Kolkata: Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) has written to Kolkata Police (KP), seeking day-and-night block at Metropolitan on EM Bypass so that it can complete the construction of viaduct from Beleghata Metro station (also known as Metropolitan) to Captain Bheri before the pujas.
This is the most critical part of the Metro construction on Bypass.
Currently, girder launching has been allowed only at night by the Kolkata Police’s traffic department since June 13.Girders are a combination of plate and box, made of steel or concrete, needed for supporting a deck — in this case the viaduct on which Metro tracks are laid.
The day-night block will be required in phases for launching of each span of the girder. RVNL will need to cordon off a 28m x 10.5m area at a time. “We are forced to go slow because of the rain. In normal circumstances, launching a 28m span takes five days. Because of the rain, we are taking two extra days,” a Railways official said, on behalf of the RVNL. The agency intends to complete launching of all the spans by Sep end.
For this, RVNL — the implementing agency for the New Garia-Airport Metro corridor or the Orange line — has also submitted an elaborate traffic diversion plan to the cops.
The agency is chasing a Dec 2024 deadline to extend the Orange line by 8km to Sector V, where it will have an interface with the East-West Metro.
Despite having the approval for 90-day traffic block, RVNL—in its letter to KP— claimed that it had handed over the site at Metropolitan crossing, where two portal piers (piers 288 and 289) were constructed, in only 60 days.
The agency stated that it had made most of the low rainfall period in June and July. But with heavy rain lashing the city over the past few days, RVNL engineers opined that only night blocks weren’t enough.
“Especially, if one were to clear the Metropolitan area of the EM Bypass of heavy construction equipment by Sep,” an engineer said.
“We have vacated the site near Metropolitan crossing given to us on June 13. Now, if we can work continuously we can finish the girder-launching from pier 287 to pier 295 (covering around 180m stretch) and take our equipment out of the motorways,”the official said.