The West Bengal government has announced plans to redevelop Kolkata’s College Street and riverfront areas along both banks of the Ganga after signing nine memorandums of understanding with the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC). The agreements appoint NBCC as the Project Management Consultant for projects involving urban local bodies and state agencies.

The MoUs were signed at Nagarayan, the headquarters of the Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Department. The first agreement covers the redevelopment of College Street, with the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, the department and NBCC identified as participating organisations.

The redevelopment is intended to modernise College Street while retaining its character as one of India’s prominent book districts. The state government also plans to draw on international urban development practices while adapting them to local requirements rather than directly replicating foreign city models.

Another agreement covers riverfront development in Chandannagar and involves the Chandannagar Municipal Corporation, NBCC and the Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Department. The government has also shared a broader urban vision with the Prime Minister’s Office, which could include a metro connection from the Diamond Harbour side to Esplanade along the riverfront and highway corridor.

The wider plan includes slum rehabilitation, organised hawker zones in Kolkata, Howrah and Salt Lake, and the transformation of Tangra’s Chinatown. Kolkata Port authorities, the Railways, the Public Works Department and the Transport Department are expected to participate in implementation. The projects form part of a broader effort to improve public spaces, transport links and urban amenities across the metropolitan region while preserving established commercial and cultural areas.