Nearly 140 people were evacuated from the Bowbazar area of Kolkata on Friday after cracks appeared in at least 10 houses due to tunneling work for the East-West Metro project.
Those evacuated from Bowbazar’s Madan Mitra Lane were shifted to five hotels in nearby localities, a senior Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (KMRCL) official said. More people are likely to be evacuated in the coming days from the localities falling along the metro project site, the official added.
KMRCL officials along with experts rushed to the site to assess the situation.
Work in progress in Bowbazar area of Kolkata on Friday. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
This is the third incident of houses developing cracks in Bowbazar due to work on the metro project that includes India’s first underwater metro tunnel across the Hooghly river, delaying the project for months.
The East-West Metro would connect Sector V in Salt Lake with Howrah Maidan across the Hooghly through the underwater tunnel.
KMRC general manager (administration) AK Nandy said the cracks developed due to water seepage and experts are making all efforts to contain it.
KMRCL managing director Chandeshwar Nath Jha said, “We were constructing a cross passage 200 metres from the Bowbazar site. The grouting work was being done carefully and we were hopeful that there would be no more big incident. We were taking all precautions since two similar incidents have already happened in the area. We have roped in experts from India and abroad for monitoring the work.”
“Since we started cutting work on Wednesday evening, we noticed water seepage and thought it would be brought under control. But water started entering the site at 3:30 am. Water from that entire area has accumulated at place. Due to soil settlement, we had to shift 136 people. In the coming days, we might have to shift several other families from the area,” Jha added.
A resident shows cracks in his house (Express photo by Partha Paul)
In August 2019, at least 25 buildings had developed cracks after a tunnel boring machine had hit an aquifer. In May this year, cracks had surfaced on 14 more houses.
The KMRCL, the executing agency for the East-West Metro, had stopped the construction work on an underground tunnel after subsidence in Durga Pituri Lane following leakage of underground water. The incident had left more than 160 people displaced. Many of them have now been shifted to flats.
“Grouting work in Madan Mitra Lane is still on. We might require evacuation of more people from the area. Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim has extended all help,” added Jha.
Grouting is done to repair cracks in concrete, fill gaps in tiles, seal joints and stabilise the soil.
An affected resident said they saw cracks on the walls and floors too in the wee hours of Friday.
“Soon after, police started making announcements through loudspeakers asking us to come out of home,” he said.
“We rushed out after something started falling on our heads all of a sudden. Papers of my several of my clients are in my house. It has turned into a joke,” said another resident, an insurance agent.
Nabanita Baruah, another resident of Madan Dutta Lane, said, “I lost my husband on September 18. My son couldn’t give his half-yearly examination in his school. He started going to school on Thursday. And today I am homeless. I don’t know what to do.”
BJP, CPM blame CM for diverting metro route Leaders of various political parties visited the site. While the Trinamool Congress blamed the Railways, the BJP and the CPIM held the state government responsible for changing the metro route.
“There are clear lapses on part of the KMRCL officials as they didn’t take enough precautions. I will speak to the Railway Board officials also the Railway Minister, if required. The work has to be completed in a time-bound manner so that those affected return home at the earliest and get an adequate compensation,” said Sudip Bandopadhyay, leader of the TMC legislative party in the Lok Sabha.
BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh said, “This was bound to happen as the CM diverted the metro route for political gains without any planning.”
CPIM state secretary Mohammad Salim also visited the site and blamed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over “route alignment”.
“Such incidents are happening repeatedly. We have been saying since beginning that it’s a crowded area with old houses. Nowhere in the world you will find an underground train passing through old houses in a crowded residential area. People are suffering due to selfishness of one person (referring to Mamata Banerjee). The safety of people is being compromised with the project cost shooting up,” Salim said.
The Union government had sanctioned the project in 2008 and the route was realigned in 2013 after the TMC came to power in West Bengal.
