Promising day for new town

KOLKATA: Is Rajarhat New Town a hastily conceived dream that was never backed by proper planning and intent? Or, is it just the inefficiency of the authorities that let the satellite township slip off the path of growth and lose its way in the vast open fields and dusty roads that lead nowhere?
When can those who have set up home in New Town expect decent living conditions? These are some of the questions that were debated threadbare at an open house discussion organised by The Times of India as part of the "Wake Up Kolkata" campaign at Rajarhat on Sunday.
Residents threw searching questions at the panel comprising representatives of the New Town authorities and experts. Victims of a decade of hard living conditions, they demanded solutions to long-standing civic issues.
Sparks flew as the officials tried hard to keep pace with the flurry of questions on power, garbage disposal, roads, traffic, security, lack of health facilities and markets. The officials tried to explain that these are teething troubles and that residents need to be a little more patient. Not all were ready to buy the argument, though. New Town has had enough time to overcome most of these, residents pointed out.
"I have been living in the Greenwood Park complex for four years. Not a single amenity has been raised to its desired level in this period. It's a barren township with no greenery or waterbodies. There is not even an ambulance. We are nobody's children with the New Town Development Authority, Hidco and the panchayats refusing to address our problems," said Samir Kumar Mitra, a former DIG of BSF.
New Town Development Authority chairman Rajendra Ray Choudhury partly owned responsibility, but said that the authorities "haven't shut their eyes". "There are issues like parking and garbage disposal for which we can't solely be held responsible. Every office building and residential complex, for instance, has been given adequate parking space but cars are still being parked on the roads. We cannot get people arrested for violating parking or garbage disposal norms. Residents must discipline themselves," he said.
Every township goes through a transition, said Rahul Todi, MD, Bengal Shrachi Housing Development Limited. "But that doesn't absolve us the developers and the authorities of our responsibilities. There are basic issues like parking, water supply, sewerage, security and hawker encroachment that need to be addressed now. Perhaps, we need more professionals in Hidco to do the job quickly," Todi argued. He mooted a forum for discussion to sort out these issues.
Pawan Agarwal, director, N K Realty, felt that a practical overview was needed to prioritise New Town's problems. "There are numerous challenges but we need to start tackling them now," he said.
Veteran architect Monideep Chattopadhyay, chief executive of the Centre for Habitat Environment and Disaster Management felt New Town has been a "misadventure, an ill-planned project with no defined goal or mission". "The purpose of the township was not clearly spelt out. Unless we can chalk out an integrated development plan, nothing will work out. Growth has not been consolidated in New Town," he said.
Residents pointed out that no effort was made to address even minor civic issues like removal of carcasses from the roads. More serious ones like realtors forcing flat-owners to move in were never taken up. "I was asked to pay a holding charge for my flat unless I moved in. What is Hidco doing about it?" asked Rajesh Poddar. He was assured by Ray Choudhury that changes in occupancy rules were being considered.
"The malls are fine but where are the markets?" asked another member of the audience, even as another said that his housing complex spent `10,000 to drain out water last monsoon. "We have no place for worship either," pointed out S K Garai.
New Town does have a vision and a functional integration with Kolkata was always on the agenda, said S K Roy, Hidco principal consultant and chief planner. "We are reviewing the development plan continuously and are trying our best to plug the holes. We propose to set up a forum for discussion with residents," Roy said.
His proposal was greeted with applause. It soothed frayed nerves and showed a way forward. "New Town can still be brought back on track but we need to do it with a purpose," said Chattopadhyay. "Let's set it up as a model township, an eco-friendly city. But we need to do some rethinking and re-evaluation. Let us take all the stake-holders on board and draw up a joint strategy," he suggested.
New Town is a dream that can still be salvaged and faster than the residents would believe.