Recently, an overpass that was under construction collapsed and killed a number of pedestrians. I understand there is now an investigation into the contractors for not using appropriate construction materials. I was wondering if the current state of Indian infrastructure is safe, or if it too has problems?
I don't think so. Well, accident are not part of our day-to-day life...you know. It does not happen every day, Isn' it ? Just because ultadanga flyover collapsed, you can not question our country's infrastructure. In my opinion, the collapse has not been caused by poor infrastructure. The reason must be something else. Sheela Peddinti (Legal Advisor) said that the collapse could be the result of a bomb blast. The inspection is not finished yet. Wait for the final conclusion and then share your opinion.
That fly over was under construction since last 10 years, it hardly takes two years to build such fly overs.
In india building flyovers has been always a tough task, some times a temple comes or a mosque or gurudwara etc and work delays... There is a ongoin flyover project which would connect ISBT to azadmarket (the major road which people take for coming to delhi) its been over 10 years i have grown up watching it but still it hasnt completed.
That flyover fell down due to sub standard material and incompetent engineers. The company that was awarded the contract was too small to handle such a project. Some people say it was due to political connections that this company was given the contract.
I think it's a pretty common thing in poorer countries, especially in Asia, that companies take some cuts with their budget, leading to poorer quality of structures. This is why during earthquakes, most buildings are usually damaged more than expected, because of the cheap materials used, quicker time to build them, and the lack of safety precautions during emergencies. I honestly am surprised these events don't happen more often, maybe everyone else just got lucky by not having catastrophes in their area.
I have seen construction in China where the concrete was so bad it was turning to dust. These were support columns for high rise buildings. They hardly had any rebar, as well. It is very dangerous and shortsighted to skimp on construction like this. Especially because construction materials are very cheap in India, as they produce a lot of cement, and also have China as a close provider. Any cuts or failures would be gross corruption, and should not be tolerated by the public.
I have read about this tragic news story. From what I've read, about 24 people were already dead and it's still not sure just how many more are going to be found. It also said that the collapse could be due to two things: lack of quality and safety control. The company who constructed the bridge said that it wasn't their fault though and that in their 27 years in the business, nothing like this has happened before. The said company is Indian-based called the IVRCL. I just hope that this will all be settled and that those who needs to be punished will be punished. After all, the lives of innocent people were taken because of this incident. It's just sad because it seems like we haven't learned from all the other collapse of such overpasses over the years. It's not just in India, but in other countries as well. I think this should be a lesson learned and authorities should be stricter in enforcing guidelines to these companies. Subpar materials shouldn't ever be used. There should be no pressuring of the workload and no hastening of the deadline as well. As much as possible, only skilled engineers and workers should be allowed to work in such public places. And lastly, there should be regular maintenance and checks for these public roads to ensure the safety of the public.
