Govt to spend Rs 7,000 crore for developing infrastructure of city

Kolkata: The state government will go for an expenditure of Rs 7,000 crore for further infrastructure development in Kolkata.

The initiative has been taken with a vision of making Alipore in South Kolkata "clean and green". This comes at the time when Baruipur Correctional Home was inaugurated, to which Alipore Central Correctional Home is getting shifted.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made the announcement of the Rs 7,000 crore investment for infrastructure development from a programme at Nabanna Sabhaghar on Wednesday, in which the Biswa Bangla Sharad Samman award was given to different Durga Puja committees. The Chief Minister inaugurated Baruipur Correctional Home, Narendrapur Police Station in South 24-Parganas, the new buildings of Barasat police station, Bakultala police station and Jhargram Police Line.

Banerjee said: "Today the Baruipur Correctional Home has been inaugurated, where the Alipore Central Correctional Home will be shifted. The space of Alipore Central Correctional Home will be used for some good purpose. We will decorate Alipore as a green and clean city and a new project worth Rs 7,000 crore will come to Kolkata."

"We have carried out record development of infrastructure in a very short time. Around Rs 33,000 crore has been given for infrastructure development. No one has become successful in carrying out such infrastructure development in such a short period of time," she added.

The development work was carried out despite the state clearing huge debts. "We cleared debts of Rs 25,000 crore in 2011 after coming to power, as CPI(M) had taken huge loans and they had even touched the small savings. The amount went up to Rs 28,000 crore, Rs 30,000 crore and Rs 38,000 crore in the subsequent years. We have given Rs 48,000 crore in 2017-18 and the amount would be around Rs 48,000 to 50,000 crore in 2018-19 as well," she said, adding that Bengal would have run the entire country if it didn't have to clear the debt of Rs 48,000 crore.

After inaugurating the new building of Jhargram Police Line, Banerjee said: "Earlier, there was no place to stay in Jhargram. We are developing the necessary infrastructure now."

She further said that around 20 lakh people visit Gangasagar Mela in Sagar Island. So, necessary infrastructure has also been developed there.

"We have also decided to give 74 percent share of Tajpur Port to the Centre, provided they construct a bridge to connect Sagar Island with the main land," the Chief Minister said. Mentioning the issue of spitting on the newly built skywalk at

Dakshineswar, she urged the Durga Puja committees and clubs to create awareness about keeping their areas clean.