The City of Palaces ...
In its three hundred years of existence as a city, Kolkata has been variously described as an example of the triumph of urban civilization and a disastrous result of unchecked urbanization. From a small riverside outpost of the East India company, the city grew rapidly over the years to become the glorious capital of the Indian British Empire. Often referred as the "city of palaces" during the last century, the city's importance as a commercial centre attracted thousands of migrants from the surrounding parts in search of better employment and livelihood. Kolkata turned into an overcrowded urban centre where races from all parts found acceptance and settled down to pursue different trades. The situation was further compounded by the partition of Bengal by the British administration, a move perhaps calculated to create confusion for decades after their departure. As a result, thousands of refugees from Bangladesh were forced to settle in and around the city. Initially planned as an urban centre for accomodating a population of only 10 lakhs (10,000,00), the city today is burdened with an ever-increasing population whose number has exceeded the 10 million mark long ago.
The latter half of twentieth century witnessed unplanned urbanization and destruction of public places like parks and gardens and the demolition of old buildings. The situation has remained unmanageable owing to the pressure of accommodating waves of migrant workers and refugees on one hand and the irresponsible activities of real estate developers on the other. Although successive governments have done considerable work to decentralize the economy in order to restrict migration from poorer parts, Kolkata still remains to be overburdened with its millions of inhabitants. Even today, despite the effort of public agencies, various groups and individual citizens, many of Kolkata's heritages such as palatial mansions and well-maintained parks are in a state of utter ruin if they have not already been entirely replaced by modern concrete monstrosities.