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Sunday, October 15, 2006

Light Rail Transit (LRT) System

Do you know what a Light Rail Transit is? A Light Rail Transit is an overhead Tram Car. We know that OUR Kolkata is very famous for the tram car. But trams are generally very heavy and consumes a lot of space on the road. They are even very slow. A LRT is a light weight tram car, that moves quite faster and consumes no space on the road, they being overhead. They move on special elevated tracks placed on a flyover like structure from the source to the destination.

Kolkata is planning a Light Rail Transit System from Salt Lake (Karunamoyee) to Howrah Maidan. The idea is really good and praiseworthy. No doubt about it. Initially the Project was planned from Rajarhat (New Town) to Ramrajatala on the west of Kolkata that is Howrah. Later the Project had been shelved due to lack of funds. (I am not going to the political aspect of it). Even, the Project was thought to be an underground one like the Metro Railway that Kolkata has from Dum Dum to Tollygunge. But somehow it did not happen.
Now I would like to point out the route LRT would take to go from Salt Lake (Karunamoyee) to Howrah Maidan. Starting from Karunamoyee, it would take the road that starts from Karunamoyee to Netaji Park just adjacent to the FE block. Next it would take the road adjacent to HB and GD block that leads to the SaltLake Stadium beside Hyatt Regency Hotel. Next it would cross the Eastern Metropolitan Byepass and move towards Kadapara through the road near Swabhumi and 89 Cinemas. It would extend to Phoolbagan and then Rajabazar and take left towards Moulali though Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road. It would take B.B. Ganguly Street and straight go to Lalbazar and through the BBD Bagh, take Strand Road, and over the River Hugli(a tributary of the Great GANGA or THE GANGES), it would straight land up in Howrah Maidan near Howrah Station.Thus it would go parallel to Howrah Bridge(another pride of OUR Kolkata). That is it.

I am really excited about the project. If this Project is complete, millions of people would avail it, to go to their office and come back home everyday. Though, some buses, taxis and other public transports will suffer, still such a Project needs to be there in a Central Business District like proper Kolkata where millions of people come and go everyday. Even these people will be able to travel in comfort of Air Conditioner.

By looking at this grand project I would like our Respected State West Bengal Government to think of a such a LRT Project from Barasaat (in the northern fringes of the city) to either Sonarpur (on the south-eastern part of the city along the Eastern Metropolitan Byepass ) or till Joka (in the south-western part of the city through Byepass, Prince Anwar Shah Road, Alipore, Taratolla, till the road that leads to Joka through Behala. If posssible, we should go for both the Projects. It would definitely be a GRAND PROJECT but it would earn Revenue for the Governemnt in Billions of Rupees. I hope my CRY for a grand project for the future of OUR CITY KOLKATA would be HEARD.