Kolkata, June
11:
The Airports
Authority of India (AAI) is learnt to have approved of a revised plan for
Kolkata Metro's 32 km-long airport linking project.
The revision
relates to a 3.2-km stretch, which now would have underground tracks instead of
a proposed over-ground passage.
Already running
a year behind its scheduled completion date, the nearly Rs 4,000-crore project
will now see a cost escalation of a few hundred crore, officials in the Metro
Railway said.
The proposed
rail transit project would connect the airport with the southern fringes of the
city. Award for 24 km of the stretch has so far been awarded to Afcons
Infrastructure, L&T Infra and Gammon India by the Railway authorities.
Earlier, the
airport authorities had raised objections on the grounds of disruption in
flight operations at the airport because of these elevated tracks.
Mr B.P. Sharma,
director Kolkata airport, remained unavailable for comments. Metro Railway will
soon float a tender for carrying out construction work along these the 5 km
stretches.
Mr Saugata Roy,
Union Minister of State for Urban Development and the Chairman of the advisory
committee of the Kolkata airport, too remained unavailable for comments.
Other Revisions
Two other
proposed Metro links, to which AAI had objected to regarding the over-ground
right of way, has also been approved with revision. However, this change would
escalate the project cost by Rs 400 crore, a Metro Railway senior official told
Business Line.
Apart from the
3.2-km leg of the Airport-New Garia link, a total of 1.6 km in two other
Metro-links passing alongside the Kolkata Airport has received the airport
authorities' clearance for underground track, Metro Railway sources said.
The two other
underground tracks would include a 900 metre (0.9 km) stretch from Noapara
(northern part of the city) to the airport and a 700-m (0.7 km) stretch from airport
towards Birati (north eastern part).
All revisions
(put together) of nearly 5 km would involve underground tunnelling instead of
tracks on elevated structures.
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