Majerhat Bridge Collapse in Kolkata: Railways Flagged Flyover Flaws Six Weeks Ago
The Eatern Railways had informed the KDMA about weak support beams, exposed reinforcements and even cracks on piers of Majerhat Bridge.
Kolkata, Sep 7: Two day after the 50-year-old Majerhat Bridge collapse that took three lives, it is learnt that the Eastern Railways had alerted the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) about the weakening structure. The Eatern Railways had informed the KDMA about weak support beams, exposed reinforcements and even cracks on piers of Majerhat Bridge.
In the letter to KMDA, dated July 27, the Eastern Railway Zone's Deputy Chief Engineer had highlighted the need for inspection of sections of the bridge, flagging several concerns regarding its structural efficacy. A copy of the letter was marked to the railway Senior Deputy Engineer, Sealdah. The road bridge runs over the Majherhat Railway Station on the Sealdah-Budge Budge line. Majerhat Bridge Collapse: PM Narendra Modi Terms It as an Unfortunate Incident.
"The condition of RCC beams of the bridge which supports utility services, are not in good condition and it requires suitable replacement in a programmed manner at the earliest," the letter to the Superintending Engineer, South Circle, KMDA said, reported news agency PTI. KMDA is the statutory planning and development authority for Kolkata metropolitan area.
The letter urged the KMDA to make preparations at their end so that railway could initiate maintenance work. It also raised concerns over a nearby span of the bridge towards Mominpur, which they found to be "visibly deflected". "This needs to be a complete inspection from your side and necessary action thereof," wrote the Eastern Railway Zone's Deputy Chief Engineer.
Further, the bridge engineer listed out the anomalies detected in the road over bridge -- weak RCC and steel beams which needed replacement, locations with exposed reinforcements, and some cracks in piers over isolated locations. The inspection was conducted after the collapse of the Gokhale Bridge in Mumbai in July.
Notably, West Bengal government's Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim is the chairman of KDMA. (With PTI inputs)
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 07, 2018 10:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).