KOLKATA: Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) has transplanted nine trees that had come in the way of construction of the staircase, lift and escalators for the upcoming Kavi Sukanta Metro station.
These and 14 other full-grown trees at the Abhishikta crossing were recently removed to facilitate the station construction. RVNL, implementing agency of the 32km New Garia-Airport project, will soon start compensatory plantation.
TOI on September 7 had reported about residents’ protest against chopping of trees to ease the Metro deadlock. The development had been fresh trouble for the priority Ruby-Kavi Subhas stretch of the Metro corridor. RVNL could not fell the 23 trees as residents had doubts about the survival of the transplanted trees. Over the last three weeks, RVNL officials held meetings with residents of Abhishikta housing complex, explaining that KMC had granted them permission to cut the trees in lieu of compensatory plantation. Finally, the nine trees were transplanted on the same side of the boulevard, 50m from the station site. Piling work for the two entry structures has started.
A senior RVNL engineer said, “We will be planting 115 saplings on the western side of EM Bypass shortly. Assuming that the transplanted trees may wither, we will plant five times the trees sacrificed, according to forest department rules.”
Much construction has been going on at the Avishikta crossing since RVNL finally got the site this February. Tracks have been laid along most of the 5km viaduct, except the 120m gap at Avishikta crossing that is now being filled up by constructing two piers. Work was stalled for nearly two years as the proposed Ruby flyover’s design overlapped with one of the piers. Just as RVNL was trying to make up for time lost, some residents of Abhishikta wrote to the state environment and forest departments that the trees lined up at the boulevard next to the service road shouldn’t be axed.
Kavi Sukanta is one of the five stations along the priority section of the Metro line from New Garia to Airport that is veering towards completion so the New Garia (Kavi Subhas terminal) and Ruby (Hemanta Mukhopadhay) stretch can be thrown open. Among the five stations, construction of entry points of three — Kavi Subhash terminal (New Garia), Satyajit Ray and JN Nandy — are over. One of Kavi Sukanta’s four accesses is also complete.
