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Scooterist flung off EM Bypass-VIP Road flyover, dies

He fell nearly 30 feet and landed on the Kestopur canal below the flypast

Our Special Correspondent Kolkata Published 25.03.22, 06:59 AM
Representational image

Representational image File picture

A 30-year-old scooterist died after being flung off the flyover connecting EM Bypass and VIP Road early on Thursday.

The victim was identified as Amit Balmiki.

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He fell nearly 30 feet and landed on the Kestopur canal below the flyover.

A joint police team from Lake Town and Ultadanga rescued Amit from the waters and took him to RG Kar Medical College. After battling for a few hours, Amit succumbed to his injuries.

A resident of Narkeldanga, Amit was heading towards Lake Town on the two-wheeler and had taken the flyover from EM Bypass.

Around 1.50am, while riding down the slope of the flyover’s VIP Road-bound flank, Amit hit a lamppost on the concrete guard wall, lost his balance and was flung off.

In 2013, when a portion of the Ultadanga flyover gave way and a lorry with its driver and two attendants came crashing into the canal below.

“There is a bend on the VIP Road-bound flank of the flyover. Several scooterists have skidded while trying to negotiate this bend,” said an officer of Lake Town police station.

“The turn is quite sharp and we have requested KMDA to make the road surface slightly undulated at this point so that vehicles are forced to slow down. That never happened though.”

Engineers from KMDA, which maintains the Ultadanga flyover, said the stretch atop Kestopur canal had to be curved owing to lack of enough space when the VIP Road-bound ramp was being built. “The road surface can’t be undulated at one spot of the flyover’s arm. Possibly signages, restricting vehicular speed to 20kmph, can help motorists slow down while negotiating the turn,” said a senior KMDA official.

In February 2021, a 26-year-old man was flung off the Parama flyover. He landed at a spot near the Calcutta Boating Club.

Seven months later a man riding pillion on a motorcycle on the Jinjirabazar flyover was flung off the bike and landed on the road underneath — around 30ft below — after the two-wheeler rammed into the guard wall of the flyover. He died on the spot.

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