The completion of the overhead Metro link at Chingrighata, connecting Beleghata and Sector V stations along the New Garia-Airport link, is likely to take nine months from the start of construction, senior officials of RVNL said during a meeting with representatives from various agencies on Tuesday.
The Rail Vikas Nigan Limited (RVNL) is the executing agency for the Orange Line, connecting New Garia and the airport. The Orange Line will link the East-West corridor (Green Line) at Sector V for movement towards Esplanade, Howrah and Howrah Maidan.
Senior state government officials, who attended Tuesday’s meeting, held following a directive from the high court, said the RVNL representatives said that by September 2026, the commissioning of the stretch between Beleghata and the IT Centre Section would be completed.
This deadline can only be met if the state government allows the launch of the viaducts at Chingrighata in November, RVNL officials stated.
“RVNL intimated that it will take around nine months (September 2026) to complete and commission the Beleghata to IT Centre Section, subject to the availability of traffic diversion provided in November 2025,” a senior state government official who attended Tuesday’s meeting said.
After several hours of deliberation at the meeting, the state government agreed to hold a traffic trial this weekend as a precursor to the launch of the viaducts over two sets of Metro piers at Chingrighata — pier numbers 317-318 and 318-319.
The final launching of the viaducts may be held on the second and third weekends of November, officials representing the state government proposed.
“The proposals have been discussed, but have not been signed and sealed. The copy of the meeting’s minutes has been sent to the chief secretary for final clearance. Unless Tuesday’s discussions get the formal approval from the state government, nothing can be taken as a final decision,” the official said.
A team of 10 officials from multiple agencies, including Kolkata Police, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), the transport department, Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), Metro Railway and RVNL, met at Metro Rail Bhavan on Tuesday to discuss ways to resolve the stalemate over the construction of the metro viaduct at Chingrighata.
“While the meeting did not discuss the matter of advertisement rights, KMC officials later raised objections to RVNL using the Metro piers on the Orange Line for collecting revenue through advertisements. The ad-right rests solely on the civic body, KMC has underlined,” the official said. “So the final clearance from the state government remains crucial for the project.”
Around 10 kilometres of the 32.07-kilometre Orange Line has been commissioned. Beleghata station connected to the Kavi Subhas station in August. The remaining work on the Orange Line is being executed in two phases — Beleghata to Sector V (4.46km) and Sector V to Jai Hind Station (17.81 km).
Senior RVNL officials said that since February, the work on the stretch between Beleghata and Sector V has remained stalled as Kolkata Police were not granting NOC for traffic diversion.
“The impact of idling of resources is around ₹90 lakh per month. The delay in granting a traffic block has resulted in cost overrun and inconvenience to commuters moving from south to east to reach their offices or homes,” said a senior RVNL official.