Lal Bazar, Kolkata

lal bazar, being home to Kolkata polices headquarters, is a prominent location in the city of kolkata. often called the scotland yard of kolkata, lal bazar has much history associated with it. there is a great deal of speculation about how lal bazar got its name. theories suggest that lal bazar procured its name from lal dighi, a lake in west bengal, within an approximate distance of 500 meters of lal bazaar. the lake used to entirely transform into a stark red colour during the joyous festival of holi and hence the name, which vernacularly translates to red water. 

the lal bazar area is mainly under the chowranghee constituency. the road begins from the north-east corner of b.b.d. bagh and ends at bowbazar. lal bazaar is surrounded by writers building on the west, bb ganguly street on the east, ezra street on the north and mango lane on the south.  

the average price of apartments in the locality is around 13,613 inr per sq. ft. whereas properties for rent are available for an average price of 30,000 inr for a 2bhk apartment.

Park Street, taltala, hedua, maniktala and entally are some of the nearby neighbourhoods.  

key highlights

• facing the lal bazaar police stations main gate stand the mercantile buildings, with its gothic colonial architecture and dignified aura. the buildings are known to host numerous businesses and offices.

• the nearest metro station is the central metro station, within an approximate distance of 1 km or 0.6 miles.

• lal bazar has several historical and cultural landmarks in its vicinity, such as shaheed minar, martin burn house and dalhousie square. 

whats great?

• lal bazar is known to be encompassed by a great number of religious institutions, starting from hindu temples such as the hanuman temple and shiv mandir, parsi temples such as the zoroastrian anjuman atash adaran fire temple and parsi agiary, chinese temples such as the liang liang chinese church and nam soon church and of course, christian religious organizations such as the st. andrews church and st. johns church. these are only to name a few.

• lal bazar was the british capitals hub of administration pursuits. the place has not changed much.  naturally, the location still remains characteristic of kolkatas quaint and vintage essence. with buildings reeking of western architecture and businesses and stores existing since the 1920s, the location reflects a city stuck in a time warp.

whats not great?

• lal bazar is known for its busy streets. hence, traffic and noise is a continual problem.

• occasional fire hazards and an irregular supply of amenities at times make lal bazar a difficult place to reside in.

Watch out for?

one interesting thing about lal bazar is that, adjacent to the kolkata police headquarters, there is an unusual number of music stores, ready to make music admirers and musicians alike geek out over the best instruments at affordable prices. some of the music shops at the location include b.c.m. music palace, bengal music house and sarat sardar and sons.

property rising factor

short term: lal bazar is not an ideal place for purchasing residential plots. however, it has a lot of space for commercial and office purposes. since lal bazar is a part of the central business district, property prices are fairly high.

long term: being a prominent location of central kolkata, in the long term, still, the people will witness the rise in property prices.

other highlights  

social infrastructure

being a part of the central business district, lal bazar has an abundance of schools, hospitals, banks, hotels in the vicinity. although the exact location is not best suited for housing purposes, the locality offers its nearby residents a wide range of social amenities.

shopping complex & markets

lal bazar has various shopping complexes and markets in its vicinity that are established for the inhabitants of the neighbourhood.

• tirreti bazaar

• chandni chowk market

• radha bazaar

• central mall

• nandigram market

health care centers

lal bazar does not have a great number of hospitals or health care centres in its immediate vicinity, but some of the nearest hospitals are:

• calcutta gujrati hospital

• mercy hospital

• nightingale hospital

• calcutta national medical college and hospital

• miot hospitals

connectivity & public transport

• lal bazar has fairly well-connected roadways. the nearest railway station is sealdah which is within an approximate distance of 3.5 km from lal bazar.

• the best way to reach lal bazar is to board a metro and drop at cental and explore the nearest locations by walking. 

• the central minibus terminus of kolkata is at lal dighi, from where a wide range of buses leave, aiming to reach different destinations around the city. similarly, the buses routes originating from howrah go via lal bazaar to the south of kolkata.

schools, bank & fitness centers

lal bazar has a considerable number of schools, banks and fitness centres for the residents. nearby fitness centres include robust fitness and satyendra munra.

schools:

• welland gouldsmith school junior section

• calcutta girls high school

• sri laxmi narayan trust girls secondary school

• sacred heart chinese school and chapel

• vallabh ram mehta boys secondary school

banks:

• united bank of india - lalbazar branch

• state bank of india atm

• federal bank

• axis bank

• indian overseas bank - lalbazar branch

popular landmarks near locality

lal bazar itself being a location of great historical importance; there are many famous cultural and historical landmarks nearby, including mercantile building,  martin burn house,  gilander house, shaheed minar, st. andrews church and lal dighi park.

micro market analysis

capital and rental trends: the locality is ideal for commercial and business purposes. hence, the average price and rent of the location are arguably affordable and will not change much in the coming years.

scope of growth: the area has very little scope for growth.  although new commercial outlets have definitely emerged in the place, the commercial overview of the place is very slowly changing. 

investment opportunities: the location is fairly good for investment and business opportunities, especially in commercial properties.