Parliament Question: Underwater Road Tunnel under Hooghly River

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3086 ANSWERED ON 6TH AUGUST, 2026 UNDERWATER ROAD TUNNEL UNDER HOOGHLY RIVER 3086. SHRI JAGANNATH SARKAR: Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार्ग मंत्री be pleased to state: (a) the present status of proposed underwater road tunnel under the Hooghly River connecting Matia Burj, Kolkata to Shalimar/B. Garden area in Howrah an approximately eight kms freight corridor with about 800 metres under the river conceived under PM Gati Shakti initiative to decongest Kolkata Port traffic and provide direct access to the Kona Expressway and national highway network; (b) whether feasibility study commissioned by Kolkata Port has been completed and if so, the findings thereof including the estimated project cost, the number of lanes and the construction methodology proposed; (c) whether all necessary clearances including environmental clearance, approval from the Inland Waterways Authority of India for under-river construction and concurrence of the West Bengal State Government for land and approach road connectivity have been obtained, if so, the details thereof and the status of each; and (d) the current stage of DPR preparation, agency responsible for execution and revised timeline for commencement and completion of the project?ANSWER THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI) (a) to (d) The Alignment Option Study and Drawing for the project were initially submitted by Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Authority (SMPA), Kolkata. Subsequently, the Techno-Economic Feasibility Report was also submitted by SMPA, based on the submission of which, alignment has been approved by the Alignment Approval Committee on 03.04.2026. Further, as per the request by SMPA, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to engage a consultant for undertaking Detailed Project Report (DPR). It is premature at this stage to indicate the requirement of lane, Project Cost, Construction Methodology clearance etc. *****