Hakim inaugurates New Town helpline

Kolkata: State Urban Development minister Firhad Hakim inaugurated the toll-free New Town helpline number at a programme in Salt Lake Sector V on Tuesday evening.

The residents of New Town can now call up the toll-free number 1800-103-7652 for any information on New Town, as well as for registering complaints.

Hakim, who has decided to talk to the residents of the city every Wednesday on a toll-free number, said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wants the civic authorities to provide better service to the people.

He said intense campaign on garbage segregation is required. It may be mentioned that the Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) had organised a day-long seminar on garbage segregation to create awareness among the residents.

Later, the residents of New Town took part in a rally and agreed to segregate garbage at source.

Hakim also inaugurated a 350 m stretch of road connecting the parking plaza and Ring Road in Sector V, on Tuesday. The road falls under the jurisdiction of Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority (NDITA).

He said Sector V has become saturated and IT companies are moving out to New Town, where the country's biggest IT hub is coming up. Some companies have also moved to Bantala in South 24-Parganas.

Hakim thanked Debashis Sen, chairman of HIDCO, NDITA and New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA), who is also the additional chief secretary of the IT department, for his personal efforts to bring several IT firms to Bengal.

The New Town IT hub will follow the model of Silicon Valley and the roads will join the IT hubs in New Town, Sector V and Bantala, he maintained.