Kolkata to get back Rawdon Square after 30 years of lockdown!

For all those who lived in Kolkata in the early ’80s have taken a walk through the lush greens of Rawdon square and enjoyed a winter stroll along the banks of the huge waterbody it harbours. The square came to the limelight when in late 1980s, a proposal came from the then communist government of Bengal to convert this park into a shopping complex. The Jyoti Basu led government was vehemently opposed by green activists and none other than present Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee also led a struggle to save these greens!

The project was stopped after Banerjee who was part of Congress then carried repeated dharnas. But Rawdon Square was also dumped, locked and left to rot. The Green Tribunal two years ago directed the KMC to give back Rawdon Square to the public and accordingly restoration work started in full swing. The park in all its glory will be opened next year. Around 70 trucks of construction debris that were dumped in the park has been removed. KMC is also trying to preserve the local flora and fauna of the park. There will be a jogger’s track, a seating area and a rolling landscape of trees and shrubs.