Kolkata: The Union ministry of ports has started preparing a feasibility study for connecting the port dockyard on the Kolkata side with the National Highway on the Howrah side through an underwater tunnel running through the Hooghly riverbed. A draft alignment report for this has already been submitted. The project is likely to ease cargo and passenger movement.
Sarbananda Sonowal, the Union minister of ports, shipping and waterways, responding to a question at Rajya Sabha, said the draft alignment option report has been submitted to the Port authority. Termed a ‘comprehensive evacuation strategy', the project will help in the decongestion of surface cargo traffic between Kolkata and Howrah. Sonowal mentioned that a consultancy for the preparation of a techno-economic feasibility report was currently underway.
According to Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Trust sources, the tunnel will provide seamless connectivity between the Kolkata Dock System and the National Highway on the Howrah side. The tunnel is likely to start from Metiaburuz on the Kolkata side and connect to Howrah through a stretch of 15 km, including the tunnel. It is expected to emerge from the riverbed near the Botanic Garden area. "This will eventually streamline cargo and passenger transport and reduce congestion in the city," an officer with the SPM Port Trust said.
At present, cargo or goods-carrying trucks pass through congested areas like Garden Reach Circular Road, Kidderpore Road, Hastings and Vidyasagar Setu. These areas have high traffic volumes and slower traffic movement. Moreover, these areas also have restrictions on cargo traffic movement, allowing trucks and containers to move within Kolkata only between 10 pm and 8 am. The tunnel will help bypass city traffic and connect directly with the National Highway. This will also reduce the pollution level in the city.
According to sources in the ministry, after the project was mooted in 2022, Port Trust officers held a primary discussion with KMC. The project, envisaged under the PM Gati Shakti, is likely to involve a cost of around Rs 11,000 crore.
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