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.
Excellent!!nice vibrant colors on the model...sir, request you to upload some more pictures from HIDCO stall/models for us who are far away from kolkata...
ReplyDeleteAlso frnds here please post links of photos of "Bengal Leads" event if you have any...
Looks like General Motor’s Chris Borroni-Bird who happens to be global Director of Advanced Technology Vehicle Concepts and EN-V Program (Electric-Networked Vehicle - aimed at tackling congested urbanization) was star attraction who had come to present his ideas on how GM’s EN-V project can help to speed up Kolkata. Though, per media report, there was bit disappointment in participation , the following videos explain the EN-V project those look really interesting:
ReplyDelete1. GM's EN-V Concept Car Tackles Urbanization Video - Chris Borroni Bird explains
2. GM's EN-V Design Part 2: Appealing to Future Audiences Video
3. GM's EN-V Part 3: Manufacturing for the Future Video
4. Evolution of GM's EN-V urban electric vehicle concepts
They have signed a MOU with Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Investment and Development Co. Ltd. (SSTEC), to integrate the next EN-V into the Tianjin Eco-City’s power, communications, and physical infrastructures.
I hope HIDCO got many queries for commercial exploitation of lands under it's jurisdiction. Do share with us any positive outcome of the event.
ReplyDeleteBangalore has not become the IT capital just by virtue of IT biggies; it houses several medium and small IT companies through out the city. They also employ significant workforce in the city. I hope WBHIDCO showcases NewTown to this segment.
At the same time, I would sincerely request the government to be careful enough not to allow encroachment of footpath and roads. I hope the mess around DLF IT Park in AA-I does not spread throughout this beautiful township.
Times Of India Report on EcoPark:
ReplyDeleteTourism hub at wetland
"According to the plan, the huge waterbody and its surrounding area in Rajarhat's central business district will be turned into a vast open-air recreational spot where eco-tourism will be developed along the lines of Nalban. Various eco-friendly activities like water sports are also on the cards at the proposed park which will have pedestrian plazas and food stalls."
...
"Hidco is also working on plans to give the upcoming township an aesthetic, clean and green look. The authorities had earlier asked residential complex developers of Rajarhat New Town who have constructed of residential complexes in Rajarhat New Town to suggest details of beautification programmes in order to develop the township as a futuristic smart city."
tnx for the contribution
ReplyDeleteHere is an excellent example, which I am tempted to share with all of us here, on how a depressed former mill town in Lancashire took to growing food on under-used public land.
ReplyDeleteThis initiative has been christedned as 'Incredible Edible'. 'Incredible Edible' spans the production of fruit, vegetables and herbs, poultry, fish and bee keeping. Food crops are grown on public land around the town, and is available for anyone to harvest and eat at home. Typical sights are leeks (a vegetable which belongs, along with the onion and garlic, to family Amaryllidaceae) being grown in flowerbeds outside a college and cherry trees planted in a car park.
The residents of Todmorden, the concerned depressed former mill town in Lancashire, have created a thriving economy based on bartering and exchanging. Todmorden had a dying economy but this project has helped residents take charge of their own futures. As more people have got involved, they have brought their own ideas and solutions, and so the project has grown. Local schools are involved, with one of them setting up a fish farm, jointly owned with the community. Children get to learn here where their food comes from, as well as the basics of running a business. This initiative is also rebuilding people’s relationships with the environment.
Growing around town is now run by a group of volunteers.
Details of the project can be had by visiting the link:
http://www.incredible-edible-todmorden.co.uk/projects/community-growing
I strongly believe, that same (about urban areas becoming self sufficient towards growing their own food - cereals, vegetables, fruits, poulty, fish, dairy) can be replicated in New Town, Rajarthat. This can then become a model for other urban communities across the sub-continent. This is particularly relevant in today's context with more than half the world’s population living in cities and urbanisation advancing rapidly. Hence, decisions about how cities are designed and built are profoundly important for future global sustainability.
Coming back to making New Town self sufficient in growing its own food, we may begin with growing indigenous vegetables and medicinal plants at every piece of unused public land - such as pavements & medians, the new gardens being created, the new ecopark, and any/every patch of unused public land. HIDCO can gainfully employ the local villagers and farmers and erstwhile farmers and volunteers to grow and cultivate the crops (indigenous vegetables and medicinal plants).
Kind regards,
Uddipan
Great input, Uddipan
ReplyDelete