Kolkata flyover collapse

2016 Kolkata flyover collapse

Kolkata overpass collapse location
Date 31 March 2016 (2016-03-31)
Location Girish Park, Kolkata,  India
Coordinates 22°35′11″N 88°21′30″E / 22.586367°N 88.358256°E / 22.586367; 88.358256Coordinates: 22°35′11″N 88°21′30″E / 22.586367°N 88.358256°E / 22.586367; 88.358256
Deaths 27
Non-fatal injuries 80

On 31 March 2016, part of the under-construction Vivekananda flyover in the Girish Park neighbourhood of Kolkata, India, collapsed. Twenty seven people were killed and more than 80 were injured in the incident.

Background

The construction for the 2.2-kilometre (1.4 mi) Vivekananda flyover was contracted in 2008 and the work began in 2009. IVRCL, a construction firm based in Hyderabad, won the bid for the project.[1] The construction was scheduled to be completed in 2010 but overshot the deadline multiple times.[1] The company was given an 18-month deadline by Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee to complete the flyover by February 2016 and allocated a budget of nearly ₹165 crore (US$25 million) but only about 60 percent of the work was completed.[2][3] As of March 2015, IVRCL had a debt of ₹4055 crore (US$600 million) and reported losses of ₹672 crore (US$100 million).[3] In December 2015, a consortium of banks that had lent to the company took over and the company had been banned from doing business in Uttar Pradesh and several other states.[4]

On 30 March 2016, one day before the collapse, concrete was laid on the bridge[2] and hours before the collapse, construction workers had heard the cracking noise of nuts in the cantilever.[5]

Incident

At 12:40 pm IST on 31 March 2016, a 150 m (490 ft) span of steel of the bridge collapsed, trapping many pedestrians and vehicles underneath. The incident took place at the busy Rabindra Sarani - K K Tagore road crossing.[1] 27 people were killed and at least 80 others were injured.[6] More than 90 people had been pulled from the rubble, but as of 1 April, over 100 people were still unaccounted for.[3][7] Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) volunteers worked in Kolkata flyover collapse relief operations with police, NDRF and other security personnel and the photographs of it have gone viral on various social media platforms.[8]

Aftermath

On 1 April 2016, the construction company IVRCL was charged with murder, under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. The police detained five IVRCL officials in Kolkata and two in Hyderabad, and sealed off IVRCL's local office in Kolkata.[9] The firm called the collapse an "accident", while one IVRCL official described it as an "act of god".[10] The shares of the company fell 11.7% the day after the disaster.[2] Sixty-two families living in buildings near the accident site were asked to vacate temporarily for the safe removal of collapsed debris.[11] In a letter sent to BSE, IVRCL claimed that the design of the flyover was done by a reputed consulting firm of Kolkata.

Reaction

The Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, rushed to oversee the post-crash relief and rescue operation, and made a statement blaming the previous left-wing government for the disaster.[12] The previous state government, headed by the CPI(M), alleged that the portion of the bridge that collapsed was built during the current Government's tenure.[13] Minister of State for Urban Development, Babul Supriyo remarked that the construction work of the flyover was carried on in an unscientific manner and "the state administration did not take any lesson even after the collapse of Ultadanga flyover three years ago".[13] The legal advisor to IVRCL, Sheela Peddinti said, "The glass was shattered. It could have been a blast." [11] The vice-president of the Indian National Congress, Rahul Gandhi visited the injured and the site of accident. He refused to make any political statements. Later, he incidentally raised the issue at rallies and accused the ruling party, Trinamool Congress of negligence.[14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Rush job on delayed flyover kills 21 in Kolkata, many still feared trapped under rubble". Times of India. 1 April 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Hazra, Supriyo (1 April 2016). "Police file homicide case after Kolkata flyover collapse kills 23". Reuters. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "Kolkata Flyover Collapse: 26 Dead As One More Body Recovered From Debris". NDTV. 2 April 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  4. ↑ Najar, Nida; Kumar, Hari (1 April 2016). "Construction Firm Charged in India Overpass Collapse". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  5. ↑ Bagchi, Suvojit (1 April 2016). "Workers heard cracking noise". The Hindu. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  6. ↑ "Kolkata bridge collapse: Toll reaches 27 after rescue workers pull out 3 more bodies". CNN-IBN. 2 April 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  7. ↑ "Kolkata Tragedy: 25 Dead As Under-Construction Flyover Collapses On Busy Road". Tehelka. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  8. ↑ "Kolkata flyover collapse: Left claims govt ‘stopped us, allowed RSS’ to engage in rescue operations". Indian Express. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  9. ↑ "Kolkata bridge builder charged with murder, police question IVRCL officials". IBNLive. 1 April 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  10. ↑ "Kolkata flyover collapse an accident, says IVRCL". The Hindu. 1 April 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  11. 1 2 Banerjie, Monideepa (1 April 2016). "Bengal Suspends 2 Engineers, Arrests 3 Over Kolkata Flyover Collapse". NDTV. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  12. ↑ "24 Dead In Kolkata Flyover Collapse, 90 Pulled Out In All-Night Rescue: 10 Developments". NDTV. 1 April 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  13. 1 2 "Kolkata flyover collapse: TMC, Left, Cong fight for political mileage". Hindustan Times. 1 April 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  14. ↑ "Rahul Gandhi meets victims of Kolkata flyover collapse, says he won’t give a political statement". The Indian Express. 3 April 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
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