Purba Bardhaman, March 12 (TSP Bangla) – A section of the reinforced concrete retaining wall along the Burdwan-bound lane of an NH19 flyover in East Burdwan gave way on Wednesday morning even as vehicles were passing over it. Fortunately, no vehicles were damaged in the incident, something officials described as a stroke of luck.
The collapse occurred near Sardanga in the Memari area, where the retaining wall runs over a raised, earth-filled channel. As the wall buckled, the edge of the adjoining road also caved in. Debris rained down onto the service road below, prompting police to immediately halt traffic and prevent further mishap.
The incident was first spotted by two civic volunteers, Sheikh Bappa and Nikhilesh Das, who were on traffic duty on the service road beneath the flyover. Before they could warn their superiors or alert approaching motorists, nearly 50 metres of the wall had already come down with vehicles still moving on the flyover above.
NH19, one of India’s busiest national highways, was formerly known as the Delhi–Calcutta Road. Following the renumbering of national highways, the Delhi–Agra stretch is now designated NH44, while the Agra–Calcutta route carries the NH19 designation.
Authorities have since cordoned off the affected stretch as assessment of the damage is underway.
“Around 10am, we were managing traffic on the service road when we suddenly heard an unusual sound and looked up to the flyover. We saw debris from the retaining wall falling. Fearing something serious, we rushed towards the flyover. But before we could reach, the wall began collapsing in front of our eyes. We stopped traffic and informed senior police officers,” Sheikh Bappa told reporters.
Police and engineers from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) swiftly arrived at the scene, placing the damaged section of the Burdwan-bound lane under an indefinite traffic ban. Vehicles were diverted through a nearby service road to keep the busy highway corridor moving.
The collapse has sparked serious questions, given that the six-lane expansion of this NH19 stretch was completed barely a year ago and the flyover itself became operational only six months back.
Local residents were quick to allege negligence, claiming that substandard construction materials were used during the project. The incident has deepened public distrust over the quality of infrastructure on one of the country’s most heavily trafficked highways.
Officials at the NH19 project office in Burdwan, however, refused to engage with the media, stating they were not authorised to comment. One project official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that traffic on the vulnerable section had been fully suspended to prevent the structure from deteriorating further.
“To avoid additional stress on the weakened section, traffic has been stopped on the Burdwan-bound lane and vehicles are being diverted through the service road from Ajhapur crossing,” he said.
“Our senior engineers will conduct a detailed examination of the damaged stretch and prescribe repair work. It may take around one month for normal traffic movement to resume,” he said.
The cause of the collapse is yet to be officially determined, and no timeline has been given for when the affected lane will reopen.
To minimise inconvenience to commuters, police have erected diversion signages ahead of the affected stretch and deployed personnel on the ground to guide motorists through the detour route.
