Calcutta High Court Clears Way for Smooth Progress of Orange Line Metro Work at Chingrighata

The long-delayed construction of the Orange Line Metro at Chingrighata crossing is finally set to resume smoothly, following a recent directive from the Calcutta High Court.

A division bench comprising Justices Sujoy Paul and Smita Das De made this observation while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Upamanyu Bhattacharya. The PIL sought the court’s urgent intervention to address the prolonged delay in completing the 32 km New Garia–Airport Metro corridor, also known as the Orange Line.

Work on the crucial Chingrighata stretch had been stalled since February 2 due to the absence of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Kolkata Police for cordoning off a portion of the busy EM Bypass crossing.

On Thursday, State Advocate General Kishore Datta informed the court that the issue had been resolved in a meeting held on September 9. The meeting included representatives from Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), Metro Railway, Kolkata Police, and officials from the state government. The minutes of this meeting were presented to the court, which expressed satisfaction with the resolution.

According to the update, the go-ahead has been granted to begin constructing the remaining 366-meter viaduct of the Orange Line, which will support the metro tracks over Chingrighata crossing. The High Court further noted that if any new obstacles arise during the project’s execution, the matter should be reported immediately to the court for resolution.

The state government has earmarked two weekend nights—November 14–16 and November 21–23—for launching the girders at the site. With this development, the Orange Line Metro work at Chingrighata is expected to progress without further delays, marking a crucial step toward completing Kolkata’s much-awaited New Garia–Airport Metro corridor.

By LNN (Liyaans News Network)