Kolkata: Bengal BJP chief and Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya has urged Union housing and urban affairs minister Manohar Lal Khattar to examine the feasibility of a regional rapid transport system in Bengal on the lines of NCRTC’s Namo Bharat corridors.In a letter to Khattar, Bhattacharya said an RRTS could address growing demand for high-frequency regional connectivity between Kolkata and cities such as Kalyani, Krishnanagar, Burdwan, Durgapur, Asansol, Diamond Harbour, Haldia and Kharagpur.“Connectivity between these centres depends on conventional railways and highways that are congested and ill-suited to high-frequency commuter travel. An RRTS network can address the gap through metro-like high-speed regional connectivity,” Bhattacharya said.The proposal, prepared by transit researchers Souradip Sarkar and Adri Roy Chowdhury, envisages four corridors radiating from a central hub at Maidan.The first would connect Kolkata-Kalyani-Krishnanagar-Mayapur (135km); the second, Kolkata-Burdwan-Durgapur-Asansol (132km), with an integrated Asansol Metro.The third proposes a 102km Kolkata-Falta-Diamond Harbour-Haldia link integrated with the proposed Maidan-Budge Budge Metro. The fourth would connect Santragachi-Kolaghat-Kharagpur-Midnapore (135km), with dedicated metro systems for Durgapur and Asansol.Bhattacharya said the proposal minimises land acquisition by aligning corridors along existing highways and railway routes. It also proposes a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)—West Bengal Rapid Transit Corporation (WBRTC)—on the lines of NCRTC, with joint Centre-state ownership.“I would request the ministry to examine this proposal and, if found suitable, direct a detailed feasibility study covering engineering, demand forecasting, and financial analysis, in coordination with the Bengal govt,” he said.
