The proposed Kidderpore station of the upcoming Joka-BBD Bag Metro corridor has been all but nixed.

The state government’s alleged refusal to allow construction inside the Kolkata Armed Police compound at Alipore’s Bodyguard Lines had long stalled the construction of the station.

At a meeting last month, representatives of the state government told the railways to consider building the corridor without Kidderpore station.

Metro general manager P. Uday Kumar Reddy told this newspaper on Saturday: “The people of Kidderpore and surrounding areas risk losing out on availing of Metro commute, which is fast, safe and comfortable.”

A source in the state government, however, said there was “still room for discussion”.

The Project Monitoring Group (PMG), which functions under the Prime Minister’s Office, met the chief secretary of Bengal and other senior officials at Nabanna on May 9. Officials of the RVNL, the implementing agency of the Joka-BBD Bag Metro link (Purple Line), were also present.

The PMG is an institutional mechanism for expeditious resolution of issues and regulatory bottlenecks in projects with an investment of ₹500 crore and above in India.

The minutes of the meeting were circulated a few days ago.

“The approval for this land is pending at the policy level. The user agency may consider to make the line without the Khidderpore station, after consulting M/o Railways,”
the government said at the meeting.

The PMG recommendation reads: “User agency (RVNL) to take up the issue of skipping the Khidderpore station with M/o Railways, also highlighting the pros and cons.”

A Metro official said the RVNL would have to make an alternative plan bypassing the Kidderpore station and get it approved by the Railway Board.

The agency needed 837 square metre inside the police lines in Alipore to build the Kidderpore station.

Kidderpore would have been an underground station, built under Diamond Harbour Road. The Bodyguard Lines area was needed to build ventilation shafts and entry and exit structures, shift utilities, and for traffic diversions, said sources in the RVNL.

“We had multiple discussions with the state government and police. Several homes on the land are dilapidated. We had even promised to rebuild the homes,” said a senior Metro official.

The 14km Purple Line, delayed for years because of land issues, has picked up speed. The corridor is now functional on an 8km elevated stretch between Joka and Majerhat. The next stop, Mominpore, will be the last elevated station. Kidderpore was planned as the first underground station.

Now, trains will stop at Victoria station after Mominpore.

Large tracts of the Maidan and adjoining areas have already been cordoned off for construction. Century-old clubs have been relocated.

The ideal distance between two Metro stations is between 700m and 1km. But the distance between Mominpore and Victoria will be around 3.2km, said an official of the RVNL.

“The construction will need major design tweaks. A ventilation shaft has to be built in the tunnel between Mominpore and Victoria stations. Earlier, the distance between Kidderpore and Victoria was just over 2km. The position of the proposed shaft would have been different,” said a source in the agency.

A detailed project report (DPR), done by RITES, a Centre-owned infrastructure consultancy, had estimated more than 44,000 passengers at the Kidderpore station every day by 2035, assuming the entire Purple Line became operational.

“It was estimated to be one of the busiest in the corridor. People living in Kidderpore, Metiabruz, Garden Reach and adjoining areas would have benefitted from the Kidderpore station,” said a railway official.