2004 Cast

Education is the other area of growth. 40 new colleges could begin working this year and more international universities will try and set shop.

Mumbai will move in the right direction with construction of elevated roads by June. The favoured stretches: From Kala Nagar to Vakola Bridge to Airport Junction.

Expect a boom in business. Low interest rates and good corporate results may ensure that the Sensex hits 6,500.

Chennai: Mixing business with science

This year Chennai is targetting the business traveller. The Chennai Trade Centre will be expanded and promoted as a convention destination for international and national conferences. Chennai is also one of the four locations in the country chosen by the UGC to establish a National Institute of Science, which will focus on producing scientists.

Bangalore: 3 flyovers and a smooth drive

Unmanageable traffic was the first distressing fallout of Bangalore’s popularity. By the end of this year there could be less chaos on the roads. Three flyovers are scheduled to be completed in 2004 and the Rajajinagar Grade Separator project will solve the heavy traffic problem in the area. And multi-storeyed parking lots will come up in the city.

Ahmedabad: Narmada water in city taps

Ahmedabad may breathe easy this year. Automobiles and industries will soon be able run on cheaper, cleaner fuel—natural gas. Bringing home this advantage will be the CNG supply: pipe-laying is expected to be completed by March and supply to begin in May.

Western parts of Ahmedabad will have the Narmada to thank for this year for supplying them with soft water. Work on a water treatment plant in Gyasour will be completed by April and will treat 275 million litres per day.

Ahmedabad is also set to get a new, improved airport. Officials hope to make the city airport world class by December 2004. It will then accommodate 12-14 aircraft at a time, will have parallel taxiing track connecting all terminals, integrated parking facility, central air conditioning, a medical unit and aerobridges.

Finally, in 2004, Ahmedabad is expected to become another Vadodara where the number of mobile phones has already overshot the number of landline connections.

Delhi: High capacity buses, the Metro travels further

The High Capacity Bus System (HCBS) which was slotted for December 2003 is finally expected to take off this year. The buses for the HCBS will have double the capacity of present DTC buses. Part of a larger plan to augment the Metro, civic authorities are working on extensive road re-engineering for these buses, which will run on segregated bus lanes over a potential 460 km stretch on the capital.

More people will be able to use the Metro as in March 2004, line 1 from Inderlok (Trinagar) will be operational till Rithala. Also the first underground stretch of Line 2 from Vishwavidalaya (Delhi University) to Kashmere Gate will be operational in December 2004.

The city’s green drive will continue this year. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has planned biodiversity parks. The Yamuna biodiversity park has already been notified and is coming up near Wazirabad. The Aravali Park will come up near Vasant Kunj.

While the Yamuna waters may not sparkle just yet, they might look less murky. Phase II of the Yamuna Action Plan, initiated to clean the river, starts this year.

Chandigarh: A township and a technology park

In Mohali a Malaysian firm will be setting up a 500 acre self-sustaining integrated township complete with houses, schools and commercial complexes.

In 2004, the Chandigarh Technology Park will be ready for the IT companies to shift. The DLF recently signed an MoU with the Chandigarh Administration for this and work has begun.

The city’s water supply will go up this year. More sewage treatment plants will also be set up.

Pune: A new science institute, and the FTII resumes its acting course

In the coming academic year, Pune will see the inauguration of a premiere science institute — The National Institute of Science. This institute—similar to an IIT—will offer a five-year flexible and open modular course.

The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) which has produced actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Shatrughan Sinha, Jaya Bachhan and Zareena Wahab, will resume its acting course.

The Palace on Wheels will stop at Pune this year. And on a more mundane note, two water treatment plants will start working in 2004 which should put an end to the water shortage in many parts of the city. Two sewage treatment plants will also be set up which could save the city’s much-polluted rivers—Mula and Mutha.

Top BPOs (Msource, Spectramind, WNS etc) are pumping up operations in Pune, IT exports are soaring, and this year will herald the revival of the manufacturing sector.

Kolkata: Four flyovers and a riverfront

Will flyovers transform Kolkata’s snail pace to a frisky trot? In 2003 two flyovers came up at at Gariahat and AJC Bose Road. 2004 will see more flyovers: at Park Street, Eastern Bypass, Kidderpore and the VIP Road at Dum Dum.

The Metro routes are also being expanded to connect Tollygunge in the south to Garia. The Hooghly riverfront is being developed with the help of the British government. And the city will get its second multiplex, this time in east Kolkata.