A fact-finding committee has stated that a flaw in the drawing and design of the curved stretch of Ultadanga flyover in Kolkata led to its collapse on March 3 this year.
The Urban Development Department had tasked a five-member panel with finding out why the curved section of the flyover collapsed. The final report has been submitted to the Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim, who also heads the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA).
The committee report has come up with some startling facts. There was a fault in the design-drawing of the flyover. Also, the bolt bearings were not fixed properly. The fact finding committee have come up with some recommendations as to what should be done and the KMDA officials have been told to do whatever is required, Hakim said.
According to highly placed government officials, the committee found that the drawing of the curved alignment was faulty. The outer curve of the collapsed girder was unstable. Due to this the girder could not bear the extra load of the truck and collapsed, an official said.
According to the committee’s findings, the curved steel girder was constructed at the maximum permissible angle limit.
There are technical rules that set the maximum angle on which a flyover curve can be constructed. This one was only just within the maximum permissible limit. Due to this, it could not take the repeated pressure of heavy vehicles, an official said.
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