East-West Metro station work at Lal Dighi to affect bus, tram services

East-West Metro station work at Lal Dighi to affect bus, tram services

KOLKATA: Next week, Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC), the executing agency of the East-West Metro project, is likely to start barricading the site to the east of Lal Dighi (BBD Bag) for the construction of the Mahakaran station. This will put traffic to some distress and affect bus and tram services. After a visit by Railway Board chairman A K Mittal and his assurance that funds would be no problem for the project, the KMRC wants to start the construction of the Mahakaran station immediately, keeping in mind the 2020 deadline for full-fledged operation of the Metro.

On Wednesday, all the stakeholders of the Metro project — Kolkata Police, transport agencies, state transport utilities and private bus operators' association representatives — will meet principal secretary (transport) Alapan Bandyopadhyay to finalize modalities of the traffic diversion, minibus terminus-shifting and other details before starting the construction work for the station-cum-retrieval shaft for the tunnel-boring-machine (TBM).

"A Metro station using 'cut-and-cover' method takes a little more than three years. If we need to run full operation by June 2020, we don't have that much time. We may have to finish it in two-and-half years. This requires uninterrupted, round-the-clock work. To facilitate such speedy completion, we will have quite a hectic work schedule. Moreover, the station itself will have some architectural ethos, keeping in mind the heritage precinct that Dalhousie is," said a KMRC official.

KMRC is now discussing with both the construction agencies of the East-West metro — ITD-ITD Cem and Transtonnelstroy-Afcons — for the construction of the Metro tunnel from Dalhousie to Esplanade. Whoever gives the most competitive rate for the construction of this remaining tunnel will be chosen for the construction. If Afcons does it, they would drive the TBM further till Esplanade from Dalhousie. If ITD it is, then Afcons will retrieve their TBMs — Rachana and Prerna — at Dalhousie shaft.

The barricading of the Mahakaran station site entails a lot of traffic rejig and shifting of the minibus stand.

An official said the transport department had already begun its search for an alternative site for the stand. The minibus operators are likely to be given three options — shift to other bus stands such as Santragachhi in Howrah or Nature Park near Taratala; set up a temporary shed near Vidyasagar Setu, or to drop passengers and return to the originating point with a brief halt at Dalhousie. For these short halts, buses of different routes will be designated different stops in the area. "The stops will be scattered across BBD Bag and route numbers will be clearly written on the boards. A bus of a particular route will be allowed to stop only at its assigned place. It will do away with the chaos that now reigns in the area," said an officer of the traffic-and-transportation planning directorate.

Last year, bus routes were realigned because of relocation of 132KV and 11KV UG cables of CESC at and around Lal Dighi.

Source:Times Of India