Kolkata: A once-familiar corner of Hyde Road—earlier home to the British-era Shaw Wallace & Co. Ltd.—is now headed for a fresh lease of life as Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMPK) has invited bids to lease the plot for 30 years and develop it into a modern commercial office complex, part of the port’s wider plan to draw new business activity into its estate.
Sources said the land parcel spans roughly 6,055 sq m, including an old godown and verandah that still stand on the site. The plot belonging to the port was earlier occupied by the British-era company. Although the area has long been known for warehouses and industrial units, SMPK now wants the plot to support a more contemporary mix of business uses.
Under the permitted commercial category, companies can set up corporate offices, business centres, meeting spaces, cafés, small retail outlets, guest accommodation, diagnostic units, pharmacies, fitness facilities and other workplace services.
An official said the tender allows the main lessee to use part of the complex for its own operations and lease out surplus space to other companies. The port expects this “integrator” model to create a curated business hub where multiple service providers operate under one anchor entity, while the lessee retains full control of the premises. SMPK will maintain direct dealings only with the main lessee, even if parts of the property are sublet for business use. It was learnt that for this category of development, the successful bidder must pay the rent upfront before taking possession of the plot. All construction and operational permissions, including municipal clearances, must be arranged by the lessee.
Kolkata Port authorities have said it generally issues its no-objection certificate for construction within a month of receiving a complete application, which could help speed up project timelines.
For SMPK, the project reflects a broader effort to modernise older pockets of its land bank and generate steady, long-term commercial activity around the dock system. For businesses, it opens the door to creating a customised office campus in a well-connected industrial belt—on land that carries a touch of Kolkata’s commercial history while looking firmly to the future.