HC asks KMRCL not to resume underground metro work sans its nod

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed the Kolkata Metro Railway Corporation Ltd (KMRCL) not to resume underground construction for the East-West Metro corridor without its nod.

Several buildings have collapsed or developed cracks in the congested Bowbazar area of central Kolkata after a tunnel-boring machine engaged in the East-West Metro corridor project hit a water table leading to seepage under the foundation of the houses.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice T B N Radhakrishnan and Justice Arijit Banerjee asked the KMRCL and West Bengal government to file separate reports before the court by November 7, when the matter will be again taken up for hearing.

The KMRCL was directed to give details about steps it has taken to stop further damage to the affected area and future plans ensuring safe construction work for metro corridor.

The high court asked the West Bengal government to state in the report its disaster management infrastructure to deal with such situations and what it has done to mitigate the problems faced by residents of the affected Bowbazar area.

The KMRCL counsel told the division bench that 688 people were relocated from 78 damaged buildings, while 83 families were handed over Rs 5 lakh each as interim compensation.

The counsel submitted that water seepage in the affected area has been stopped by Indian engineers and experts from overseas, who were brought in soon after the incident on August 31.

Hearing a PIL seeking termination of underground boring for metro tunnels in congested areas, the division bench had on September 3 directed the KMRCL to apprise it by September 16 about the steps taken to arrest further "ground settlement" and damage to buildings.

The PIL also challenged provisions of Metro Railway (Construction of Works) Act, 1978.

The KMRCL had told the division bench on September 3 that it had stopped tunnel boring work immediately after the incident and would not commence it without the court's nod.

Work for 9.8-km out of the 10.9-km-long underground tunnel for the East-West Metro corridor, that would connect Salt Lake in the east and Howrah in the west, has been completed.

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 the IT hub in sector five of 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 dilapidated condition.