Kolkata IT hub to undergo makeover

Tuesday, 16 January 2007, 18:30 IST
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Kolkata: One of India's fastest growing IT hubs, known as Sector V in Kolkata, is getting a makeover with two companies taking on the task of improving infrastructure and beautifying the area. The tinted glass buildings and the yuppie crowd in Salt Lake's Sector V, now christened Nabadiganta Industrial Township, were incongruous with the sorry state of roads, lack of sidewalks and other signs of ill-maintained civic amenities. Two companies, Enkon and Selvel, have embarked on the task of improving things. On Monday, an agreement was signed between the Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority and a consortium of Enkon and Selvel at the state secretariat in the presence of Urban Development Minister Asok Bhattacharya. According to the agreement, the private partners will develop and maintain the area and will pay a sum of 51 million over a period of 10 years to the township authority. "This kind of tie-up is a first of its kind. Sector V has become the premier destination for industrial enterprises and, therefore, the infrastructure should be maintained properly," Bhattacharya said. Under the proposed project, the companies will provide facilities like passenger shelters, streetlights (including their replacement), a police control room, kiosks, phone booths and footpaths. "There are many encroachments on the pavements here. Besides, there are a number of unauthorized billboards on the roadside. We will first demolish the billboards and then hand over possession to the private players," said S.A. Ahmed, head of the township body. The area would have lots of color and trees besides massive gateways at entry and exit points. Food courts will be constructed to bring all the roadside eateries under one roof. A bus terminus, shopping malls, allied facilities and improvement and repair of roads are also part of the project.
Source: IANS