Cal HC directs KMRC to send notice to occupiers of buildings

The Calcutta High Court today directed the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) to send notice to the occupiers of five buildings which need to be evacuated for constructing the tunnel for East West Metro.
Justice Dipankar Dutta directed the KMRC to send notices to the occupiers of five old buildings, which need repairs, for evacuating these during the period when tunnelling for the metro corridor is done.
The buildings are in the Burrabazar-BBD Bag area in the heart of the city are situated above or near the tunnel route and require to be evacuated for the safety of the residents.

Justice Dutta also asked the central government to make efforts to find out ways to make an exception in the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)'s heritage building rules to facilitate the construction of the tunnel, which will also pass through places near or under three such buildings.
These three buildings are also situated in the BBD Bag area.
Justice Dutta asked Additional Solicitor General Kaushik Chanda to get the opinion of the ministry concerned and inform the court on June 13, the next date of hearing of the matter.

AFCONS, which is carrying out the construction work of the tunnel, has moved the high court seeking relief over delay owing to the issues related to the occupiers who are not evacuating and the heritage buildings.

AFCONS has claimed that stoppage of the working of huge boring machines that are being used for the purpose would lead to financial loss to the company and also further delay in completion of work.
The 14.67-km-long East West Metro corridor connecting Howrah with Salt Lake Sector V has suffered delays in completion schedule owing to various reasons.
Tunnel boring from the Howrah side is being done and at present work is on under the Hooghly river.
After passing through the riverbed, the metro tunnel will enter the highly congested Burrabazar area, which is the wholesale trading hub of eastern India.