Kolkata: 76,615 people have visited the Biswa Bangla Gate and Biswa Bangla restaurant in the past one year.
Of the total number of visitors, 37,893 people have eaten at the Café Ekante restaurant, while another 38,722 people have visited the viewing gallery. The place is coming up as a major tourist attraction in New Town.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had inaugurated the gate from the dais of the 43rd Kolkata International Book fair on January 31, 2019. The gate was thrown open to the people from February 2, 2019.
The visitors have to book tickets online and entry fee is Rs 100. 45 visitors are allowed at a time and they can spend one hour. There is a coffee shop where snacks are sold. There is a selfie zone as well.
The gate opens at 12 noon and closes at 6 pm. There is a viewers' gallery where the visitors can enjoy the beautiful skyline of the city.
The hanging restaurant is one-of-its-kind in India.
The restaurant has 50 seats and there is a proposal to increase the number of seats to 74. The fine-dining restaurant is kept open from 7 pm to 10 pm, after entry to the Biswa Bangla Gate is closed for the public.
The viewing gallery remains open from 12 noon to 5 pm and visitors have to buy entry tickets online. They are allowed to stay there for an hour.
About 70 tonnes of steel have been used to construct the Biswa Bangla Gate. Various agencies were involved in studying the safety and security of the gate, which is 55 metres high.
The tunnel for the viewers' gallery is 25 metres above the ground. The tunnel has been decorated with photographs, mostly of Kolkata's history and culture.
A national design competition was held and a committee headed by renowned architect Dulal Mukherjee was set up to select the best design. Finally, Vector Design, a Pune based company, got the job.
Initially there was the proposal to set up the gate and later the setting up of the restaurant was added.