Five years, three major mishaps, several precautionary evacuations, fear of loss of assets or even life almost every now and then – the last leg of the East-West Metro corridor at Bowbazar has become a never ending saga of woes for the residents.
A repetition of 1 September, 2019-like scenario last night with emergency displacement of residents of Bowbazar in the wee hours, had ‘reached an unbearable point’ according to the evacuees.
Last night residents of Bowbazar got a midnight knock on their doors to immediately evacuate. Around 52 residents from 11 houses were shifted to city hotels as a precautionary measure by the implementing agency of this part of the East-West Metro Project, Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Limited (KMRCL). The evacuation was carried out as water leakage was noticed during the work on egress shaft at Durga Pithuri Lane in Bowbazar.
Notably, some residents of the area were shifted to hotels as a precautionary measure while the construction of the cross passages. After the completion of the work, the residents were informed that the place was safe enough and they could return to their homes. The residents were brought back to their homes on 2 September and were about to settle down in their shelters when another leakage in the tunnel was noticed by the engineers at around 10 pm.
“I came to know about it at around 12.30 am and started to prepare for the evacuation. Unable to understand anything, we left the house with a few necessary things at around 1.30 am and were shifted to a hotel,” said an evacuee. “Every year there is this kind of problem. We have been suffering since 2019 and do not know when and where it will end. Even after so long, there is leakage of water. It is incomprehensible as to what the authorities are doing,” added another evacuee.
The recurrence of leakage in the tunnel and evacuation this time enraged the residents of Bowbazar with fury. The KMRCL engineers had to face the wrath of the local residents this morning as the situation became intense. The evacuees burst in anger and marched in protest from the Durga Pithuri Lane to Central Metro station where they staged a sit-in demonstration shouting slogans demanding a solution. The local councillor, Biswarup Dey, who had been on his toes since last night also walked in protest demanding an answer from the highest authority of the implementing agency, rued, “Five years have passed but the Metro authorities are unable to give any answers. No one is thinking about the sufferings of the people.”
According to the general manager of the civil wing of KMRCL, Sailesh Pathak, the evacuation was done as a precaution. The leakage of water in the tunnel had been addressed by use of grouting. The zone has been kept under strict monitoring for 48 hours. If all are under control, the residents would be allowed to return to their homes. As reiterated by the GM civil, the underground excavation work has been completed. Of the remaining work, the construction of the stairs of the egress shaft is to be done.