Jatragachhi Bridge & Tropical Forest Plantation Starts

We got the eco-tourism Master Plan from ILFS/ Pradip Sachadeva a couple of days ago. There will be a Rain Forest on a 3-acre plot within the 480-acre site. Each plant is identified and a co-ordinate assigned to it. The plantation started today morning. I and others went there to kick-off the starting of the plantations. 

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Earlier in the morning, we witnessed the starting of a Rs 30 lakh box bridge connecting Jatragachhi Panchayat with New Town. I broke a coconut as also MLA Rajarhat Mr Sabyasachi Datta. This was a long-pending demand of the villagers and the Panchayat Pradhan, a lady, thanked us for the effort.

Notice for architects for Nazrul Bhavan

The proposed Nazrul Bhavan at Salt Lake will be executed by the Special Engineer of UD Department. Today, an advertisement appeared in Pratidin. Here it is:

Land Planning (LUDCP)

The law says that LUDCP or Land Use Development and Control Plan should be ready within two years of formation of a Planning Authority. But in many cases, this has not been done. I went to Haldia last Saturday to attend a meeting of the HDA Board. I visited Nayachar with CEO Ulganathan IAS and found that although this was added to HDA area in 2004, no efforts to make LUDCP had been undertaken.
Here is a picture from Pratidin of 23rd Jan:

Tourism PPP

We had the meeting on "Tourism and Related Infrastructure" at Writers' Building yesterday. This was a follow-up on CM's meeting at Town Hall on 16th. FICCI, CII, PwC, ILFS and few potential investors participated. More than half a dozen Secretaries were present.
We discussed about a framework for Tourism in the PPP mode.

Tajpur Beach

This is a picture from today's Anandabazar. We went there yesterday on way from Digha to Kolkata. There will be a meeting at Town Hall on Monday at 2 pm.
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Few more pix on Digha Beach Festival:

Digha Beach Festival Inaugurated

Chief Minister inaugurated the Digha Beach Festival today at 4.30pm. Here is a picture of the site taken in the morning today:

In the evening, CM came back to the venue ground quite unanniounced, walking from Udaipur beach. I accompanied her to Digha Mohana where Sea Food Festival was being held.

Digha Festival Eve

I'm writing this at Digha. The Digha Beach Festival will be inaugurated at 4.30pm tomorrow.  I came yesterday evening. CM came today at 5pm. I accompanied her in her car to Mandarmoni. After dinner, I and Soumen Pal, Executive Officer DSDA went and saw the venue. Here is a picture:

Hidco Stall at Bengal Leads Inaugurated by Dr Amit Mitra

I was present during the inauguration of Bengal Leads 2012 at Milan Mela ground today afternoon. After this, Dr Amit Mitra, Finance Minister, inaugurated HIDCO's stall there and spent some time with us. Incidentally, we are setting up a Financial Hub in New Town for which I am in touch with the FM often.

The stall, though on a smallish stall of 36 sq m, is reasonably ok. I changed the location of the stall at the last moment (barely a day before) with help from Nandini Chakrabarty, IAS, MD WBIDC. The officers of Hidco and the agents reacted splendidly and brought up the stall at the new location by working overtime...In the picture, I am explaining the 3D model of the eco-park that we are building in New Town. The model arrived from Delhi by air today morning.

Fire Audit

Here is a masked clip from today's Times of India:

Survey in Salt Lake from tomorrow

We will conduct a household survey in Salt Lake from tomorrow. We published a notice in some newspapers. Here is one that appeared in today's Times of India.

The survey will be done by Prantakatha, "a youth advocacy group" that had provided the backroom support for the Anandababu campaign of the Election Campaign in 2009. A training programme for the volunteers mobilised by them will take place today at the Unnayan Bhavan Auditorium.

Sunday, 8th Jan

The survey has started. Here is a clipping from Bartaman

Digha = Goa

We went to Digha for a day. We means Shri Firhad Hakim, Shri Rachpal Singh (ministers) and me. While going, we took the Duronto train: it served us lunch. We got down on return journey at Santragachi to quickly reach home via Kona and EM By Pass.

I am holding a meeting on Saturday at Kolkata to tie up a few ends.

Singapore in New Town

Here is a clipping from today's Anandabazar:

Tunnel Boring Machines Arrive

"We" went to Subhas Sarobar today morning to see how the Tunnel Boring Machines will function for the East West Metro.
Q: Who are we three in the picture below?

We also inaugurated our bio-metric system today. Shri Firham Hakim, Minister, inaugurated this. Here is a picture:

MAR 2,.. and Digha Festival

That is in today's Times of India. The following advertisement appears in today's Grafitti of Telegraph, issued by the Tourism Department: