Kolkata launches six-day cleanliness drive with facelift planned for 20 ghats

Kolkata has launched a six-day cleanliness drive while planning a facelift for 20 ghats along the Hooghly riverfront, according to local reporting.

The initiative combines a short-term civic cleanup with a longer riverfront beautification effort. The reported plan places the ghats at the center of a wider sanitation and upkeep push in one of the city’s most visible public spaces.

What is being planned

The reported work covers 20 ghats along the Hooghly. The current drive is described as six days long, but the available reporting does not yet specify the exact start and end dates, the list of ghats, or the agency formally leading execution.

Times of India reported the development on June 17 local time, with the article appearing in search results on June 18, 2026.

Why it matters

The ghats are used by religious visitors, commuters and leisure users, so even short-term sanitation work can affect daily access and movement along the riverfront.

The effort also has a heritage and aesthetics dimension. Cleaner ghats and upgraded riverfront stretches could reduce litter and sanitation problems while supporting a broader beautification agenda.

Background

The new drive follows earlier reporting on anti-plastic measures at Kolkata’s ghats and a wider riverfront revival plan. In September 2025, reporting said the ghats had been declared a no-plastic zone under an NGT directive, with the port authority implementing the ban.

That background suggests the latest drive is part of an ongoing cleanup and renovation program rather than a one-off operation.

What remains unclear

The reporting reviewed so far does not identify the exact 20 ghats, the funding source, or whether a contractor or specific government agency will handle the facelift work.

An official statement or press release from the city administration or port authority would help clarify the scope, timing and implementation plan.