Making over

Writers Buildings - the glorious past [Picture source]

Kolkata may as well be a city of heritage. This is the hope expressed by the city mayor in a workshop yesterday in which a British delegation took part. Not that the city lacks heritage structures. Thanks to the Raj era, Kolkata can truly boast of magnificent edifices that are located mainly in the whereabouts of Esplanade and Dalhousie Square.

It was a workshop on Delivering Urban Regeneration Projects where the mayor, presiding it over, expressed the hope. Attended by no less than the chairman of London Rivers Association, George Nicholson and Deputy High Commissioner, Simon Wilson, the workshop also saw participation by Guy Butler, Senior Development Manager of $15.6 billion UK-based international property group, Grosvenor and Phillip Davies, a planning development director of English Heritage.

The need to bring in makeover to the city is long overdue. What better start could it be than renovating the city’s heritage structures! True, many pockets in the city are suffering from an overwhelming urban decay that has happened over past many decades in absence of proper planning.

Yet the city reverberates with life and the urge of its dwellers to carry on despite odds. But this cannot go on forever, especially since big business is starting to flow in after a long hiatus. It’ll be a phenomenal job to undo many ills that plague the city, and that calls for not only some amount of willingness to let in fresh air, but also expertise to effect the changes in a way that enhances the overall image of the city.

It’s here that the British experts can play a vital role. To quote The Telegraph, Grosvenor is ready to do such restoration work in Calcutta if it earns them “the right to develop commercial properties adding up to a critical mass”, its representative Butler said.

Well, why not? But then perhaps it’s better said than done. Given the state’s murky politics, who knows such an initiative may be eyed with suspicion (even though the fact remains that it is DFID money that KMC is using for many development works)!

The onus is therefore on KMC and state government to work out some sort of consensus, if not agreeable by all, to start city’s makeover without delay. As the adage goes, better start than never.


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