Archive · 9 Oct 2026
Bowbazar Families Receive Rebuilt Homes After 2019 Metro Subsidence
In 2019, the ground sank in Bowbazar while an underground Metro line was being built.
Many homes were damaged, and some families had to leave.
Twenty-four homes were so badly damaged that they had to be rebuilt.
Families received keys to five rebuilt homes on Thursday, and two homes had been handed over earlier.
The article also quotes a former councillor saying seven homes had been handed over altogether.
Some residents said the long wait made life difficult and disrupted their children’s education.
A Metro official said closing shafts and heavy rain delayed construction.
A minister blamed a change to the Metro route, while the remaining 17 homes are still to be handed over.
Families whose homes were damaged beyond repair in the August 2019 subsidence received keys to five rebuilt houses on Thursday.
The article also reports that seven homes have been handed over in total, including two delivered earlier.
Of 24 homes deemed too badly damaged to repair, 17 are still awaiting handover; a construction agency official said the remaining keys would be handed over by March 31, 2027.
Residents described years of displacement, temporary accommodation and disruption to family life.
A KMRC engineer cited shaft closure and continuous rain for delays; a minister blamed a change to the Metro alignment for the subsidence.
- Who
- Bowbazar residents whose homes were damaged beyond repair, and the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation, which is rebuilding them.
- What
- Residents received keys to five rebuilt homes; the article says seven have been handed over in total.
- When
- Thursday; the original subsidence occurred in August 2019.
- Where
- Bowbazar, Kolkata, along the East-West Metro underground alignment.
- Why
- The homes were rebuilt after subsidence and water seepage associated with Metro construction damaged them beyond repair.
Political blame for subsidence
Construction delays
Cause of the damage
Political blame for subsidence
Minister Tapas Roy blamed a change to the Metro alignment, saying it led to subsidence and suffering for residents.
Construction delays
The article gives no direct response to Roy’s claim from the former chief minister or the earlier government.
Reason for delayed rebuilding
Political blame for subsidence
A KMRC engineer said it took nearly a year to close the Metro shafts and that continuous rain also delayed work.
Construction delays
Residents described years of disruption and some alleged a communication gap; the article does not report a competing explanation from them for the construction schedule.
- Initial subsidence
- August 2019
- Homes deemed beyond repair
- 24
- Keys handed over Thursday
- Five homes
- Earlier handover
- Two homes, according to the article
- Reported total handed over
- Seven homes, according to former councillor Biswarup Dey
- Homes still awaiting handover
- 17
- Handover deadline stated by construction agency official
- March 31, 2027