Post criticism, Metro invites CM, Mayor for Sealdah Stn inauguration
KOLKATA: After drawing flak from several quarters, the Metro Railway authorities have finally extended invitations to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Mayor Firhad Hakim for the inauguration of Sealdah Metro Station. However, there has been no response from either of them. The metro station will be inaugurated by Union Minister Smriti Irani on July 11.
The Minister for Women and Child Development and Minority Affairs arrived in Bengal on Sunday. The Metro officials confirmed that she will inaugurate the station and extend East-West Metro service from Phoolbagan to Sealdah virtually from Howrah Maidan Metro station at 5 pm.
The railway officials also invited MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay, MLA Nayna Bandyopadhyay, MLA Paresh Pal, state minister Arup Roy, MP Prasun Banerjee and several other MLAs. Invitation has been sent to Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar.
However, the state Transport Minister Firhad Hakim slammed the railway authorities for conducting the inauguration on the same day as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's tour to Darjeeling to attend the swearing-in ceremony of BGPM chief Anit Thapa.
Meanwhile, senior Trinamool Congress leader and MP Saugata Roy, speaking to a news channel, said that this (the inauguration) was done intentionally on the day Mamata Banerjee was going for her North Bengal tour. "No one from TMC will go," he said.
Presently, the 6.9 kilometers stretch between Phoolbagan and Saltlake Sector-V was operational.
With addition of Sealdah, the total distance is 9.3 kilometers and the officials are expecting at least 45,000 commuters per day. The service will begin from July 14.
Commercial services between Sector V in Salt Lake and Sealdah are set to commence on July 14.
The 2.33 kilometre extension between Phoolbagan and Sealdah has been constructed at a cost of Rs 1250 crore. The lowest fare will be Rs 10 and the rest will be in accordance with the existing price slab.
There is a double discharge order for Sealdah station which means commuters will be able to get down from both
the sides.
In peak hours, the train frequency will be 10 minutes and in non-peak hours it will be 12 minutes.