India, Sept. 13 -- Piyali Sen, 35, a former resident of Sakharipara Lane in central Kolkata, still shudders when she remembers the day she helplessly stood and watched portions of her century-old ancestral house develop cracks and collapse on August 29, 2019.

"We were asked by the authorities to vacate our three-storey house just for safety as the metro tunnel was being bored underground. We were told that we could return after two days. Six years have passed. We are yet to return home," said Sen, who now lives in a rented apartment in Beliaghata with her family.

Around 52 residential buildings on Sakharipara Lane and Durga Pituri Lane in Bowbazar, one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Kolkata had developed cracks in August 2019 when the ...