Kavi Subhas, a major Kolkata metro station to remain closed for nearly a year after cracks appear on structure

Kolkata 

Kavi Subhas the terminal station of North South Metro Station (Blue Line) to be razed after cracks develop in the structure, commuters worry as metro services truncated for almost a year. 

Metro Railway Kolkata authorities have decided to raze parts of the structure, and the reconstruction work may take close to a year making commute difficult for regulars. This comes after cracks were noticed on the structure on July 28 (Monday) which was caused due to foundation subsidence following heavy rainfall in the city for the past few days. 

All the other stations on the Blue Line are in good condition and operations will remain unaffected. The Blue Line will now operate between Dakshineswar to Shahid Khudiram stations. 

As the Kavi Subhas metro station also known as the New Garia area is a cardinal station which connects the metro to the local train lines from the suburban areas and South 24 Parganas, it forms the lifeline for workers coming in from outside the city for work. 

“The UP platform’s four pillars have developed cracks which holds the roof structure above. We stopped metro services on Monday from 12.45 p.m. for passenger safety,” a senior railway official told TheHindu. 

The official also confirmed that they have also started repair work will take almost 6-8 months to complete. “We will send out a tender call on August and do the rest of the repair work once the tender is passed,” the official added. He also stated that they had plans to start repair work after the 2025 Durga Pujas but the urgency in the situation led them to start the work immediately. 

The other metro line between Kavi Subhas and Ruby Crossing on the Orange Line will remain unaffected as the other side structure remains unaffected. 

According to sources, metro officials have said that the decision was taken keeping passenger safety in mind and the whole work will take a few months to complete. 

Many unaware passengers had turned up at the closed down metro railway station and got stranded on Tuesday and Wednesday. But metro officials have maintained constant announcements on the routes to notify about the station closure. 

Many local auto riders asked for double fair to transport people between Kavi Subhas and Shahid Khudiram stations accused passengers. 

EOM