KOLKATA: A stretch of a service road in front of the New Town fair ground is going to be the city’s first smart street from January 26 when the project is completed by New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA).
Officials said about 400 metres, from Swapno Bhor to the end of the New Town fair ground, off the arterial road in Action Area I, is being developed as the city’s first smart street. “The tools and facilities along the stretch will use solar energy and will have environment-friendly systems,” an official said.
For example, the stretch will have CCTV camera coverage from all angles, solar benches (with powering facility), solar trees (a solar cell hub) and internet hotspot. The stretch has already been laid with shredded plastic waste not only to add strength to the surface, but also as an effective recycling process to dispose of plastic waste.
The solar benches that are being set up will have solar panel on the sheds and sensors. Energy will be generated throughout the day and once someone sits on the bench, the sensor will send signals as the solar lights will automatically get switched on and will be switched off once s/he leaves.
The authorities are also installing solar power trees, which are artificial tree-shaped installations that have branches made of steel and hold photovoltaic solar panels on its branches. Such installations will have power generation capacity of about one kWp.
Also there will be hotspot zones with the authorities setting up white metal leaves installations. The pavements have been resurfaced to have a slope for the convenience of the elderly who find it difficult to step up.
NKDA has also decided that anyone damaging the pavements would have to pay the restoration charges. “The pavements have been built and will be maintained by NKDA. It has been noticed at some places that they are damaged by people driving or parking their vehicles on the. Sometimes they are dug up. From now on, a restoration charge will be imposed,” an official said.