Metro tunnel reaches Esplanade
The East-West metro tunnel from Howrah Maidan station reached Esplanade station and got connected with the operational North-South metro route. The Metro Rail informed this phase was one of the most challenging assignments as the tunnel boring machines had to dig beneath the Hooghly river and also the ground below century-old buildings to reach Esplanade. The two tunnel boring machines will be brought out and new machines will continue the boring work to connect with the Sealdah railway station.
Flipkart opens mega logistics hub
With e-commerce giant Flipkart opening its second integrated mega logistics hub in Kolkata at an investment of 600 crore after Bengaluru, Kolkatans are likely to get their online ordered products delivered faster. The logistics hub will cater to the entire east and northeast region. It will come up on an 80-acre plot either along the National Highway 2 (connecting Kolkata with Delhi) or along the National Highway 6 (connecting Kolkata with Mumbai) in the outskirts of the eastern metropolis. The ecommerce giant plans to use solar panels on its warehouse roofs for making its logistics hub carbon-neutral and a net power exporter.
Starbucks comes to city
Young Kolkatans are a happy lot with global coffee chain giant Starbucks making its maiden entry in the city. Three stores have come up in two shopping malls and one on a high street. The new outlets are part of the premium coffee chain’s plan to expand throughout the country. Sumitro Ghosh, CEO of Tata Strabucks, a 50:50 venture between Starbucks Coffee of the US and Tata Global Beverages, told the media that many more outlets are in the offing for Kolkata. Starbucks sources coffee from Tata Coffee and imports.
Norway woman traces roots to Kolkata
Norway resident Marie Kristiansen Eftestad, who was adopted by a Norwegian couple from Kolkata 40 years ago, is on a mission to trace her biological mother who had named her ‘Pinky’. Marie’s biological mother was unmarried when she gave birth to her daughter and did not want to give out her identity in the adoption details.
That is making it tough for Marie to trace her mother in the city. Marie is now mother of three children — two girls and one boy. The 44-year-old Norwegian citizen has also put up a post on Facebook, hoping that it would give out some information that would lead her to her biological woman. She is now hoping that The Indian Society For Sponsorship and Adoption (ISSA) would be able to help her trace her mother. The ISSA is a NGO dedicated to serving the children in the best possible way.
Aishik Chanda
Our correspondent in West Bengal
chanda.aishik @gmail.com