Arambagh, 10 August (H.S.)

A part of Ramakrishna Setu, built on the Dwarkaeshwar river in Arambagh of Hooghly district collapsed late Saturday night. As per information, the part of the bridge that collapsed has also developed cracks in its front portion. Locals said that given the current situation, that part can also collapse anytime.

Notably, the condition of the bridge was already deplorable. Cracks were appearing in many places in the bridge. Meanwhile, on August 5, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee went to Kamarpukur in Ghatal from this Ramakrishna Bridge. As a result, questions are being raised about the maintenance of the bridge as well as Mamata's own security. The board of 'weak bridge' was hanging for almost a year. But still, the residents of the area are questioning why it was not repaired.

This bridge connects a large part of South Bengal. Passenger buses and other vehicles of five-six districts pass through this bridge. This bridge also plays an important role in communication between Bankura, Purulia, East Medinipur, West Medinipur and Arambagh, Burdwan and Kolkata. Since there is a lot of bus traffic here, there is also a lot of movement of cargo trucks.

There are many schools and colleges nearby. There are market ghats and residential areas. This bridge is one of the main means of movement for people. Perhaps loss of life and property was averted because this major accident happened at night. At present, police barricades have been put up at the spot.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey