Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will soon take up work for a complete overhaul of Kalighat temple. Two consultants made a presentation on the development of the shrine at a high-level meeting held in the KMC headquarters on Friday afternoon.
"The presentation was made on the basis of the Primary Project Report (PPR) that has already been prepared, whereas the Detailed Project Report (DPR) is being readied. Work will start as soon as DPR is completed," said a senior KMC official who attended the meeting on Friday.
It may be mentioned that the Kolkata High Court has already given the nod for the revamp of the temple. The meeting at KMC was presided over by Mayor Sovan Chatterjee and was attended by Member, Mayor-in-Council (Parks & Gardens) Debasish Kumar, senior officials of the civic body and Kalighat Temple Committee.
KMC wants to develop Kalighat temple in a manner so that it can emerge as an international cultural destination as well as a pilgrimage hotspot. The Kalighat temple is considered to be one of the 51 "Shakti Peeths" (seats of divinity) in India.
As per plans, there will be a parking place, day care centre, basic medical facilities and a separate cluster where the shops dealing puja items will be situated.
The plan also involves the facelift of Tolly Nullah, popularly known as Adi Ganga. "We need to create the mindset of the people for pilgrimage tourism and a clean Adi Ganga is a must for this," the official said.
There will be systematic signages so that pilgrims visiting the shrine have a clear idea of the route for temple details like Sasthitala, Natmondir, Jor Bangla and Harkath Tala.
The Kundupukur, a sacred tank situated in the south-east portion of the temple outside and the boundary walls of the same will also be given a facelift.
The long-term plan also involves setting up of a 'Tol' where religious scriptures will be taught to aspirants, an old-age home and the revival of slums located near the temple.
As per instructions by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the temple's original structure would be maintained, with improvement in the entry and exit points.
The widening of roads by clearing encroachments for beautification is another aspect that was discussed in Friday's meeting.