The Hindu Business Line : Buddhadeb opens automated car park in Kolkata

On cards
New Market area to be converted into a pucca Heritage Square-cum-pedestrian plaza.
Beautification of the city's wide River Front, along the River Hooghly, and connecting it with the Central Business District at Dalhousie Square are theother two projects palnned.

Kolkata April 20 Inaugurating the city's first underground computerised car parking facility (for accommodating 280 cars) at the 133-year-old New Market (formerly Sir Stuart Hogg Market) site, here on Friday, the Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, said the State Government was already working with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to convert the New Market area into a pucca Heritage Square-cum-pedestrian plaza.

Mr Bhattacharjee said the State Government has set up a heritage commission jointly with the KMC for restoring many of the heritage sites of the city. Two of the major city beautification projects being taken up are the beautification of the city's wide River Front, along the River Hooghly, and connecting it with the Central Business District at Dalhousie Square (now known as Binoy Badal Dinesh Bag) via the Shahid Minar.

The BBD Bag rejuvenation programme, the Chief Minister said, would also include a similar underground parking facility (at Lal Dighi). Consulting Engineering Services is already working on a detailed project report.

Underground shopping mall

Simplex Projects Ltd, the private partner in collaboration with KMC, has executed the Rs 34-crore BoT project, which will rest on a revenue-sharing model between the two parties. As per the arrangement, Simplex has been allowed to create an underground shopping plaza (at the minus one level) having 180 stalls. The premium amount from the settlement of these shops will go to Simplex, while KMC will get to keep the regular annual rent from the shops. KMC will also get 5 per cent of the parking fees collected annually.

Provisional NoC from the West Bengal Fire Department has already been obtained for the parking project, and a fire safety clearance certificate for the shopping mall is expected within the next fortnight. While the parking facility is expected to start operations straightaway, the mall is expected to be operational only after receipt of the certificate.

Mr Bhattacharjee said the KMC has spent a tidy sum to undertake some urgent repairs, besides refurbishment of the New Market. He said the neighbourhood roads will be upgraded and some aesthetic urban planning was being taken up for further restoration of the heritage area.

According to Mr Bikash Bhattacharya, City Mayor, the automated car-parking project with interesting engineering characteristics has triggered an urban renewal in the New Market neighbourhood, providing further scope to the urban planners to restore (and add value) to the area.

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