Kolkata to get its own monorail
The monorail service will connect Budge Budge in South 24-Parganas and Ruby More in South Kolkata.
Kolkata will get its own mono-rail service connecting Budge Budge in South 24-Parganas and Ruby More in South Kolkata. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee made the announcement on Wednesday.
Mumbai is the first city in India to have rolled out the service in February 2014.
Addressing mediapersons at the secretariat, Nabanna, the chief minister said, “The cost of the project has been pegged at Rs 4,126 crore. A memorandum of understanding will soon be signed between the transport department and Burn Standard Company Ltd, a public sector undertaking, in this regard.”
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The decision to ink the MoU was taken at a meeting of the investment board at the secretariat on the day.
The mono-rail link to Ruby crossing, would, in turn, connect commuters to the proposed Metro rail network between New Garia and Dum Dum airport. Sources in the transport department said the mono-rail project will cover an area of approximately 70 km.
The chief minister said her government will provide land free of cost for the project. “Burn Standard will not only fund the project, but will also provide its technical expertise,” Mamata said.
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However, the transport department officials are clueless on when the project would get off the ground or the deadline set for it.
“Let the MoU be signed. We’ll then draw up a detailed project report, which is a time-consuming affair. Right now, we can’t say when the project will get off the ground or be completed,” a state official said.
Quizzed on the funding, of the project, the official said such projects are funded by the Centre. The funds are raised from the public through issuance of infrastructure bonds.
With inputs from agencies