Battery Car

Yesterday evening, a 6-seater battery car was delivered in Eco Park. I trial drove it with Chief Engineer S P Chatterjee and others. Even while testing it, several visitors enquired if they could get a ride to reach back to their car park and what was the fare. You see, one needs to walk for an hour or two to travel once from one end of Eco Park to the other. Here is a photo - poor quality due to my mobile's flash not being effective:

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Here is a cutting from today's Telegraph (Salt Lake):

HMT in New Town Kolkata

When the Regional Manager of HMT met me at Hidco last Tuesday, I was reminded of my early school days in North Bengal when my father had purchased an HMT wrist watch - an accurate people's watch (there was even a Janata model) that looked great in those pre-liberalisation days. If I remember correctly, one had to patiently wait one's long turn before getting one's wrist on a specimen!
These days, one hardly hears of the Public Sector Undertaking and the mechanically wound watches - although Automatic mechanical watches are slowly replacing cheap quartz watches in the high end segment. I was naturally curious to meet the Regional Manager on Tuesday morning.

It seems HMT is now trying to create a niche market in the segment of Tower Clocks (a la Big Ben). Specifically, he suggested a Floral Clock for the Eco Park - a clock embedded on ground where the numbers are made of garden flowers/hedges, 7 m or so wide. I advised him to send a formal proposal for technical appraisal by engineers.

Working in the Rain

I'd been to inspect progress of work of Entry Plaza and Visitors' Centre in Eco Park today morning. It was however raining very heavily and we could not go to the field location. However, close by, I visited the fabrication shed with a makeshift plastic roof to keep the rain away and saw how welding and steel tube shaping works were going on even while the torrential shower poured away. A picture of the shed from my camera:

  ***
Yesterday, we had a meeting at the Fisheries Department where Subes Das ACS(Fishery Deptt), me, Arup Saha CEO KMDA and Debashis Pal Planner KMDA reviewed the master plan for a touristic transformation of the 2-3 km stretch along the water body. Here is a report from today's Times of India on it:

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Here is a cutting from today's Anandabazar that took me to my Chief Electoral Officer days. It was great to know that the people of Charjatrasiddhi still remembers. Thanks also to Rahul Roy / Anandabazar for bringing it out:

Rabindra Film Course in Rabindra Tirtha

Last Wednesday, we started a 5-day course on films based on Rabindranath. Started on 17th July, it will continue till Sunda the 21st July with Rituparno's Chokher Bali and its interpretation. The course is organised in co-ordination with Roopkala Kendra. A photo from my camera during the inauguration:

 * * *
I went to Durgapur yesterday to inspect JnNURM projects now being executed in Durgapur. This was preceded by a regular meeting with all officers and technical personnel of ADDA.

I also had a meeting with CEO, Durgapur Steel Plant where DM Burdwan and CEO ADDA were also present. We talked of many matters of mutual interest. Minutes are being drawn up. We were informed that the board of SAILhad decided in principle to set up a second steel plant at Durgapur. Matters relating to recording of land acquired by DSP in the ROR were also solved after CEO agreed to pay the required fees. I requested CEO DSP to do some creative landscaping along NH2 including an artistic gate befitting the steel town. He agreed to the suggestion.

I went to see the airport town of Aerotropolis. ADDA had posed certain issues for the residential sector of the project. A photo of the under-construction airport building:

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Here is a cutting from an article in Anandabazar that appeared on Tuesday:

Capacity Building of Technical Wings of Hidco & NKDA

There has been for some time a persistent feeling that technical officers of the State Govt who execute various projects such as flyovers, bridges, roads, buildings, water supply etc may be given practical training to upgrade thier skills. Last Friday, a 2-day workshop was organised for all technical personnel of Hidco & NKDA up to the rank of Executive Engineer. The training was iparted by the Road and Building Research Institute of PWD. The training workshop was hugely successful and I have received a very good feedback from the participants. A photo:

 * * *
Here is a cutting from today's Ei Samay (page 1):

Here is a cutting from today's Times of India:

CM Visits Eco Park

Hon'ble Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister visited Eco Park yesterday afternoon on her way back from Sashan in North 24-Paraganas. With her were Ministers Firhad Hakim and Arup Biswas, Singer Indranil Sen, MLA and others. Since there was daylight, we took her to the site of Food Park and Butterfly Garden through the newly laid internal pathway. I showed her how work on Banglar Haat was progressing with the lights still on. I also briefed her about the DPR on Deer Park being made. A snapshot on the wooden jetty, facing the lake in Eco Park:

Viewing sunset view lakefront in Eco Park

I told her that only the same morning, we had a bhoomi puja and started work of Musical Fountain. A group photo taken on Saturday morning:

Team Eco Park
Present: Sutanu, D Banerji, N.Sil, A.Sanyal, PP Datta, A Ganguli,
SP Chatterji, Suman Neogi, me, P Bhattacharya, P Guha and Agency 

Video Conference with Development Authorities

I held a video conference with the Development Authorities of UD Department from Writers' Buildings yesterday. Participating were KMDA, KIT, HIT, ADDA, HDA, SJDA, MKDA, NKDA, BDA, JDA and SSDA. The basic objectives were (1) Review of progress of State Plan Schemes (2) Initiating Road / Bridge / Flyover projects under JnNURM even beyond Kolkata/Asansol under UIDSSMT. Before that, I discussed the procedures with Mr B.P.Gopalika, Secretary Municipal Affairs, in the context of the discussions held last Wednesday at the National Conference at Delhi.
* * *
We had a very detailed brainstorming session yesterday afternoon with Transport Department, CSTC, WBSTC, CTC, TIDC, KMDA and Hidco at Hidco Bhavan Conference room about setting up an inter city, inter state and inter national bus terminus at New Town. A sub committee has been formed who will also visit Chennai and Bangalore projects and give specifications. Here is a group photo taken at site after the meeting yesterday:

At Site of Bus Terminus
Present: A. Bandyopadhyay, me, A.Thakhur, A Ganguly, D.Pal etc

Here is a cutting from today's Anandabazar:

* * *
Here is a clipping from today's Times of India:

Intelligent Transport System

At Delhi, I attended today a workshop on ITS (Intelligent Transport System) organised by Ministry of Urban Development. We were told of the very many experiments going on in USA, UK, Japan and South Korea. Here is a link of a video from the Korean experiment that we were shown: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ7AbusMATE . I suggested, however, that external examples must be tuned to Indian reality and that simple solutions like periodic announcements in FM radio about traffic conditions may also be taken into account. I also talked about introducing ITS in New Town Kolkata as a pilot scheme. The organisers agreed to come to Kolkata for detailed discussions soon.
* * *
In the afternoon, I attended a meeting at the French Embassy on promoting Indo-French collaboration at the State / ULB level. I alluded to the close parallel between La Defence near Paris and New Town near Kolkata and remarked that in terms of urban planning there could be a lot to share. Mr Mani Shankar Aiyer was also there and talked about the fundamental difference in democracies of India and Europe (In Europe it evolved over centuries and in India it was 'devolved' from the top suddenly, he said). His speech was quite impressive and I complemented him by saying that one wished if it could be recorded !

While at the French Embassy, I recalled my last visit to the same building in 2003 when I had to appear for an interview (which was held after a written test that I had to clear) for being considered for a training at ENA (Ecole Nationale d'Administration) in France. I'd got a diploma in Public Administration (Public Finance) in 2004 after a stint in ENA Paris and Project work in Strassbourg. All course was in French and I didn't know a word of French before landing in France! I shared this with the Embassy diplomats today, who are, it seems, compiling a directory of ex-ENAs from India, of which there was another in today's meeting who'd done it a decade earlier (Ms Sneh Lata Kumar, IAS, Resident Commissioner MP)

Bon jour !
***
Returning Kolkata this evening.

West Bengal gets "A" in JnNURM Reforms

Attended conference of Principal Secretaries of Urban Development at India Habitat Centre, Delhi today. The meeting was presided over by Shri Sudhir Krishna, Secretary, Govt of India, Ministry of Urban Development. Later, Secretary GoI Food Processing Department joined the discussions and spoke about the need of modernising abottairs with 50% GoI grants.

 The projects sanctioned in JnNURM-I are to be completed by March 2014. On behalf of the states I submitted that after a great deal of effort including assembling land, removing utilities, getting clearances from Railways / Port/ Defence, battling court cases and dealing with agency failures, the projects are now rolling. I pleaded that instead of stopping GoI help and fund flow at this stage, a more sympathetic view may be taken and time may be extended by a year.

In the field of reforms, West Bengal stood at more than 80% achievement and got "A" along with most other states. Only very few states got A+. All states were given time till 31st July to further improve upon their achievements. Incidentally, 10% of Central Grants are now held back (Rs 120 crores for West Bengal) due to non-achievement of all reforms.

I came to know that 5 UIDSSMT projects and 2 UIG projects were sanctioned as new "extended period" JnNURM projects.

At the suggestion of Secretary Sudhir Krishna, I met Mr S.K Lohia, OSD MoUD after the conference to discuss about the posible implementation of a Public Bicycle Scheme in New Town Kolkata
* * *
(Later; 11th July)
Here is a clipping from today's Bartaman (from web):

Adda Zone Planned at Eco Park

Today I went to Eco Park and then to a village called Swetpur. Swetpur is near Barasat and is on the road to Bongaon. It took us about an hour to reach there. Arijit Sanyal, GM Hidco accompanied me. A member of a SHG (Self Help Group) based in Barasat-I Panchayat Samiity metus near Brasat and guided us. The last 500 metres were on foot.

We went to a potter's house. They make terracota pots, 'mora', and other interesting items. We chose few items that will be required to make an informal get-together (adda) zone near Artists' Cottage in Prakriti Tirtha. The idea is to have a waterside cafe with a set of ethnic tables/ stools. Here is the photo of potter's hut where we went :

Designer Bus Terminal in New Town

Today I had an initial discussion with Mr Alapan Bandyopadhyay, Principal Secretary, Transport Department about ways in which a state-of-the-art designer Bus Terminus in New town in jointly in collaboration between Hidco and Transport Department. The 10 acre land is located in Action Area-II, near Rajarhat Road, not far from DeRozio College. We had a fruitful discussion and agreed to take the project forward. A joint meeting will be held at Hidco next Friday followed by a site visit.
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Here is a clipping from today's Telegraph (Salt Lake):

Amar Bari in New Town

176 dwelling units for the Economically Weaker  Section being built under the Amar Bari scheme is nearing completion at Tarulia near Action Area IA of New Town. I reviewed the progress today and found that the work on power connection and water connection need to be expedited. I spoke to Executive Engineer PHE and MD, NTECSC on this today afternoon. Preparations for a possible lottery after inviting bids will also begin shortly.
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Here is a clipping from today's Khabar 365 :

* * *
Here is a clipping from Ajker Kalam that was emailed to me:

Ground Breaking for Najrul Tirtha

Last Saturday the Hidco Board of Directors approved engagement of Sapoorji Paloonjee as the lowest bidder for constructing Nazrul Tirtha.
This afternoon, a bhumi puja was arranged and we broke coconuts. A picture:

Here is a model that will soon be kept at the site:

* * *
Here is a clipping from today's Times of India:

And a cutting from today's Khabar 365:

Drainage Meet

I held an emergency drainage meeting with KMDA, KMC and KMWSAA. Some co-ordination was needed to ensure that the ongoing BRTS works along EMByPass did not affect the outflow of rainwater. Culverts were also to be desilted while pumps at several sites were to be kept in readiness. It was also to be seen that water pumped out did not flow back due of choking of drainage channels. All Chief Engineers were advised to take emergency measures and send photographs for record.
* * *
Last Thursday, a new drilling rig started its operations in Action Area I to augment water supply. We broke few coconut shells on the drill machine. A picture:

* * *
Yesterday, Dohar performed at Rabindra Tirtha. They talked of the influence of folk songs like on Rabindrasangeet and sang to demonstrate. A photo:

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Here is a clipping from today's Times of India:

Engineers on a Boat

The level of water in the lake in Eco-Park has risen considerably in the last week. We tried to analyse the possible reasons for this. It seemed that a storm water canal that brings run-off rain water from  VIP Road, Chinar Park and even Dum Dum has breached a thin earth barrier and connected itself to the lake. The storm water canal is intended to go farther down to Bagjola Canal.
We decided to inspect the site of the breach yesterday. All senior engineers of Hidco including P.P.Datta, Executive Director (Technical), Ananda Ganguly Chief Engineer, Suman Neogy General Manager (Engineering), Arijit Sanyal General Manager (Engineering), Pradip Guha Addl General Manager (Planning) and others accompanied me yesterday afternoon on a country boat to the site. The breach spot is not accessible by road: it is on the far side of the lake, on the other side of the new jetty near Rabi Aranya.
After inspection and discussions on the boat at site, we decided to make a sand bag barrier to isolate the lake and observe results. Permanent solution can be worked out only after analyzing results, and that too after the monsoons.
Here is a photo taken just before we started

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Here is a clipping from today's Pratidin:

Plot for retail market / shopping-cum-commercial complex auctioned at AA-II

Yesterday was the last date of receiving bids for tender / auction for a plot of land of area 2.50 acres in Action Area II of New Town Kolkata. The plot has a frontage on the Major Arterial Road to Airport, and is   close to the second sharp bend near the sixth intersection, close to the Diplomatic Enclave. A prime plot, it fetched a highest bid of Rs. 57.33 crores. Converted this amounts to Rs 23 crore per acre, or Rs. 38 lakhs per kottah or Rs. 56,666 per sq metre or Rs. 5,264 per sq ft. This is perhaps the highest bid that Hidco received;, an earlier bid having fetched Rs 51 crore but which didn't materialise finally. We wait to see if this does.
* * *
I took a session yesterday at the ATI (Administrative Training Centre) with the new batch of IAS officers who have just been allotted the state. I spoke on Urban Development in West Bengal.
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Here is a clipping from yesterday's Khabar 365:

Land friendly water treatment plants

Yesterday a seminar of eastern states of India was held. The topic was "Energy & Resource Efficient Urban Water Management". At the inaugural session, I remarked that we need Water Treatment Plants and Waste Water Treatment Plants that need less land. Conventional treatment plants need huge amount of land that is becoming scarce. Technologically advanced solutions like SBR (Sequential Batch Reactor), FBR (Fluidised Bed Reactor), Organic Media etc were explored by us. I also announced that we are thinking of a tertiary treatment of 10% of waste water to make it of reusable quality and to compensate this increased cost by fitting in bottled water plants in our new Water Treatment Plants. I also mentioned that we'd have solar panels and methane power plants wherever possible in WTPs / WWTPs.

I also spoke of having SCADA-like sensor device based IT systems that will help reduce water losses. CSE, the facilitators, mentioned that as per their estimate, the water losses in Kolkata was 39%. They also talked about the strategy in JnNURM-II where WTPs and WWTPs would be dealt with together as a combined project in all cases.
* * *

I inspected yesterday the parks in AAI being maintained by NKDA. A new Children's Multi-Ride Equipment is being set up in Shishu Tirtha. I advised that few exhibits required a fresh coat of paint. I also went to see several ongoing projects of Action Area I. Here is a photo of the community market in BB Block of Action Area I that took yesterday afternoon:

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Today morning, Ms Keya Seth, MD of Keya Seth's Aromatherapy visited Eco-Park. Here is a photo taken during her brief visit to Hidco Bhavan before the tour to Eco Park:

L-R: Me, Keya Seth, Asish Seth at Hidco just before
their Eco Park visit

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Here is a clipping from Khabar 365:

* * *
Here is a clipping from Bartaman:

CM Visits Eco Park

On her way back from Bongaon, Hon'ble Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister, visited Eco Park today evening for about an hour or so. She gave a lot of advice and directions. She posed for photos with visitors in the Eco Park. Photos captured on my camera:

Machan in Rain Forest

In Gorumara Forest in the Duars, there is a wooden machan for viewing rhinos in the salt lick across a stream down below. Based on this idea, we decided today to make a viewing gallery in the midst of the rainforest zone within the Eco Park. A drawing was approved in the weekly meeting at Hidco.
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Here is a clipping from today's Times of India:-

Drag Race in New Town

The second and final part of a Drag Race of cars took place today morning at Action Area III of New Town. The rules of the game are that two cars participate in each go for a 400m straight race. The loser gets eliminated. Here is a pic:

I requested the organisers to have an exciting car event in winter. Incidentally, we received an application recently from Mumbai requesting 17 acres space for a great musical band show in the first week of December: I am thinking of the grassland zone within Eco Park for this. Let's see.
* * *
Prof Sukanta Chaudhury of Jadavpur University told us of Bichitra Web Project today evening at Rabindra Tirtha. In Rabindra Tirtha, we have the objective of having a leading web networking core of Rabindranath for the Bengali diaspora around the world. A modest beginning has already been made. The second phase process has been initiated. A photo:

Prof Sukanta Chaudhuri in Rabindra Tirtha talking on Bichitra

After the event, I discussed with Prof Chaudhuri about the possibility of linking up Rabindra Tirtha Web Effort (Time Line on Rabindranath) with Bichitra.

Foundation Stone of SBI Management Institute

Last year in May, SBI took up a plot of 10 acres at New Town Kolkata for their Apex Training Institute. I recall my posts in this blog (search for SBI in the box) and my post at http://principalsecretarysblog.blogspot.in/2012/05/sbi-takes-land-for-international.html . Today, the foundation stone was laid by Chairman SBI in presence of MD and CGM Bengal. A photo:

L-R on dais: Sunil Srivastava CGM Kolkata, me,
Pratip Chaudhuri Chairman SBI, A Krishna Kumar MD SBI
and B V Chaubal, DMD & CDO

There was a 3D model on display and it was assured that construction would start soon.
* * *
The renovated Ahindra Mancha at Chetla was inaugurated today by Minister Firhad Hakim. I recalled in the inaugural ceremony this evening that even when he was in the opposition as an MLA, in one of the Standing Committee meetings at the Assembly, Mr Firhad Hakim had asked for quick repair of the then dilapidated Ahindra Mancha. After taking oath as Minister, he took initiative to renovate Ahindra Mancha quite beyond recogition. A photo:

Water Supply

Cities, experts say, cannot exist without water. In fact, most major cities of the world are on the banks of rivers or in coastal areas where surface water or ground water is available in plenty. I think of Fatepur Sikri where a whole capita city had to be abandonned since there was not water. Water supply sources are being created throuugh JnNURM.
Last Monday, I held a review of the projects on water supply. A large number of water treatment plants are being built, both in ADDA region and KMDA region. Insofar as KMDA area is concerned, 877 mld (million litres per day) of additional water treatment plant capacity is being added under UIG of JnNURM.. The 877 mld is in addition to the capacity of existing WTPs (2246 mld). This means an increase in 39% of the existing capacity. It is also fit to cater to the requirements of 6.5 million additional people, taking the per capita water requirement to be 135 lpcd. Already commissioned WTP are at Uluberia (46 mld), Kalyani (136 mld), Garulia  (19mld). Some of the WTPs where work is going on include Madhyamgram (140 mld), Dhapa (136 mld), Baranagar (136 mld), Bhatpara (104 mld), Bally (48 mld), Titagarh-Khardah ((70mld), Bansberia (68 mld) etc. The target is to complete all the WTPs by March 2014.
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Here is a clipping from today's Telegraph (Salt Lake):

e Auction

Two plots at New Town were put up for e-Auction today.
 One was a plot for an Automobile Showroom. This is a plot of area 39.79 kottahs (0.658 acres). It is located in Action Area II. It fetched a price of Rs. 9.55 crores.
  The other plot was for a bank branch plot in Action Area I. It is a plot of 6.3 kottahs (457 sq m). It fetched a price of Rs. 1.26 crores.

Herbal Garden

In 3 acres of Eco Park, a Herbal Garden will be set up in collaboration with Institute of Post Graduate Ayurvedic Education and Research, Kolkata. The Herbal Garden will create awareness on importance of medicinal plants for treatment and prevention of diseases. There will be about 200 square plots where the medicinal plants will be grown. I held a brief review on the progress made at today's weekly review meeting.
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Here is a clipping from today's Anandabazar:

Request for Information (RFI) for Space Saving STP

We wish to save land for treatment plants for waste water ie STP or Sewage Treatment Plants. How to go about it? Request for Information (RFI) was solicited through newspaper advertisement. We called for new ways of treating waste water that would be modern, cost-effective as well as land economising - all to be achieved through use of modern technology.

The last date was over recently and seven applications have been received. The idea is now to consult each of them and thereafter make a framework for calling tenders ie for creating RFQ / RFP documents.

This is a very transparent and innovative method of introducing new technology. We are trying it for the first time. I explained this briefly to the British Delegation when they came to Hidco Bhavan today afternoon. A photo:

Me, Minister Hakim & John Nutt are at the far end

Afterwards, the delegation visited Eco Park and were very enthusiastically appreciative about it.
 Here is a photo taken today morning at the Oberoi Grand:

Me, UK Minister Mr Eric Pickles,  Minister Hakim, Mr Wadhwani

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Here is a clipping from today's Times of India:

Eastern Regional Workshop on Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation

Last Wednesday, Mr Arun Misra, Secretary Govt of India Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (MoHUPA) held a regional workshop in Kolkata where representatives of Assam, Orissa, Tripura, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh were present besides West Bengal.

A copy of the recommendations of the Task Force on Affordable Housing Projects was released. We were informed that the Govt of India had accepted the recommendations. Incidentally, I was one of the members of this Task Force. It makes practical ways in which the centre and the states can come together to combat the housing shortage for the EWS, LIG an MIG sectors.

In our submission, I stated that while we had completed 74,000 dwelling units under JnNURM - the highest in the region - we could do more if we were allowed to revise the project cost to prevailing market prices. Secretary replied that Finance Ministry was not agreeable to this as the projects were already sanctioned. I also requested for permission to change location of units due to land problems: specific proposals were sought for.

Here is a picture of the head table:

L-R:
Me, Sushil Kumar Addl Secy, AKMisra, Secy, BKAgarwal JS, Advisor Plg Comm

* * *
Yesterday, the work of Ganga Water project actually started on the ground. A photo on VIP Road near Lake Town Crossing:

Ground Breaks for Hugly Water Intake for New Town,

* * *
Here is a clipping from the Telegraph that came to my notice recently although Ms Sucheta Chakraborty had met me a Hidco Bhavan a few days ago from the date of publication: