Kolkata Metro's first expansion to be completed by Dec 2007

Kolkata, Sep 12 (UNI) The Rs 907 crore expansion programme of the city's Metro from Tollygunge to Garia will be ready for commercial operation by December 2007, Kolkata Metro Railway General Manager Sudha Chobe announced here today .

Speaking to newsmen during an interactive session with members of Merchants' Chamber of Commerce(MCC), Ms Chobey said the work for the nine km long new stretch on the southern fringe of the city was going on as per schedule despite some "hickups" in acquisition of land and other related issues.

Referring to other projects, which were on the anvil for the Metro Railway, the General Manager said the Detailed Project Report(DPR) for the much-talked about East West Metro Corridor from Salt Lake to Ramrajatala in neighbouring Howrah district covering a distance of 18.65 km, had been submitted to the Railway Board in March this year for final decision.

Since the project which involved a whopping cost of Rs 4,000 crores and required construction of a two km long tunnel under the river Hooghly besides conversion of underground tracks to broadgauge, it might take some more time for the clearance before actually taking off in phases.

"However, our estimate says it might take about eight years for the completion of the entire (East-West) Corridor," Ms Chobey stated.

Elaborating a number of other programmes for the city's underground railway system, she said apart from installing escalators in four more stations and close circuit TVs in nine of the 17 exisiting stations for better security surveillance within the next few months and before Pujas respectively, plans were afoot to further simplify the ticketing systems and rationalisation of fare structures.

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