Kolkata East-West Corridor – Burning Issues

Table of Contents

Q) Kolkata Metro is controlled by which ministry?

Ministry of Railways
Ministry of Housing
Ministry of Urban Development
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs

Railway ministry’s proposal
Kolkata East-West Metro Corridor project
Cost – ₹8,575 crore
Purpose

To ease congestion
Improve urban connectivity
Cleaner mobility solution for commuters

This project will be completed in 14-15 months
The project includes immense technological challenges like tunnel below river Ganges which is the 1^st transportation tunnel in India under any major river as well as Howrah station, which is one of the deepest metro stations in India
The train sets are being made by state-owned by BEML, giving boost to the government’s vision of a self reliant India
East-West Metro will connect Kolkata with Howrah, across the Hooghly river, via a 8 km-long tunnel, about six km of which lie under water.
Kolkata got India’s first metro rail system 36 years ago in 1984, when the north-south corridor between Esplanade and Bhowanipore opened up.
The total length of the route under the project is 6 km, comprising 12 stations.
This will include construction of a metro corridor between Salt Lake Sector-V to Howrah Maidan in West Bengal.
The project is being implemented by a SPV Kolkata Metro Rail Corp.Ltd set up under Ministry of Railways.
Project was approved 12 years ago, with an investment cost of ₹4,000 crore.
However, there were delays and the project was stuck due to land acquisition and other issues.
The project work started afresh in 2015, in coordination with the state and the central government.
This project will be completed in 14-15 months
The project includes immense technological challenges like tunnel below river Ganges which is the 1^st transportation tunnel in India under any major river as well as Howrah station, which is one of the deepest metro stations in India
The train sets are being made by state-owned by BEML, giving boost to the government’s vision of a self reliant India
BEML Limited’s Rail Coach Factory situated in Bangalore, India is the first all steel integrated rail coach factory established by Government of India during 1948.
This factory was established to indigenously manufacture the passenger rail coaches (of broad gauge) for the use of Indian Railways.

Q) BEML is a Schedule ‘A’ Company under which Ministry?

Ministry of Railways
Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs

The project will create transit connectivity between business district of Kolkata with industrial city of Howrah in west and Salt Lake City in east through a safe, accessible and comfortable mode of public transport.
This will connect important landmarks like Howrah, Sealdah, Esplanade and Salt Lake Sector-V which is an IT hub.