East-West corridor work to restart after getting court's nod, Metro Rly tells HC

The Kolkata Metro Railway Corporation (KMRC) told the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday that it had stopped underground construction for the East-West Metro corridor, following Sunday's damage to several houses in the central parts of the city during a tunnel-boring work.

Admitting that at least five houses had collapsed owing to ground settlement from seepage after a tunnel-boring machine hit a water table, the KMRC counsel told a division bench presided by Chief Justice TBN Radhakrishnan that work will start only after getting the court's nod.

Several buildings in the congested Bowbazar area have developed cracks, leaving hundreds homeless.

At least 323 residents of these damaged houses were shifted to hotels, KMRC lawyer Jishnu Saha told the bench, adding that all the affected and collapsed buildings will be repaired or reconstructed by the Metro Railway authority.

He further submitted that the businessmen and workers who had lost their livelihood owing to the damage to the properties will be rehabilitated.

Hearing a PIL seeking termination of underground drilling for metro tunnels in congested areas, the division bench, also comprising Justice Arijit Banerjee, directed the KMRC to apprise it of the developments in arresting further ground settlement and damage to buildings by September 16.

The court also asked the advocate general to make sure that the state government and the city civic authorities extend all cooperation in dealing with the situation and ensuring that the affected people are taken care of.

The bench will hear the PIL, which has also challenged the provisions of Metro Railway (Construction of Works) Act, 1978, again on September 16.

The KMRC lawyer told the bench that the work for 9.8 km of the 10.9-km-long underground tunnel was completed for the East-West Metro corridor.

Saha said the KMRC had invited experts from within and outside the country for preparing a comprehensive geotechnical report on the incident and finding ways to prevent any damage to the remaining one-km tunnel work.

He said the KMRC was likely to get reports from them within a fortnight on how to complete the construction work using tunnel-boring machines, without affecting life or property.

Even as the court was hearing the PIL on Tuesday, there were reports of more buildings developing cracks owing to the ground settlement.

Agitated residents demanded that the KMRC ensure that damage to more buildings was prevented and a written assurance be given to those affected that their buildings will be reconstructed or repaired as per requirement.

Tunnels have been bored under the Hooghly river to connect the twin cities of Kolkata and Howrah through the rapid transit system, spanning a length of 16.6 km from Howrah Maidan to IT hub Sector V in Salt Lake.

The new metro corridor passes through some of Kolkata's most-congested areas where there are many century-old buildings, some of which are in a dilapidated condition.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who visited Bowbazar on Monday evening and spoke to some of the affected residents, said the state government will work together with the KMRC authorities to ensure proper rehabilitation of those who have been rendered homeless.

Banerjee, a former railway minister, has also convened a meeting with the KMRC authorities, the city mayor, the police commissioner, secretaries of the disaster management and transport departments on Tuesday to discuss the modalities for providing rehabilitation.

The chief minister appreciated that people were evacuated in time, preventing any loss of life or injury to anyone.

Noting that the affected people had to vacate their residences, leaving behind their belongings, bank and identification documents, Banerjee said necessary assistance will be provided to them.