Organic Market Plan

Last Sunday, we held a joint inspection with Curator Parto Ghosh, GM(E) Suman Neogi, Neil Law and S Ahmed at the Entry Plaza near Gate 4 of Eco Park. We planned for a Sunday organic market where temporary stalls would sell organic vegetable, fruits, tea,honey and the like. I have seen such weekend Sunday-morning markets in many European cities. EcoPark would be a great place to have a synegy for such a market. We now need to talk to few producers of organic producers. We have planned to start in May this year although the monsoons thereafter may be a dampener.

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Few clippings:

Times of India dt 13 April 2015

Times of India dt 13 April 2015

ToI dt 13 April2015

Citizen Engagement: Sit and Draw

With the help of Artist Ashok Mallik - himself a resident of New Town - we organised a Sit and Draw competition today. There was a huge turn-out with about 200 participants and their parents on the Sunday morning. Prizes will be given on 14th April, in course of the Barshobaran Utsab (14-15 April) at Clock Tower Plaza near Home Town.  There will be talent hunt, food festival (- Paramount, Lalit Great Eastern, Tea Trove and many more - ), Bangla Band (- Rongin, Baul -), play events (- Segway, monowheel, skating - ) and lots of fun to usher in the Nabobarsho. Few pics:

Sit and Draw near Clock Tower this morning

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Here are three clippings from today's papers:

Hindustan Times dt 12 April 2015

Khabar 365 dt 12 April 2015

Eco Walk

In few places of tourist interest, I have participated in a guided walk where familiar buildings and heritage structures in city streets are explained by an experienced guide. In a like manner, we are thinking of introducing an Eco Walk from May. The Eco Walk will start from Gate 2 and will last for 90 minutes or so.

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Here are a few clippings from today's papers:

Anandabazar dt 11 April 2015

Hindustan Times dt 11 April 2015

Khabar 365 dt 11 April 2015

New Town School opens at New Town

The New Town School opened today. I was invited to the inaugural ceremony. I remember the day a little more than two years ago when the land was allotted through an auction process. The architecture and facilities have come up very well.
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Here is a clipping from today's paper:

Salt Lake Telegraph dt 10 April 2015

New Signage in Eco Park

Work of putting up new generation signages started today. A photo at Gate 1, taken on my mobile this evening:

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Here is a clipping from today's paper:

Khabar 365 dt 8 April 2015

And another, few days ago:

Delegation for Industry

Hon'ble Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took a meeting today to discuss ways in which procedures can be simplified for entrepreneurs wishing to set up industries. Besides Finance Minister, many other Ministers and Chief Secretary and several Principal Secretaries were present. With reference to Urban Development, it was decided that industries seeking exemptions will be given Urban Land Ceiling clearance within 15 days while for sanction of building plans, the procedure of referring tall buildings to Development Authorities would be delegated to respective departments for government companies/ govt sponsored companies.
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Here are two clippings from today's papers:

Ei Samay dt 6 April 2015

ToI dt 6 April 2015

Nurseries on Canal Banks

In a recent meeting in Hidco, I discussed a new model for greening certain areas of New Town. Since taking care of saplings involve watering, protecting from cattle and theft, de-weeding, pruning etc call for a set of gardeners and managers, we can create economic opportunities by engaging farms who raise nurseries for commercial purposes. In fact, in North 24-Paraganas, close to Action Area 2, there exist a series of traditional plant nurseries and more often than not greening resources of New Town are sourced from these units. In South 24-Paraganas, there are flower plantations from where much of Kolkata's flower markets draw sustenance. So we may get flowers and plants in designated areas of New Town which will green it and also be a revenue earner rather than an expense maker. For ease of getting water for the nurseries, I have thought of Bagjola Canal Bank in Action Area I where we have already initiated some plantations.
Here is a picture of a bridge being built on the Bagjola Canal in Action Area 3. As I watched on Friday afternoon, the fourth 65 ton steel girder was being placed  on the bridge pillars.

Steel girders being placed on third Bagjola Bridge

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Here is a clipping from today's paper:

Khabar 365 dt 5 April 2015

Camp Approach for Public Service Delivery

In the Land Manager's office in Urban Development Department, the Right to Public Services Act has imposed certain deadlines for delivery of services like mutation of names in leased plots of Salt Lake, assignment of land on payment of prescribes fees fees, non residential use of residential buildings as per notification (there are 40 uses permitted see post at http://principalsecretarysblog.blogspot.in/2014/08/mixed-planning.html , 20 more will be added in next week ) , mortgage permission and so on. But due to some accumulated backlog, older applications, applications filed earlier to the promulgation of the Act,  were not receiving attention. So we decided to sit down in Camp Mode with all senior officers yesterday on Good Friday (a holiday) and all of us including Mira Roy, Additional Secretary, me, Atanu Palodhi Special Secretary, Dinesh Mandal Land Manager, Debabrata Chatterjee Competent Authority, Revenue Officer and all other staff and officers sat down in the departmental section itself and disposed of many cases. We all agreed to continue the drive till all backlog was cleared. I am also in the process of engaging IT professionals and a Project Management Unit. Already we have set up a Help & Facilitation Desk with provision for on-line payment of prescribed fees. A photo:

Good Friday in UD

Mist Garden in Rain Forest

Trees in the three acre rain forest of Eco Park are fairly high now. Lot of visitors go there in the central Adda Zone plaza. In this hot summer,we are now planning to have a Mist Garden there.There will be a series of sprouts from poles that will have sprayers instead of street lights. Compressed air and fine water spray from the nozzles will produce a fog (think of a walk on Darjeeling Mall ring road) that will produce a soothing fun cooling effect without getting you wet. Work has just begun and I am told that it will be ready in a month or so.
Hon'ble Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took a walk in Eco Park yesterday evening. In course of the walk, I showed her the site where work on Mist Garden was going on.
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Here are few clippings from today's papers:

Ei Samay dt 3 April 2015

Khabar 365 dt 3 April 2015

Salt Lake Telegraph dt 3 April 2015

Times of India dt 3 April 2015

Green Building Workshop at Eco Park

Hon'ble Minister Manish Gupta inaugurated the day-long workshop on Green Buildings. From Govt of India, Chief Planner Ministry of Urban Development, Director Building Material and Technology Promotion Council, Director Bureau of Energy Efficiency, HUDCO participated at the Glass Hall seminar. Head of Department of Architecture IIT Kharagpur, Assistant Professor IIT Mumbai, Institution of Architects, President Credai Bengal, Chairperson Indian Green Building CouncilEastern Zone and eminent Architects participated and made presentations. From State Govt, besides me, Principal Secretary  Municipal Affairs, Chief Executive Officer KMDA, CEO NKDA, Chief Architect NKDA and many others attended. A synopsis will be published on NKDA website in due course. A photo:

Surinder Gupta, B P Gopalika, me, Hon'ble Minister Manish Gupta,
K. Joardar and Sukrit Chatterjee: Welcoming speech on

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Here is a clipping from today's paper:

ToI dt 2 April 2015

First bank in Eco Park

ICICI bank is opening the first bank branch in Eco Park. It is in Eco Park's entry plaza. Gate 4. I saw them working this evening at Visitors'Plaza. A photo:

ICICI's Eco Park Branch: Toopen soon

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At Nazrul Tirtha, we had a joint inspection with Raja Rammohan Foundation in the context of setting up a Modern Hybrid Library. A picture taken this afternoon:

I with, to my right,Dr Arun Kr Chakraborty DG RRR Library

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Here are two clippings from today's papers:

Ei Samay dt 1 April 2015

Times of India dt 1 April 2015

"Peoples' University"

Dr Arun Kumar Chakraborty, Mission Director, National Mission on Libraries has written a letter stating that UNESCO has declared the Public Library as "Peoples' University". In his letter dated 23 Feb 2015, he'd proposed to set up a Modern Public Library in New Town. Dr Chakraborty and his team subsequently visited possible spaces on second/ third floor of Najrul Tirtha. Today, the Hidco Board met and agreed to rent out a portion to NML (excluding the space earmarked for Najrul Academy). . I hope to discuss further details with him shortly.
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A clipping from today's paper:

Ei Samay dt 30 March 2015

Belle Vue to set up hospital in New Town

Belle Vue Clinic has just taken a plot in New Town for setting up a hospital. It is a  2 acre plot, located in Action Area 1. There will be a unit for trauma care too. The plot was allotted through e-auction. Earlier, Belle Vue had taken a plot in New Town for setting up a Nursing College.
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Preparations are in full swing for the Green Building Workshop  to be held at Eco Park on 2 April. Yesterday, I met Hon'ble Minister Manish Gupta for inaugurating the workshop: he has kindly agreed to do so.

Here is a brief background note:
 
Government of West Bengal has recently taken a decision to allow 10% extra Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for Green Buildings in 35th cabinet decision (held on 5th August 2014). The building rules are in the process of being amended. In giving effect to this policy decision, the question of defining a Green Building has arisen. Although there are a number of agencies like IGBC, TERI, GRIHA, LEED etc. all of these agencies rate a building as green with different grades (such as silver, gold or platinum), or different star rating system (such as 3-star, 5-star etc.). There are different guidelines for different rating system. It is felt necessary to devise a regulation to avoid ambiguity and to guide grant of incentives while sanctioning building plans. As all of those rating system is applicable only after the completion of the building and the Urban Local Bodies are supposed to grant that extra 10% F.A.R during the sanctioning stage (i.e. before the starting of construction work), there is no such tool to identify any building as green. In order to discuss various aspects involved, we are organizing a workshop with officials from Govt. of India, Govt. of West Bengal, stake – holders, private sector and professional organizations.

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Two clippings from today's papers:

Times of India dt 29 March 2015

Khabar 365 dt 29 March 2015

First private sector polyclinic starts in New Town

; From NKDA, we are running a primary medical clinic at Action Area 2, near Bagjola canal crossing. Today, I was invited to inaugurate the first private sector polyclinic called Doctors & Doctors. This is located in the NBCC shopping plaza, behind Axis Mall. Specialist doctors will be available, I was told, from various disciplines. They have also tied up with a diagnostic laboratory for collection of samples for pathology tests. Incidentally, in few NKDA markets too, entrepreneurs have taken space for polyclinic while at DLF Galleria Mall, Apollo Polyclinic will open on May 2015. A photo of this morning's brief event:

First polyclinic inauguration on 28 March 2015

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The St Xavier's College is organising a 3-day international conference on Global Climate Change and Water Disasters. (27-29 March 2015). A curtain raiser event was hosted yesterday by Hidco on behalf of Minister Firhad Hakim on 27 March evening at Eco Park's Glass House. This was followed by a dinner. There were 60 delegates. Minister Firhad Hakim and I were there along with others. They visited Mother's Wax Museum and took boat ride on Eco Park Lake before the event. In the workshop Minister Firhad Hakim spoke of the need for taking care of the environment. There were delegates from "Jesuit Fathers" who are working on Climate Change. 

 Climate Change at Glass House

Widening pathway and Deer Park starts

We 'broke ground' for two new projects in Eco Park. One is the Deer Park, which is located near the Amphitheatre / Pakhibitan, and the other is broadening 800m of internal pathways in Eco Park for making it suitable for  rubber-tyred toy trains to run in circular paths. Work started today for the first floor of Eco Park Curator office and false ceiling of rooms in Entry Plaza (Gate4 Eco Park):

Two photos

Forest department starts deer park work near Eco Park

Widening to 4m pathway: works starts in Eco Park

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Here are two clippings from today's papers:

Ei Samay dt 25 March 2015

Times of India dt 25 March 2015

Community Hall

The Community Hall in Seniors' Park is nearing completion. I inspected yesterday to check final design of facade lighting. A picture:

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I went to see the Steel Building called Restello being built by a JVC. I was told that it was the only steel residential building in the country. I tried to understand the pros and cons of the technology and the possibility of replication. I was told that the finishing works would be completed within three monthsor so. Two photos:

Restello: the Steel Residential Building in New Town
(Top and Below) 

 

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A clipping from today's paper:

Times of India dt 22 March 2015

NGRBA: Bengal tops in Completed Projects

Yesterday at Delhi, the Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources held a meeting with all five Ganga-states to review performance. We ere told that now onwards, a more Ganga-centric multi-pronged strategy would be followed with real-time monitoring of selected stretches ("hotspots",they said) where besides water quality, closed-circuit TVs would also be installed to dissuade pollutants. Bengal's model of electric crematorium - we have installed five already - was appreciated and sought to be made a model for project preparation in other states (Bihar said they'd already got a couple implemented based on the Bengal model of electric crematorium design). Among certain other things that came up were (i) Sewage Treatment would be done in two parts from now on (a) do an interception of outfalls of drains into Ganga and treat in STP (b) do the STP (Sewage Treatment Plant) first and only later the intricate network (ii) From Swachh Bharat Funds, the connectivity to a house could be financed @ Rs 4,000 per household (iii) A public noticewould be given to all Ganga-bank municipalities to give a plan for combating pollution in the river.

I give below a data given in the meeting by the Mission Directorate that shows that we top in the matter of execution of projects:

In number of projects completed, West Bengal is the leader
(Source: Agenda notes at Review Meeting on 20 March 2015
at New Delhi)

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Few clippings:

Ei Samay dt 21 March 2015

Salt Lake Telegraph dt 20 March 2015 (Top and below)