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Bengal

Biswa Bangla Convention Centre work picks up pace, to be completed by December

State Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim will visit the site where Biswa Bangla Convention Centre is coming up in New Town on Saturday. Work is going on in full swing to complete the centre by December. Hakim will take stock of the progress of the work that has been carried out so far.

The West Bengal Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) will soon float a tender to select firms to operate and maintain the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre.

“The target date for completing the Centre is December 2016. It will be a combination of Vigyan Bhavan and the India Habitat Centre”, Debashis Sen, chairman of HIDCO said.

HIDCO, through a tender process, has selected a firm that is playing the role of transition adviser. They are recording feedbacks given by different firms and soon a national tender will be floated.
It was learnt that several firms have shown keen interest in the project.

It may be mentioned that the initiative was taken by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who gave her idea to senior HIDCO officials.

The Biswa Bangla Convention Centre has become a top priority of the state government to showcase the uniqueness of Bengal’s cultural life and rich heritage to the world.

As the thrust of the new government is to complete the ongoing project, several measures have been taken to finish it on schedule. The centre will be operational ahead of the Bengal Global Business Summit, scheduled to be held in January 2017.

The convention centre is coming up on a 10 acre plot. It will contain a 3000-seater auditorium, which is the biggest of its kind in the city. The centre will also have seminar halls, along with 100 guest rooms, a library, swimming pool and gymnasium.

As the centre is located close to the Kolkata airport, it will be easier for senior government officials from other states to stay at the centre and attend seminars or address press conferences.

The convention centre will also have a Biswa Bangla stall, where handicraft products made from muslin and baluchari, dokra items and masks which are produced by the artisans will be showcased. New Town has already emerged as a cultural hub in the city. Cultural programmes are regularly held in Rabindra Tirtha and Nazrul Tirtha. In Rabindra Tirtha, budding directors showcase their plays every Sunday.

Once completed, the auditorium will cater to a vast audience in North 24 Parganas, who are unable to travel to Rabindra Sadan-Nandan complex due to the large distance.  The Eco Park has also become a hot new tourist destination and over 50 lakh people have visited the area since its inception three and a half years ago.

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