KMC to conserve water bodies in Kolkata

KMC to conserve water bodies in Kolkata

Posted on August 17, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) authorities are conducting a massive drive to conserve water bodies in the city. Project management unit and slum development department of the civic body have undertaken 18 projects to revamp the water bodies and undertake their annual maintenance.

“We are conducting a massive drive to save water bodies in the city. This is needed for maintenance of the ecological balance and saving the environment,” Swapan Samaddar, member, mayor-in-council (slum development & environment), said.

A water body at Bhukailash is being renovated at an estimated cost of Rs 99 lakh. Again Rs10 lakh would be spent for the conservation of Gopal Ghat in ward 73 and undertake restoration of a water body at Beliaghata Main Road.

Another water body on Tollygunge Road, too, is set to be restored at an estimated cost of Rs 25 lakh by KMC. Many other water bodies in Bansdroni and Fatehpur first lane in Metiabruz will be given attention.

KMC had already beautified Laldighi under JNNURM scheme at a cost of Rs 3.65 crore.

Kolkata’s longest flyover to be inaugurated before Durga Puja

Posted on July 14, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

The state government is planning to inaugurate the Parama Island flyover on ‘Mahalaya’, which falls on October 12 this year.

“Work is on in full swing. After the opening of the flyover, work of setting up a flank to join the flyover with the AJC Bose road flyover at Park Circus junction will start,” state urban development minister said at Nabanna on Monday.

The Park Circus to Parama Island flyover, once thrown open to traffic, will be the city’s longest flyover. While the main flyover will be 4.5 km long, the total length, including the ramps and flanks, will be 9.2 km.

The minister also said the state government will write to the Centre on the matter of not listing any flyover project in the newly formed Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).

“We have voiced our concerns on the AMRUT scheme. None of the JNNURM-listed flyover projects are being included in the AMRUT. The state government is taking up the matter and will write to the Centre to include the flyover projects under the AMRUT scheme,” he said.

WB Govt takes steps to ensure safety of JNNURM bus passengers

Posted on March 27, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

The West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee has directed the transport department to take extra care towards safety of passengers plying in JNNURM buses.

Along with time to time maintenance of the buses, it is also decided these buses will undergo periodic fire audits. The fire and safety department has designated this task to a private institute.

The transport department will not only oversee that these measures are undertaken by various State owned transport agencies like CTC, CSTC and WBSTC, but also other private agencies which run JNNURM buses.

Parliament: Trinamool speaks on important legislations

Posted on March 4, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

Trinamool MPs today spoke on important legislations in both Houses of the Parliament.

Derek O’Brien supported the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2015 in the Rajya Sabha. But he moved a Statutory Resolution on the Ordinance and slammed the Government for issuing a flurry of Ordinances in the last nine months. “Ordinance is passed when the Legislature is not in Session and immediate action is required. My contention is, Sir, it was not required to be introduced in such a hurry”, he said.

Full transcript to theDerek O’Brien speech

Derek O’Brien also raised the important issue of rising communal violence in the country during Zero Hour. He slammed the government for lack of progress in SIT probe on church attacks. He asked the government to clarify the number of communal incidents.

Full transcript to the Derek O’Brien speech

Kalyan Banerjee spoke on the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2015 in the Lok Sabha and requested the Hon’ble Minister make a legislative scheme through which priorities could be given to PSUs of our country in the bidding process itself. “The committee felt that entire decision making process for distribution of coal blocks needs investigation and necessary penal steps should be taken”, he said.

Full transcript to the Kalyan Banerjee speech

Saugata Roy objected to the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill 2015 in the Lok Sabha. He spoke against hiking the FDI cap from existing 26% to 49%. “If you compare LIC lapsing with private industry, more than 99% settlements of the claims and more than 99% of death claims this is the performance of LIC. Now, the private sector Future Generali 49%, Prudential 42%, Reliance 38%, Bharati AXA 36%”, he said.

Full transcript to the Saugata Roy speech

Saugata Roy also raised concerns regarding how Centre has stopped funding under JNNURM scheme. He said,” I ask the Hon’ble Minister what is the exact plan for an alternative mission to follow up the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission which had done quite significant work 65 mission cities throughout the country.”

Full transcript to the Saugata Roy speech

LS: TMC raises the issue of funding for JNNURM scheme

Posted on March 4, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

AITC MP Saugata Roy questioned the Government in the Lok Sabha on what provisions have been made after the Government has discontinued with the JNNURM Scheme in 65 mission cities.

He informed that the JNNURM mission reforming programme extended from 2005 to 2012 and the total outlay was envisaged at 1 Lakh Crore. He said even now significant work was done and in Indore and Ahmedabad the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) was made with the allocated funds to JNNURM.

He pointed out that many of the schemes under JNNURM remain incomplete and Centre has completely stopped funding this Scheme.

He asked maybe not in JNNURM name but maybe in Dindayal Upadhyay’s name will there be any Scheme?

He also asked what is the exact plan of the Government to launch similar provisions to fill in significant work done by JNNURM in 65 mission cities.

Saugata Roy raises Question on JNNURM Scheme | Transcript

Posted on March 4, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission was a mission mode, reform linked programme which extended from 2005 to 2012 and total outlay was envisaged at Rs 1 lakh crores.

The Mission as has been mentioned by Navneet Singh ji was given a two year extension till March 2014. Even now very significant work is being done, you may have noticed Ma’am, in Indore, the ‘Janmarg’ or BRTS was made, in Ahmedabad the Janmarg or BRTS was made from the money from JNNURM.

Now, there is a peculiar situation because many of these schemes under JNNURM remain incomplete and the Centre has totally stopped funding of these schemes.

My question is simply this that for nine months we have been hoping that a new mission maybe not in Jawaharlal Nehru’s name maybe in Dindayal Upadhyay’s name would be launched for the development of the cities. May I ask the Hon’ble Minister that what is the exact plan for an alternative mission to follow up the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission which had done quite significant work 65 mission cities throughout the country.

Plan to develop Kalyani as the next satellite town underway

Posted on March 1, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

The West Bengal Government has started working on a plan to develop Kalyani as the next satellite town close to Kolkata.

A meeting was held to discuss the issue and inspect the sites. Among the plans that have been chalked up are building an entry gate to Kalyani, creating urban housing replacing dilapidated buildings and coming up with a process of redesigning to improve service delivery. The authorities also inspected the site where the KMDA is setting up a sewerage treatment plant under the National Ganga River Basin Authority scheme.

The State Urban Development Secretary said a 3-acre plot has already been identified, which will be put on e-auction for setting up an educational institute. The plot will be auctioned on a lease-hold basis for 99 years. The authorities also plan to renovate the old, dilapidated government houses. Several government houses set up during the ’60s and ’70s were used by different institutes, but many of them have now been abandoned. The idea is to renovate or sell those buildings so that space can be created for setting up urban housing.

The Trinamool Congress government has already planned to develop 10 townships across the state as smart cities and Kalyani is one of them. However, with the detailed layout of the smart city concept yet to be developed — except for New Town that already has the required infrastructure — the immediate plan of the government is to develop the infrastructure for developing the townships. The authorities are focusing on Kalyani as it is close to Kolkata and has the land available for urbanization.

Kalyani has immense potential to be urbanized. Work on the Kalyani-Barrackpore expressway that will become a six-lane highway has already started under the JNNURM scheme. Once it is completed, it will pave way for a huge traffic volume entering Kalyani from the city in a very short time.

According to the new urban policy that the government has come up with, 15% additional floor area ratio (FAR) has been allowed to make way for buildings with larger space like mass housing, IT complexes and mega commercial housing complexes. This policy will be used to develop Kalyani too.

Nadimul Haque slams the Centre for the non-release of JNNURM funds for West Bengal | Transcript

Posted on December 10, 2014 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

Trinamool MP Nadimul Haque today made a Special Mention in Rajya Sabha on the non-release of funds for urban development projects in Kolkata.

Full transcript of his speech:

I would like to say that no funds have been allocated for the urban development projects in the State of West Bengal. There are many projects pending in the State because the Central Government has not sanctioned funds for them despite a sanction given by the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee.

The following projects were undertaken in the transition phase of JNNURM:

Construction of flyover from Diamond Harbour Road to Ramnagar More in Garden Reach
Renovation of the 9 Mg-capacity, century-old, overhead balancing steel reservoir in the Tala Tank
Augmentation of the existing water supply scheme in Uluberia
Strengthening the primary and secondary waste management System in Kolkata city

Apart from these, according to reports of the CEO of the KMDA, projects worth Rs 1,520 crore have not been considered despite DPRs being ready or funds being sanctioned by the Central Sanctuoning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC). Funds have not been released. It is a fact that the JNNURM scheme has expired but it was decided earlier that the projects undertaken in the transition phase of the scheme will be completed.

It seems that now the Central Government is not willing to complete all such projects initiated by the State. By not sanctioning and releasing money for such vital projects, the people of West Bengal are being the ultimate sufferers, and this is unacceptable to me and my party, the All India Trinamool Congress.

Under the leadership of the Hon’ble Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal is continually progressing, and such non-cooperation by the Central Government would only create hurdles in the path of development. So, I demand of the Ministry of Urban Development and the Government of India for the approval and the release of funds for the aforesaid projects.

Thank you.