Life After Metro: Displaced by tunnelling work, affected families in north Kolkata yearn to return home

Sharing her ordeal, Archana Majumdar, a long-time resident of north Kolkata, recalls the day her life turned upside down.

“For 22 years, I lived happily in my house. But on August 19, 2019, we were asked to vacate immediately after sudden cracks appeared. Few days later, there were visible cracks on the road and ceilings. A door on the second floor tilted and would not open. It felt like an earthquake had struck,” she said.

A series of evacuations followed, with a temporary hotel stay and brief return home after minor repairs.

However, when metro construction resumed in May 2022, the damage intensified, prompting another forced evacuation.

“We stayed four months in a hotel, then the metro authorities asked us to find rented accommodation within 15,000. For the next two years, we lived in a rented apartment, always unsure of when we might be told to leave again,” Majumdar said.

“The uncertainty shattered our peace,” she said, adding that her son struggled with board exams while living in temporary accommodations.

“First time we were asked to leave home was in 2019 and my son was in class 10. The next time, when we were shifted to a hotel in 2022 he was in Class 12. He’s now pursuing MSc, but the instability of the last six years has taken a toll we can’t explain,” she said tearfully.

“While politicians fought to take credit for the metro launch, no one acknowledged the cost we paid,” Archana said.

“North Kolkata thrives on the ‘para’ culture — neighbours feel like family. But we were scattered. That uncertainty shattered our peace.”

The human cost of this development is not limited to inconvenience.

Chandra Shekhar Bharti, a retired government employee and long-time resident of Durga Pithuri Lane, died of a liver ailment, after years of displacement.

“He suffered from anxiety. He had never lived outside his home in his entire life. The constant moving from hotels to rented flats broke him,” his son Somnath Bharti said.

Additionally,  their house also continues to show signs of severe damage. “Recently, part of the ceiling fell. The beams had to be repaired. There are cracks on the roof. We informed the metro authorities, but got no response,” Somnath said.

Archana Majumdar and Somnath said, “Even the paint they applied to the building faded within a year. The drainage system is completely messed up — every rain brings water inside the house.”

“They sent us to a hotel on August 31, 2019, promising it would be for three days. We ended up staying for four months… and then from one hotel to another and then to a rented flat….,” says another resident Subhasish Sen, who lived at 9 Durga Pithuri Lane.

Meanwhile, some have marked “August 22 as Black Day.”

“We marked August 22 as Black Day. We endured 11 months in a hotel and 6.5 months in a rented flat,” said another resident Bulbul Sen.

Expressing frustration with the lack of acknowledgment from authorities, Sen questioned, “While the Metro benefits the city, what about our plight? The Prime Minister’s silence on our suffering during the inauguration was telling – a mere acknowledgment would have gone a long way.”

Subhashish Das, who is currently residing in Beleghata, said that in a recent meeting, officials hinted that they might be able to return home in a year or two.

“Until then, we are stuck in rented housing, and the uncertainty persists.”

Meanwhile an official from Kolkata Metro said that by 2026 there are chances that all those people living outside will be rehabilitated.

“The rehabilitation is being done by KMRCL. The construction work is also on. Many houses have been repaired and people have returned. As per information, it is expected that by 2026 rehabilitation work will be completed,” he said.

Attempts to contact Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (KMRCL) general manager AK Nandy were unsuccessful.

However, residents remain uncertain about their future.

For Archana Majumdar, “This project may have fast-paced the lives of many, but for us, it took our lives back by seven years.”