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CITY NEWS
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REAL
ESTATE
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TOURISM
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RMC Gems, newly launched Alexite?
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RMC GEMS THAI is an authorized reseller of AZOTIC’S&a mp;reg;
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E-Filing of Forms/Returns at ROC under Digital Signature (DSC)
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Latest Jewelry Collections from jeweltrades
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Available for Sale 2 BHK Apartment in Bangalore
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More Free Kolkata Classifieds...
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News
Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee Demands Fresh Lok Sabha Polls
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Calcutta High Court To Get Eight New Judges
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Experts Say SS Hogg Market May Collapse Anytime, But KMC Yet To Wake Up
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Govt Chalks Auto Bail-Out Plan: Rs 10000 Subsidy For Each Driver; Soft Loan Of Rs 96000
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Land acquisitions for SEZs get stuck in EGoM directive
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Development
City To Get Automated Streetlights, Will Be Energy-Efficient And Save A Large Amount Of Electricity
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Howrah To Get India's First Nanotech Unit At Sankrail
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Hydel Power Project To Come Up In Eco Park The First Project Of Its Kind in Eastern India
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Kolkata's landmark Old Silver Mint to be re-incarnated
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To Improve The Fish Yield In West Bengal, Satellites To Tell Fishermen Where To Fish
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Business
Inflation, high interest rates main worry for corporate India...
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Biggies Vie For Airport Makeover Project With 1,942 Crore Bid
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Wipro To Set Up Engineering Unit At Kharagpur, It Will Invest Rs 500-600 Crore In 2-3 Phases
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Chinese Companies Keen To Set Up Steel & Tyre Plants In Bengal
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German Steel Major Sets Up Manufacturing Units In West Bengal
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Computer
Gupshup
Web Exclusive | `Twitter-Nama', A New Communication Tool
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Indian IT And ITES Sector On The Rise
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High On Tech, Low On Utility: Tacky but cheeky, Google ofers Hindi translation
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Social Networking Sites New Media For Hiring, People Are Using These Sites For Work-Related Tasks
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Upload Video Making Money, the How-To Way
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Infrastructure
Bankim Chandra Museum To Be Renovated, It Is Situated In Industrial Regions of uburban Kolkata
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Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Cracks Whip On City Clubs For 'Evading' Tax Net
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`Core Sector Spending To Rise'
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Cabinet nod for Sunderban Development Corporation
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Land Acquisition `test' For Dankuni Hub
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Tourism
Kolkata eyes graveyard tourism
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Bengal Tourism Deptt Sanctioned Rs 50 Lakh For The Renovation Of Madarihat Tourist Lodge
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Tourist Spot To Take On Kalimpong Dumpyard
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Sunderbans Tourist Rules Eased, Foreign Travellers No Longer Have To Take Permission From Writers'
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Upgrade To Woo Tourists ,Govt Decide To Beautify 4 Destinations In City
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Real
Estate
Landlosers to get price of cost escalation
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National Housing Bank (NHB) Plans To Buy Home Loans From Banks To Boost Liquidity
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Further Boost To Hospitality Industry, KMDA To Auction 18 acres off Kona Expressway By Month-End
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Red Fort Plans $600-m Infrastructure Fund For Indian Real Estate Market
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Kolkata's Landmark Old Silver Mint To Be Re-incarnated, Developed Into A Museum,Hotel And Food Court
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Kolkata
Metro
East West Metro stresses on commuter convenience
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Railway Station Near Kolkata May Be Linked With Metro
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E-W Metro Corridor May Emerge As A Tourism Destination In Itself May Be Next Tourist Attraction
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Metro Plans Leave Experts Disappointed, DMRC Not Happy With KMRC Plans Of Salt Lake
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Kolkata To Get Underwater Rail With Its Neighbouring City Howrah Under The Hooghly river
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Environment
West Bengal Pollution Control Board Raps Govt Hospitals For Violating Bio-Waste Norms
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Green Rating System To Be Introduced For All Corporate Houses In The State
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Kolkata Gets Serious About Protecting Wildlife, Appointed An Honorary Wildlife Warden
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NAL To Build India's Fastest Supercomputer For Weather Forecasts
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CNN-IBN CSDS -Conduct A Survey 'What Average Indians In Big Cities Think About India's Environment'
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Health
Special Status For Calcutta Medical College And Hospital (CMCH) On The Lines of AIMS
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Trauma Care Centre To Open In Ruby Hospital To Provide Primary Medical Care To Road Accident Victims
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Count Your Calories On Sarkari Web Sites Now "www.healthy-in dia.org"
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First Multi Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR TB) Testing Laboratory Come Up In Kolkata By October
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Supreme Court: Pvt Hospitals Treating Poor For Free Can Claim Duty Exemption
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Education
Hill Varsity Offers New Courses By Setting Up Separate Schools Of Indigenous And Folk Studies
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Calcutta University Graduate Count Up From Last Year Under The 1+1+1 System
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State Govt Considering A Proposal To Increase The Upper Age Limit of Students Taking JEE
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Quick start to classes, CU decided to complete admissions its MA, M.Sc and M.Com to Be in 3 weeks
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WBUT Trouble For Engineering Colleges For Filling Up Vacant Seats By Unfair Means
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Fun & Games
Sourav Ganguly Jumps Into Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) Election Cauldron
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Sourav Ganguly Looking Forward To The Three-Test Series In Sri Lanka
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Cricket Camp For Needy Children With A Dream But Can't Make It
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Bhutia To Play With Kaka, Drogba, Match To Be Played At Munich's Allianz Arena on July 12
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Shah Rukh May Set Up Cricket Academy In Bengal As Well As a State-of-Art Film City in Tollygunge
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Roaks
in Kolkata
Manohar Tirkey, The Bengal Minister Of State For Public Works, Flashes Highway Hope
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Alipur Road In Kolkata Named 'Bhanu Bhakta Sharani'
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Curzon Road turns parking lot, garbage dump in 5 years
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Renovated Bridge Too High For Road Created A New Problem
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Bigger By pass To Tackle Jam At Ruby Rotary On the EM Bypass
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History
of Kolkata
Calcutta Pocket Is Poised To Deck Up Its Slice of Awadhi History ,Decide To Spend Rs 42 lakh
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E India's biggest trading hub in Kolkata gutted, Damages Estimated To Run Into Crores
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Bengal's Jain Connection Goes Back 1000 Years
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UK Lends Hand in Restoring Heritage City
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Kolkata's Howrah station turns 100
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Important
Telephone Numbers
Let's Prioritize Policy For Full-Scale Internet Telephony And Mobile TV In Time For The CWG
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Free local calls, STD @ 15p/min... If Govt Allows Domestic Net Telephony, Claim ISP Lobbyists
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Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) Goofs Up Again, Now It's IPTV
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BSNL Kolkata Plans To Recruit Physically Challenged Professionals
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STD, International Calls To Get Cheaper From April 1 Telecom Regulator TRAI Announcing
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Local
Transportation
Regional transport authority RTA raid on illegal vehicles triggers clash
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Kathmandu-Kolkata Bus Link On The Anvil, It Will Also Forge Closer Ties between the countries
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Pay more for a bus ride,also bear with abusive staff and ramshackle seats
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Fresh Hike In Bus Fare from July 15
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Pay More To Travel By Bus and Cab From Next Week
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Electricity
Power cuts hit Kolkata
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Promise Of New, Pain Of Old In Power Push And Not One Of The Six Scheduled To Start Running By 2007
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NTPC-Bhel JV To Invest Rs 6,000 cr In New Unit To Set Up A Power Equipment Manufacturing Facility
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Unitech Group Will Set Up A Power Plant In The State With A Capacity Of 10,000 MW
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Now, Generate Solar Energy On Rooftops To Power Homes,WBGEDC Has Made It Possible With A Technology
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Water
After land, Kolkata scans for water
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Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya Agreed To Lay The Tiljala Water Pipeline In Ward 59
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After Rainwater Harvesting Mandatory In The City, Builders Flout Rainwater Harvesting Norms
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Groundwater is fast depleting in various parts of West Bengal,including Kolkata:Survey
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In An Exclusive Interview With Mr B R Bhattacharyya Says 'No water-logging in Kolkata'
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Good
Eating Places Around?
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Local
Artists and Performances
Kolkata-Based Pianist's Musical Gift To City On June 4 And 5
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Kolkata Set To Host India-Russia Art Show
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The Benefits Of Special Economic Zones Seem To Be A Mirage Says Center For Policy Research
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Kolkata To Host Its First Ever Art Auction Next Year
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Fireworks Fair Opens At Maidan, PCB For New Norms
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TOP STORIES
Poor Sanitation System In Most Of The Government-Run And Government-Aided Schools In The State
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After Singur Fiasco, Buddha Looks To Take Middle Path On SEZs
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Realtor To Build Road For Its Batanagar Township In Kolkata
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Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIM-C) Engaged In Implementing Hindi As Official Language
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`Over 45,000 Posts Vacant In Schools In Kolkata'
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Tourism
Kolkata eyes graveyard tourism
By Riti, Section Tourism Posted on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 01:31:57 AM EST
The dead are an unlikely tourist attraction, but authorities in Kolkata are promoting the graveyards of India's former colonial capital to woo foreigners trying to trace their roots.
At one end of Park Street, lined on either sides with bars, night clubs and chic eateries, lies a walled cemetery with rows of mossy graves shaped like pyramids, pagodas and obelisks. Many of its occupants were interred during the British Raj.
A rising number of tourists, especially from Britain, who are looking for ancestors in this cemetery and a bigger one in the same neighbourhood have spurred the "tourism of the dead" drive.
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Bengal Tourism Deptt Sanctioned Rs 50 Lakh For The Renovation Of Madarihat Tourist Lodge
By Shashank, Section Tourism Posted on Tue Jul 22, 2008 at 03:16:59 AM EST
The Bengal tourism department has sanctioned Rs 50 lakh for the renovation of the Madarihat Tourist Lodge and the construction of a new building next to it so that the enormous pressure of visitors during the Pujas could be eased.
The lodge is an attraction for the tourists as it is situated close to Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary.
As the six rooms of the Holong Bungalow in the sanctuary are always reserved for the government officials, tourists have to stay in the Madarihat lodge to enjoy the beauty of the sanctuary. The visitors can enjoy elephant rides, and see horn rhinos, bison, deer and peacocks in the forest.
At present, there are 22 rooms and 12 dormitories, along with a restaurant, in the lodge.
T.V.N. Rao, the managing director (MD) of the corporation, said over the phone from Calcutta that all 22 rooms would be upgraded into "Three Star" category.
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Tourist Spot To Take On Kalimpong Dumpyard
By ugesh sarkar, Section Tourism Posted on Mon Jul 21, 2008 at 05:11:02 AM EST
If everything goes according to plan, the Bhalukhop dumpyard along Melli Road here could metamorphose into a tourist hotspot complete with a viewpoint, a coffee house and an art and craft centre.
Dumping Ground Development Committee (DGDC) comprising residents of Bhalukhop and neighbouring areas has submitted a proposal to this effect to the Union ministry of micro, mini and small-scale industry.
"We are seeking funds under the rural infrastructure development programme of the ministry. The Bhalukhop gram panchayat has approved the plan and the DGDC will execute the project, the estimated cost of which is Rs 22 lakh," said Bishnu Chhteri, a member of the committee.
The viewpoint will be constructed on the main heap of the dumpyard, while the coffee house and arts and crafts centre will come up 200 metres away.
"The plan is to use bamboo for all construction purposes. The coffee house and art and crafts centre will be in a two-storied structure," said Chhetri.
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Sunderbans Tourist Rules Eased, Foreign Travellers No Longer Have To Take Permission From Writers'
By Dr arvind, Section Tourism Posted on Tue Jul 15, 2008 at 04:02:46 AM EST
Foreigners travelling to the Sunderbans may no longer need to wade through reams of red tape, as has been the rule for years.
The state home department has recently started reviewing the system after a request from the tourism department. At present, foreign tourists have to take special permission from the assistant secretary of the state tourism department at Writers' Buildings to go to the Sunderbans Tiger Reserve.
For this, they have to carry their passport and visas with them and apply in a form at Writers'. Once the clearance is given, they have to show this at the range office at Sajnekhali, where the entry fee is taken and the names are recorded. For Indians travelling to the region, only the clearance from the range office suffices.
The state home department had imposed the restriction on foreigners due to security reasons and to keep track of foreigners entering the sensitive biosphere of the mangrove forest. But travel agencies and individuals have often told the state tourism department officials that this creates unnecessary harassment.
According to R Sushila, executive director of Vivada, which conducts regular river cruises in the Sunderbans: "The offices are closed on Saturdays and Sundays, and naturally, permission cannot be taken on these days. Also, many foreigners do not want to part with their passports, so they have to be taken along to Writers' Buildings, where they have to wait for the permission. This takes a lot of time unnecessarily."
Vivada is among the many agencies that have written to the state forest and tourism departments repeatedly to lift this restriction on foreign tourists.
According to records with the forest department, of the 75,000 visitors to Sunderbans annually, only around 2,500 are foreigners. The number has increased steadily in the last few years. But the forest and tourism departments feel that more tourists can be attracted if the system of getting permission is made simpler. "This is the reason why we asked the state home department to review the system," a senior official of the state tourism department said on Monday.
The home department has decided that prima facie there is no problem in doing away with the system of foreigners having to take permission twice. However, an official order is yet to be issued. "We have decided that the clearance will be given only at the range office," a senior department official said.TNN
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Upgrade To Woo Tourists ,Govt Decide To Beautify 4 Destinations In City
By Nishant, Section Tourism Posted on Mon Jul 07, 2008 at 04:34:50 AM EST
The state government has decided to take up a Rs 7.61-crore project to beautify four destinations in the city.
Destination Calcutta, which is awaiting the Centre's approval, will cover Subhas Sarobar, Calcutta Police Museum, Chinatown and Dakshineswar Temple.
As part of the upgrade, meant to draw tourists in larger numbers, the government will undertake landscaping and set up parks, tourist shelters, information counters and open-air performance centres.
"Illumination, solid waste management and development of sewerage are among the thrust areas," said Muhammad Saidul Haque, the general manager of the state tourism development corporation.
"The idea behind Destination Calcutta is to turn the city into a favourable tourist spot," said tourism secretary Bijoy Chatterjee. "We have selected these four spots because they are not maintained properly and do not have adequate infrastructure."
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Railways asked to arrange tourist departure from Darjeeling
By Riti, Section Tourism Posted on Wed Jun 11, 2008 at 03:00:09 AM EST
The Railway ministry has been asked to arrange transport for tourists from New Jalpaiguri railway station to Kolkata in view of the indefinite bandh enforced by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) in the Darjeeling hills from Tuesday.
"I have taken up the matter with the Railway ministry to facilitate tourist departure from New Jalpaiguri to Kolkata and other railway stations," Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunshi said in a statement here.
Dasmunshi, who is also the WBPCC chief, said that the GJM's call for an indefinite bandh in the Darjeeling hills has created a law and order problem, specially for tourists.
He appealed to the hill leaders and political parties to cooperate with the state administration to maintain law and order.
Source:ZeeNews 10thJune2008.
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Civic Funds To Fix Nawab's Relics, ASI To Draw Up RS 42-Lakh Restoration Blueprint
By Shashank, Section Tourism Posted on Mon Jun 02, 2008 at 04:34:44 AM EST
Wajid Ali Shah's relics in Metiabruz will finally get a sheen as the civic body has agreed to fund the Rs 42-lakh restoration project undertaken by the South 24-Parganas administration.
The last nawab of Awadh, or Oudh, spent the last 30 years of his life in Metiabruz, after being dethroned by the East India Company.
The restoration will be undertaken under the guidance of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), said an official. "The ASI will restore Shah's tomb, the imambara where he lived, the concert hall or majlishi and the mosque where the deposed nawab used to offer namaz."
The Calcutta Municipal Corporation had earlier decided to offer Rs 10 lakh to the district authorities for the project. But following a request from district magistrate Sanghamitra Ghosh, mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya agreed to shoulder the entire cost. The district magistrate is an ex-officio member of the Sibtainabad Trust that looks after the properties.
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The Darjeeling-Ghoom Night Ride A 16-km To-And-Fro Journey, Flagged Off on Friday
By ugesh sarkar, Section Tourism Posted on Sat May 24, 2008 at 05:57:13 AM EST
No more lonely nights in Darjeeling. When the sun sets, tourists can now take in the breathtaking sight of the hills under the starry night sky -- as the toy train merrily chugs along.
The Darjeeling-Ghoom night ride -- a 16-km to-and-fro journey -- was flagged off on Friday, adding another first to the toy train's unique history.
"Tourists and even locals have nothing to do in Darjeeling after sunset. We thought, why not give them something that will make their evenings worthwhile," said Darjeeling Himalayan Railway director Subrata Nath.
There will be two runs every evening with all three coaches specially decked up with carpets and Nepali folk songs setting the mood for the starry journey. The first trip will be from 3 pm to 5 pm and the second from 5.30 pm to 8 pm. Tickets are priced at Rs 500 each (Rs 300 for the evening ride without food).
Passengers taking the first ride will be treated to local cuisine, like momos, coffee and other snacks, while those
taking the night ride will be served dinner on the roof of the Darjeeling railway station.
"Each coach will have hostesses in traditional costume. There will be soft music in the background," said Sanjay Goswami, director of KBS Tours and Travel, which will run the services for five years.
To make the night more memorable, a cultural programme will be organized at the Batasia loop for the passengers, where the train usually halts for about 20 minutes for tourists to take photos.
Even private parties -- like birthday and anniversary celebrations -- can be held on the night ride. "We want to expand our services keeping tourists in mind. But we are keen to involve the hills people also, which is why we have inducted local talent for the cultural dance and dinner," said Goswami.
Tourists holidaying in Darjeeling greeted the news with cheer. "Frankly, the nights are usually dull in Darjeeling. But we are thrilled about taking the night ride. We are sure this will tempt people to come here more often," said Sudipto Saha, from Kolkata
Source: Times Of India 24/May/2008
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Safe Image Of West Bengal Attracting Foreign Tourists
By siddharth22, Section Tourism Posted on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 11:08:31 PM EST
The safe image of Kolkata has augured well with the metropolis recording a steady rise in the number of foreign tourists in the last few years, Tourism ministry sources said.
"West Bengal is a very safe state and there have been no reports of foreigners being raped or killed in the state in the last few years," the sources said.
While around 1.26 lakh foreign tourists visited the city in 2007, 98,307 foreign tourists visited the City of Joy in 2006. In 2005, the figure was 86,974, the sources said.
Compared to 2006, there was about a 29 per cent rise in the number of foreign tourists visiting the city last year, the sources said.
In 2006, the rise in the number of foreign tourists was only 12.5 per cent compared to the number of foreign tourists who visited the metropolis in 2005, according to figures released by the Regional Tourist office here.
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West Bengal's Revised Tourism Policy Concentrates On Promotion And Marketing
By siddharth22, Section Tourism Posted on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 04:35:17 AM EST
The revised Tourism Policy of West Bengal unveiled recently in Kolkata outlines features that will be instrumental in creating potent business and employment opportunities within the state. Apart from building and packaging various tourism products, West Bengal Tourism is keen on spending the tourism fund in augmenting hospitality infrastructure and various Public-Private Partnership models. The Tourism Policy also outlines strategies for publicity and marketing of the already existing tourism products.
With regards to publicity and marketing, the need to overhaul the West Bengal Tourism website operated by West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation (WBTDC) has been emphasised so that tourists can get better information and also make bookings online. In order to make the website more user-friendly, WBTDC may seek help from the private sector or decide to shift the portal on a PPP model. Professional marketing and communication agencies will be engaged for undertaking publicity campaigns from time to time.
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Emaar-MGF To Develop West Bengal Tourism Sector
By siddharth22, Section Tourism Posted on Sun Apr 06, 2008 at 10:21:15 PM EST
Real estate developer Emaar-MGF Land Ltd Saturday signed an agreement with the West Bengal Tourism Development Corp Ltd (WBTDC) and Sunderbans Infrastructure Development Corp (SIDC) to accelerate the growth of tourism in the state. Emaar-MGF chief operating officer (hospitality) Sanjiv Rai, WBTDC managing director T.V.N. Rao and SIDC managing director Sridhar K. Ghosh signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the presence of state Tourism Minister Manabendra Mukherjee here.
As part of the agreement, Emaar-MGF will work towards expanding West Bengal's tourism portfolio and will further develop existing tourist destinations, including Sunderbans.
"West Bengal has a great potential to be developed as a tourist hotspot in the country. Emaar-MGF is committed to help the state in strengthening its hospitality infrastructure. The company's focus on hospitality aligns with the government vision to position West Bengal as a gateway to the east for inbound as well as outbound tourists," Rai said.
He said the initiative would catalyse the development of the state's economy and provide an impetus to generate additional revenue opportunities in the state.
Rai said: "Emaar-MGF is developing three hotels in the luxury segment near Kolkata - JW Marriott and Holiday Inn on the EM Bypass involving an investment of Rs.7.5 billion and Park Hyatt at Russell Street with an investment of Rs.5.5 billion."
Emaar-MGF is a joint venture between Emaar Properties PJSC, Dubai, and India's MGF Developments Ltd.
Source:http://www.thaindian.com,07-04-08
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Tourism Sctor Oens Up To Private Capital,There Is Need For Foreign Direct Investment In This Field
By Nishant, Section Tourism Posted on Sat Apr 05, 2008 at 03:36:15 AM EST
After 30 years, the Left-ruled state government has woken up to the fact that the tourism industry cannot survive without private capital and that there is need for foreign direct investment in this field as well.
Additional Secretary (Tourism) Bijoy Chatterjee announced the new policy on Friday, stating that the state will witness private investment amounting to Rs 4,000 crore in the next two years.
He added that companies like EMAAR MGF and Mahindra & Mahindra were some of the investors interested in the tourism sector of the state. Such companies will invest in hotels, training institutes, resorts and tourism villages. Chatterjee said that keeping in view the rising price of land, the floor area ratio norms, similar to that of IT sector, will be applied to hotel projects. For the first time, the tourism policy talks about the possibility of creating tourist police to provide security to tourists. Budget hotels will be asked to increase the number of rooms in their city branches.
He added 35 projects related to tourism are waiting for the Centre's approval. "I sincerely hope that of these projects, the Ganga project, the Calcutta circuit tourism project and the project at Sajnekhali will be approved," said Chatterjee.
The Tourism department, in consultation with the Land and Land Revenue department, the Urban Development department and the district authorities will create a land bank by identifying and earmarking lands that can be made available for tourism-related projects.
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State Tourism Dept:Restoration Plan For Heritage Structures Convert Them Into Hotels and Restaurants
By Shashank, Section Tourism Posted on Sat Apr 05, 2008 at 01:28:46 AM EST
The state tourism department on Friday revealed its intent to help owners restore dilapidated stately heritage structures and convert them into hotels and restaurants.
"Architecturally, Kolkata is a treasure trove with stately Raj-era mansions all over
central and north Kolkata. Several of these privately owned buildings are in poor shape. To owners, they are a liability as they are expensive to maintain. We are suggesting a viable alternative: convert them into hotels and restaurants so that they generate revenue. We will invite interested owners to an interface with bankers so that they develop bankable projects," tourism minister Manab Mukherjee said after releasing the new tourism policy at Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Friday.
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Bengal To Spend Rs 25 Crore For The Development Of Tourism In The State This Year
By ugesh sarkar, Section Tourism Posted on Thu Apr 03, 2008 at 12:22:40 AM EST
Even before the announcement of the new tourism policy, the West Bengal government is pulling out all barriers to revamp tourism in the state. The state government has raised the amount to Rs 25 crore from Rs 20 crore, for the development of tourism in the state.
The year started on a high note for the state as West Bengal was the theme state at the famous Surajkund crafts mela in February this year, in Haryana. Sources confirmed that the tourism department spent Rs 1 crore for the mela. The venue was decorated with traditional artwork and exquisite motifs. Around 61 artisans from Bengal participated in the fair and exhibited their art and the state’s rich tradition of crafts.
Taking the mela as a publicity platform, the tourism department started a new set of campaigns with suave-looking posters, brochures and pamphlets as part of the “Beautiful Bengal campaign, designed by the Press and Publicity Syndicate Pvt Ltd. According to sources, a total of Rs 33,000 was spent on designing the brochures for 28 locations that have been made available at all tourist offices across the state. The brochures have been designed to promote tea tourism, ecology and adventure tourism and promote certain offbeat destinations like Garubathan, Lepchajagat and Paren.
“Our campaigns have been very successful. We are looking forward to attracting more tourists at the forthcoming travel bazaar”, said TVN Rao, Managing Director, West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Limited (WBTDC).
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TAFI Eastern Region Chapter To Start Helpline For Tourists
By siddharth22, Section Tourism Posted on Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 12:29:06 AM EST
TAFI Eastern Region is coming up with a helpline to provide assistance to tourists. The 24x7 helpline will be launched in April this year and will provide information for all travel related issue like accommodation, foreign exchange, passport, visas, customs, immigration, flight schedules and changes. The concept of the helpline was conceived in December last year and currently logistics are being worked out.
On the target audience Anil Punjabi, Chairman, TAFI, Eastern Region, said, "We have been receiving several queries especially from domestic travelers. They face issues, which are unavoidable and have to be dealt with immediately. We will make sure that this 24X7 helpline is backed by the most educated travel team to equip the travelers with the best solutions." TAFI Eastern region chapter is setting up a centralised system for the helpline.
On the promotional plans, Punjabi commented, "We have tied up with the media to publicise the helpline number. Also we will be requesting all our members to publish the number on the materials they disburse such as the ticket, brouchers etc. We are also planning to get members of other major associations to do the same as the helpline will benefit all travelers."
Source:http://www.travelbizmonitor.com,28-01-08
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