Kolkata is crumbling

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Kolkata is crumbling...it has been for years. Some say that it's because the government controls rents and tenure (to protect the poor) to the point where landlords have no incentive to maintain their buildings. Others think that it's because the centres of power and commerce have shifted away to Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore etc. Yet others believe that Capital has fled or is undermining the elected Marxist government by refusing to invest and shifting funds elsewhere.
Whatever the reason, urban decay is an unavoidable part of the scenery...much of it has a poignancy as you ponder the crumbling architecture of what used to be called Calcutta. Days could be spend just wandering amongst the ruins! And as you see the figs taking root on so many buildings, you are reminded of the beginnings of Ankor!
Along the way you'll also see crowded streets, never designed for cars..where buses, trams, rickshaws, pedestrians, the latest automobiles, and hand-drawn carts all vie for passage. While bicycles are common in the countryside, they seem few in Kolkata. Looking at the dents in the cars and the heavy duty grills around their lights, you start to understand why!

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Photos

With elegant wrought iron
But still decaying...

Crumbling building8
And newer concrete buildings seem to be crumbling/rotting even faster!

A street called Ho Chi Minh...
In good Marxist fashion, they renamed this street just near the American consulate....Take that, Uncle Sam!!
But Bac Ho's being overwhelmed by advertising here....