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Eco Park’s Japanese Garden to open in last week of December

The Japanese Garden at Eco Park will be opened in the last week of December.

An expert from Japan will visit the park in the third week of December to oversee the final touches that are being given. The Japanese Garden will be the only one of its kind garden in the state.

Eco Park renamed as Prakriti Tirtha by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is the most sought after tourist destination of Kolkata in New Town. The footfall of visitors has been more than 53 lakh since its inception, four years ago.

The statues of Buddha brought from Suruchi Sanga and Chetla Agrani will be displayed to decorate the garden which will come up on 3.5 acre of land. It may be recalled that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had asked the chairman of Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation’s (HIDCO) chairman Debashis Sen to select a place and display the pieces of art permanently during the great immersion carnival held in October on Red Road.

Work is going on a war footing to give the Japanese garden the final shape. There will be statues of laughing Buddha to welcome the visitors. There will be a three layer pagoda along with a monastery, drawing inspiration from the Ryonji monastery. There will also be a meditation room. To entertain the visitors, there will be a restaurant where Japanese food would be served. It will be run by Café Ekante, a star attraction of Eco Park which has been lauded by the foodies of the city because of its high quality. Talks are on with a chef who is an expert in Japanese food. There will lanterns and lights to give the area the look of mini Japan.

The Eco Park which stands on 480 acre of land with a 104 acre of water body surrounding it was inaugurated by Mamata Banerjee on December 29, 2012. It is divided into three broad areas- ecological zone comprising wetlands, grassland and urban forest, theme garden and open space and urban recreation spaces.

There is a famous toy train of Darjeeling and a replica of Ghoom railway station. The different gardens have attracted the visitors as well as the urban recreation spaces where people can cycle and walk. The houseboat restaurant and Café Ekante also renamed by the Chief Minister have become immensely popular. The USP of Eco Park is cleanliness. People are fined Rs 100 if they throw garbage in the open.
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