Date | 4 September 2018 |
---|---|
Location | Alipore, Kolkata, India |
Coordinates | 22°31′05″N88°19′23″E / 22.518°N 88.323°E |
Deaths | 3 [1] |
Non-fatal injuries | 25 [1] |
The 2018 Kolkata bridge collapse refers to the collapse of the Majerhat Bridge, in the city of Kolkata, India, on 4 September 2018. [2] [3] The bridge collapsed at around 4:45 PM (IST), resulting in the death of three people injuries to at least 25 others. [4] [1] [5] [6]
Majerhat Bridge is located at Majerhat, Alipore, a neighbourhood of South Kolkata. [7] It was a major arterial road (Diamond Harbour Road) in the area connecting the southern suburbs to other parts of the city via Behala. [7] [1] [4] It is also part of National Highway 12. [7]
Majerhat railway station is located beside the bridge. There is an adjacent Majerhat metro station for Kolkata Metro Line 3. The bridge crosses the Indian Railways Sealdah South local rail network from Sealdah to Budge Budge as well as the Kolkata Circular Railway lines.
There has been concern around the time of the accident that in Kolkata, and in wider India, proper road maintenance was not being undertaken. [8] This incident was the third bridge collapse in Kolkata in six years. [7] On 4 March 2013, part of a flyover in Ultadanga had also collapsed. [7] On 31 March 2016, part of an under-construction flyover had collapsed in central Kolkata's busy Girish Park area. [9] [7] 27 people had died in the tragedy, leaving 80 people gravely injured. [10]
There had been reported concerns about Majerhat Bridge itself. At the time of the collapse the bridge was apparently over 50 years old. [7] In 2010, the Majerhat Bridge had undergone repairs for subsidence. [11] An audit in 2016 flagged the bridge as unsafe. [12] Concerns had been raised in 2018 by police, commuters and nearby residents stemming from visible cracks appearing in the structure. [12]
The bridge caved in around 4:45 PM. Videos from the locality showed a portion of the bridge resting on the street below including at least nine vehicles, including a minibus, stuck on it. [9]
The rescue effort was started by the Kolkata Police, an Indian Army unit from Fort William and five special disaster management teams of the NDRF [15] after the mishap. [16] Injured people were sent to nearby SSKM, CMRI and Vidyasagar hospitals for treatment. [17]
After the collapse, Eastern Railways suspended train services via Majerhat railway station on the Kolkata Circular Railway and Sealdah-Budge Budge lines. [18] Widespread road traffic disruption ensued as the bridge was a major route for vehicles moving between north and south Kolkata. [18] [19]
The Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee asked Chief Secretary Moloy Kumar De to hold an investigation committee into the collapse. [6] She had noted that 20 bridges in the city were at risk of collapse. [6] [20] A Times of India article on 7 September 2018 noted that the Public Works Department has admitted that urgent repairs had not been carried out properly, it was noted that patchwork repairs were carried out on the bridge, adding layers of bitumen, and therefore weight, rather than a thorough repair. [20] The collapse led to a rising distrust among the public regarding the safety of bridges in India. [8]
The safety of bridges in West Bengal has further come under scrutiny, as there have been 3 bridge collapses in September 2018 alone. [21]
Preliminary results of investigations suggest that pollution and poor maintenance contributed to the bridge collapse. [22] [23] Accusations that Metro construction had led to bridge collapse were felt to be unfounded. [22] [23] There have been reports that repairs were hastily completed with claims that "a month's work was done in one night". [24]
The state public works department (PWD) has undertaken a complete tear down of the old bridge and reconstruction of a new bridge at the same location and is aiming to commission the new bridge in November 2020. [25] The new bridge was opened on 4 December 2020. [26] It was named the Jai Hind Bridge after the Jai Hind slogan used by Subhas Chandra Bose, commemorating his 125th birthday anniversary. [27]
Later Majerhat metro station was also completed and will be opened on 7 March 2024. [28]
Sealdah Railway Station is one of India's major railway terminals serving the city of Kolkata. The other main railway stations in the Kolkata metropolitan area are Howrah, Shalimar, Kolkata and Santragachi. Over 1.2 million passengers use the station daily. It is an important suburban rail terminal. Kolkata Metro Line 2 passes through Sealdah with the new underground Sealdah metro station.
The Kolkata Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Kolkata and the wider Kolkata Metropolitan Region in West Bengal, India. It is the first operational rapid transit system in India, and the second busiest metro network in India. As of January 2023, it has three operational lines: a 32.33 km (20.09 mi) line from Dakshineswar to Kavi Subhash, a 9.1 km (5.7 mi) line from Salt Lake Sector V to Sealdah, and a 6.5 km (4.0 mi) line from Joka to Taratala, for a total of 47.93 km (29.78 mi). Three other lines are in various phases of construction. The system has a mix of underground, at-grade and elevated stations using both broad-gauge and standard-gauge tracks. Trains operate between 06:55 and 22:30 IST and the fares range from ₹5 to ₹25.
Behala is a locality of South 24 Parganas district of Kolkata city in the Indian state of West Bengal. Behala is a part of Kolkata Municipal Corporation area. It is broadly spread across Ward Nos. 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131 and 132 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and is divided into two Vidhan Sabha constituencies: Behala Paschim and Behala Purba. Behala, Parnasree, Thakurpukur, Haridevpur and Sarsuna police stations serve this area under the South West Division of Kolkata Police also known as Behala Division.
The Kolkata Suburban Railway is a suburban rail system serving the Kolkata metropolitan area and its surroundings in India. It is the largest suburban railway network in the country by number of stations and track length, and also one of the largest in the world. There are five main lines and nineteen branch lines. It operates more than 1,500 services, carrying 3.5 million people daily and 1.2 billion people every year. It runs from 03:00 am until 02:00 am and fares range from Rs.5 to Rs.25. The system uses 25 kV 50 Hz AC power supply and runs on 5 ft 6 in broad gauge track. It has interchange stations with the Kolkata Metro at various locations.
The transport system of Kolkata, a city in India, is a mix of modern mass rapid transport and old transport modalities like rickshaws. Kolkata is connected to the rest of India by the National Highways, the extensive network of the Indian Railways, National Waterways and by air. The most traffic to Northeast India route is via Kolkata.
Kolkata Circular Railway, also known as the Kolkata Chakra Rail, is a 36.20 km (22.49 mi) long railway loop line operated by the Sealdah division of the Eastern Railway zone of Indian Railways, encircling the city of Kolkata.
Kolkata Monorail was a rail-based transit project planned for the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. This was the first proposed monorail in the country.
Kolkata Metro Line 2, also known as the East-West Metro and Green Line, is a rapid transit line of the Kolkata Metro in the Indian state of West Bengal. It currently consists of an operational section between Salt Lake and Sealdah, and will eventually connect Howrah by going underneath the Hooghly River, with an eastern extension also planned for Teghoria. It would consist of 17 stations from Teghoria (Haldiram) in the east to Howrah Maidan in the west, of which 11 would be elevated and 6 would be underground, with a total distance of 22 km (14 mi). It is expected to derive a very high ridership since it will connect India's two largest commuter railway and long-distance railway terminals along with two of its largest business districts. It will also connect the industrial hub of Kolkata i.e. Howrah and the IT hub of Kolkata i.e. Sector 5. Line 2 has India's biggest underwater metro tunnel along with the deepest metro shaft. In the deepest metro shaft, Howrah metro station will be the deepest metro station in India, at a depth of 33 meters. The first phase between Salt Lake Sector V and Salt Lake Stadium was inaugurated by Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on 13 February 2020 and commercial services started from 14 February 2020.
Sealdah South section consists of a set of four lines which connect the Sealdah South station in Kolkata with its southern suburbs and with the South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, India. It is a part of the Kolkata Suburban Railway and is under the jurisdiction of the Sealdah railway division of the Eastern Railway zone of Indian Railways.
Kolkata railway station is the newest of the six intercity railway stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, West Bengal, India, the others are Sealdah station in Kolkata and Howrah Junction, Dankuni Junction, Shalimar station and Santragachi Junction on western banks of the Hooghly river. Kolkata station is situated in the Chitpur locality of North Kolkata.
Naihati Junction is a Kolkata Suburban Railway junction station on the Sealdah–Ranaghat line and Naihati–Bandel link. It is located in North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It serves Naihati and the surrounding areas.
Dum Dum Junction is a very important and busy junction station of the Kolkata Suburban Railway on the Sealdah–Ranaghat line. Three lines branch out from Dum Dum in the north direction–the Kolkata Eastern line to Gede, the Calcutta chord line to Dankuni and the Sealdah–Hasnabad–Bangaon–Ranaghat line to Bangaon and Hasnabad. On the other hand in the south direction, those three lines go to the Sealdah, while the Kolkata Circular Railway line arises from it towards Patipukur, and also ends to it through Bidhannagar Road after encircling the city of Kolkata through various important stations like Kolkata railway station and Majerhat.
The tram system in Kolkata, the capital city of the Indian state of West Bengal, operated by West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) after Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC) was dissolved, is the oldest tram network operating in India, and oldest operating tramway in Asia. Started in 1902, it is the oldest electric tramway in India. It is the only operating tram network of India at present.
Sealdah railway division is one of the four railway divisions under the Eastern Railway zone of the Indian Railways. Its headquarters is located in Kaiser Street in Kolkata, West Bengal near the Sealdah railway station. Geographically the division covers the railway tracks and services in the areas between the Hooghly river on the west, Bangladesh on the north and east and the Sundarbans in the south.
Kolkata Metro Line 3 or the Purple Line is a line of the Kolkata Metro. The 6.5 kilometres (4.0 mi) stretch from Joka to Taratala of the 15.08 kilometres (9.37 mi) line was inaugurated on 30 December 2022. The route spans 15.08 kilometres (9.37 mi) from Joka in the south, to Esplanade in the north with an extension of 3.39 kilometres (2.11 mi) to Diamond Park from Joka. It will connect Kolkata Metro Line 1 at Park Street in central Kolkata and run in parallel up to Esplanade in central Kolkata where it will connect Kolkata Metro Line 2 also. Line 3 is being built by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited.
Girish Park is a neighbourhood of North Kolkata in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. it is named after famous Bengali Theatre personnel Girish Chandra Ghosh.
Shyamnagar railway station is the railway station in the town of Shyamnagar. It serves the local areas of Shyamnagar in North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, India.
Majerhat metro station is an under construction metro station on Line 3 of Kolkata Metro. It is the terminal station of the first phase 1 of this line, from Joka to Majerhat. The line was sanctioned in India's railway budget of 2010–11, but due to various hurdles, construction was delayed and missed multiple deadlines. The most notable reason for delays was the Majerhat Bridge collapse in 2018.
Taratala is the elevated northern terminal metro station on the Purple Line of Kolkata Metro which is located in the Taratala area of southern Kolkata, West Bengal, India. This station is named after the locality in which the station is located. The station is elevated above Diamond Harbour Road.
Dunlop is a neighbourhood in Baranagar of North 24 Parganas district, in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is under the jurisdiction of Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) and Barrackpore Police Commissionerate.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)