Kolkata flyover safety concerns have intensified after multiple motorbikes reportedly skidded on the freshly coloured surfaces of the Chingrighata and Gariahat flyovers following rain on Wednesday afternoon. The riders fell on the wet road surface, although the nature of any injuries was not immediately known.
A video showing motorbikes and riders sprawled on the road was shared by Kunal Ghosh, the Trinamool Congress MLA from Beleghata, according to The Telegraph Online. A Salt Lake resident who said he was travelling with his daughter on the Chingrighata flyover told the newspaper that he saw bikes skidding one after another.
The incidents occurred a day after urban development minister Agnimitra Paul told The Telegraph Online that the colours applied to the flyovers were not permanent. Paul said the coating could wash off after a spell of heavy rain or remain for four or five months.
The reported skidding has raised questions about the road surface’s performance in wet conditions and the process used to apply the coating. Ashutosh Chatterjee, one of the general secretaries of the Bengal Congress, had written to Paul, Kolkata Municipal Corporation municipal commissioner and administrator Smita Pandey, warning that the colours could be dangerous for riders and drivers because of their low skid resistance.
Chatterjee said the incident was foreseeable and criticised the decision to apply what he described as oil-based colours on asphalt. “This is an impractical idea. They went ahead with it without considering the pros and cons. Oil-based colours cannot be applied on asphalt. Instead of repairing the roads, they are busy colouring. They failed to understand the basics,” he told The Telegraph Online.
The account places the immediate concern on how the coloured surfaces behave when exposed to rain and motorcycle traffic. The report does not establish the precise composition of the coating, the measured skid resistance of the flyover surfaces, or whether any formal safety audit was conducted before the colours were applied.
The reported incidents also come as the durability of the treatment remains unclear. The urban development minister’s statement indicated that the colours may either be removed by heavy rain or remain in place for several months. That leaves the responsible authorities facing questions about the coating’s intended lifespan, its maintenance requirements and the steps being considered after the reported falls.
No official account of the riders’ injuries or a formal response from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation was included in the report. The next steps will depend on whether the authorities inspect the Chingrighata and Gariahat flyovers, assess the wet-surface condition and communicate any remedial action to road users.
