Promoted Inferno:Fire guts Kolkata markets, spreads to multi-storeys
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: palashbiswaskl@gmail.com
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The blaze was still raging midday Saturday, and officials say they don't yet know how many people have been affected!Around 2,500 shops and several buildings housing tarpaulin and cloth shops were gutted, fire brigade sources said.Shortage of water supply from the nearby Mullickghat pumping station to the area due to power cut compounded the problem for firefighters, the sources said. The inadequacy of the fire fighting system in this eastern metropolis was laid bare, as the army, air force and the airport authorities had to be called in to control the blaze. It was not clear how the early morning fire began but electrical short circuit was reported to be a possible cause. The flames spread across the area engulfing buildings, burning markets. A thick umbrella of noxious fumes covered the sky.
West Bengal Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi also reached the spot while Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharaya supervised the fire fighting for a while.
'People trading or living here never think of danger. There is no arrangement of water while the fire brigade does not have ladders tall enough,' said Bhattacharya.
As the authorities struggled to contain a devastating fire at the Burrabazar wholesale market that gutted over 2500 shops, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Sunday accused the West Bengal government of failing to have a proper disaster management mechanism. Claiming that sabotage could not be ruled out, she wondered whether the fire was to evict people. "It has been seen that such fires occur only on Saturdays and Sundays.
"Political leaders are coming here to be photographed, while none is bothered about the fact that the fire brigade arrived three hours late," she said.
The blaze left thousands of people homeless! Police and fire officials say a huge fire raged through a market in the east Indian city of Calcutta early Saturday, causing no casualties but destroying more than 1,000 shops and homes.While all shops in the area have been vacated, a large crowd of traders and spectators gathered on the streets. Traders in the area watched helplessly for hours as firemen struggled to bring the fire under control.
Angry residents and traders said the fire brigade men came late! The fire broke out at around 1.30 a.m. at Tripalpatti, a wholesale market for plastic tarpaulin, on Jamunalal Bajaj Street, possibly from a short circuit. West Bengal Fire Minister Pratim Chatterjee said the traders who had stored flammable articles illegally in the congested area were responsible for the inferno.
"In an old city like Kolkata, we perhaps cannot prevent this but unlike in many such fire incidents in Mumbai, here we have been able to save human lives," he said.
While the buildings burned, the traders and residents wailed as they lost everything to the fire.!
It is quite a ritual in the growing Metroes, megacities, suburbs and cities of importance in Shining Sensex India with Nano Technology of Hightech NRI Ruling Hegemony supported by Money Mafia and Media. Urbanisation and Industrialisation continue as continues the process of Eviction and depopulation!Burrabazar is the wholesale market area of Kolkata with clusters of unplanned and unauthorized constructions. The fire spread fast, fanned by a breeze and helped along by inflammables like plastics, polythene and garments.
Fires are common in India where safety regulations are often flouted. In Kolkata, Most of the Fire Incidents ocuur on Weekend! Why? Otherwise it is quite Occasional in festival seasons.Burrabazar has become a notorious place of Eviction and Promoterraj via Fire Incidents. The State Machinery helps this mechanism of infrastructural displacement and capture Economy with inherent Inactivity. The Great Ganges follows some hundred Meters away but these Fire Ocurrances are never controlled until and unless targeted depopulation takes place. Big Bosses have the Insurance coverace and thousands avenues to be compensated. But the small traders and tenants have no scope to reaccomodate in the economy, business, livelihood and life! Tata`s joy Ride in Nano, the Lakh takia car has been superimposed in the psyche of the masses with Media Boom! Buddha gestapo has every reason to justify the ways of Marxist capitalist Ways of development! In Fact, Metro Kolkata is geared up to witness a Historical Brigade rally only tomorrow to Celebrate Nandigram Singur Victory. The Genocide master of Marichjhanpi fame, Jyoti Basu is recommended to get Bharat Ratna. Here you are, it was an auspicious occassion for a Promoted Inferno right into the Heart Of Kolkata!
'The whole situation is sad. There is no disaster management system in place here. If anything happens in the middle of night in Kolkata there is hardly any infrastructure to mitigate it,' said Trinamul Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, who rushed to the spot.
'Again mysteriously the fire occurred on a Saturday night. I am clueless why all such fires in market areas occur on weekend nights. Is there a plan behind it to evict people?' asked Banerjee, not ruling out sabotage behind the incident.
A fire that broke out in a market in Kolkata's crammed Burrabazar area in the wee hours on Saturday spread across the area engulfing eight homes, including multi-storeyed buildings, leaving thousands homeless in the heart of the metropolis. Burrabazar, the famous Kolkata wholesale market area with congested clusters of unplanned and unauthorised constructions in the north-central zone, turned into an inferno of flammable plastics, polythene and garments, but no casualty was reported, police said.
"At least eight buildings are engulfed in fire and six have been affected very badly. A 15-storied house also caught fire," a fire brigade official said.
"At least 42 fire engines are fighting to put out the blaze. The fire is yet to be brought under control. We are trying our best but there was initially a problem of availability of water," Kolkata Police Commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakraborty said.
"We have no report of any casualty. No one was trapped inside. We ensured that. We had to ferry the water initially but now that problem was solved," Chakraborty said.
Local MP Sudhangshu Sil said efforts were on to bring fire-fighting equipment from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) airport to fight the blaze, which covered the area in a thick umbrella of noxious smoke.
Defence sources said that two fire tenders each from the Army and the Air Force were also sent to the spot following a request from the state government.
Stating that ladders of 52 metre height were being used to fight the blaze, the Fire Services Minister said, that although these were the second highest air ladders in the world, those're only meant for rescue purposes.
The congestion of the roads and lack of proper building plans of the fire-engulfed buildings were adding to the problem, Chatterjee claimed.
Police said all buildings in the area were evacuated as a precautionary measure and the Mahatma Gandhi Road, connecting Howrah station with the Sealdah Terminus, has been closed to traffic.
The West Bengal BJP demanded a CBI probe into the Burrabazar fire and immediate dismissal of the Fire Services Minister Pratim Chatterjee.
?It was an unprecedented fire in recent memory and necessitated requisitioning firemen from the army and airforce. We feel that there must be a conspiracy and specific motive behind the fire at Burrabazar and the CBI should be asked to probe it,? Bjp state general secretary Rahulk Sinha said.
Demanding Chatterjee's dismissal for 'negligence', the BJP leader alleged that the state government was unaware of the mushrooming of multistoreyed buildings without fire safety measures in congested places like Burrabazar.
?The state government has not yet taken any step in the past on the basis of probes into fires in the city,? Sinha alleged.
CPI(M) not to seek Bharat Ratna for Jyoti Basu
New Delhi (PTI): The CPI(M) on Saturday put cold water on suggestions for Bharat Ratna to veteran Marxist Jyoti Basu, saying the party does not accept state awards.
"It is not a practice of our leaders to accept state awards," CPI(M) sources said here when asked for comments on reports suggesting Basu's name for the top civilian award.
The sources said that during the tenure of P V Narasimha Rao as the Prime Minister, the government had offered Padma Vibhushan to former CPI(M) General Secretary and veteran freedom fighter EMS Namboodiripad.
The party had turned down the offer even at that time, they said, adding that it has never been the practice to formally ask for such awards.
The name of the Marxist leader cropped up after senior BJP leader L K Advani wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recommending that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee be given Bharat Ratna.
"When the name of Atal Bihari Vajpayee came up for Bharat Ratna, there is nothing wrong in the name of Jyoti Basu. He is also a great leader of the country", senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily said yesterday.
RJD chief and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad also supported the nomination of Basu, who holds the record of India's longest serving Chief Minister. Basu headed the Left Front government in West Bengal from 1977 till 2000.
As the controversy continued, the name of DMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has also come up. BSP supremo Mayawati has also demanded Bharat Ratna for party founder Kanshiram.
CPI(M) criticises BJP, not opposed to Bharat Ratna for Basu
Kolkata (PTI): The CPI(M) on Friday accused the BJP of politicising the Bharat Ratna by proposing the award for former premier A B Vajpayee, while indicating that it was not opposed to party patriarch Jyoti Basu being conferred the country's highest civilian honour.
"I don't know the parameters under which Bharat Ratna is awarded or whether Vajpayee fulfils that criteria. But it is definite that they want play politics over it," CPI-M politburo member Biman Bose told reporters here in reply to a question.
Asked whether Basu should be awarded the Bharat Ratna, Bose, who is West Bengal's ruling Left Front chairman said, "I do not know the parametres on the basis of which an individual is conferred this honour. If Jyoti Basu fulfils these parametres then they (the union government) may think it over."
Nano launch may depress two-wheeler prices: Assocham
New Delhi (PTI): Roll out of Tata's small car 'Nano' may lead to a 20 per cent reduction in prices of two-wheelers and a 35 per cent decline in prices of second-hand cars, industry chamber Assocham has said.
"About 20 per cent price cut is expected in two-wheeler segment with launch of Tata-Nano," the chamber said while releasing the finding of a quick survey of 250 CEOs.
Nano is expected to be launched close to Diwali.
Majority of CEOs said the Tatas are expected to give a stiff challenge to two-wheeler manufactures, who would be forced to go in for product and technology innovation.
The survey claimed that scooters and mopeds launched last year witnessed a poor response from buyers, adding that experts were sceptical about the higher engine-capacity motorcycles that entered the cost-sensitive Indian market.
About 25 per cent of the respondents felt that the two-wheeler market has already shrunk to about 15.50 lakh units by November last year compared to over 19 lakh units a year ago. "The segment would witness a further decline as there would be various options in the four-wheeler segment with bridging of price difference," the chamber said.
West Bengal Governor visits fire-ravaged mines in Asansol
Special Correspondent
Locals urge him to take up illegal mining with government
Gopalkrishna Gandhi
Kolkata: West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi on Wednesday visited Asansol, where mine fires broke out on January 1, 2008. The blaze has now been controlled. He also went down into a mine.
Mr. Gandhi spent over two hours in the area going first to the Benali coalfields and later to Satgram. The fires first broke out in these two areas before spreading to Nimcha, triggering panic among residents.
An oil pipeline of the Indian Oil Corporation in the vicinity had also caused concern to the IOC and the Eastern Coalfields Ltd. authorities alike.
The fires were reported from mines abandoned since nationalisation. At some places the coal seams from surfaces, where the coal mafia had illegally extracted coal, caught fire while elsewhere, the methane trapped underneath caused fires that rose up to 50 metres high at places.
Sources at the ECL, under whose command area these mines are located, told TheHindu that besides visiting the fire-affected areas the Governor went down into a 125-metre-deep mine ?Kunustori.?
He went to the nearest working seam and received a first-hand version of the working.
He interacted with the local people who urged him to take up the issue of illegal mining with the government as also issues such as rehabilitation.
Commenting on the mine fires, West Bengal Chief Secretary Amit Kiran Deb told The Hindu, that the government had suggested to the Centre that it be handed over 27 such abandoned mines where mining activities were found to be unviable by the ECL.
He said these mines would be given to the State-owned Minerals and Metals Trading and Development Corporation, which would run them on the public-private partnership mode using new technology.
Economic activity
Mr. Deb said the mining activities in Purulia, Burdwan and Bankura, though illegal, provide economic activity to 50,000 people who could be employed once the government takes over some of the mines.
?It is a socio- economic problem,? he said.
http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/10/stories/2008011059751300.htm
Safety and rules
T.S. SUBRAMANIAN
Strict enforcement of the building rules for schools and colleges and training teachers and other personnel in the basics of civil defence will go a long way in saving lives in the event of fire accidents.
THE fire at the Kumbakonam school has once again brought to the fore the question of safety in public buildings, especially those housing schools and colleges. In Tamil Nadu schools and colleges are categorised as public buildings - understood as places where people gather - and clubbed with cinema halls, auditoria and exhibition halls.
PARTH SANYAL
Fire fighters at work in Kolkata's business hub of Burrabazar in December 2002.
While school or college buildings in Chennai come under the purview of the Development Control Rules for Chennai Metropolitan Area as prescribed by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), outside Chennai they come under the Tami Nadu Public Buildings Rules. Both sets of Rules were framed under the Tamil Nadu District Municipalities Act.
Structural engineers suggest that there should be separate building rules for schools and colleges and the rules should insist on considerable open space all round the buildings. Currently, a school or college building in Chennai comes under the category of multi-storeyed building if it has a height of 15 metres to 30 m above the ground level. Rule 3 of Annexure-IX, called Special Rules for multi-storeyed buildings under the Development Control Rules of the CMDA, stipulates that such multi-storeyed buildings should have a minimum setback (open) space of 7 m all round. The space between apartment blocks in the complex should also be 7 m. Rule 3 adds: "For every increase in height of six metres or part thereof above 30 metres, minimum extent of setback space to be left additionally shall be one metre."
It insists that "the space specified above shall be kept open to the sky and free from any erection/projection (such as sunshade and balcony) of any building other than a fence or compound wall provided that these open yards may be used for the provision of access ways to the building's parking facilities." Another rule prescribes that "the vehicular access-way within the site shall have a minimum width of 7.2 metres and such vehicular access shall be available for every building block within the site". These rules were framed in accordance with the National Building Code of India, 1970. In fact, the code prescribes 12 m of open space for a multi-storeyed building with a height of 15 m.
"The purpose of this rule [prescribing 7.2 m of vehicular access] is to facilitate the movement of the snorkel (fire-fighting truck) so that its trunk with a length of 5.3 m can unfold easily and the water jet can reach the top floors," a CMDA engineer said. The CMDA insists on 6 m of open space all round if the school building has a height less than 15 m. According to the CMDA's Development Control Rules, the setback space all round for all public buildings "such as theatres, kalyana mantaps, exhibition halls, automobile garages and service workshops shall be not less than six metres". Six metres is enough for an ordinary fire-fighting truck to manoeuvre around these structures to fight fires.
The Development Control Rules also insist that the minimum plot area for a primary school or high school in a continuously built up area, say like George Town in Chennai, should be minimum 5,00 to 1,000 square metres.
Rule 10 in Annexure-IX titled "Fire safety, detection and extinguishing systems" notes how all buildings should, in their design and construction, ensure "the safety of life from fire, smoke, fumes and also panic arising from these or similar other causes". It deals with the provision of facilities to detect fires and warn occupants about the outbreak of fires "so that they may escape, or to facilitate the orderly conduct of fire exit drills". It insists on the installation of systems to protect buildings from fire or to extinguish fires. These installations should be in accordance with the National Building Code and "to the satisfaction of the Director of Fire Services by obtaining a no-objection certificate from them". The CMDA Rules prescribe two staircases for every flat in a multi-storeyed building. Fire and Rescue Service Department personnel would advise the occupants of these multi-storeyed buildings where to install smoke detection systems, sprinklers and extinguishers. They would train the occupants in fire drills every six months so that evacuation would be quick.
"But factors of security undermine all these rules," regretted a CMDA engineer. He said that even if a flat or an apartment complex had two staircases, the residents blocked one because of increasing burglaries and robberies. If there were two entrances to the complex, one would be blocked. All these impeded quick exit of people when a fire erupted, he pointed out. Fire escape routes, which are shown in the building plan, are not provided when the construction is done, he said. Even if the escape route is built, it is converted into rooms later.
The CMDA's counterpart in places outside Chennai is the Directorate of Town and Country Planning. "If it is a public building having a height of 10 m, there should be 3 m of open space all round," an official at the Directorate said. If the height is more, the setback space prescribed is more. Elementary schools up to Class V are allowed to come in what are called primary residential zones because these schools cater to children, and the schools should be close to their homes. If it is a high school, it can come up in what is categorised as an educational use zone.
The tahsildars should issue licences, under the Tamil Nadu Public Building Licence Act, to schools every three years, certifying that the buildings are fit for occupation. Moreover, while an engineer should give a certificate that the buildings are structurally stable, the local bodies should give another certifying that the sanitary facilities available in schools are satisfactory. The rule that tahsildars and local bodies should give certificates led to corruption, alleged private school managements.
At the Sri Krishna School in Kumbakonam, a door in front of the first floor in the thatched portion leading to the staircase was reportedly converted into a wall for accommodating an extra classroom. When the fire started from the kitchen in the rear end, the children were unable to use the opening at the back that led to a separate staircase. Thus, there was only one staircase available for escape. So a section of children at the rear was trapped and burnt to death.
The fire prompted the Jayalalithaa government to issue a fiat that all schools in the State should replace classrooms with thatched roof with non-flammable material before July 30. This has led to school authorities scrambling for asbestos or "lite-roof" material to be used as roofing material. It has also triggered a debate on the wisdom of this omnibus order. School officials point out that thatched roofs are ideal for the tropical climate of India, and they suggest that the government could allow thatched roofs when the building only has the ground floor. Besides, classrooms with thatched roof should have no electrical wiring. The government also ordered that there should be fire drills in all schools every six months. Fire and Rescue Services Department personnel are to conduct these drills and instruct students and teachers in handling equipment to put out fires, quick evacuation and so on.
The Department already has a Fire Prevention Wing, created in 1995, in 12 districts. The personnel of this wing visit apartment complexes, cinema halls, kalyana mantaps and so on and advise their managers where and at what space interval they should install fire-fighting equipment. These men conduct drills. The Fire Prevention Wing should be set up in all the districts in the State, and its men could conduct drills on fire safety in all schools every six months, an official of the department said.
ACCORDING to V. Vaikunth, former Tamil Nadu Director-General of Police, who was also the State's Director of Fire Service and Director of Civil Defence, the Kumbakonam tragedy highlighted the need for training teachers of schools and colleges and personnel working in factories, cinema halls and auditoria in civil defence, especially in the techniques of fire prevention, fire-fighting, handling various fire-fighting equipment and rescue operations. "At Kumbakonam, if at least 10 teachers of the school had been trained in fighting fires, handling fire fighting equipment, quick evacuation of people and first aid, they could have saved so many children," Vaikunth said. He suggested that the personnel of every organisation be trained in the National Civil Defence College, Nagpur, in search and rescue, setting up communication systems, administering first aid, organising relief and so on during floods, earthquakes and fire. The school headmaster could be the Civil Defence Warden.
Vaikunth said that while inspections, rules and norms formed only one side of the picture, what really helped the occupants of a building in an emergency was their preparedness. "Here comes the concept of civil defence," he said. Civil defence means citizens organising themselves to defend themselves. The concept came into vogue in the United Kingdom during the Second World War. During air raids by enemy aircraft, people themselves organised their protection by digging trenches, evacuating injured persons, transporting them to hospitals, setting up communication systems and ensuring the availability of essential commodities. Thus people were mobilised into various groups to do different tasks and in all these the government acted only as a catalyst.
Vaikunth, who was trained in civil defence at the National Civil Defence College, Nagpur, when he was Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), Chennai, from 1969 to 1971, applied the concept of civil defence in rescue and relief operations when he was Deputy Inspector-General (DIG), Tiruchi range, in 1977 when the four districts in the range were hit by a cyclone and floods. The National Civil Defence Collge, run by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, has many programmes to train personnel of any department in the concepts of modern warfare, search and rescue, first aid; in setting up communication facilities during natural disasters; in the science of fighting fires including in handling equipment to put out fire and in ensuring orderly evacuation of people; in disaster mitigation during nuclear, chemical or biological warfare; and in detecting and disposing of unexploded bombs. Vaikunth said that when he was the State's Director of Civil Defence and Inspector-General of Home Guards, he sent home guards from the State to Nagpur for training in rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations during natural calamities. He used those trained in civil defence when a train accident took place in Tiruchi.
Vaikunth prepared a comprehensive "Manual of Instructions on the Role of Police in Natural Calamities" in 1982 when he was the Director of Civil Defence. It was published by the Director-General of Police, Tamil Nadu.
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Trinamul accuses govt of favouring promoters
14 Jul 2001, 0129 hrs IST,THE TIMES OF INDIA NEWS SERVICE
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2104567494.cms
kolkata: the opposition trinamul congress on friday accused the left front government of protecting the interest of promoters and realtors. it has alleged that the state government was indulging the promoters in grabbing the housing business of the state. meanwhile refuting the allegations the housing minister goutam deb said in the floor of the state assembly that the state government was trying to check monopoly of promoters in housing business and for this it had planned and taken up several housing projects either by joint venture or alone. opposition chief whip sobhandeb chattophdhyay while initiating a discussion on housing budget said that the state government had failed to make the state housing board (wbshb) a profiteering organisation and that it had helped promoters to grow. criticising deb trinamul congress mla saugata roy said that the left front government had no housing policy and despite the fact it had set up an organisation like the housing and infrastructure development corporation(hidco). roy alleged that the state government has been too liberal in allotting lands to promoters like the bengal ambuja. " the state government had distributed lands for various housing projects amongst businessmen and promoters and promoters like harsh neotia extracted full benefit from it. i wonder why it was so. what benefit did the state government get from that," he questioned. " bengal ambuja-- the company that has come in a big way in state's housing projects-- is only interested in making its cement business grow," roy said. opposition chief whip and saugata roy both have alleged that there had been a lack of transparency in the functioning of the entire housing department. they termed the rajarhat new township project as a flop. replying to a debate on his departmental budget, the minister refuted the allegations and said that his department had always tried to maintain a transparency with the bidders while opening tenders meant for housing projects. he announced that new plots in the new township would be allotted by early winter, this year.
A panchayat that is a paradise for promoters
9 May 2003, 0146 hrs IST,Aditya Ghosh,TNN
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/45807367.cms
HANSPUKUR, South 24-Parganas: They can use a mobile phone but still travel in dinghies between villages in this gram panchayat which happens to be the nearest to Kolkata. While its proximity to the city makes it a favourite of promoters, the cause of the local people is forgotten.
For all practical purposes, residents of the Hanspukur village live in Kolkata. In the past two years, there has been a spurt in urbanisation.
Land revenue records at the Joka II gram panchayat reveal that more than 2,000 bighas have been converted from agricultural to commercial land for building residential complexes.
Locals, too, have little interest in clinging on to their agricultural land as the government has imposed tax on it through the gram panchayat.
"We did not pay taxes since 1984 as the Left Front declared that owners of agricultural land need not pay taxes. Suddenly, we were told a year ago that all taxes would have to be paid with arrears," said Amiya Kanti Baral, a local shopkeeper who sold his land in despair and set up a general store.
"Moreover, the area has no water for irrigation and prices of seeds, fertilisers and insecticides have gone up.Maintaining agricultural land has become a luxury," he said.
Promoters have used the bait successfully to buy land in the area, especially those beside Bakhrahat Road linking it to the Diamond Harbour Road, at throwaway prices. This has also created unemployment. For many, the only means of livelihood remains fishing in the Chariyal canal. "There is no viable livelihood for the poor here. So many locals have migrated to the city," said a trader, Ramen Baug.
The Chariyal canal could have been a lifeline for the area if the authorities fulfilled their promises. But a ferry service from Budge Budge to the village remains only on a foundation stone which was laid 35 months ago.
"Communication to the next village, Shakharipota in the Ashuti II gram panchayat area is the easiest through the canal which could have been extended up to Budge Budge," said Sachin Mondol, the Congress candidate for Joka II gram panchayat. Under the circumstances, local representatives feel that it was better to include it in the KMC area or form a municipality.
The proposal has met with resistance from the promoters' lobby. "If the area remain under gram panchayat, civic taxes are much lower and profit is higher for the developer. But we are trying our best to develop the area," claimed pradhan of Joka II, Phulu Mondol.
Kolkata West International City
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Kolkata West International City is a satellite township development across 390.2 acres with 6,100 bungalows, four highrise residential towers, three IT parks, a 13-acre club, a 200-bed hospital, two schools and shopping and entertainment zones, in Howrah. Located on Howrah-Amta Road, just off NH 6, it is around 9 km (6 mi) from Benoy Badal Dinesh Bag, in the heart of Kolkata (earlier called Calcutta) and 12 km (7 mi) from Vidyasagar Setu linking Kolkata with Howrah. It is a tripartite venture involving the Salim and Ciputra groups from Indonesia and the Universal Success Group of Jakarta-based Non Resident Indian Prasoon Mukherjee.[1]
Contents
[hide]
1 The Project
2 Promoters
3 Problems
4 External links
5 References
6 See also
[edit] The Project
The project is considered to be one of the largest foreign direct investments in township projects in India.[2] The foundation plaque was unveiled by Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, Chief Minister of West Bengal, on 15 February 2006. Speaking on the occasion, he felt that the Rs 2,500-crore (25 billion) township would provide the ?right impetus? to growth on the western bank of the river Hooghly. The project is expected to be home to nearly 36,000 people.[1]
The project is being executed in collaboration with Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. The promoters claim that space and nature will blend with structural innovation and modern design in this project. Comprising of 2-4 bedroom G+1 storey villa, the project is spread over acres of pristine greenery and has over 5000 units within gated communities which will enjoy facilities like parks, playgrounds, commercial complexes etc.[3] The entire project is expected to be completed and delivered by 2010. [1]
The entrance to the Kolkata West International City built in the style of Berlin?s Brandenburg Gate.
[edit] Promoters
Kolkata West International City Pvt Ltd, the joint venture company building the township, commands a combined turnover of $20 billion-plus. Salim and Universal Success are investors in the project, Ciputra the developer and Singapore-based Surbana the project manager.[1] Ciputra Group was founded in the early eighties. PT Ciputra Development is a public listed company in Singapore. The group is responsible for most of the imposing land marks spread across Indonesia and Singapore which includes projects like Marina Square, Senen Shopping Centre, Ciputra Mall & Hotel, World Trade Centre (Jakarta), BNI 46 Tower, Bintaro Jaya the Garden City, Ciputra Hanoi International City and Citraraya Surabaya. The Salim Group is one of Asia's leading business groups with world class assets such as PT. Indofood Sukses Makmur, the world's largest instant-noodle producer, Bogasari Flour Mills, the world's largest flour-milling operation and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., the dominant integrated telecom operator in the Philippines. Salim Group has been involved in property development and leisure industry for around 30 years. The businesses include hotel and resort development, golf courses, real estates, commercial buildings, shopping centers and industrial estates.[3]
Model houses on display in the project area
[edit] Problems
The Howrah elite is protesting against the name of the project and are demanding that the word ?Kolkata? be dropped from the name.[4] Eyebrows have been raised over Howrah Municipal Corporation agreeing to supply 2 million gallons of water per day, as it is unable to supply water to many areas.[5]
[edit] External links
Official Website
Satellite view of site
[edit] References
^ a b c d Saha, Subhro (14 April 2006). West wake-up. A sprawling satellite township that promises a slew of facilities and can house 36,000 people may change the face of Howrah. The Telegraph. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
^ Chattopadhya, Suhrid Sankar. Focus: West Bengal. Changing Phase. Frontline, Vol 24, Issue 2, Jan 27?Feb 09 2007. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
^ a b Kolkata West International. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
^ Mukherjee, Mita. Howrah Cry to alter name. The Telegraph, 10 January 2007. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
^ Jain, Rupam. Civic body?s decision to sell water to Salim project earns flak. The Statesman, 26 March 2007. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
[edit] See also
By Divya Pathak
Saturday, January 05, 2008 (23:49:12)
Levelling of water bodies sparks tension in Kolkata
Kolkata: A fracas erupted between a group of promoters and residents of Purbasha Housing Complex in Kankurgachi area of north Kolkata on Saturday morning over levelling of a water body for construction work. Many residents of the housing complex were injured in the scuffle. Five people were arrested by the police for firing in the air.
The scuffle began around 10:30 am on Saturday, when residents of Purbasha Housing Complex began protesting against a group of promoters, who wanted to level up a water body in the area for construction work. As the residents tried to stop the construction work, the security guards posted at the site clashed with them. Soon, the tension intensified and the security guards fired six rounds in the air.
According to local people, the promoters had been visiting the area for many days, and had posted gunmen as well as other equipments on the site. The residents were unhappy over levelling of the water body which has been present in the area for over thirty years. A local resident said, ?Around 10 this morning, a group of promoters came, and said they had come to work on the site. When we protested, they began pushing and attacking us, and hurling abuses at us. Many of us were injured in the scuffle?.
Angry residents alerted local MLA Rupa Bagchi, who rushed to the spot with a police team. It took quite some time for the large police force to bring the violence under control. Local people alleged that Transport Minister Subhash Chakraborty had visited the site, and did not do anything to stop the promoters from construction. The policemen arrested five security guards who had fired in the air.
Rupa Bagchi, local MLA, said ?The promoters told Subhash Chakraborty that they are doing some governmental work on this ground. So the minister told the local people not to interfere in any work related to the government. He asked them to address their concerns in state secretariat Writers? Building?.
Bagchi added, ?We have surveyed the area and found that these ponds are listed under Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). A notice has been issued from KMC and the officials have instructed the promoters not to carry any construction work here. I had a talk with Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, and told him that I myself have been seeing these water bodies since the 1980s. He is coming here, and we have decided to reassess the issue?.
It must be noted that KMC has started a drive, under the leadership of the Mayor himself, to stop the levelling of all natural water bodies by promoters for construction work. Rupa Bagchi said, ?Subhash Chakraborty was saying that this work is related to the government, but there is no truth in this. I will discuss things with the mayor, and do whatever is needed to protect this water body?. Local people also agreed and said that they would go to any extent to save the ponds.
http://www.headlinesindia.com/state/index.jsp?news_code=67617
Next door to Nandigram, a happy land-acquisition story
Aveek Datta
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/246530.html
Posted online: Tuesday, December 04, 2007 at 0000 hrs Print Email
Salboni farmers line up for Jindal Steel?s compensation package; fewer problems since most land was in govt books.
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SALBONI, DECEMBER 3: On a bright sunny afternoon last fortnight, when Nandigram was on the boil, a group of farmers waited eagerly for a pick-up vehicle to take them to Midnapore court. The farmers were to sign over land to JSW Steel, the country?s third-largest steelmaker, for a Rs 35,000-crore project that is being set up in their area.
The contrast couldn?t have been more stark: while Nandigram was caught in a vortex of violence between those opposed to land acquisition for industry and CPM cadres desperate to ensure their rule, entrepreneur Sajjan Jindal had managed to acquire the land needed for the 10 million tonne plant.
It helped that most of the land had been in government books before the project was announced. But more important was the fact that Jindal had offered an attractive package to farmers from whom he had to get some land.
So, as Nandigram burned, the Jindals were moving ahead quietly. They envisage a captive power plant too. The Jindals moved decisively to take over another 50 acres, having taken the farmers into confidence. By December-end, the company hopes to acquire another 70 acres and complete the process of securing around 500 acres directly from the farmers.
Biswadip Gupta, chief executive officer of JSW-Bengal Steel Ltd, the company set up for the project, said that they would need only about 150 acres of ?patta? land, which the government would have to acquire on its behalf and later transfer. Under law, companies cannot buy land directly from ?patta? holders.
About Salboni, West Bengal Principal Secretary (Commerce & Industry) Sabyasachi Sen says, ?There may have been trouble in Nandigram but the Jindal project in Salboni is sailing smoothly. There is absolutely no problem. It is all the more trouble-free because the land acquisition law is not applicable in Salboni. The company is directly purchasing some portion of the required land from the farmers and the rest of the land is vested with the government, so there is no question of any resistance.?
The Jindals were not the only ones happy with their land deal. Videocon, the consumer electronics major, is setting up a steel project at Baraboni near Asansol, for which the company has successfully negotiated with farmers a deal to acquire 2,000 acres. The company is waiting for the state?s green signal to start purchasing land.
At Salboni, the Jindals have offered a novel compensation and rehabilitation package that is a winner not only with the Opposition and the intelligentsia in the state, but is being discussed by various chambers as a model for the national level. The happiest are the villagers.
Sudarshan Chalak, who lives in the Kulpheni village of Salboni, has sold 1.5 bighas for the project for a total of Rs 2 lakh, which he has parked as a fixed deposit in the State Bank of India.
?We earn around Rs 7,000 in a year from the rice that we grow and that includes input costs of Rs 3,500. Now, just the interest will fetch us Rs 20,000 a year, and we also get a job and a share in the company,? says Chalak.
He is certain that after the steel plant comes up, the local economy will boom. He plans to start a business when that happens.
Chalak?s son, 16-year-old Prosenjit, is a Std VIII student. He is the one from the family who would opt for the job in the steel plant, once it comes up.
?In the last 30 years of CPM rule, we had been asking what is going to happen to our children? Will they ever be able to land decent jobs? Now, there seems to be a ray of hope,? says Chalak.
There are around 250 young boys and girls in Chalak?s village who are hoping to get a job at the factory. Even the women of the area hope to move out of their kitchens and contribute to the family income by working for the construction of the factory.
The first person to sign the compensation deal was 60-year-old Nitai Mahato of Jambedia village. He got Rs 15.5 lakh as compensation for his 12.5 bighas, a lot of which was non-cultivable. Son Seemanto has already bought a Bajaj Pulsar motorbike, and the family has used some of the money to pave the courtyard of their mud and thatch hut.
Though the farmers are upbeat about the factory, they are sad about having to give up their land. ?The land is like our mother. She has given us a living for the past so many generations. Even the crop this year has been very good. Maybe it?s a parting gift,? said Chalak.
Nishit Mahato of Jambedia village is one of those whose land does not fall within the boundaries of the steel project. But he is not complaining.
?Promoters from Kolkata are coming every day and offering up to Rs 12 lakh for plots that do not cost even Rs 75,000. So even those who did not have to sell their land to the Jindals will eventually get a good price,? says Nitish.
Even the Opposition here does not deny the benefits that would accrue to people from the project.
?The fact that the project is going to benefit the economy of the area and the people living here cannot be denied. But we are slightly concerned that there is no written or legal document to testify the compensation on offer, especially in terms of the company share. We have also sent a deputation to the district magistrate on the issue,? says local Trinamool Congress activist, Mohammed Rafique.
So does the news of Nandigram bother them? Chalak says it is discussed every evening, especially since there is a project lined up for this part as well. ?But I do not understand why people are still fighting even after the project has been cancelled. In Salboni, there are no two opinions on the project. We support it wholeheartedly.?
e-News Letter
Hi,
After the festive season is over, we all comeback to our regular work with much vigour to achieve at our respective
workspace. In this context I want to convey our heartiest Vijaya & Dussera greetings and Diwali Good Wishes to
all our respected customers and friends.
With this happy note we observed that, Indian Real estate industry, one of the sunrise sectors, continues it?s bull
run with a growth rate of nearly 30% per annum. Most importantly, this boom is created mostly by the end users
rather than investors which will obviously led to sustenance of this dream run. The
fast emergence of service sectors like IT & ITeS becomes the main striking force
behind this demand. It is also good to see, our state of West Bengal lead by Kol-
kata has also shown the similar trend even with faster rate of growth. State Govt.?s
new initiative for development of Industry and Service Sector, generation of more
employment in IT and ITeS segment, trained and talented manpower, expanding
nature of the city, tendency to city dwellers and NRIs to opt for high quality ser-
vice and civic amenities at green, non-polluting environment, availability of land
and generation of new townships with adequate infrastructural support- are the
basic growth drivers for this industry in Kolkata. So let us all appreciate this phase
of development and try to grab the opportunity by choosing from the various
available options with us for all type of real estate solutions.
Jitendra Khaitan, CEO
jitendra@pioneerkhaitan.com
Editorial
Reason behind Real Estate Boom in Kolkata
Genexx Valley
Presence of Software Companies and BPO Companies (20,000 jobs already created)
New Industrial Parks
Engineering is going through a huge revival because of new foundries that have been set up in Durgapur-
Asansol belt, Ulberia and Junglepur, partly to feed China's insatiable demand.
People from the north-east,Bangladesh,Nepal & elsewhere are coming over for education.
Medical care (the hospitals are expanding) and plain shopping (30 new malls planned, in addition to the
three that have already opened).
The delegations already came from Indonesia,Japan,Italy,Singapore, Bangladesh, China & Malesia.
Japan is financing for Infrastructure Development , Britain is paying for public sector restructuring (because
there is an active programme to privatise, and shut down what cannot be sold
Thai wants to increase its Bangkok flights from three to seven per week; Gulf has started serving the city;
Bangladesh's Biman will increase its daily service from two flights to three in the winter.
Satellite townships are coming up in the east and west of Kolkata, and also springing up in places like Siliguri.
Hundreds of acres are being developed, new highways laid down (including a smooth new by-pass from
the airport), and bridges planned.
The riverfront is being re-developed, the corporation is discussing how to give the major buildings fresh
coats of paint, the metro is being extended, and flyovers are everywhere.
Some of major projects in operation...
Genexx Valley - Joka
Rosedale - Rajarhat
DebAangan - Belur
Ideal Heights - Sealdah
Ekta Residency - Kankurgachi
Dream Residency - Rajarhat
Kirti Apartments - Tollygunje
Uniworld City - Rajarhat
Calcutta Riverside ?Batanagar
Diamond City North ?Jessore Rd.
Ekta Heights - Jadapur
Hiland Woods - Rajarhat
Club Town Estates - Dumdum
Louise Garden - Kasba
Dream Apartments - Rajarhat
Residential Flats Rates
NORTH KOLKATA
Jessore Road 1,300 - 1,900
VIP Road 1,400 - 2,000
Madhyamgram 1,050 - 1,250
Shyambazar 1,600 - 2,200
B.T. Road 1,200 - 1,800
CENTRAL KOLKATA
Park Street 4,500 - 5,500
Loudon Street 5,000 - 6,000
Theatre Road 4,000 - 5,500
SOUTH KOLKATA
Lansdowne 2,800 - 3,500
Bhowanipore 2,300 - 3,000
SOUTH CENTRAL KOLKATA
Queen's Park 4,500 - 5,500
Sunny Park 4,500 - 5,500
Gurusaday Road 4,000 - 5,500
Ballygunge Circular Road 4,500 - 5,500
Ballygunge Park Road 4,500 - 5,500
Mayfair Road 4,000 - 5,500
Ballygunge Place 2,500 - 3,000
Ekdalia 2,300 - 2,700
Golpark 2,300 - 2,800
Gariahat 2,200 - 2,700
Rash Behari 2,300 - 2,800
EASTERN KOLKATA
Kankurgachi 2,200 - 2,600
Salt Lake 1,800 - 2,200
Beliaghata 1,400 - 1,700
EM Bypass (Central) 2,500 - 3,200
New Town (Rajarhat) 1,800 - 2,500
SOUTHWEST KOLKATA
Alipore 4,000 - 5,500
Behala 1,300 - 1,800
SOUTHERN KOLKATA
P.A. Shah Road 1,800 - 2,200
Jadavpur 1,600 - 2,200
Jodhpur Park 1,800 - 2,500
Tollygunge 1,400 - 1,800
HOWRAH
Dobson Road 1,600 - 2,000
G.T. Road (South) 1,300 - 1,500
Shantiniketan Bldg. 7th Floor, 8 Camac Street
Kolkata ?700017, Ph: 033-22824001
Email: info@pioneerkhaitan.com
Location : Batanagar
Area : 262 acres
Apartments : Golf Condominiums, Golf Villas, River
front and Lake front Condominiums
Promoters : Calcutta Metropolitan Group & Bata India
Pantaloons retail chain expanded at Madhyamgram:
arbitrated by Pioneer Property Management Ld. The northern
suburb of Kolkata is going to experience of organized
retail with the big brand name of Pantaloons. This 2,00000
sq ft mall located on NH34; the major connector of Kolkata
to North Bengal, as the part of group housing project ?Sisir
Kunj? being developed by Bengal Shelter Housing Development
Ltd. will be outfitted with shopping, food entertainment
and a multiplex by 2008. This mall would be titled as Pantaloons Mall; the success gave them the confidence
to venture further 22 Kms north form the city hub.
Genexx Valley, a world of luxury and comfort of lakes and greenery.
Away from the hum and bustle of city life. Genexx Valley is
all about living life in a new way, with a new attitude.
GENEXX VALLEY
Shantiniketan Bldg. 7th Floor, 8 Camac Street
Kolkata ?700017, Ph: 033-22824001
Email: info@pioneerkhaitan.com
www.pioneerkhaitan.com
South Kolkata prime land price- one crore per cottah:
With the major national and multi-national Real estates players come into the city with the booming market, the
WB Government is also trying to grab the lucrative value by keeping a reserve price of 50 crores for 50 cottah
of land out of the total 68 cottah plot of Bedi Bhavan at Golpark. Though the renowned city developers are in
doubt for this high realization WB Govt. is expecting because it is nearly double to the present rate of that location
and the small size of the said land where other than residential development no retail set up is possible.
Urban Land ceiling at WB will be slashed: After a long debate, the WB government decided to amend the
present urban land ceiling act for giving a momentum to the industrialization drive and real estate movement of
the state with keeping some form of social control in it. By implementing this, the state will be benefited by getting
the fund allocation from centre under the National Urban Renewal Mission for urban infrastructure development.
Uniworld City
Location : New Town, Rajarhat
Apartments : 10 Towers from G+8 to G+20
Bedrooms : 2/3 BHK, Duplexes and Penthouses
Area : 12 acres (Part of 100 acres)
Promoters : Bengal Unitech Universal
More Special Economic Zone (SEZ)s are planned to boost the Indian economy - Aimed at sustained
economic growth of the country and to encourage export to fetch more foreign currency, the Govt. had already
approved 150 SEZs and another 200 SEZs are in awaiting. Real estate industry has tremendous opportunity to
utilize it?s full potential to build up the infrastructure for those upcoming SEZs and Govt. also likely to give various
concession and benefits to the investors in infrastructure along with the companies/ entrepreneurs, those
operate business from these SEZs.
Real Estate Mutual Fund- opportunity for small investors:
Recently SEBI directed some guidelines to the formation of Real Estate Mutual Fund (REMF), which would open
the door for retail investors to participate in this booming industry. It will not only help more capital generation
in this industry but also handle the issues of affordability, risk minimization, transparency to ensure broad based
participation of the small investors.
ROSEDALE
Location :New Town, Rajarhat
Area : 16.2 acres
Apartments : 560 Nos. (6 Towers of G+25)
Type : Standard , Duplex, Delux and Star
Promoters : Rosedale Developers Pvt. Ltd.
JOKES
An employer said to a job applicant:
'In this job we need someone who is responsible.'
the job applicant replied:
'I'm the one you want. On my last job, every time something went wrong, they said I was responsible'
Shantiniketan Bldg. 7th Floor, 8 Camac Street , Kolkata ?700017, Ph: 033-22824001, Email: info@pioneerkhaitan.com
www.pioneerkhaitan.com
We welcome your feedback, Suggestions & Other Value additions for our next
Pioneer e-Newsletter Edition
info@pioneerkhaitan.com
We welcome the following
Feedbacks, Suggestions, Joks, Cartoon Drawings, etc.
20 years of glorious existence and 20,000 satisfied customer base,
Our commitment remains same?
The Pioneer Group has developed and marketed over 10 million (one crore) square feet of residential, commer-
cial and retail space, comprising more than 20,000 units of properties worth Rs.15 billion (Rs.1500 crores).
We have 25 ongoing housing projects, 15 upcoming projects, 35 completed projects.
Providing a host of value - added services with professional commitment, that has always been the true hallmark
of Pioneer.
IDEAL HEIGHTS
G + 23, G + 19
