Metro Railway has accused the state government of non-cooperation in extending the existing link from New Garia to Ruby further north up to the Metropolitan crossing and the work was held up because of the non-availability of a traffic block on EM Bypass.
The allegation came a day after the chief commissioner of railway safety inspected the proposed extension of the Metro link from Ruby to Beleghata. He proposed a series of measures like building a foot overbridge at the Metropolitan intersection across EM Bypass and constructing a 90-metre viaduct beyond the proposed station at Beleghata.
Kolkata police said the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), the agency implementing the Metro link, was yet to complete some of the corrective measures suggested following a trial run for the proposed traffic blockade at the Metropolitan crossing on February 2.
The Bypass is a key road in the east and a traffic diversion to facilitate Metro work is already in place at the Chingrighata crossing, which is about 500 metres from the Metropolitan intersection, the police said.
Metro can take up the pending work at the Metropolitan crossing after completing the ongoing work at Chingrighata, senior officers at the police headquarters at Lalbazar said responding to Metro Railway’s charges.
Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim, also the minister in charge of urban development, refuted Metro Railway’s allegations of non-cooperation.
“We have regular interactions with officials of Metro Railway. The state government has waived a few hundred crores of rupees due from the Metro Railway for the ongoing Metro project because we want to see it completed,” Hakim said.
“The Metro Railway has started putting up advertisements on pillars meant to be green and this is illegal. Even then we have been cooperating with the Metro Railway because it will ease the commute for people. Besides, these Metro projects were sanctioned when Mamata Banerjee was the railway minister,” Hakim said.
Metro Railway officials said a viaduct spanning 90 metres and extending beyond the Beleghata station was required to be built so trains reaching the station from New Garia could take a turn.
“At the Metropolitan crossing, this stretch of 90 metres is vital. Without this space, it will take longer for trains reaching from New Garia to take a turn,” said Kausik Mitra, chief public relations officer of Metro Railway.
“The police demanded that the existing road be widened and that was completed.
Even after this, a traffic block on EM Bypass has not been offered. The block is
also required to construct a middle support on the median of the Bypass for the
proposed foot overbridge at the Beleghata station,” Mitra said.
Senior police officers said they were stunned by the allegations. No Metro work along Bypass would have been possible without police help, they said.
“The Airport-bound traffic along EM Bypass will be hit once the traffic block is allowed. This was evident during the traffic trial in February,” a senior officer of the Kolkata police overseeing traffic said.
“A diversion is already in place at Chingrighata. The proposed spot is a little over 500 metres from this crossing. Once the construction work at Chingrighata is completed, the RVNL can take up work at the Metropolitan crossing,” the officer said.
Senior police officers pointed out that clearance for 60 days was given to the RVNL for erecting a 76 metre-long steel girder on EM Bypass near Calcutta International School on September 2. Metro overshot the deadline by over 120 days.
“There are several instances of such overshooting of the timeline but we have
not complained. Unfortunately, the Metro Railway has alleged non-cooperation
even after this,” the officer said.