Kolkata: With the metro utility work at Wellington Square Park over, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) brass now wants a portion of the park back from Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) for setting up infrastructure projects.
This development comes amid demands from within the KMC growing to reclaim the allotted portion of the park. Mayor Firhad Hakim has decided to write to the KMRC to hand over the portion officially at the earliest.
However, the authorities are yet to decide on the demolition of a 20m deep shaft that runs below the ground in the park premises. Trinamool Congress (TMC) councillor Indranil Kumar had requested the mayor to take back the park land. Kumar has proposed setting up of a water booster pumping station and a health centre for people living in the area and its adjacent neighbourhoods. "We urgently need a water booster pumping station to supply potable water at uniform pressure to people in large parts of central Kolkata. Apart from this, I proposed setting up of a health centre that will take care of the needs of patients requiring dialysis," said Kumar.
Kumar alleged that the area that was handed over to KMRC was now being used for anti-social activities at night.
Sources said KMRC would convene a meeting before the formal handover to KMC. As of now, KMRC has decided to keep the shaft , in case the same is ever needed in future.
Such deep construction in porous soil conditions of Subodh Mullick Square area was a challenge that eventually forced the Metro authorities to forgo the plan. It would also be equally hazardous to raze it without disturbing the ground stability, sources said.
"All these issues need to be sorted out before a formal letter is written to the state govt or KMC," an official said. The land was initially acquired by KMRC, the implementing agency of East-West Metro, India's first under-river metro linking Howrah Maidan with Sector V below the Hooghly, to build an underground station. The plan was revised shortly afterwards to make way for a ventilation-cum-evacuation shaft at the location that was halfway between Esplanade and Sealdah stations.
Two years ago, the vent shaft plan was dropped because the porous soil did not allow linking the twin East-West Metro tunnels with the shaft. Every attempt resulted in cave-ins.
Finally, the union urban development ministry dropped the construction hurdle that was delaying the corridor's full 16.6 km operations, as the Esplanade-Sealdah section remained incomplete for more than five years.
With the Green Line running its entire stretch, the land is currently of no use to KMRC. Therefore, it is ready to be handed back to KMC, the original owner, said an official. KMRC removed barricades around Wellington Square after pulling down the temporary constructions. However, the ventilation shaft was not touched so far. "Razing the shaft is a tricky proposition," an engineer conceded.