Kolkata, July 06: Saturday’s fatal mishap on Bankim Setu could not be blamed on racing buses alone. The 1.25km bridge — built in 1980 and repaired only once, 10 years later — is riddled with flaws that make the vital link between Howrah station and the Howrah bridge approach a death trap.
The pavement on either side of the bridge is only five inches high from the road though traffic norms require sidewalks to be at least one-and-a-half-feet high. “New bridges do not have pavements. As for the old ones, the norm was that pavements should be at least one-and-a-half feet high from the road surface,” said an officer of Calcutta traffic police.
Officers of Howrah police station said the railings of Bankim Setu, only 3ft high and 5inch thick, are took weak to withstand a crash. “The concrete of the railings is reinforced with iron strips that have broken at several points. The railings are so weak that they may collapse even if a small group of people leans against them,” said an officer.
The Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), which had repaired the bridge in 2008 at a cost of Rs 5 crore, had allegedly ignored the flaws.
“While repairing the bridge, the CMDA should have rectified the flaws as well,” said Soumarendra Koley, the chief executive officer of the Howrah Improvement Trust which maintains the approach roads to the bridge. CMDA officials could not be reached for comment.
Lack of policing, resulting in rampant violation of traffic norms, is yet another problem. “There is no policing on the bridge. Buses race at will and stop anywhere to pick up passengers. At night, the entire bridge turns into an illegal parking lot for buses and trucks,” said Gagan Agarwal, a resident of Dobson Road.
On Sunday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the fatal mishap, not one policeman could be spotted on the bridge. The two police kiosks on both sides of the bridge were empty.
Bankim Setu, like any bridge or flyover, resembles an arch. To prevent buses from recklessly speeding down the slope, a bridge or a flyover is supposed to have traffic lights at both end. Bankim Setu has only one signal post — at the Howrah station end — but motorists have hardly seen the lights operating.
“Given the number of vehicles plying on the bridge, especially during rush hours, there should be at least six lanes. But there are only two,” said Laxmi Kanti Sinha, a resident of Howrah Maidan.
Throughout Sunday, many residents of Howrah, most of whom use Bankim Setu daily, visited the accident site.
“The pool car of our children plies down the bridge twice daily. I shudder to think what would have happened had the car been anywhere near the racing bus that crashed through the railing,” said Neelam Jhunjhunwala, standing at the site with her three daughters.
