KMDA plans Rs 300-cr upgrade for Howrah

The Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) is planning to spend Rs 300 crore towards development of Howrah and adjoining areas.

Vivek Bharadwaj, chief executive officer, KMDA said the money would be utilized to improve basic infrastructure, like construction of new roads, to facilitate the development of the area.

Under Vision 2025 - a perspective plan for improvement of traffic and transportation, water supply, drainage, sewerage and sanitation has been finalised for 25 years by KMDA. The plan visualises the future urban structure and lists out the development strategies to be adopted for the purpose.

Under the plan, projects worth Rs 6,939 crore has been identified for infrastructure development.

Recently, KMDA had also taken the mandate to improve the area adjoining Howrah station. However, with the Railways yet to finalise the plan to develop the station as a world class station, KMDA is not able begin work for the project, according to a senior official at KMDA.

"Unless the Railways firm up their plan for the development of Howrah Station as a world class station, we are not able to start work for the improvement of areas adjoining the station," said the official.

The plan was to add modern facilities at Howrah station and renovate like an airport.

Few days back, at a high level meeting on the improvement of Howrah station and adjoining areas at Writers' Buildings supervised by chief secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti, it was decided that the clean-up work would be taken up immediately.

The Railways had been planning to issue global tenders for legal, technical and financial support for upgrading Howrah station as a world class station for quite some time.