Beliaghata: Metro may skip Gour Kishore Ghosh Stn until underpass is built

Kolkata: Metro Railway has offered not to operate the newly constructed Gour Kishore Ghosh Metro Station at Beliaghata until a pedestrian subway is built, after the state government raised concerns that opening the station would worsen pedestrian congestion at the Chingrighata intersection.

The move follows a public interest litigation in the Calcutta High Court, where the state government, in its affidavit, stated that the station’s opening would increase the pedestrian congestion at the busy crossing. Metro Railway, in a recent communication, said: “As the State Government opines that pedestrian congestion will take place, Metro Railway will not operate the Gour Kishore Ghosh Metro station till a pedestrian subway is built.” Trains will “run through” the station without stopping until then.

The impasse is linked to the incomplete 366-metre viaduct gap between Beleghata and Gour Kishore Ghosh stations. Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), the implementing agency for the 32-km Orange Line, has already built a diversion road at Chingrighata as agreed with Kolkata

Police. However, the mandatory no-objection certificate (NOC) for a temporary traffic block, essential to bridge the gap, has been pending since February 2.

RVNL had initially sought two weekend traffic closures for the work but has since revised its request, saying the girder-launching could be completed within a single nine-hour night block if approval is granted.

Three stations, Gour Kishore Ghosh, Nalban (Nicco Park), and IT Centre (Sector V), are fully built but remain unopened, awaiting resolution of the Chingrighata bottleneck.