Delay in availing permission from the Defence authorities has cast shadow over implementation of the proposed Rs 2,619-crore Joka-BBD Metro link in Kolkata. Promoted by the Indian Railways, the 16.75-km project was sanctioned in 2010. The completion schedule is already postponed from early 2014 to 2015-16.

According to sources in Metro Railway Kolkata — an arm of Indian Railways — while work is in progress for the first 8-km leg of the project from Joka to Taratola, the second leg from Taratola to BBD Bag is slated to pass largely through land held by the defence authorities.

“Nearly 70 per cent of the proposed 8-9 km line length from Taratola to BBD Bag is under the defence. Leave alone finalising the route map after one-and-a-half-years of negotiation, we are still awaiting the permission from defence to conduct the survey for route map. Hopefully, we will get it soon,” a source told Business Line.

‘Project on schedule'

When contacted a Metro Railway spokesperson said the project is on schedule. “Nearly 7 km of the journey through the defence land will be underground. The Rail Ministry is in discussion with the Defence Ministry to get permission to begin the commissioning process on that stretch,” he said.

Sources, however, feel that given the slow progress so far, building an underground Metro line through Defence territory may not be an easy task or should take years before it could actually be implemented.

According to sources, Rail Vikash Nigam Ltd (RVNL), the contractor of the project, cannot go ahead with the tendering process unless the Railways gets the Defence Ministry's nod for the commissioning of the second leg of the ambitious Joka-BBD Bag metro.

Last month, the Railway Minister, Mr Mukul Roy promised that the 8 km stretch from Joka to Taratola would be operational in November 2013.

> ayan.pramanik@thehindu.co.in

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