Speculation Abounds on Causes of Kolkata Collapse
April 4, 2016 Neelam Mathews KEYWORDS Flyover collapse Kolkata / IVRCL / Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority / Mohandas Pai / Omar Abdullah Reprints No one is certain what triggered the flyover collapse March 31 in Kolkata, India, leaving at least 25 dead and around 100 injured on March 31. But the tragedy has brought new scrutiny to India's safety standards. In 2008, the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, the statutory planning and development authority for the Kolkata Metropolitan Area, awarded the contract to construct the 2.2-km-long flyover structure or overpass in a congested area of West Bengal state’s capital city in East India. The winning bidder for the $24.5-million project was Hyderabad-based general contractor IVRCL. Construction began in 2009 and was to be completed in 18 months. Since then, work has gone through three price escalations and missed seven completion deadlines. “The ...