Kolkata, Nov. 3 -- Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister Agnimitra Paul on Tuesday said that her department will carry out an urban transformation plan in several parts of the city, including College Street and Tangra.

The department will also give emphasis on slum rehabilitation, organised hawker zones and riverfronts along both banks of the Ganga. Paul, during a press conference, said that the government wanted to draw on successful international practices. "We want to bring the best things from London, France, Bangkok and Singapore to West Bengal and adapt them to our requirements. That does not mean that we would replicate the foreign cities," Paul said.

The minister also divulged that the state government had also shared with the Prime Minister's Office a broader vision that could include a metro connection from the Diamond Harbour side to Esplanade, alongside the riverfront and highway.

Kolkata Port authorities, Railways, UDMA, PWD and Transport Department and other stakeholders would have to work together, the minister added.

West Bengal has signed nine Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) for project management and development. The second agreement is for redevelopment of Tangra's Chinatown, also involving KMDA, UDMA and NBCC.

The project would seek to retain Tangra's Chinese character and called for the involvement of internationally reputed consultants and architects, the minister added.

The third MoU covers riverfront development in Chandannagar, involving the Chandannagar Municipal Corporation, NBCC and UDMA. The fourth provides for a feasibility study and redevelopment of government housing in the BMC area, while the fifth covers construction of public toilets at different locations across the state through SUDA, NBCC and UDMA.

The sixth agreement involves KMC, HMC, BMC, UDMA and NBCC for planned hawker and vending zones based on the Bangkok model. The ninth MoU covers development of river ghats in Nabadwip, involving Nabadwip Municipality, NBCC and UDMA.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.