In a major relief to the authorities, the Sealdah Metro has received the crucial safety clearance from the international assessor. After getting the nod, the general manager of the city metro, Manoj Joshi, conducted a thorough inspection of the metro station today to take stock of the work.
Notably, for the final commissioning of the extended stretch between Phoolbagan and Sealdah, an inspection followed by a clearance by the commissioner of railway is necessary. The stretch of about 2.3km can be operational only after receiving a safety clearance from the CRS which would be a green signal for the commercial operations in this part of the East-West Metro Corridor. However, a clearance from the French firm that assesses the system including signaling and telecom is mandatory before applying to the CRS for an inspection.
The French agency awards the ‘Independent Safety Assessment (ISA)’ clearance after thorough evaluation of the system. A nod from the global agency has now cleared the path for the CRS inspection. The authorities are likely to seek the CRS inspection at the end of this month.
Eyeing for the final commissioning by March 2022, work on fire safety arrangements and other aspects of final touches are being carried out by the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRCL), which is the implementing agency of the project, according to sources. Kolkata Metro Railway general manager, managing director of KMRCL along with other senior officials thoroughly inspected the stretch today. “We had come to review the work,”informed Mr Joshi. “The Metro Railway officials along with the MD of KMRCL and his team inspected the entire work which is in progress. Our efforts are to open the stretch within March 2022,” he added.