Cosmo Para Salt Lake

Time of India

3 days ago

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In the early summer of 1962, a stretch of marshland on the eastern edge of Kolkata began its transformation into what would become one of Bengal's most iconic urban experiments. Guided by the vision of then chief minister Bidhan Chandra Roy, a planned township was carved out from the shallow waters of a vast salt lake — reclaimed cell by cell with slurry pumped from the Hooghly.
This land would come to be known as Bidhannagar, or, more famously, Salt Lake.
By the early 1970s, the first residents began to arrive — teachers, clerks, govt officers, and professionals — drawn by the promise of clean streets, planned roads, open spaces and quiet living. The timing coincided with a tumultuous historical moment: during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, Sector II of Salt Lake temporarily housed over a lakh refugees.
Soon after, the township hosted the Congress party's national session.
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi stayed in the newly built guest house, later renamed Indira Bhavan, which eventually became the home of CPI(M) patriarch and former CM Jyoti Basu.
Through the 1980s and into the '90s, Salt Lake's reputation began to crystallize. With 64 blocks and five sectors, it wasn't just a satellite township any more — it was the address to be at.
While the rest of Kolkata struggled with crumbling infrastructure and narrow lanes, Salt Lake represented vision, order and quiet affluence.
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Each block was carefully planned, complete with parks, community markets, and housing plots that came with their own garages. The concept of "para" evolved into something more sophisticated: neighbours gathered in well-maintained parks, shopped at clean markets that were zoned, and bonded over morning walks and evening adda sessions in open fields.
Residents recall those years with unmistakable fondness. "When we moved here in 1985, it felt like a different country," said Kalyan Chakraborty (80), a former state govt employee and one of the oldest residents of Salt Lake. "Wide roads, green cover, no hawkers cluttering the pavements. It was peaceful and elegant — something Kolkata wasn't."
Chandra Mukherjee of AC Block echoed the sentiment: "In the '90s, this was a power address.
Ministers, bureaucrats, film stars — everyone who mattered had a house in Salt Lake."
Indeed, under the Left Front regime, Bidhannagar became the nerve centre of political power. Former CM Basu resided here, as did cabinet members like former sports minister Subhas Chakraborty and former finance minister Asim Dasgupta. Their presence turned Salt Lake into a fortress of authority and sophistication. It was not uncommon to spot top actors, academics, and senior officials mingling in neighbourhood events or catching an early morning walk around the stadium.
Civic infrastructure kept pace. The township boasted of an international-standard football stadium — Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan — as well as City Centre mall, a dedicated fairground, and its own swimming pool. Add to that well-planned roads separated by traffic islands, a healthy drainage system, clean water supply and strict building regulations that limited height and prevented congestion, Salt Lake was held up as the model for future Indian urbanism.
But like all cities built on dreams, Salt Lake, too, has seen its foundations shift.
Over the last 15 years, a slow but steady transformation has taken hold. The children of the original settlers, now professionals in their 30s and 40s, have increasingly moved away — either to other Indian cities or abroad. Left behind are elderly parents, large family homes, and a township gradually hollowing from within. "In most big houses, elderly residents live alone," said Gora Roy, secretary of CF Block residents' association.
"Their children live elsewhere and elderly couples are left all by themselves. Many have even moved away with their children, leaving the homes empty."
To make practical use of these oversized homes — and to generate income — many residents have converted their ground floors into commercial spaces. Cafes, boutiques, coaching centres, salons and clinics have popped up across blocks. While this has infused Salt Lake with a buzz of activity, it has also opened the doors to more dubious enterprises.
In recent years, the township has made headlines for the wrong reasons: fake call centres operating out of residential homes, shady spas, and other illegal set-ups that exploit the lax enforcement in what was once a tightly regulated space. Police crackdowns are now routine and one of the primary jobs of cops now is to check on elderly residents.
Adding to this churn is a demographic shift. An increasing number of non-Bengali-speaking families have bought into the township.
Older stand-alone houses have been sold, demolished, and replaced by apartment blocks. The skyline is rising but so is the density — and, in some cases, the friction. The once homogenous Bengali para is now more diverse, but also less cohesive.
But with commercial interest intensifying, and property rates soaring, enforcement remains patchy. The township, once proud of its uniformity and restraint, now finds itself grappling with the pressures of unregulated growth.
Still, there is hope. Salt Lake remains one of the greenest and most infrastructure-rich areas in the greater Kolkata region. Its community parks, while less populated than before, continue to serve as gathering points. The local markets — despite facing competition from malls and online platforms — retain a loyal base of customers. And in quiet corners, some para traditions endure: a shared cup of tea at dusk, neighbourhood Durga Pujas, a Sunday trip to the fishmonger.
"During the first few decades, there was no para culture in Salt Lake as people from outside came up and started living here. Slowly, the block associations came up and a community bonding developed. Now, every block has its own para culture with everyone feeling included," said Kumar Shankar Sadhu, former secretary of Bidhannagar welfare association.
Salt Lake has never just been about buildings, boulevards, water tanks and traffic islands. It's always been about people — coming together, making a para their own, and turning the township into home.