MoU signed on Kolkata riverfront facelift project

Beautification, restoration and conservation of the 10-km-long eastern bank of the Hooghly between Cossipore and Garden Reach may begin in earnest, now that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed by officials of Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT), Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and RITES. The MoU was signed in Kolkata on Friday, in the presence of Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, railway minister Mamata Banerjee and minister of state for shipping, Mukul Roy. The programme was not without its share of controversy though, with state urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya expressing his displeasure over the fact that nobody from the state government was invited. KoPT officials, however, maintained that it was not a public function and nobody, save for media personnel, were invited to it. KoPT chairman M L Meena said RITES would prepare a comprehensive masterplan and submit it in two months. Work will then start on beautifying the riverfront. “We have conducted a detailed study. After beautification and restoration, this can be one of the most beautiful locations in the country,” he said. Little has been done in so many years to involve the various civic bodies along the Hooghly banks in conservation efforts, Roy pointed out. Mamata reiterated that there is ample scope to turn Kolkata into another London. “Unfortunately, we have not used the assets available. Let this be a start towards the right direction. Finally, we can develop the riverbank along the three stretches towards Sagar, Haldia and Farakka. The land along the river can be put to commercial use. In Kolkata, the KMC can undertake the work on land that is owned by KoPT and the railways. The Centre has been allotting a lot of funds for such projects. Much of this has remained unutilised,” Mamata said. She added that things should progress, now that government agencies have got together. Of the 48 ghats around Kolkata, 45 are maintained by KMC, two by KMDA and the remaining one by the state government. “The railways has a lot of land on the riverbank. Two more port facilities have also been planned in the state by KoPT. The railways will provide connectivity. Till port-rail connectivity can be achieved, no economic development will be possible. A number of agencies, including BESU, has expressed interest in working for development of the riverfront,” the railway minister said. Mukherjee agreed that development funds are often left unutilised. “Every finance minister would like to see utilisation of allotted funds. This is a very good initiative. In the past, there have been piecemeal efforts. These have not had the desired effect. There is no dearth of land and RITES has the technical competence to prepare the masterplan. I would just urge everybody to ensure that the project is completed. On many occasions, projects are undertaken but left incomplete,” he said.