On 31 March, 2016, part of an under-construction flyover on busy central Kolkata’s Vivekananda Road collapsed. It resulted in a terrible human tragedy which has till date claimed 26 lives.
For long, the only obsession that has seemed to drive Mamata Banerjee is ‘beautifying’ the city of Kolkata. She has even made claims that she will transform the city into London, by developing the riverside like Thames, and installing a London Eye-like giant ferris wheel. She has also gone around painting the town white and blue. Literally.
The flyover tragedy, which occured ironically right before the state assembly electios, has raised a range of qquestions on the integrity of the concerned authorities. The first yhing Banerjee said after the disaster was that the flyover project was passed during the Left rule.
There have been several instances where Didi has inauguarated projects and flyovers, commissioned during Left rule, and reportedly claimed credit for them. In fact, there has been talk that Banerjee was in a hurry to get work on the Vivekananda Road flyover done.
And this wasn’t the first flyover that collapsed in the city. In 2013, part of the then under-construction Ultadanga flyover collapsed. Though no one was hurt, it seems the authorities have clearly learnt nothing. What has not been taken into account in this mega modernisation project are the decaying, dilapidated parts of this centuries-old city – the parts which become the first casualties of such disasters. Remeber the 2015 fire in New Market?
Doesn’t beautification and city planning not include the safety of its citizens? The Vivekananda Road flyover disaster probably tells us, it doesn’t.
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