Kolkata Metro Purple Line: Tunnelling work from Kidderpore to Park Street begins
Metro Railway officials said the machine will tunnel up to Victoria in the first phase, covering 1.7 km, and is expected to break through by May 2026. The entire underground stretch to Park Street is targeted for completion by the end of 2026.
The launch shaft—measuring 37 metre in length, 22 metre in width, and 17 metre in depth—has been constructed within the premises of St Thomas' School, Khidderpore. Two TBMs, 'Durga' and 'Divya', are being deployed to construct the twin tunnels between Khidderpore and Park Street. Beyond Park Street, the final stretch up to Esplanade will be built using the cut-and-cover method.
Durga's tunnelling was formally flagged off by Metro Railway General Manager Uday Kumar Reddy at the school premises, in the presence of the Consul General of Nepal and senior officials from Metro Railway, Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), the Defence Authority, CMRI Hospital, WBTC and St Thomas' School.
'It is a historic day for the people of Kolkata as the Tunnel Boring Machine has started off. It is a very important and joyous occasion for the city,' Reddy said.
The Purple Line, also known as Line 3 of Kolkata Metro, is a 15.08-km corridor that will connect Joka in South Kolkata to Esplanade in the city centre, with a proposed extension to Diamond Park. A portion of the corridor, from Joka to Taratala, is already operational, while the extension to Majerhat has been completed.
The line will intersect the Blue Line at Park Street and Esplanade, and the Green Line at Esplanade. It will include a mix of elevated and underground stations, serving locations such as Joka, Taratala, Majerhat, Mominpur, Khidderpore, Victoria, Park Street and Esplanade. Of the total stretch, eight stations are elevated and four are underground.
The TBMs, each 95 metre long and weighing around 600 tonne, were assembled in Chennai and brought to Kolkata in March this year for final assembly and lowering. They are Earth Pressure Balancing (EPB) type machines, designed to tackle Kolkata's high groundwater table and soft soil conditions. Metro officials said the machines are equipped with inflatable seals, pressure transducers, Tail Skin Grease (TSG) lines and backup pumps to manage soil pressures. Precast concrete segments of M50 grade and 275 mm thickness are being used to create tunnels with a finished internal diameter of 5.8 metres.
Construction firm Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is executing the 2.65-km underground section from Kidderpore to Park Street. The first TBM drive—from St Thomas' School to Victoria—is 1.7 km long. The second leg, from Victoria to Park Street, will cover 950 metre.
The final underground station of the corridor is likely to be located near Eden Gardens' Gate No 1, adjacent to the Mohun Bagan football ground.
Sweety Kumari reports from West Bengal for The Indian Express. She is a journalist with over a decade of experience in the media industry. Covers Crime, Defence, Health , Politics etc and writes on trending topics.
With a keen eye for investigative and human-interest stories. She has honed her craft across diverse beats including aviation, health, incidents etc. Sweety delivers impactful journalism that informs and engages audiences.
Sweety Kumari is a graduate of Calcutta University with an Honors degree in Journalism from Jaipuria College and a PG in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University. Originally from Bihar, she is brought up in Kolkata and completed her education from Kendriya Vidyalaya SaltLake. Multilingual, Sweety is fluent in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Maithili. She started her career as an Entertainment and lifestyle journalist with a newsportal in Kolkata. She is working with The Indian Express for 8 years now. ... Read More
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
19 hours ago
- The Hindu
Mega DSC-2025 results declared
The Department of School Education (DSE), Andhra Pradesh, on Tuesday (August 12, 2025) declared the Mega DSC-2025 results. Candidates who appeared for the recruitment exam can now check their qualifying status on the department's official website by logging in with their credentials. The Mega DSC exam was held to recruit 16,347 teachers across the State. According to the department officials, 3,36,307 candidates registered for the exam and 92.90% attended the test, which was conducted between June 6 and July 2, 2025. In a statement, DSC-2025 convenor M.V. Krishna Reddy said that candidates can access the final results and scorecards on the official website. Regarding Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) details, if any discrepancies are found, candidates are given the facility to verify and correct their TET details by entering their hall ticket number on the relevant website. This facility will be available only till August 13, 2025, Mr. Reddy said.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
Independence Day 2025: ‘Military village' Apshinge recalls living through war days with a mix of pride, anxiety
It was past midnight, but Divya could not sleep. She kept checking WhatsApp every 10 minutes. Finally, around 1 am, she saw what she had been waiting for – the 'last seen' status of her husband. '12.55 am,' it said. She sighed in relief and was fast asleep in a few minutes. Hundreds of kilometres away, at the border, her husband had opened WhatsApp and closed it almost immediately. It was enough to convey the message to his wife: that he was safe. This was when Operation Sindoor, India's military response to the Pahalgam terror attack, was at its peak. Unable to speak to each other, the soldier and his wife had come up with this little plan to update her about his well-being which she would promptly convey to his aged parents and three-year-old daughter. 'On days there were no updates, I was in deep worry, glued to the television screen for information,' she says. The family was one of the 30-35 others in the village who spent those days with mixed feelings: of anxiety, as each of these families had a member posted at the border, and pride at them having kept alive the tradition of the village. The very tradition that has earned it immense fame, respect and the name – Apshinge 'military village'. Long tradition of military service 'Since the time of Shivaji Maharaj, this village has contributed soldiers who have fought for the land's honour and even laid down their lives. Every household here has had a member who is or has been part of the military or paramilitary,' says Tushar Nikam, sarpanch of the village, as he proudly points to a memorial constructed by the British in commemoration of 46 soldiers from Apshinge village in Maharashtra's Satara 'who went to the Great War 1914-1919'. A little further, another memorial is dedicated to those who fought the post-Independence wars of 1965, 1971 and Kargil – the names numbering around 115. The village with a population of about 3,000 has about 250 serving and 500 retired soldiers at present. 'Many homes have only women and children as the man of the house is serving in the Army. The entire village gives them emotional support and looks after them, especially during times like Operation Sindoor, when these families were under much stress,' adds Nikam For Priyanka, the wife of a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan posted at the border, the worries had doubled this time around. A working woman, she had travelled from Satara to Punjab with her two children on a few days' leave, in anticipation of spending time together as a family. 'The day I reached, Operation Sindoor started. I couldn't go to where my husband was, nor could I return to Apshinge,' she says. For almost two weeks, she lived in Punjab with her children, hearing the drones fly overhead while sitting quietly during the blackouts at night. Her worries for the safety of her husband was compounded by the fear for her life as well as that of their children. Divya finally met him much after the ceasefire was announced, a day before they were to return to Apshinge. 'But for my husband, this was a very small sacrifice. He was just glad to have got the chance to be a part of the action, and make his country and village proud,' she says. Training the next generation Located in the heart of the village is Vijeta Career Academy which was started a few years ago by a retired soldier. It trains men aged between 18 and 25 from all over Maharashtra to crack the Army recruitment examination. Over the last three-four years, a growing number of women too have joined the academy, their hearts set on joining the police service after undergoing rigorous physical training at the academy. At the edge of the village is a small two-storeyed house with the nameplate 'Late Rashid Mohd Shaikh, Retd NB/SUB. BEG'. Shaikh, says Nikam, was the first soldier from the village to be martyred after Independence. Inside the residence, his widowed daughter-in-law Hazra lives with her children, tending to the farmland given to the family by the government after Shaikh's death. Her 17-year-old daughter stands by shyly and reveals that she is studying to join the Army Nursing Corps examination. 'Come back in a few years. We will have an army of our girls in the military too,' smiles Hazra. Meanwhile, a small bunch of soldiers who are currently in the village on leave are helping with preparations for the Independence Day function, which is always a big day at the village. Says one, 'But of course, we are always on standby. One call and we will be on our way back on duty immediately.'
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Centuries-old baobabs get fresh roots in Chengicherla forest
Hyderabad: In a rare ecological breakthrough, the Telangana forest department has identified around 21 naturally regenerated baobab saplings in Chengicherla forest. The discovery is particularly significant, as most baobabs in the country are believed to have been introduced by African settlers more than four centuries ago. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Forest officials are now planning to translocate the saplings to a secure, isolated section of the forest. "They will be replanted and nurtured to form the core of what is set to become India's first dedicated Baobab Park. To ensure their survival, we are also consulting independent experts to design a conservation plan tailored to the slow-growing, drought-resistant species," said Sharat Chandra Reddy, forest range officer at the Chengicherla forest. The discovery was made during a field visit led by forest officials when one of the four baobabs in the area was felled due to pest infestation. "We were also accompanied by independent researchers specialising in baobab ecology. The saplings were found clustered around three massive, centuries-old baobabs, raising hopes that these iconic trees could be cultivated and sustained locally without relying solely on transplants," Reddy added. Hyderabad's baobabs—known for their bulbous trunks and extraordinary longevity—are under growing threat from age, environmental stress, and urban development, say tree experts. A recent survey by a local nature group documented 37 African baobab trees scattered across the city. The number includes a group of seven trees in the Aramghar area, with two of them inside the Jamia Islamia Darul Uloom and three inside the Zilla Parishad High School in Aramghar, with one of them having a girth of approximately 45 feet. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "This underscores both their fragile survival and their cultural significance in the urban landscape. If realised, the Chengicherla Baobab Park could become a one-of-a-kind ecological and cultural landmark, linking Hyderabad's past with a greener, more sustainable future," said Uday Krishna, an environmentalist from the city who wrote to the district forest officer of Medchal-Malkajgiri district urging conservation of the remaining baobabs. The idea of a Baobab Park at Chengicherla is not new. "Some years ago, actor Nagarjuna donated Rs 1 crore towards its development. However, only an ornamental entrance gate was built, and no further infrastructure materialised. But this new natural regeneration will provide the momentum needed to revive the stalled project. This is a pivotal opportunity, not just to preserve these heritage trees, but to cultivate their future population as a living legacy," said the forest beat officer of the forest.
