Ruby flyover design change poses hurdle for Garia Metro at Avishikta

Kolkata: A change in the design of the Ruby flyover has spelled a last-minute trouble for the airport-New Garia Metro at the Avishikta crossing, which has cast a shadow on phase 1 or the 5km Kavi Subhas-Ruby crossing section.

By January 31, KMDA had promised to provide RVNL the written ‘no-objection’ to retain the contentious Pier 112. The pillar in the middle of the Avishikta crossing overlaps with the alignment of KMDA’s proposed Ruby flyover. But last week, KMDA’s infrastructure advisory committee recommended a change in the flyover’s design, thus throwing a spanner in the works on the priority section between Ruby crossing (Hemanta Mukherjee station) and the terminal Kavi Subhas station.

RVNL, desperately trying to meet the December-2021 deadline of phase 1, was eagerly waiting for the NOC, which would have included the Ruby flyover’s alignment. After that, RVNL could have started construction of the 30m viaduct linking pier 112 with the Kavi Sukanta station. The flyover’s arm is supposed to run above the viaduct.

TOI on August 3 reported that the Rs 600-crore Ruby flyover had emerged as a major hurdle for the priority section of the city’s longest Metro corridor. While designing the north-south overpass on either side of the Metro viaduct, consultant RITES found that the arm of the flyover turning right towards Anwar Shah Road was overlapping with the pillar. KMDA had initially insisted on the pier to be razed. However, it later agreed to RVNL’s solution of reducing the length of Kavi Sukanta Metro station. RVNL has agreed to pull down two smaller pillars that are part of the station instead.

“Last week, we wrote a reminder to KMDA for the NOC and the flyover’s alignment so that the gap between the pillar and the station could be filled immediately,” an RVNL official said. The current traffic block, he said, would allow construction of two other piers — 110 and 111. But the main issue, concerning Pier 112, remains unresolved. A KMDA engineer said, “The NOC has been deferred because our infrastructure panel has suggested some modification in the flyover’s design. A meeting will be held soon to resolve the issue.”