Hooghly: River Of Shame
Subhro Niyogi, TNN 24 November 2009, 01:05am IST
Great cities, they say, are ones that grow around a river. London
developed around the Thames. Rome wasn’t built in a day but it sure
grew around the Tiber as did Paris around Siene. Vienna has Danube,
Moscow’s got Moskva. Alexandria and Cairo share Nile. Baghdad grew
around Tigris, Istanbul around Bosphoros and Amsterdam around Amstel.
India is no exception. Delhi was built around Yamuna and Kolkata next
to Hooghly. Sadly, that’s where the comparison ends. While rivers
continue to be the heart, soul and pride of major cities around the
world, Yamuna has been choked to death and Hooghly lies abused and
neglected.
Ironically, but for river Hooghly, Job Charnock would not have landed
here over three centuries ago. There would have been no major
settlement to string together the three villages of Kalikata, Sutanuti
and Gobindapur into a thriving metropolis that Kolkata is today.
Between Prinsep Ghat and Bagbazar, the river flows for over a dozen
kilometres along the western edge of Kolkata. But it is only for a
short 1.5 km stretch between Babu Ghat and Prinsep Ghat that is open
and visible. For a good part of the remaining section, the river is
either made out of bounds by hideous rusting warehouses that are
housed on its edge, or inexplicably hidden behind a high wall. The
purpose, it appears, is to shield the city from a shame but what
actually ought to have been its greatest asset and pride.
Lost Connection
"For an eternity, Kolkata has turned its back on its river, unlike
Paris or London, and paid a heavy price for the apathy," says
architect Charles Correa. Saddened by the condition of the riverfront,
Correa had offered help to bring the river back into the consciousness
of the city but the government failed to grab the opportunity.
"Where else in the world would you have a sacred river flowing by with
majestic buildings in the backdrop? Yet, there is no connect between
the city and the river. The city should be a celebration of the river
Hooghly," Correa remarks.
The section to the north of Howrah bridge that is dotted with derelict
ghats, illegal warehouses and a crematorium is essentially a vast open
toilet zone and appears beyond redemption. There is a possibility of
reclaiming the riverfront to the south of the bridge but it remains a
picture of despair due to sheer lack of initiative.
A walk down south of Howrah bridge, this stretch reveals the extent of
apathy towards the city’s greatest heritage. There are half a dozen
ghats with both historical and architectural significance. But only
Prinsep Ghat, built in 1843, stands magnificently among the
ruins. Rich in Greek and Gothic inlays, the monument was restored by
the state public works department in November 2001 and has since been
well-maintained.
Of the rest, only the Man-O-War jetty that belongs to Indian Navy is
properly maintained but has no architectural significance. The most
exquisite of them all Ramchandra Goenka bathing ghat for women lies in
utter neglect. The magnificent edifice with its exquisitely-shaped
Islamic dome and gorgeous tiled floor and walls lies uncared for and
misused.
The ghat, meant exclusively for use by women, is today a hang-out for
pot-smokers and card gamblers. The panoramic view of Howrah bridge, as
it stretches across the Hooghly, is lost in the stench from the filth
and grime that numbs the senses.
Stink & Filth
"When I was young, these ghats were splendid. They were clean and
unsullied. Now, with so much of muck strewn around, it is a hazard to
walk down for a bath. And with boys and men invading the ghats, there
is no privacy. Hence, few women, except elders like me, come here,"
says octogenarian Angurbala Devi, the sole female at the ghat occupied
by over a dozen men one afternoon.
The Rajasthani haveli-type dormitory or dharmashala built by Seth
Surajmal Jalan Trust on Jagannath Ghat; the corinthian columns at
Mutty Seal Ghat, the typically British Rashmoni Ghat with cast iron
pillars and timber louvres and the simplicity of Chotelal Ghat are all
splendid pieces of architecture but lie in utter neglect. These apart,
there are the Gunpat Ray Kalyan (ladies bathing) Ghat, Armenian ferry
Ghat, Outram Ghat, Judges Ghat, Pani Ghat and Meen Mangal Ghat.
"The ghats can serve as punctuations on a landscaped riverfront. All
that is needed is proper restoration and a thorough clean-up. They can
continue to serve cultural, social, religious and utilitarian purposes
but be more humane and aesthetic," said landscape architect Suchandra
Bardhan.
While the stretch of riverfront between Kingsway Babughat and Fairlie
Place ferry ghat particularly the Circular Railway track is an open
defecation ground all year round, it is worse during Ganga Sagar Mela
when thousands of pilgrims turn it into a free-for-all latrine. It
becomes a stink zone.
Warehouse Worry
Apart from the ghats, there are four Victorian warehouses located
along Strand Road. One of them, the Fairlie warehouse, has been
restored by Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) and converted into a Maritime
Archives and Heritage Centre. Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of
it. Most people in the city haven’t, ether. Not only is the entrance
to the building obscure, there is no signage on Strand Road to tell
people what it is.
The other three warehouses Canning, Clive and Strand remain in
decrepit state. Strand Warehouse, which is architecturally the best of
the lot, lies in the worst condition. Its top roof has collapsed,
baring the interior structure to elements that will only hasten its
degeneration.
There have been attempts to chalk out a renovation blueprint for the
warehouses but bureaucratic red tape and scepticism have grounded such
initiatives. The British Deputy High Commission got the London Rivers
Association to offer its expertise based on knowledge of regeneration
of the London Docklands and other port cities in the UK.
"London has converted a derelict gas station into the celebrated Tate
Modern art gallery. Canary Wharf is a great example of how dead zones
can be revived with minimum intervention. In Kolkata, the warehouses
have a similar potential and can be converted to hubs for art,
culture, retail and entertainment. This will create the necessary
connect between the riverfront and citizens," said London Rivers
Association chairman George Nicholson, whose report on regeneration of
the waterfront is gathering dust.
Dust Pile On Plans
A team of experts, led by architect and planner Partha Ranjan Das,
researched riverfront developments at London, Birmingham, Paris,
Marseilles, Shanghai and Osaka to see what made them click. The
suggestions at the end of the study was to improve visibility of the
river by pulling down defunct godowns and walls and development of
urban interaction centres like open-air theatres, food courts and
waterside cafes that require minimum intervention. He made
presentations to all stakeholders, including chief minister Buddhadeb
Bhattacharjee. But their efforts yielded no result.
The only worthwhile attempt to make the river accessible was the
development of Millennium Park along a kilometre-long stretch by
Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). Its manicured park,
promenade, amphitheatre, children’s activity zones and riverside caf?
attract nearly a million visitors a year.
"The popularity of the Millennium Park goes to show the people’s
keenness to embrace the river and indicates the immense possibilities
of converting the riverfront into a recreation and rejuvenation zone,"
said restoration architect Manish Chakraborty.
Sadly, a turf war between rival workers’ unions kept the Millennium
Park out of bounds for three months, accentuating the myriad hurdles
that development projects in the city face.
Shut Out of View
Getting the Millennium Park project going was itself a Herculean task,
given the number of stakeholders involved: KoPT, KMDA, railways,
public works department (PWD), Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC),
West Bengal tourism and inland waterways authority. While all of them
have well-meaning development plans for the riverfront, lack of
coordination and bureaucratic red tape have left many frustrated.
Some projects like the rejuvenation of Armenian Ghat Street or Strand
Bank Road and development of a flower market to replace the thatched
stalls on either side of a slushy, stinking lane along the river bank
have been stuck on the drawing board for ages.
A couple of initiatives that did see the light of the day have
degenerated to the earlier state of ruin due to lack of maintenance. A
stretch of the riverbank, next to the Man-O-War Jetty that was
beautified by KMDA, is now in a shambles. The entire stone pathway has
been dug up to lay a pipeline for carrying water from the Hooghly to
Fort William. Three other Millennium Parks, developed by KMC alongside
Babu Ghat, lie unknown and unused, obscured from public view by the
bus terminus.
Next to Outram Ghat, a two-level Viewer’s Gallery owned and maintained
by KoPT provides a panoramic view of the river, but lies shut. Close
by is the Gwalior Monument, a beautiful blend of Islamic and European
architecture that was restored by PWD in 2000. It is still well kept
but beyond public access. The only sign of life within is a lungi and
an undergarment on a clothesline. Presumably, they belong to the
caretaker.
Fond Memory, Bitter Bite
Along the entire stretch of the riverfront, there are only two
eateries where families can step in. There’s the Prinsep restaurant,
oppose Calcutta Swimming Club, which serves Chinese and Indian food
but has no connection with the river.
And then there is Scoop. Earlier called Gay, the restaurant once
served the best pizza in town but now dishes out an apology of the
favourite Italian meal. In fact, two rustic lads now man the pizzeria,
a far cry from the Italian chef who baked cheesy delights. The french
fries are pathetic and the ice-cream stale.
But the first floor of the musty, poorly air-conditioned, unhygienic
restaurant still provides the best view of the river. Seated before
the sheer glass frontage overlooking the river, Sukirat Sethi and
Indrani Chakraborty reminiscence the old days when they were
colleagues at a courier firm office in the city and would often come
down for a bite at the Scoop.
Now married and in Bangalore, they manage to come down to the city
once in a couple of years because they miss the connection with the
river. Enjoying the breathtaking view of the Hooghly and chewing a
slice of rubbery pizza, Sethi laments the steady decline of the
riverfront.
"Every time we come down to Kolkata, there are distinct changes to the
city. Roads have improved, flyovers have been constructed to ease
traffic, there are swanky malls and condominiums… Sadly, the
riverfront is the only section that has gone from bad to worse. For
us, it still retains its charm because we have a connection with the
river. But for most, the river lies alienated. It is so sad that a
river so beautiful has no takers. It’s only during immersions and
rituals related to death that people come here," he remarks.
Chakraborty, who recalled the childhood Sunday evening jaunts along
the promenade with her favourite’ dadu KP Chatterjee, wished someone
did something to spruce up the city’s greatest heritage. "The city’s
greatest icon is the Howrah bridge across the Hooghly. There is so
much opportunity for tourism. Make it a destination where people would
love to come with their family and friends. We had heard of a river
cruise and wanted to lunch on a boat and take a ride down the river
but couldn’t locate an information booth. How much does it take to set
up kiosks where people hand out information and sell tickets for
pleasure rides on the river?" she asks.
What’s So Difficult?
Octogenarian Chatterjee, who was gingerly chaperoning Sethi and
Chakraborty’s daughter Suhani around the crumbling promenade, pointed
out how hazardous it was for the elderly to negotiate the broken
pathway. "Even a stroll is difficult. I’ve been to several cities
around the world where the river is the prime attraction. The Sienne
in Paris or the Tiber in Rome is no match to the Hooghly. Yet the
riverfront is an integral part of life in these cities. Here, it is
death and decadence," he says.
Conservationist Manish Chakraborty believes all is not lost yet; it is
possible to recover the riverfront but requires political will and
foresight. He suggests setting up of a special purpose vehicle
comprising all stakeholders to chalk out a comprehensive blueprint for
the corridor.
"Christen the project Special City Zone and look beyond a cosmetic
improvement to a holistic development that can reclaim the heritage,
address redundancies like derelict warehouses and also explore
business possibilities. Create a win-win opportunity and there will
surely be takers," Chakraborty suggests.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress