Kolkata Metro sets up a quarantine centre at Rajarhat

Kolkata: Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Limited (KMRCL) has set up quarantine centre for East-West Metro workers at the labour camp in Rajarhat.

The decision comes after more than 10 workers were detected COVID-19

positive.

"We have set up a quarantine centre in August first week. There are 25 special beds there. The doctors come in their scheduled time and check the worker if he feels feverish or have COVID-19 symptoms," said an official of the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Limited, the implementing agency of the East West Metro project.

He said that about 250 workers from different districts who work at construction site in Bowbazar and Esplanade stay at the labour camp.

The tunnelling work near Bowbazar was stopped on July 7 after 14 workers (labourers and supervisors involved in operating the tunnel-boring machine or TBM) were tested COVID-19 positive.

The tunnelling work resumed in the first week of August.

While tunnel boring machine Chandi became redundant after hitting against an aquifer last year on August 31, its twin Urvi took up the task of burrowing the remaining portion covering a length of around 1.8km.

The East-West Metro starts from Salt Lake Sector V to Howrah Maidan covering a distance of 16.5 kilometres.

The path of the East-West Metro will be over ground from Sector V till Subhas Sarovar station and will then go underground. In the entire stretch, around 520 metres of tunneling has been done underneath the river Hooghly.

Meanwhile, Kolkata Metro Railway authorities have procured 500 additional fire

extinguishers for emergency use at stations, inside rakes

and also at other vital installations.

During the lockdown, 100 full face masks and 100 helmets fitted with lights have also been procured and provided to different stations.

This apart, 3KW solar power generation system has been inaugurated on 24 August, 2020 at newly constructed green building in Mainline Electric Multiple Unit shed/Asansol.