The work on the much-touted Kolkata East-West Metro corridor is running far behind the schedule and the cost of the project has already escalated from Rs 4,676 crore to Rs 8,996.96 crore in 2017. The Metro Corridor project from Salt lake Sector V to Howrah was sanctioned by the Centre on July 30, 2008 and it was scheduled to be completed in August 2019.
Taking a serious note of cost escalation and inordinate delay, a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Urban Development Ministry, has rapped the Centre and West Bengal governments to find out a way to speed up the project. The Committee has asked the Ministry of Urban Development to coordinate with Ministry of Railways and sort out the issues resulting delay. It has also directed to file a status report periodically to this committee.
The Committee was annoyed to find that the project which was started in 2008 and scheduled to be completed by 2009, is still 44 percent is complete till date due to land acquisition and realignment issues. The Parliamentary committee was headed MP Pinaki Mishra. The committee report was tabled in the Parliament on Friday.
As per the project details, for the first time in India a train will go under a river. A 520m stretch of the tracks will go through a tunnel under the Hooghly. The roof of the tunnel would be about 30 metres from the ground level. The project has a total elevated portion of 5.8 km, while the underground part covers 10.8 km. According to details , the projected daily passenger load is expected to go up to seven lakh in 2020, 8.10 lakh in 2025 and nine lakh in 2035. The total number of stations is 12 — six elevated, six underground.
The original projected cost was Rs 4,874.58 crore, sanctioned in 2008-09. But delays as well as the fluctuating rupee have raised the cost. This project was initially being implemented by Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation ltd. (KMRCl), a 50:50 Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of Central Government and West Bengal Government. The Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation ltd. (KMRCl) has recently submitted an increased budget of Rs 8,996.96 crore, which has yet to be sanctioned. Subsequently this project was transferred to Ministry of Railways with 74 per cent equity and 26 per cent for Ministry of Urban Development.
The committee also noted that the Ministry of Urban Development are working on a new Metro policy as well as a new Metro Bill. The committee are apprised that the new Metro policy is designed to provide a variety of options. It will promote indigenisation and standardisation. The Committee urged the Ministry to expedite the completion of this policy and Metro Bill within a time bound manner.