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Dum Dum-Barrackpore Metro project awaits state nod

11 January 2011

bappaditya paul
KOLKATA, 11 JAN: Railway minister Miss Mamata Banerjee will lay the foundation for the Dum Dum-Barrackpore metro railway project on 16 January though the project is yet to get the clearance from the state government.
The 19.70-km metro project, which is to be carried out by the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) ~ a subsidiary of the Indian Railway ~ is estimated to cost around Rs 2534.60 crore.
The multi-crore metro project will run from the existing Dum Dum Metro station via Noapara, Baranagar, Dakshineswar, Kamarhati, Agarpara, Panihati, Titagarh and terminate at Barrackpore in North 24-Parganas. It will have eight elevated stations at all the above-mentioned places and would crisis-cross the proposed Dum Dum-Barasat Metro Railway extension route at Noapara.
But while the railway minister is all set to lay the foundation for the project, the state government says it has not been approached for the necessary clearance for the same.
“Forget giving clearance... till date no body has even approached us for the  clearance. But, as you can see, they (the railways) can do anything! They even got the President to lay the foundation for the Joka-BBD Bag metro project without the mandatory nod from the state,” the state transport minister, Mr Ranjit Kundu, said. He, however, clarified that the state government has no intention to spoil the foundation-laying ceremony of the Dum Dum- Barrackpore metro project.
Prior to this, on 15 January the railway minister will also lay the foundation for the 18-km Noapara-Barasat Metro Railway extension project and also commence work for the Dum Dum-Bimanbandar (airport) Metro route at a public ceremony in Barasat.
To be built at an estimated cost of Rs 2397.72 crore, the railway ministry has already made an allotment of Rs 100 crore for the Barasat project in the 2010-11 budget. Unlike the Dum Dum-Barrackpore project, the Barasat extension will be carried out by the Metro Railway and would have 10 elevated stations at Noapara, Dum Dum Cantonment, Jessore Road, Bimanbandar, Birati, Michale Nagar, New Barrackpore, Madhyamgram, Hridaypur and Barasat.   
On the other hand, the Dum Dum-Bimanbandar route running over a length of 8.24 km on the Up section, will have four stations at Noapara, Ramakrishna Palli, Shanti Nagar and Bimanbandar. But on the Down section (6.40 km), it will have three stations at Bimanbandar, Jessore Road and Dum Dum Cantonment, before merging into the existing Dum Dum Metro station.