The development of towns and cities necessitates the setting up of administrative bodies to handle the growth and prepare the road map for further development. The massive development of Haldia Industrial Town was thus required to be administered by a statutory body which could provide direction and guidance to the engine of growth. Keeping this is mind the Haldia Development Authority was constituted under the West Bengal Town and Country Planning Act in 1980.
Structure and Working of HDA
Haldia Development Authority is an autonomous body and carries out its work under the guidance of Board of Haldia Development Authority. The board has been constituted by the notification of West Bengal Government. The Chief Executive Officer is the main controlling authority of the Board and all development activities and implementation of projects are done through his office. The Board meets on a quarterly basis and deliberates on various issues such as policy decisions, allotment of land and project implementation.
The Board is further divided into committees like:
Recruitment Committee
Land Allotment Recommendation Committee
Tender Committee
The Chairman of HDA acts as the Chairman of Recruitment Committee and Land Allotment Recommendation Committee & CEO of Haldia Development Authority acts as the Chairman and convener of Tender Committee.
Glittering Achievements and Scope of HDA
Haldia Development Authority has a wide range of functions in its ambit. It is the chief facilitator and provider of necessities such as power, land, water, drainage, housing, health, sports, banking and finance and many other facilities in Haldia. Upkeep of prevalent resources and building of new social and physical infrastructure is being done commendably well by HDA. Some of the scope work done by HDA are as under:
Land Development and Allotment
With rapid industrialization and resultant increase in population in the industrial town, land development and distribution became very important. Norms have been relaxed and Haldia Development Authority has been vested with increased power in maters of land. The authority has developed land for residential, industrial, commercial and social sector and has also focused on providing additional amenities such as water and drainage in these projects.
Clean Water
Clean water is a very important issue in an industrial town because of the waste that the industries emit. HDA has fared well in this front and ensures the treatment of industrial as well as domestic water. Efforts are being made to increase the treatment capacity from the present 20 MGD of water to MGD.
Housing and Building Infrastructure
The pace of housing infrastructure development is an indicator of the development of a town. Innumerable township projects and housing development projects are testimony to Haldia’s development and efficiency of HDA. Clinics, gyms, IT park, amusement parks and other social infrastructure have been built by the Authority at a very fast pace.
Helathcare Infrastructure
The Authority has worked well in the field of Healthcare infrastructure development. The sub divisional hospital is a 250 bedded facility which provides state of the art healthcare facilities. B C Roy hospital also offers excellent treatment.
Power Supply
Though the supply of electricity is the responsibility of the West Bengal State Electricity Board, the Haldia Development Authority has come forward with a helping hand from tie to time. For the greater interests of industries and residents alike, the Authority installed a dedicated power supply network to Chaitanayapur Water Works.
Tourism
One of the most important achievements of HDA has been the boost and fillip to the development of tourism that has been provided due to its efforts. The industries necessitated setting up of hotels such as Haldia Bhawan and this in turn has turned Haldia into a tourist hotspot.
Emphasis on Training & Development in Haldia
The Haldia Development Authority lays a lot of emphasis in continuous learning and development of its employees so that they can apply the learning for the betterment of the region. Various engineering training programs have been initiated in collaboration with JUSCO and Engineers Development Council. Training on various topics such as renewable energy, air quality and transportation challenges are conducted from timt to time.
List of Board Members of HDA
Sri Suvendu Adhikary, Mp, Tamluk Parliamentary Constituency - Chairman