Cracks in Bowbazar houses three years after tunnelling fiasco, residents shifted

Several houses in Kolkata’s Durga Pituri Lane of Bowbazar saw fresh cracks late on Wednesday night, leading to panic among residents in the area. It appeared to be a re-run of the underground metro railway tunnelling horror that took place three years ago.

Some residents left their homes on Wednesday night and others waited despite the panic, till Thursday morning, as Kolkata Municipal Corporation authorities barricaded the area for safety reasons. Kolkata Metro Railway Corporation (KMRC) authorities along with Bowbazar police and KMC officials have started the process of shifting them to safer locations. The cracks have reportedly been caused as a result of ongoing metro work, and brought back the horrors of cracks and house collapses that took place in August-September 2019 due to underground construction work of the East West Metro corridor.

Inspection of the under-construction tunnel has reportedly disclosed that the volume of water at the underground aquifer has gone up due to the heavy rains over the past few days, and may have impacted the balance around the construction area. However, the authorities are yet to zero in on the exact reasons for the damage caused.