A south Calcutta Durga puja has promised something that possibly no other has in the past: to beautify and maintain a key road in its backyard — its cleanliness, heritage and aesthetics — not just during Puja but round the year.

Samajsebi Sangha, born on August 16, 1946, counts among its founder-members illustrious names such as Sarat Chandra Bose, Meghnad Saha, Anil and Leela Roy, and Sir Jadunath Sarkar, in whose house a programme was held on Saturday.

“Our club was formed when key personalities met at the house of Taradas Dutt to offer protection to the para at a critical juncture. The name was given by Leela Roy, a close associate of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose who also came up with the idea of starting a Durga Puja to bring the community together,” said Arijit Maitra, general secretary of Samajsebi Sangha.

For its 80th edition, the president of the puja, Sumit Sarkar, came up with the idea of preserving their memory as also the neighbourhood’s built heritage.

“We have mapped Lake Road from the end diagonally opposite to Vivekananda Park till the crossing of Sarat Bose Road. Fifteen houses of our founder-members still exist. Most of them are in the Art Deco style,” he said.

Maitra’s grandfather, Biren Maitra, co-founded Calcutta Chemical Company and his house is also a fine piece of architecture.

In consultation with the year’s puja theme artist Pradip Das, club members plan to install decorative posts in front of the marked houses. “I have suggested multi-purpose posts with illuminated infographics on their contribution and a flower basket at the top and a pretty trash bin at a lower level,” said Das, who is highlighting the club’s contribution to communal harmony from the turbulent foundation year down to modern times.

Another proposal is using some elements of the pandal décor after Puja as installations to beautify the stretch.

The club also plans to create canopies with a uniform look for the pavement tea stalls and install water filters. “There are a few tube wells on the stretch which the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is planning to phase out. We offer to install filters in those spots,” said Maitra.

Sponsorship deals are being packaged with CSR activity offers round the year. “We have found corporate backers for the water filters and lights.”

Existing pavement gardens will be replanted in a planned way and its borders painted. Direction markers will be set up at crossings. Maitra also wants to use paver blocks that incorporate discarded plastic.

The suggestions require the KMC’s assent and involvement. “Lake Road is spread between Ward 90 and Ward 86. We will approach the mayor for his assent soon as the space will have to be demarcated,” said Saurav Basu, the Trinamool councillor of Ward 86 who is also the puja’s vice-president.

The Puja committee has a sizeable Trinamool presence. Another vice-president, Chaitali Chatterjee, the borough 8 chairperson and councillor of Ward 90, could not attend Saturday’s meeting but her husband Baiswanor Chatterjee, a mayoral council member, did.

The idea of something permanent for the para was inspired by the success of an alpona that was painted on Mahalaya along Lake Road in 2017.

“That alpona did not last much beyond the Puja days. This time, we have chosen a shorter stretch for more intense work. A part-by-part location blueprint will be submitted to the KMC,” said Maitra, urging other Puja organisers to do their bit for their neighbourhoods.