Kolkata, Sept. 17 -- As part of its plan to redevelop the Howrah Station area on the lines of an airport terminal, the Suvendu Adhikari government has undertaken a comprehensive programme to modernise the station-adjoining subway and ferry ghat subway for smoother passenger movement.

An estimated Rs 24.69 crore will be spent on the two subways. The project aims to streamline commuter movement between the railway station, the subways and the ferry ghat.

West Bengal State Minister for Urban Development, Umesh Rai, held a high-level meeting on Thursday to discuss the modernisation of the Howrah Station area. During the meeting, Rai outlined a comprehensive blueprint to transform Howrah into a modern infrastructure hub. The meeting was attended by the KMDA CEO, Howrah Municipal Corporation Commissioner Tejaswi Rana, Howrah District Magistrate, Railway officials and other senior administrative and municipal officials.

The discussions also focused on reorganising the nearby bus and taxi termini to create an integrated transport hub, enabling seamless transfers between trains, ferries and road transport. Rai stressed the need for immediate measures to improve passenger safety and basic hygiene while structural modernisation is underway.

The length of the Howrah main subway is around 350 meters, while the ferryghat subway's length would be around 50 meters. Civil, electrical, and mechanical works for both subways would be carried out.

The cost of civil works would go up to Rs 15.67 crore while electric-mechanical works would cost around Rs 9.02 crore, sources said. A team closely inspected the station subways and the ferry ghat subway to resolve immediate issues like waterlogging, poor illumination, and cleanliness while preparing blueprints for a long-term architectural facelift.

"Howrah is one of the crucial stations, and a large number of passengers pass through the station every day.

Enhancing passenger infrastructure adjoining the station is therefore the top priority of the government," said Rai.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.