Kolkata’s ‘Big Ben’ causing big traffic snarls

Kolkata: The 135-feet tall structure, a replica of the 150-year-old clock tower Big Ben at British parliament may have figuratively fulfilled the much touted ambition of chief minister Mamata Banerjee of turning Kolkata into London, but in reality has turned into a nightmare for residents living nearby.

The tower stands at an expansive space of about 1,000 square feet in between a busy traffic intersection where the road to the airport enters a residential-cum-commercial area, known as Lake Town. The biggest inconvenience to the local residents is the traffic congestion that “Kolkata’s Big Ben” is causing.

The residents have already submitted a petition against the tower which was christened Kolkata Time Zone. “This tower has become a major cause of concern as traffic, especially during rush hours, comes to a standstill causing huge inconvenience to us,” said a local resident. The residents have already formed a committee to protest against this “figurative development” and are prepared to file public interest litigation (PIL) in the Kolkata High Court if they do not hear from the concerned authorities.

Built at a cost of Rs13.6 million (Dh755,680), by the Anglo Swiss Company, the tower, like the original Big Ben has four gigantic clocks of 12 feet diameter facing the four cardinal directions. To create the Big Ben-like façade, the external structure has been fabricated with fibre reinforced polymer, which has been cast into hundreds of blocks and then installed with utmost accuracy around the tower.

Trinamool Congress legislator Sujit Bose who initiated the project in a bid to fulfil ‘Didi’s (sister’s) dream’ denies the tower is causing any trouble. “How a tower on the side of the road can create traffic jams. Initially people stopped to look at the tower which may have slowed down traffic, but now all is fine,” said Bose who denied having received any complaints from residents.

Residents however are unimpressed and question the justification of such an expense in the name of beautification when the roads are not properly maintained. “The roads around the area have potholes. Are roads around British Parliament also in such a condition?” mocked another resident.

Historians though feel that imitating a structure from another city is a wrong idea as it destroys the cultural and social heritage of a city like Kolkata. “Every urban landmark has a historical and cultural background. just copying something else undermines the very ethos of the city which finds little relevance in the cultural sphere,” said Tuhin Datta Gupta, a cultural historian.