With just 6% roadspace (against a minimum of 25% requirement) Kolkata's burgeoning vehicle population was going nowhere.
Things however are looking up in the eastern part of the city which is expanding rapidly.
The chief minister today inaugurated a 10 lane road connecting the airport to Salt Lake and the New Town. The road will be the main connector with the New Town, which, with a projected area of 3,075 hectares, will accommodate a residential population of 750,000 and a floating population of 250,000.
Sector I of the town is almost ready. Construction work is under progress in Sector II, while land acquisition is underway in Sector III. In Sector I, a total of 5,693 plots have been allotted so far to individuals, cooperative societies and bulk cooperatives, while 3,290 apartments are in the final stages. The new town will have shopping malls, several banks, schools, an engineering college and a central business district, offices of IT majors in addition to offices of the BSF and CRPF and a host of other organisations.
At the inaugural function the Chief Minister also welcomed national and international construction companies to invest in the state. He informed the gathering that the Kolkata Durgapur expressway would be completed by December 2004. Two lanes of this expressway are already operational.
Things however are looking up in the eastern part of the city which is expanding rapidly.
The chief minister today inaugurated a 10 lane road connecting the airport to Salt Lake and the New Town. The road will be the main connector with the New Town, which, with a projected area of 3,075 hectares, will accommodate a residential population of 750,000 and a floating population of 250,000.
Sector I of the town is almost ready. Construction work is under progress in Sector II, while land acquisition is underway in Sector III. In Sector I, a total of 5,693 plots have been allotted so far to individuals, cooperative societies and bulk cooperatives, while 3,290 apartments are in the final stages. The new town will have shopping malls, several banks, schools, an engineering college and a central business district, offices of IT majors in addition to offices of the BSF and CRPF and a host of other organisations.
At the inaugural function the Chief Minister also welcomed national and international construction companies to invest in the state. He informed the gathering that the Kolkata Durgapur expressway would be completed by December 2004. Two lanes of this expressway are already operational.