Kolkata Metro signs India-Nepal Land Exchange MoU for Purple Line

Kolkata, India (Metro Rail Today): In a breakthrough for one of Kolkata Metro’s most important expansion corridors, a long-pending land obstacle on the Purple Line project was resolved on 17 November 2025 after Metro Railway, Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), and the Consulate General of Nepal in Kolkata signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a crucial land exchange.

Under the agreement, 409.53 sq. metres of land owned by the Consulate General of Nepal will be exchanged with 526.34 sq. metres of adjoining land owned by Metro Railway. This parcel is essential for constructing the ramp between Mominpur and Khidirpur on the upcoming Mominpur–Esplanade underground section of the Purple Line—one of the most technically challenging segments of the north–south network expansion.

A Diplomatic and Administrative Effort Spanning Three Years

The land exchange marks the culmination of extensive intergovernmental coordination. Between 2022 and 2025, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Government of Nepal), Ministry of External Affairs (Government of India), Metro Railway, and RVNL held several rounds of meetings in Kathmandu, New Delhi, and Kolkata to finalise modalities for the exchange.

After prolonged discussions, the Government of Nepal formally granted concurrence, unlocking a major bottleneck that had slowed progress on the project. The Purple Line’s land acquisition process had previously faced multiple legal hurdles, with tenants and shop owners challenging proceedings in the Calcutta High Court and later in the Supreme Court of India. After nearly three years of litigation, all such cases were disposed of, enabling authorities to take possession of the required land parcels.

MoU Signed in Presence of Key Officials

The MoU signing took place at RVNL’s Model Room near the upcoming Victoria Metro station. The agreement was signed by His Excellency Jhakka Prasad Acharya, Consul General of Nepal in Kolkata; S. K. Dubey, Deputy Chief Engineer (HQ), Metro Railway; and Vipin Kumar, Chief Project Manager, RVNL. Ashish Middha, Director and Head of Branch Secretariat, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, was also present for the ceremony.

Welcoming the development, Mrs. Mamta Shah, MD & CEO of Urban Infra Group, said the land exchange reflects exemplary cooperation in advancing a project of national and diplomatic significance. “The Purple Line’s underground section is vital for Kolkata’s future mobility. This agreement demonstrates how coordination across governments and agencies can resolve long-standing constraints and accelerate transformative infrastructure,” she said.

The Mominpur–Esplanade underground link forms a core component of Kolkata Metro’s ongoing expansion, designed to improve connectivity across key urban and suburban clusters. With the land hurdle now cleared, civil construction on the ramp and adjoining alignment is expected to gain pace, bringing the city closer to a modern, seamless metro network that supports both mobility and economic growth.