Kolkata authorities have begun an investigation into multiple motorcycle accidents reported on coloured flyover roads after rain, with the state government examining whether the surface treatment used for Durga Puja created safety problems for riders.
Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Paul said the chief minister had directed officials to examine complaints related to the coloured roads at the Park Circus Seven Point, Gariahat and Chingrighata flyovers. She said the police commissioner and officials from the relevant departments had been asked to investigate why the accidents occurred.
The immediate concern emerged after a spell of rain on Wednesday afternoon. Several motorcyclists reportedly fell on the Chingrighata flyover, where the road surface had been covered with paint as part of a city beautification exercise ahead of Durga Puja. Complaints also focused on the Gariahat flyover, where riders alleged that the coloured surface became slippery after rainfall.
Paul said the material used on the roads was intended to be anti-skid and that officials were examining why motorcycles had nevertheless lost traction. “The chief minister has directed that the complaint regarding the flyover painting be examined,” she said, according to the report. “The relevant department’s expert engineers and officials have been instructed to find out why the accidents occurred.”
She also said officials would consider alternatives if the coloured surface was causing difficulty for road users. Concerns raised on social media included both the alleged slipperiness of the paint when wet and the possibility that the colours were affecting drivers’ vision. Paul said that if the police found the treatment was creating inconvenience, the government would consider another arrangement.
The debate intensified after a video circulated on social media appearing to show multiple motorcycle riders falling on the coloured Chingrighata flyover during rain. Sangbad Pratidin said it had not independently verified the video. The report also said opposition representatives from the Trinamool Congress and Congress separately alleged that the painting work had made the flyovers dangerous, particularly for motorcyclists.
Officials from the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation reportedly reached the site at night after receiving instructions from the minister. Work began to ensure that the painted road surface would not remain slippery, the report said. The exact material specifications, application method and independent findings of the engineering inspection were not provided in the report.
The incident has placed renewed focus on the safety checks required when decorative road treatments are applied to active urban carriageways. Flyovers carry fast-moving traffic and are particularly sensitive to changes in surface grip, visibility and drainage during rainfall. The state government’s investigation is expected to establish the cause of the accidents and determine whether the treatment should be modified or replaced.
