Barrackpore’s Rani Rashmoni Ghat jetty to undergo renovation with World Bank funds

Kolkata: The state government has proposed an urban upgrade of the Rani Rashmoni Ghat jetty area in Barrackpore and Titagarh. The upgrade will cover connectivity, ghat redevelopment, parks and streetscape works within a 500-metre radius of the jetty.

The project falls under the West Bengal Inland Water Transport, Logistics and Spatial Development Project with support from World Bank. An Environmental Impact Assessment has been prepared under the Environmental and Social Management Framework.

The area spans Ward 20 of Barrackpore Municipality and Wards 1 and 3 of Titagarh Municipality, with a combined population of 18,783. The jetty connects Barrackpore Trunk Road, lies at about 1.47 km from Barrackpore railway station and 6.5 km from Titagarh railway station and connects to other jetties along the Hooghly river. Five ghats and public spaces have been identified for redevelopment.

At Rani Rashmoni Ghat, bathing steps and entry-exit points will be upgraded. A 140 sq m covered structure has been proposed near the waterline. A designated Ganga Aarti space will be created along the promenade. The adjoining park will be renovated with added seating, two pergolas, surveillance cameras, post-top lights, recessed lights, two bio-toilets, dustbins, 11 trees and 270 sq m of green cover.

Peer Ghat will be redeveloped with a viewing deck, river-facing cafe, rooftop cafe space and shop outlets. Plans include signage, a pergola, railing, surveillance cameras, lighting and additional plantation.

A vacant plot will be converted into a children’s park with lawn, pathways, play equipment, sandpit, seating, pavilion, feature wall, lighting, surveillance, and additional tree plantation and green cover.

Two community spaces — Amar Uthon 1 (225 sq m) and Amar Uthon 2 (190 sq m) — will be retrofitted. Amar Uthon 1 will be developed as a plaza around an existing banyan tree with lighting, surveillance and dustbins. Amar Uthon 2 will be paved with seating, bollards, surveillance, lighting, toilets, a shower room and waste bins.

Streetscape works have been proposed along Park Road, Ferry Road, Shankar Mandal Road, Peer Ghat Road, AT Roy Road, Krishna Prasad Road, SV Path and the approach to Rani Rashmoni Ghat.

The works include pedestrian paving, kerb improvements, drain covers, LED and solar lighting, seating, signage, bio-toilets, drinking water points, vending kiosks and designated parking on select stretches.

Rani Rashmoni Ghat, a 200-year-old bathing ghat linked to Rani Rashmoni, founder of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple, remains a religious and cultural site in an industrial-residential belt with jute mills, institutions and slum pockets. Nearby landmarks include Shiv Shakti Annapurna Temple and Gandhi Ghat.