CM opens 5 projects worth 455 crore, 4 in New Town

Kolkata: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday inaugurated five projects worth Rs 455.5 crore, four of which will be located at New Town. This includes two separate housing projects for the economically weak, an eight-storey parking complex beside the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, and a two-storey cafeteria with a 200-seat open-air stage.

"We inaugurated five major projects today at an expense of Rs 455.5 crore. For the Economically Weaker Classes in New Town, two huge housing projects were done. Houses were already built for those who fall under the Lower Income Groups. For the EWSs and LIGs, housing projects were built on 7 acres at a cost of Rs 290 crore. A total of 1,210 flats were included here. For the EWS, the building is G+14, and I have named it Nijanna. For the LIGs, buildings are G+15, and it is called Sujanna. This project has 720 flats," said Banerjee at the inauguration ceremony at New Town.

The CM reminded that these flats, in a prime location, have seen the state give land for free. "For these projects, the state provided the land. Even though the lands in Rajarhat are expensive, they were provided free of cost by the state. We want everyone to have their own shelter. Moreover, the flats will be available at a lower price compared to market rates, as subsidies are provided. The flats will be distributed through a lottery system in a transparent manner," said the chief minister.

She also stressed the fact that the new parking facility will ease parking issues in the area and make holding international conferences easier. "Eco-tourism Park, Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, Wax Museum, and other buildings were already set up here. Even though there was a high footfall here, there was no space for parking. Hence, we inaugurated a multi-level car parking facility here. I named it Susampanna. A similar project was set up in Alipore, named Sampanna. This project has eight floors, is built on a 2-acre land and more than 1,500 cars can be kept here. Rs 141 crore was spent on this project," she said.

The chief minister said that it was her long-time plan to develop the water body beside the eco-urban village, the cafeteria being the execution of that idea. "Many arrangements were done in the area adjacent to the eco-urban village. A 200-seater open theatre, amusement park for kids and 150-m wide walking space is here. Cafeterias and food kiosks were set up. As there is a lake and boats might be kept there in the future, I named it Taranna. About Rs 10 crore was spent on this. This can be a good place for social gatherings, and people will get a place to breathe freely," said Banerjee.

The CM reminded that all projects have seen the state using land from its own land bank. "We don't acquire land forcefully. We formed a land bank and made land maps. Earlier, it wasn't the case. The eco-tourism park was always at risk of being encroached upon. Whenever I saw any construction material there, I used to inform our people as we had plans to develop the place," she added.