While the Indian Railways oversees the expansion proposals for the Kolkata Metro, we plan to gradually introduce city metros under the Transport Department, like other states in the country Adhikari said.
“I will urge state Chief Secretary to prepare projects in collaboration with the World Bank, ADB, or HUDCO. We want to first connect neighboring major cities, such as Durgapur-Asansol and Siliguri-Jalpaiguri. There will be two new metro services which will be connecting the district cities,” the new chief minister said.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, road revolution led by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, the state public transport system–railways, metro, waterways, and airways, this state will move in the path of progress,” Adhikari said.
“Since our new government came into power, only nine weeks have passed. This is a very short period. While major decisions can be made, implementation takes a minimum amount of time and there is a need for financial resources.
“We will focus on making the state, including Kolkata, environmentally safe by focusing on eco-friendly communication systems like CNG and electric vehicles. We have strengthened our coordination with the Central government regarding the Transport Department. The state Transport minister attended the central transport ministers’ meeting in Gujarat,” the CM said.
“The state government has held discussions with Union Minister of Urban Development Manohar Lal Khattar. Based on a 60:40 cost-sharing ratio, with GOI contributing 60% and the state government contributing 40%, the state aims to introduce more electric buses here,” he noted.Decisions will be taken to build Electric charging stations across the state and related infrastructure in various depots of the state’s three transport corporations: NBSTC, WBTC and SBSTC.
Speaking about the slow progress of Metro work in the previous regime, CM said, “The Chingrighata Metro section could not be resolved by the previous government in 17 months, but the present double-engine government resolved it in just 17 days. Now, the Kolkata Metro route connecting Joka to the Airport is progressing rapidly toward completion.”
The state has plans to start 1,000 buses by 2027.
Adhikari was state Transport Minister from 2016 to 2020. “I know that instead of getting into conflict with the Centre, with collaboration, Transport Department can progress toward development,” CM said. “Following the the CPI-M government and then Trinamool government, the tate’s debt burden is Rs 8 lakh crore. The transport department can play a significant role in contributing to state revenues.”
The state government aims to create infrastructure—more roads, metros, and waterways simultaneously. “The state has held a joint meeting with the Union Ministry of Shipping, which was attended by Ministers Sarbananda Sonowal and Shantanu Thakur, and discussions were held regarding the Kona Expressway. Freight vehicles traveling through this route face delays, cause pollution, and lead to traffic congestion that inconveniences citizens. Consequently, we decided to launch a Ro-Ro (Roll-on/Roll-off) service between Garden Reach and Shibpur/Salkia (Howrah) to divert Kolkata Port freight traffic and ease congestion.” CM said.
“The transport sector has been revolutionized in 21 Indian states and Delhi, metro rail or public transit. We are moving in that direction,” he said
Meanwhile, the state has identified 2,000 acres of land in Kalyani for a new greenfield airport.
Adhikari slammed the previous government for stopping several flights to Europe during the previous Chief Minister’s tenure. Currently, Kolkata lacks direct air connectivity to London and several other key destinations. “There was narrative of ‘No’ across water, land, rail, and air routes, it is now turning into a ‘Yes.’,” Adhikari said
“A tender for 400 buses has been sanctioned, and funds are allocated. The Chief Secretary assured me that 1,000 new buses can be rolled out by March 2027,” CM said. “Today marks the launch of 43 CNG and 7 electric vehicles. I thank WBTC for designing these buses in saffron—a symbol of strength inspired by Swami Vivekananda’s attire.”
