Kudghat


Kudghat is a neighbourhood of South Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal.

Location

Kudghat is located on either banks of the Adi Ganga, the main flow of the Hooghly River from the 15th to 17th century connecting Kolkata to the Bidyadhari River to the east. Further deepened by William Tolly for transportation and trade purposes, it has virtually dried up and now serve as a prime drainage outlet during the rainy seasons.

History

The area had primarily been marsh lands with scant agriculture and few inhabitants till about the time of independence, when many Bengali Hindu refugees from erstwhile East Bengal settled in the area. They spread along the Adi Ganga, all the way to Garia and the bulk of the populace along the river still trace their origins to this historical event.
The Adi Ganga has also been witness to the turbulence of the early 1970s when pitched fighting between supporters of the ruling Indian National Congress government and those of the Communist Party of India became a regular occurrence across large swathes of the city. Local residents recall dead bodies of young men floating on the waters during that era.
The area became a hotspot for property developers in the early 2000s when middle-class families started pouring into the large number of apartment buildings constructed in the area. A home in Kudghat - on the outskirts of posh Tollygunge - was affordable, yet close to the main commercial and residential areas of the southern part of the city. As a result, a significant number of older houses have been demolished with new apartment blocks becoming the main feature of the area.

Transportation Facilities

The large Kudghat bus depot serves as a terminus of a number of state buses and a private bus. Bus services connect Kudghat with Rashbehari, Chowringhee, Howrah Station, Dakshineswar, Salt Lake, New Town, Dumdum/Kolkata Airport etc.
The Netaji Metro Station is the first of several to be constructed over the Adi Ganga which stretches on to New Garia as part of the first extension to the network of Kolkata Metro. The naming of the station had given rise to a controversy as no historical evidence has been found showing any link between Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and the Kudghat area.
An auto stand on the southern side is the starting pint for an auto route that goes to Tollygunge Tram Depot and another one goes to Prince Anwar Shah Road.

WBTC Bus

Northern Side

The oldest extant structures in the entire area - four large domed Shiva temples - of which only one is currently in use, is situated in the middle of the northern side. The temples belong to one of the oldest residents in the area, who had moved in hundreds of years ago as landlords. The family still maintains their primary residence beside the temples.
The campus of the Mansur Habibullah Memorial School, an English medium, Indian Certificate of Secondary Education board school is situated along the banks of the Adi Ganga. It caters to many students from the area and beyond. The campus was originally a large estate that had served as the ancestral property of the schools namesake, Syed Abul Mansur Habibullah who had been a stalwart in the erstwhile left front government in the state. Habibullah's primary residence, a double storied villa facing the Adi Ganga has been preserved by the school on the far end of the campus.
The road leading to Tollygunge Tram Depot also houses the century-old Movietone studios that has been a pillar of Cinema of West Bengal. The original buildings were destroyed by a devastating in the 1980s and the entire premises were left deserted for the next 20 years. The dilapidated structures were partly replaced beginning 2012 and the premises of the old studio is now the shooting location for a number of television serials primarily distributed on Star Jalsa. Movietone studio, along with the nearby Indrapuri, Technician and New Theater studios, have been integral to the golden age of Bengali cinema in the 'roaring 50s'.

Southern Side

The Kudghat municipal bazaar, comprising a large vegetable market along with a number of shops selling groceries and sweets. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation announced in 2010 that the sprawling bazaar would be upgraded into a multi storied structure with wider retail spaces for shops, adequate parking facilities as well as a renovated road running through the middle of the area which will end the consistent congestion in the area. Work is yet to begin.

Kudghat Waterworks

A large check barrage was built in the area over the Adi Ganga in 2008. A large dam with five sluice gates, flood control systems and other maintenance works form the waterworks.

Bridges

Many bridges have continuously shaped the modern geography of the locality since it is the confluence of the southern channel with the Adi Ganga. Historically, the location had served as a cross over point on the Adi Ganga with a temporary 'ghat' housing country boats that ferried passengers across the canal. Senior residents in the locality believe the etymological origin of the name Kudghat, to have come from the 'Kud' that passengers paid to the boatmen in ages past.
The earliest bridge was built in the 1940s, connecting two banks of the Adi Ganga on the Southern side. To connect the northern and southern banks, an iron pedestrian overbridge was erected in the late 1960s and was replaced with a similar concrete one in the late 1980s.
Currently, there are two primary bridges in the area traversing the east-west divide over the Adi Ganga. The wrought iron pedestrian bridge in front of MHMS school was upgraded into a concrete structure in 2017. The main crossover point for vehicular traffic is the Kudghat bridge at the southern end of the metro station that was upgraded into a four lane concrete structure in 2016. Pedestrians also use the metro station to cross over since it has stairs on both sides.

Climate

The climate is sub-tropical. The monsoon season which is a hallmark of all areas in the south-eastern parts of West Bengal lasts from early June to mid September. The weather remains dry during the winter and hot and humid during summer.