Kolkata’s New Market to undergo landmark earthquake-proof makeover under KMC plan

The civic authorities under Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) have green-lit an ambitious retrofit of the century-old New Market, Kolkata (formerly SS Hogg Market), aiming to shield the historic commercial heart of the city from seismic risk. A detailed project report, secured at around ₹26 crore, lays out plans to install horizontal tie-beams — also known as seismic beams — along the entire 3-kilometre periphery of the complex. These beams will interlink the market’s cast-iron columns, brittle after decades, significantly improving structural rigidity and distributing loads more uniformly during an earthquake. A full structural audit by experts from Jadavpur University prompted the move, flagging vulnerabilities in cast-iron columns and ageing brick vaults that could make the 150-year-old heritage building dangerously unstable in case of tremors.

The phased execution will likely require temporary relocation of traders from sections including the flower-range, crockery-range and Golghar zone, but officials stress that such disruption is necessary to safeguard lives and the historic legacy. Once completed, New Market will stand not just as a cherished emblem of Kolkata’s colonial-era commerce, but also as a resilient, earthquake-ready space.


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