West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday that one more body was recovered from the debris of the collapsed Majerhat bridge in South Kolkata. This discovery takes the toll to two.
The chief minister added that a committee headed by Chief Secretary Malay De will investigate the cause of the collapse, which happened on Tuesday, PTI reported. She said documents of old bridges were unavailable. “Still we are trying to conduct regular survey of those bridges with available technical experts,” she added.
Banerjee said that two persons were missing, but the Kolkata Police claimed that the body discovered on Wednesday evening may belong to one of the two individuals. Meanwhile, operations to rescue those still trapped in the debris have been stepped up.
“It may take another two days to cut through the concrete slabs,” Deputy Commissioner (South) Meeraj Khalid said. “The people engaged in the work are trying hard to cut them.”
The police have filed a suo motu case against unidentified people, reported ANI. The case was filed at Alipore police station under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.
Labourers working on a metro project nearby claimed that two of their co-workers, who were believed to be inside a temporary shelter under the bridge, are missing.
The Kolkata Disaster Management Department, the National Disaster Response Force and the state fire department are carrying out the search operations.
Lawyer seeks Calcutta High Court’s intervention
A lawyer requested the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday to seek a report from the West Bengal government on the condition of all bridges in the state, PTI said. In response, the division bench asked Advocate Rabi Shankar Chatterjee to file a formal petition before the court.
Traffic disrupted
The Majerhat bridge, thought to be older than 40 years, is located on Diamond Harbour Road in the Alipore area, and connects central Kolkata with the densely populated Behala region of South Kolkata. It also extends to parts of the South 24 Paraganas district.
As rescue efforts continued on Wednesday, several commuters were stuck in traffic as the Diamond Harbour Road was closed. An unidentified traffic policeman said vehicles that usually move to and from the city through Majerhat bridge have been diverted to other roads.
Principal Secretary of Transport BP Gopalika said additional state buses have been pressed into service to cater to residents in the affected areas.
Eastern Railway spokesperson RN Mahapatra said train services under the Majerhat bridge have resumed. “A team of railway engineers headed by Chief Bridge Engineer, experts from RITES are visiting the site to ensure safety of rail service at the affected area of Majerhat Bridge,” Mahapatra said.
A traffic police official told PTI that tram services have been suspended from CGR Road to DH Road and Judges Court Road.
Bharatiya Janata Party MP Roopa Ganguly blamed the state government for the accident. “The negligence of West Bengal Govt [government] is unpardonable,” she tweeted on Wednesday. “The repair was a complete eyewash with only white [and] blue paint and spraying of some bitumen layers.”
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