The project will be implemented in 30 months by Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
Regarding the solid waste management project for 13 municipal towns, it would cover 251.40sqkms of area and a population 24.90lakhs. The project will address the problem of source segregation of solid waste, street side storage in open masonry vats, open dumping in low lying areas, designing of sanitary landfill site with requiste infrastructure facilities treatment of MSW through Vermi/Mechanical composting. The Construction of flyover from Parama Island will ease traffic congestion at Park Road due to 7 roads meeting at the intersection. The project would be completed by March 2010.

The details of the projects are as under:
Sl. No. Mission City/State Project Cost Approved Cost Central Share ACA Proposed to be released
1 Kolkata, West Bengal Transmunicipal Surface Water Supply scheme for Dum Dum, North Dum Dum and South Dum Dum Municipalities 31272.08 10945.23(35%) 2616.04 (1st installment)

2 Kolkata, West Bengal Municipal Solid Waste Management of 13 municipal towns for Kolkata (Halisahar, Kanchrapara, Kayani, Gayeshpur, Nalhati, Bhatpara, Khardah, Barasat, Madhyamgram, Mahestala, Pujali, Baruipur and Uluberia) 11196.52 3918.78(35%) 979.69 (1st installment)

3 Kolkata, West Bengal Construction of Flyover from Park Circus to Parama Island 29166.14 10208.15(35%) 2552.04 (1st installment)

The CSMC also sanctioned 2nd and 3rd installments in respect of 5 ongoing projects as under:-

4 Kolkata, West Bengal Construction of Flyover between E.M. Bypass and Kazi Nazrul Islam Sarani 3802.00 1330.70(35%) 332.67 (2nd installment)

5 Kolkata, West Bengal Surface Water Supply scheme within added areas of Howrah Municipal Corporation 9068.91 3174.12(35%) 793.53 (2nd installment)

6 Kolkata, West Bengal Development and management of water supply and sewerage systems of Sector-V under NDITA at Salt Lakh (Phase-I) 2606.62 912.32(35%) 228.08 (3rd installment)

7 Kolkata, West Bengal 10MGD water treatment plant at Uluberia Municipal Town under KMDA 4558.00 1595.30(35%) 398.83 (3rd installment)

8 Kolkata, West Bengal Underground water reservoir-cum-booster pumping station at Gandhi Maidan Akra 1066.00 373.10(35%) 93.28 (2nd installment)

Three New JNNURM projects for Kolkata approved (http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=47982)

Which one is Kazi Nazrul Islam Sarani? i am always confused with these names.

^^Kaji Najrul Islam Sarani = VIP Road

Source: TOI Epaper

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/6304/getimage.png

^^Looks different from the original design specs. Looks like there is no elevated rotary at Park Circus, only ramps taking off from the AJC Bose Road flyover. Hope they release the new design.

Air India flies to London as BA flies off (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090228/jsp/calcutta/story_10601846.jsp)

Air India will fill the breach when British Airways flies out of Calcutta next month, ensuring that the city stays connected to London.

The national carrier will reintroduce its Calcutta-London service, taken off the roster last October, on March 29 — the day British Airways operates its last flight on the route.

“It will be a daily service with a stopover in New Delhi,” a senior official of the airline confirmed on Friday.

The minimum introductory return fare for the Air India service will be lower than the British airline’s lowest fare on the route: Rs 25,500, inclusive of taxes, against approximately Rs 32,000.

According to officials, the hassle of a stopover in Delhi will be compensated for by the revised timings. One of the reasons for the “low load factor” that had prompted Air India to scrap the service last year was the London arrival time.

“The flight used to land at Heathrow after 9.30pm local time, by which time most flights out of London would have left. This meant that a transit passenger had to wait till the next day to catch a connecting flight,” said Anil Punjabi, the chairman (east) of the Travel Agents’ Federation of India.

The Calcutta-Delhi-London flight is scheduled to touch down at Heathrow at 6pm local time.

“The preponed arrival time should solve the problem that passengers used to face. We expect the load factor to be higher, too,” Punjabi said.

An airline official said the stopover in Delhi was meant to ensure that the service remained viable. “It will be difficult to do reasonable business daily by operating a direct flight out of Calcutta. But if it goes via Delhi, we should be able to sustain a high load,” he explained.

The official reason for British Airways discontinuing its Calcutta-London service is, however, not low passenger traffic but “rationalisation of routes”.

The British airline has been operating three flights a week from Calcutta with an average passenger load factor of around 80 per cent.

Air India passengers from Calcutta will have to wait an hour after landing in Delhi before resuming the onward journey to Heathrow in a larger aircraft. “They will clear immigration and customs in Calcutta itself,” an official said.

The flight will take off from Calcutta at 10.30am every day and reach Delhi at 12.30pm.

This is great news.At last our prayers have been answered.

This is great news.At last our prayers have been answered.

^^While this is good news, the timing looks too good to be true. It is as though the two airlines had jointly executed a deal.

Bio-project launched in east Kolkata wetlands (http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=22&theme=&usrsess=1&id=245422)
KOLKATA, Feb. 27: A city-based NGO has taken up a project based in the east Kolkata wetlands, with the joint objective of improving the livelihoods of fishermen families residing in and around the wetlands, and preventing the extinction of certain endemic species of fish.
The project, launched by NGO South Asian Forum for Environment (SAFE), is spread over 12,500 ha of land in the east Kolkata wetlands, on the fringes of Salt Lake. The project, funded by DFID through the Kolkata Urban Services for the Poor's Innovative Challenge Fund, covers the twin wetlands at Sukantanagar bheri and Natar bheri.
This will be the first bio-right project launched in India. Bio-right projects are defined as initiatives to protect areas of global biological importance through compensating poor people economically dependent on those areas.
The East Kolkata wetlands are prime ground for a bio-right project, as the extinction of certain fish species would both alter the essential attributes of the wetlands, and reek disaster on the livelihoods of the 500-odd fishermen dependent on them.
The NGO will train members of local self-help groups to run the project. Members will be educated on how to breed endangered fish species, and helped to market food items such as fish pickle and fish papad. SAFE also have plans to set up an aquarium in which to breed endemic fishes such as Nadosh, Mrigel and Saptaputi and cultivate particular medicinal plants found in the two bheris.
Mr Dipayan Dey, chairman of SAFE, said the project aims to protect the bio-diversity of the East Kolkata Wetlands and promote eco-tourism in the state. He said visitors should discover the exquisite landscape of the East Kolkata Wetlands, noting similarities between the wetlands and Kerela's water villages.

TCS Rajarhat campus faces slowdown hurdle (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/tcs-rajarhat-campus-faces-slowdown-hurdle/00/03/350299/)

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is likely to delay its Rajarhat campus in West Bengal, as part of a string of cost-management initiatives to cope with the pangs of the global meltdown.

At a press conference in Kolkata, S Ramadorai, MD & CEO of TCS, said, "We are likely to delay all our infrastructure projects and put on hold any fresh investments. Towards this effect, even the Rajarhat centre in Bengal could be delayed,” Ramadorai added.

Tata Realty Infrastructure Ltd (TRIL), the real estate arm of the Tata group, has been roped in to execute development of the TCS upcoming campus.

Confirming this, TCS’s global human resources head Ajoyendra Mukherjee said, "TRIL has been given the mandate to execute the Rajarhat software campus over the next two years. Around 15,000 employees will work in the upcoming 40-acre Rajarhat campus. Once the new campus is set up, we may relocate a section of TCS’s employees operating at some of out leased facilities in Salt Lake Sector V."

TCS has 8000-odd IT professionals on its rolls in Kolkata who are distributed across the company’s eight-odd centres in the Salt Lake Electronics Complex. Six of these facilities are leased while two are owned by TCS.

Ramadorai met the Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Thursday.

“I spoke to the chief minister on whether TCS could handle more of the state’s e-governance projects, among other things,” Ramadorai said, without divulging more details.

just kick the TATAs out...i have had enough of the tata freakshow.

Good ... I hate rotary

Source: TOI Epaper

^^Looks different from the original design specs. Looks like there is no elevated rotary at Park Circus, only ramps taking off from the AJC Bose Road flyover. Hope they release the new design.

Too much decentralization? Would creation of at most 10 municipal corporations instead of so many be a better option?

Kolkata Metropolitan Area - KMA Map

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/6955/kma.jpg (http://img89.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kma.jpg)

List of municipalities which make up Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA)

Kolkata District

1 Kolkata Municpal Corporation

Hooghly District

2 Hooghly Chinsurah Municipality
3 Bansberia Municipality
4 Bhadreswar Municipality
5 Champdany Municipality
6 Rishra Municipality
7 Serampore Municipality
8 Konnagar Municipality
9 Tarakeswar Municipality
10 Uttarpara-Kotrung Municipality
11 Chandannagore Municipal Corporation

Howrah District

12 Bally Municipality
13 Howrah Municipal Corporation
14 Uluberia Municipality

Nadia District

15 Gayeshpur Municipality
16 Kalyani Municipality

North 24 Pgs District

17 Baranagar Municipality
18 Barasat Municipality
19 Barrackpore Municipality
20 Bhatpara Municipality
21 Bidhannagar Municipality
22 DumDum Municipality
23 Garulia Municipality
24 Halisahar Municipality
25 Kamarhati Municipality
26 Kanchrapara Municipality
27 Khardah Municipality
28 Madhyamgram Municipality
29 Naihati Municipality
30 New Barrackpore Municipality
31 North Barrackpore Municipality
32 North DumDum Municipality
33 Panihati Municipality
34 Rajarhat-Gopalpur Municipality
35 South DumDum Municipality
36 Titagarh Municipality

South 24 Pgs District

37 Baruipur Municipality
38 Budge Budge Municipality
39 Maheshtala Municipality
40 Pujali Municipality
41 Rajpur-Sonarpur Municipality

KOLKATA: The state tourism department has planned to restore the lost glory to priceless structures like Prinsep Memorial or the Metcalfe Hall by
undertaking a massive illumination drive. These architectural delights were till now resigned to darkness in spite of being as much a part of the city's heritage as the Victoria Memorial.

The department has decided to light up these buildings and include them as landmarks in Kolkata's tourist map. It has sought Rs 5-crore from the Centre with a proposal to light up 12 such heritage buildings, including the Indian Museum. The fund is expected by June this year.

"The historical monuments are a tourist attraction only during the day. Of late, the city has become quite a popular destination which leaves a lot of scope to develop night tourism. The idea of illuminating the heritage structures and buildings thus took birth," said managing director of West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation (WBTDC), TVN Rao.

The illumination proposal has two parts. One, static lighting that will take care of the facade. Spotlights and beamers will be placed at strategic curves and angles, which will bring out the architectural genius of the buildings. Second, the dynamic illumination mechanism, which is a computerized lighting system, will create a match and mix of colours. The monthly electricity bill will also come down as these types of illumination consume less power.

"To illuminate a building facade with static lights, the cost is estimated to be Rs 15 to 20 lakh. If the heritage structures are illuminated with dynamic lights, the cost can even scale up to Rs 40 lakh. "Accordingly, we are seeking a fund of Rs 5 crore from the Centre as we submit the proposal within a month. We expect the amount to be sanctioned by June, post elections," said a senior official of the tourism department.

Though the department has undertaken a feasibility study, the heritage structures being considered for the illumination are the Indian Museum, Prinsep Memorial and Metcalfe Hall. "We have not yet decided on the list of buildings," explained Rao.

It will help take the tourists to these places at night with guides competent to narrate the history of the structures. "Not only will it help attract more tourists to these destinations but also generate revenue for the state. If some of the heritage buildings along Strand Road can be illuminated, the river heritage tourism project will also receive a boost," the senior official said.

The list will have more names only after the tourism department holds talks with the stakeholders involved. "The authorities responsible for each structure should give an undertaking that they would pay the electricity bills after the illumination is completed," he added.

Source: Times of India (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com//Cities/Kolkata-/Plan-to-light-up-12-heritage-structures/articleshow/4206431.cms)

KOLKATA: Their horrible living and working conditions may soon be a thing of the past. For, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee launched the
Kumartuli rejuvenation project on Saturday that will not only provide the artisans with an upgraded workplace and home but also bring dignity to their lives.

The CM asked urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya to ensure that Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), the project's implementing agency, sticks to its two-year deadline for completion of the three-phase project.

Bhattacharjee said the state had plans to take up two other rejuvenation projects. One for cardboard artists of Manicktala and another for the tailors of Darjipara. "As we missed these two goals due to lack of funds, we were more keen on realising the Kumartali project," he said.

To be implemented over five acres under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission scheme, the Centre and the state will equally share the estimated Rs 26.80 crore project cost. Artisans will pay the state 12.5% of its share of Rs 13.40 crore.
"Under an earlier decision, the artisans were to pay 20% of the cost of building dwelling units for them. Now, the state government has agreed to take only 12.5%," said Narayan Chandra Paul, secretary of the Kumartuli Mritsilpi Samity.

In the first phase, 524 members of the artisans' families will be temporarily rehabilitated in nearby godowns of the PHE and state health departments. Bhattacharjee wished the PHE had not delayed in vacating its godown, saying it pushed back the launch of the project.

KMDA will demolish the shabby studios and the homes of artisans and develop infrastructure, including workplaces, homes and shops in the second phase. Finally, a community hall and other facilities will be in place during the third phase. "During the first phase, artisans will make their idols from the godowns for the 2009 festive season. The project will be completed by the autumn of 2010," declared the urban development minister.

Source: Times of India (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com//Cities/Kolkata-/CM-launches-Kumartuli-rejuvenation-project/articleshow/4206434.cms)

Salt Lake to get two new malls

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Kolkata-/Salt-Lake-to-get-two-new-malls/articleshow/4210031.cms

Salt Lake will have two more shopping malls with multiplexes in a few months. The major attraction of the malls, apart from the cineplexes, will be outlets of retail majors Big Bazaar and Spencers which will make their grand entry into Salt Lake.

The two malls Lavida mall at CK block and Downtown mall at IB Block are being set up by the Nangalia Group. Work on both the malls started in 2005. "Work on Lavida is almost complete and it would open by the end of March or early April. Downtown mall will take a few more months and would open by the middle of this year," said consultant architect Anjan Kumar Dutta of AK Dutta and Associates' who have designed the malls for the group. Both the malls would be housed in 10-storied buildings with elegant facades and interiors.

Both malls were supposed to open up last year itself but suffered setbacks after the economic downturn set in. Some retailers who had earlier booked space for outlets decided to back out.

The Rs 18-crore Lavida mall, coming up on 86,000 sq ft at CK block, will have a Spencers outlet as its anchor shop. "Besides, the mall will have a two screen multiplex to be set up by Cinemax," Dutta said. The mall would also have an exclusive' club that would offer its members facilities clubs normally offer.

Downtown mall covers an area of 1,20,000 sq ft at IB Block and is built at a cost of Rs 28 crore. "Its major attraction will be a Big Bazaar outlet spread over four floors. Besides, the mall will have a four-screen multiplex," Dutta said.

Dutta said an entertainment zone would be a major attraction at Downtown mall. "The zone would have computer games and other entertainment facilities," he said. Besides, it would have a food court. The malls will also have basement and surface car parking facilities.

Residents feel the malls will change their lifestyle. "City Centre added vigour to our otherwise dull life. The two news malls will definitely change Salt Lake to a residential-cum-entertainment hub," said a local.

Near Mukundapur, just behind Metro cash & carry, near sankar netralaya and r. n tagore hospital. There are two quite big project going on. Local people told that they are some hospitals.

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/01032009010.jpg

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/01032009011.jpg

Axis mall

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/02032009004.jpg

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/02032009002.jpg

Sankalpa

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/02032009006.jpg

Forgot the name of this mall..

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/02032009005.jpg

Terminus Mall ... mall with big bazar, multiplexes and two floors of bus stand for AA-1

[QUOTE=SarafIndian;33046016]Forgot the name of this mall..

Terminus Mall ... mall with big bazar, multiplexes and two floors of bus stand for AA-1

Got it. Thanks..

:cheers:

does anybody have information about current status of the high-rise projects such as Diamond Crown, World Bengal Tower, LIC building, Westin Hotel etc.

does anybody have information about current status of the high-rise projects such as Diamond Crown, World Bengal Tower, LIC building, Westin Hotel etc.

^^these may have not gone beyond the proposal stage. They were marketing for Crown last year, but that has stopped now.

Shyam Tower
Sec V

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/5919/shyamtower.jpg (http://img23.imageshack.us/my.php?image=shyamtower.jpg)

Taj Gateway
http://www.yatracapital.com/

1
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/1536/kolkatajalanhotelyatrac.jpg (http://img510.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kolkatajalanhotelyatrac.jpg)

2
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/8029/jalanintercontinentalko.jpg (http://img147.imageshack.us/my.php?image=jalanintercontinentalko.jpg)

Taj Gateway
http://www.yatracapital.com/

1
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/1536/kolkatajalanhotelyatrac.jpg (http://img510.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kolkatajalanhotelyatrac.jpg)

2
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/8029/jalanintercontinentalko.jpg (http://img147.imageshack.us/my.php?image=jalanintercontinentalko.jpg)

is this project still on??
anws the renders look cool..
and their website say the partners are intercontinental hotels..
something's fishy

Yes the project is on,construction going on.It is situated bang opposite the ruby hospital.

amazing man....The Ruby hospital is turning out to be another hot spot of south kolkata after Gariahat.
Meanwhile I came across this news. The famous Bengal Nri project has started.
http://www.nkrealtors.com/urbana_status.html

and their website say the partners are intercontinental hotels..
something's fishy

It's Jalan Intercontinental Hotels Private Limited.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080724/jsp/business/story_9593660.jsp

When was this announced ???
If it is true, then this will be longest flyover in Kolkata. Parama island flyover will be 4.5 km long. Current longest one is AJC Bose road flyover which is 2+ km.
Anyone knows the length of proposed Vivekananda Road flyover from Howrah bridge to Girish Park ?

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5011/flyover.jpg

is this project still on??
anws the renders look cool..
and their website say the partners are intercontinental hotels..
something's fishy

disappointing:ohno:. Given the space constraint, I thought this one would be high-rise - atleast matching the 18+ fl Acropolis. New/developing CBDs should have high-rise buildings.

When was this announced ???
If it is true, then this will be longest flyover in Kolkata. Parama island flyover will be 4.5 km long. Current longest one is AJC Bose road flyover which is 2+ km.
Anyone knows the length of proposed Vivekananda Road flyover from Howrah bridge to Girish Park ?

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5011/flyover.jpg

Are they talking of the Mahestala/Batanagar - Taratala flyover in the news? If so, then yes it was announced a few months ago and they are partly private funded. What does it say ?

Vivekananda-Girish Park flyover is 2km long.

Are they talking of the Mahestala/Batanagar - Taratala flyover in the news? If so, then yes it was announced a few months ago and they are partly private funded. What does it say ?

Vivekananda-Girish Park flyover is 2km long.

They are talking of a new flyover from BT Road to VIP Road.

Look like they are recent photos.

City Centre II
http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/upohar.jpg

Tata Hospital?
http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/tata.jpg

Unitech Infospace
http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/unitech.jpg

Synthesis Business Park
http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/synthesis.jpg

Photo source: http://www.rosedalenri.com/

Look like they are recent photos.


Tata Hospital?
http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt306/SarafIndian2/tata.jpg


^^Nice updates , Saraf. The above is DLF IT park.

The government will try to complete the first phase of the proposed Vivekananda Road flyover in a year and a half if work begins in a few weeks, chief secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti said after a review meeting on Tuesday.

Transport secretary Sumantra Chowdhury and police commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakrabarti attended the review meeting at Writers’ Buildings.

The centre has already sanctioned funds under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission for the first phase of the flyover, connecting Howrah bridge with Girish Park. The Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) will execute the project.

“If we can start work in two or three weeks, it should take about 18 months to complete the first phase,” the chief secretary said. The two-lane structure would cost about Rs 164 crore and tenders have been floated by the CMDA, he added.

The transport secretary said his department had twice laid the foundation stone for the flyover but could not proceed with the work as the government decided to approach the Centre for funds.

“The project plan had to be altered because of the presence of the abandoned mint on Strand Road. However, engineering solutions are ready in case of any difficulty,” said Chowdhury.

According to a transport department official, in the second phase, the flyover will be extended from Girish Park to the airport through Maniktala. “The final drawing hasn’t yet been done. After completion of the first phase, the government will approach the Centre for funds for the second phase.”

The officials also reviewed the proposed flyover between Jodhpur Park and Sukanta Setu. It would cost about Rs 100 crore, a part of which will be provided under the urban renewal mission.

“Traffic congestion is common near Jadavpur police station because of South City Mall. We would request the mall authorities to bear 20 per cent of the cost of building the flyover. They had earlier agreed to bear 10 per cent of the cost,” said the transport secretary.


The Telegraph (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090311/jsp/calcutta/story_10653321.jsp)

Unitech Bucks Trend With Rajarhat IT SEZ, Plans To Create 45000 Employment Opportunities By 2014 (http://www.kolkatascoop.com/story/2009/3/12/25620/2430)

Bengal Unitech's IT arm expects to generate 45,000 jobs by March 2014 in the IT SEZ called InfoSpace, which will come up on 45.4 acres of land in six phases. It was notified as an IT/ITES special economic zone on November 2007. Unitech Hi-Tech Structure chairman Prasoon Mukherjee claimed that Infospace already has 1,500 employees in a little over 4 months.
"There is a slowdown in the economy from last year. But that does not hamper our project. Leading IT companies have already signed up for space in our project in the last 4-5 months, even amid the global recession. We want to develop this as the largest IT SEZ in eastern India and are fully committed to the development of West Bengal," he said. Mukherjee pointed out that it is getting a very good response from IT companies because of the strategic location of the SEZ.

"This project has the advantage of having a large number of developments in its vicinity. These include the proposed 100 acre International Convention Center, 5-Star hotels, residential projects, Tata Cancer Research Institute and Delhi Public School. It is just an extension of sector V," he added.
According to the UIS chairman, the company has already invested over Rs 400 crore in Infospace. Total investment in the project is an estimated Rs 1,200 crore. According to him, three major IT firms Capgemini, HCL and Genpact have taken space in the first phase.

Infospace is offering 8 lakh square feet in the first phase. "Besides these three, another IT giant is also taking space in phase one. Genpact has already booked the entire third phase of the project," he added. Incidentally, Infospace is offering 6.5 lakh square feet in the second phase and 7 lakh square feet in the third phase. According to him, UK-based RMJM has designed Infospace. "The complex will have parking facilities for 5,000 cars, one of the highest in the country," he added.

^^Looks like they have pushed the date to 2014. Initially it was 2012.

Not quite as inviting as the model.

http://www.shrachi.com/bengalshrachi/images/projects/block_by_block/block_by_block_b.jpg

http://www.shrachi.com/bengalshrachi/images/projects/block_by_block/cs/bbbcs1.jpg

Road work connecting main arterial road.

copyright: Uttara group.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oQoZ9wI4ilU/SbmBFkU62XI/AAAAAAAAABI/kKr1Z0XPi4Y/s720/Approach_Road2.jpg

copyright: Uttara group.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oQoZ9wI4ilU/SbmCYTV6gvI/AAAAAAAAABU/Xtrdj_i9neM/s720/As_it_looks.jpg

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oQoZ9wI4ilU/SbmChVwl-OI/AAAAAAAAABc/CdkfkwpPvUo/s512/Tower4.jpg

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oQoZ9wI4ilU/SbmChSP1D3I/AAAAAAAAABk/z2dl0ZRwzas/s640/Parking2.jpg

http://www.shrachi.com/bengalshrachi/images/projects/synthesis/synthesis_b.jpg

http://www.shrachi.com/bengalshrachi/images/projects/synthesis/cs/5.jpg

http://www.shrachi.com/bengalshrachi/images/projects/synthesis/cs/2.jpg

http://www.shrachi.com/bengalshrachi/images/projects/synthesis/cs/6.jpg

Not quite as inviting as the model.

http://www.shrachi.com/bengalshrachi/images/projects/block_by_block/block_by_block_b.jpg

http://www.shrachi.com/bengalshrachi/images/projects/block_by_block/cs/bbbcs1.jpg

block by block mall looks impressive

block by block mall looks impressive

^^the render looks different from the actuals.

Vegchop - thanks for the updates:)