Noapara and Dum Dum Cantonment should be linked by Metro by March this year, officials in the carrier said
The 3km Noapara-Dum Dum Cantonment stretch is the first that is nearing completion in the Noapara-airport section, which, the carrier said, is eyeing a December 2024 deadline. The Noapara-airport section is part of the larger Noapara-Barasat corridor, known as the Yellow Line.
The progress beyond the airport station has been bleak for a number of reasons, encroachments being at the forefront.
“The Noapara-Dum Dum Cantonment block should be ready by March this year. The civil work in this section
is complete. The electrical, signaling and telecommunication infrastructure is being set up. The Dum Dum Cantonment station is also getting finishing touches,” said a Metro official.
On January 8, Metro general manager P. Uday Kumar Reddy inspected the Noapara-Dum Dum Cantonment section.
The stations after Noapara are Dum Dum Cantonment, Jessore Road and Biman Bandar. The line goes underground from Jessore Road. The Noapara-Biman Bandar section stretches 6.5km.
The construction between Noapara and Dum Dum Cantonment is nearing completion. So is the construction in the Jessore Road-Biman Bandar block.
Construction of the block between the Dum Dum Cantonment and airport stations was stalled because of “illegal encroachments”. More than 150 shanties and shops under and around the elevated (and now-defunct) Circular Railway tracks have delayed the project for almost a decade, said Metro sources.
But the encroachments are being cleared now.
“At the beginning, there were 167 illegal structures. The state government has helped in clearing them in phases. Now, 22 structures are left. We hope they will also be gone by January 31,” said a Metro official, who is coordinating with the local administration.
Metro toured the area on Sunday and saw a series of shanties still standing in the Rajabagan Estate neighbourhood along Jessore road.
A stretch of rubble suggested a fresh demolition
“Most of the structures have been demolished. The rest will be cleared, too. The job is being undertaken by the (North-24 Parganas) district administration,” said a Metro official.
“These people did not have permanent structures. They are being relocated in phases. The civic body (Dum Dum Municipality) is taking care of the rehabilitation,” said a senior official in the district administration.
A Metro engineer said after the agency gets access to the entire area, construction will gather pace.
“The girders will be erected and deck slabs cast. Other ancillary infrastructure will also be built. We need 26 deck slabs and 27 piers between Dum Dum Cantonment and Jessore Road. The piers
are ready. The last one came up on January 12,” said the engineer.
Like the Noapara-Dum Dum Cantonment block, the Jessore Road-Biman Bandar block is also ready in terms of civil engineering. The electrical and signalling and telecommunication infrastructure has to be built.
“We hope to start commercial services between Noapara and Dum Dum Cantonment by March. The December 2024 target for the Noapara-Biman Bandar section is also realistic,” said Kausik Mitra, Metro Railway spokesperson.