Calcutta High Court Halts Burial Of Tram Tracks, Labels Them As Bengal’s Heritage

Calcutta High Court Halts Burial Of Tram Tracks, Labels Them As Bengal’s Heritage
Kolkata, January 15, 2025: The Calcutta High Court has strongly criticized the West Bengal government for dismantling or covering tram tracks with bitumen during road construction. Labeling trams as an integral part of the state’s heritage, the court has directed the government to halt such actions immediately and restore the tracks to their original condition.
While hearing a plea filed by tram enthusiasts, Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam emphasized the historical significance of trams and highlighted their operation in several countries, often running along busy roads. The court has ordered the government to submit a report, complete with photographs, detailing the state of tram tracks and allegations of their removal.
The plea alleged that authorities were silently removing tracks or burying them under new road layers, effectively ending the possibility of tram services on affected routes. Kolkata Police has been tasked with investigating these allegations.
Trams were introduced in Kolkata in 1873 as horse-drawn carriages and transitioned to electric-powered vehicles in 1900. Despite their rich legacy, the iconic tram network has dwindled over the years. By 2011, Kolkata had 37 tram routes and 61 km of tracks, but this has reduced to just two routes covering 12 km as of 2022.
The decline is attributed to increasing vehicular traffic, narrow roads, and the construction of metro lines. In September 2024, the West Bengal government announced the suspension of tram services on most routes, except for a single route connecting Esplanade to Maidan. Environmental groups and heritage activists have opposed the government’s lack of investment in maintaining the tram system since 2018.
The High Court’s directive is seen as a critical step toward preserving Kolkata’s tram network, a 150-year-old symbol of the city’s unique cultural and transport history.