Tragedy Strikes Kolkata as Flyover Collapses, Kills 27

A scene of destruction in Kolkata: the Vivekananda Flyover collapse dropped 164 yards of steel and concrete onto a busy street. (Image courtesy of ABP News/YouTube.)

A “flyover” is India’s answer to help alleviate its most congested areas. The promise of an aerial bypass in Kolkata, one of India’s most populous cities, has long been popular with voters—but the project has also suffered delays during its planning and construction.

On March 31, a section of the incomplete Vivekananda Flyover, a 1.4-mile (2.2-km) structure which was originally scheduled for completion in August 2011, collapsed onto the teeming street below.

The 164-yard (150-m) stretch fell over Rabindra Sarani and KK Crossing, crushing 27 people. Several more were injured and days later, more are feared to be trapped beneath the debris.

What Went Wrong with the Flyover?

The Vivekananda Flyover was being built as a steel girder bridge, which uses girders as the means of supporting the deck. A steel girder bridge consists of three parts: the foundation (abutments and piers), the superstructure (girder, truss, or arch) and the deck.

Forensic teams have reportedly identified one particular pillar as the point of the collapse. Cracks had previously been reported on the girder of this pillar.

It’s possible that other building regulations were not being properly enforced—so far, investigation has led authorities to believe that the gap between the faulty pillar and its neighbor was larger than usual. In this case, the pillars would have needed additional support, but what should have been 8 ft (2.5 m) of diagonal support may have been reduced to only 5 ft (1.5 m).

Construction Company in Question

The project’s Hyderabad-based construction firm, IVRCL, is being held accountable for the collapse. The company had missed many completion deadlines over the years. In fact, the bid to secure the flyover project itself had raised a few questions.

Several arrests have been made and those arrested have been questioned as to whether there was a fault in the design itself or a discrepancy between its design and its construction.

In addition, sub-contractor Sandhya Enterprises has been accused of using inferior quality building materials.

On April 1, the construction company executives were charged with murder under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.