Kolkata: West Bengal Housing Board (WBHB) will construct four residential projects in Kolkata and Siliguri and hand over residential plots at Binnaguri in Jalpaiguri over the next few years. The move is expected to benefit around 3,500 families.Announcing this on Friday, state housing minister Dipak Barman said, “We have decided to develop a mega housing project over 22 acres at Thakurpukur. Decisions have also been taken to construct 12 G+4 residential buildings, consisting of 48 flats in total in Action Area-I, New Town, and to revive the stalled Sunray housing project over 9.4 acres in Action Area-II in New Town.” Sunray housing project will consist of over 500 flats.Thakurpukur project will be a mix of LIG, MIG and HIG flats, while two projects in New Town will be developed exclusively for HIG buyers. WBHB has not constructed LIG and MIG housing projects in the last 9-10 years, an official said.WBHB plans to hand over the first phase of Thakurpukur project by Dec 2028. According to officials, the target has been set to complete construction of 48 flats in New Town by March 2028.“The projects in New Town and Thakurpukur are now in the DPR stage,” said housing department additional chief secretary Nandini Chakravorty.“WBHB will also construct a G+7 residential building for LIG and MIG families under phase IV of the Himalaya Kanya Housing project at Dabgram in Siliguri. Our target is to hand over the flats by Oct 2028,” the minister said.The current prices of WBHB’s LIG, MIG lower and MIG upper flats are Rs 4,500, Rs 5,100 and Rs 5,500 per square foot (carpet area), respectively, in Kolkata, the official said, adding that the price of HIG flats is market-linked.“We have also decided on the development of LIG, MIG residential plots over approximately 7 acres at Binnaguri under Rajganj block in Jalpaiguri, which will take 10 months from now,” Barman said. All the flats and plots will be allotted through lotteries.“From now on, the housing department will hand over flats on a freehold basis, not on leaseholds. We will also encourage the residents of our existing flats to move to freehold from leasehold now,” the minister stated.On being asked about the future of joint sector companies of WBHB, he said, “If urban land ceiling act abolishes, we will take a decision on the joint sector companies, and I hope everything will be cleared in the next 2-3 months.”WBHB has also decided to sell 359 unsold flats in its different residential projects on a first-come, first-served basis.The housing department plans to revive the mechanised brick field at Palta in North 24 Parganas and the kiln brick field at Akra, South 24 Parganas, which is expected to generate employment opportunities for close to 6,000 people, the minister said. The department will revamp the portals of WBHB and West Bengal RERA to make them more vibrant and interactive.
