Kolkata to get trolley buses

If everything goes according to plans, electricity-run trolley buses will start plying between Ballygunge and Tollygunge, where tram services had been suspended around a year back. The Ballygunge-Khidderpore route is the second in line to get these buses.
The transport department has decided to opt for trolley buses to make use of overhead wires of the tramways. After tram services were suspended in some parts of the city, the overhead wires were left unused for years. At many places, tracks have also been removed or have been covered with a coat of bitumen. But that won’t deter the introduction of trolley buses as these would ply on pneumatic tyres and no tracks will be required.
Top brass of the transport department feels these fuel-efficient buses will boost up the public transport system in a major way. Tenders have already been floated for private players to bid for the supply of these buses.
There will be an initial cost for setting up the power back-up system and the pantographs, a metal framework that ensure a smooth running of trolley buses. The department is in touch with German experts to bring in the technology for running trolley buses successfully.
Officials have pegged the cost of introducing the trolley buses at Rs 100 crore, with the cost of each bus ranging between Rs 30-40 lakh. Jain said the department was scouting for funds with the urban development ministry. JNNURM funds can also be used for buying these buses. Around 10 buses will be introduced in the first place.
The erstwhile Left government had also planned to introduce trolley buses in the city.

Kolkata's green belt

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation under its Kolkata Environment Improvement Project (KEIP) funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has planned green belts that will run along three key stormwater canals for a total length of 41 km. The three channels are the Tollygunge-Panchanna canal that sends sewer water from Jadavpur, Santoshpur, Dhakuria and Mukundapur to the Chowbagha pumping station and finally flushes it out into the Bidyadhari; the Churial canal, which is the only canal in Kolkata that flows from east to west from Joka to the Hooghly and Monikhali or Begor canal beyond Behala. As the success of the ambitious project will depend on a number of environmental factors, KMC has roped in horticulture experts to handle the nitty-gritty. The execution will be in the hands of a private operator and tenders have been floated for this already. The final selection will be made by end-October and work will start next month.KEIP officials are in touch with the state forest department to select the right kind of fruit trees, medicinal plants and other eco-friendly shady trees that will be suitable for such a drive. The green stretches have been divided into type-one and type-two forestry zones. While the former will have fruit trees and medicinal herbs, the latter stretch will be home to bigger, shady trees. A wide range of fruits that thrive in Kolkata weather — coconut, amla, jackfruit, mangoes like Himsagar, Amrapali and Mallika, guava, lemons such as batabi, kagzi and pati — will be planted. Popular medicinal plants like aloe vera, kalmegh, sarpagandha and aswagandha have been shortlisted.“What sets this project apart from other green drives is the fact that fruit trees will be planted. This will make the project self-sustaining, at least to an extent. We have chosen fringe areas because it is difficult to get land in the city proper. While in most places the width of the green verge will be five metres, in some places it will be three metres, as we have to ensure smooth traffic flow as well,” said Debashish Guha, administrative officer of KEIP. As there is a chance the green verge may be destroyed, KEIP has imposed a condition that the executor will have to maintain the entire belt till 2010. Watering and manuring the plants, administering medicines, pruning and cleaning of weeds and, above all, protecting the trees from encroachers will be the responsibility of the executor. Forest officials are excited. “It is a unique project as it doesn’t talk about landscaping and ornamental plants only but involves planting fruit trees and other shady forest species. We are very happy to help because it is only through such greening projects that we will be able to counter pollution,” said Nilanjan Mullick, deputy conservator of forests, urban recreational forestry.