Kolkata: State Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister Firhad Hakim on Friday paid a visit to the proposed culvert on the canal adjacent to the damaged Majerhat Bridge. The culvert will act as a walkway for pedestrians travelling from the Behala side to Alipore along the railway tracks.
"The work has been slightly delayed because of rain. But we are hopeful that it will be over within a week. We had proposed a level crossing along the tracks. But the Railways have not given us permission. So, we are creating this culvert on the canal so that people can cross over on foot," the minister said.
The work for constructing the culvert started soon after the Railways rejected the state's proposal of a level crossing to the west of Alipore Avenue, running almost parallel to the caved-in Majerhat Bridge on "technical grounds".
"They had pointed out that the distance between the "starter and advanced signals" at Majerhat is "too short for a level crossing based on standard safety rules," an official of the state Urban Development department said.
The state had again sent a letter to railway bosses on Wednesday, requesting them to rethink about the level crossing so that small vehicles can ply and reduce some of the congestion.
The minister further expressed his optimism that the new road on the southward extension of Alipore Avenue till Humayun Kabir Sarani in
New Alipore that will connect Behala and Alipore, will be ready before the Pujas.
"The civil work is going on in full swing and the bailey bridge on the canal will be placed soon after the work gets completed," Hakim added.
The Railways will come up with a level crossing on the rail tracks and the expenses for the construction will be borne by the state. The final nod for the level crossing from the Commissioner of Railway Safety is still being awaited," a senior Eastern Railway official said, adding that the work may take two months.
The bailey bridge and the level crossing will connect the southward extension of Alipore Avenue with Block G in New Alipore, from where it would move some 600 metres to connect with Humayun Kabir Sarani. It will help vehicles from Behala reach Raja Santosh Road.
"Small vehicles from parts of Behala and even New Alipore will be directed down this new road, during the morning rush hour. In the evening, the flow may be reversed," a senior official of Kolkata Police's Traffic department said.