What caused Kolkata flyover collapse? IIT report reveals the reasons

Kolkata: An IIT report has revealed the reasons which led to the collapse of a 100-metre section of an under-construction flyover in Kolkata, leaving at least 26 dead and around 89 injured.

The design of the Vivekananda Road flyover in Kolkata, which caved in on March 31, was faulty, said the report which was submitted on Wednesday.

The report also claims lack of quality check, inconsistency in construction material, faulty approval of the design, and improper project execution on the part of the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, reported The Times of India.

The West Bengal government had formed a committee to investigate the reasons which had led to the collapse, a week after the incident. The committee, headed by chief secretary Basudeb Banerjee and comprising former professors of IIT-Kharagpur, Anandapran Gupta and Swapan Majumdar, submitted its report yesterday.

The long-delayed 2.5-km Vivekananda flyover under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission was expected to tackle congestion in Burrabazar area - the location of one of the largest wholesale markets in Asia - up to the Howrah station, the gateway to the city.

The project's foundation was laid in 2008 and work on the Rs.164-crore project began on February 24, 2009.

It was scheduled to be completed in 2012 but land acquisition issues delayed its completion. The implementing agency too ran into financial troubles.