Latest news with #KMC
News18
38 minutes ago
- Business
- News18
127-year-old Roxy Cinema of Kolkata to be restored
Kolkata, Jul 23 (PTI) The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and CREDAI Kolkata have joined hands to restore the 127-year-old Roxy Cinema, a heritage landmark near New Market. Roxy, a single-screen theatre, had started as an opera house in 1908 before transforming into a cinema theatre in 1941. In the past, KMC had restored two other theatres — Star and Minerva. According to an MoU, CREDAI Kolkata, which represents developers across Kolkata and adjoining districts, has pledged Rs 5 crore towards the renovation. The realtors' body will primarily fund the interior restoration of the Art Deco-style building through a city-based architecture firm, while KMC will oversee the external civil work and monitor restoration under its Heritage Committee's guidance. Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim lauded the effort as a 'noble initiative to restore the city's built heritage," appreciating CREDAI's active participation. 'We are happy to see our members step up for a landmark like Roxy, and we hope this collaboration creates a lasting impact," he said. view comments First Published: July 23, 2025, 19:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Business Recorder
11 hours ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
KMC to launch smart parking services
KARACHI: The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) is set to launch Smart Digital Parking Services in selected covered and boundary wall-enclosed parking zones across the megacity. This initiative is part of a broader vision led by Mayor Karachi, Barrister Murtaza Wahab, to modernise public infrastructure and enhance urban mobility. Following the earlier announcement of free parking at 32 locations, KMC has now approved the development of Smart Parking Zones at 10 key sites, including Sindbad, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Parking Lot near AO Clinic, Nazimabad, Clifton Centre, Sassi Arcade, Paradise Centre, Polo Ground, Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Crystal Court, Plot Between Beach View Parking, Clifton, Hyper Star, Beach View Parking, Clifton, and Driving License Branch, Nazimabad. To implement this project, the Charged Parking Department has floated tenders and initiated procurement procedures. An Expression of Interest (EOI) has been invited under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, enabling private sector participation in Karachi's urban development. The Smart Parking system will include digital ticketing and cashless payment options, real-time parking availability updates, enhanced security and monitoring in covered areas. 'This initiative will not only address Karachi's growing parking demands but also mark a shift towards digital civic infrastructure — a long-term investment in the city's future,' said a KMC spokesperson. The project is currently under review and will be launched in phases following formal procedures. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Time of India
16 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
After Michael Madhusudan lesson, KMC goes slow on ‘first widow-remarriage' house
1 2 3 Kolkata: Following a legal dispute over the heritage status of Michael Madhusudan Dutt's residence in Kidderpore, KMC is going slow on conferring the same tag on the "first widow-remarriage building" in north Kolkata. The civic body has paused its move to declare the building at 48A, Kailash Bose Street a heritage structure, where the first widow remarriage in the country was said to have taken place about 168 years ago. The civic body is now looking for evidence to ascertain the fact. Kalimati Devi, daughter of Brahmananda Mukhopadhyay from Palasdanga village in Bankura, became a widow at the age of 10. She was remarried to Srishchandra Vidyaratna, a scholar and a former pupil of Sanskrit College, at this house in the presence of Vidyasagar, who spent Rs 10,000 from his own funds for the wedding. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata The halt comes in the wake of a legal setback suffered by KMC regarding Dutt's house at 20B, Karl Marx Sarani. Now, the civic body is planning to move court to save the structure from being razed. "The HC asked us to delist Dutt's house from the heritage register as documentary evidence could not be produced. After this, we are putting on hold our initiative to turn the building at Kailash Bose Street into a heritage structure now. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Speed up your Mac and free up storage with Space Lens MacPaw Read More Undo Once we get some concrete evidence, we will resume the move," said an official from the KMC's heritage department. In the 19th century, the address of the building was 12 Sukia Street when it belonged to Rajkrishna Bandyopadhyay. Later, the address was changed to 48A Kailash Bose Street, according to KMC sources. As per the KMC's IB register, the name of Soumendranath Bandyopadhyay was updated as the present owner of the building in 2024, but the family, according to local sources, is settled outside the city. In his biography on Akhay Kumar Dutta, a noted figure of the Bengali Renaissance invited to the wedding, writer Mahendranath Roy mentioned in Bengali in 1885 that on Dec 7, 1856, the first widow remarriage in the country happened at Rajkrishna Bandyopadhyay's house at Sukia Street. Swapan Samaddar, Mayor-in-Council member (heritage) at KMC, stated: "A couple of years ago, I proposed to make it a heritage building at Kailash Bose Street. Following the legal dispute over Michael Madhusudan Dutt's building as a heritage structure, we are finding concrete evidence supporting the event of the country's first widow remarriage at the Kailash Bose Street house, also a private property." As for Michael's residence, Samaddar stated: "We will make a fresh appeal in the HC to save it from demolition. "
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
JI moves SHC against commercialisation of parks by KMC
KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi has approached the Sindh High Court (SHC) to challenge the alleged commercialization of public parks by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) under the guise of public-private partnerships. The constitutional petition, submitted on Monday, was filed by Saifuddin Advocate, the opposition leader in the city council, along with several JI-affiliated town chairmen. The petition names the KMC and Karachi's mayor as respondents, accusing them of unlawfully handing over public amenity spaces to private parties. Speaking to media outside the SHC, Saifuddin Advocate said that the city's already limited public spaces were shrinking further due to such actions. 'The mayor and KMC are following in the footsteps of the MQM, which introduced the concept of 'china cutting'; a term for illegally converting amenity plots, including parks, into commercial or residential spaces,' he alleged. Saifuddin Advocate added that the Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP), now in control of the city government, was continuing the same exploitative approach. 'This regime is trying to make money by handing over parks to private companies, violating the spirit of public amenities,' he said. Citing the Constitution and existing court rulings, he emphasized that amenity plots, including parks, are not to be used for commercial purposes under any circumstances. Despite this, he noted, the PPP-led administration had recently leased a nursing hostel belonging to the Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases (KIHD) to a private party for just 250 thousand rupees per month, without even tabling the deal before the city council. He stressed that such decisions are not only unlawful but also deprive citizens of essential public spaces. Saifuddin Advocate vowed that the JI would continue to resist these measures, both in the council and the courts, to protect the rights of Karachi residents. The petition reflects growing political friction over the management of the city's public assets, particularly as accusations mount against the current municipal leadership for lacking transparency and undermining community welfare. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
800 KMC workers clean up rally leftovers in an hour
Kolkata: Esplanade and other parts of central Kolkata, where lakhs of party supporters congregated to attend the Shahid Diwas programme on Monday, were up and running within an hour of the programme ending. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now CM Mamata Banerjee concluded her address at 2.30 pm, and despite the scale of the gathering, traffic movement was systematically restored in phases. According to KMC, 800 workers, including 100 in Esplanade alone, were deployed to clear up the roads on a war-footing. The volunteers ensured that the crowd dispersed without creating any chaos. Buses ferrying workers were parked on Central Avenue, College Street, and BB Ganguly Street. By 3.15 pm, the southbound flank of Central Avenue at the Esplanade crossing was opened to traffic. "Once we ensured crowd dispersal and pedestrian safety, we immediately opened the southbound flank for vehicles," said a traffic sergeant. "As workers dismantled the dais, we rerouted northbound vehicles through the same flank to prevent congestion. " By 4.30 pm, both flanks of Central Avenue were operational, with a small section near the dais cordoned off for the final dismantling of the stage. Roads that had remained closed during the programme as lakhs of workers assembled there were fully open to traffic by 4.30 pm. Workers loaded the guard rails onto big lorries and immediately cleared the roads for. As soon as the programme ended, KMC teams began clean-up operations across the Maidan area, Esplanade, and surrounding roads. A senior official from the solid waste management department of KMC said, "Our teams were stationed across the city and were activated immediately after the programme. Special focus was on clearing the vicinity of the main stage and the Maidan. " Many workers who had come from the districts cooked their meals on pavements leading to Esplanade. The conservancy workers cleaned up the garbage left behind. Multiple conservancy teams were also deployed at Geetanjali stadium, Uttirno, and several accommodation points in north and central Kolkata where outstation party workers stayed overnight.
