New Town, Kolkata

New Town is a planned locality situated in North-East Kolkata. It's part of the North 24 Parganas district and is also a part of the New Town Kolkata Development Authority. It's among the many satellite cities of Kolkata and is located 11km away from the main city. It's also been designated a Solar City and a Smart Green City by the Government of India. 

This is a newly developed region and is still seeing a lot of development with time. It's divided into three zones, namely Action I, II, and III, and consists of a mix of residential, commercial, educational, and corporate complexes. It's located in close proximity to other localities such as Salt Lake, Lake Town, Rajarhat, and Kestopur, among others. 

New Town is also a major upcoming employment hub in Kolkata, along with Salt Lake Town V. Some of the major commercial parks in these regions include Unitech Infospace, Candor Techspace, TCS - Gitanjali Park, and DLF It Park 1 and 2. 

Adding to this is the well-developed social infrastructure of the town, which consists of educational institutions, retail spaces, and hospitals. Some of the notable educational institutions here include the Saltlake Shiksha Niketan, The New Town School, and Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Government College. 

On the other hand, some of the notable hospitals and healthcare centres include Goodace Hospital, Calcutta Heart Clinic and Hospital, and Ohio Hospital. 

New Town offers its residents various benefits, some of which include - 

• All the roads are clean and well-constructed and also feature street lights. 
• The closest metro station is the Salt Lake Sector V Metro Station which is located a mere 4km away from New Town. 
• There is consistent night patrolling to ensure the streets are safe and not deserted. 
• Delhi Public School, a national chain of co-ed CBSE Schools, has a branch in New Town, offering students a high-quality education. 
• There's a lot of greenery in the locality thanks to the Subhash Chandra Bose Udyan, which is a 60,000 sq. ft. green belt located in AE Block. 
• The town is well connected to other major localities via the Biswa Bangla Sarani Road (NH34).

Some areas of improvement in New Town, according to its residents, include - 

• Auto rickshaws are not very easily available, hindering the ease of commuting. 
• There's a lack of multispecialty hospitals here, so residents often have to rely on hospitals in the main city of Kolkata. 
• The number of grocery shops here is limited. 
• High volumes of traffic lead to excessive noise pollution due to honking. 

The physical infrastructure of New Town is very well-developed and offers its residents good connectivity to nearby localities along with ample public transport. Some of the major roads in this locality include the Aliah University Road, New Town Road, and the Biswa Bangla Sarani Road (NH34). 

Further, finding various means of public transport, including taxis, buses, and e-rickshaws, is easy. The closest metro station in Salt Lake Sector V is merely 4km away, and the nearest airport is the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport which is a mere 12km away. 

The social infrastructure of New Town is very well developed, offering its residents easy access to all the amenities they would need on a daily basis. These are listed below and categorised for easy reference. 

• Mehak-E-Punjab
• Ministry of Booze
• Sekuwa Ghar
• Laa Mozerallla
• Nababiana Restaurant 
• Social Kitchen
• German Cafe & Bistro 
• Chit Chaat 
• The Newtown Dhaba 

• United Bank of India
• ICICI Bank 
• State Bank of India
• Allahabad Bank 
• HDFC Bank
• Bandhan Bank
• Federal Bank 
• Bank of Maharashtra 

• Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport - 12km away 

• New Town Bus Stand 

• Bidhan Nagar Road - 15.6km
• Patipukur Railway Station - 16.0km

• Salt Lake Sector V Metro Station - 4km 

• Upasana Park 
• Smritiban Park 
• New Town Lake Park

As you can see, the social infrastructure of New Town ensures access to all major amenities. This includes good connectivity to airports, metro stations, train stations, and more. Further, the presence of various restaurants and parks also ensures that residents have various options to enjoy leisurely activities. 

Given that New Town is a planned city, there are various major and popular roads that connect various parts of the locality to each other and the locality as a whole to those around it. Some of these roads include - 

• New Town Road - This road connects the central part of the town to other sub-localities on the periphery, such as Hatisala, Kulberia, and Chandrakanthal Beria, among others. 
• Biswa Bangla Sarani Road - This national highway runs through New Town and connects it to other localities such as Sector V and also to the main city of Kolkata. 

This section explores the various localities around New Town, along with their distance, travel time, and cab fare to each of them. These details are mentioned in the table below. 

Commuting within New Town and to other neighbouring localities is relatively easy to the variety of public transport options available. For starters, cab aggregators such as Uber and Ola offer their services here, so residents can book a cab within seconds. 

Further, one can easily find e-rickshaws here, while finding auto-rickshaws can be a little tricky. However, the presence of the metro line, with the closest metro station being just 4km away, ensures that residents have a safe and affordable way of commuting around New Town and the other satellite cities around Kolkata. 

Last but not least, the presence of two railway stations merely 16km away on average and the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, which is 12km away, make rail and air travel convenient too. 

There are various aspects of New Town's physical and social infrastructure that its residents rate well. The first is the good public transport network across the locality, which also helps its residents travel to the main city of Kolkata. Other aspects include the presence of good schools, well-maintained roads, access to the metro, and safety, particularly at night. 

On the other hand, some aspects that residents dislike are the traffic congestion and the high pollution levels, just as you'll find in any large city. 

There are various ways in which one can visit New Town. If you're commuting to New Town from Kolkata city, you can easily do so by cab or metro. If you're visiting from other cities around, a cab or a bus can be a great option if you want to travel by road. 

If you're travelling by train, you can get off at the Bidhan Nagar Road or Paripukur Railway Stations and take a cab or the metro to your destination. 

Last but not least, if you're travelling by air, you can take a flight to the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport and take a cab from there to reach your destination. 

There are various places you can visit in New Town, Kolkata. The first is Eco Park, which is an amusement park spread across an area of 194 hectares. The park offers lots of green spaces along with a water body spread across 42 hectares. One can indulge in activities such as water zorbing, kayaking, duo cycling, high-speed boating, rifle shooting, archery, and roller skating. 

Another place of interest is the Mother's Wax Museum, where one can see wax statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, Pranab Mukherjee, BR Ambedkar, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, and various other notable personalities across various fields. 

Another important attraction is the Biswa Bangla Gate, an architectural marvel suspended in mid-air that offers fine dining options, matchless views, and much more. 

When compared to the various localities around it, New Town offers a modern approach to living that many appreciate. Further, given that this is a planned satellite city, commuting within it is also easy. There are plenty of residential offerings available for rent and sale.

Further, the presence of vast green spaces also ensures that New Town offers a great balance between modern constructions and greenery and leisure spaces for its residents.