FLYOVER COLLAPSES ON KEY KOLKATA ARTERY
A large portion of the Ultadanga flyover collapsed at Lake Town in North 24 Parganas early on Sunday.
As the debris fell into Keshtopur canal running below the flyover, it took down a goods- laden trailer, the police said. Three persons were injured in the incident which could have been a major disaster had it occurred during the day time when hundreds of vehicles use the flyover that connects VIP Road and the airport with EM Bypass and the eastern and southern suburbs.
The 1,290- metre- long flyover, a Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority project built by state- run Mackintosh Burn Ltd was inaugurated by former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in January 2011.
At around 4.30 am, the residents of Golaghata woke up to a deafening sound. Shuddering, many of them initially thought it was an earthquake. Rushing out of their homes, they, however, found that a giant archaic structure of the flyover had fallen into the canal water. Beneath the 200- metre- long iron girder was a mangled trailer.
Loaded with goods weighing over 20 tonnes, the Topsia- bound vehicle from Rajasthan was running on the Lake Town- EM Bypass flank, the police said. When it was running between pillar no. 13 and 14 over the canal, it fell down as the structure collapsed. The vehicle’s driver, Mohammed Khalid and his two his helpers — Sheikh Majid and Saifuddin — were rescued by the locals and admitted at Bidhannagar Sub- division Hospital and R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital.
After interrogating the driver at the hospital, the police, however, suspects that the trailer, while taking a turn at the curved portion, had collided with the wall leading to the collapse.
Locals alleged that the fire brigade and disaster management arrived four hours late. State fire and emergency services minister Javed Ahmed Khan refuted their claim. A team of the National Disaster Response Force rushed to the spot and searched the canal for victims, if any.
After visiting the site, state urban development minister Firhad Hakim said: “The state government will conduct a third party inquiry by roping in experts from institutions like Jadavpur University or Besu. Strong actions will be taken against the firm which had constructed the flyover and the engineers involved in the construction and supervision.”