Kolkata Project Update II - project news from Kolkata [Archive]

sidney_jec

June 12th, 2007, 07:25 AM

A massive construction of residential space is in the pipeline by some of the biggest brands of the country in the city..

Anws does any one has any news and snaps of the under construction Belghoria Exp'way and kalyani exp'way.

New townships in Kolkata to add 250 mn sq ft in five years

Namrata Acharya / Kolkata June 12, 2007

A boom in real estate sector across the country has not left Kolkata behind as a number of upcoming townships in city suburbs are attracting investors and mass housing complexes to some hitherto uptapped suburbs.

According to estimates by the Confederation of Real Estate Developers of India, in the next five years 250 million sq feet will be added to greater Kolkata, requiring an investment Rs 37,500 crore.

Rajarhat in the north-east, Dankuni in north-west, Howrah in the west, Diamond Harbour road beyond Joka and Batanagar in the south-west and the Garia-Narendrapur stretch in south-east are areas which will see more than 50 per cent price rise in the next one year, said real estate sector sources.

Two years back, property prices in Rajarhat were not more than Rs 1,200 sq feet.

Prevailing prices are not less than 2,800 per sq feet.

Unitech, which is developing a 150-acre township in the area, is selling at around Rs 3,000 square feet. By the next year, Unitech expects to sell at not less than Rs 4,000 sq feet, says Ranjan Arora, assistant manager (sales), Bengal Unitech Universal.

In Dankuni, a mega township by the DLF group along with a couple of infrastructure projects are pushing up property prices.

The second Vivekananda Setu (across the Hooghly River) and the Belghoria Expressway, which are under construction, will further boost the prices here as Dum Dum airport will only be 20 minutes from Dankuni once the construction is over.

According to Jitendra Khaitan of Pioneer Properties, property prices in Dankuni have escalated by 40 percent over the last year, and about 50-60 percent rise is expected the next one year.

"It is only after two-three months that the exact price rise in the Dunlop area can be anticipated, but the area will see a substantial price rise after the DLF brand," says Himon Sanyal, head, corporate services(east), TrammellCrow Meghraj Property Consultants.

In the west, Howrah is another developing area as it has emerged as a suitable destination for middle-income group housing and small businesses based in Kolkata, says Khaitan.

Along with high-end township, a number of shopping malls and other public-utility service centres, which are coming up in the area are expected to jack up the prices.

The Kolkata West project, a mega township project, is attracting a number of NRI investors in the area. In the south-west, the proposed township on the surplus factory of Bata India at Batanagar is pushing up the prices.

The selling price per square feet area in the township is expected to be around Rs 2,000, whereas the ruling prices in the area is around Rs 900 per square feet.

"It is wrong to say townships are pushing up the prices in a particular area, the he construction cost over the last year has gone up so much, that it is impossible to built houses at less than Rs 1,000 square feet," claims Sumit Dabriwal, managing director of Riverbank Holdings Pvt Ltd, which is executing the Batanagar township project.

In the south-west, Diamond Harbour road stretch also witnessed moderate price rise over the last year, mainly due to the government's proposal to develop a township in Baruipur.

Alongside, Raichak-Kukrahati bridge is expected to drastically cut travel time to Haldia.

Both the projects are scheduled to be built by Indonesian company Salim. However, the fate of the projects appear uncertain as of now because of local opposition to the presence of Salim as an infrastructure developer. In consequence, real estate analysts do not predict substantial price rise in the area over the next year.

"The are has a lot of untapped potential, but at present not much price rise is expected as infrastructure is a problem here," says Sanyal. Garia and Narendrapur in the south are other areas attracting investors and occupiers, as metro rail extension till Garia will ensure easy connectivity to the rest of the city.

The prevailing prices in Narendrapur is around Rs 1,500 square feet. A moderate 15-20 percent rise in price is expected in the coming year. Areas like Patuli, Baishnabghat, Barrackpore, Sonarpur and Barasat are some other upcoming areas drawing the attention of small investors and MIG and LIG occupiers.

Following industrial development in smaller West Bengal towns like Durgapur and Haldia, a number of housing projects are driving real estate sector development in the areas.

As Kolkata appears to be poised for rapid information technology sector led growth in the coming years, many property consultants feel the time is just right to invest in Kolkata.

"It is the right time to invest in property in Kolkata, as at least 50 -60 percent price rise is assured in the some of the developing areas in Kolkata," says Sanyal.

"Suburban locations are witnessing some pressure as increasing interest rates have magnified the outflow for genuine purchasers. While Kolkata market has traditionally been know to be less volatile compared to Mumbai and Delhi, and hence, any investor who is comfortable with the city and moderate long-term returns, can consider this is as a reasonably safe destination." says Kaustuv Roy, analyst at Cushman Wakefield.

Kolkata continues to be a tier-II location in terms of property and land valuation, and most experts think the city will take quite some time to catch up with developed markets like NCR and Mumbai.

"Kolkata is referred to as a Tier II City for commercial growth and as of now does not compare to the real estate prices witnessed by more established markets like Mumbai and NCR, despite Kolkata's recent emergence (or relatively newer emergence) as an IT/ ITES. Furthermore, there is still hesitation amongst new entrants for Kolkata as a destination; hence the demand will be a factor which will act as a deterrent to growth," says Roy Price appreciation has been in the range of 15 per cent to 20 per cent on an average through the past 12–18 months in Kolkata and may remain similar in the next year, he predicts.

Certain areas like New Town Rajarhat where several mass housing projects are nearing completion, the prices may appreciate 5 per cent more than the other areas, he adds.

Similar is the view of Ranjan Arora from Unitech, who says, "The same apartments which we are selling at Rs 3,000 in Kolkata would have fetched around Rs 5,000-6,000 sq feet in Mumbai."

arijeetb

June 12th, 2007, 05:13 PM

A massive construction of residential space is in the pipeline by some of the biggest brands of the country in the city..

Anws does any one has any news and snaps of the under construction Belghoria Exp'way and kalyani exp'way.

Awesome - shows sheer scale of the real estate activities - in the next 3-4 years even if 20% are achieved it would be great

kolkata

June 13th, 2007, 12:02 AM

Nice glassy looks....

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070613/images/13hospital.jpg
New Town, Rajarhat, is all set to have eastern India’s “first-of-its-kind” hospital providing multi-organ transplant, which promises to halt the transplant traffic out of town.

Being developed by a consortium of Global Hospitals, the brainchild of surgical gastroenterologist K. Ravindranath in Hyderabad and the city-based Sureka Group, ground-breaking for the first phase is planned after the monsoon.

“We are looking at 300 beds to start with, on the three acres allotted to us by the government following the tendering and assessment processes. However, we have asked for another two acres and the facility could be eventually ramped up to 1,000 beds,” Pradip Sureka, managing director of the Sureka Group
...
Construction time for the Rs 150-crore initial phase is estimated at 18-21 months, while the cost of the final project could touch Rs 500 crore, says Ravi Venkatesh, CEO, Sureka Group.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070613/asp/calcutta/story_7914119.asp

kolkata

June 13th, 2007, 12:08 AM

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070613/asp/calcutta/story_7915078.asp
Calcutta’s dream airport is finally taking shape — on paper.

An integrated international and domestic terminal. An exclusive international terminal with special facilities for passenger arrival and departure. Parking bays to handle jumbo aircraft. A network of roads with flyovers and underpasses for uninterrupted traffic flow...

Civitas

June 13th, 2007, 04:23 AM

from ePaper Time of India

Delhi and NCR can get 60 (even more) flyovers (lot of other infrastructural projects from tax money) in a year from center's money and Calcutta cannot get just 2 !!! Just unbelievable !!!:bash:

Centre shoots down flyover projects

High Cost Estimate May Have Doomed Key Transport Proposals But Dunlop Interchange Scheme Cleared
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: For those who have been waiting for the Vivekananda flyover, there is bad news. The Centre has rejected this proposal as too expensive. Another project, the much fancier ‘rotary flyover’ to connect Parama Island and Park Circus, has also been shot down.
It was not entirely a day of loss, though. The Centre cleared three key transport proposals — the Dunlop interchange project, the extension of EM Bypass from Garia to Kamalgaji and the two ramps from AJC Bose flyover.
However, the scrapping of the Vivekananda flyover — a brainchild of CPM MP Sudhansu Seal — is a body blow to the state. It would have connected Howrah bridge with Girish Park and was considered vital to improving north Kolkata’s connectivity. The state was even prepared to demolish Braborune Road flyover, if the need arose, to build the Vivekananda high-speed connector.
Urban development officials feel the reason for the two flyover projects being rejected was the high estimated cost. “Projects over Rs 100 crore usually come under stiff scrutiny. The projected cost for the Parama Island-Park Circus flyover is Rs 340 crore and Vivekananda Road flyover would have cost about Rs 120 crore. The Centre, it seems, wants to be doubly sure of the utility of these two projects before it approves them,” suggested an official.
The rest of the three projects have an estimated cost about Rs 40 to Rs 50 crore each.
The state put the combined estimate for the five projects at Rs 650 crore when it submitted the traffic and transportation masterplan to the Centre a few weeks ago. On Monday, urban development department minister Asok Bhattachaya met his counterpart in the Union government, Jaipal Reddy, in Delhi to discuss the proposals.
“The Centre has agreed to sanction funds under the National Urban Renewal Mission (NURM) scheme for three projects, including the Dunlop traffic interchange, by this month,” Bhattacharya said, adding that the Centre had asked for some “alterations” in the two flyover projects. “This could possibly be approved in the next series of meetings.”
The government is happy that the Centre has approved the much-needed Rs 40 crore Dunlop traffic interchange project that would connect the second Vivekananda bridge. Officials of the Second Vivekananda Bridge Tollway Company (SVBTC) apprehend “tremendous traffic chaos” at the entry point of the bridge from the Kolkata end until the Dunlop interchange comes up. The PWD is now gearing up to float tenders and give work order for the project.
The rejection of two flyover projects may embarrass the state even further because it had locked horns with the Centre over slashing stamp duty from 9% to 5% and repealing the Urban Land Ceiling Act. A couple of more proposals under NURM were recently shot down by the Centre. The state has cut stamp duty from 9% to 6% and has committed to cut it further, Union urban development secretary M Ramachandran said recently when he was in the city.
REJECTED
Flyover to connect Howrah bridge with Girish Park ESTIMATED COST Rs 120 cr Why: Too expensive
Rotary flyover to connect Park Circus with Parama Island ESTIMATED COST Rs 350 cr Why: Too expensive
APPROVED
t Dunlop interchange project Rs 40 cr
t Extension of EM Bypass from Garia to Kamalgaji Rs 50 cr t Two ramps from AJC Bose flyover Rs 50 cr

arijeetb

June 13th, 2007, 03:58 PM

drwho

June 13th, 2007, 05:44 PM

http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/3751/74430232pu5.jpg

Indian construction workers paint metal...
Kolkata, INDIA: Indian construction workers paint metal cables at the second Vivekananda bridge, yet to be open to the public, constructed across the river Hoogly, close to Kolkata, 07 June 2007. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is scheduled to inaugurate the bridge next week. AFP PHOTO/Deshakalyan CHOWDHURY (Photo credit should read DESHAKALYAN CHOWDHURY/AFP/Getty Images)

Suncity

June 14th, 2007, 10:17 PM

Wonder how far this will move...

Kolkata's second metro project receives green signal
http://www.newkerala.com/news5.php?action=fullnews&id=38860

East-West Metro, the second metro railway project to connect Kolkata's twin city Howrah in the west with Salt Lake in the east, was cleared by the West Bengal cabinet Thursday.

Officials said the work on the project would begin in December 2008 and is likely to be completed by 2014.

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) will contribute 45 percent of the project cost - approximately Rs.35 billion ($856.40 million) - and the state and central governments will bear the rest.

Of the total 13.7 km route under the metro expansion project now, about eight kilometres will be underground and the rest overground.

There would be 12 stations in the entire stretch between Church Road in Howrah and Salt Lake's Sector V-Rajarhat point in northeastern Kolkata.

JBIC recently submitted a feasibility report to the state government. Unlike the existing metro rail network, six stations of the new project will be elevated up to a height of 5.5 metres from the ground level. Six stations will be underground.

The project will involve boring tunnels beneath the Ganga at depths of 15 to 20 metres.

The state will form the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation, which will repay the loan that will be taken from the central government. The state government's allocation will come from its capital expenditure outlay.

The trains will have four coaches instead of the eight in the existing metro project.

There will be an automatic system for collecting fare and the trains will run at an average speed of 80 km per hour.

drwho

June 14th, 2007, 10:45 PM

Suncity

June 15th, 2007, 01:45 AM

Sun> dunno,but what i have heard is that JBIC is pretty strict to hand out loans to projects that may not be finished. In other words ,JBIC wants a guarantee that they will get their money back + interest.

Doc, there are many more hitches as this news article shows...

New metro on tracks
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070615/asp/calcutta/story_7924388.asp

The proposal will now be sent to the Centre for clearance. “We’re expecting the clearance to arrive around October,” said a transport department official.

A fact-finding committee from Japan will fly down to Calcutta in July to make the “final enquiries”, said the transport official.

In September, the JBIC will send its final appraisal committee, which will decide on the financing of the project.

Plus my biggest concern is track record. The track record of building the current metrorail was vey poor. The extension of the current metro rail to Garia is going on for ages (fund problem, land aquistion problem etc etc..).
Maybe it will not be so bad with this new Metro as it will be away from the control of Indian Railways (which manages the other one).

And then there is the route.

The environmentalists will surely raise a hue and cry about a car shed coming up in Central Park Salt Lake. It is not a very bright idea but I guess there is no other land.

Next is north Kolkata. It is the most congested part of the city. While going overground is a good idea, there will be problems.

The tunnel under the Hooghly is an unknown factor.

Church Road in extremely congested Howrah is right next to the railway tracks and there is no space for a metro terminus there unless it is built on railway land.

While everything is possible if there is a will, I hope that all these things have been taken into consideration.

Suncity

June 15th, 2007, 03:08 PM

from ePaper Time of India

Delhi and NCR can get 60 (even more) flyovers (lot of other infrastructural projects from tax money) in a year from center's money and Calcutta cannot get just 2 !!! Just unbelievable !!!:bash:

Under the JNURM funding - of the total funds sanctioned - Maharashtra has secured 22.39% of the funds, Andhra Pradesh 11.98%, Tamil Nadu 9.65%, Gujarat 8.51% and West Bengal 8.5%.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Economy/Infrastructure/Faulty_reports_delay_Rs_2400_cr_infra_projects/articleshow/2121453.cms

Suncity

June 15th, 2007, 03:16 PM

From the Statesman

Housing complex in Uttarpara

The RDB group is all set to launch their third project ~ Regent Ganga ~ in Uttarpara on 16 June. The announcement came from Mr Sunder Lal Dugar of RDB group at a Press conference today. Built on an area of 200 cottah on the banks of River Hooghly, the project will have 14 complexes built in its first phase at a cost Rs 60 crore. Mr Rajesh Kumar Jain, CEO of the company, said: “All the complexes will have more than 400 two and three-bedroom flats, each built on an area of 900 to 1200 square feet. Each of the complexes will be equipped with modern amenities like playground for children, community hall, meditation centre and gymnasium.

Civitas

June 15th, 2007, 06:25 PM

Does anybody have any statistics on how much tax money each state provide to center ? I am trying to understand the reason behind this major difference of fund allocation.

For example, if WB provides Rs. 10,000 crore to center from tax money it collects within state and Maharastra gives 30,000 crore, then it is logical that MH will get 3 times the allocation from center compared to WB. Otherwise it is not fair.

Does any one know same statistics of Delhi and NCR. Kind of development it is having it seems all money is concentrated there. I hope tax generated from local people commensurate with the government funded development that is going on there.

Under the JNURM funding - of the total funds sanctioned - Maharashtra has secured 22.39% of the funds, Andhra Pradesh 11.98%, Tamil Nadu 9.65%, Gujarat 8.51% and West Bengal 8.5%.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Economy/Infrastructure/Faulty_reports_delay_Rs_2400_cr_infra_projects/articleshow/2121453.cms

kolkata

June 17th, 2007, 06:14 AM

The City desperately needs this.... http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=22&theme=&usrsess=1&id=159720

With the slow pace and rickety feel, trundling along through the city by tram is a little like going back in time - but not for long. New look, more spacious, faster trams could be joining their rattling counterparts as early as the middle of next year in an attempt to attract more passengers. The state transport department has decided to purchase some new trams from Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), a company under the union defence ministry, at a cost of Rs 60 crore, according to a senior official of the Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC).
Mr Ashok Chatterjee, managing director, CTC said: “A BEML delegation came to the city in March this year and visited CTC’s workshops in the city. They are now preparing the design of the tram. The new model will be submitted to the state transport department shortly, following which a work order would be given to BEML.”
The trams will be manufactured either in Bengaluru or in the CTC’s workshops in the city, Mr Chatterjee said.
The BEML delegation has spoken to the state transport minister Mr Subhas Chakrabarty about the matter.
Each new tram will have more coaches and will cost around Rs 3 crore.
A CTC feasibility study revealed people would be keener to use the trams if they were a bit faster. CTC currently runs around 120 trams in the city.
An official said CTC registered a remarkable growth in passengers since the average speed of the tram increased ten kilometre per hour as a result of the overhauling of the city’s tram tracks. Now the average speed of tram in the city, according to the CTC officials, is around 25km per hour.

arijeetb

June 17th, 2007, 08:40 PM

The City desperately needs this.... http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=22&theme=&usrsess=1&id=159720

I was of the opinion that trams would be phased out completely over a period of time. This is good news if with increased speed and new design they can keep the heritage symbol of the city:) Waiting for the new designs to come...

Suncity

June 18th, 2007, 03:01 AM

Anws does any one has any news and snaps of the under construction Belghoria Exp'way and kalyani exp'way.

Belghoria Expressway is not yet open. So no snaps except of the interchange at Jessore Road side.

Kalyani - Barrackpore - Sodepur "Expressway" is a two lane partial toll road with minimum crossings.

Sunny78

June 18th, 2007, 05:27 AM

Does anybody have any statistics on how much tax money each state provide to center ? I am trying to understand the reason behind this major difference of fund allocation.

For example, if WB provides Rs. 10,000 crore to center from tax money it collects within state and Maharastra gives 30,000 crore, then it is logical that MH will get 3 times the allocation from center compared to WB. Otherwise it is not fair.

Does any one know same statistics of Delhi and NCR. Kind of development it is having it seems all money is concentrated there. I hope tax generated from local people commensurate with the government funded development that is going on there.

TN contributes more than AP, doesn't mean TN should get more fund allocation. Fund allocation is decided based on several factors, each with its own weightage. Of course, contribution to exchequer is one of the major factor, but other crucial factors include population, land area, etc...

I think a detailed analysis can be found in one of the TN or AP threads, don't remember exactly which thread it is.

sidney_jec

June 20th, 2007, 03:29 PM

I dont understand why is there a need of such requests...
u just need to be investor friendly but i dont think this is the right way to go about it
why not improve the social and physical infrastructure..why not put on hold the militant trade unions...why cry for getting Calcutta airport modernised by AAI..

Buddha woos Infosys with rock-bottom prime plot
WRITANKAR MUKHERJEE & SUTANUKA GHOSAL

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ FRIDAY, JUNE 01, 2007 01:27:34 AM]

KOLKATA: The Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government appears determined to get Infosys to West Bengal at any cost. It has just offered a prime 100 acres plot to Infosys Technologies at a rock bottom Rs 15-20 lakh per acre at Kalyani - some 60 km from Kolkata. The plot, which belongs to the state government, has been offered for setting up Infosys software campus.

But “Infosys is yet to respond to the state government’s latest land offer,” sources in the state IT department said. The state government’s latest overtures follows West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation’s failure to acquire land in the Vedic Village area (on Kolkata’s eastern fringes), which was to be the original site of the Infosys software campus.

A senior bureaucrat at Writers Buildings close to negotiations with Infosys said, “Senior Infosys officials were recently in Kalyani to check out the 100-acre plot offered by the West Bengal government. Infosys is yet to respond officially to the government’s offer of Rs 15 lakh per acre.”

The latest offer at Kalyani is sharply below the stiff Rs 1.8-crore per acre price tag in the state’s showpiece IT complex at Rajarhat. “The Kalyani plot belongs to the state government and is ready for possession. It will also be available at a fair price which should surely suit Infosys,” the state government official said.

It is well known that the likes of Wipro and Infosys had expressed reservations about high land prices at Rajarhat over a year ago, which is what prompted the state government to look for cheaper land in the Vedic Village area to accommodate Wipro, Infosys and even ITC Infotech. But ever since the land war broke out in Singur and Nandigram, fresh land acquisitions, including some 800 acres in Vedic Village, have been put on hold.

When contacted, senior WBIDC officials said: “All land acquisitions (including the 800 acres at Vedic Village) have been put on hold in the backdrop of Singur and Nandigram developments. Things are unlikely to move unless all political parties reach a consensus on the farmland acquisitions for industrial ventures.”

It may be recalled Infosys had announced plans to create at least 5,000 IT/ITeS jobs in Kolkata by investing in a software development centre cum BPO facility. WBIDC is supposed to acquire 800 acres in Rajarhat for IT ventures of which 100 acres to be ear-marked for Infosys. However, both the state IT and commerce & industry department officials are tight-lipped about this latest move to offer land to Infosys at Kalyani.

West Bengal IT minister Debesh Das told ET: “It’s true we haven’t been able to offer land to Infosys near Vedic Village. We are looking for an alternative location to offer 100 acres to Infosys. We have big plans to develop Kalyani into a major IT destination.”

State IT secretary Siddharth said,“We are in constant touch with Infosys and they remain keen as ever to invest in West Bengal.”
:bash:

Suncity

June 20th, 2007, 03:39 PM

sidney_jec

June 20th, 2007, 04:03 PM

Isn't this old news?

Offering land at Kalayani is actually a good move. Kalyani needs some IT industries. But I doubt Infosys will set up anything in Kalyani. It is like setting up something in Ulhasnagar instead of Navi Mumbai.

wel its is..but came across it today and found nowhere in threads(or may be i missed it :) )
anws why even offer any to those arrogant freaks..
Buddhadeb has been calling on Narayanmurthy for so long now..
and that to a communist cm calling on a private investor andtrying hard to get an Infosys
Narayanmurthy at least should have had the courtsey of saying no if he was never interested(and it visibly seems he was never)

sidney_jec

June 20th, 2007, 04:07 PM

Quiet many hotels for our good'ol calcutta :)

Source: TOI Epaper

GOING THE UMED PALACE WAY?
Heritage buildings to star hotels
Somdatta Basu | TNN
Kolkata: Ever thought what it would be like to stay in the wonderful heritage buildings across the city, much like the havelis in Rajasthan? If the tourism department has its way, you can have your dream come true.
The state plans to convert many of the heritage buildings in the city into ‘star boutique hotels’. “Many of the heritage properties are owned by private individuals. If they are interested in leasing out property to earn revenue, then those magnificent structures can be turned into heritage hotels, much on the lines of the palaces in Rajasthan,” said tourism secretary G D Gautama.
The state feels this will give a much-needed impetus to tourism in Bengal. “There can be no better option than turning some heritage buildings into boutique hotels. If not the whole, then at least portions of the structure,” said an official.
Gautama revealed that the proposal was brought up during a discussion with the chambers of business. “We have already received a list of potential star hotels from the 1,300-odd heritage properties listed in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation area. Now, the government will approach private owners to strike a deal,” he said.
Besides the city, the state is also looking at heritage buildings in Murshidabad, Malda and Bishnupur. “In a short time we will start negotiations and shortlist possible buildings,” Gautama said.
KMC says it has no objection if a private owner wants to convert a heritage building into a hotel. “Without changing the facade, the owner is free to use it as a hotel. We will welcome that,” said mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya.
The chairman of the state heritage commission, Pratap Chandra Chunder was, however, sceptical. The commission does not have the infrastructure or financial strength for such a project, he said. “But we are ready to help the state government if we get the required facilities,” Chunder said.
The announcement came on a day when the government submitted a plan to the Centre to develop tourism in Murshidabad. Tourism minister Manab Mukherjee said Basif Manzil, Moti Jheel Bagh and Raja Saheb Bagh would be developed under the project.

kolkata

June 21st, 2007, 10:06 PM

Source: http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=242162

The state government will entrust a Czech Company with the responsibility of constructing the 39-km monorail (light rapid transport system) between Panihati in the northern suburbs of Kolkata and Joka in the southern suburbs. Minister for urban development Ashok Bhattacharya who today met chief secretary Amit Kiran Deb and transport secretary Sumantra Choudhury to discuss this issue, announced this. The Rs 4000-crore project, to be built on a BOT basis, will be funded by both the Central government and the state government.

“The project will be undertaken as part of the Central government’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The Centre has agreed to our proposal on principle but has requested for some clarifications from the state authorities. The chief secretary is going to Delhi with the clarifications and we hope things will be settled there,’’ Bhattacharya said.

The minister added that the state government has earmarked Rs 1400 crore for development of slums in the state. “We will demolish the present structures and build multistoried buildings which will have dwelling units, markets and other features. While 50 per cent of the money will be given by the Central government, 35 per cent of the expenses will be borne by the state. The rest will be borne by beneficiaries,’’ Bhattacharya said.

Union minister of state for urban development Kumari Selja is coming to the state on July 22 and she will discuss the issue, among others, with chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

The minister also said that the government will construct a fly-over at Sector V at Salt Lake and build an urban haat a la Dilli Haat at the Central Park in the Capital

kolkata

June 21st, 2007, 10:09 PM

Similar updates but from a different Source:
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070621/asp/calcutta/story_7951218.asp
Source: http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=242162

The state government is trying to put the light rail transit (LRT) and the East-West Metro project on the fast track.

Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee will soon write to Union urban development minister Jaipal Reddy, seeking the inclusion of the LRT project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, said urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya on Wednesday.

Chief secretary Amit Kiran Deb will go to Delhi to “actively pursue” the project, said the minister. He was speaking after a meeting with transport secretary Sumantra Chowdhury and Deb on the project.

The Union ministry has agreed to consider the project but has raised a number of questions regarding the passenger-carrying capacity of the LRT and the integration of the project with other modes of transport.

The Centre is expected to fund 35 per cent of the project and the state 15 per cent. The rest of the money will come from a private partner.

In tenders floated by the transport department, Czech company Amex International had emerged the highest bidder. The company plans to tie up with SREI for funding.

The state government is also working to obtain the Japanese government’s approval for the East-West Metro. It will rope in environmental experts to reply to queries by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation’s (JBIC) screening committee.

The committee wants to know how the government will deal with issues like dust pollution, noise pollution and removal of refuse from the stations. It also needs to know about the government’s preparedness regarding soil erosion and natural disasters.

The Japanese agency has raised questions about social aspects of the project and its infrastructure. “There are around 118 shops, 227 houses and a school along the proposed route. The JBIC has sought to know what form of rehabilitation we are working out,” said a senior government official.

The agency also wants to know about the underground drainage system, groundwater facilities and waste-water recycling plans

Suncity

June 22nd, 2007, 01:36 AM

Taj Gateway hotel for city

The 200-room, “mid-market” Taj Gateway hotel will come up at the EM Bypass-Rashbehari connector intersection and be ready to welcome guests by the end of 2009. It will be built on 1.9 acres and cost “around Rs 150 crore.

More

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070622/asp/calcutta/story_7955351.asp

Suncity

June 22nd, 2007, 01:39 AM

Retail expansion in city
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070619/asp/calcutta/story_7940802.asp

Kishore Biyani’s Future Group is looking to add another 10 Big Bazaars and three Pantaloons stores in Calcutta “by the middle of next year”. It also hopes to have the “seamless mall”, Calcutta Central on Ballygunge Circular Road, and Home Town, its home solutions format, in Rajarhat up and running by 2008-end.

The 10 new Big Bazaars will occupy 500,000 sq ft, while the three new Pantaloons stores — in South City Mall, City Centre II and Riverside Mall in Howrah — will add up to 175,000 sq ft. Calcutta Central, being designed by the New York-based Rockwell Group, will take up another 350,000 sq ft at the intersection of Ballygunge Circular Road and AJC Bose Road.

The company is also bringing its Brand Factory to Calcutta, offering over 120 brands at factory-outlet prices under one roof. Two standalone Food Bazaars, in Kumartuli and Howrah, will account for 40,000 sq ft. KB’s Wholesale Markets, an “essentially B2B” chain, will be launched, too.

Following the Mumbai model, Pantaloon Retail is planning two self-managed malls on Diamond Harbour Road in Behala and in Madhyamgram, to showcase its own formats and other brands. Mackinnon & Mackenzie House, on 16 Strand Road, is also being redeveloped by the company as a retail destination, with Benoy of the UK doing the design.

“We want Calcutta to consume more because consumption is tantamount to development and economic growth,” says Biyani. To facilitate consumption, Future Group will introduce its Future Money concept in many retail outlets, offering pre-approved loans on the spot.

Mackinnon & Mackenzie House, 16 Strand Road
photo cc rights suncity

http://img490.imageshack.us/img490/638/sixstrandroadkolkataeu5.jpg

kolkata

June 22nd, 2007, 02:05 AM

Source: http://www.business-standard.com/general/storypage_test.php?&autono=288754
West Bengal is all set to see major investments in the information technology (IT) and hospitality sectors this year.
1. Following acquisition of Customer First, Aegis Communication Group Incorporated, the Essar group's $200 million BPO arm, is coming to Kolkata.
The company's 65,000 square feet new facility in Salt Lake Sector V would recruit 1500 people in the next one year.
2. An advanced research lab is also on its way at the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata. ........
3. Kolkata will be the Eastern Headquarter as the Cellular services provider Aircel plans to enter Kolkata by the end of the year. .....
4. Tata Teleservices which has so far invested Rs 302 crore in Bengal circle would invest another Rs 152 crore during the current fiscal year.
5. 'Health City', a 5000 bed multi-specialty, by Asia Heart Foundation (AHF), chaired by cardiac surgeon Devy Shetty and Riverbank Holding Private Limited, would be a Rs 2000 crore project. It could come up at the Calcutta Riverside Township in Batanagar south of the city. ........
6. The State Government too has geared up to provide more green as well with a 19-storey state-of-the art Green Building in Kolkata's Salt Lake to meet the growing demand for space of the IT industry in Kolkata.

Suncity

June 26th, 2007, 03:18 AM

Unitech construction...

photo from untech google group / moloy

<---scroll if needed--->

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/410/unitechproject2ssi5.jpg

Hindustani

June 28th, 2007, 02:24 PM

oh how nice. unitech taking shape. good.

btirthankar

July 2nd, 2007, 06:40 AM

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=13573762&postcount=507

I perceive Car parking projects as a big necessity and also challenging. However the revenue potential is good if managed well. Both the car parking projects in Kolkata are a failure. But still if a new one is made and managed properly, it will serve as an example. Anyone working on this particular project?

btirthankar

July 2nd, 2007, 06:42 AM

Source:ET

PTI[ FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2007 07:30:14 PM]
KOLKATA: Five Tier II cities in West Bengal - Siliguri, Kalyani, Durgapur, Kharagpur and Haldia - have been identified as potential destinations for setting up IT parks by the government, state IT Secretary Siddharth said on Friday.

Siddhartha said these Tier II cities had been identified as the next IT destinations in the state, by a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) study.

The government had commissioned PwC to undertake the study, which was initiated in January 2007. PwC submitted its interim report in March and the final report was submitted this month.

The final report states that of the five cities, Kalyani, Siliguri and Durgapur emerged as preferred destinations on account of their advantages in connectivity, land availability and cost, urban and social infrastructure, level of private sector interest and other location specific differentiators.

PwC has given more priority to Kalyani because of its proximity to Kolkata and the availability of government land. Moreover, it is a planned city with adequate infrastructure in terms of water supply, drainage and sewerage system.

Around 30 acres has already been identified for IT park development, which can be augmented by another 500 acres depending on the requirements.

sidney_jec

July 3rd, 2007, 07:33 AM

Monorail plan for the city
Source: Telegraph.com

Monorail plan for southern fringe
- 14-km route proposed from Taratala to budge budge
A STAFF REPORTER

A city-based company has come up with a proposal to run a monorail between Budge Budge and Taratala, on the southern fringes.

Andromeda Technologies has approached the state transport minister, Subhas Chakraborty, for implementing the project with a collaborator on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis.

Monorails are vehicles plying on a single track. In most cases, the rail is elevated but monorails can also run on the ground or even below it.

“In March, the proposal was forwarded to the chief minister, who gave it the green light. We have asked RITES to conduct a detailed survey and list underground utilities along the proposed route,” said a senior transport department official.

There will be three stations along the 14-km route via Jinjira Bazaar. The project cost will be about Rs 50 crore per km. According to the company, a passenger footfall of around 60,000 a day will make the project feasible.

A survey of traffic along the proposed alignment, a study of the topography and sub-soil investigations will be carried out shortly, said a government official. He felt the government is enthusiastic about the project since it would be carried out on a BOT basis and will not involve expenditure on its part.

The government has asked the departments concerned to identify encroachments along the route and the impact of the project on the local economy.

Faced with shrinking road space and traffic snarls, the state government is looking at various other high-speed transit systems, including the Rs 4,000-crore East-West Metro project between Salt Lake and Howrah.

The government also floated tenders for other modes of transport. Ten companies expressed interest in running monorail and light rail transit systems in the city. A Czech company, Amex International, along with SREI, had been shortlisted for implementing a Rs 2,400-crore project from Joka to Panihati.

Suncity

July 3rd, 2007, 07:39 AM

^^

Doesn't look hopeful too me like the many other dream projects that the Telegraph regularly publishes. A few years back there was even a flying gondola project which would be ferrying passsengers to and from Howrah Station.

PlaneMad

July 3rd, 2007, 06:52 PM

from my recent trip to cal
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Victoria_Memorial_Kolkata_panorama.jpg/800px-Victoria_Memorial_Kolkata_panorama.jpg (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Victoria_Memorial_Kolkata_panorama.jpg)
I just fell in love with it. Maintainance was simply outstanding.

sidney_jec

July 4th, 2007, 07:31 AM

Cognizant in expansion mode
Source: Business-standard.com

Cognizant to invest $200 mn to develop tech complexes

BS Reporters / Mumbai/Kolkata July 04, 2007

Information technology major Cognizant plans to invest over $200 million to develop techno-complexes in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Coimbatore by the end of 2008.

The investment will be conducted in phases. In the first installment, the company will invest $46 million in Kolkata to further expand its infrastructure to accommodate close to 4,000 employees.

The 20-acre, fully owned techno-complex is located in Bantala, an area designated as a special economic zone. Additionally, the US-based major will continue to lease additional new facilities in Kolkata to meet its growing employee strength.

Cognizant President and Managing Director R Chandrasekaran said, “As we plan for the next phase of Cognizant’s growth, we are focused on building the scale to address the needs of our businesses around the world. Building larger Cognizant-owned facilities in India is a key part of our strategy. We expect our new construction programme will enable us to meet growing customer demand in North America, Europe, South America and Asia and continue to attract the industry’s most talented people.”

Cognizant will set up its second IT and business process outsourcing services infrastructure in Kolkata with an investment of close to Rs 188 crore by the end of 2008 for land acquisition, construction of facilities and furnishing.

This is expected to increase significantly Cognizant’s footprint in Kolkata with the addition of over 500,000 sq ft of office space that could accommodate approximately 4,000 new employees. Cognizant will also continue to lease additional facilities in Kolkata.

Chandrasekaran said, “Our strategy to make ahead-of-the-curve investments in our people and infrastructure has established Cognizant among the top companies in the offshore outsourcing industry.”

“Cognizant has scaled up to approximately 4,000 professionals in Kolkata and is committed to grow this centre, tapping into the rich talent pool in the eastern part of the country. The Kolkata development centre’s focus on high growth industry segments and the discipline of high-quality execution enabled us to build stronger customer businesses,” added Siddhartha Mukerjee, vice-president and head of Kolkata operations, Cognizant.

Cognizant, at present, has over 44,000 employees, who are committed to partnerships that sustain long-term, proven value for customers by delivering high-quality, cost-effective solutions through its development centres in India and on-site client teams.

jdutta2002

July 4th, 2007, 12:03 PM

hello sun n others i am a new joinee...i must say i am most impressed by the work put up by all of u espclly sun..... just wanted to kno whether any one has any update on City Centre II and more importantly Forum II.

Hindustani

July 4th, 2007, 03:11 PM

jdutta2002..............welcome aboard.

hello sun n others i am a new joinee...i must say i am most impressed by the work put up by all of u espclly sun..... just wanted to kno whether any one has any update on City Centre II and more importantly Forum II.

Suncity

July 6th, 2007, 05:26 AM

Suncity

July 6th, 2007, 05:27 AM

Greenwood Elements
New Town
http://www.shrachi.com/bengalshrachi/currentprojects/elements/index.htm

http://img472.imageshack.us/img472/7169/greenwoodelementsci0.jpg

cbeboy

July 6th, 2007, 08:13 AM

Shriram Properties to invest Rs 1,000 cr (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/07/06/stories/2007070652092100.htm)

Shriram Properties Ltd, the real estate arm of the Rs 8,500 crore Shriram Group, plans to invest nearly Rs 1,000 crore to acquire land for developing real estate projects in Kolkata by the end of this year, according to Mr M. Murali, Managing Director, Shriram Properties.

“We plan to take up several real estate projects in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Kolkata. In Kolkata alone we will invest Rs 1,000 crore to acquire land,” Mr Murali told Business Line over the phone.

Developing SEZ

The company plans to set up project specific joint ventures with local developers for real estate projects in and around Kolkata. The company has already partnered city-based developer Eden Realty Ventures and has acquired land in the eastern part of the city. Besides residential and commercial projects, Shriram Properties also plans to develop a Special Economic Zone in Kolkata.

“These days money is not an issue. The problem is to get land at the right locations,” Mr Murali said while commenting on how his company plans to fund its investment.

“Once we have the land investment will automatically come in,” he added. Shriram Properties, which has finalised an arrangement with Hindustan Motors to develop an integrated IT township and auto park on 314 acres in Uttarpara, expects to commence construction by the end of the year. The project is expected to be completed in the next couple of years.

According to the company’s Web site, the Rs 450 crore Shriram Properties currently has over 2.5 million square feet of land holdings.

sidney_jec

July 6th, 2007, 11:23 AM

Source: BS.com

Cognizant to set up second unit in Kolkata

BS Reporter / Kolkata July 05, 2007

Cognizant will set up its second IT and business process outsourcing services infrastructure in Kolkata with an investment of close to Rs 188 crore by end of 2008 on land acquisition, facilities construction and furnishing.

This is expected to significantly increase Cognizant’s footprint in Kolkata with the addition of over 500,000 sq ft of office space that could accommodate approximately 4000 new employees.

The new fully-owned techno-complex would come up on 20 acres in Bantala, a Special Economic Zone.

Cognizant would also continue to lease additional facilities in Kolkata as required to meet its headcount growth requirements.

Said R Chandrasekaran, president and managing director, Cognizant. “Our strategy to make ahead-of-the-curve investments in our people and infrastructure has established Cognizant among the top companies in the offshore outsourcing industry. As we plan for the next phase of Cognizant’s growth, we are focused on building the scale to address the needs of our businesses around the world. Building larger Cognizant-owned facilities in India is a key part of our strategy. We expect our new construction programme will enable us to meet growing customer demand in North America, Europe, South America and Asia and continue to attract the industry’s most talented and best people.”

“Cognizant has scaled up to approximately 4,000 professionals in Kolkata and is committed to grow this centre tapping into the rich talent pool in the Eastern part of India. The Kolkata development center’s focus on high growth industry segments-Financial Services, Pharmaceuticals, Retail, ERP and CRM-and the discipline of high quality execution excellence have enabled us to build stronger customer businesses,” added Siddhartha Mukerjee, vice-president and head of Kolkata operations, Cognizant.

This $46 million investment in Kolkata is a part of Cognizant’s larger program to spend about $200 million through the end of 2008 to build new fully-owned techno-complexes across Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad and Kolkata over three million square feet and capacity for over 30,000 new employees.

Cognizant, at present, has over 44,000 employees who are committed to partnerships that sustain long-term, proven value for customers by delivering high-quality, cost-effective solutions through its development centers in India and on-site client teams.

sidney_jec

July 6th, 2007, 11:24 AM

Source: BS.com

Emami plans to invest Rs 1000 cr in medicare

Nirmalya Mukherjee / Bhubaneswar July 05, 2007

Kolkata-based Shrachi and Emami groups plan to invest Rs 1,000 crore in medicare services over the next five years.

Of the total investments, the two firms will raise Rs 300 crore through internal resources, while the rest will be raised through debt. The two groups plan to set up a number of tertiary and secondary care hospitals across the country, with focus on the eastern region.

Speaking to Business Standard, Shravan Todi, chairman, Shrachi group, said, “The hospitals will be built under the existing brand of Advanced Medicare Research Institute (AMRI). We are currently in the process of lining up investments.”

At present, Shrachi and Emami are jointly promoting a 200-bed multi-speciality hospital (MSH) near Khandagiri Chowk in Bhubaneswar. The detailed project report (DPR) is being worked out.

Orissa government has allotted 4.5 acres of land for setting up the MSH at Khandagiri. Shrachi and Emami plan to invest around Rs 70 crore in the initial stages for setting up the MSH.

D N Agarwal, executive director, AMRI Hospitals, said, “The MSH at Bhubaneswar is likely to be completed in the next couple of years. Construction and civil work will shortly begin.” The hospital will basically provide advanced medical treatment.

Todi said, “Provisions might also be made for free beds in the hospital.”

AMRI plans to have over 1000 beds across its entire hospital chain in the next few years and emerge as one of the biggest in the country.

Of the total, the 525-bed facilities would be completed in the next couple of years.

A 200-bed hospital each will be constructed at Bhubaneswar and Kolkata. Besides, the bed capacity at the Dhakuria centre will be increased to 435 from the existing 370.

Two years ago, Shrachi and Emami group took over Suraksha medical centre thereby adding another 170 beds to AMRI’s existing capacity. AMRI currently has a bed capacity of around 540 in Kolkata.

Emami’s current turnover is about Rs 1,200 crore, and the group’s net profit is estimated at over Rs 200 crore in 2006-07.

chitown's finest

July 6th, 2007, 07:28 PM

Suncity

July 7th, 2007, 05:34 AM

Nivedita Bridge

http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/341/vivekanandatollbridgerj3.jpg

map

http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/2760/seconvivekmapdm7.jpg

Some highlights

http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/2042/vivekhighlightsqn7.jpg

jdutta2002

July 7th, 2007, 12:27 PM

City Centre II is under construction. No clue about Forum II.

Thanx sun n hindustani.......

somewhere in orkut groups i got the info that Accenture is opening its DC in Kolkata by mid 2008 and Infosys will be handed over their 100 acres by end of August 2007.

Can any1 confirm this news???

jdutta2002

July 7th, 2007, 12:30 PM

nice coverage sun!!!

arijeetb

July 7th, 2007, 01:07 PM

arijeetb

July 7th, 2007, 01:31 PM

Thanx sun n hindustani.......

somewhere in orkut groups i got the info that Accenture is opening its DC in Kolkata by mid 2008 and Infosys will be handed over their 100 acres by end of August 2007.

Can any1 confirm this news???

The news about accenture did come out in the net sometime back, not able to trace it now. Regarding Infosys the last piece of news stated they may not completely log out of Bengal....but with the current rates at rajarhat infosys may not be willing to pay that much for their 100 acres.

Suncity

July 8th, 2007, 06:47 PM

Sunrise Greens
near Rajarhat..

http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/4850/sunrisegreenelevationshc2.jpg

sidney_jec

July 11th, 2007, 03:14 PM

Source: TOI Epaper

Hooghly ghats on cruise map
Kalyan Moitra | TNN
Kolkata: After beach tourism, it’s now river cruises. The government is going all out to tap into the history that has flown with the Hooghly for centuries.
Tourism minister Manab Mukherjee has chalked out a plan to promote river tourism, which includes exploring heritage ghats along the Ganga and a short tourist-circuit linking Kolkata to Chinsurah, Chandernagore, Bandel, Serampore and Belur. This follows an earlier plan by the government to start a tourist-circuit connecting major historical and heritage hot spots located on either side of the Hooghly.
This time it has opted for river cruises to show-case the historically important ghats of the Ganga from Kolkata to Murshidabad.
“There are so many ghats on the banks of the Ganga which are rich in history. We are planning to showcase these ghats to tourists. This will be part of our tourism promotion drive,” said G D Gautama, principal secretary of the tourism department.
The tourism department recently discussed these projects with Kolkata Municipal Corporation, KoPT and the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). “The government has almost finalised both projects. We do hope they all clear will be sounded soon,” said G M Kapur, state convener, INTACH. “We are expecting to start river cruises for ghats by this winter,” Kapur added.
In this case, the state government will act as a catalyst to promote history , heritage and culture of these locations. Private tour operators will run the show.
Tourists opting for this chance to enjoy the beauty of the river and its ghats and other historical places to be included in the circuit would get a detailed document with maps and highlights from the past. “We will act as the facilitator. The state government will have no financial burden. We will not even spend anything for this scheme,” the secretary said.
INTACH has already identified and listed such historically important ghats — 44 ghats on the Kolkata side and 30 ghats on the Howrah side.
The tourism department has already discussed this project with officials of Kolkata Port Trust. “The KoPT will have to approve this,” Gautama added. The project has been discussed with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and other civic bodies as well. “All these ghats are to be renovated so that we can exhibit them. The civic bodies will undertake this work,” he said.

kousikb

July 12th, 2007, 03:01 AM

- edit

Hindustani

July 12th, 2007, 04:12 AM

Kousikb..............welcome to SSC India Subforum. You may answer the "Roll Call" in Gup shup Section if you desire to get your attendence. Nice post & update BTW.

sidney_jec

July 13th, 2007, 07:16 AM

Reliance to setup biotech park

Reliance to setup Biotechnology Park in WB

Kolkata, July 12: The Reliance Group has proposed to set up a Biotechnology Park at Kalyani in West Bengal as part of the Dhuribhai Ambani Reliance Institute of Information Technology.

Replying to a debate in the state assembly to budgetary demands for grants of his department for the year 2007-2008, the state minister-in-charge of department of bio-technology Surjya Kanata Mishra said the department would encourge setting up of biotechnology parks in the state.

One such park is coming up at Kharagpur based on concept note prepared by IIT Kharagpur.

He said Biotechnology Council and the nascent department of biotechnology in the state were striving hard to attract companies to set up their operations in Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal keeping in view the rich biodiversity, the excellent pool of talent and R&D facilities offered by the state.

During debate in the house on the budgetary demands of grants for his department, West Bengal`s Minister for Information Technology Debesh Das said in the state assembly today that two IT Parks are planned to be set up at Durgapur and Siliguri in West Bengal.

The minister said the proposed IT Park at Durgapur would come up on 25 acres of land and that of at Siliguri on 37 acres.

He said it had also been decided that an IT Park would be developed at Kharagpur.

The park had been planned to house companies dealing in high-end software development and R&D operations, VLSI and microprocessors and embedded systems, he said.

Bureau report

vibs89

July 13th, 2007, 08:41 AM

Kolkata: Trans-Asia Infrastructure Holding LLC of the US is planning to make a foray into urban infrastructure and township development projects with a kitty of Rs 4,000 crore ($1 billion). The company is also planning to tap the market next year to raise funds for the purpose.

Dr Ravindra Verma, managing director of Second Vivekananda Bridge Tollway Company Pvt Ltd (SVBTC), said: "We would tap the market next year to raise funds while a significant portion would come from internal accruals."

PASGIC LLC, a joint venture between the Pacific Alliance Group and Trans-Asia of the US, and the Stardec Group of the Philippines, leads SVBTC, which designed and built the 880-meter-long cable-stayed extra-dosed bridge.

"We are lining up a significant portion of the fund for projects in West Bengal. This would include new projects like urban mixed land use and township development projects," Verma said.

According to him, Howrah's horizon will change after the toll way project. "Moreover, there will be future industrial growth on the Howrah side, with a lot of activities, like setting up of factories and assembly plants, taking place. We believe a lot of townships will be needed for that. We will be looking at mixed land use development projects for commercial and residential purposes," Verma said.

The company has also lined up funds for proposed infrastructure projects like a deep-sea port at Haldia, light rail transit system in Kolkata and greenfield airport in the state.

While it will focus heavily on eastern India, Trans-Asia Infrastructure will also look for projects in northern India, in places like Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

The company might also co-invest with other companies for special economic zone projects, Verma said.
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=169940

SarafIndian

July 13th, 2007, 03:51 PM

Hi,

I am a new member here. Enjoy.

Suncity

July 13th, 2007, 07:49 PM

Hi,

I am a new member here. Enjoy.

Welcome on board and contribute to its positive growth.

sidney_jec

July 17th, 2007, 07:20 AM

Welcome SarafIndian

Land price fixed for Jindal Steel
Source:Business-Standard.com

WB govt fixes Rs 1.94 lakh/acre for JSW unit

Press Trust of India / Kolkata July 16, 2007

The West Bengal government has finalised the land rates for JSW Bengal Steel's 10 million tonne integrated steel plant at Salboni in Midnapore district. Biswadip Gupta, CEO, JSW Bengal Steel said production is expected to start from April 2011.

Gupta said 4,500 acre would be required for the plant, and 4,000 acre would be taken from the government at Rs 1.94 lakh per acre - a rate fixed by the land and land reforms department. "We are expecting a government order on this to be issued this week," Gupta said.

He said the remaining 500 acre would be acquired from private holders at rates varying between Rs 2.50 lakh and Rs 3 lakh per acre.

The union environment ministry would hold a hearing in Delhi on August 17 on granting of environment clearance for the project, Gupta said adding that Jindal group chairman Sajjan Jindal would be present at the hearing.

Replying to a question, he said the company had not faced any resistance from the locals about locating the factory at Salboni. "In fact, they are very enthusiastic in having the factory there."

SarafIndian

July 17th, 2007, 11:58 AM

http://www.expresstravelworld.com/200707/aviationworld38.shtml

Modernisation of Kolkata airport to begin in January

EAW Staff - Kolkata

Work on modernising, expanding and renovating the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport will be taken up early next year, civil aviation secretary Ashok Chawla said recently.

"The work will begin from next January. It will be done by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and would be completed in about 30 months," Chawla told the media after a meeting with the West Bengal chief minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

The Rs 1,500 crore project to be funded by the AAI, will include construction of an integrated terminal to handle nearly 16 million domestic and four million international passengers. Also, the two existing runways will be extended and an additional hangar will be built as part of the project.

Chawla said there was an urgent need to build a third runway and the state government had been asked to provide land for this. During the meeting, Chawla informed the CM that the airport in Cooch Behar was being revived and would become operational by mid-August.

Noting that the civil aviation ministry had commissioned a feasibility report on operating small commercial aircraft from the Behala airstrip in the metropolis, he said the report would be received within the next three months.

chitown's finest

July 17th, 2007, 09:39 PM

just build a new one for gods sake. privitize it. They will do a shitty job on it since its the AAI. The rest of the country is modernizing except for kolkata

Suncity

July 18th, 2007, 03:27 PM

Genexx Valley

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/5043/genexxssc1sjj8.jpg

arijeetb

July 18th, 2007, 04:41 PM

arijeetb

July 18th, 2007, 04:45 PM

The Kolkata Museum of Modern Art or KMoMA is expected to open in 2012

http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/news/lifestyle/kolkata-to-getmodern-art-museum/12/56/292852

Suncity

July 18th, 2007, 09:11 PM

Sunrise Point, New Town

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/3458/sunrisepointsg4.jpg

Civitas

July 19th, 2007, 03:27 AM

Times of India ePaper (19-Jul-07)

ON THE FAST LANE
Rs 5,000-cr offer from Japan bank
JBIC’s grand proposals could modernise Kolkata’s transport system, a la Bangkok
Krishnendu Bandyopadhyay | TNN

Kolkata: The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has offered a slew of projects to modernise and smooth out Kolkata chaotic transport system into one resembling Tokyo or Bangkok.
The projects, which add up to a whopping Rs 5809.2 crore, include the East-West Metro and no less than 72 flyovers. All for Kolkata. Howrah, though, is smarting that it has been completely left out of JBIC’s grand plans.
The bank unveiled its proposals at a presentation of its study on the city’s traffic and transportation system to the government on Wednesday.
Modelled on the traffic systems in Tokyo and Bangkok, the recommendations emphasise the integration of transit systems through ‘easy modal shifts’ (switch from one mode of transport to another), integrated fare and ticketing systems. “The most amazing discrepancy in the systems (in Kolkata) is that each runs according to its own whim without consideration for the passengers they are catering to,” said a Japanese team member. Through integration of the transportation systems, you could travel by different modes of transport on a single ticket.
Transport minister Subhas Chakraboty took a keen interest in JBIC’s presentation. A host of officers from the railways, transport department, PWD, urban development department, Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority and the city and state traffic police attended the meet.
The most important and the biggest project is, of course, the East-West Metro. Both the state government and JBIC are upbeat about the implementation of the project. The other high priority projects include doubling of circular railway, Joka-Panihati mass rapid transit system, rationalisation of bus routes, feeder network for intermodal transfer points, development of ferry services. High priority projects in traffic management sector are parking study, transport demand management, area traffic control and traffic signal an removal of slow-moving vehicles from major corridors.
The JBIC study shows that frequency, reliability and comfort of city’s public transport system is not high enough to encourage modal shift from private cars to public transport. The existing public transport system (bus and rail) do not have adequate access facilities, feeder systems or modal interchange facilities. SOME OF THE PROJECTS JBIC HAS OFFERED TO FINANCE
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
East-West Metro: Rs 4,206 cr Doubling of circular railway track: Rs 336 cr Integrated fare & ticketing system: Rs 3.4 cr
ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAMMES
Elevation & widening of VIP Rd: Rs 640 cr Flyovers on BT Rd, Sinthee More and Tobin Rd: Rs 51.3 cr South extension from Kamalgazi to Baruipur: Rs 61.3 cr Flyover on VIP Rd-Jessore Rd crossing: Rs 10.5 cr
Flyover on Elachi Pailan Road: Rs 111.3 cr
Flyover at Joka: Rs 119.8 cr
Flyover on Prince Anwar Shah Rd: Rs 59.3 cr
Rly overbridges: Rs 27 crore
Rly underpass widening: Rs 42 cr
Rly underpasses: Rs 18 cr
Pedestrian subways: Rs 7.5 cr

SarafIndian

July 19th, 2007, 07:14 AM

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070719/asp/calcutta/story_8076688.asp

Upgrade package for Howrah
A STAFF REPORTER

The state government on Wednesday finalised a Rs 247-crore package for the development of Howrah town and its vicinity.

The package, approved under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, aims at revamping the drainage, traffic and the water supply systems of these areas. Slum development, too, figures prominently on the list.

The development scheme was finalised at a meeting called by urban development minister Asok Bhattacharyya at Writers’ Buildings on Wednesday. The Howrah mayor, Gopal Mukherjee, and other members of the municipal corporation attended the meeting.

Representatives of Howrah Improvement Trust (HIT), railways and neighbouring municipalities were also present.

“The package that we have finalised will cover all aspects of development of Howrah and its surrounding areas. But special emphasis has been given on drainage, considering the recent spate of waterlogging,” said urban development minister Asok Bhattacharyya.

The drainage and sewerage schemes will cost Rs 93 crore.

The minister pointed out that the problem of waterlogging can be solved only if channels are dug to link the drains. Dredging of the Pancha canal is also a priority.

A team comprising officials of the civic body, HIT and the railways will inspect Tikiapara, where the tracks remained inundated for three days following the July 3 downpour. Drainage revamp work will start once the committee submits its report.

Around Rs 90 crore has been allotted for the improvement of the water supply system. Kanika Ganguly, the MLA from Bali, has submitted a Rs 50-lakh proposal, which includes construction of an underground reservoir and 16 overhead reservoirs.

“We aim to supply treated surface water from the Padmapukur water treatment plant to the people of Howrah and added areas,” the minister said.

For slum development, the package has allotted around Rs 64 crore.

Suncity

July 19th, 2007, 02:30 PM

Civic rider for realtors

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Kolkata/Civic_rider_for_realtors/articleshow/2215854.cms

Realtors will need to shell out more - apart from the price of land and construction costs - for highrise projects. That's because they will also have to build basic infrastructure in the area without which the project will not get the go-ahead from Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

The flip side is that the realtors may well pass on the extra cost to you when you go to buy an apartment.

At least two upcoming highrises have come under the KMC's unwritten law on infrastructure.

The upcoming 19-storey complex on DC De Road on EM Bypass is one of them. KMC wants the promoter, Mahakosh Property Developers, to do a bit of social service. According to the agreement with the civic authorities, the realtor will widen DC De Road and install streetlights (sodium vapour lamps) on that road and Dhapa Road till EM Bypass. The road widening will cost Rs 2 crore. The developers will also have to maintain the street lights in the entire area for the next five years. Planting of saplings and beautification of the surrounding area will also be their responsibility.

In lieu, the civic authorities have agreed to give some relaxation to the developers. "We have decided to ease the norms on floor-area-ratio. Considering the width of the present road, the developers cannot build such a high building,' said a KMC building department official.

Mayor-in-council member (building) Dipankar De is elated that the civic body could "persuade" the developers into taking up social infrastructure projects. "We bargained hard and managed to convince the developers to improve basic infrastructure in the area," the MMiC said.

Terming it a rainbow project, Shivam Asthana, the general manager of the construction group, said that development of infrastructure was not a burden on them and they would happily do the job as committed. The complex will be one of the largest housing projects in Kolkata with six 20-storey towers.

Mahakosh Property Developers bought the 16.50-acre plot from the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (the plot belonged to the erstwhile National Tyre Corporation of India). They will keep aside 2.5 lakh sq feet for office space and non-polluting industries.

The second project to come under the social infrastructure umbrella is a residential complex in Topsia. The developers have been told to renovate the drainage system. "The developer has agreed to our condition and will spend Rs 3 crore on drainage lines. We have sanctioned their building plans based on this agreement," the MMiC said.

cbeboy

July 19th, 2007, 09:15 PM

Texmaco plans Rs 1,000-cr food park venture with LMJ Intl (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/07/20/stories/2007072051780300.htm)

Texmaco Ltd, a K K Birla group company, is planning to set up a “food park” — an industrial zone for food processing units — at Sankrail, some 25 km off Kolkata in Howrah District.

Announcing this to newspersons after the company’s 67th AGM, Mr S.K. Poddar, Executive Vice-Chairman, said that it would be a Rs 1,000-crore-project and would be executed through a 50:50 joint venture with the Kolkata-based LMJ International Ltd.

SarafIndian

July 23rd, 2007, 08:55 AM

http://www.expresshospitality.com/20070731/market21.shtml

EH Staff - Kolkata

Putting to rest all speculations, Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces has announced to set up its second property in Kolkata. Indian Hotels Company Limited, which runs the Taj brand of hotels, has entered into a management contract with city-based Jalan Intercontinental Hotels for a Gateway Hotel in the City of Joy.

The new hotel, a part of Taj business hotels portfolio, will be built on 1.9 acres of land strategically located at the junction of Rashbehari Connector close to the IT Complex at Sector-V in Salt Lake. It is located to cater to the upcoming IT hubs at Rajarhat/New Town and the proposed IT Park at Nonadanga. Taj Hotels which has three divisions, luxury, business and leisure is already operating Taj Bengal,a 229-room luxury hotel in the city.

Jamshed S Daboo, COO, Taj Business Hotels, said, "The launch of our second hotel in Kolkata is a significant milestone. It will give us critical inventory in the burgeoning market. The strategic location coupled with the timing of the project are key factors that will help us consolidate our position."

The new 200-room mid-market property, a part of the Taj Business Hotel will be equipped with an all-day dining restaurant, a bar, 10,000 sq. ft of banqueting and meeting facilities, a fitness centre and a swimming pool. A senior official of Jalan InterContinental Hotels said, "The Gateway, our first foray into the hospitality business, will be a five-star business hotel and we hope to carry forward our partnership with Taj in the future."

SarafIndian

July 23rd, 2007, 09:10 AM

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=247209

Kolkata, July 22: A New link road is coming up between the Belgharia Expressway and Alambazar in the city’s northern outskirts.

The twin double-lane roads will allow residents in Salt Lake and Rajarhat to reach Dakshineswar, less than a kilometre away from Alambazar, in a little more than half an hour.

For airport-bound vehicles from across the river, the new connectivity will help in cutting down travel time.

At present, people travelling to the northern fringes of Kolkata take the PWD Road from Dunlop Crossing to reach Dakshineswar.

Or else, they drive on the Belgharia Expressway, through the newly inaugurated bridge and descend down the existing arms of the bridge to the Alambazar rotary.

Project director, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Lt Col GGK Nair said the new road will ease traffic congestion on the bridge. “In the future, more traffic would have led to jams on the existing ramps. We want to avoid that situation,” he said.

With the new road, there will be four passages in all, each allowing a unidirectional flow of vehicles. Construction of two ramps is already underway. Sources said the new road will be ready for use in another six months.

Second Vivekananda Bridge Tollway Company (SVBTC) Private Limited has been handed the task of constructing the new link. SVBTC had designed and is currently operating the Second Vivekananda Bridge, now known as the Sister Nivedita Bridge.

The elevated link road will have two bi-lanes of 300 to 400 metre each, both terminating and originating at the Alambazar rotary. “The bridge was not a part of the original blueprint of the Second Vivekananda Project. This part was later sanctioned,” said Lt Col Nair.

“The new link coupled with the Belgharia Expressway will provide speedy access to the outskirts of the city. Not many people are aware of the importance of the Belgharia Expressway,” added Nair.

sidney_jec

July 23rd, 2007, 01:38 PM

Source: Business-Standard.com

Bhusan Steel likely to acquire land directly
Ishita Ayan Dutt / Kolkata July 17, 2007
Bhushan Steel is likely to purchase land directly from the owners for its proposed steel plant in Bengal, spread over 2,500 acres.

The company would start discussions with the land owners over the next two months. “We would like to purchase land directly from the people. We will start talking to them in the next two months,” said Rajiv Agarwal, vice-president, commercial, Bhushan Steel. The land is for setting up a 2 million tonnes plant. The project is set to come up near Asansol and the land has already been identified. The entire site, comprising 2,500 acres, is on private land and is barren. Agarwal said the company would talk to the land owners first and if it faced any resistance, it would seek the government support.

If the direct purchase happens, it will be the second instance in Bengal, where a company is directly acquiring land from the people, the first being JSW Steel. The West Bengal government has so far discouraged direct land purchase by companies. The state government prefers the land to be acquired by a government agency and then leased out to the company.

However, Agarwal said Bhushan’s memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the state government had both the options and the company would prefer buying land directly from the people.

Bhushan’s direct purchase of land may set the trend in West Bengal. Recently, Videocon Chairman Venugopal Dhoot also expressed the willingness to go for direct purchase of land for its proposed special economic zones (SEZs) in the state.

The land acquisition is expected to be completed in six months. The company would come up with a compensation package after talking to the people.

“We don’t know what their demands are, we will find out after talking to them,” said Agarwal. The compensation would be mostly in cash.

According to the terms of the MoU, Bhushan would also set up a training institute. “We will absorb people on merit,” he said.

Apart from the steel plant, Bhushan would also set up a cold rolling facility. Agarwal said the company was shown land in North 24 Parganas, but it wanted it within 30-35 km from Kolkata. Bhushan requires 70-80 acres for the rolling facility.

Suncity

July 24th, 2007, 04:50 AM

Turf club unlocking prime plot in city centre
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070724/asp/calcutta/story_8084762.asp

A prime plot in the heart of downtown Calcutta is being unlocked, paving the way for a heritage clubbing address with exclusive five-star rooms.

The management of Royal Calcutta Turf Club (RCTC) is giving final touches to its survival-cum-revival plan of converting the crumbling clubhouse on the 11 Russell Street premises into a heritage city club, in collaboration with upcountry real estate major Emaar MGF Land Pvt Ltd.

While no confirmation was forthcoming from the realty firm, and the stewards of RCTC maintaining that they were yet to sign on the dotted line, the market buzz is that Emaar MGF has emerged on top of the tender heap.

Suncity

July 24th, 2007, 04:52 AM

Godrej Properties forays into Kolkata's residential market

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070724/asp/calcutta/story_8096363.asp

After its foray into IT through a couple of tech parks in Sector V and proposed retail entry in partnership with the RPG Group, the Godrej Group has announced its plans for the residential segment in Calcutta with the acquisition of city-based Happy Highrises.

Godrej Properties, the realty arm of the $1.3-billion Godrej Group, has completed the acquisition of the Happy Group company for Rs 100 crore, a top Godrej official said on Monday.

“We have acquired Happy Highrises. We intend to develop a middle-income group residential estate on their land,” Godrej Properties managing director Milind Korde said.

The company has secured around 3.5 million sq ft of developable land through this acquisition.

“We had purchased the 25-acre plot on BT Road in Sodepur from National Textile Corporation and had intended doing MIG housing there. Now, it will be done by Godrej Properties,” said Sushil Poddar, the Happy Group chairman.

“This will be our first residential project in Calcutta. We will develop the property on our own,” added Korde. Godrej Properties will reserve part of the plot for retail.

The acquisition was funded through internal accruals and the total investment in the proposed MIG housing project is pegged at Rs 500 crore. Ground-breaking is expected in early-2008.

Civitas

July 24th, 2007, 05:02 AM

from Times of India ePaper of 24-Jul-07

Metro unveils airport link plan
Authorities Draw Up Grand Plans To Cut Down Travel Time, But Traffic Congestion Still As Bad As Ever In Cramped City
Krishnendu Bandyopadhyay | TNN

Kolkata: Imagine getting off the plane at NSCBI Airport and instead of standing in a queue for taxis, taking the Metro straight home to Tollygunge. Or Girish Park. Or Rabindra Sadan. Or any other station on the existing Metro network.
Sounds like a dream? Not really, if Metro planners are to be believed. Metro authorities have put forward a proposal to the Railway Board for a feasibility study on extending the existing Metro network to the airport. The planners want to use the elevated track from Dum Dum Cantonment to the airport.
At present, the Dum Dumairport link is used by only two EMUs every day. The elevated track is a symbol of colossal waste with about two people, on an average, travelling by these trains daily. There is no escalator to take passengers to the 100-foot-high platform. “Why the railways built the elevated track instead of taking the metro to the airport is itself an enigma,” said a state transport department official.
Metro authorities have also suggested that instead of having the final station nearly 1 km away from the airport, the Metro may be taken closer to the domestic terminal. “This will facilitate easy modal shift from the Metro to the airlines. In this age of no-frill airlines, no passenger would like to spend Rs 500 on cab fare after flying for just Rs 1,500,” said a senior metro railway official.
The existing Metro Railway tracks end at Noapara carshed. Metro planners want to build a station at Noapara. From there, an underground metro corridor would be constructed, which would meet up with the elevated track somewhere near Dum Dum Cantonment station and continue to the airport.
In most metropolises, the airport is linked to the rest of the city by efficient mass-rapid-transit systems. But Kolkata, despite having the Metro network, remains an exception. The Railway Board woke up to this and asked Metro planners if the network can be extended to the airport. To do that, the the tracks wold have to be modified and the platforms redesigned, said Metro authorities and proposed a study to weigh the pros and cons of the extension plan.
“For trains running on the elevated tracks, power is supplied through overhead cables. But operating the Metro would need the third line at the ground level. So, by eliminating the overhead lines and reinstalling the third rail, Metro can move on the elevated tracks. But platforms also need to be redesigned. The Metro rakes are narrower than a normal EMU coach. So the platforms need to be wider,” said a metro official.
Over the last few years, NSCBI Airport has witnessed a massive jump in traffic with a number of domestic and international carriers jostling for connectivity.
But compared to the jump in operations, the passenger dispersal system remains ageold. Because of the sole dependence on personalised modes of transport like taxis and private cars, the airport area witnesses traffic jams. “There has also been a tremendous change in profiles of air passengers in the last three to four years. So, the Metro link is more than necessary,” said B K Sadhu, state’s chief traffic and transportation engineer.
Metro Railway chief operations manager J K Mitra said, “There is a tremendous demand for extending the route till the airport.”
NEW TRACKS
Metro Railway wants to extend the existing northsouth network to the airport. The existing metro Noapara carshed would be converted into a new station
An underground Metro corridor from there would meet the existing railway tracks somewhere near the Dum Dum Cantonment station and go on to the airport. The final station, instead of terminating 1 km away from the airport, could run almost up to the domestic terminal

Civitas

July 24th, 2007, 05:05 AM

from Times of India ePaper of 24-Jul-07

43-km road to ring city, ease chaos on streets
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: Transport minister Subhas Chakraborty on Monday announced the much-anticipated ring road project in the Assembly. The 43-km road would come up at an estimated cost of Rs 5,600 crore.
Replying to a question by RSP MLA Jane Alam Miya, the minister said the six-lane elevated ring road would start in Salt Lake and connect major establishments, including the Metro Railway, Circular Railway, Sealdah and Howrah stations, medical colleges, burning ghats, educational institutions and the Hooghly.
Later, speaking to the media in his Assembly chamber, the minister opened up about the proposed project. Chakraborty said a highway between Lake Town and the airport would be part of the ring road project, adding that the project would be implemented on a build operate transfer basis.
“We have shortlisted firms that sent bids in response to the global tender we had floated for the project. One foreign company has expressed keen interest in it,” Chakraborty said. The state government will soon select the firm that would execute the project and ask it to prepare a detailed project report, he explained.
“If we select the foreign construction company for this project, we will have to get a clearance from the Centre. The paper work will take some time. We can expect the DPR to be ready within a year,” he said. The minister hoped the project would be completed in two years.
The minister assured the House that the elevated ring road would ease traffic congestion in the city. “By 2050, the city will have no traffic congestion,” he said.
The state government is also planning a link road between Panihati, on the northern fringe of the city, and Joka in the south. “It will take three years to complete it. We have taken up this project and initiated talks with the Centre for funding it,” he added. The Centre, however, is yet to clear this project as well as another ambitious project for upgrading Kolkata’s transport infrastructure — the East-West Metro corridor from Howrah to Salt Lake.
“These projects are yet to get final clearance from the Centre,” Chakraborty said. He added that the East-West Metro corridor could be completed by 2014. A stretch of this ambitious project will pass under the Hooghly.

Civitas

July 24th, 2007, 05:13 AM

I wonder when this flyover and many other proposed flyovers would come into reality :(

from Times of India ePaper of 24-Jul-07

From cruise to crawl, courtesy traffic volume
Suman Chakraborti | TNN

Kolkata: Some four to five years ago, it used to take a few minutes to cross the 500-metre stretch from Salt Lake’s PNB junction to Ultadanga. The same stretch now takes almost 30 minutes during rush hour.
Ten years ago, with fewer private vehicles, traffic flow in the city was relatively smooth with no major congestion at key intersections like Ultadanga or Prince Anwar Shah connector near the upcoming South City project.
But now these same spots have become a drivers’ nightmare with an abnormal spurt in traffic. According to KMDA estimates, the traffic volume in the city is growing at a rate of 2.5% per annum and the effect is mostly felt at key city intersections.
According to a Kolkata Police traffic estimate, the city tops the metros with the highest number of vehicles per kilometre of road length. The car count in the city has been estimated at 1.2 million approximately. On December 31, 2002, the total number of vehicles was 8,21,188. Two years later, the number shot up to 9,41,722.
Even a few years ago, traffic flow at the Hudco crossing in Ultadanga was smooth. “Now, the stretch has become chaotic during peak office hours. Residents like us face problems in even bringing out our vehicles on the road as it gets choked,” said Sudhir Dey, a local resident. KMDA will soon construct a 490-metre flyover connecting EM Bypass with VIP Road that will divert all airportbound vehicles.
Then, there is the Sealdah junction. Here, the traffic movement is slow even in the afternoons and night. “I used to live in Delhi and have just shifted to Kolkata. For the last one month, I have been travelling from Barasat to Esplanade by train to avoid the city roads. For the first time, I boarded a bus and had to pass the Sealdah junction last Saturday. It took nearly 40 minutes to pass the stretch,” said Kousik Mukherjee, who works in a private firm in Dalhousie.
The Prince Anwar Shah Road junction is turning out to be another traffic bottleneck. And, it will become worse when residents start moving in after the South City project is completed. “To tackle the tremendous traffic volume that is going to be generated soon, plans are afoot to construct a flyover that would divert the South City-bound traffic,” said an official of KMDA’s traffic and transportation sector.

sidney_jec

July 24th, 2007, 08:35 AM

Thanks Civitas for the Info :)

Some news on the proposed Deep Sea Port
Source: Business-Standard.com

PPP model likely for Bengal deep sea port

Animesh Singh / New Delhi July 24, 2007

In what could be a major thrust to the public-private partnership model, the shipping ministry is mulling over a proposal to run the proposed greenfield deep sea port in West Bengal with private sector participation.

The ministry, which is in the process of selecting a consultant for the project, is thinking of giving the task of developing and managing the berths and terminals to private parties once the consultant selects the location and commissions the port.

The port, which will have the capacity to handle 50 million tonnes of traffic, will need Rs 2,000 crore. Only around six of the 12 Indian major ports can handle this much traffic. The most significant aspect of the port will be a draft (depth) of around 16 metres.

Sources in the shipping ministry said the government would develop and control the rail and road links to the port.

The ministry has shortlisted seven overseas parties to appoint as a consultant, which will be associated with the project from the stage of selection of the location till the commissioning of the port.

West Bengal needs a deep sea port as the Kolkata and Haldia ports are riverine ports, which, due to their location on the river Hugli, require dredging regularly. Ministry sources said the state government proposed the development of a deep sea port as these two could not could not handle large vessels and container carriers.

Also, the Haldia port does not have a deep draft, which is a must, as the capacity of ships is increasing. Due to the draft limitations, the vessels have to pay a heavy load penalty.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram, while presenting the Budget, had announced the government’s plan to appoint a consultant to examine the feasibility of a deep sea port in West Bengal.

A sum of Rs 10 crore was allocated for this.

sidney_jec

July 24th, 2007, 08:43 AM

Some good news for Calcuttans lately

Source: TOI Epaper

Kolkata-Singapore flights on AI radar
Subhro Niyogi & Arpit Basu | TNN
Kolkata: The Air India top brass is finally waking up to Kolkata’s potential as a takeoff point for South-East Asia’s hot spots.
Sources said AI could ride on the wings of its low-cost arm — Air India Express — to introduce a slew of flights to Bangkok, Singapore, Dubai and Sharjah. AI is also eyeing a six-days-a-week service to Dhaka. At present, the flag bearer runs a thrice-weekly service on the Delhi-Dhaka-Kolkata-London sector.
The first AI Express service from Kolkata could take off as early as September — to Bangkok and Singapore. The frequency is expected to be three times a week. Both flights could originate in Dhaka and stop over at Kolkata before departing for the destination.
“Though a formal decision is awaited, we expect connectivity to Bangkok and Singapore on alternate days,” a source said. Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong —not connected to Kolkata at present — are also on the carrier’s radar. Flights to Dubai and Sharjah are expected at a later date.
The Air India Express service has been pending for over a year and a half now. Senior AI officials had hinted at it in late 2005 during the introduction of the Kolkata-London flight. Travel Agents Federation of India chairman (east) Anil Punjabi said the AI Express flights would boost connectivity to the east and help Kolkata develop into a hub for South-East Asia-bound traffic.
“AI has placed orders for 18 Boeing 737-800W aircraft to be used by the subsidiary airline. New flights and frequencies will be ramped up once the 181-seater aircraft are delivered,” an official said.

cbeboy

July 24th, 2007, 09:05 PM

IT products SEZ proposed on outskirts of Kolkata (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/07/25/stories/2007072551772300.htm)

R.P. Infosystems Pvt Ltd, manufacturers of the Chirag brand of personal computers (PCs), has proposed an IT products-specific SEZ on the outskirts of Kolkata. An application in this regard has already been made to the Union Ministry of Commerce.

According to Mr Kaustav Ray, Chairman of the company, 46 acres has already been acquired for the purpose. The entire area would be used for implementing R.P. Infosystems’ backward integration projects. Besides making components for its own requirements, units at the SEZ would manufacture components for other OEM brands and for the assembled PC segment as well. A phased investment of Rs 1,000 crore would be made in the proposed SEZ over a five-year period.

Mr Ray said that, currently, the company sources its computer hardware and components on CKD basis from firms in Taiwan and China. Its three factories are located at Howrah (West Bengal), Parwanoo ( Himachal Pradesh) and Barapani (Meghalaya).

SarafIndian

July 25th, 2007, 09:18 AM

The ferry service in the Kestopur canal will resume on August 5. A team of officials from various agencies involved in the project will conduct a trial run on Friday.

The decision was formalised on Tuesday at a meeting attended by representatives of Hidco, transport department, police and fire service, as well as the chairmen of the Bidhannagar, Rajarhat and North and South Dum Dum municipalities.

The West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation will operate the service, for which Hidco has earmarked Rs 30 crore. The money will be spent on buying four launches, dredging the canal, constructing five jetties, and arranging power supply and other facilities.

The service on the 6.4-km stretch — between Chitpur and Baisakhi — will continue from 8am to 6pm. During rush hours in the morning and evening, the launches will ply at an interval of 35 minutes.

The stops on the route are Chitpur, RG Kar, Ultadanga, Lake Town and Baisakhi. The service will be extended to Rajarhat — with stops at Tank No. 8 (in Salt Lake), Nayapatti and New Town — after two months. The fares will range from Rs 3 to Rs 5.

The ferry service was started on an experimental basis in September last year, but was discontinued after the canal was found unsuitable for navigation. During the first trial run on August 8, two launches carrying ministers and bureaucrats got stuck in the silt near Ultadanga.

The VIPs had to get off the vessels midway and irrigation department officials had to face the wrath of housing minister Goutam Deb for not desilting the canal properly.

Sadhan Das, the former irrigation secretary and technical adviser to the Hidco chairman, downplayed the incident on Tuesday.

“The launch used in the trial run was too big and heavy for the Kestopur canal. The 63-ft-long vessel was of the type that plies in the Sunderbans. This time, we’re deploying 42-ft-long launches which can carry 50 passengers each,” he said. The launches will be flat-bottomed.

The civic chairmen expressed the fear that the ferry service would raise the water level in the Kestopur canal and affect the city’s drainage system.

Hidco officials, however, did not agree with the view. “Water from Bagjola canal now drains into Kestopur canal. We explained to the chairmen that water would continue to flow into Kestopur canal even after the launches start plying.”

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070725/asp/calcutta/story_8101587.asp

sidney_jec

July 26th, 2007, 06:55 AM

Source: Expressindia.com

Steel major to set up Rs 16,000-cr industry hub

Express News Service

Kolkata, July 25: Steel manufacturers Jai Balaji Group will invest Rs 16,000 crore to set up a steel plant, a cement manufacturing unit and a captive power plant at Raghunathpur in Purulia district, minister for commerce and industries Nirupam Sen today said in the state Assembly.

In a written statement, the minister said, while the steel plant will have an annual capacity of 50 lakh tonne, the cement unit will produce 30 lakh tonne annually. The captive power plant will produce 1,250 mw power annually.

In the first phase, which is expected to be completed in three years the steel plant will produce 20 lakh tonne annually while the cement factory will produce 10 lakh tonnes every year. The power plant will have a capacity of 400 mw during the first phase for which the total investment will be Rs 8,000 crore.

For the project the company has sought 4,000 acre of land and the state government has started identifying land at Raghunathpur. “The land is fallow and has no irrigation project going on in it. The district administration as well as the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) have started identifying the land and once it is over, the government will start acquiring the land. In some cases proposals for buying the land directly from farmers are being considered,’’ the statement mentioned.

While the Balaji group will bring iron ore from other states for the project, the state government will help the group procure the required quantity of coal. The state will also help it arrange water for the project, the statement mentioned.

vibs89

July 27th, 2007, 07:00 AM

The Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority is planning to take up projects recommended by the Kolkata Metropolitan Planning Committee to improve transport infrastructure in the city.
The projects, including laying and widening of roads, will be taken up in the phase-I of the plan. The total cost is estimated at Rs 4,000 crore and work will be compete by 2025.
The PWD, irrigation department and the Kolkata Metropolitan Water & Sanitation Authority will assist KMDA. The manority of funds will come under JNNURM. Arteri roads include an expressway from NH-34 to Baruipur Road and Salt Lake Bypass from EM Bypass to VIP Road
Source:http://www.projectsmonitor.com/detailnews.asp?newsid=14143&secid=80

SarafIndian

July 28th, 2007, 09:44 AM

Another trial run from Bagbazar to Baisakhi of the Chitpore-Kestopur Canal ferry service was held on Friday. This time, the boat did not get stuck in the muck as it did on its maiden venture, but there are several ifs and buts that will decide the fate of this ambitious project.

Mechanics said they had to use more acceleration to plough through the sludge. While navigating in the river, the propeller of the launch revolves at 1,000 RPM (revolution per minute). But on Friday, the navigator had to run the propeller at 1,300 RPM.

"There is still a lot of sludge and we were apprehensive that the propeller will get stuck. The condition will only worsen after the monsoon. For now, the sludge is diluted by rain to a great extent," said a mechanic on the launch.

Much needs to be done on the stretch between Bagbazar and Baisakhi. Only a small part of the banks has been concretised. Bidhannagar Municipality chairman Biswajiban Majumder was present to assess the condition of the banks. Police have already evicted some slum-dwellers but further eviction is left.

Notwithstanding these flaws, the transport department is going to relaunch the service on Sunday. The ferry service will start from Bagbazar at 8 am everyday and the last launch will leave at 6 pm.

"A Rs 30-crore beautification project by HIDCO is in the pipeline. All the shanties will be done away with," said Sumantra Choudhury, state transport secretary, who was present. The authorities had faced an embarrassment during last year’s trial run when the launch, carrying ministers Goutam Deb, got stuck near Ultadanga. The ferry service was inaugurated by the chief minister last September.

The service was stopped after three months to facilitate further dredging. According to plans, the service will be extended up to the Kulti crossing within two years.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Kolkata/Ferry_trial_run_on_Kestopur_canal/articleshow/2239877.cms

Suncity

July 28th, 2007, 09:50 PM

Unitech Uniworld City: Harmony

8 Towers

1
http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/7008/uniworldcityharmony1zp5.jpg

2
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/5714/uniworldcityharmony2tz5.jpg

3
http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/9633/harmonyunitechlayoutrp4.jpg

sidney_jec

July 30th, 2007, 08:34 AM

Source : TOI Epaper

DFID balm for Howrah

International Consultant Engaged To Revamp Twin City

Swati Sengupta | TNN

Kolkata: Department for International Development (DFID), has engaged Mott MacDonald, an international consultancy firm, to prepare an ‘economic rejuvenation plan’ for Howrah.
This plan will focus on the area between Uluberia and Bally. The firm will also prepare a riverfront development plan for the city.
On Sunday, a senior official of the state urban development department said: “DFID has informed us that Mott MacDonald has been asked to prepare the plans. A team from the firm will visit Kolkata shortly and the entire exercise will be completed within six months.”
The entire project will cost around Rs 1,000 crore, and the preparation of these plans is a part of the exercise, the official said.
Over the years, little planning has gone into the expansion of Howrah and as a result, Kolkata’s twin city has now become extremely congested. The city on the western bank of the Hooghly needs special attention on quite a few counts. Not only are the narrow roads and the drainage system crying out for repair, funds are required to boost the traditional industrial units that are dying a slow death.
The foundry units and jute mills, once the engines of the local industries, have long declined. The economic rejuvenation plan will show the way to attract projects that will revive commercial activities in Howrah, create new jobs and improve the overall quality of life.
The first step to revive the riverfront will involve identifying possible sources of funds. Apart from the beautification of the western bank, the consultants will also look at ways of revenue generation from the riverfront. Once the plan is in place, different agencies will be invited to implement the plan and translate the vision into reality.
And there’s more in store for Howrah. Mott MacDonald will look into selecting areas for new townships and IT hubs, improvement of the Howrah station area and the city’s central business district, widening of arterial roads, better transport facilities and conserving water bodies.
Once the plans are prepared, the consultancy firm will also market the projects to generate funds for these, the official said.

sidney_jec

July 30th, 2007, 08:34 AM

Source: TelegraphIndia.com

Another daily flight to Dhaka
A STAFF REPORTER
Come September, Calcutta will have its third daily flight to Dhaka.

Jet Airways will start daily operations between the two cities from mid-September, “subject to the delivery of aircraft”, said Sudhakar Rao, the general manager (east) of the airline.

This will be Jet’s second international flight from the city. In January, it had launched a flight to Bangkok.

The new flight, to originate from Delhi, will take off from Calcutta at 8am and reach Dhaka at 9.15am (local time). It will leave the Bangladeshi capital at 10am (local time) and reach Delhi at noon.

Another aircraft will take off from Delhi at noon and arrive at the Bangladeshi capital at 2.30pm (local time). From Dhaka, it will start at 3.15pm (local time) and arrive in Calcutta at 3.30pm.

“The passengers will be connected to our Delhi-London-Delhi flights,” Rao said. “It will also be linked with Jet Airway’s Delhi-Brussels-Toronto service, which will start from September 5.”

The airline is targeting 65 per cent passenger load on the Delhi-Calcutta-Dhaka route. A Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with a seat configuration of 120, will be flown on the route.

According to travel industry sources, 500 passengers on an average travel daily between Calcutta and Dhaka. Several catch onward flights from there.

“The Calcutta-Dhaka market had slumped in the recent past, but it is picking up again,” said Anil Punjabi, the chairman (east) of the Travel Agents Federation of India. “With south-east Asia gaining popularity, Calcutta will get more passengers.”

sidney_jec

July 30th, 2007, 08:36 AM

City set to get another Shopping mall cum multiplex

Shows stop, Chaplin revamp on track
29 Jul 2007, 0233 hrs IST,TNN
Print Save EMail Write to Editor

KOLKATA: Kolkatans may soon be spoilt for choice as yet another multiplex is all set to come up in the heart of the city.

The century-old Chaplin — a city heritage and among the best-known cinemas in central Kolkata — will be demolished and converted into a multiplex-cum-shopping mall.

The project will be undertaken on a public-private-partnership basis between Kolkata Municipal Corporation and a private developer. The erstwhile Minerva cinema, now Chaplin and owned by KMC, was handed over to the West Bengal Film Development Corporation (WBFDC) on lease in the early 80s.

The hall's management on Thursday received a notice from WBFDC asking it to suspend all shows from Friday. This order, a section of the hall employees, claimed will spell the death-knell for the 707-seat hall that was once rated an A grade hall in the city.

The civic body, incidentally, was all set to float a tender for the public-private partnership project six months ago. But a tussle between the state government and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation over employment of the existing 16 employees, delayed the project and almost put it on the back burner. Finally, the ice melted when the state information and cultural affairs department agreed to take responsibility of those employees, said a Kolkata Municipal Corporation official.

Uncertainty though still looms large over the fate of a section of the employees. They have written to the WBFDC managing director, requesting him to specify the reason that prompted the government to suspend shows at the hall.

Mayor-in-council member (parks and squares) Faiyaz Khan said discussions were still on with the state government regarding the future of the employees. According to Kolkata Municipal Corporation plans, besides building a multiplex-cum-shopping mall, an entire floor will be reserved for the civic body to facilitate the expansion of its head office, which will also house a grievance-redressal cell apart from a few other departments.

Space will also be reserved for building a museum in memory of Charlie Chaplin. Kolkata Municipal Corporation has decided to showcase things used by the legendary film-maker.

sidney_jec

July 31st, 2007, 01:39 PM

Source: Business-Standard.com

Puravankara to invest Rs 350 cr in Kolkata

BS Reporter / Chennai/ Bangalore July 31, 2007

Puravankara Projects, a Bangalore-based real estate company, plans to take up 2.58 million square feet residential development in Rajarhat in Kolkata, with an investment of Rs 350 crore.

Girish Puravankara, deputy managing director of the company, told reporters here that the Kolkata project was being executed through a joint venture company, Keppal Purvankara Development Ltd. In this project, Purvankara will have 36.26 per cent economic interest of the 2.26 million sft of saleable area.

Besides, Keppal Purvankara Development Ltd has taken up two projects in Bangalore. The first project in the JP Nagar area in the city is under development whereas the second is yet to start. “We are looking at more projects in India, in cities like Pune and Chennai,” Puravankara said.

In Chennai, Puravankara has entered into an MoU with Galaxy Properties for the joint development or purchase of 43.56 million sft of land. Purvankara is also ready to take up first overseas project in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The company has acquired 1.06 million sft of land to develop a high-end 100 residential villa project in Colombo.

According to Ravi Ramu, director, Puravankara Projects, the company holds a land bank of 94.6 million sft of saleable area, of which about 42.77 million sft of saleable is owned by the company and about 6.50 million sft is owned by subsidiaries. The rest 15.71 million sft is owned by the company through entities other than its subsidiaries.

Puravankara is a major player in South India, and has marketing presence in the Gulf countries and Sri Lanka. For the fiscal ended March 2007, the company reported a net profit of Rs 130.40 crore on a total revenue of Rs 416.90 crore.

Talking about company’s IPO, Puravankara said the company plans to issue 21.4 million equity shares of Rs 5 each through the book building route. It has fixed the price band at Rs 500-525. DSP Merrill Lynch, Citigroup Global Markets and Kotak Mahindra Capital are the lead managers to the issue.

The issue which opens on July 31 and closes on August 3, would constitute about 10 per cent of the fully diluted post-issue paid up capital of the company.

The company is planning to raise Rs 1,075 crore at the lower end and Rs 1,120 crore at the higher end through the IPO. It aims to use the IPO proceeds to repay debt of Rs 419 crore and expend Rs 360 crore towards land acquisition.

Hindustani

August 1st, 2007, 01:58 PM

Ideal Heights, Calcutta

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

Vegchop

August 1st, 2007, 06:15 PM

This is from last weekend

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/529/axismalldl0.jpg

Vegchop

August 1st, 2007, 06:27 PM

As of last week

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/8230/dlfgrandmallkt5.jpg

Suncity

August 1st, 2007, 06:44 PM

VegChop > Thanks for the updates...

:)

Vegchop

August 1st, 2007, 07:08 PM

Sun City here's a few more.

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/1161/sectorvfromrajarhatnx3.jpg

Vegchop

August 1st, 2007, 07:21 PM

or a SUV proving ground....

http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/4644/drivingsouthsaltlakefj5.jpg

Vegchop

August 1st, 2007, 07:35 PM

Gangs of Rajarhat. Residential projects seem to be set up pretty close to each other. Here's a cluster of four projects.
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/8647/ujjwalaclustermn6.jpg

Vegchop

August 1st, 2007, 08:00 PM

Somewhat Non conventional design, yet typical Bengal Ambuja.
http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/2256/utsajw4.jpg

Civitas

August 2nd, 2007, 02:21 AM

Thanks vegchop..... it was very nice coverage !

btw, your screen name is too good ....VEGCHOP :) ...... I really wish to eat one right now .... is there any EGGCHOP

Suncity

August 2nd, 2007, 02:45 AM

Thanks vegchop..... it was very nice coverage !

btw, your screen name is too good ....VEGCHOP :) ...... I really wish to eat one right now .... is there any EGGCHOP

Kimba Dimer Devil holeo cholbe...

Suncity

August 2nd, 2007, 02:49 AM

WBHB's Eastern High project in New Town

photo copyright Soumya

http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/5507/rajarhatwbhbsoumyasi9.jpg

Suncity

August 2nd, 2007, 03:26 AM

What's the Xtra Mall?

http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/7189/sankalpalocationmw7.jpg

SarafIndian

August 2nd, 2007, 07:18 AM

Welcome VegChop.. I really liked your name.. I like VegChop also :banana:
We can call you dimer devil(according to Sun) :lol:

SarafIndian

August 2nd, 2007, 09:21 AM

Carlson Hotels has confirmed plans to develop the Radisson Hotel Kolkota, which is scheduled to open by 1 June 2010. Owned by Kolkata Hotels Ltd, the Radisson Hotel Kolkata will be located near Diamond Harbour in the southern suburbs of Kolkata, India.

The hotel will be located within a kilometre of the NSC Bose International Airport and is close to tourist attractions like Salt Lake, Park Street Rajarhat, the Victoria Memorial, Raj Bhavan and the India museum.

The hotel is based within seven acres. The existing hotel building will be completely demolished and rebuilt to Radisson specifications. The Radisson Hotel Kolkota will offer 250 rooms, an all-day dining café, various speciality restaurants, a stylish bar, health club, business centre, meeting and convention facilities and a swimming pool.

Speaking on behalf of the owner, Mr. Rajiv Kumar, director, Kolkata Hotels Ltd, said, "Kolkata is the main business, commercial and financial hub of Eastern India and attracts both domestic and international business travellers. Radisson Kolkata will offer world-class hospitality with a delightful mix of comfort, style and convenience to our guests."

Source: http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news07/28-RadissonHotelKolkata.shtml

Vegchop

August 2nd, 2007, 05:29 PM

It surely stands out. Though it's been stated some occupants of the building are critical about some walls curve within their apartments. Of course that's due to the cylindrical shape of the building. But Shrachi's attempt to offer something other than those match-box style apartments is commendable.

http://img459.imageshack.us/img459/5706/greenwoodextentionrh3.jpg

Vegchop

August 2nd, 2007, 05:45 PM

Haldiram will soon offer Wendy's old style burgers. The meat patty will come inside the famous Raj Kachori with regular chat chutney. VIP Road branch will roll out the menu soon.

Just kidding:lol:

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/5633/haldiramsgs9.jpg

Suncity

August 2nd, 2007, 07:05 PM

Carlson Hotels has confirmed plans to develop the Radisson Hotel Kolkota, which is scheduled to open by 1 June 2010. Owned by Kolkata Hotels Ltd, the Radisson Hotel Kolkata will be located near Diamond Harbour in the southern suburbs of Kolkata, India.

The hotel will be located within a kilometre of the NSC Bose International Airport and is close to tourist attractions like Salt Lake, Park Street Rajarhat, the Victoria Memorial, Raj Bhavan and the India museum.

The hotel is based within seven acres. The existing hotel building will be completely demolished and rebuilt to Radisson specifications. The Radisson Hotel Kolkota will offer 250 rooms, an all-day dining café, various speciality restaurants, a stylish bar, health club, business centre, meeting and convention facilities and a swimming pool.

Source: http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news07/28-RadissonHotelKolkata.shtml

Something is wrong here. How can the hotel be near Diamond Harbour and yet be one kilometre from the Airport?

I think they are referring to the Airport Hotel which was sold by MBD group to another company.

Radisson does have a hotel in Raichak (which can be said to be somewhat close to Diamond Harbour).

SarafIndian

August 3rd, 2007, 02:21 PM

duplicate post. deleted

SarafIndian

August 3rd, 2007, 02:22 PM

Something is wrong here. How can the hotel be near Diamond Harbour and yet be one kilometre from the Airport?

I think they are referring to the Airport Hotel which was sold by MBD group to another company.

Radisson does have a hotel in Raichak (which can be said to be somewhat close to Diamond Harbour).

Yap. It seems that they have made some wrong(news). I also know that they already have a hotel in Raichak. Are they planning for a second one near Airport?

jdutta2002

August 3rd, 2007, 10:04 PM

Yap. It seems that they have made some wrong(news). I also know that they already have a hotel in Raichak. Are they planning for a second one near Airport?

I guess they will be rebuilding/renovating the erstwhile airport ashok hotel which is now acquired by mbd group. So now it appears carlson will buy it 4m mbd. The hotel @ raichak is an altogether different one that is the ffort-a radisson resort.....

Suncity

August 4th, 2007, 02:38 AM

Interesting proposal for Uttarpara

Project proposed at HM site

TOI Epaper

A hi-tech office tower that rises 30 levels into the sky, 7,000 apartments stacked in 18-19 storey condominiums, 500 villas and row houses spread across sprawling landscaped gardens and a lake.

Welcome to the blueprint of Bengal Shriram Hi-Tech City, the proposed sprawling mixed-use township that may come up at the Hindustan Motors’ factory site. While the workshop, spread across 435 acre will be retained, the remaining 314 acre are being carved out for the IT township and ancillary park.

The Rs 6,600-crore project, one of the largest in the state, will be developed over five years by Shriram Properties, the real-estate wing of the Rs 23,000-crore Shriram group.

“It is one of the most ambitious projects we have undertaken. The IT industry in Kolkata is restricted to Salt Lake and a small section of New Town. Many of our international IT partners have already evinced interest,”
Bengal Shriram general manager (commercial) Dibyojyoti Ghosh said.

Equipped with high-speed fibre optic connectivity, the 2-million sq ft plug-and-play facility will comprise aesthetically designed IT and ITeS office spaces. The auto ancillary park will target manufacturers of smart printed circuit board-based parts. The 30-storey tower will adhere to green building norms.

The commercial development will also include a shopping mall with a six-screen multiplex and a food court. Also on the offing is a golf club with a nine-hole green.

“We have to offer worldclass facilities to attract big companies. The infrastructure has to cater to nearly 65,000 people,” Ghosh said.

On the residential front, the total built-up area will be 4 million sq ft comprising highrises, row houses and villas. The plan is to develop vertically so that ground coverage does not exceed 13.5% of the land parcel.

The most attractive feature of the project is a lake spread over 30 acre amid the lush landscaped lawns and gardens. “It is large enough to organise rowing and kayaking contests. Regenerating and preserving the waterbody will be central to the project,” he said.

In social infrastructure, Bengal Shriram plans to set up two schools and two hospitals. While the schools will be affiliated to the state and a central board, one of the hospitals will be a super-speciality facility.

arijeetb

August 5th, 2007, 10:18 AM

Interesting proposal for Uttarpara

Project proposed at HM site

TOI Epaper

^^ Good news. Govt needs to be proactive in developing/promoting other parts of Kolkata in addition to Salt lake and New town. How is the present connectivity from Uttarpara to the rest of the region ?

arijeetb

August 5th, 2007, 10:23 AM

Nice updates - Vegchop:)

Rajarhat is sure heading the Gurgoan way in the mall count - we already have Axis, DLF, City center2, Block by Block - what else ?

jdutta2002

August 5th, 2007, 07:30 PM

Nice updates - Vegchop:)

Rajarhat is sure heading the Gurgoan way in the mall count - we already have Axis, DLF, City center2, Block by Block - what else ?

apart 4m these we also hav the dlf mall 2 coming up wit the dlf it park 2 (4 which its already been offered 25 acres), terminus mall behind the upcoming bus terminus, xtra mall n various others alongwith the different housings coming up n defntly a grand mall with the kolkata international convention centre.:)

Suncity

August 6th, 2007, 04:16 AM

Anyone knows the status of Belgharia Expressway?

Suncity

August 6th, 2007, 04:18 AM

Eden City - looks like the renders have changed

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/1455/edencity1pq2.jpg

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2198/edencity2ek7.jpg

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/9299/edencityprojectpictureux0.gif

jdutta2002

August 6th, 2007, 08:35 AM

SUBHRO SAHA
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070806/images/06mall.jpg

Architect’s impression of Silver Arcade and Spring Club, with Silver Spring as backdrop

Travel back in time to savour Wazwan fare from the sigris of undivided Kashmir, tuck into an Oriental crab cake or sip a laid-back cappuccino. On your way out, check out the latest that BMW has to offer in its first showroom in eastern India. Mainland China and Tangerine, Café Coffee Day and Amber — all under one roof, right here on the burgeoning Bypass.

Silver Arcade, Calcutta’s first retail format “focused primarily on fine F&B”, next to Spring Club and the Silver Spring condo complex, is ready to open its doors to a clutch of top-notch taste-bud ticklers.

“The concept of the mini mall evolved from the growing exclusivity of the location, with two more five-star hotels about to come up. Our objective is to offer an eclectic spread that can compete with the star addresses,” says Piyush Bhagat, director, Springfield Projects, developers of the mall.

Anjan Chatterjee of Speciality Restaurants, who is bringing the Mainland China brand and also Calcutta’s first Sigree — “lost cuisine from undivided India” — to the mall, agrees that Silver Arcade would provide competition to the five-stars. “Our effort is to bring to the city forgotten dishes, like Pakistani Nihari Gosht. The strong recall of our brands will draw guests even from the five-stars,” Chatterjee tells Metro.

While Sigree will be a 140-cover restaurant, Mainland China II will seat 150. Both the eateries, taking up nearly 20,000 sq ft, are set to entertain diners by the year-end.

Another popular restaurant brand, Tangerine, was the first big name to move in, flagging off its banquets last week. “Our banquets will offer multi-cuisine fare, catering to corporate bashes, theme parties and product launches,” declares Jyoti Pandey, director, Tangerine.

Silver Arcade is Calcutta’s “first informal mall for evening relaxation”, explains architect J.P. Agrawal, who has designed the 75,000-sq-ft retail rendezvous. Amber, which has taken up 2,500 sq ft, is doing a lounge- bar and a 90-seater restaurant, also set to open by the year-end.

“High-end cars have great synergy with fine food. Besides the exclusive BMW showroom, Glix will set up a car-detailing spa in the mall,” says Bhagat.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070806/asp/calcutta/story_8130254.asp

jdutta2002

August 6th, 2007, 08:38 AM

A STAFF REPORTER

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070806/images/06salt.jpg

Salt Lake City, with its rapid expansion, is ready for an automated parking lot. A Telegraph picture

Salt Lake residents are set to get an automated parking lot, which will share space with a mall and a multiplex.

The complex will come up on 4.5 acres opposite the Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) administrative building in Sector I.

“Twelve companies have participated in the bidding. We hope to finish the processing work by the second week of August, following which construction will begin. The project will be ready in a year and a half,” said P.R. Baviskar, the chief executive officer of the CMDA, which will execute the Rs 16-crore project.

“The parking lot, with space for 200 cars, will be set up in a four-storeyed building that will also house a mall and a multiplex. The parking fee will be reasonable,” he added.

The private-public partnership model has been selected for the project.

The Calcutta Municipal Corporation has built automated parking lots at Rawdon Square and under Lindsay Street. A third, to be developed by the public works department, is expected at BBD Bag.

With the rapid development of Salt Lake, especially with the expansion of Sector V and the new township at Rajarhat, an automated parking lot has become an “absolute necessity” for smooth movement of traffic in the township, said a senior CMDA official.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070806/asp/calcutta/story_8130036.asp

jdutta2002

August 6th, 2007, 08:40 AM

SUBHRO SAHA

With the relentless onslaught of the Big Bazaars, Spencers and Reliances and increasing consumer tilt towards organised retail, the future of the neighbourhood kirana stores looks grim.

According to a joint study by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Images Group, organised retail in eastern India is projected to cross the Rs 100-billion mark by 2010, a figure likely to furrow the foreheads of the mom-n-pop store-owners.

The PC Chandra School of Business, rolling out its retail management programme next month at its Salt Lake campus, aims to equip these kirana shop-owners to meet the challenges posed by the organised segment.

The move has been appreciated by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI).

“They are actually doing a social marketing intervention. This genre of entrepreneurs, by getting formal inputs, can gain a competitive edge and kudos to the PC Chandra Group for trying to empower this crucial segment,” says Khokan Mukerji, the BCCI secretary-general.

“While our B-school will offer a retail management course at the postgraduate level besides the usual MBA, an undergraduate programme will be aimed specifically at the kirana shop-owners,” A.K. Chandra, the managing director of the company, tells Metro.

Chandra feels there is a massive demand-supply mis- match in the retail industry and specialised skill sets, which could throw a lifeline to the neighbourhood stores, are desperately needed.

This is the group’s first foray into education, which is popularly known for jewellery retail and exports and other businesses.

“The neighbourhood stores lack the basic managerial skills in accounting, purchasing, supply chain, logistics and understanding consumer behaviour,” observes Shyamal Kumar Ghosh, the dean of the school and former professor of finance at the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.

Ghosh feels these shortcomings, coupled with the inability to muster financial resources big businesses can readily command and a lack of understanding of the overall demographics and economic changes taking place, and the legal structure, put the kirana stores at a disadvantage.

The PC Chandra School of Business offers a one-year course on retail management to these store-owners to help them “not only to survive but grow as well”.

One has to be at least a Plus-II pass-out to seek admission to the course. Classes will be held in the mornings and weekends, so that work schedules are not disturbed.

Retail management, it seems, is quite the flavour of the season. While Pantaloon Retail has tied up with the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management, Retail Association of India has joined hands with NSHM Knowledge Campus.

Recently, Bharti Enterprises has decided to tie up with International Institute of Advanced Studies (IIAS).

The PC Chandra group, which is opening its Salt Lake Sector III B-school with 150 students, hopes to absorb a healthy share of the pass-outs.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070806/asp/calcutta/story_8115705.asp

sidney_jec

August 6th, 2007, 09:21 AM

Source: Business-Standard.com

Space group plans new projects in Kolkata, Chennai
Pradipta Mukherjee / Kolkata August 03, 2007
Kolkata-based Space Group, the real estate developer specialising in developing clubs, lifestyle-based residencies and shopping malls, has lined up an estimated investment of close to Rs 225 crore in Kolkata and Rs 350 crore in Chennai over the next three years.

An additional Rs 125 crore has already been invested in various projects in Kolkata that are under construction right now.

The 15-year-old Space Group has so far completed and sold off five projects in West Bengal worth around Rs 400 crore like Space Town, Club Town, Club Town Enclave and Club Town Estates.

Piyush Bhagat, director of Space Group, said the company is keen on partnership with private players to build residencies, clubs and shopping malls in and around West Bengal and in Chennai.

"We plan to build a Rs 200 crore bungalow complex in Rajarhat over 70 acres under the Springfields Projects banner," said Bhagat.

Bungalow sizes would range from 2,500 sq to 5,000 sq ft, and while prices had not been decided, they would have a club attached.

Built over 3 acres, the club at Rajarhat would focus on outdoor sports like cricket and football.

The club would have facilities like gym, swimming pool, food centres and banquet halls.

The club would be built under Springfield Projects banner.

Springfield Projects was formed two years ago. So far it has built the 'Silver Spring Residency' and the Rs 22 crore ‘Spring Club' on the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass in Kolkata.

The Space Group is building a 300,000 sq.ft. shopping mall on B T Road in Kolkata, to be completed by 2009.

"We are in the process of identifying the brands for the mall with car parking for close to 300 cars and 200 two-wheelers," Bhagat said.

Space Group is also building a 350,000 sq.ft. 'Club Town Residency' on B T Road as well, due for completion in 2008, with apartments of upto 1700 sq.ft. and priced at Rs 1,600 per sq.ft..

The group is also planning a Rs 350 crore 30-acre residential complex in Chennai to be completed within three years from now and built under the Olympia banner, said Bhagat.

Bhagat said the group recently completed a Rs 400 crore, 1.35 million sq. ft. green building in Chennai under the Olympia banner in partnership with Khivraj and MK groups.

The residential complex in Chennai would have 2500 apartments built in phases with the first phase having 820 apartments of upto 3000 sq ft priced at Rs 3,000 per sq.ft., with attached club, service apartments, hotels and other facilities, Bhagat said.

"We would also rent out some apartments to people with transferable jobs. Families could stay here for rent of close to Rs 2 lakh per month," Bhagat added.

arijeetb

August 6th, 2007, 10:51 AM

apart 4m these we also hav the dlf mall 2 coming up wit the dlf it park 2 (4 which its already been offered 25 acres), terminus mall behind the upcoming bus terminus, xtra mall n various others alongwith the different housings coming up n defntly a grand mall with the kolkata international convention centre.:)

thanks:)

sudheeshnairs

August 6th, 2007, 02:30 PM

Nice density, anyway there could have been more floors

Eden City
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/9299/edencityprojectpictureux0.gif

soham

August 6th, 2007, 05:25 PM

doesn't look-like eden to me

arijeetb

August 7th, 2007, 04:31 AM

This news came about a year back and states one phase to complete by May 2007. Any latest updates ?

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060831/asp/calcutta/story_6677613.asp

kousikb

August 7th, 2007, 04:32 AM

Shrachi's new project adjoining Greenwood Sonata.. 6 towers of G+4 to G+12 floors with 208 units.. I guess they are making use of the FSI..
http://www.axiomestates.com/img/greenwood_elements_build.jpg

"Greenwood Elements is strategically located at New Town, beside important landmarks like City Centre II, Greenwood Sonata and the Synthesis Business Park. More so it is only 5 minutes away from Haldiram-VIP Road and just 10 minutes from the NSCB Airport."
http://www.axiomestates.com/img/greenwood_elements_loc.jpg

IndiansUnite

August 7th, 2007, 04:34 AM

This news came about a year back and states one phase to complete by May 2007. Any latest updates ?

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060831/asp/calcutta/story_6677613.asp

Render from unitech's site -

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/1959/rajarhatpopjv2.jpg

fred_the_cute_guy

August 7th, 2007, 09:47 AM

arijeetb

August 7th, 2007, 10:15 AM

Render from unitech's site -

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/1959/rajarhatpopjv2.jpg

Thanks - this means there should be atleast 15 buildings to build up the 4.5M sqft of commercial space...hope they release more details soon....

Vegchop

August 7th, 2007, 10:38 PM

16 Blocks
Ranging from : G+14, G+17, G+24, G+29
1,376 units in total

Finally another Biggie, thou I hope Rajarhat does not fill it's mouth with more than it can chew!
Are there really so many buyers out there for these upscale dwellings in Kolkata? One good thing that it might do is give the Unitechs a run for their money!
And may be teach them a thing or two about customer service-- which at best is horrible!!

More info at
http://www.nkrealtors.com/garden_vista.html

http://www.nkrealtors.com/gardenvista/ele.jpg

http://www.nkrealtors.com/gardenvista/master.jpg

http://www.nkrealtors.com/gardenvista/locath.jpg

Suncity

August 7th, 2007, 11:08 PM

Thanks - this means there should be atleast 15 buildings to build up the 4.5M sqft of commercial space...hope they release more details soon....

I think Vivek Kedia had posted a pic of u/c. I think I have one pic in the showcase gallery thread.

Suncity

August 8th, 2007, 02:16 AM

Guys who can read Bengali, please check today's Anandabazar (http://www.anandabazar.com/7raj4.htm) - it appears an Inner Metropolitan Region and an Outer Metropolitan Region is on cards. They would have an Inner Ring Road (250 km) and an Outer Ring Road (550 km - is Extended Greater Kolkata so big? In one earlier thread I had estimated around 200 km but this seems to be around double of any other Indian city? I have my doubts)...

Anyway, it is an interesting read.

It's just some kind of vision masterplan for 2025 (two phases 2010-2015 and 2015-2025). The area they are showing is about 30,000 sq kms (West Bengal area: 88,000 sq kms appx) as per the news article.

What's interesting is that they are saying that they will need 66 km of new roads to complete the 550 km proposed outer circular road. The proposed 250 kms inner circular road will need 100 kms of new road.

Two new bridges / tunnels will be needed. Four laning will be needed for existing roads.

Over all a maha plan.

arijeetb

August 8th, 2007, 03:50 AM

It's just some kind of vision masterplan for 2025 (two phases 2010-2015 and 2015-2025). The area they are showing is about 30,000 sq kms (West Bengal area: 88,000 sq kms appx) as per the news article.

What's interesting is that they are saying that they will need 66 km of new roads to complete the 550 km proposed outer circular road. The proposed 250 kms inner circular road will need 100 kms of new road.

Two new bridges / tunnels will be needed. Four laning will be needed for existing roads.

Over all a maha plan.

Sounds great - also building of around 70 flyovers is also part of the same master plan i am assuming. Any updates on the EM bypass widening?

vivekkedia

August 8th, 2007, 02:20 PM

I think Vivek Kedia had posted a pic of u/c. I think I have one pic in the showcase gallery thread.
Yah I had posted it in April, havent been to new town lately but plan to go there in few days time in relation to my office construction plans.
http://picasaweb.google.com/vivekkedia/OfficeAtDH629AA1NewTown/photo#5052054434661278514

jdutta2002

August 8th, 2007, 06:47 PM

Suncity

August 9th, 2007, 01:57 AM

can someone throw some light whether the above project is the same as the Puravankara Keppel JV project announced here in this forum a few days ago???

I believe so..

sidney_jec

August 9th, 2007, 06:48 AM

This is how a film can change lives of people..Bow Barracks to be rebuilt
Source: TheStatesman.net

Bow Barracks soon to be restructured

KOLKATA, Aug 8: Bow Barracks, the condemned building at Bow Bazar, redolent of memories of pre-Independent days, would be rebuilt in three blocks through a joint venture, Mr Ashoke Bhattacharya, minister for municipal affairs said today.
The old world charm of the existing structure would be retained while there will be provisions for a park and a playground. The building shot into limelight after a film was recently made on it, though it triggered a controversy following a complaint about presentation of facts.
The Kolkata Improvement Trust stopped maintaining the building in 1999 and it was declared unsafe. However, 111 of the 131 residents, predominantly belonging to Anglo-Indian families, appealed to the state government for building flats in place of the dilapidated structure.
The minister said the flats would be of three types ~ with one, two and three rooms and the residents would be accommodated according to their current status. n sns

sidney_jec

August 9th, 2007, 06:52 AM

No land needs to be acquired, Buddha tells centre
Source: Telegraphindia.com

LRT along tram tracks
- LAND NOT REQUIRED
A STAFF REPORTER

The state government has told the Centre that it will not need to acquire land for the Rs 3,600-crore Light Rail Transit (LRT) project.

In central and south Calcutta, urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya said on Wednesday, the advanced mass transit corridor will run along the tramlines.

From Diamond Harbour Road, the route follows the tram tracks to Esplanade and Moulali, via Lenin Sarani. At Moulali, the alignment heads for Shyambazar, via College Street, again along the tramlines. From Shyambazar, it runs through the middle of BT Road till Panihati (not Barrackpore, as had been envisaged).

“The trains will run at a height of 16 metres from the ground and will not hamper traffic,” said Bhattacharya.

Bhattacharya discussed the LRT and other transportation projects with Union urban development minister Jaipal Reddy during his recent visit to Delhi. The state wants the Centre to fund 35 per cent of the cost under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission.

“We have prepared a master plan, which will be produced before transportation advisers and other experts of the Union ministry,” said Bhattacharya.

In response to the Centre’s queries, the state government said the LRT will ferry more than 13,000 passengers an hour during peak time. The trains will be 90 metres long and run at five-minute intervals, the minister said.

Besides the LRT, the state is also expecting funds for the proposed Park Circus flyover, extension of EM Bypass from Paddapukur to Kamalgazi, Vivekananda Road flyover and the ramps on the AJC Bose flyover.

The projects are mentioned in the city’s “transportation and mobility master plan” submitted to the Centre.

arijeetb

August 10th, 2007, 04:31 AM

No land needs to be acquired, Buddha tells centre
Source: Telegraphindia.com

Looks good...so they would basically do away with the tram lines and use that space to construct the pillars for LRT....

jdutta2002

August 10th, 2007, 07:05 AM

Looks good...so they would basically do away with the tram lines and use that space to construct the pillars for LRT....

exactly i too thought the same.......

cbeboy

August 10th, 2007, 08:14 AM

Kolkata — the happening city on IT front (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/08/10/stories/2007081050272200.htm)

When anybody asks me, I always mention Kolkata as a credible destination,” said Mr Harris Miller, President of the IT Association of America.

“The talent of Kolkata will play a major role in attracting investments in the IT space,” feels Dr Wilfried Prewo, Chief Executive of the Hannover Chamber of Industry & Commerce.

“I can say that West Bengal does offer many strong indicators for business development. It has a strong economy, officials appear increasingly responsive to business needs, and American businesses already present generally have had positive experiences,” opines the US Consul-General in Kolkata, Mr Henry V. Jardine.

Sentiments such as the above have been accepted by the IT community in India with genuine deference. This, in turn, has found reflection in the investments that have been made in the IT sector in the State.

Top names

Among the 500-plus IT companies – including the ones not registered with Software Technology Parks of India – that have already set up operations in Kolkata are big names like Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, Cognizant Technology Solutions, HSBC, IBM, Tech Mahindra, GE Capital, ICICI One-Source, Wireless Innovation Platform, Deloitte, Capgemini, etc. The Hindujas have just set up operations in Durgapur, while Rolta is set to start operations here and efforts are on to lure Infosys to the State.

While new investors continue to evince interest in the State’s IT sector, many existing players have approached the State Government for land to expand existing operations. Among the IT majors that have firmed up plans to augment headcount in Kolkata are TCS, Wipro, HSBC and CTS.

While at present more than 55,000 skilled professionals are engaged in the State’s IT sector, two lakh new jobs are expected to be created within the next 2-3 years.

Lowest attrition rate

According to Nasscom, the employability of people having IT skills in West Bengal is 40-45 per cent, way above the national average of 25 per cent. The attrition rate of 10 per cent in West Bengal is the lowest among the metro cities. Engineering colleges and other institutions of excellence in the State have helped generate appropriately skilled manpower required by IT companies.

Finishing schools have been set up at Kolkata and Durgapur with a view to improving the employability of those seeking a career in the State’s IT industry. Industry-academia interface is being encouraged. Industry is encouraged to leverage upon the infrastructure of educational institutions, while the latter seeks to formulate course curricula based on feedback from industry. Drawing faculty from industry is an idea that has been lately been gaining ground. Descon, a city-based IT company, has tied up with Gentech, a US-based company, to provide training in CAD-CAM for generating skilled hands required by the IT industry.

Projects on the anvil

Sanctioned projects will add 20 million sq.ft of built-up space within the next 2-3 years. This is in addition to the existing built-up space of over six million sq. ft that has already been set up by big names such as Bengal Intelligent Park, DLF, Technopolis, Millennium Park and exclusive and dedicated infrastructure set up by leading IT players. The very fact that the infrastructure that is being created is by the private sector is indicative of the bullish outlook for the IT sector in West Bengal. IT-specific special economic zones (SEZs) and IT parks are being set up in Kolkata, Siliguri, Durgapur, Kharagpur, Haldia and Kalyani.

“All these IT parks are being set up by the private companies. Would the private sector invest in such projects if it was not sure of returns on the investments,” a senior bureaucrat said. Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj has prepared a project report for the State’s largest IT hub that is proposed to be set up in or around the city. The project report is being reviewed and an appropriate location being identified by the State Government.

A Rs 200-crore IT park with 1.2 million sq. ft of “plug and play” space will come up in Durgapur in the next three years. A recent study by PricewaterhouseCoopers has projected Durgapur, Siliguri and Kalyani as preferred destinations as future IT hubs of the State.

Firm progress

Mr Siddharth, Principal Secretary in West Bengal’s Department of Information Technology, avers that the State is firmly progressing towards its ‘Vision 2010’. By that time, West Bengal would have emerged among the top-three IT destinations in the country and account for 15 per cent of the country’s IT revenue and 20 per cent of its ITES revenue.

Hardware segment

Besides software and ITES, West Bengal is, slowly but surely, emerging as a destination for players in the hardware segment. The Xenitis Group has set up an IT hardware unit in collaboration with Unitech of China. In fact, Xenitis was the first company in India to launch personal computers at the sub-Rs 10,000 level and make PCs affordable to the common man. The Videocon Group has also set up a PC manufacturing unit in Kolkata.

Local player R.P. Infosystems, manufacturers of the Chirag brand of computers, has proposed to set up an IT products-specific SEZ spread over 46 acres of land on the outskirts of Kolkata at a cumulative investment of Rs 1,000 crore. An India Design Centre for chip design is also being set up. Another SEZ is being set up for IT industries over 120 acres on land at Bantala even as other IT-specific SEZs have been planned at Rajarhat and Batanagar, among others.

In addition, about 500 acres of land near the airport will be developed exclusively for IT and ITES companies under the public-private partnership model. Potential collaborations in the VLSI space are being pursued with Korean and Taiwanese companies. In this regard, it has been proposed to leverage upon the expertise that exists in the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and Jadavpur University.

Officials in the know admit that West Bengal had been handicapped with a “perception problem” and has been a late starter in IT. To dispel negative perceptions about the State and its investment climate, the Department of Information Technology has held more than 50 road shows across the country in over three years.

The State also sent delegations to the Hannover Fair and to the UK. The message was clear – come and check out for yourselves the ground realities before you decide to invest your money here. And that is exactly what IT companies from outside the State have done.

Focus on manpower

Top people in the industry feel that, while all the enablers are in place with a view to making ‘Vision 2010’ a reality, it would be imperative, and appropriate, to ensure that skilled manpower is available in adequate numbers to make this happen.

Says Mr Roopen Roy, Managing Director of Deloitte Touche Consulting India Pvt Ltd: “The real constraint to growth could be the availability of appropriate manpower. We must create more institutions for generating more manpower.

“Our social infrastructure must be developed so that we can attract people from outside the State as well. Fortunately, these are problems of plenty, and not of scarcity, and can be addressed. Otherwise, I think we are on course.”

Along with opportunities for career progression, Kolkata offers a lifestyle that can be the envy of many.

The city boasts world-class hotels, heritage clubs, lush green golf courses, a race course and many tourist and heritage attractions.

It has emerged as a happening place for the youth, with plenty of shopping malls, multiplexes, bowling alleys, nightclubs, beer pubs, pools, discotheque and sporting complexes. These have added to Kolkata’s emergence as a preferred destination among young IT professionals.

sidney_jec

August 10th, 2007, 10:28 AM

Looks good...so they would basically do away with the tram lines and use that space to construct the pillars for LRT....

it could not have been better..
lets hope the project gets the other clearances too..
but i am surely very dissatisfied by both the state govt and central govt
with regard to the Metro..why could not these authorities convert it into a mass rapid transit system...it has been here since 1984 wid a route length of just 28 kms..
and look at Dmrc..more than 60 kms although it started just a few years back..
why do they have to look at other options like LRT or monorail for that matter...:ohno:

Suncity

August 10th, 2007, 08:45 PM

Kolkata airport update

http://business-standard.com/common/storypage_c_online.php?leftnm=11&bKeyFlag=IN&autono=26448

AAI has already appointed consultants for the modernisation project, sources said. The consultant for Kolkata airport modernization is a consortium which Indian firms partnering with Hong Kong's RMJM and a Paris-based firm ADPI.

After modernisation, Kolkata airport's passenger handling capacity will rise from 5.4 million passengers annually to 20 million by 2010. This will be sufficient for handling passengers till 2015-16. Work on nine domestic bays, three cargo bays and 11 additional parking bays has already started along with construction of the new terminal building.

In addition, a new ATC control tower is being built and automation being introduced in air traffic management and navigation. The new terminal building will have an area of around 180,000 sq metres. 104 check-in counters, 44 immigration counters, 25 security gates, five conveyor belts and 15 aerobridges will be the other features of the airport post development.

It will also get an inline baggage system which will make it unnecessary for the passenger to go for pre-check through x-ray machines.

Suncity

August 11th, 2007, 03:40 AM

The College Street Book Mall seems to have a new look

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/8506/varnaparichaythebookmalma8.jpg

arijeetb

August 11th, 2007, 03:49 AM

it could not have been better..
lets hope the project gets the other clearances too..
but i am surely very dissatisfied by both the state govt and central govt
with regard to the Metro..why could not these authorities convert it into a mass rapid transit system...it has been here since 1984 wid a route length of just 28 kms..
and look at Dmrc..more than 60 kms although it started just a few years back..
why do they have to look at other options like LRT or monorail for that matter...:ohno:

I am hoping the same too since the major bottleneck of land acquisition is not an issue in this case. The length as of today is ~16.5 km for the metro which would hopefully add another 8km in a years time ??

Any updates..anyone on when the Tollygunj--Garia line would start functioning?

arijeetb

August 11th, 2007, 03:51 AM

The College Street Book Mall seems to have a new look

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/8506/varnaparichaythebookmalma8.jpg

:cheers:

Suncity

August 11th, 2007, 04:05 AM

Any updates..anyone on when the Tollygunj--Garia line would start functioning?

2009 maybe.

:ohno:

This is news from April. Haven't heard if there has been any progress on this front.

Land acquisition woes may delay Metro Rail's Garia project

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/04/12/stories/2007041204891100.htm

A delay in the completion of the Tollygunje-Garia extension (8.5 km mainly on elevated tracks) work of Metro Rail, Kolkata is likely owing to land acquisition problems, with the Appellate Authority not available for taking up the appeals arising out of disputes with private land-holders.

The project was sanctioned in 1999-2000, with 6 stations on the route (five elevated and one surface). The outlay for the project, sanctioned by the Railways for 2007-08, is Rs 193.25 crore.

Briefing newspersons here today on the financial performance of Metro Rail for 2006-07, and progress of work achieved so far on the Garia extension, Ms Sudha Chobe, General Manager, Metro Rail, said the overall physical progress on the extension project up to March 31, was to the extent of 85 per cent, with 98 per cent of the substructure work already completed.

She said out of the 1,30,423 sq m of private land, some 50,212 sq m was yet to be acquired, largely due to litigations and non-production of ownership rights documents by the affected persons on the New Garia (terminal station) alignment section.

Non-availability of the Appellate Authority (for disposing of the cases) since October 31, 2006 has also been cited as one of the reasons for the expected delay in completion of work. It is now expected that work on the entire stretch may not be completed before end-2008.

According to Ms Chobe, once the required land is acquired, and the tendering for contracts completed, it may take anything between 15 to 20 months for completion of the work.

On the financials of the extension project, she said during 2006-07, Rs 406.30 crore has been spent on civil engineering works, Rs 33.42 crore on electricals and Rs 1.79 crore on S&T.

The Rs 907.69-crore project is 67 per cent funded by Indian Railways and 33 per cent by the West Bengal Government. The 48.64 per cent (out of the total cost) funds already spent on the project, however, excludes the cost of seven new rakes, costing approximately Rs 200 crore, orders for which have already been placed with ICF, Chennai.

Suncity

August 11th, 2007, 04:16 AM

Maybe they should consider building a huge turnaround station near the EMBypass and start services from there.

Suncity

August 11th, 2007, 06:17 AM

photos copyright skr at google groups unitech

Rosedale Gardens (http://www.rosedalenri.com/) and Uniworld City (http://www.unitechgroup.com/projects/residential/kolkata/kolkata_uni.shtml) u/c. The buildings that are visible are of Uniworld City.

<---scroll if needed--->
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/5008/rosedalenriskrcj4.jpg

The Rosedale Gardens (http://www.rosedalenri.com/) site

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/4342/unitech2skr2awt8.jpg

Uniworld City (http://www.unitechgroup.com/projects/residential/kolkata/kolkata_uni.shtml) u/c

1
http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/6132/unitech6skrsfu5.jpg

2
http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/6526/unitech4skrsqs1.jpg

Civitas

August 13th, 2007, 04:52 AM

From Times of India ePaper 13-Aug-2007

Japan bank to fund 60% of east-west Metro corridor
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: With the east-west Metro corridor inching towards reality, the Japanese funding agency is willing to share greater financial burden by jacking up the loan to close to 60%. A happy state government has asked the transport department to speed up the survey and designing job of the project before August 23, when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit the city.
Initially, it was decided that Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC) would grant 45% of the project cost as loan. In that case, the state would have to bear 20% and the Centre 35% of the Rs 4,206-crore project. Now, the state’s burden may be reduced to 15-10%, if the Centre sticks to its commitment. The project is likely to commence mid-2008 and would be completed by 2014.
Currently, a two-member JBIC fact-finding mission has been surveying the alignment of the east-west corridor. Transport department officers said the designing job of the corridor must be readied fast. “We need to have detailed a discussion with the railways as there would be three interfaces with them. The east-west Metro would connect two terminal stations — Howrah and Sealdah and the existing north-south Metro corridor at Central station,” said a senior transport department officer.
The detailed project report prepared by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) shows that both the exits at
Sealdah and Howrah would be under the existing railway platform near the cabway. But railways must see the design and give their opinion, said the officer.
The fact-finding mission has asked the government to speed up the process of land acquisition, specially in Salt Lake, where the corridor would be on an elevated track. The elevated portion is 5.7-kmlong, while the underground portion would be 8-km-long.

Jai

August 13th, 2007, 05:17 AM

[edited!]

Suncity

August 13th, 2007, 05:52 AM

Good finds Jai.

The airport seems to match the one posted in the airline/airports thread.

The convention centre is probably by Bengal Unitech Universal and is under construction. Though not sure if it will look like that.

The Dankuni township bid was won by DLF but newspapers later reported that they will join hands with Unitech. Only a small portion of land is available. The rest is yet to be aquired and the govt is going slow because of opposition by political parties and farmers.

Infospace first phase is under construction.

The World Bengal Tower - no clue where it is supposed to be built. It is a nice looking tower and if they build it in New Town it would be a cool new addition.

Jai

August 13th, 2007, 06:19 AM

Awesome Sun

BTW, I created a thread on the BBS project in the Skyscrapercity main forums:
KOLKATA | Biswa Banga Shikhar | 42 fl
http://img475.imageshack.us/img475/9653/c08ov8iv7.jpg (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=510688)

and on Skyscraperpage as well:
KOLKATA (Calcutta), India: Biswa Banga Shikhar (World Bengal Tower) -- 42 fl (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?p=3006708)

Suncity

August 13th, 2007, 06:23 AM

Awesome Sun

BTW, I created a thread on the BBS project in the main forums:

KOLKATA | Biswa Banga Shikhar | 42 fl
http://img475.imageshack.us/img475/9653/c08ov8iv7.jpg (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=510688)

But there is no concrete info yet.

:)

sidney_jec

August 13th, 2007, 06:25 AM

:cheers:

This design is way better than the earlier one which was like yuck..
good that they have looked into the aesthetics

Suncity

August 13th, 2007, 06:34 AM

Kolkata Airport

proposed terminal from RMJM site (posted by Jai)

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/513/image51xs5.jpg

Here's a proposed plan from RMJM site

http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/6342/kolkatairportplanip4.jpg

And from that it appears it will be somewhere here..Of course I may be wrong..

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/4379/airportdor1gf0.jpg

And based on the above - from google earth

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/9714/kolkatadomesticnew1fw1.jpg

Jai

August 13th, 2007, 06:55 AM

But there is no concrete info yet.

:)
It's a proposal

BTW, I'm going to delete my previous post in order to update the new images :cheers:

Jai

August 13th, 2007, 09:26 AM

OK, here we go!

I may be wrong, but it seems that RMJM Architects (http://www.rmjm.com/index_flash.php) has uploaded new renderings of proposed projects around Kolkata. These were originally found and posted by Suncity a year ago (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=207601&page=24), but I'll repost them and with the added new renderings, and more information of the projects I've found.

---------==--=--==---------

Kolkata Domestic Terminal Building, Kolkata Intl Airport, Kolkata

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/5805/apr8ph8.jpg

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/9195/apr6qx2.jpg

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/6550/apr7vu3.jpg

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/5711/apr1kj6.jpg

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/9273/apr9cb6.jpg

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/8822/apr3ec8.jpg

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/5521/apr4ql2.jpg

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/522/apr5cu2.jpg
The Airports authority of India announced that RMJM, supported by Sikka Associates, is the winner of the international design competition for the new Domestic Terminal in Kolkata. An independent jury selected the design against a notable list of competitors including Airports de Paris and HOK.

The 40,000m first phase of the new airport is designed to accommodate a peak passenger flow of 1800 per hour, while a second design phase will approximately double those figures.

RMJM worked closely from the outset of the project with the associated landscape designers at STRATA to ensure a fully integrated concept that revolves around an abstract reference to the writing of Rabindranath Tagore of Bengal. The graphic nature of his writing is visible as large scale patterns etched on to the underside of the main roof as well as landscaped across the forecourt ground. A number of mature trees are retained as a striking counterpoint to the linearity of the building's form. In developing the buildng shape and in the detail design of its skin RMJM ensured that the facility reaches the highest sustainability international standards. Natural day lighting is maximized while keeping cooling systems to a minimum. The form of the roof is also devised to harvest rainwater for landscape irrigation.
---------==--=--==---------

Kolkata International Convention Centre, Kolkata, for a 'confidential' client:

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/4457/ccc1el7.jpg

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/5677/ccc2ef7.jpg

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/518/ccc3ck2.jpg

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/4633/ccc4fb4.jpg RMJM has been commissioned to design the new International Kolkata Convention Centre within a 100 acre site on the eastern fringes of the city.

The facilities offered by the convention centre will cater for international exhibitions and conventions of up to around 2,000 delegates. A 5 star hotel, 4 star hotel and serviced apartments, office space and a retail development, comprise to make one of the largest planned mixed-use developments in India. The convention centre complex will present an unprecedented contribution to the public realm within a new cultural park for Kolkata’s public use. The park will form the heart of the new proposals with the Convention Centre its centrepiece. The design reflects the belief that the primary role of the centre is to communicate not only with those using it, but also with the surrounding environment. Hence, the exterior of the building includes giant projection screens that will be used to display live events and speeches occurring within the centre, or the public cultural plaza.http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/7996/04hn2.jpg

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/968/05gb0.jpg

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/1760/06oo6.jpg

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/3498/07pq8.jpg

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/4185/08pn2.jpg

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/6483/09kp6.jpg

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Joint Unitech-DLF Dankuni Township, Kolkata

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/6868/image10nn2.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/9596/image14dq5.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/4397/image12uf8.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/7240/image16ua6.jpg

Here's a recent article giving background on this joint project (http://www.indianrealtynews.com/real-estate-developers/dlf-unitech-working-together-to-snag-major-realty-project.html) by 2 of India's largest developers:DLF and Unitech are fierce competitors buy they value friendship and professionalism which have brought them together for an exclusive real estate project to construct a township and an SEZ in Dankuni in Hoogli district of Kolkata. It would be a 50:50 revenue sharing plan and both the real estate giants will be investing a total of 33,000 crore in a 5,000 acre development.

Commenting on the idea of entering into a joint venture with DLF, Unitech says, “The scale of projects is such that they cannot be handled by a single player.”

...

According to a presentation by NK Realtors (http://www.nkrealtors.com/kolkata.pdf):A new satellite township is coming up at Dankuni (about 15 km. From Kolkata) and the project will start in the year 2007 covering 5,000 acres of land and expected to be completed by 2011.

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Unitech Infospace, New Town, Rajarhat, Kolkata::

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/4417/b01lh3.jpg

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/9762/nfo3mi3.jpg

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/6066/nfo2fi4.jpg

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/236/nfo4kk3.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/2263/b04tz9.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/9806/b05xo1.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/3875/b06ug6.jpg

Tech pushes futuristic frontiers - Upcoming IT park in Rajarhat raises bar of cutting-edge office space (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060831/asp/calcutta/story_6677613.asp)Close to five million sq ft of cutting-edge IT domain across a campus-style development. A richly-landscaped park at the heart, containing retail, entertainment and living spaces to suit the lifestyle of professionals working at the address, at work and play.

Infospace, Bengal Unitech Universal’s 50-acre IT park coming up in Rajarhat’s Action Area I, promises to raise the bar in terms of the “standard of futuristic office space in the state”, architecturally, functionally and as an employment energiser.

“Infospace will catapult Calcutta on to the global IT map. Once complete, it will create 50,000 direct employment and 100,000 indirect employment opportunities,” declares NRI businessman Prasoon Mukherjee, director of Bengal Unitech Universal, a joint-venture between his Universal Success Enterprises and Unitech Ltd.

In the first phase, 750,000 sq ft of space will be ready for fit-outs by May 2007, and then around 700,000 sq ft will be delivered every nine months “till we reach 4.2 million sq ft”, the last phase to be delivered in June 2010, Mukherjee adds.

...

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And the Mariott Courtyard International Hotel, located at Unitech Infospace, New Town, Rajarhat, Kolkata:
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/3438/mcm1oa3.jpg

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/2125/mcm2mj8.jpg

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/81/mcm3qe8.jpg

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/84/mcm4zj4.jpg

Marketing Pavillion

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Unitech's The Gateway at KILC ("Geetanjali?"), Kona, Kolkata

http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/5931/kon1dm2.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/2249/gee1zf1.jpg

http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/7419/kon2mf4.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/7691/gee2es9.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/8139/gee3bp0.jpg
The landscape concept for this Kona mixed-use development begins from connecting existing ponds on site to form the central landscape spine. This spine becomes the landscape hub of the site, accommodating active and passive recreation as well as ecological land use and natural habitat.

A gradual variation of tree density along the spire further provides a diversified experience whilst the deck style design creates formal floating elements among the informal landscape.

With its different landscape layers, the plan becomes a metaphorical representation of the poetic manuscripts of acclaimed poet Rabindranath Tagore. The development is thus named after his most famous work, the Geetanjali

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Unitech's Uniworld City, Kolkata: 42 stories

I haven't seen these renderings of this project
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/6135/uni5xr9.jpg

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/737/uni1nw6.jpg

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/2472/uni2xx6.jpg

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/1046/uni3xq8.jpg

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/9553/uni4jk0.jpg

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Indira Gandhi International Airport Commercial Masterplan, also by RMJM Architects:

The site covers 349 hectares and incorporates the development of five grouped schemes. Group A incorporates retail, entertainment and amusement park, Group B - convention centre, 10 hotels, trademart and golf course, Group C is a logistic hob and Group D consist of corporate and IT offices.

The primary design objective was to produce a dynamic and contemporary landmark business and commerce development that matches the status befitting an international airport, whilst providing a new global commercial hub. Sweeping green boulevards through the design provide long clear vistas to the airport terminal using extensive landscaping to frame the views and the entire site as been designed to adhere to sustainable models of development being followed worldwide

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Unitech's Kolkata International Economic Zone
http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/7522/kkicxp7.jpg

http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/8380/kkic2sh6.jpg
This design is a proposal to develop a state-of-the-art mega infrasturcutre development in Kolkata, India consisting of a 2,600 acre integrated industrial township and a 2,500 acre ancilliary township with research, nedical, education, cultural and sports elements. These two parcels of land will together be the future economic and development driver for the city and the state of West Bengal. The two designs themsevlves are derived from recognizable symbols of the Bengali culture.

The landscape becomes the biggest piece of landart reflecting the rich cultural heritage of Kolkata. Simlar to the scale of crop art, the landart provides the developments with unique indentiy. Inspired by Kollkata's literary heritage, the landart becomes the canvas for one of the most famous from 'Gitanjali' by Rabindranath Tagore.
http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/6425/kkic3qk1.jpg

http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/8506/kkic4ed7.jpg

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/9103/tnsp1nd2.jpg

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/669/tnsp2pa1.jpg

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/5880/tnsp3kv2.jpg

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/8413/tnsp4hd1.jpg

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Unitech's Biswa Banga Shikhar (World Bengal Tower), Kolkata: 42 stories, located at Unitech's Kolkata International Economic Zone

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/2448/c09iu6.jpg
The Biswa Banga Shikhar (World Bengal Tower) is to be Kolkata's highest building and a new dynamic addition to the state's skyline. The mixed use development accommodates a 5 star hotel, executive club, serviced apartment, retail, residential, and office accommodation.

The tower itself is formed from 2 glass shards that rise from a massive reflection water pool at its base. The top of one of these shards is crowned by a 3 storey high atrium that acts as both a viewing tower and a beacon within the surrounding night sky.

The tower is separated from its auxiliary support accommodation which is contained within the sculptural podium building and rise from the landscape as a series of layered contours
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/2494/c07vn6.jpg

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/7733/c08ov8.jpg

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/8660/image121jr2.jpg

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/6523/wbb1jd6.jpg

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http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/1108/wbb3iu4.jpg

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/4586/c04au4.jpg

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Cheers,
Jai

Naga_Solidus

August 13th, 2007, 07:30 PM

I really like the greenbelt+park in front of the new Calcutta airport terminal.

sidney_jec

August 14th, 2007, 11:07 AM

A nice read

http://in.news.yahoo.com/070814/43/6jex1.html

Suncity

August 14th, 2007, 03:44 PM

Found this at panoramio

and at http://www.salteegroup.com/

Proposed Greenhut (?) Hotel, near Salt Lake Stadium

http://i12.tinypic.com/4rbo22u.jpg

arijeetb

August 14th, 2007, 04:58 PM

Awesome updates to all the new developments in the Kolkata region. :cheers:

I was wondering why not have a thread titled "Kolkata mega projects and highrises" to highlight the priority and high investment projects such as airport modernization, LRTS, Metro rails and high rise projects under execution. I was thinking it will be better noticed and accessible than having just a generic thread on the developments in the city.

Any thoughts?

Cov Boy

August 14th, 2007, 05:13 PM

Fantastic!

Euromast

August 14th, 2007, 05:45 PM

When you talk about DLF the numbers are never small. According to sources DLF has emerged the sole bidder for 90 acre Durgapur housing project worth Rs 4,000 crore.

Bengal is also the only state where both Unitech and DLF come together to work on Dhankuni project with an investment of more than Rs 10,000 crore.

http://www.ndtvprofit.com/homepage/storybusinessnew.asp?id=40046&template=&ch=8/14/2007 9:00:00 PM

Euromast

August 15th, 2007, 02:42 PM

New Delhi, Aug 15: After its successful tryst with Delhi Metro, Japan is preparing to partner a similar project in Kolkata but wants to "phase out" from the capital's mass transport system.

Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has plans for several projects to modernise and expand the metro rail system in the eastern metropolis.

"The Kolkata Metro project is on the table. We have not discussed the amount yet but we are giving it a favourable consideration," Japan's Ambassador to India Yasukuni Enoki told media in an interview.

http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=389010&sid=BUS&ssid=53&news=Japan%20keen%20on%20Kolkata%20Metro,%20wants%20exit%20from%20Delhi

Vegchop

August 15th, 2007, 08:45 PM

Construction Status as of this month. Ignore date stamp on pic.

http://www.shrachi.com/bengalshrachi/images/projects/greenwood_sonata/greenwood_sonata_b.jpg

http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/10/dsc00187dx6.jpg

Suncity

August 15th, 2007, 08:50 PM

Construction Status as of this month. Ignore date stamp on pic.

Thanks for providing regular updates on various projects in Kolkata.

is it possible to get a picture of the Akansha project with the crane?

Vegchop

August 15th, 2007, 09:10 PM

As of July 10th. More pics http://www.bengalshelter.com/Akankha_Krishnachura_cs.htm

http://www.bengalshelter.com/Images/Krishnachura7.jpg
http://www.bengalshelter.com/Images/F1010001.jpg
http://www.bengalshelter.com/Images/F1010002.jpg
http://www.bengalshelter.com/Images/F1010006.jpg
http://www.bengalshelter.com/Images/F1010009.jpg

Suncity

August 17th, 2007, 03:29 AM

^^

Thanks vegchop!

Suncity

August 17th, 2007, 03:41 AM

Anyone know anything about Ffirangi Bazaar? It should be off EM Bypass on Beleghata Main Road.

http://www.jjestates.com/

Will it really look like this with the Howrah Bridge like structure? A telegraph news article also mentions that.

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/4945/ffrinagbazaarkolkataxh1.jpg

As per the site: "Life Style Max is the Anchor Store at ffirangi bazaar. M2K, with 4 Screen has signed as Multiplex Operator at ffirangi bazaar. Other major brands already confirmed booking at ffirangi bazaar are: NIKE, LEVIS, LEE COOPER, TAGHILLS, BLACK. KOUTONS, COTTONS by Century, PRIKNIT, MOUSTACHE, @PRICE, VOI. GINI & JONY, ARCHIES, WONDERLAND (Toys) ZERO (Kids), WOODLAND, M&B FOOTWEAR, SOLES, SHOE BOX, RADO, OMEGA, SWATCH, TISSOT, NOKIA, VIP, SAMSONITE, GIORDANO, INFINITY, CHANDRANI PEARLS, CHIQUE, GURLZ, ORLY, OSIM, NESCAFE, KWALITY WALLS, SUBWAY, TEA STATION, TEN- LOUNGE BAR, DOSA PLAZA, SHANGHAI POST, FOOD FACTORY EXPRESS and so on . . . . . . . "

jdutta2002

August 17th, 2007, 02:16 PM

some more info......(4m magicbricks.com ad)

Ffirangi bazaar Mall (currently u/c) is an extraordinary and striking edifice flaunting superb designs in high quality heat effective glass, marble, steel and granite with a mind blowing landscaping and lighting. The Mall attempts to project the most viable mix of Retail, Entertainment and Commercial attractions for Consumers and potential Investors alike with 2 Basement and G+6 floors containing carefully demarcated sections for Shopping, Entertainment, Leisure, all accompanied by strategic opportunities Believe it, this Mall is the most talked about Mall in Kolkata because of its: • location advantage with the strong catchments area, • Next to this project is 700 Residential flats & further 1000 Flats within 4 mins. • Within 1 KM, Population of 3-4 Million, • its unique striking edifice and • most important as per Zoning & Product mix this Mall have got the best Brands of repute. This will definitely ensure high footfall & with high rate of Conversion and above all firangi bazaar, the upcoming Mall is going to play the main protagonist in changing the market dynamics & shopping culture of Kolkata. PROMINENT BRANDS ALREADY SIGNED AT “firangi bazaar” Anchor Brand : Lifestyle – MAX from Dubai Multiplex : M2K from Delhi ( 4 Screen) Others (Major) : Nike, Levis, Lee Cooper, Cottons, Koutons, Gini & Jony, @ Price, Priknit, Moustache, Woodland, M & B Footwear, Soles, Shoe Box, Archie’s, Samsonite, VIP, Giordano, Wonderland (Toys), Infinity, Sarvottam Sarees, Orly, Chique, Chandrani Pearls, OSIM, Sony, Tissot, Rado, Nokia, Gurlz, Nescafe, Tea Station, Kwality Walls, Subway, Cookieman, Dosa Plaza, Food Factory Express and so on. And we have the LOI of Omega Boutique, TGIF,and Motimahal Deluxe for Restaurant Space.

Civitas

August 19th, 2007, 05:24 PM

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ET_Features/The_Sunday_ET/Forward_Bloc_men_ransack_Kolkatas_Reliance_Fresh_store/articleshow/2291722.cms

Forward Bloc men ransack Kolkata’s Reliance Fresh store

KOLKATA: Mukesh Ambani-controlled Reliance Industries’ Rs 2000-crore agri-retail venture in West Bengal seems headed for bad weather. Nearly 50-odd Forward Bloc activists ransacked the premises of the first potential ‘Reliance Fresh’ retail outlet in north Kolkata on Saturday evening.

The attack comes before Reliance subsidiary, Reliance Retail, has even managed to launch its first `Fresh’ outlet in the city. It also comes within days of the state food processing & horticulture department giving Reliance the go-ahead to kick of its statewide agri-retail rollout. The clearance had been openly decried by the Forward Bloc last week.

The timing of the attack by Bloc activists is significant since the senior CPIM leadership, including state chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Left Front chairman Biman Bose are away in Delhi attending a CPIM politburo session. It’s well known that the chief minister has been personally tracking the progress of the Reliance agri-retail and Tata Motors Singur ventures.

The chief minister also happens to hold the state home (police) department portfolio. Confirming the development, Forward Bloc leader and chairman of the West Bengal State Marketing Board, Mr Naren Chatterjee, told ET: “It is true that Forward Bloc supporters have ransacked the first potential Reliance Fresh retail outlet in Kolkata on Saturday evening. The Forward Bloc will strongly oppose the entry of the Reliance group in West Bengal’s agri-retail market, and will demolish all future Reliance Fresh outlets in the city.”

When contacted, a Reliance Retail spokesperson told ET: “We will not make any comments.” It is not known whether the company will seek legal redressal or police protection for their city installations in after Saturday’s developments. Kolkata Police circles said: “There were no arrests till late evening”.

Reliance officials declined to divulge the rollout schedule for `Fresh’ outlets in the city, although it is learnt that the Kolkata launch was part of the second phase after Reliance Retail rolls out some 350-odd Reliance Fresh outlets nationally.

Suncity

August 20th, 2007, 12:56 AM

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ET_Features/The_Sunday_ET/Forward_Bloc_men_ransack_Kolkatas_Reliance_Fresh_store/articleshow/2291722.cms

Dumbness unlimited. Opposition and Trinamool leader Mamata has also promised to stop them.

Mamata enters anti-retail fray
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=251565

DHARMATALA RALLY :TRINAMOOL CHIEF VOWS TO FIGHT ‘BIG CAPITALISTS’, ECHOES FORWARD BLOC STAND

With the CPI(M) busy in Delhi hammering out a formula with the UPA government on the Indo-US nuclear deal, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee jumped on to the anti-retail bandwagon in Kolkata on Friday.

Mamata told a rally of unorganised labourers that the Trinamool would fight tooth-and-nail the entry of big players in the retail sector. She did not specify if she meant big retail in general, which is booming in the state, or only farm-to-table retail, which is also being opposed by Left Front partners like the Forward Bloc.

“If big capitalists enter the retail sector, one crore small traders will suffer,” Mamata told the gathering. The number is just what is being cited by Forward Bloc leader Naren Chatterjee, who is the chairman of the West Bengal State Agriculture Marketing Board and leading the Bloc’s opposition.

The Bloc controls the agriculture marketing department and the Board is against allowing private players to enter its turf.

On the other hand, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and the CPI(M) are not averse to organised players in farm-to-table retail and have told the Bloc that the government cannot oppose their entry under the law.

Mamata said the Trinamool Congress would stage protests against all civic markets in the state, again echoing the Bloc’s stand. The CPI(M)-led Kolkata Municipal Corporation has already invited tenders from private companies willing to take the 20-odd markets in the city on lease, rebuild them and run them on public private partnership.

The Bloc’s opposition flared up when it was announced that Reliance Retail has won the deal for Park Circus market.

Mamata, with an eye on elections, claimed that the one crore traders likely to be affected by the entry of CPI(M)-backed big-retail “have the power to dislodge any government in West Bengal”.

“Do they (the CPM) think they can stay in power after snatching away the livelihood of one crore people,” Mamata asked.

Suncity

August 20th, 2007, 12:58 AM

Eyecare hospital by Poila Baisakh

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070820/asp/calcutta/story_8210720.asp

The “state-of-the art” unit of Sankara Nethralaya coming up in Mukundapur, off EM Bypass, will be operational by “Bengali New Year 2008”.

Announcing this on Sunday, S.S. Badrinath, the chairman and president of Sankara Nethralaya, said the Rs 20-crore hospital will have the “most advanced eye-care facilities”.

In the first phase, the six-storeyed building, spread across 50,000 sq ft, will have the capacity to treat 700 to 800 patients a day.

The 0.55-acre plot on which the project is being developed had been “earmarked” for an ENT hospital, that was to be set up by Paschim Banga Rajya Pratibandhi Sammilani, an NGO.

But the Sammilani offered the land to Sankara Nethralaya after it decided to come out of its joint venture with Rotary International in Salt Lake.

The Chennai-based “super-speciality ophthalmology” hospital is now functioning out of a building in Raja Subodh Mullick Square. “The city has well-trained doctors and good facilities for eye care. But there are certain areas where we want to provide specialised services,” Badrinath said on the sidelines of the “formal” inauguration of the central Calcutta unit.

The Bypass hospital will have facilities for Deep Endothelial Lamellar Koratoplasty, an “advanced surgery on the rear part of cornea”, which is yet to be performed in the city.

There are also plans to start corneal transplants. “We will set up an eye bank for the purpose, though we are not sure how many corneas will be available,” said an official.

The hospital will also have basic research facilities for which Rs 1-3 crore will be spent every year. “We want to start DNBE courses on ophthalmology and fellowship on super-speciality areas,” Badrinath said.

jdutta2002

August 20th, 2007, 08:54 PM

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070820/images/20main3.jpg
Inside Mainland China, on Gurusaday Road. A Telegraph picture

Good news for all Mainland China diehards tired of waiting for a table at Gurusaday Road. A brand new outlet of Mainland China will serve up its Oriental delicacies at South City Mall, starting this Puja.

The 160-cover restaurant on Prince Anwar Shah Road will be the second in the chain that kicked off Calcutta’s recipe revolution south of Park Street, and will highlight the group’s aggressive expansion roadmap in town.

“The biggest complaint of our south Calcutta patrons has been the unavailability of tables. The South City Mall outlet will hopefully solve this problem, along with offering a fresh menu packed with new-world flavours,” Anjan Chatterjee, director, Speciality Restaurants Pvt Ltd, owners of Mainland China and Oh Calcutta!, tells Metro.

The company has also signed up the 140-cover Haka at Mani Square on the EM Bypass, for a Puja launch. The restaurant will have an interactive dim-sum bar and a live cooking counter.

The group is also setting up a “quick-bites and light meals” format for BBD Bag area. “We have just signed a 3,500-sq-ft property in the central business district, which will cater to around 150 guests at a time and should be ready by the end of the year,” says Chatterjee.

Speciality Restaurants will introduce a “very contemporary coffee-shop-like food theatre” in Sector V, also by the end of the year. Designed to cater to the IT milieu, it will serve open sandwiches, salads and also an eclectic spread of Calcutta’s favourite club items.

The company has tied up with virtually every new retail mall coming up in and around the city. While Silver Arcade on the Bypass will house Calcutta’s third Mainland China and its first Sigree, the Batanagar township will boast a platter of Mainland China, Oh Calcutta! and Haka.

“We are also looking at two exclusive formats for Forum II (scheduled to come up at Chandra Garden opposite Science City),” says Chatterjee. Two more Oh Calcutta! outlets are being planned in Salt Lake and south-central Calcutta, along with 18-20 Hakas and an equal number of Kix mood bars.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070820/asp/calcutta/story_8187165.asp

Suncity

August 21st, 2007, 04:48 AM

Retail returns to heritage edifice
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070821/asp/calcutta/story_8207326.asp

http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/2987/metrokolkatavg7.jpg

This Christmas, you can pick up 40 varieties of papads and pickles, besides an array of handmade products from all over India, and shop for your household needs, from the same place, reborn.

Metropolitan Building, the colonial edifice which once housed Whiteway, Laidlaw & Co, then Asia’s largest departmental store, will now be home to Pantaloon Retail (India) Ltd’s “uniquely Indian” hypermarket chain stop, Big Bazaar.

The 37,000-sq-ft, two-level shop-stop will represent the rebirth of organised retail in the listed heritage building owned by the LIC, the façade of which is being restored under the supervision of architect Dulal Mukherjee.

Pantaloon Retail has engaged a team from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, to do the interior of the store, with the design brief of “being sensitive” to Calcutta’s urban history and cultural ethos, and create a solution that blends the past with contemporary needs.

While the overall product-mix will be in sync with the profile of the value-shopping chain, the Metropolitan Big Bazaar will incorporate some special categories and kiosks, like Hands of India (showcasing handmade stuff), Sanjha (celebrating India’s ethnic chic) and a Journey of India through its regional delicacies.

“Since this is an adaptive reuse, the contrast in the design shouldn’t be in disrespect to the building’s history. Also, signage has to be as sensitive as the ambience inside... One has to be careful not to destroy the heritage fabric,” warns architect and urban designer Partha Ranjan Das.

sidney_jec

August 22nd, 2007, 06:44 AM

1st step: Suzlon to invest 6k crores
source:toi

Suzlon to invest Rs 6K cr in Bengal
21 Aug 2007, 0153 hrs IST,TNN
Print Save EMail Write to Editor

KOLKATA: Suzlon Energy, one of the leading non-conventional energy firms in India, is planning to invest Rs 6,000 crore in West Bengal in the next couple of years. The company will initially invest Rs 600 crore for a 100 MW wind power project at Dadan Pati in East Mindapore.

The state power minister Mrinal Banerjee disclosed this on the sidelines of a national seminar on emerging power policy and global warming, organised by Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industry. At the seminar, he said the state government is expecting Rs 11,000 crore investment in the non conventional energy sector in the state during the 11th Five Year Plan period.

"We have allotted 700 acres for the project. The project will be operational in next 18 months. Besides Suzlon, Astonfield will also set up a 150-MW biomass project in the state," Banerjee said.

SarafIndian

August 22nd, 2007, 10:41 AM

Suzlon already have invested in some states. Does anybody know who are they?

sidney_jec

August 22nd, 2007, 12:54 PM

Suzlon already have invested in some states. Does anybody know who are they?

u saking abt the states or abt Suzlon?
Wel Suzlon is a Green Energy producing Power company (mainly Wind Energy) headed by Tulsi Tanti.
(It was recently in news for acquiring a wind energy major for $1.3 Billion)
Regarding the states, it has invested in some power projects in Gujarat and Rajasthan

SarafIndian

August 23rd, 2007, 02:18 AM

u saking abt the states or abt Suzlon?
Wel Suzlon is a Green Energy producing Power company (mainly Wind Energy) headed by Tulsi Tanti.
(It was recently in news for acquiring a wind energy major for $1.3 Billion)
Regarding the states, it has invested in some power projects in Gujarat and Rajasthan

Thanks sidney. I was asking about the states. :)

Tmac

August 23rd, 2007, 02:21 AM

Anyone know anything about Ffirangi Bazaar? It should be off EM Bypass on Beleghata Main Road.

http://www.jjestates.com/

Will it really look like this with the Howrah Bridge like structure? A telegraph news article also mentions that.

As per the site: "Life Style Max is the Anchor Store at ffirangi bazaar. M2K, with 4 Screen has signed as Multiplex Operator at ffirangi bazaar. Other major brands already confirmed booking at ffirangi bazaar are: NIKE, LEVIS, LEE COOPER, TAGHILLS, BLACK. KOUTONS, COTTONS by Century, PRIKNIT, MOUSTACHE, @PRICE, VOI. GINI & JONY, ARCHIES, WONDERLAND (Toys) ZERO (Kids), WOODLAND, M&B FOOTWEAR, SOLES, SHOE BOX, RADO, OMEGA, SWATCH, TISSOT, NOKIA, VIP, SAMSONITE, GIORDANO, INFINITY, CHANDRANI PEARLS, CHIQUE, GURLZ, ORLY, OSIM, NESCAFE, KWALITY WALLS, SUBWAY, TEA STATION, TEN- LOUNGE BAR, DOSA PLAZA, SHANGHAI POST, FOOD FACTORY EXPRESS and so on . . . . . . . "

looks interesting!

jdutta2002

August 23rd, 2007, 01:52 PM

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070823/images/23deb.jpg
A Debenhams store in the UK

J by Jasper Conran, Rocha by John Rocha, or Butterfly by Matthew Williamson…

A clutch of “high-profile” labels by British fashion designers will make Calcutta their home when Debenhams opens its first department store here in two years, following in the footsteps of another UK favourite, Marks & Spencer.

“Calcutta is very much on our radar and we are looking at a two to three-year horizon for Debenhams to come to the city,” Sameer Prasad, the chief operating officer of Planet Retail Holdings Pvt Ltd, tells Metro from Delhi.

The lifestyle-retail company, which also holds the Indian master franchises for Marks & Spencer, Guess, Women’s Secret and The Body Shop, was responsible for bringing these brands to Avani Heights, on Chowringhee, near the Exide intersection. The Kishore Biyani-promoted Pantaloon Retail holds 49 per cent equity in Planet Retail.

“We are satisfied with the response and positive about the potential of the Calcutta market and our confidence has been vindicated by the success of our bouquet of brands at Avani Heights,” adds Prasad.

Debenhams is set to open its first Indian store in September at Ambi Mall in Gurgaon, followed by a second outlet at the DLF Courtyard Mall in Saket, Delhi. The company recently announced plans to invest $30-50 million in 10 stores across the country by 2010.

“We will offer an international shopping experience and raise the bar for lifestyle retail in the Indian market, in terms of shopping environment and experience. Each Debenhams store will have unique design features, specially developed by a world-class design development firm based out of the UK,” promises Prasad.

But is price-sensitive Calcutta ready for Debenhams? Abhijit Das, the regional director of international property consultants Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj, sure thinks so. “It’s just the right time for a format like Debenhams to come to Calcutta. We are convinced the market here is big enough to absorb luxury retail. It’s also a question of supply creating demand, which has been observed in so many products and service lines in the city already,” he reasons.

The UK giant has a portfolio of “over 100 successful designer and own brands” and the Calcutta outlet will house all those — Red Herring, Maine, Thomas Nash, Mantaray, Pineapple and more.

Debenhams, which is established through company-owned stores in the UK and Ireland, also has franchise stores in Bahrain, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Dubai, Iceland, Kuwait, Indonesia, Malaysia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sharjah and Sweden.

— SUBHRO SAHA

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070823/asp/calcutta/story_8193127.asp

Suncity

August 23rd, 2007, 03:30 PM

Is this the Belghoria Expressway? It is last year's picture when it was not opened - see how the bushes are growing and dust is lined up! Is it open now?

photo copyright Joy

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/4461/maybebelghoriaexpresswaoz8.jpg

Suncity

August 23rd, 2007, 04:29 PM

The station could be Baranagar Road Station and the bridge - Dunlop bridge over the BT Road.

http://wikimapia.org/277427/

SarafIndian

August 24th, 2007, 03:12 AM

It was the 'mishti doi' that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe loved most. And for Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the promise of further Japanese investment tasted just as sweet.

"Japan looks up to West Bengal as the gateway to India. The Japanese consulate in Kolkata was set up exactly 100 years ago in 1907, even earlier than the Chinese embassy in India," Abe said, adding that Japan expected West Bengal to play a pivotal role in strengthening relations with India. "I am here to reaffirm this role."

Abe met Buddhadeb over lunch at a five-star hotel and handed out dollops of promises - more money for ongoing projects, a host of new ones and even funds for IIM-Calcutta. The Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation plant in Haldia would triple its production by 2009 and the firm could expand its operations, Abe said. Mitsubishi chairman R Tomizawa and his team had flown to Kolkata, especially to meet the Japanese premier.

The CM and finance minister Asim Dasgupta listed out the priorities of the state government, and the Japanese PM listened attentively. The proposed East-West Metro figured prominently in the discussions, so did power and solid waste management, but Buddhadeb and his men were keen on two new areas - IT hardware and disaster management. "We told the Japanese PM that we have advanced quite a lot in IT software. If the Japanese can make some contributions in hardware then both sides can benefit," said Dasgupta. Abe said the Japanese could extend assistance for construction of the sixth unit of the Bakreswar thermal power plant and also pledged funds for a new course at IIM-Calcutta, which will start in a month.

Dasgupta welcomed the features of the assistance extended by Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), pointing out that the terms were soft and there were no strings attached to these loans. A number of projects in the state are already being financed by JBIC.

PWD Minister Kshiti Goswami said the government sough Japanese assistance in non-conventional energy and technical know-how in solid waste management. The CM himself raised the subject of disaster management, pointing out that Bengal was battered by cyclones much as Japan was lashed by typhoons and earthquakes. When Abe praised Kolkata as a "developed city," Buddhadeb invited him to invest in the hotel sector too.

The Japanese PM's visit has enthused the state government. "The very fact that Kolkata is the only city that the Japanese PM is visiting, apart from Delhi, shows the importance the Japanese accord to West Bengal," a minister said.

"They have come and watched things and this will be followed up by concrete action." Abe said he had discussed trade at length with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and said, "Business ties with West Bengal are improving."

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Kolkata/Japanese_funds_for_IIM-C/articleshow/2305626.cms

sidney_jec

August 24th, 2007, 07:29 AM

sidney_jec

August 24th, 2007, 08:08 AM

Excellent example of relocation

Mall gives Kolkata street vendors a new lease of life

Pradipta Mukherjee / Kolkata August 24, 2007

Shata Deep, a three-storeyed shopping plaza in Kolkata’s Gariahat, is a mall with a difference. It is owned by 100-odd pavement hawkers, who now eke out a living by selling clothes and other housewares.

The experiment, which took almost ten years to complete, is today an example of empowerment of hawkers through land ownership, if not high profits. After being evicted by the city’s civic body, the street hawkers got together to share one roof rather than a pavement.

However, the only downside to their current profession is lower margins. “The profits are lower than that on pavements,” says Sudeep Pal, the man behind creating Shata Deep.

But thanks to Shata Deep, which comprises 100 shops, these vendors have come a long way. As each vendor has a shop to his name in the mall, it is easy for all 100 owners to decide what they want to do with their part of the property. In fact, a lot of them invest in other ventures to improve their earnings.

Sudeep Pal mortgaged his land in Shata Deep to State Bank of India and took a loan of Rs 5 lakh to start a construction business.

“I have finished construction of a three-storied residential building. From my first project itself, I made a profit of Rs 60,000 (this was after I paid back the loan to the bank). Going forward, I would be able to construct many more buildings and make money,” he said.

Sudeep Pal had once wanted to replicate Shata Deep at other busy shopping destinations in Kolkata. But after realising that almost double the amount of money could be made in other ventures, he changed his mind.

“When we used to sell stuff on the pavement we earned Rs 5,000 a day on average. At Shata Deep, we earn close to Rs 3,000 a day on average. This dip in sales is because of the advent of larger shopping malls that give discounts round the year to attract buyers,” Pal said.

The mall has given the owners a sense of satisfaction and security which the pavement could never have given.

The history of Shata Deep dates back to 1996, when the state government evicted pavement hawkers and one of them — Sudeep Pal — decided to set up a separate shopping mall instead of depending on the state government for an alternate livelihood.

“Although before eviction, the state government had convinced us that it would give us some alternative land, I decided to start something of my own instead of depending on the government,” Pal said.

It took Pal two months to gather support and convince 100 hawkers to put in money in the joint venture shopping mall. The idea was to acquire land in Gariahat, one of the biggest shopping destinations in Kolkata, and set up a shopping mall where each hawker could retail.

“So, with the help of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation in 1997, we identified 8 kathas (one katha = 720 sq ft) of land in Gariahat and bought it for Rs 1.5 crore,” Pal added.

wcgokul

August 24th, 2007, 06:34 PM

do take the time to add your name to the list in the thread below:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=343438&page=7

dover16

August 27th, 2007, 12:47 AM

- Mall in heritage building with multiplex and food options

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070827/asp/calcutta/story_8224651.asp

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070827/images/27strand.jpg

High-end boutique retail along the heritage southern and western facades with their later English Renaissance-type cornices and dramatic ionic pillars… Seven levels of shopping, food and movies in the scooped-out central core, rebuilt with the same marble pillars and the imposing dome on top, complete with a grand atrium feel…

Mackinnon & Mackenzie House, at 16 Strand Road, will be ready and running as the city’s first riverside retail rendezvous following a Rs 100-crore restoration push, in 18 months, “subject to routine clearances”.

“It’s a unique format in India’s retail roadmap and could well become the Selfridges of Calcutta, offering an ambience unmatched in the country,” Kishore Biyani, managing director, Pantaloon Retail (India) Ltd, the flagship company of the Future Group, tells Metro.

The 412,000-sq-ft retail space has been leased out to Pantaloon Retail by the city-based Diamond Group. The private consortium, headed by A.N. Shroff, has undertaken the conservation project, Calcutta’s first private initiative to restore a heritage structure in BBD Bag and create contemporary retail in an old-world setting.

While the INOX multiplex will come up across the fourth and fifth levels, the dining options and food courts will sit on top with a “breathtaking view” of the river. “This could become the brand ambassador of a rejuvenated Dalhousie Square and can inspire others to create contemporary spaces of interest,” says Dulal Mukherjee, principal architect for the project.

Mukherjee is working in tandem with Benoy of the UK, specialists in heritage retail architecture — creators of Bluewater in Kent, Europe’s largest out-of-town shopping development, and BullRing, Birmingham, the UK’s biggest retail-led inner-city regeneration project.

“The old and the new sections of the born-again building will be connected by bridges and walkways to create interesting vistas. The space behind the ornate pillars will house Paris sidewalk-style cafes,” says Shishir Baijal, CEO and managing director, Kshitij, the real estate asset management arm of the Future Group.

Benoy is again involved in the design of the 380,000-sq-ft VIP Road mall, also leased from the Diamond Group by Kshitij. “It will house a four-star business hotel on top and should be ready by early 2010,” Baijal adds.

Pantaloon Retail, which is targeting business of over Rs 1,000 crore from its Calcutta outlets in the current financial year, expects its 360,000-sq-ft seamless mall, Central — coming up at the intersection of Ballygunge Circular Road and AJC Bose Road — to be complete by 2009-end. Designed by the Rockwell Group of New York, the Calcutta Central will be the largest in the chain with a seamlessly integrated cineplex, a large food court and “efficient parking systems”.

arijeetb

August 27th, 2007, 04:35 AM

Suncity

August 27th, 2007, 04:41 AM

Just wondering...is Strand Rd a good location for a mall of this nature?

Well this one is near BBD Bag and also has the Burrabazar as a catchment area. So it may do well. But one never knows.

dover16

August 28th, 2007, 12:04 AM

Just wondering...is Strand Rd a good location for a mall of this nature?

May be not today, but this is forward looking to when the Hooghly riverside near the business district has developed to a goto/hangout place.

Some more pics ..

http://www.benoy.com/siteadmin/images/projects/325_fullsize_2.jpg

http://www.benoy.com/siteadmin/images/projects/325_fullsize_3.jpg

From what it looks like today:

http://www.benoy.com/siteadmin/images/projects/325_fullsize_4.jpg

jdutta2002

August 28th, 2007, 10:33 AM

TIMES NEWS NETWORK (TOI, Kolkata 28-Apr-2007)

Kolkata: Oberoi group is planning to set up their second hotel in Kolkata, after almost 80 years it entered the city. EIH Ltd chairman and chief executive PRS Oberoi told reporters after the annual general meeting on Monday that the group is looking for a joint venture partner for setting up the hotel.
Besides, EIH, the flagship of the group, is building a flight kitchen near Kolkata airport for which it has already acquired five-acre land near Indira Gandhi International Airport in Dum Dum. The company is investing Rs 70 crore in the flight kitchen project. Oberoi said that it has already started discussion with few parties but nothing has been finalised yet. “We are looking for somebody who possesses land in a good location. But it will take some time,” he said.
According to him, EIH is likely to set up the second hotel in Kolkata under Trident brand. The proposed property will have 400 rooms. Commenting on the expansion plan, Oberoi added, the total investment in next five years will be close to Rs 4,500 crore. Of this, EIH will invest Rs 1,000 crore and the rest will come from borrowings and investment by the partners.
EIH has already roped in two partners for two projects in Bangalore and Hyderabad. It is setting up a 300-room Trident Hotel with L&T near Bangalore airport. EIH will hold 26% stake in the JV and the rest 74% will be with L&T.

dover16

August 29th, 2007, 12:48 AM

http://www.fortgroup.com/sunny/loca.jpg

G+7 and G+13 blocks

http://www.fortgroup.com/sunny/en6.jpg

http://www.fortgroup.com/sunny/en5.jpg

http://www.fortgroup.com/sunny/en4.jpg

http://www.fortgroup.com/sunny/en2.jpg

dover16

August 29th, 2007, 01:17 AM

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=f54df167-9044-4750-a817-c03307606f6b&&Headline=Country's+first+IT+hardware+SEZ+on+anvil+in+West+Bengal

If things go smoothly, West Bengal will have the country's first IT hardware special economic zone for which 40 acres of land have already been acquired.

City-based RP Group, a Rs 400 crore company with diversified interests including Chirag brand of computers, has submitted a proposal for the IT SEZ with the state government and waiting for approval from the Centre.

"We hope to get all necessary clearances by the end of this fiscal," RP Group chairman Kaustav Ray told PTI.

Ray said his company had already acquired 40 acres of land in Baruipur in South 24-Parganas district for setting up the SEZ at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore.

Former ONGC chairman and managing director Subir Raha, who joined the RP Group board recently, is assisting the group in implementing the project.

"If we face problem, we will shift our project to other tax haven states," Ray said.

Asked how the investment would be financed, Ray said it would be partly financed through a combination of internal accruals, fresh capital from venture funds and debt.

"We are in the process of raising venture capital for the project. We are looking forward to raising Rs 500 crore through this route. In the first tranche we hope to get Rs 100-150 crore shortly," Ray said.

Civitas

August 29th, 2007, 02:46 AM

Is it really within Rajarhat AA II. Then why is it not attached with 'Bengal ****' , like BengalAmbuja, BengalShelter etc

Any idea on base price per sqft of this one ?

http://www.fortgroup.com/sunny/loca.jpg

G+7 and G+13 blocks

Civitas

August 29th, 2007, 03:04 AM

It seems Bengal Shelter changed the elevation of 'Varnaparichay' once again.

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/4265/varnaparichaythebookmalns1.jpg

fred_the_cute_guy

August 29th, 2007, 06:37 AM

jdutta2002

August 29th, 2007, 07:56 AM

EEEchhh!!! That is Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. Poor editing by Times News Network.

Yaa exactly.........

dover16

August 29th, 2007, 09:03 AM

Is it really within Rajarhat AA II. Then why is it not attached with 'Bengal ****' , like BengalAmbuja, BengalShelter etc

Any idea on base price per sqft of this one ?

Because the builder is the Fort Group, same group making Oasis in South Kolkata. Look it up at http://www.fortgroup.com/sunny.html

kolkata

August 30th, 2007, 01:24 AM

Source:http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070830/asp/calcutta/story_8252810.asp

The East-West Metro project has cleared another hurdle, with the Planning Commission showing the project the green light on Monday.“The Planning Commission cleared the project after a meeting with us. A written approval will be faxed to us by Friday,” said transport secretary Sumantra Chowdhury.

Transport minister Subhas Chakraborty and Chowdhury attended the meeting in Delhi. They explained the details of the project to Commission officials, including member-secretary Rajiv Ratan Shah.

The Centre’s approval means that it has agreed to shell out its 22.5 per cent share of the project, which works out to Rs 1,100 crore. It also means that the project only needs a formal nod from the Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC) for start of work.A JBIC team will arrive on a “final appraisal mission” to the city on October 29.“They wanted to know why we were seeking a loan instead of going for a public-private partnership (PPP). We explained that the JBIC is offering us a 30-year loan at two per cent interest. They’ve allowed a construction period of six years, following a 10-year moratorium, which means that the government doesn’t have to repay any money before 2024,” explained a senior transport department official.

In its presentation, the government also stated that most of the successful Metro rail projects globally are owned and operated through special purpose vehicles and not through PPPs.

The government also argued that in a PPP project, high fares would have to be charged initially to service the debt.

sidney_jec

August 30th, 2007, 07:13 AM

sidney_jec

August 30th, 2007, 08:11 AM

Carlson Hotels continues its India expansion

EH Staff - Mumbai

Carlson Hotels Worldwide - Asia Pacific has confirmed plans to continue its expansion plans in India with three new deals. This includes a new Radisson Hotel in Ahmedabad due to open in May 2008, a new Radisson Hotel in Pune Kharadi scheduled to open by August 2008, and Radisson Hotel Kolkata, scheduled to open by June 1, 2010.

Owned by West Inn (promoted by Kamal Galani), the Radisson Hotel Ahmedabad will have 112 guestrooms with amenities like wireless internet access, IDD and a business centre. It will be located centrally within seven kilometres from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.

Radisson Hotel in Pune Kharadi, owned by Calista Properties whose director is Rajiv Gupta, is located in the outskirts of the city. The 156-room hotel will offer amenities including meeting rooms, which will have an area of more than 5,000 square feet with an attached garden of 7,200 square-feet.

Radisson Hotel Kolkota, which is scheduled to open by June 2010, is owned by Kolkata Hotels. According to Rajiv Kumar, its director, the hotel will be located within a kilometre of NSC Bose International Airport and covers seven acres of land. The existing hotel building would be completely demolished and rebuilt to Radisson specifications.

The Radisson Hotel Kolkata is positioned in the upscale category with 250 rooms.

Are these people talking abt the airport Ashoka hotel owned by the MBD Radisson group????

SarafIndian

August 30th, 2007, 08:26 AM

Are these people talking abt the airport Ashoka hotel owned by the MBD Radisson group????

Yap.. I think so..

jdutta2002

August 30th, 2007, 11:23 AM

Yap.. I think so..

look after a lot of research i found a probable soln to this airport hotel mystery....

Hotel Airport Ashok (4 star deluxe hotel belonging to India Tourism Development Corporation-ITDC)

July 2002: Taken over by MBD Group of Noida (also has publishing business) for Rs.20.15 cr under govt's disinvestment policy.

2004: Hotel closed for renovation.

May 2007: MBD sells off hotel to Noida based DS Group for probably 100cr.

Aug 2007: DSG n Carlson Group(promoters of radisson chain) join hands for new airport hotel by june 2010. Existing hotel is to be demolished completely.

Now read the follwng 2 articles.....everything will b clear.....
==================================================
Hindustan Times - Business
19/5/2007

"MBD Group sells Airport Hotel for close to Rs 100 cr"

It's official. The MBD Group has sold off the airport hotel in Kolkata for an undisclosed sum after running it for about two years. The new owner of the prime property is the Noida-based Rs 1,200 crore Dharampal Satyapal (DS) Group.

The MBD Group, which has expertise in the publishing business, had acquired the 4-star deluxe hotel located close to the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose airport from India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) for Rs 20.15 crore in July 2002, following the government's disinvestments policy.

MBD had closed down the hotel in 2004 citing renovation work, after all its 281 employees agreed to accept the voluntary retirement scheme offered by the company. The new owner of the property — food and beverage major DS Group — has conceived grand plans to construct a budget hotel, a 5-star hotel and a snazzy convention centre in the 7.5-acre premises, which is currently awaiting clearance from the government. DS Group is likely to make an announcement on its plans late next month.

Industry sources pointed out that MBD had been struggling to run the hotel right from the beginning, mainly because of its relative inexperience in running hotels, which ultimately prompted the group to sell it off. MBD officials were unavailable for comments but as per market estimates, the land alone would have fetched MBD Rs 50 crore. "The assets would have cost them another Rs 50 crore," said a valuation expert.

When contacted, DS Group's vice-president corporate communication Ms Bhavna Sood confirmed the development but refused to disclose the sum it paid for the hotel. "We have huge plans for the Kolkata property but things are still at a planning stage. We will make an announcement the moment we get the necessary clearance from the government," Ms Sood said.

The DS Group has recently made a foray into the hospitality segment with its newly set up arm DS Hotels Ltd and has upcoming projects lined up in Jaipur, Udaipur, Shimla, Manali and Goa, among others. As per plans, the DS Group will project the Kolkata property as a "destination centre" with the project up and running by 2010. "We are looking at a new 5-star brand and will appoint management contracts to international partners. There is a lot of potential for doing business there," Ms Sood said.
=================================================
"Carlson plans five hotels in city"

The Telegraph, 6th August 07

New Delhi, Aug. 5: The $36-billion Carlson Hotels Worldwide (Asia Pacific) is planning to set up 20 hotels in India by 2011, including five in Calcutta.

The Carlson family includes brands such as Radisson Hotels & Resorts, Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts and Country Inns & Suites. Radisson is a five-star brand while Country Inn and Park Plaza are four-star hotel chains.

“The Carlson group plans to open a Radisson and a Country Inn hotel near the Calcutta airport. Another Radisson, a Country Inn and a Park Plaza hotel have been lined up for the city,” K.B. Kachru, executive president (South Asia), Carlson Hotels Worldwide (Asia Pacific), told The Telegraph.

Calcutta-based DS Group will be the promoters of the airport hotels.

The Radisson hotel at the airport will have 250 rooms with a dining cafe, speciality restaurants, a bar, health club, business centre, meeting and convention facilities and a swimming pool. The hotel will cover seven acres and is expected to be operational by June 2010. The Country Inn will be a 172-room hotel and is expected to be complete at around the same time.

“The properties in the city have been decided but we are yet to get the final approval from the government,” Kachru said. He didn’t give further details.

The US-based Carlson Hotels runs on a franchisee model. However, the group is now ready to invest in India, to cash in on the boom in the country’s hospitality and tourism sectors.

“We will look at good opportunities. The group is certainly not averse to making investments. It could be in any of our five brands ... it will all depend on the location and the viability of the project,” said Kachru.

Carlson is also keen to set up a Regent Hotel in Noida.

In June this year, the government approved the group’s proposal to set up a hotel in Noida. According to the agreement, Carlson Hotels will hold a 26 per cent stake in a joint venture company — Elbrus Builders. Unitech, Lavenders and Colossal Builders will be part of the joint venture. Carlson Hotels will invest Rs 2.6 crore in the project.

On the company’s plans to expand in Tier-II cities, Kachru said, “The objective is to be present across the country. Places such as Nagpur, Indore, Ahmedabad, Ranchi, Guwahati, Bhubaneshwar and Varanasi are the focus areas.”

===============================

dover16

August 31st, 2007, 12:16 AM

From Bengal DCL Website, shows placeholders for various projects ..

Location Map:
http://www.bengaldcl.com/images/malancha_location1.jpg

Detailed location map of Malancha by Bengal DCL:
http://www.bengaldcl.com/images/malancha_location2.jpg

Malancha Development:
http://www.bengaldcl.com/images/malancha_overview2.jpg

SarafIndian

August 31st, 2007, 02:07 AM

THE old structure on 100 A Garpar Road could pass off as yet another building steeped in memories of the British past, but very few in Kolkata could ever make that mistake. Because, the house has been witness to the publishing of Upendra Kishore Roychowdhury’s Sandesh, has stood by Sukumar Ray in his last days and has seen Satyajit Ray toddle around in its courtyard.

It was almost in the clutches of land sharks, but the Athenium Institution, housed in the building for the past 80 years, came to its rescue. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation teamed up with the school in this endeavour.

In 1927, the building had been rented out to the school by the owners, who had bought the building from the Rays. The school was then called the Brahmo Samaj School and the property was rented out to the school by the sister of owner Vaidyanath Mullick.

As the real estate boom changed the skyline of the city itself, the 16-cottah building caught the eyes of real estate developers. However, the school authorities stayed put on which prevented the owners from handing over the building to promoters. The building was then conferred heritage status in 2001.

“Promoters had been after the property for a long time now, but with the civic body on our side we managed to buy the building from the owners. The deed has been finalised,” said Manoranjan Swar, Headmaster of the school.

The corpus fund of the civic body shelled out Rs 15 lakh while the school authorities pooled in Rs 5 lakh as donations from students and teachers. The Sens are to be paid Rs 20 lakh for the building.

“Former Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court V S Sirpurkar made it possible for us to get the building. The civic body also chipped in with funds when we renovated the building after 2001,” added Swar.

When the school authorities went ahead with renovation work, the owners filed a suit at the Calcutta HC. “As it was a heritage building, the owners tried to prevent us from renovating the building to our own capacity,” said Swar.

“But now we can go ahead with the renovation from the funds allocated to us by the Sarva Siksha Avijan,” he added.

“Renovation work will improve the condition of the heritage building. We are glad to help the school,” said Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya.

The renovation process will begin next week, said the Principal of the school.

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=253777

IndiansUnite

August 31st, 2007, 05:59 AM

why do these people have to build 2 lane exp'ways...:ohno:

There are two more lanes on the other side of the rail line.

sidney_jec

August 31st, 2007, 10:52 AM

Source : TOI Epaper

http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/3941/getimagegk7.jpg

AAI rejigs city airport plan
Subhro Niyogi | TNN
Kolkata: Airports Authority of India (AAI), the nodal organisation for modernising Kolkata airport, has revised its earlier revamp blueprint. Civil aviation minister Praful Patel will fly down on September 7 to unveil the new plan before chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
In the latest scheme of things, the entire layout of the airport will undergo a radical change with the international terminal being relocated to an empty plot to the left of the current airport exit road.
Moreover, the link building to the right of the domestic terminal as viewed from the city-end will be pulled down to make way for an integrated terminal that can serve both international and domestic passengers.
In the earlier proposal, the existing international terminal as well as the old international terminal were to be demolished in phases to make way for a new one. The ceremonial lounge for VIPs had even been relocated to facilitate the demolition.
Confirming the layout rejig, AAI member (planning) V P Agarwal told TOI that the fresh blueprint would not only allow construction to continue unimpeded, it would also eliminate the hassle of re-organising passenger facilities at the international terminal. “Earlier, the international terminals were to be torn down in three phases. The proposal was to operationalise segments as they were completed while vacating sections where construction was to happen. While debating the proposal, we realised how complicated it would be. With international traffic to Kolkata on the rise, we cannot afford a mess,” Agarwal said.

Revamp to boost airport capacity

Kolkata: Drawing up the fresh blueprint for Kolkata airport’s revamp, the AAI team realised there was only one empty plot big enough to accommodate the new terminal: a patch of low-lying grassland near the airport exit.
Though it was this practical challenge that initially forced AAI to hunt for an alternative solution, it came as a blessing in disguise. For, it brought in possibilities of further expanding the airport’s capacity. The plot, located at right angles to the airport’s current layout along a straight line, meant that the modern airport would be L-shaped.
In the new plan, the terminal closest to VIP Road will be the international one, followed by the integrated terminal. The existing domestic terminal will be next followed by the air traffic control tower.
The next two structures — the administrative building and the existing international terminal — will continue to function in their current capacity till the revamp is completed. The new plan will increase the airport’s passengerhandling capacity from 6 million at present to 20 million passengers per annum. Of this, 16 million will be domestic and 4 million international.
The Rs 1,500-crore project is slated to begin once the Public Investment Board approval comes through in a couple of months. Patel has already committed that the revamped airport would be completed by 2009-10.
Plans for the next phase are yet to be frozen. There is a proposal that a modern ATC tower be built at the farthest end. Then the ATC building, too, can be demolished and a sprawling domestic terminal built in its place. But all that will depend on how the traffic grows in the years ahead.

sidney_jec

September 3rd, 2007, 07:18 AM

Source: BS Website

Medica plans Kolkata hospital

BS Reporter / Kolkata September 01, 2007

Medica Synergie Private Limited, one of the pioneers of the Yashaswini insurance scheme, a medical cover for small and marginal farmers at an annual premium of Rs 90 in Karnataka, is planning to build a 350 bed hospital in Kolkata.

The hospital would come up on the Eastern Bypass area of the city within the next one and a half year, said Alexander Kuruvilla, president and CEO, Medica Synergy.

The investment of Rs 80 crore, earmarked for the project would be raised through a mix of venture capital, debt and internal accruals.

This apart, Medica would substantially expand its retail pharmacy chain in the east.

It would add nearly 250 pharmacies to the existing 12 in in the next three years in the region.

About 70 of the outlets would be in Kolkata, claimed Kuruvilla.

Each of the pharmacies would entail an investment of around Rs 15 lakh, he said.

This apart, the hospital had plans to operate nearly 10 other hospitals in the east and the north east region, he said.

Also, the hospital is keen to operate government hospitals in the north east region.

“We are exploring the opportunities of developing the government-owned hospitals in PPP model, and are in talks with three state governments in the area,” he said. Kuruvilla said, once his company establishes a firm presence in the east and the north east, it would devise an insurance scheme like Yashaswini for farmers in West Bengal and the north-east.

Medica Synergieis was jointly owned by five entrepreneurs from the southern part of the country.

sidney_jec

September 4th, 2007, 07:25 AM

Source: telegraphindia.com

Budget flights to Southeast
A STAFF REPORTER

Cyclists pass Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur during a competition. Air-India will restore operations to the Malaysian capital from next month. (Reuters)
Calcutta’s connectivity with Southeast Asia will receive a boost with Air-India launching its budget airline’s operations to three countries in the region from next month.

Three planes of Air India Express, the national carrier’s low-cost fleet, will fly thrice a week to Bangkok, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Thrice-a-week flights will also be started to Dhaka.

Announcing this on Monday, V. Thulasidas, the chairman and managing director of Air-India, said the Calcutta-Bangkok-Calcutta operations would start on October 7. The one-way fare will be Rs 1,499 plus taxes. The one-way fare to Singapore will be Rs 4,999 plus taxes.

“The other flights to Southeast Asia and Dhaka will also start in October,” added Thulasidas.

The flights will take off from Calcutta around 7 am.

The flight to Kuala Lumpur would restore service in the sector after more than a year. Malaysia Airlines had stopped city operations in April 2006.

The tourism industry is buoyant about the new flights. “The demand for flights to Southeast Asia is increasing every year. There was a lack of low-cost carriers, which the new flights will fill up,” said Anil Punjabi, the chairman (east) of the Travel Agents Federation of India.

According to him, the number of passengers to Southeast Asia from the city is increasing by 10 to 15 per cent every year.

Thulasidas was in the city to inaugurate the airline’s Calcutta-Silchar services with A320 aircraft. Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Indian, operates in the Northeast. From September 1, the airline’s Boeing 737 operations in the Northeast has been replaced with bigger A320 aircraft, adding more seats.

Thulasidas also announced that Air-India would set up a hub in a European airport. “We are holding talks with a number of airports and things will be finalised soon,” he said. Among the airports are Munich, Vienna and Amsterdam.

The Air-India chief said once the hub is set up, a flight would be started to it from Calcutta.

“From there, other carriers will take passengers to various European destinations. Air-India’s own flights will operate to the US and Canada,” said Thulasidas.

sidney_jec

September 5th, 2007, 07:41 AM

Its finally confirmed. Airport Ashoka hotel to be razed down to make way for new hotel(s).

Source: TOI Epaper

Airport Hotel set to be razed

New Owner DS Group Plans Hospitality Blitz On 7.5-Acre Site

Subhro Niyogi | TNN

Kolkata: It’s time to bid farewell to Airport Hotel. The imposing sevenstorey structure that dominated the region’s skyline for nearly three decades will be razed to the ground.
Once the rubble is cleared, two towering hotels, a massive convention centre and a shopping arcade will be built at the 7.5-acre site. That’s the grand plan the Dharampal Satyapal group (DS group), the new owners of Airport Hotel, have submitted to the Airports Authority of India.
The hotel, hailed as an iconic structure when it was built in 1975, has changed hands twice since 2002: from ITDC to the MBD group for Rs 20 crore, then from MBD to DS group this year for an undisclosed sum.
Its fortunes had been on the downswing for some time. After acquiring the hotel, MBD executive director Sonica Malhotra had hoped to make a mark in the city’s booming hotel industry, but the group never managed to run the 152-room property successfully.
Efforts to rope in the Radisson brand had fallen through. With only 67 operational rooms, occupancy was low. There were also staff issues. The hotel was finally shut down in October 2004 and all 281 employees accepted voluntary retirement.
Now, DS group managing director Rajiv Kumar is keen to start from scratch. A company spokesperson said: “The hotel is in a poor condition and it doesn’t suit our plans. However, the property has tremendous potential as it is next to the airport and close to New Town.”
The group has a Rs 400-crore plan for the prime property: two hotels (a 200-room five-star hotel and a 100-room budget deal), a 50,000-sq ft convention centre and a 300,000-sq ft commercial area. “We plan to develop the property into a prime destination. Work will begin as soon as we get the necessary approval. The project should be complete by 2010, in sync with the revamped airport,” the spokesperson said.

arijeetb

September 6th, 2007, 03:28 AM

Not sure if this was posted before.
http://www.projectsmonitor.com/detailnews.asp?newsid=14352&secid=28

Civitas

September 6th, 2007, 04:26 AM

what kind of company is this that it got 25 acres in newtown to build G+5 building ????

Not sure if this was posted before.
http://www.projectsmonitor.com/detailnews.asp?newsid=14352&secid=28

sidney_jec

September 6th, 2007, 07:32 AM

what kind of company is this that it got 25 acres in newtown to build G+5 building ????

there must definitely be some error in the article..
a single building in 25 acres is insane..
it must be 2.5 acres..

vivekkedia

September 6th, 2007, 10:36 AM

Rather i think that its .25 acres (15 kattahs), my company www.grmtech.com has also got 15 kattah land from IT department/HIDCO to make a 2Basement+G+5 building for IT purpose. :-)

vivek

there must definitely be some error in the article..
a single building in 25 acres is insane..
it must be 2.5 acres..

dover16

September 7th, 2007, 12:43 AM

This is certainly not all of them ..

MANI SQUARE KOLKATA 3,80,000 SQFT 3B + G + 4 END OF 2007
AXIS RAJAR HAAT 3,20,000 SQFT G + 2, G + 6 BEGINNING OF 2008
CITY CENTER II RAJAR HAAT 4,50,000 SQFT B + G + 4 MID OF 2007
RAINBOW MALL NARENDRAPUR 1,50,000 SQFT B + G + 4 END OF 2008
AVANI EUROPA JESSORE ROAD 4,00,000 SQFT LG + UG + 3 Jul-08
DLF MALL RAJAR HAAT 1,00,000 SQFT G + 1 Dec-08
B.T.ROAD KOLKATA 3,50,000 SQFT B + G + 4 2008
XTRA RAJAR HAAT 1,50,000 SQFT B + G + 5 END OF 2007
RPG GODREJ PLAZA KOLKATA 3,75,000 SQFT B + G + 4 MID 2008
2 JESSORE ROAD KOLKATA 8,00,000 SQFT 2B + G + 3 2008
KONA EXPRESSWAY KOLKATA 12,00,000 SQFT B + G + 3 2009
AIRPORT HOTEL KOLKATA 2,75,000 SQFT B + G + 3 2008
AVANI RENAISSANCE KOLKATA 4,00,000 SQFT B + G + 4 2008
AVANI RIVER SIDE HOWRAH 4,00,000 SQFT B + G + 3 2009
OZONE MALL KOLKATA 1,50,000 SQFT B + G + 4 END OF 2007
ASTER MALL KOLKATA 7,50,000 SQFT B+G+5 2009
SOUTH CITY KOLKATA 7,50,000 SQFT B + G + 4 2007
LAKE MALL KOLKATA 2,50,000 SQFT B + G + 5 2007
TERMINUS RAJARHAT 4,00,000 SQFT B + G + 4 2008

Civitas

September 7th, 2007, 03:01 AM

Hey, it is evening time here with my 'muri-r bati'......where is our Vegchop with latest update from Rajarhat projects :)

Vegchop

September 7th, 2007, 06:03 PM

Seems like the design and colors were inspired by Lego Toys
So Distastefully done.

Look at the LIG colors. Its Pink, I mean it's Barbie Pink! -- what were they thinking!?
(I really hope this is image quality error)

(copyright: Rajesh)

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/1955/dcfc0035jk5.jpg
http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/2954/dcfc0040zz5.jpg
http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/715/dcfc0039pc0.jpg

Civitas

September 7th, 2007, 11:00 PM

^^
Thanks Vegchop

Suncity

September 8th, 2007, 06:28 AM

Thanks Vegchop!

Suncity

September 8th, 2007, 06:29 AM

Bengal DCL's Uttara (http://www.bengaldcl.com/uttara_towers.htm), New Town

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/3003/bengaldcluttaraxd8.jpg

Suncity

September 8th, 2007, 06:30 AM

South City Gardens (http://www.southcityprojects.com/scg_overview.html)
61, B L Saha Road

http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/1743/southcitygardenssk9.jpg

kolkata

September 10th, 2007, 04:24 AM

Two projects by PS Group - Source: http://www.psgroup.in/

AKASH
East Kolkata Development Project.
Beside Ruby Hospital, Kolkata
http://www.psgroup.in/images/akash_ele.jpg

New Town Square - Rajarhat
Near to City Centre II
http://www.psgroup.in/images/new_ele.jpg

sidney_jec

September 10th, 2007, 08:53 AM

Air France may start operations from the city.
Source: NDTVProfit.com

Air France may fly to Goa, Kolkata
Press Trust of India
Sunday, September 9, 2007 (Paris):
Experiencing high load factors of up to 92 per cent, Air France plans to enhance its services to southern Indian cities and is also considering Goa and Kolkata as new destinations.

"Our load factors oscillate between 82 and 92 per cent in winter and summer seasons. The traffic between Bangalore, where services started in December 2005, and Chennai (opened in October 2006) have already reached the Mumbai levels," Air France Executive Vice President Bruno Matheu said.

Maintaining that the highest traffic that the airline experienced was between Delhi and Paris, he said "We plan to increase our flights to Bangalore and Chennai to dailies soon." He, however, did not give a specific time-frame about increasing frequencies to these Indian cities.

Asked about the new destinations the leading European carrier was considering for the launch of services, Matheu said the "most demanded route" was Goa, followed by Kolkata.

However, launching services to these cities depended on the bilateral air traffic agreement between France and India. But the demand to these two destinations was very high, Air France official said.

Asked about the competition it faced in attracting passengers between India and North America, who are being catered to with direct flights, and those diverted via the Gulf, he said: "Despite such a competition, the overall demand from India is growing very fast. We are able to maintain our high load factors due to the superiority of the product we offer."

Air India is planning to establish a European hub and was considering Paris and Amsterdam among other cities to face competition from Jet Airways, which created an operational hub at Brussels.

sidney_jec

September 10th, 2007, 09:08 AM

Snapshot of the new airport.
Source: ExpressIndia.com

AIRPORT 2010

Last week, the Union government finally gave the green light for the modernisation process of Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose airport. The Indian Express brings you the highlights of the project

Express News Service

Kolkata, September 09: WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE
The privatisation and modernisation plans of Delhi and Mumbai airports were greeted with massive protests all over the country in 2005-06. Nevertheless, the Hyderabad-based GMR, in association with Frankfurt-based Fraport AG, won the bid for modernising the Delhi airport. The GVK, along with the airports company South Africa, won the bid for Mumbai airport.

In Kolkata, the reform bid met with huge protests — from AAI staff, trade unions and the Left parties. The Centre agreed to let the Airports Authority of India be in charge of the building. There is no private participation.

Bride Groom
18 - 24 25 - 30 31 - 35 36 - 45 46 - 50 50+
India USA United Kingdom UAE Canada Australia Pakistan Saudi Arabia Kuwait South Africa

THE PLAN
The first phase of the project will start by January 2008, finish by June 2010.

Investment: Rs 2,000-crore for the first phase of modernisation.

Consultants: M/s Sikka Architect and Associates with consortium partner RMJM (Hong Kong) and Virendra Khanna and Associates with consortium partners ADPI (Paris). AAI will be floating an international tender, which will run on turn-key basis.

Size: Integrated Passenger Terminal Building over 1,980 acres to handle 20 million passengers, which is expected to meet the demand up to 2015-16. The ultimate capacity to be 60 million. Three cargo bays and 11 additional parking bays and a new terminal building. Work in progress for 9 domestic bays. Automation to be introduced in CNS/ATM operation, new control tower to be built.

WHAT YOU MAY FIND IN 2010
* 25 Security Gates - 9 for international and 16 for domestic passengers

* 180,000 sq mt building for domestic and international passengers

* Sprawling, new-look lounge

* 22 immigration counters for Arrival and 22 for Departure

* Conveyor belts with in-built X-ray machines, 104 check-in counters

* Online X-ray machines will be installed to check registered luggage

* More parking space for planes, spots for 28 aircraft, parking bays for 48 large aircraft

* 11 additional parking bays and taxiways

* 6-8 aero-bridges that will work simultaneously

* Secondary runway extension. 400 metres on southern end and rapid exit taxiway

* More aprons

AVANT-GARDE TECHNOLOGY
*Communication, Navigation, Surveillance and Air Traffic Management (CNS-ATM) system to be modernised and linked with a satellite-based system called Gagan, in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation

*State-of-the-art LCD monitors to replace seven radar monitor sets at the airport. The monitors have been in use for almost 10 years.

*Back-up radar.

*Surface movement radar, which will reduce flight delay because of fog. Delhi airport already has the facility.

*Software to automatically feed aircraft code and call sign information into the radar system

*Common Utility of Terminal Equipment (CUTE) will be installed at departure counters to enable passengers to check in at any counter

*Employment: Will depend on different flight operators

Euromast

September 10th, 2007, 11:32 AM

///

Kolkata: Changi Airports International of Singapore, rated among the best airports in the world, has expressed interest in developing the integrated airport township near Durgapur.
Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd, the consortium working on the Rs 10,000 crore project christened Aerotropolis, received the EOI from Changi Airports a few days ago. Singapore Changi Airport caters to 80 airlines serving more than 180 cities in over 50 countries and is a major aviation hub in Asia-Pacific. When the third terminal begins operations next year, Changi will have an annual handling capacity of more than 64 million passengers.
While the 2,300 acre project at Andal, about 10 km from Durgapur and 35 km from Asansol, will be modest compared to Changi, its scope will be as diverse. The focus will be on cargo, supply chain and logistic hub with maintenance, repair and night parking facilities. An aviation academy is also proposed.
On the non-aviation side, Aerotropolis will house integrated facilities for hi-tech enterprises, standard design factories, IT park, housing, hospital, school, theme park and commercial centre.
The consortium comprises West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC), Asansol Durgapur Development Authority (ADDA), Pragati Social Infrastructure & Development (JV between Pragati47 and Hudco), Citystar Infrastructure and Lend Lease. While WBIDC and ADDA will together hold 11% equity, Pragati Social will have 44.5%. Citystar and Lend Lease will hold rest. Though Airports Authority of India will not invest, chairman K Ramalingam extended technical help during a meeting between CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and civil aviation minister Praful Patel.

Civitas

September 10th, 2007, 04:31 PM

from Times of India ePaper of 10-Sep-2007

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=TOIKM/2007/09/10/2/Img/Pc0020600.jpg
Bypass traffic chaos, reach airport in a jiffy
A 5-km road will be built to escape the traffic jams at Ultadanga and Lake Town, cutting down travel time to the airport
Suman Chakraborti | TNN

SMOOTH SAILING, ALL THE WAY The link road will start from where Salt Lake Bypass takes a right turn to enter Sec-V. It will pass by the east end of Salt Lake and meet up with VIP Road near Kestopur Distance Saved 10 KM Commuters will not only save time but also fuel and money. They neither have to suffer at Ultadanga crossing nor endure the longer route via Rajarhat to reach the airport
Harried by the traffic congestion at Ultadanga junction? Your troubles may soon be over. A link road connecting EM Bypass with VIP Road, bypassing Salt Lake, will ease traffic pressure at this key crossing and offer smooth sailing to vehicles to and from the airport.
The traffic chaos at Ultadanga is getting worse every day, with vehicles getting stuck here for almost half and hour on some days. With cars, buses, autos and vans streaming in from all directions, the junction has become a nightmare for both motorists and traffic planners.
It now takes nearly 45 minutes to reach the airport from Parama Island on EM Bypass. Commuters who take the Ultadanga-VIP Road route to reach Airport have to leave home much earlier, fearing that they would miss their flight due to traffic congestion.
The Kolkata Metropolitan Planning Committee (KMPC) racked its brains over the riddle and finally hit upon the solution: a link road.
KMPC has decided to divert all VIP Road and airport-bound vehicles, coming from the Chinrigata junction, along a link road that will connect EM Bypass with VIP Road, bypassing Salt Lake. The road would be about 5 km long. Once it comes up, it would take less than 15 minutes to reach VIP Road from Chinrigata.
“The plan has been chalked out specifically to ease traffic congestion at Ultadanga junction and to create a short-cut route for the airport in a short span of time. It will be a boon for vehicles coming from Park Circus or Rashbehari connector,” said a KMPC official.
The project will be implemented by KMDA. KMPC has already approved the plan and it will be executed in the second five-year plan of ‘Vision-2025’.
According to the blueprint, the link road will start from where the existing Salt Lake Bypass takes a right turn to enter Sector-V after crossing the Wipro office. It will cross through the east end of Salt
Lake and touch VIP Road near Kestopur.
The primary reason for planning the link road was to make life easy for fliers, a KMPC official said. The route commonly taken to the airport — EM Bypass-Ultadanga-VIP Road — is so congested, particularly at Ultadanga and Lake Town, that passengers ran the risk of missing their flight. Some did.
The other route taken to reach the airport — passing through Rajarhat — is a longer option. The distance from Chinrigata to the Haldiram’s crossing on VIP Road is more than 20 km. The key was, thus, to bypass Ultadanga and Salt Lake.
With the existing NSC Bose airport to be modernised next year, thousand more vehicles would enter and exit from the airport and would take either VIP Road or Rajarhat main road. The link road becomes all the more important. It will especially benefit south-bound vehicles.
Officials said residents of Salt Lake would also benefit from the link road as it would cross the east side of the township. “Those who are headed for Baguiati or any other place on VIP Road from Salt Lake, will get to avoid the traffic snarl at Ultadanga crossing,” said an official.

kronik

September 10th, 2007, 06:34 PM

Allah O Akbar! Kolkata airport modernization is good news. Lets see how much teeth this old AAI has..

Nitro

September 11th, 2007, 02:28 PM

A whole bunch of projects that we have never seen before, unfortunately these CANT be posted. Check out 'Current Projects' list, I really hope some of them get built>>>

http://www.sanonsen.com

please note: there is a good chance many of these wont get built

Civitas

September 12th, 2007, 01:05 AM

Where is it coming in Bantala ? There is supposed to be a Cognizant Technologies (CTS) campus in that area. Can anybody mark it in Wikimapia ?

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070912/asp/calcutta/story_8300007.asp

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070912/images/12techno.jpg
Coming up, an IT resort

Duplex offices with sky terraces, fast-track conferencing alongside hip dining, club, spa and cafe — all wrapped in a cascading canopy of water.

Welcome to Technopolis 2, a Rs 400-crore, 1.5-million sq ft IT resort coming up inside the Bantala leather complex as a 10-acre SEZ. The first phase will be delivered in 12 months, with the project completion date set for March 2009.

“Technopolis (in Sector V) was India’s first IT infrastructure conforming to the US Green Building Council’s LEED certification. Our effort is to take our green commitment to the next notch and create a first-of-its-kind plug-and-play IT domain,” Rahul Saraf, managing director of Forum Projects, tells Metro.

The home-grown real estate firm, which gave Calcutta its first integrated retail mall, Forum on Elgin Road, is on an aggressive rollout drive, with 30 million sq ft worth of projects in hand.

Technopolis 2 has been designed by DP Architects of Singapore, creators of the Vivo City mall in the island nation, and will “cover only 25 per cent of the land area”, according to Saraf. The rest will be landscaped with a water thread running right through.

Forum Projects is doing another mixed-use development in Bantala over 36 acres, with a built-in 10-acre waterbody. Peng Beng Khu of Singapore-based Arc Studio, the firm doing the hotel at the Lady Ranu Mukherjee address on Camac Street, is providing the design solution.

“The Bantala project will have high-tech conferencing, a retail mall with multiplex, a 125-room boutique hotel, a club, serviced apartments, residential towers and parking for 1,200 cars,” explains Saraf.

The group, which beat the Tatas to bag a 300-acre-plus land parcel in Action Area V of Rajarhat, will develop “a green IT township” there, “to cater to tomorrow’s urban demands and environmental issues”.

If Forum 2 is set to come up on the Chandra Garden opposite Science City, Forum Projects is also developing an 850,000-sq ft integrated residential complex in Howrah, opposite Don Bosco Liluah, in partnership with SpringField Projects Pvt Ltd of Silver Spring fame.

Forum Projects, which now has a land bank worth over Rs 3,500 crore, is also investing big beyond Bengal. A retail-cum-hospitality project in joint venture with the Jamshedpur civic body to celebrate the centenary year of Tata Steel, will be ready in 20 months.

A mixed-use city-centre development in Adityapur across 22.5 acres with hospitals, club, cineplex, retail, residential and conferencing facilities, and a 550,000-sq ft lifestyle mall in Bhubaneswar with 1,200 car parks are the other large-format projects on the group’s 5.5 million-sq ft retail roadmap.