Calcutta, June 27: Think Kalighat and you think of faith and fervour, squalor and chaos. Think again.

If things go according to the grand plan— with a price tag of Rs 65 crore, no less — a clean, dream piety point is set to emerge at Kalighat (see graphic for glimpses of what is meant to be).

The first round of funds has recently been sanctioned by the Union tourism department, which will be implementing the project with the International Foundation for Sustainable Development, the state tourism department and the Calcutta Municipal Corporation. The aim: to transform the century-old Kali temple and its adjoining area into the first eco-heritage tourist spot of the country.

“We hope to start work by August and complete it in about three years,” says Mridul Pathak, an NRI spearheading the project.

The mega urban renewal project will extend from SP Mukherjee Road in the east to the Adi Ganga in the west, from Hazra Road in the north to Rashbehari Avenue in the south. So, exit chaos, enter cool; exit Adi Ganga, enter Seine?