Rawdon Square renovated at a cost of Rs 1.45 crore, unveiled

Kolkata: Firhad Hakim, Chairman Board of Administrators (BOA), Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) unveiled the renovated Rawdon Square, spanning over 12000 square metres. It has been renovated at Rs 1.45 crore.

"The trees and the bushes inside the park haven't been cut off in the process of beautification. The large water body has been rejuvenated," Debasish Kumar, Member BOA and in-charge of Parks and Squares department said.

A walkway has been created for walkers, besides seating arrangements and an open air gym. The square, located between AJC Bose Road on its east and Rawdon Street on the west, had hogged limelight in the late 1980s when the erstwhile Left Front government had proposed its conversion into a cultural centre. The project was vehemently opposed by the then Opposition-led Mamata Banerjee, who was in Congress. She even sat on a dharna following a clash with the police, in which 50 Congress activists were injured. The square has been shut since then.

There were attempts to convert the square into a parking lot in 2018. But an NGO moved the green bench opposing the move. The tribunal ordered its restoration.