Writers’ Buildings has had a corporate ripple rub-off on the civic body headquarters.

As investors — both local and global — troop down to Bengal, a majority of them are heading towards the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) building.

“It has never happened in the history of the civic body… Every other day, representatives from some corporate house is visiting the CMC headquarters with some proposal,” said mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya.

The civic body’s tryst with India Inc started late in the 90s with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), when the software major stepped in to implement an e-governance project.

But things have changed since then and the roster of visitors at the red building now boasts big corporate houses. From Reliance and Metro AG to DLF and Wockhardt, the list is getting impressive and longer by the day.

Among the major projects up for grabs are renovation of New Market, setting up of healthcare facilities, educational institutes and hospitality ventures. But rebuilding and expansion of 20 civic markets has aroused the maximum interest, with the Reliance group and some other major retail players like Metro Cash and Carry showing keen interest.

The investment in the project — the tender is to be floated next month — will be around Rs 700 crore, said CMC sources.

“Big corporate houses are showing interest in various projects and their representatives are meeting us regularly. Following the state government’s model, we are also trying our best to entertain them and send positive signals to investors,” said mayor Bhattacharyya, echoing chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

According to municipal commissioner Alapan Bandyop-adhyay, the companies are queuing up at the CMC headquarters not only for projects or land. From laying service roads to relaxing building norms — the CMC is receiving diverse requests from them.

“We try to negotiate with the companies on specific demands…. Till now, most of the negotiations have yielded a positive response from both sides,” said Bandyopadhyay.

While the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government is facing stiff resistance in the Assembly from the Opposition, there seems to a political consensus in the civic body over development projects.

“If the CMC is extending project-specific help, we do not mind, as it is for the benefit of the people… We are cooperating whenever there is some advantage in the project. But it does not mean that we will allow everything that the ruling party wants to push through,” stressed Trinamul Congress member Javed Ahmed Khan, leader of the Opposition in CMC.