Imagine a tube ride from Howrah’s Ramrajatala to the heart of Rajarhat New Town, a cosy ride on an aero-dynamic bus, a cruise down Keshtopur canal, all in a single day.

Yes, this is what the West Bengal government plans to do in its showpiece township Rajarhat or New Town.

Once a swamp dotted with rice, vegetable and fish farms, New Town now is one of India's latest and rapidly growing cities. It is in the Greater Kolkata area, and a stone’s throw from the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Calcutta.

The township of about 7,533 acres (3,050 hectares) will be at least three times bigger than the neighboring planned area of Salt Lake (its officially called Bidhannagar).

According to government proposals, the township could be extended up to the extreme south of the state, i.e., up to the Sunderbans near the Bay of Bengal.

The city is being developed in phases. Action Area I was developed first and is adjacent to Salt Lake's Sector V electronic complex. Therefore, as a natural extension, a large number of European, USA-based, Chinese, Japanese and the Indian software companies have already started setting up their offices in this part of the township. Action Area II, literally on the border of the Kolkata International Airport area, will be completed by the end of 2007.

The huge demand for housing plots in the first two areas has forced the Government to fast track the development of Action Area III – about 3, 334 acres (1,350 hectares). Already 25,000 applications have reached the Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco), the agency implementing the project. Another 10,000 who were unlucky in the lottery for plots of land in Phase I and II, are also in the queue.

Hidco has allotted nearly 6,000 residential plots to 2,900 individuals and 2,800 cooperatives, besides 40 acres to developers to build residential complexes in Action Areas I and II. Another 1,000 acres have been allotted to individuals and companies to build commercial complexes, shopping malls, office complexes, cultural centres, educational institutions, public utility centres and IT estates.

The Chairman of Hidco and the Housing Minister of West Bengal, Mr Gautam Deb, is a man in a hurry.

The New Town area is ringed by some of the best entertainment facilities in West Bengal. Apart from private clubs, it has a good number of children's parks and clubs for everyone. Among them are the water park Aquatica; a children's park called Nicco Park; a huge picnic spot consisting of small lakes called Nalban; and Vedic Village, a club for adults with traditional Indian yoga and spa facilities.

Several international shopping malls are being constructed in the area. New Town will become a shopper’s paradise in a few years.

International five-star hotels like ITC Sonar Bangla and Hyatt Regency are in nearby areas. These hotels have good multicuisine and pubbing facilities. Some more five-star and super luxurious hotels are planned, including one by Ratan Tata for his chain of Ginger hotels.