Kolkata: RVNL to repair and open Metro station site near Ruby in a fortnight

KOLKATA: Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) is repairing the 12.5-metre wide portion of Eastern Metropolitan Bypass below Hemanta Mukherjee station (in the under construction New Garia-Airport link) and plans to throw it open to Garia-bound traffic within a

fortnight

.

RVNL

officials inspected the stretch of E M Bypass near the

Ruby

Hospital crossing after the KMDA blamed construction of the Metro link for poor condition of the road’s surface. After the inspection, RVNL rubbished the charge.

“The inspection team was sent to E M Bypass by Rajesh Prasad, executive director (Metro), RVNL. After the inspection, the team gave specific details about the road surface along with information regarding where RVNL has taken up repairs. RVNL has been accused wrongly for poor condition of the road surface even in stretches where construction was completed years ago. The organisation has kept its commitment and repaired those stretches that may have suffered damage due to construction of the Metro viaduct,” Metro Railway CPRO Indrani Banerjee said.


A senior KMDA official, while admitting that RVNL has taken up repairs along certain stretches, maintained that portions of the road were damaged at the sub-base level during construction and mere repairs on the surface may not work. An RVNL engineer said that there have been several rounds of discussion with the KMDA where his organisation offered to bear costs of repairs as it has no expertise in road construction or maintenance.

In the report submitted by the RVNL inspection team, it has been stated: “The EM Bypass below the Hemanta Mukherjee

Station

is being repaired by RVNL and is likely to be opened for movement of traffic towards

Garia

within a fortnight. After opening of this road, RVNL shall not be liable for any road repairing work around Hemanta Mukherjee station.” The report submitted by the team also has photographs showing mastic cover that has been laid on the Garia-bound stretch, which was extended by RVNL.

According to another RVNL official, there are several potholed stretches along the E M Bypass where there are no Metro viaducts. One of these is the airport-bound stretch near the Parama Island crossing. At this point, the Metro viaduct is not on the Bypass. “Instead of blaming each other, experts from all stakeholders should sit together to work out how roads can be better maintained along stretches where other construction is in progress,” he said.


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