The Centre has sanctioned Rs 105 crore for the upgrade of the Hooghly banks in the state, as well as the Nimtala burning ghat and the adjoining Rabindranath Tagore Memorial Garden.

The CMDA will execute the projects, with the Centre bearing 70 per cent of the cost and the state paying the rest. Of the total grant, sanctioned under the National Ganga River Basin Authority, Rs 14 lakh has been earmarked for the revamp of the crematorium and the garden.

“Work on the expansion of the Nimtala burning ghat and the memorial garden will start on Tagore’s birthday,” said urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya, who also heads the CMDA.

The other projects under the scheme include riverfront development in Howrah, Khardah, Serampore, Naihati, Chandernagore, Rishra, and Baidyabati.