Govt asks Kolkata Metro to compensate Bowbazar victims for cracks in houses

The West Bengal government asked Kolkata Metro to compensate families whose houses in the Bowbazar area have developed cracks due to construction work of the East-West Corridor

The West Bengal government on Saturday asked Kolkata Metro to compensate families whose houses in the Bowbazar area have developed cracks due to construction work of the East-West Corridor with Rs 5 lakh each within a month, mayor Firhad Hakim said.

The affected shop owners of the area will also be compensated for the loss of livelihood based on a formula derived by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) -- Rs 1.5 lakh for up to 100 sq ft, and Rs 5 lakh if more than 100 sq ft, he said.

The decision was taken in a meeting at state secretariat Nabanna, chaired virtually by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Besides Hakim, Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi, Home Secretary GP Gopalika, Kolkata Police commissioner Vineet Goyal, KMC commissioner Binod Kumar and senior officers of Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (KMRCL) and experts from Jadavpur University were present in the meeting.

At least 12 houses in Madan Dutta Lane developed cracks since Friday morning, following water seepage during work for a metro tunnel, the third such incident in the area in three years.

Camps would be organised in the area from Sunday for the purpose of providing compensation to the affected families, Hakim said after visiting the spot along with Dwivedi and other senior officials.

"These cracks are the result of soil settlement," he said, adding that experts were asked for tests so that the KMRCL can repair or rebuild the affected buildings.

"Immediate arrangements should be made for shifting the affected families to safer locations. In case of students, patients and vulnerable persons, special care will be taken," he said.

KMRCL was asked to give prior intimation to the police and civic authorities before restarting the works, the mayor said.

Total 180 people of 28 families have been affected by the disaster, an official of the state government said.

Madan Dutta Lane, which was hit by the disaster this time, is a few metres away from Durga Pituri Lane, where several buildings developed cracks and some collapsed due to ground subsidence in August 2019 and May this year.

The incidents have delayed the East-West Metro project, which will connect Salt Lake to Howrah via Kolkata.

On August 31, 2019, a tunnel boring machine (TBM) had hit an aquifer leading to severe ground subsidence and the collapse of several buildings. At least three houses were damaged again in May this year owing to ground subsidence caused by water seepage.

The East-West Metro, which is operated by the Indian Railway, is at present operational between Sector V in Salt Lake and Sealdah in Kolkata.

Out of the 16.6 km length of the line, the underground corridor is 10.8 km between Howrah Maidan and Phoolbagan with the tunnel passing below the Hooghly river, while the rest is elevated.