Ornaments left behind in damaged houses; jewellers may seek

An unspecified amount of finished jewellery and raw materials have been left behind at workshops located in houses damaged during underground work by Metro railway in Bowbazar area here, and the jewellers may seek compensation from it.

Bowbazar in central Kolkata is known as the city's jewellery hub. Most of the shops lining the arterial B B Ganguly Street are showrooms of jewellers.

Nearly 85 workshops involving 350 artisans have been affected and gold and finished products left behind in these units cannot be retrieved as the area has been rendered inaccessible, an official of the jewellers' association said here on Monday.

"We are planning to sit and discuss with KMRC officials about the fate of the artisans and workshops affected by the tunnelling work which led to the collapse of several buildings in the area", Working President of Swarna Shilpa Bachao Committee Samar De said.

Several houses at Durga Pituri Lane and Syakrapara Lane in Bowbazar area have either collapsed or developed huge cracks during tunnel boring work carried out by the Kolkata Metro Railway Corporation Ltd (KMRC). The police have cordoned off several pockets of the area for the safety of the people.

"We may also seek compensation from the Metro authorities as it is a huge loss we are facing just ahead of the Durga Puja festival," De said.

He said a list containing the quantity of raw materials and finished products stuck in these workshops is being prepared and will feature in the discussion with the Metro authorities.

Some of the artisans of the jewellery shops in the area had earlier claimed that they had to abandon finished products and raw materials given to them by merchants for making ornaments while leaving the workshops in the affected buildings.

Many of them had to rush out of a damaged house or have been evacuated hastily by the KMRC as some buildings faced dangers.