An initiative to restore heritage buildings and places in Serampore is on to restore the old glory of the town square and develop it as one of the major tourist attractions.
Among the many plans approved was one by architect Aasish Acharjee to develop Serampore town square from the present BDO office up to St Olav’s Church.
During Danish rule, Serampore was termed as the cleanest city in India by the then Europeans. The spectacular beauty and grace of the town square attracted people from all over. Great personalities chose Serampore to be their second home, while many spent vacations on the banks of the Hooghly.
The secretary of Serampore heritage restoration initiative Debashis Mallick said, “People are longing for restoration of the town square. We heard that lack of funds held up the restoration work but the state government is very eager to promote tourism. The town square will be a green zone and the traffic flow will be restricted there. The water body, the long stretch of river banks will be restored so that tourists will enjoy it. Serampore heritage restoration initiative plans to conduct a seminar inviting all the private owners of heritage buildings along the river bank with the proposal for renovation,” Mr Mallick said.