Measures to be taken to expedite completion of ongoing Metro projects

All necessary steps would be taken to expedite the work by removing all existing hurdles to complete the ongoing Metro Railway projects in and around the city as early as possible.

Mayor Sovan Chatterjee, Chief Secretary Basudeb Banerjee and principal secretary of the Transport department Alapan Bandyopadhyay held a meeting with top officials of the Metro Railways in the state secretariat, Nabanna, on Tuesday.

Sources said that following discussions on all the five ongoing Metro projects, the top brass of both the state government and the Metro have come to a conclusion that steps would be taken to make the Metro services available as early as possible.

It is learnt that the Metro service between Noapara and Airport would start in the next one year. But the extension of the service up to Barasat would take some time as there are issues to land acquisition and providing rehabilitation. Thus, the decision has been taken to complete the work to extend Metro service from Noapara to Airport in the next one year as there are no such glitches.

The much hyped East-West Metro that will pass under river Hooghly will become operational from Salt Lake Sector V to Sealdah in the next one and a half years. The East Metro will be connecting Sector V and Howrah Maidan via Howrah Station. The work of tunnelling has already started from Howrah Maidan end. Since it would take some time to complete the work on the stretch from Howrah Maidan to Sealdah, the decision has been taken to make the Metro service available from Sector V to Sealdah in the next one-and-a-half year.

The problems which existed on the path of completion of the Kavi Subhas to Airport line have been resolved. An existing multi-storey office building of the Central government and Chingrighata Traffic Guard would be relocated somewhere to create space for the Metro to pass, sources said.

The work of Joka-BBD Bag Metro is also expected to be completed in the next 2 years, as discussed in the meeting on Tuesday. The issue for which the Indian Army was not ready to allow passing of the Metro tracks has also been sorted out and the matter has also been discussed in the meeting, sources said. But still, there are certain problems with some of the heritage buildings along the line of the Metro tracks. It is learnt that there is a necessity to bring an amendment in the Heritage Act to allow Metro to pass through the proposed and planned route.

The task to make Metro services available between Dakshineswar from Noapara in the next 18 months has been taken, though it would take some time to start the work of connecting Dakshineswar with Barrackpore through Metro service.