Calcutta, Feb. 25: Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today laid the foundation stone of the Rs 1,200-crore Calcutta Riverside township in Batanagar.

The 262-acre township is being developed by Riverbank Holdings Pvt. Ltd, a joint venture between the Calcutta Metropolitan Group Ltd and Bata India Ltd, and is scheduled to be completed by 2011.

“I am extremely happy to be here, because a few months back when the Riverbank Holdings management met me, I liked the concept of the township immediately. The infrastructure that has been planned, along with the employment opportunities it will provide, makes this project a cut above the rest,” Bhattacharjee said.

“However, I would like to tell the Bata management to invest more in Bengal, and I will try my best to provide all the help that I can,” the chief minister promised.

The township will consist of more than 5,000 high-income group and middle-income group flats, along with schools, hospitals, a 15 lakh sq ft industrial park, a transportation hub and a golf course. It will provide accommodation to Bata employees as well.

“Calcutta Riverside will be a completely self-contained township?. We also hope to maximise an active pedestrian riverfront environment,” said Sumit Dabriwal, the managing director of Riverbank Holdings.

Dabriwal added that employment would be provided to almost 31,000 people after the construction is complete.