Two days after a major bridge collapse in Kolkata killing three persons and injuring about 26 others, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attacked the BJP for maligning her Government and Bengal ignoring similar instances in the States ruled by them.
Banerjee who held an urgent meeting to take stock of the dilapidating bridges of the State and asked the police to clear the underbellies of all such bridges from encroachment questioned the “destructive mindset” of some people who instead of extending hands of cooperation take pleasure in criticising others.
“There are some people who condemn others by holding media trial. I am not ready to reply to their queries,” Banerjee told the media after the meeting.
“Ask these people to first raise questions on the bridge collapses in Varanasi and Maharashtra before poking their nose here,” Banerjee said when asked to respond to allegations leveled by the opposition leaders that despite repeated warning by the experts the Government took no step to repair the bridge.
“There is a constant effort to malign Bengal whenever there is any incident. I want to ask you that why are you so anti-Bengali? Why do you always try to malign Bengal?” Banerjee shot back when asked to comment on the statements made by the BJP leadership.
Laying credence to a “preliminary report” that blamed the Metro Railways for not taking adequate care while constructing a bridge adjacent to the collapsed flyover causing the damage to the 50-year old structure the “Government has asked them to stop work till the inquiry report determining the cause of the collapse of the bridge comes,” the Chief Minister said.
Banerjee on Thursday constituted a team headed by the Chief Secretary to determine the reasons behind the collapse of the bridge. “The report will be submitted in a week’s time.” The Chief Minister also asked the police to ban all the 20-wheeler trucks plying in Kolkata and “damaging the old bridges and roads.”
She said “the smaller trucks are needed for reaching essential commodities. The bigger ones with 20-wheels are all nuisance and cause heavy damage to the bridges and roads. We cannot allow them to run freely from now on. I have asked the police to stop those vehicles from plying in the city.”
The Chief Minister also constituted a Bridge Monitoring cell that would audit and inspect the health of the older bridges and submit reports on their state of health. Bengal has over the past a few years seen at least four bridge collapses the latest happening as late as on Tuesday noon.