The New Year will see a new beautiful Howrah. The process for sprucing up the town has already started and several beautification projects have been taken up by the Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) this year as well. While many of the town’s roads have already been repaired and spruced up, other important arterial roads have also been included in the beautification project. The seven kilometre stretch of Drainage Canal Road and East West Road, a major arterial Road in Howrah, is being done up as part of the project. 

Work has started some months back on Drainage Canal Road and on East West Road and the results are already visible. Trident lights have already been installed all along the road and the divider that runs through the middle has started taking a new look. The drains on both sides of the road have been cemented, making a narrow pavement for people to walk on. 

To start with, Drainage Canal Road will get a new name. The part of the road from Belepole crossing to Chatterjeepara bus stand will be christened Dr Bholanath Chakraborty Sarani and from Chatterjeepara bus stand to Bellilious Park, the road will be known as Padmasree Sailen Manna Sarani. People entering the road will be greeted by two gateways at both ends. Those who will enter the road from Kona Expressway will pass through Dr Bholanath Chakraborty gateway while those coming from the Tikiapara end will enter through Sailen Manna gateway. The existing statue of Swami Vivekananda will soon have a fountain placed in front of it. Another statue of Mother Teresa is expected to be placed near Swamiji’s one. 

The divider running through the middle of the road will be full of plants, flowers, lights and fountains at different spots. Statues of personalities and models of significant subjects in Howrah will be placed along the divider. The Howrah Indoor Stadium will stand out because of the models of a footballer, a hockey player, a badminton player and other sports will be placed in front. A full figure of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose will be seen at the Natun Rasta crossing and another statue of Dr Bholanath Chakraborty will be installed in front of Mahesh Bhattacharya Homeopathic Medical College. Rabindranath Tagore will find place at the Ichhapur Road crossing. A model of industrial Howrah, depicting a scene from a foundry will be seen at the Icchapur water tank crossing. The existing Mahatma Gandhi statue at the Chatterjeepara bus stand crossing, that is usually not visible because of the overgrowth around it, will now be beautified with lights and ornamental flowers and plants. Sailen Manna’s statue will also be found at the crossing. The statues will be made of fibre. “Bronze statues will take a long time to be completed, so we are getting fibre ones made,” said Bibhas Hazra, member, mayor-in-council, HMC.

Fountains will be installed at various spots along the seven kilometre stretch. The existing statues of Swami Vivekananda, revolutionary Bholanath Das and Kanailal Bhattacharya and poet Sukanta Bhattacharya will also be cleaned and restored to match the new look of the road. “All the existing statues of eminent personalities related to Howrah will remain in their place. We will only introduce some new personalities and models in the project,” said Bibhas Hazra. 

Apart from installing statues, models and lights along the road, some new facilities will also be provided. “The part opposite Bellilious Park needs to be revamped. We plan to start a bus terminus there where a bus route to Dharmatala will be introduced. Also, a pay-and-use toilet, a police booth and a restaurant will be made there,” said Hazra. 

After Drainage Canal Road, there are also plans of decorating JN Mukherjee Road with tridents lights and trees on the road side.