Minister Asok Bhattacharya takes stock of Sector V. Picture by Sanat Kumar Sinha

State municipal affairs minister Asok Bhattacharya paid a surprise visit to check the ground reality in Sector V for the first time in 11 months after Nabadiganta, the industrial township authority, was formed.

The minister confessed that the situation was “very bad” and that immediate steps would have to be taken to improve affairs. “There is a total absence of discipline in the area,” he noted.

He ordered immediate confiscation of building material lying on the road. The excessive flow of traffic in the area caught his attention, making him compare the crossing in front of SDF building to BBD Bag.

He visited the area near the offices of Wipro, PricewaterhouseCoopers and then proceeded to the area near the Godrej site office and Nalban.

He agreed that the original master plan would have to be changed. “In the 70’s, a master plan was made whereby this particular area was reserved for small-scale and cottage industries. Things have changed now, giving way to IT, knowledge process outsourcing and BPO industries,” said Bhattacharya. He pointed out that the area had not been exploited to its optimum use. Without proper infrastructure, utilisation of the area is not possible.

The minister announced a separate escro account of Rs 20 crore for Sector V. “Work will start immediately to improve the roads; pavements are a must here. The shanties have to be removed,” said Bhattacharya.

Certain projects will be carried out under a public-private partnership, like construction of a food court, drinking water supply, construction of a bus stand with commercial complex and an upgrade of the sewerage system. Beautification, too, will be a joint venture.

“Jamshedpur Utilities and Services Company (JUSCO), a subsidiary of Tata Steel, has been roped in to look after the drinking water supply and sewerage system of the area,” said Bhattacharya. He pointed out that the industrial zone would receive three million gallons of drinking water a day from Tallah-Palta.

To improve connectivity between the IT hub and Rajarhat, a flyover will come up at Karunamoyee. The culvert at JK Saha Bridge will be widened. Two more culverts will be built soon.