In the early hours of Sunday a portion of a flyover collapsed and a truck plunged 22 feet into a canal below causing serious injuries to three persons in the eastern part of the Kolkata city.

Moreover, the incident occurred at 4.30 a.m. on the flyover in the Ultadanga area that connects two important thoroughfares in the city the Eastern Metropolitan bypass and the V.I.P. Road that leads to the city’s airport. In fact, the collapse is particularly worrying as it has been just over two years since the flyover was inaugurated and that many, including local MLA Sujit Bose, wondered whether a major mishap was prevented as the incident occurred at a time when traffic on the streets was sparse.

The vehicle, that has a Rajasthan registration plate, was carrying marble to the Topsia area of the city. According to experts the reasons for the collapse are yet to ascertain, but still it is believed that the bolts on a structural bearing came loose causing the section to cave in, dragging the truck down with it in fact a vital section of the flyover as it veers to the left, crossing the canal, was damaged.

According to experts of the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), a 40-metre section between two piers was affected. Even eyewitnesses expressed that they felt the ground shaking beneath them and rushed outside their homes to find a collapsed section of the flyover, a truck in the water, and the people inside seriously injured.

Kakoli Mondal who lives in a shanty nearby says they were sleeping, but she woke up when she felt that the floor was shaking and rushed outside, but found instead that a large section of the flyover had collapsed and there were two injured men inside the truck having the third person was recovered from the waters.

According to the police sources while the condition of driver Khaled Mohammad and his assistant Sheik Majid was stable who were rushed to the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital but that of their colleague, Saifuddin, who fell into the canal, was critical.

It's really unfortunate that in this age of technological advancement still we are not able to give assurity of a strong foundation for our society putting their life in risk and if we see the age old foundation in the city are still standing straight starring at us, saying they could be old but they are still strong!

There can be no doubt that just having an advancement in technology is not enough if it is not utilized in the best way because development should go hand in hand with security to life.

(AW:Samrat Biswas)