and trams the riverfront is the most soughtafter location for prewedding shoots some want to be photographed on the steps some with the howrah bridge as the backdrop and some on boats said arshad hussain a wedding photographerthe riverfront is such a repository of the citys history that it has spawned several curated walks and trails along itforeigners as well as locals join our walks this indicates the heightened interest about the river and the history around it among kolkatans said partha banerjee of river tales which conducts river trails on weekend mornings between december and marchbut the old quarters along the riverfront are also plagued by encroachment squalor and defacement given the proximity of the cbd goods vehicles are parked on long stretches vagrants have made several of the ghats their homes open defecation is regular shops eateries and warehouses dump waste in the river i have been conducting walking tours along the hooghly for a decade and i have seen several aspects disappear over time many of the ghats have fallen into disrepair while illegal parking is eating into space said a walking tour organiser