Kolkata: Once called a city of palaces and processions, Kolkata could soon turn into a city of bridges, high-speed road corridors, highways, walkways and flyovers.
In the state Budget today, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced Rs 2,475 crore for urban road connectivity that includes four bridges, six road-widening projects and six flyovers -- most of them in and around the capital city.
Feasibility studies will be done for six other projects, of which one is a pedestrian skywalk and the other five are flyovers -- one over Prince Anwar Shah road, one from Ultadanga to Posta Bazar, a third from Paikpara in North Kolkata to Sealdah station, another one from Garia to Jadavpur and finally the fifth from Majerhat to Garia via Tollygunge.
Those familiar with Kolkata may find themselves lost in the maze of flyovers announced today.
"To give emphasis on infrastructure development of the state, I am proposing a large number of new schemes," Mamata Banerjee said in the state assembly today. "The main purpose is to connect all rural roads with the state highways and improve the urban connectivity," she added.
For 46,000 kilometres of rural roads to be built in the next five years, Ms Banerjee has announced Rs 500 crore under the Partha Shri scheme.
"You are aware that since Independence, only 29,706 kilometres of road had been constructed (till 2011). Since 2011, we have constructed 89,574 kilometres of new rural road... We shall connect rural roads with state highways in the next five years," Ms Banerjee added.
The four bridges Ms Banerjee has budgeted for are between Nandigram and Haldia on the Haldi river, a 9.5-kilometre two-lane bridge in Coochbehar district, another one on state Highway 12 connecting Siliguri to Darjeeling via Mirik, and yet another to replace an old one at Khiddrpore.
Roads will be widened to four lanes at least between Kolkata and Basanti, Bantala to Ghatakpukur, Ultadanga to Bangur Avenue, Baruipur to Amtala.
Finally, flyovers. Six of them would change the face of Kolkata city. They are:
- A 6-lane, 5-km-long flyover from Tala to Dunlop
- From airport gate to VIP road
- From Maa flyover to Gurusaday Dutta road
- Ruby Kalikapur flyover in South Kolkata
- Sonarpur Bantala road to Sonarpur Chakraberia
- One connecting EM Bypass to New Town
The huge focus on roads is possibly a reaction to the centre's Rs 25,000 crore allocation for Bengal for roads. The centre's announcement on February 1 had been greeted with scorn by the Trinamool Congress, which said that Mamata Banerjee had built over 88,000 rural roads over the last 10 years and over 5,000 kilometres of state highways.
"The centre should take lessons from Bengal," Trinamool leaders had said.
Today the Congress leaders who boycotted the budget presentation said it was a bluff on the people of Bengal. Opposition BJP, whose MLAs walked out of the house as Ms Banerjee began her speech, has asked where she will get the money for the announced project from.