Bengal govt, Kolkata Metro officials meet to resolve Chingrighata imbroglio

Kolkata, Sep 9 (PTI) West Bengal government and Kolkata Metro officials on Tuesday held a meeting to resolve the impasse over police clearance for the construction of a viaduct at Chingrighata crossing for extending the Orange Line till IT hub Salt Lake Sector 5.

The meeting took place after the Calcutta High Court asked all stakeholders to sit together to find a solution to the delay.

The high court had asked the stakeholders to put forward a date for holding the meeting, and was informed that it would take place on September 9.

Representatives of the Transport Department, Kolkata Police, Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, State Urban Development Agency, Metro Railway and RVNL participated in the meeting at Metro Railway headquarters on Tuesday afternoon, a Metro Railway official said.

"The meeting was held, but we cannot divulge further details since it is a sub judice matter," the official told PTI.

The high court heard a PIL on September 5, which sought early resolution of the matter in the public interest since operationalisation of the stretch from Kavi Subhash (New Garia) to Salt Lake Sector 5 would help lakhs of commuters. The court posted the matter for the next hearing on September 18.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 22 inaugurated three new metro stretches in Kolkata, one of which was part of the Kavi Subhash-Bimanbandar Orange Line.

The line is at present operational between Kavi Subhash station and Beleghata, just before the Chingrighata crossing.

The RVNL, which is the implementing agency for the project, has been awaiting police permission to construct a few hundred metres of viaduct over the busy Chingrighata intersection on EM Bypass for months, with the viaduct on the other side up to Sector 5 already complete. PTI SUS ACD