On the lines of the tourist information guides available in London and Singapore, the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has prepared a booklet on Calcutta.

Discover Calcutta ? ICC City Guide will contain a gamut of information, ranging from the main tourist attractions to a listing of train and flight timings, from little-known facts about the city to all the fun and food stops.

?There was a need for such a publication. Lack of information on Calcutta led to people landing up in the wrong places and taking back wrong impressions,? explained Nazeeb Arif, secretary-general, Indian Chamber of Commerce.

According to him, the project aims at presenting the true picture of Calcutta and improving its perception.

The city-based chamber is in talks with international airlines, Indian embassies abroad, foreign consulates, major hotels and travel and tour operators to utilise the book as a ready reckoner on Calcutta.

To give it maximum coverage, ICC will distribute the book free. Besides, it is also in touch with the West Bengal government to use the handbook for various official reasons.

?So many things have happened here in the past few years. These positive developments should be showcased and we have tried to present that in this publication, which has an international look and feel,? added Arif.

Besides containing images of the picturesque Maidan and Victoria Memorial, the book also presents the diversity of the city, where the bylanes and potters in Kumartuli jostle for space with the hip crowd at the discos and the luxurious hotel lounges.

?We have tried to present Calcutta in its true spirit and we hope the book will help in drawing more business and leisure tourists,? summed up Arif.