Cycle Marathon on Pre Independence Day

Pravin Patel CEO Starken, me, Debapriya Biswas: at Gate 4
Eco Park, 14 August 2016

Pre Independence Cycle Rally 

This morning, I flagged of a cycle rally from Eco Park Gate 4. Hundreds of cyclists, young and old, boys and girls participated, despite the  warm weather (but at least it did not rain). It started from Gate 4 of Eco Park and would be a 25 km track through Salt Lake and back. I mentioned that in our Green City plans, cycle occupies a central position and we are going to build cycle tracks, cycle shelters and public cycle sharing scheme with technical assistance from IIT.
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Plot owners' meet at Nazrul Tirtha on 13 August 2016
L-R: Ananda Ganguly, Debapriya Biswas, Gyanwant Singh, Sutanu
Kar, Gopal Ghosh, Sabyasach Datta

We released the new coffee table book titled "New Town, a model green city". We played, for the first time on screen, a 10-minute new film by Rupkala Kendra on a visitor's impression of New Town now. We gave each plot holder a brochure and a free pass for two persons for Eco Park that is valid till 31 August 2016. We informed that there were 3,427 plots in Action Area 1 but only 541 had submitted building plans. We told that 54 lakh people had already visited Eco Park and 2.93 lakh visitors had toured Mother's Wax Museum which was being extended. We mentioned that there were 14 parks including a Seniorss' Park, 10 markets, 6 shopping malls, one Business Club, 7 Pay-and-Use toilets, 9 private health clinics including Apollo, 15 medicine shops, 2 schools, 2 colleges, 1 university and 579 buses already in operation. Most importantly, pure river water from Hoogly river was now filtered and available to everyone in New Town. I urged everyone to get their plans sanctioned by 31 December 2016. I also mentioned that the next 100 plot owners to sanction their plans would be gifted a free copy of the new Coffee Table Book that was released today.
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Clippings:

Khabar 365 dt 14August 2016

Times of India dt 14 August 2016

Aajkal dt 14 August 2016

Asian Age dt 14 August 2016

Chattam House Rules in ORF Meet, New Town

On 9th August, Tuesday last, I attended a seminar by Observer Research Foundation (ORF), located in New Town (Pics above). Topic was Smart Cities. Director Mr Asok Dhar mentioned that ORF follows Chattam House Rules (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatham_House_Rule ) and so one can speak without being attributed. I mentioned, in my presentation, how West Bengal is doing a universal Green City Mission with ALL towns (and so not only 4 of the state) and without an Area Based Development approach to avoid selection bias.
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Clippings:

ToI dt 11 August 2016

Millennium Post dt 11 August 2016

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(Later)
See http://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/to-succeed-citizens-must-have-more-say-in-the-smart-cities-mission/story-PgWgFXSbgaTcdQldOgRJpK.html

Bus Terminus in AA3 starts

Ground breaking 10 Aug 2016

Yesterday, we 'broke coconut' at Action Area 3 near Sukhobrishti / new Spencers' Retail as a mark to commemmorate the commencement of work of a bus terminus. The planning has been done in-house by the planning wing of Hidco.
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Clipping:

Millennium Post dt 11 August 2016

Digital Wallet option in New Town

This afternoon, I held a meeting on revenue monitoring in New Town. Officers of Hidco and NKDA together were called for the meeting. By optimum utilisation of resources, giving polite and efficient services, keeping premises neat and clean and reviewing demand targets with actual receipts, a revenue policy was drawn up.

In the evening, we had a discussion with PayTM's Nishit Sinha, General Manager, about a proposal of PayTM for adding digital wallet as an additional option to smart citizens for making payments for movies, museums, parks, boat rides, food etc and also to reach out to a larger number of people who are in PayTM base. I expect to take it to the next board meeting.
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Clipping:

Millennium Post dt 9 August 2016

Airtel launches Wi Fi in MWM

Conference with Airtel today 

Ravindra Singh Negi, CEO Airtel and me

We had a meeting with the Airtel Team today at Business and Arbitration Centre in New Town where the Mother's Wax Museum is also located. Airtel is giving Wi Fi Hot Spots in MWM so that people can upload their selfies within 60 minutes. I requested them to adopt more hotspots.
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Clipping:

Khabar 365 dt 8 August 2016

Baise Shrabon

Mic was unable to come. All other events were
a great success

Screenshot of child Rabindranath from Satyajit Ray
 documentary on
Rabindranath. Screened today at Najrul Tirtha
this morning 

At Rabindra Tirtha this afternoon

N'Tirtha, morning

Brikhshya Ropan, R'Tirtha

Joy Goswami at Swapna Bhor, evening today

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The counter of Cafe Ekante on the jetty at Eco Park completed one year today. We cut a cake in the evening today:

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Clipping:

Ei Samay dt 7 August 2016

C40 to support Green City Mission in New Town

With C40 Team: Amrita Sinha Kataria, me, Kevin Austin and
Sanjay Sridhar: At Hidco on 8 Aug 2016

A C40 Team led by Mr Kevin Austin, Deputy Executive Director, met me at WBHIDCO to discuss how they can engage with the State's Green City Mission and with New Town's Green City Plans as a pilot city. The C40 Initiatives is a group of more than 100 cities worldwide. They provide knowledge partnerships, networking opportunities and capacity building. They will also help evaluate New Town Kolkata’s City-wide Green House Green Inventory and recommend suitable mitigation strategies to implement its Green Mission strategies.
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Clippings:

Khabar 365 dt 3 August 2016

Millennium Post dt 3 August 2016

e District in New Town

In memo no. 254-JS(IT)/P/40/2007 dt 27 July 2016, the IT Department Govt of West Bengal has advised TCS to take up formulation of work flow with NKDA under the e-District MMP programme so that citizens of New Town will get e-governance web-enabled services for the following matters:
- Mutation (recording property ownership in NKDA records)
- Occupancy Certificate (often called Possession Certificate) of constructed buildings
- Trade Licence
- Birth and Death Registration
-  Water Connection applicaion and
- Integration with existing on-line Building Plan sanction.

Work will start soon. The concurrence of IT Department was a result of a meeting with IT Department by me with Pr Secretary IT Talleen Kumar recently when I urged that since New Town is within North 24-Paraganas district, services by NKDA a an Urban Local Body may also be integrated with the e-District programme. Incidentall, NKDA already has a lot of e-governance initiatives (like on line plan sanction, on-line grievance redressal system for street lights, birth and death registration, trade licence etc) which will now be integrated into a common platform

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Clippings:

Ei Samay dt 2 Aug 2016

ToI dt 2 Aug2016

HT dt 1 August 2016

Khabar 365 dt 1 Aug 2016

Ei Samay dt 1 Aug 2016

Asian Age dt 1 Aug 2016

Kobi Pakshya Starts

Bhanusingher Padabali: Rabindra Tirtha 30 July 2016

As in other years, we will observe the anniversary day of Rabindra Tirtha on Sunday 7 August 2016, coinciding with Baise Shraban.  A month-long celebration started yesterday with performance by students of Shantiniketan yesterday (see picture above). Throughout the month of August, various events have been planned. Details can be seen at http://rabindratirtha-wbhidcoltd.co.in/event/cultural-function . Minister Firhad Hakim will plant a tree at Rabindra Tirtha at4 pm on 7th August Sunday Baise Shraban.

As may be seen, in addition to events at Rabindra Tirtha, there will be two special initiatives this year at Najrul Tirtha and Swapna Bhor.

At Nazrul Tirtha, on 7th morning, the films "Postmaster" (new cinema, 2016, Directed by Srijon Bardhan) and Satyajit Ray's documentary on Tagore will be screened at 10.30 am. Free entry for all.

At Swapna Bhor, poet Joy Goswami and others will make a performance at 6 pm.

Other details are given in the link above.


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Clipping:

Ei Samay dt 31 July 2016

More Water Kiosks

Last week, we commissioned coin-operated Water ATM at Eco Park.
Now we are approaching NGO Rupa Foundation to put up water cooler and purifier at the following 11 sites:

1-10: Community Markets in New Town (AA I&II)
11. Parking Plaza near Tata MMedical Centre.

Pic of Water Kiosk (from internet)

These will be essentially electrically operated water purifiers like Aqua Guard etc, mounted on a small structure. The Foundation has agreed in principle to install and more importantly take care of Operations and Maintenance. HIDCO will provide space, water connection and power connectivity. These will be supplied free.  Recently a Trustee of the Foundation inspected the sites and agreed to set up the water kiosks inn New Town.

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Clippings:

Millennium Post dt 30 July 2016

Khabar 365 dt 30 July 2016

Aajkal dt 30 July 2016

Smart Post Measures

CPMG Ms Arundhati Ghosh lighting lamp
at Gate 4 Eco Park today
for Philatelic Counter

Special Cancellation with New Town
Skyline 

"Dak Manjari" Philatelic Counter in Gate 4

Near Hidco Bhavan

Screenshot of Website for Smart Post Box

Track your letter on web

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Clippings:

Khabar 365 dt 29 July 2016

ToI dt 29 July 2016

Pratidin dt 29 July 2016