Hakim: Metro’s Dakshineswar demand is Tughlaqesque
Times of India | 14 January 2024
Kolkata: Urban development minister and Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim on Saturday threw a spanner in Metro Railway’s suggested solution to the “Dakshineswar problem” by extending the Metro viaduct by 90m, after replacing the existing skywalk with a new one.
Metro GM P Uday Kumar Reddy had said on Friday the platform needed extension to increase the efficiency of services in the Noapara-Dakshineswar section. But to carve out a strip of land for two more Metro piers, the existing skywalk would have to be razed. Seeking the land from the state, Metro has drawn up a plan, which includes a new skywalk to the Dakshineswar shrine and widening of the approach roads to the Metro and railway stations.
But Hakim accused the railways of slapping a “Tughlaqi farmaan (whimsical diktat)” on the state by suggesting replacement of the skywalk. “The skywalk was built following an NOC from the railways. Now if they ask us to raze it… is it possible to do it?” asked Hakim, chairperson of KMDA, to which Metro submitted the Dakshineswar redevelopment plan.
North-South Metro passengers using Dakshineswar, Baranagar and Noapara stations can avail of 116 services less than those taking Metro to and from Dum Dum.
Though Hakim dismissed the idea of razing the skywalk, Metro engineers hope the state agencies would consider the plight of Metro commuters. “Railways will bear the cost of razing and rebuilding the skywalk. The layout has been drawn in such a way that more road space will be available,” a railway official said on Saturday.
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