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RAILWAY : UNVEILING THE FORGOTTEN HISTORY OF KOILAGHAT: FROM QILA GHAT TO EASTERN RAILWAY’S LEGACY

TTT NEWS NETWORK

KOLKATA, 13 JULY 2024:

The Koilaghat building, located on the banks of the Hooghly River, is a historic landmark that has been a silent witness to the evolution of Eastern Railway. However, few know that the name “Koilaghat” is actually a distortion of the original name “Qilaghat”, which has a rich history of its own.

The Qilaghat Street denoted the road leading from the ghat to the Qila or the Old Fort William, which spread over the place where the General Post Office, Reserve Bank of India, Fairlie Place, Kolkata Port Trust, Shipping Corporation of India, and the Customs House are now situated.

The Qila Ghat Street has been a witness to sweeping changes in the city’s and India’s history.

When the Old Fort existed, Strand Road was non-existent. The qila ghat or the banks lay somewhere between the Shipping Corporation of India office and the Customs House of today. This ghat was used for evacuation of the fort in 1756 when the Nawab of Bengal Siraj Ud Daula attacked Kolkata. After 1756, the British felt that the place was a little unsafe against invasion and therefore shifted the fort to its present site in the Maidan (then Gobindopur).

The Koilaghat building was constructed in the late 19th century as a coal depot for the East India Railway. As the East India Railway expanded its operations, the Koilaghat building underwent several renovations and expansions.

In 1952, the East India Railway was nationalized, and the Koilaghat building became a part of the newly formed Eastern Railway zone.

The Koilaghat building is a testament to the rich history and legacy of Eastern Railway. From its humble beginnings as a coal depot to its current status as a historic landmark, the building has played a significant role in the development of the region’s transportation network.

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