Kolkata: President Pratibha Patil will lay
the foundation of a Metro between Joka in South 24-Paragana
district and BBD Bagh, the central business district of the
metropolis here, tomorrow.
The Metro to connect large areas of neighbouring South
24-Pargana district with BBD Bagh is part of Railway Minister
Mamata Banerjee`s plan to expand the Metro network.
"The 16.72-km new stretch will help lakhs of people
commute from the extreme south to the central business
district," a senior Metro Railway official said.
"The Metro Railway in Kolkata is the first underground
mass rapid transit system in the country and the only one
under the Ministry of Railways," he said.
The Joka-BBD Bag project was sanctioned in 2010-11. The
total estimated cost of the project, that will run overground
along Diamond Harbour Road, is Rs 2,619.02 crore. The project
outlay for the year is Rs 150 crore.
The Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd entrusted with commissioning the
project has completed survey and soil testing of the stretch
between Joka to Majerhat through RITES.
The tendering process for this stretch has begun and the
project should be completed by 2013-14.
PTI
