Police officers and representatives of multiple state government agencies will meet railway officials at Metro Bhavan on December 17 to find a way out of the Chingrighata impasse that has stalled construction on the New Garia-airport Metro corridor (Orange Line).
A division bench of Calcutta High Court fixed the date while hearing a PIL seeking speedy completion of the corridor. The bench of Justice Sujoy Paul, the acting chief justice, and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen directed that a report of the meeting be presented at the next hearing on December 19.
At Friday’s hearing, state advocate-general Kishore Datta said he would attend the December 17 meeting.
A similar meeting had taken place in September after a court directive, but without the presence of the law officer. At that earlier meeting, Kolkata Police had agreed to provide traffic blocks on EM Bypass on the second and third weekends of November — essential for lifting concrete girders required to bridge a 366-metre gap in the viaduct at Chingrighata. Those traffic blocks were not provided.
The 366m gap is the final missing link preventing the Orange Line from connecting Beleghata to the airport.
Construction at Chingrighata has remained stalled since February this year. The petitioner’s counsel, along with representatives of the Railway Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), argued on Friday that issues flagged by the police should have been resolved at the previous meeting.
Kolkata Police have cited multiple challenges, including concerns over ambulance movement along EM Bypass, which connects several major hospitals. Police sources said they would raise several demands before agreeing to the proposed block. These include:
- A fitness certificate for the newly built diversion road skirting the Chingrighata flyover, to be handed over to either the KMC or the KMDA.
- A load test certificate for the steel bridge over Moila Khal, intended for smaller vehicles moving from Chingrighata towards Ruby.
- Clarity on the proposed pedestrian overbridge at Beleghata Metro station, the primary entry and exit point for commuters.
- A status report on the planned three-way underpass at the Chingrighata intersection, with links to Jal Vayu Vihar, Canal South Road and Sukantanagar.
A senior officer from the urban development department said departments including the KMC, KMDA, transport, the police and urban development would attend the meeting.
“The minutes will be recorded in the presence of the advocate-general and submitted to the high court,” hesaid.
“The diversion road was built several months ago. Why was the state government sitting on it till now?” asked Pradyumna Sinha, counsel for the petitioner.