Three persons, including a woman, were killed and several others received injuries after an overhead water tank collapsed on December 13 at Barddhaman station in West Bengal’s Bardhaman district.
“At about 12:08 hrs. today a portion of the side wall of the water tank placed above the Platform No. 2 & 3 of Barddhaman station broke and fell down on the platform. Few people got injured in this incident. Immediately, train movement was suspended through line 1, 2 & 3 of Barddhaman as a safety measure,” a press statement by the Eastern Railway said.
The deceased and injured passengers were sitting under the platform shed which came crashing down with the water tank. The deceased were identified Mofiza Khatun, Kanti Bahadur, and Sonraram Tudu. In addition, 34 persons who sustained injuries were admitted to Burdwan Medical College and Hospital.
Mofiza Khatun’s husband, who also sustained injuries, said that the railway platform came crashing down suddenly, and that his wife was buried under it. Daily commuters said that the overhead water tank was in a dilapidated condition and water was seeping out of it for past several months.
Barddhaman Railway Station is one of the railway stations in the country which is being redeveloped by the Indian Railways. A PIB release on August 6, 2023, pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 508 Railway Stations across the country. These stations are supposed to be redeveloped at a cost of more than ₹24,470 crores, across 27 States.
“An inquiry into the incident has already been ordered. Three railway employees have also been put on suspension as the preliminary findings show their negligence to maintain the condition of the tank and the structure on which the water tank was placed,” a railway official said.
In January 2020, one person had died when a portion of the building of Barddhaman station collapsed. Questions about maintenance of one of the key junction stations of Eastern Railway, which is over 100 years old, were raised by passengers in the past as well.
