A key hurdle in the construction of Kolkata Metro’s Purple Line (Joka–Park Street) moved closer to closure on Monday with Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) and the Consulate General of Nepal signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to exchange adjoining land parcels.
The agreement allows RVNL to receive 409.53 sq. metres of land owned by the Consulate General of Nepal in return for 526.34 sq. metres of Metro Railway land.
This swap clears the path for building the ramp between Mominpur and Khidderpore, an essential link for the proposed underground stretch from Mominpur to Esplanade.
Officials noted that the 409.53 sq. metres was urgently needed to move forward with the ramp’s construction.
The spokesperson recalled a chain of meetings held between 2022 and 2025 involving the Nepal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Metro Railway and RVNL in Kathmandu, New Delhi and Kolkata to ensure a smooth exchange of land.
"After multiple rounds of discussions, the Nepal government concurred to exchange this stretch of land," he said.
The process was delayed by several legal challenges filed by tenants and shop owners in the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court over land acquisition. According to officials, the cases stretched over three years before being resolved, allowing the land to be taken over.
The MoU was signed at the RVNL Model Room at the Victoria station site by Jhakka Prasad Acharya, Consul General of Nepal in Kolkata, along with senior officials from Metro Railway, RVNL and the MEA’s Branch Secretariat.
