Why Howrah? Commute Across the Ganges
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
HOWRAH AS A DESTINATION WHY HOWRAH? COMMUTE ACROSS THE GANGES Howrah, the twin city of Kolkata, is well connected to Kolkata over the Hooghly River by four bridges – Howrah Bridge, the Vidyasagar Setu, the Vivekananda Setu and the Nivedita Setu – and regular ferry services. COMMUTE BY RAIL AND UPCOMING METRO The East-West Metro project is currently under way, which aims to transform the commute between Howrah and Kolkata like never before. Howrah Station serves as the terminal for the Eastern Railway and the South Eastern Railway of India. Other major railway junctions of the city are Santragachhi and Shalimar Station. Line 2, also known as the East-West Corridor of the Kolkata Metro would consist of 12 stations from Salt Lake Sector V in the east to Howrah Maidan in the west, of which 6 would be elevated and 6 would be underground, with a total distance of 16.6 km. COMMUTE BY ROAD Two national highways – NH 2 and NH 6 – are connected to Vidyasagar Setu via Kona Expressway. One of the most important roads in India, the Grand Trunk Road, starts from the Indian Botanical Garden in South Howrah. EXCELLENCE CENTRES AND OTHER ATTRACTIONS Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU), established in 1856, is one of the most prestigious and the second oldest engineering institution in India. It attracts students from all over the world. The Great Banyan Tree in Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden is a major tourist attraction of the city. The city recentlyopened a high-end shopping mall, the Avani Riverside Mall, the best example of city’s fast-changing skyline. Spread over an enormous 600,000 square foot area, Avani Riverside also hosts a multiplex PVR Cinema with more than 1,000 seats. HOWRAH MUNICIPAL INDUSTRIES CORPORATION IN HOWRAH Howrah became a municipal corporation in 1984. The corporation Howrah is home to several big industries. Burn Standard area is divided into 50 wards, each of which has a councillor. Company (established in 1781), a prominent company in heavy The Howrah City Police Commissionerate is responsible for law engineering, has its oldest railway coach manufacturing unit. and order in the city. It is the headquarters of the district, and of The city is also the hub of many large jute mills. The Howrah the Howrah Sadar subdivision of the district. plant of Shalimar Paints (established in 1902) was the first large-scale paint manufacturing plant to be set up not only in Situated in the golden economic triangle of Kolkata, Durgapur India but in the whole of Southeast Asia. and Kharagpur, Howrah is one of the most industrialised districts in West Bengal Connected to critical roads like NH2, NH6, NH 117 and Asian Highway 45 NABANNA IN HOWRAH The HRBC (Hooghly River Bridge Commission) building originally christened the Garment Park is in the vicinity of the Vidyasagar Setu and the Hooghly river. It has been assigned the role of a temporary state secretariat housing the Chief Minister's oce and eleven other departments including Urban development, Home Information, Cultural Aairs, Finance, PWD, Disaster Management, Agriculture and so on. The area has witnessed a rapid stride in development which includes the Interstate Nabanna Bus Terminus, beautification of the area, pulling down of illegal hoardings, clearance of encroachments, round the clock police security, widening of roads, construction of parks among other major activities. STATE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY - DOMJURTALA Ocial sources have stated the state government would focus on Howrah's development and highlight it as an alternative developed destination to cater the ever-growing population of Kolkata. Sources reveals the government also proposes to set up an annex building of the state legislative assembly, Bidhansabha Bhaban, near the Doomurjala sports complex in Howrah, located about 2km away from Nabanna in near future. FLYOVER TO DECONGEST KONA EXPRESSWAY It will provide instant connectivity to ELEVATED CORRIDOR commuters from large parts of west An elevated corridor of 5km for a signal-free movement from the city to NH6 is on the Howrah and those coming from the rural cards. After exiting the highway, it will take the three-lane Kolkata-bound elevated areas via Kona Expressway to Howrah corridor on Kona Expressway that will take it straight to an arm of Vidyasagar Setu. station. The elevated road over Kona Similarly, three lanes on the elevated corridor will lead trac straight from Vidyasagar Expressway will stretch across 7 km. Setu to NH6. Proposed Flyover to cut travel time by ½ to Kolkata. SANTRAGACHI NEW BUS TERMINUS RAILWAY STATION AT SANTRAGACHI The railway station at Santragachi will be developed into a The upcoming bus terminus at Santragachi would terminal. Once it becomes a full-fledged terminal, would be of accommodate over 150 buses, and more than 80 great use for those living in south Kolkata as it can be easily two-wheelers and 90 other vehicles. reached via Vidyasagar Setu. Most of the long-distance buses of the CTC, CSTC and WBSTC The total project cost is about Rs 300 crore and will be leaving for districts will operate out of the new terminus. The completed in next 3-4 years. The Shalimar station will also be terminus will have all passenger amenities like cafeteria, taxi developed. The work is also going on for a fourth line at the booth, toilets, etc. Tikiapara yard for faster commuting. With a bus terminal being built at Santragachi, accessibility to the terminal will also improve for those who don't own cars. INDUSTRIAL TOWNSHIP AT HOWRAH In order to oer better infrastructural support to various industrial parks in Howrah, the government has decided to announce an industrial town covering 20,000-30,000 acres. This will be done on the lines of Bantala township and will enable government to invest in basic infrastructure for industrial development. Government investment could be in the tune of Rs 2,000 crore and the area is estimated to attract investment worth Rs 46,000 crore. Kolkata's twin city Howrah is all set to regain its lost glory. As an important oshoot of the recent Bengal Global Business Summit, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will fund Rs 2,000 crore industrial hub project either in Liluah or Belur where Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) has plots ready for handover. HOWRAH TO BECOME A MEGA CITY The state government has started working on a plan for Howrah to make it grow as a modern, self sucient city and to have urban facilities like its neighbouring city Kolkata. The district of Howrah is witnessing a development in real estate prices following the shifting of the state secretariat to Nabanna. The various civic problems will have a holistic solution as the state government prepares a blueprint for the district's overall development. As a first step towards implementing the plan, areas falling under Bally municipality will be merged with the Howrah municipal corporation. Plans for new buildings will be sanctioned keeping in mind the environmental parameters while slum and trac management would become the prime concerns..