Experts survey buildings damaged due to Metro work

International experts engaged by KMRCL on Tuesday surveyed some of the damaged buildings in Bowbazar, several of which have crumbled like nine pins owing to severe ground loss in the area caused by puncturing of an acuifer during tunnel boring work for the East West Metro corridor.

A senior Kolkata Metro Railway Corporation Ltd (KMRCL) official said the five-member team surveyed the damaged buildings which are in a precarious condition and have to be demolished and the lesser damaged houses that can be repaired.

"The experts surveyed 11 buildings on Tuesday and this will continue till all the houses in the affected area are checked for stability and other factors," the official said.

 

The experts, comprising overseas and Indian engineers, will categorise the buildings in accordance with the extent of damage, he said.

"We have shifted 686 residents of the affected buildings to hotels till Monday," KMRCL general manager, administration, A K Nandy said.

People have been evacuated from around 60 houses.

KMRCL, which has promised to repair or rebuild the damaged houses in the area, has started disbursing Rs five lakh compensation to each of the displaced families.

Several buildings at Durga Pituri Lane and Syakra Para Lane collapsed or developed cracks owing to the incident of August 31, when an aquifer broke during tunnel boring work and water and silt gushed in, leading to severe ground loss in the vicinity.

Residents of some more houses on adjacent Gour Dey Lane off the arterial B B Ganguly Street were also asked to vacate their buildings.

KMRCL has said that the international experts and design consultants will review the tunnelling parameters in the affected zone to determine the methodology for safe tunneling in future.

After the incident, the tunnel boring work was stopped for the East West Metro corridor that will connect the IT hub of Salt Lake Sector V and Howrah station.

Work for 9.8 km of the 10.9-km-long underground tunnel has been completed for the East-West Metro corridor successfully without any incident, with the most challenging being under the Hooghly river.