New Delhi: France is planning to help launch a major initiative to restore heritage sites in its former colonial outpost of Chandernagore (now called Chandannagar) near Kolkata in West Bengal.
Diplomats in the French Embassy said the assistance of the architecture department of the Jadhavpur university would be taken in the venture which will also be aided by contributions from volunteers and the general public. In fact, one French diplomat compared Chandernagore to the tourist hotspot of Marrrakesh in Morocco and said Chandernagore now is what Marrakesh used to look like 30 years ago. The diplomat pointed out that while Marrakesh attracts heavy tourist traffic, hardly any tourists go to visit Chandernagore. The French are planning to help "transform the city", an effort that could take 15 to 20 years.
