Season's Greetings, Tilottama

My plans of watching the first sunrise of 2007 went haywire due to the rain. So, here I am, writing my first blog of 2007. Rather, creating a laundry list of predicted improvements in Kolkata/West Bengal. I plan to go through this list at the end of 2007 (with the help of Telegraph). I am telling you in advance, I will be excited even if 10% of the plans are materialised.
"Shatakoti santanere, he mugdha janani. Rekhecho bangali kore, manus koroni"

1. Useful exit ramps from AJC flyover. Those will actually reduce the congestion.
2. Main road of Rajarhat will be completely rebuilt, with the specification of the Indian Road Congress (read: so that the road can withstand a couple of monsoon seasons).
3. Infrastructure in Sector V will finally be revamped by the Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority, starting with seven arteries in tech town being repaired and then beautified.
4. The "country's first automated underground parking plaza" in front of New Market will finally be commissioned this year. The latest (N'th) date is Poila Baisakh. Keep your fingers crossed on this one.
5. The city's first off-the-river water treatment plant will be unveiled at Dhapa.
6. Solar-powered street lights, trash bins on roads, less water logging.
7. Deposition of property tax and licence fees at any CMC counter.
8. CAT-II Instrumental Landing System will be operational at the airport. The secondary runway expansion by another 440 m will be completed.
9. CAS will enter (and along with it, DTH too).
10. After all the chaos, construction of the Tata Motors plant with start in Singur.
11. After what seems like a century, tyres will roll out of Dunlop's Sahagunj factory. Talk about revival then.
12. Infosys will make a big bang entry on the 100 acres to be offered by March 2007 opposite Vedic Village.
13. Calcutta University will open a number of advanced research centres in areas like social science, modern biology, nano-technology. A slew of study centres will become operative.
14. Real high speed Broadband for home users and increased Wi-Fi (or even better, Wi-Max like Bangalore) coverage.

Good luck, Kolkata. Wish you all the best. I love you.