West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee today said today that houses and shops damaged by the construction of Metro Railway tunnel would be repaired and re-built.
Scores of houses in Bowbazar have developed cracks for the last few days, a few have been partly and fully damaged, and construction of the Metro has been stopped temporarily following a Calcutta High Court order on Tuesday. Banerjee also said that a minimum of Rs 5 lakh would be paid by the Metro authorities to people whose houses and shops have been affected thus.
The CM today held a meeting with the Metro Railway authorities at the state administrative headquarters, Nabanna, and later said that this is not the time to find “whose fault” had caused damage to the houses. “The primary job is to overcome the crisis now and to ensure that there is no further problem,” she said.
Altogether 52 houses have been affected. A three storied house in the area was completely damaged and nearly turned to dust this morning. While residents have been temporarily shifted out, they have not been able to carry their valuables with them, and are worried whether they will find these from the area anymore. The CM said after the meeting that there will be CCTV surveillance to ensure that the valuables lying under the debris are not stolen. Metro Railway and the police authorities will look at this aspect. However, it is for safety reasons that people cannot be allowed to go into the area for a while now.
According to Banerjee, the Metro Railway authorities would repair the houses damaged, and pay for the rent of those who have been forced to leave their homes and are staying in rented accommodation. The same will apply to those who have damaged shops in the area.
A core group – headed by the chief secretary – has been formed to supervise the situation. The Metro Railway general manager and four representatives of the affected families and traders will also be part of this core group.
Banerjee today said that it is being reviewed whether a building under the Metro Railway authorities – currently not in use – can be used to accommodate the affected families for a while. “The state government will provide all the help that is required by the Metro Railway to overcome the crisis,” she said. The target for completing the repair work will be a year, she said, answering a question.
