Shanti Kutir in the Dakshineswar temple compound. Picture by Pronab Biswas

The riverfront at the Dakshineswar temple complex will be beautified at a cost of Rs 285.58 lakh, which will be borne by the Centre and the state government.

The project will include landscaping, beautification and preservation of water bodies, construction of paved walkways and toilets, setting up of drinking water facilities and upgrade of the parking space.

“The annual footfall in the complex is almost a crore but the infrastructure is inadequate for the rush. We hope the upgrade will ease the pressure a bit,” said Kushal Chowdhury, the trustee and secretary of Dakshineswar Temple and Debutter Estate, at the inauguration of the project on the temple premises on Tuesday.

Seventy per cent of the funds will come from the National River Conservation directorate, which functions under the Union environment and forest ministry, and the rest by the state.

The Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority is the executing agency.

Work starts on Wednesday and is expected to be completed by December 2008. The official date for completion, however, is March 2009.

The beautification project is part of a three-phase plan to draw tourists from across the country in larger numbers to Dakshineswar. The first phase of the project — which included the relocation of the dala arcades, restoration of Kuthi Bari, development of Shanti Kutir and the improvement of the drainage system — is almost complete.

The second phase, which would have focussed on relocation of hawkers lining the approach to the temple, has been put on hold following an escalation of construction cost.

“We expect to meet the deficit of about Rs 40 lakh soon and complete the project at the earliest,” said Chowdhury.

State urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya, who inaugurated the beautification project, said talks were on with the railway ministry to broaden the road from the station to the temple.