Kolkata, September 5: In a tragic disaster a portion of an over 50-year-old bridge on the arterial Diamond Harbour Road in south Kolkata collapsed on Tuesday evening, snuffing out one life, trapping several people and crushing many vehicles.
The Majerhat Bridge in the crowded Alipore area caved in around 4.45 pm during rush hour. It runs over the Majerhat Railway Station and connects the city center with the heavily populated Behala, the vast area of the south-west suburbs and neighboring South 24 Parganas district.
The collapsing of the bridge snuffed one life and left 25 others injured in the tragic incident. The rescuers did not find anyone trapped in the debris overnight, but a police officer said clearance operations was on full tilt on Wednesday morning. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is on a three-day trip to the Hills, said she would be cutting short her visit and has ordered a probe by a “high-power committee” led by chief secretary Moloy De, adding that action would be taken against “those whose negligence caused the disaster”
The 50-year-old bridge, located adjacent to the Majherhat railway station, was maintained by the state public works department (PWD). It connects the city to the southern fringes and is an important link between Behala and Kidderpore.
This incident is Kolkata's third bridge or flyover collapse in six years. In 2013, a 60-meter curved stretch of the Ultadanga flyover connecting the VIP Road to EM Bypass collapsed, taking down with it a goods truck. The driver and his helper suffered minor injuries. Luckily, the incident took place at 4:30 am when there was hardly any traffic. The flyover was commissioned just two years ago, in 2011, by the then Left Front government.
In March 2016, a section of an under-construction flyover had collapsed in central Kolkata's busy Burrabazar area. The Vivekananda flyover tragedy killed 26 people and nearly 90 people were injured. Ten employees of IVRCL which was building the bridge were arrested. A team from IIT-Kharagpur had cited poor design, materials and workmanship as causes leading to the bridge becoming unsafe at the portion between Ganesh Talkies and Girish park.