Disaster throws up questions on maintenance of state’s bridges

KOLKATA: The collapse of a section of the 40-year-old Majherhat overpass in south Kolkata on Tuesday raised uncomfortable questions about the condition of old bridges in Kolkata.

In 2016, a portion of the underconstruction Vivekananda flyover in Jorasanko caved in, killing 27 people and injuring more than 90. A few hours after the collapse, an official of the Hyderabad-based construction company IVRCL described it as an “act of God.” However, experts who conducted a probe at the site blamed a design flaw and the use of inferior material for the disaster.

Incidentally, after the disaster, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had instructed the state Public Works Department (PWD) to form an inspection committee to check every bridge and flyover in the state every month.

While ministers and state government officials refrained from commenting on possible reasons that led to the Majerhat bridge collapse, locals and experts blamed lack of maintenance.

“A few years ago, subsidence was detected in a portion of Majherhat bridge and Eastern Railway authorities repaired the portion,” a state public works department (PWD) official said on condition of anonymity.

“The Majherhat bridge carried the load of more heavy vehicles and containers since the area is close to the Kolkata port. When we are looking at a structure this big, girders, cross-girders, bearings et al should be periodically inspected and repaired,” said structure engineering and Jadavpur University professor Partha Pratim Biswas.

In March 2013, a huge portion of the Ultadanga flyover collapsed at 4:30 am. There was hardly any traffic and only a truck fell into the canal below the flyover. The driver and two other passengers were rescued. Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said at the time that a crack was detected in the flyover one-and-a-half years ago and examined by experts from Jadavpur University. The problem detected was not related to maintenance but a technical one, he said. Incidentally, lack of maintenance or inferior material are not the only factors that ail bridges in Kolkata.

In December 2017, the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority conducted emergency repairs on the 50-year-old Dhakuria bridge in south Kolkata as rats chewed into its foundation. “The foundation faced risk a few years ago because rats chewed away soil from its base. Repairs had to be carried out. Gaps appeared on the road surface because certain portions caved in,” said a KMDA official on condition of anonymity. Like Majherhat bridge, the Dhakuria bridge also runs over railway tracks.