Metro rail till Garia
Eight years after it got the green signal, people of Kolkata are still waiting for the metro rail to run till Garia. The Tollygunge to Garia section — an elevated structure running along the Tolly nullah — was to bring the South 24-Parganas closer to the city’s central business district. It was also to reduce the enormous pressure on Sealdah South Suburban Section. The project was sanctioned in 2000. The 8.7 km extension, with six new stations, was to cost Rs 907 crore. Work on the last stretch has been affected owing to land acquisition problems and the following litigation. The work is way behind schedule, though the metro railway authorities say work till the Naktala station will be completed in another 3-4 months. Service till Pranabnagar station — 2.5 km away from Garia — may start by the end of next June.

Better security for Kolkata
After terror attacks in Mumbai, West Bengal has woken up to the deadly reality of urban terrorism. While Kolkata is set to become an NSG hub in the east, the state government has been forced to think of revamping the security system of the entire state. In the coming year, the state hopes to get a special force to combat urban terrorism. The 1,000-strong squad, to be based in Kolkata, will be given commando training and taught the usage of sophisticated weaponry. They will deal with terrorist attacks, handle hostage situations and protect the state’s vital installations. Shortlisting of candidates has already begun and the force will begin to take shape by the end of 2009. The Kolkata police also plans to set up a Metro security force, specially trained to handle crisis situations.

A safer world for wildlife
The last year has seen a number of tigers straying from the Sunderban reserve forest area and elephants straying from Jaldapara and the Gorumara forests of North Bengal. The forest department has decided to increase the number of elephant squads. Also, the new year will see a revival of elephant corridors, most of which are now occupied by migrants who have encroached upon the forest area. On the cards is also a correct tiger census — something that has been pending for long. The National Tiger Conservation Authority had released a census for tigers of India, where Sunderbans was not included. With the intervention of the chief minister, the New Year may see new findings on behavioural pattern of Sunderban tigers and more caution with tourists and fishermen, so they do not stray into the core area.

A greenfield airport
At the fag end of the year, the chief minister flagged off the project to develop and modernise the Kolkata Airport. The city is being developed as the aviation hub in eastern India, in coordination with the Centre’s ‘look east’ policy. Besides the Bagdogra Airport, a new airport has already been constructed at Coochbihar. Though the airport has been lying defunct for a decade now, the new year is likely to see a few flights there. The new airport is expected to connect far-flung parts of North Bengal with key domestic destinations, facilitating tourist traffic in the region. Work on the greenfield airport in the Durgapur-Asansol belt is likely to start in 2009 as well. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has given the go-ahead and the process of acquiring of about 3,500 acres has begun. This will be the first airport of its kind and is expected to give a major boost to the industrial belt of the region. Singapore’s Changi Airport International has been selected the technical partner for the project. The greenfield project, being built by Bengal Aerotropolis Project Ltd, will also be India’s first privately-owned airport.

More steel from state
On November 2, JSW Steel Ltd, India’s third largest producer, laid the foundation of an integrated steel unit in Shalboni to produce 10 million tonnes of steel by 2020. The company has acquired 4,500 acres of land for the plant. The project, set up on a free tax zone, will entail an investment of Rs 350 billion in three phases. The company believes that in the first phase alone, the project will generate employment for over 10,000 people. JSW Steel owns 89 per cent of the equity in the unit in Bengal. The rest is held by the state government. The other two steel plants being set up belong to the Jai Balaji Group and Shyam Steel. Inspite of Maoist issues in the area and a blast aimed at the Chief Minister’s convoy on the day of the inauguration, work is progressing apace at the site.

A real estate boom
The last two years have seen a boom in the real estate scenario in Kolkata. With the next year set to get bigger and better, the state government has decided to repeal the Urban Land Ceiling Act. According to the Act, ceiling limit on vacant land in a category ‘A’ city like Kolkata is 7.5 cottahs. The government’s bid to repeal the Act has seen stiff Opposition from Front partners and CPM hardliners. The government set up a three-member expert committee in June 2008, which is supposed to submit its set of recommendations in the first half of 2009. Many big investors in real estate are currently hesitant to come to West Bengal. But once the Act is repealed, it might provide a much-needed boost to the real estate market in the state.

Goodbye to petrol autos
Not just environmentalists, but most Kolkatans are in favour of banning autos from the city. The Kolkata High Court has already passed a judgment banning all two-stroke autos from January 1, 2009. The issue gained momentum after a PIL claimed that the autos in the city are only adding to pollution levels; that most use adulterated oil and rejected engines smuggled in from across India. Now, for once, political archrivals have come together on the issue, agreeing on an immediate need to ban autos unless they convert to LPG. All the citizens hope for now is that the ban is enforced with due diligence.

First private university
The state may also see its first private university in the new year, with the assembly passing the Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology Bill. This marks a major policy shift for the Left Front government, which has been rallying against input of private capital in education. The institute, which involves an investment of Rs 100 crore, has been designated a 50-acre plot in Kalyani.