Kolkata bridge collapse: Rescue operations on, suo-motu case lodged
Kolkata, Sep 5 : Rescue operations continue on Wednesday after a portion of a 40-year-old bridge collapsed in south Kolkata a day earlier, even as a suo-motu case has been lodged against the persons responsible for the accident. Two persons are still reported missing.
A part of the Majherhat Bridge between Taratala and Mominpur collapsed around 4.30 p.m. on Tuesday in south Kolkata, crushing a person to death and injuring 19 others.
"Two persons are still missing and a suo motu case has been lodged under IPC 304 and 308 against responsible persons," police said.
Four teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), fire brigade and personnel of disaster management teams are at the spot.
Cranes have been deployed and gas cutters are being used for the rescue operation. Three columns of army personnel are also present at the spot.
"Our team is still working on the rescue. Overnight and this morning, we tried to dig holes on the concrete slab decks that caved in to find out whether anyone is still trapped underneath.
"Cameras are also being used to find out what remains below the debris. Removing the rubble would take more time," a member of the rescue team said on Wednesday.
The West Bengal government has initiated a probe into the incident. "Investigations are going on. At this point, we cannot come to any conclusion regarding the possible reasons behind the accident," a member of the forensic team said.
Pedestrians and commuters in buses and cars who were on the collapsed structure were rescued.
The bridge was the main connector between central and southwest part of the city. Due to the partial collapse of the bridge, traffic has been diverted. Tram services on some routes have been withdrawn, a Kolkata Traffic Control official said.
Goods vehicles' movement has been restricted on some of the arterial roads between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m.
State government will pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family of Soumen Bagh, who died in the accident.
State Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said on Tuesday that heavy construction work of the metro project beside the collapsed bridge could have weakened its pillars.
City metro railway authority, however, ruled out any such possibility.
Amid blame game over the partial collapse of the bridge, the Eastern Railway said it was not conducting any maintenance work at the accident site.
However, experts said the bridge was very old and as such structural defect or use of inferior quality material cannot be cited as the reason for the collapse.
They said the bridge has been withstanding heavy vehicles for more than 40 years and that the only reason that may have triggered the collapse could be "lack of maintenance".
According to a state official, the 40-year-old bridge was constructed by the Kolkata Port Trust and maintained by State Public Works Department.
However, a Kolkata Port Trust official said it does not have any records that show the bridge was constructed by it.
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Posters declaring Samrat as new Bihar CM put up outside Patna BJP office as Nitish heads to Delhi
Patna (PTI): Posters declaring Samrat Choudhary, the deputy CM of Bihar, as the man who would head the new government in the state, were on Thursday put up outside the BJP office in Patna as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar left for Delhi to be sworn in as a Rajya Sabha MP.
The posters, a few of which were pulled down by the party office staff, bore the label of 'Valmiki Samaj', a community of Dalits associated with scavenging work.
"We do not know who has put up these posters. We can, at this moment, only say that who would be the next CM is a decision to be taken collectively, as has been the party's tradition," BJP state media in charge Danish Eqbal told reporters.
Speculations are rife that upon being sworn in as Rajya Sabha MP on Friday, Kumar, who turned 75 last month, will hold the last meeting of his cabinet next week before giving up the chief minister's post.
Choudhary, who is seen as the front-runner among those in the race for the top job, has experienced a meteoric rise since he joined the BJP less than a decade ago.
Hailing from the Koeri caste, an influential OBC group which both the BJP and the main opposition party RJD have been trying to woo with equal intensity, Choudhary was made the state party president in 2023 and became the Deputy CM a year later, when the NDA was back in power following the JD(U) supremo's return to the coalition.
When the NDA retained power in the assembly polls held last year, Choudhary returned as Deputy CM, this time with the crucial Home portfolio, which Kumar had so far been averse to parting with.
According to sources in the BJP, which is currently the single largest party in the 243-strong assembly, the new government will be formed after April 14, when the month-long inauspicious Hindu calendar period of 'Kharmaas' ends.
The sources said top leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are likely to be present at a "grand ceremony" that will mark the formation of the "first ever BJP government in Bihar", the only Hindi heartland state where the seat of power has eluded the party.
While Choudhary was being admittedly seen as the "most preferred" candidate for the top job, a "surprise" could not be ruled out since the final decision would be taken by the BJP's top leadership, known for adopting a "shock and awe" strategy.
Meanwhile, JD(U) national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad was asked about reports that the BJP was likely to hold a meeting in Delhi to discuss the formation of the new government in Bihar.
Prasad told PTI Video, "Of course, being a significant constituent of the NDA, the BJP has the right to hold deliberations on the emerging situation. But one thing is clear. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's consent will be sought while deciding his successor. Moreover, he will continue to spend as much time as possible in the state to offer guidance to the new government."
