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| The Howrah Bridge which spans the Ganges river in Kolkata is illuminated by coloured lighting. Kolkata, the one-time colonial capital of British India, is slowly being painted blue on the orders of the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee |
Kolkata, once the capital of British India, is slowly being painted blue - the favourite colour of fiery West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata who has ordered a makeover.
Banerjee came to power in the eastern state last year after 34 years of Marxist rule promising a facelift for Kolkata, whose grand colonial architecture - much of it painted red - is crumbling after decades of neglect.
She has decreed that the city’s flyovers, park railings and many of its 100 British-era official buildings should be given a new coat of paint.
Members of her Trinamul Congress party said blue was the favourite colour of the populist chief minister, known for her temper and modest lifestyle, while it is also suggested in a new slogan for her government.
“Our leader Mamata Banerjee has decided the theme of sky blue because the motto of the new government is ‘The sky is the limit’,” Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said in comments published in the Indian Express on Friday.
Some police stations in Kolkata’s suburbs, painted red since the days of the British Raj, have already received a fresh blue coat, while traffic signals, street signs and even street side tree trunks are also in line for a makeover.
“We want to bring uniformity in painting the city,” Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee said.
In her pre-election manifesto, Banerjee promised to introduce cruises on the city’s river “in line with the River Thames of London,” plant a botanical garden and turn West Bengal’s tea-growing Darjeeling district into the “Switzerland of the East.”
City authorities are also planning to give tax breaks to private property owners who volunteer to embrace the new colour code, officials said.
West Bengal Transport Minister Madan Mitra said that public vehicles including the city’s fleet of 35,000 yellow taxis would also be part of the new colour scheme.
“We have plans to get private buses and taxis in the city painted in blue with a white border,” Mitra said.
“We will have blue and white taxis. But we will give time to the taxi owners to change the colour,” said Mitra.
Artist and West Bengal Heritage Commission chairman Suvaprasanna said it was Banerjee’s idea to give a certain identity to the city through a uniform colour code.
“She feels blue and white is the right combination to make the city look beautiful and soothing. But those implementing her concept must bear in mind that the right shade of blue needs to be used,” Suvaprasanna said.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation is considering giving property tax rebate to the citizens if they follow the colour code while redoing the exteriors of their dwellings.
Even the 164-year-old city hub landmark Shaheed Minar, which was built by the British and was called the Ochterlony Monument but was rechristened to honour martyrs of India’s freedom movement, could become a part of the scheme.
During the Marxists’ rule, the top of the 48m-high monument was painted in red by an overzealous Public Works Department (PWD) minister Jatin Chakraborty, but massive public uproar forced him to beat a hasty retreat.
However, one structure which Banerjee cannot touch is her office - Writers’ Buildings - the secretariat, as it has a heritage status. As a compromise, the authorities have illuminated the majestic red brick structure with streams of blue and white bulbs.
Kolkata faces tough competition to make itself known as India’s “blue city,” a title held by the popular desert town of Jodhpur in Rajasthan which draws tens of thousands of tourists each year.
Banerjee’s city landscaping efforts so far are on a far smaller scale than Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati.
Mayawati has spent more than $1bn building parks of elephants - her party’s symbol - and memorials to low-caste Dalit icons, including herself.
Kolkata, then known as Calcutta, became the capital of British India in 1772 until 1912 when the colonial rulers shifted their base to New Delhi.