Land-related hurdle stalling Noapara-Barasat Metro project resolved

The land-related obstacle for which the Noapara-Barasat Metro Project was stalled for five long years has been solved, the Chief Public Relation Officer of Kolkata Metro, Indrani Banerjee informed on Tuesday.

The solution was found after the meeting among senior officers of state Transport department along with Metro railway officers and representatives of South Dum Dum Municipality.

As many as 573 families living adjacent to the areas of Dum Dum Cantonment Rail Station to Canal number 3, will be rehabilitated. These families will be shifted to a five acre plot of land beside Belgharia Expressway. The new Metro Railway track will run alongside the railway track up to Barasat and due to the settlers living alongside the lines, the project was stalled.

The Metro railway authority will lay 18 kilometre railway track from Noapara to Barasat. The new deadline has been fixed till June, 2018. The expenditure which was allocated for this project was approximately Rs 220 crore. However, Noapara, Baranagar and Dakshineswar project, which was also stalled for several years will start its construction process. There were at least 150 settlers who encroached on the railway land at Baranagar. But they would vacate the land, if they were given compensation, hinted a railway source.

It may be mentioned that those projects were stalled since 2010. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had recently said that the connectivity of Kolkata will improve to a great extent after the completion of the project.