Title - Monday end for Metro survey

Calcutta, Aug. 24:East-West Metro expects to wind up by Monday its survey on Duttabad residents who have to be relocated for the project and provided with temporary shelters by November.
Work on the 365-metre stretch on the fringes of Salt Lake, stalled for four years because of the dwellers’ refusal to move, is likely to begin by January, the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Limited (KMRCL) said today.
The affected families could be given flats just 100 metres from where they live now adjacent to a school. But since building the flats could take around two years, the authorities want to first create a temporary shelter for them to clear the way for the piers of the Metro tracks to be laid.
“For the moment, we are focusingon the survey to identify the affected people. We have the drawing of the alignment of the tracks. During the field survey, we are mapping the drawing on the ground to locate the houses that have to be removed to lay the piers,” a KMRCL engineer said.
The engineers are treading with caution as any error at this stage could again jeopardise the project. “We have to be very careful about the survey. If anyone is excluded from the rehabilitation package by mistake, it could create fresh trouble,” the engineer said.
“The residents will be relocated to a 2,000sqm plot 100 metres from the place where they now live. We have floated a tender to build temporary shelters for the affected people on 1,000sqm of the plot. The flats will be built on the remaining 1,000sqm,” he added.
The engineer said the relocation to the temporary shelters would be completed by November.
The construction of the flats may not begin before early next year. “The last date for purchasing the tender document for the work on the 365-metre stretch is August 31. The last date for submitting the bid is another 30 days from August 31. Evaluation and awarding of the tender will follow,” the engineer said.
Ten KMRCL engineers visited the site this afternoon.
After the mapping is done and the houses are identified, a topographical survey will be conducted. In this survey, the exact dimensions — length and width of the affected houses and of each room — will be noted. Then the number of people in the affected houses will be noted.
Engineers expect to complete all three stages by Monday.