Gautam Adani-led Adani Group's BIG step, set to redevelop THIS iconic ghat in...

In a step towards preserving Kolkata's cultural heritage, the Adani Group has joined hands with the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMPK), to rejuvenate the heritage Kumartuli Ghat, officials said on Friday. Kumartuli, a clay modellers' colony, is renowned for its idol-making tradition over several generations, they said. The initiative aims to make the ghat cleaner, safer and more accessible to artisans, locals and tourists, giving a fresh lease of life to one of the city's most iconic riverfronts.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Friday between SMPK and Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) for the redevelopment, restoration and beautification of the historic ghat along the Hooghly river, under the port's 'Swachhata' initiative. The agreement marks a public-private partnership aimed at transforming the cultural landmark through heritage-compliant redevelopment, with due regard to environmental sustainability and civic responsibility.

"This is not just a restoration project, but a revival of Bengal's artistic legacy," SMPK Chairman Rathendra Raman said. "It was an honour to help renovate a place so sentimentally linked to Kolkata's identity. This spot will be a source of pride for Kolkata as a tourist destination," the president of Business Development, APSEZ, Subrat Tripathy, said.

The development will be confined to the Kolkata port area, and the group has already engaged design architects, who are currently developing the project, he added. Over the years, Kumartuli Ghat has faced neglect, riverbank erosion, poor waste management, and declining infrastructure, sources said.

(This story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from news agency PTI).