By IANS,
Kolkata : In a step to fulfilling her pledge to spruce up Kolkata, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday kick-started an ambitious project to beautify a stretch along the Ganges.
The pilot project will involve giving a new look to the one kilometer stretch along the banks of the river.
Later, the project will cover nine more kilometers along the river bank, from Pramamik Ghat to Taktaghat in the city’s southern fringes.
“We have plans of beautifying Kolkata for a long time. We have taken up London as the theme. This project will propel eco-friendly tourism,” said Banerjee at the programme.
“If we plan, we can make the city more beautiful,” she said after inaugurating the project at Millennium Park on the banks of the river.
Kolkata Port Trust, Kolkata Municipal Corporation and Indian Railways have teamed up with the state government in the project.
D.C. Mitra, project coordinator of RITES (Rail India Technical and Economic Services), said: “A 15-20 meter wide pathway will be made along the one kilometer stretch.
“All the ghats in this stretch will be fully restored as many are in very bad shape.”
Banerjee accused the previous Left Front government of siphoning off funds which came from the central government under the Ganga Action Plan.