Less work left, Kolkata Metro projects may see budget cut: Officials

Kolkata: Allocations for Metro projects for the upcoming fiscal may be less than last financial year's, officials felt as they waited for the Pink Book — an annual detailed programme published by Railway ministry for works — to be released in the next two or three days.
Funds break-up for each railway zone will be available once the Pink Book is published. Metro Railway is the 17th zone of the Indian Railways and the only urban transport system run by the Railways.
According to officials, the New Garia-Airport corridor (Orange Line) may get much less than what was allocated in the 2024-25 fiscal. The corridor received a whopping Rs 1,791 crore and made most of it by completing 8.8 km beyond Ruby till Sector V. "After Phase II is launched, 14 km of the 29 km corridor will be operational. Much of the viaduct along New Town has been completed. Around 6 km of work and building of three-four stations are left. Funds will be allocated accordingly," an official said.
East-West Metro, which is set to launch its last 2.6 km, may be given much less than the Rs 906 crore allocated in 2024-25. Yellow Line's Phase I, the 7 km Noapara-Airport section, is due to be launched soon. But there is uncertainty beyond airport. "So, not much funds are expected for this line either," an official said.