Ultadanga flyover collapses in Kolkata
Kolkata- A large portion of Ultadanga flyover in the city collapsed on Sunday early morning crushing down a truck below and severely injuring three people.
The bridge was about 200 metres in length. An entire portion of it collapsed into a canal below. Fortunately, the incident took place at around 4.30 am in the morning and there was no traffic on the flyover.
The flyover connects VIP Road and the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport (Kolkata Airport) with Eastern Metropolitan Bypass (EM Bypass) and the eastern and southern suburbs.
Ultadanga is among the most crowded junctions in Kolkata city. It is located at the north-eastern fringe of the city at a close proximity to the Airport.
It has been only two years that the flyover was opened up. Over an year ago crack has been noticed on the flyover but no action was taken. Though the reason for collapse has not been ascertained yet, it is assumed to be due to loosened bolts on a structural bearing causing the incident. Experts of the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) believe that a 40-metre section between two piers was affected.
Some of the locals rushed out of their homes as they felt the ground shaking beneath them while some of them came after hearing an explosion.
The state Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim claimed that the flyover was thrown open in a hurry during the tenure of the previous Left Front government for electoral benefits. Hakim said that there had been no negligence in maintenance of the flyover and the problem probably laid in its “bolting system”.
Denying charges on the present government for not taking proper measures when cracks had been detected on the structure, the minister said that action will be taken against engineers found responsible for the collapse and a third party will be asked to carry out an inspection.
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Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, EM Bypass, flyover collapse, Kolkata, Kolkata Airport, Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, Left Front government, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport, Ultadanga flyover, Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim, VIP Road
[...] Ultadanga flyover collapses in Kolkata [...]
[...] Ultadanga flyover collapses in Kolkata [...]