Bowbazar residents protest against repeated cracks and water leaks – ThePrint –

Kolkata, Sept 6 (PTI) – Residents of Durga Pituri Lane in the city’s Bowbazar area on Friday engaged in a verbal duel with Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRCL) officials over persistent cracks and water leaks in buildings in the area, which they claimed were caused by drilling work.

KMRCL evacuated 52 people and shifted them to local hotels on Thursday evening as a precautionary measure following reports of underground water leakage during tunnel boring in the Sealdah-Esplanade section of the East-West Metro Corridor.

Expressing his dissatisfaction, local councillor Biswarup Dey said, “People are fed up. Since 2019, KMRCL has not given any deadline to resolve these issues. No one is taking responsibility and people have been evicted from their homes.” Residents of Bowbazar area in central Kolkata demanded accountability from the officials. One of them commented, “Every official shifts his responsibility to someone else. We want someone to take responsibility.” In response, residents briefly blocked access to the Central Metro Station, causing inconvenience to passengers during office hours. Kolkata Police quickly intervened to restore order.

The problems of subsidence and building cracks have been ongoing since 2022, with significant damage reported in Durga Pituri in 2022 and 2023. The situation remains volatile with local residents threatening to stage protests on the metro tracks if their concerns are not addressed. PTI BSM MNB BDC

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