A 300,000-sq ft shopping mall, a four-screen multiplex, a star hotel, service apartments and office blocks ? all linked to a multipurpose sports stadium ? are coming up at Kasba Rajdanga.

All these elements will be strung together in The Acropolis, a unique mixed-use destination set to come up on the Rashbehari connector near Siemens.

The project, valued at Rs 200 crore, is being developed as a public-private partnership (PPP) between CMDA and Merlin Projects Ltd, following a competitive bidding process.

The MoU for developing the project was signed at Writers? Buildings on Monday by CMDA CEO P.R. Bavishkar and Merlin Projects managing director Sushil Mohta, in the presence of state urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya.

?We picked Merlin from 11 companies which had expressed interest. With this project, we aim to speed up urbanisation in this area,? Bhattacharya said.

Merlin outbid other city heavyweights like Bengal Ambuja, Sristi, Bengal Silver Spring, Jessop and the Fort Group, among others.

In return for the 99-year land lease to the developer, CMDA will get Rs 20.65 crore for the land and control of the ready stadium.

A cheque for Rs 2 crore was handed over to the minister as the first instalment. The project, with construction time of two years, is expected to be complete by mid-2008.

To be developed across 6.5 acres at Kasba Rajdanga, the total built area will be 700,000 sq ft. The stadium, seating 4,000, will be at the heart of the development, ringed by the retail block with parking for 700 cars, the cineplex, a 3/4-star hotel, service apartments and offices.

?We want the retail space to be a fusion of high-street shopping and a mall. It must also have the right mix of local, national and international brands, so that home-bred entrepreneurs can showcase their wares,? Mohta told Metro.

Besides a big-ticket, multi-brand apparel anchor, the mall will boast a large food court and speciality restaurants spread across a 60,000 sq ft common central plaza.

?The F&B segment presents a huge opportunity, since that area doesn?t have too many organised options. Also, for the hospitality section, we will tie up with a leading international hotel chain,? said Mohta.

With three major hospitals in the immediate loop of the project site, the hotel should also catalyse medical tourism, he felt.

Merlin Projects is engaging Stephen Coates of aCTa, a Singapore-based architecture firm, for the concept design, while city-based Edifice Architects will be the principal architect on the ground.

The project is expected to generate 4,000 jobs and contribute an annual revenue of about Rs 100 crore to the exchequer by way of taxes.