The chairman and managing director of Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), Saleem Ahmad, visited Calcutta on Wednesday to review various projects being executed by the agency.
He inspected the progress of ongoing underground tunnel work for the Joka-Esplanade Metro corridor.
Two tunnel-boring machines (TBMs) are building the underground section from Kidderpore to Victoria station. TBM Durga has completed approximately 1,100m of tunnelling, and TBM Divya has completed approximately 650m of tunnelling, said a Metro spokesperson.
Ahmad also inspected the new market built for traders of the Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy Market which has to be demolished to make way for the Esplanade station.
Many traders are refusing to move, fearing they may not be allowed to return to their original spots. This has stalled the project for months.
The RVNL boss also reviewed the progress of the New Garia-airport corridor (Orange Line) from Beleghata to IT Centre. A 366m gap in the Metro viaduct at Chingrighata has stalled the project for over a year. The agency is waiting for a permission from police for traffic blocks needed to lift concrete segments to bridge the gap.
