BJP- Trinamool spar over Morbi bridge collapse

Kolkata, Oct 31 The heat of the Morbi bridge collapse in Gujarat has reached West Bengal with the Trinamool Congress and the BJP entering into a war of words over the tragic mishap.

At least 141 people have died in the bridge collapse incident.

According to the West Bengal Transport Minister Snehasis Chakraborty, the mishap was a classic example of a fallout of rampant corruption in Gujarat. "Whenever anything happens in West Bengal, however minor the development might be, BJP's central fact- finding team visits the state. I would now like to question the state BJP leaders here whether they will now send a similar fact-finding team to Gujarat. They are always in fault-finding missions in West Bengal. Their only aim is to disturb the state administration in West Bengal. My advice to them is to first control things in Gujarat and then think about West Bengal," Chakraborty said.

Senior Trinamool Congress legislator, Tapas Roy said that the mishap was an example of how hollow were the tall claims of the BJP and the Gujarat government about the structural engineering, quality of bridges and superb infrastructural development. "I just want to know what they have to claim now. Questions are already being raised on whether it was justified to open the bridge to the public before examining its health," Roy said.

However, state BJP spokesman in West Bengal, Samik Bhattacharya has rebuffed the critical words from the Trinamool Congress leader. "Had the Trinamool Congress leaders and ministers been so cautious about civil engineering perfection, then their leader and the state chief minister Mamata Banerjee would not have forced the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Limited to change the route of the Kolkata East- West Metro.

"Because of this change of route there had been frequent cracks in the houses of the congested Bowbazar area leaving the residents there helpless. What has happened in Gujarat is undoubtedly tragic. The state government there will look into it. But there is no reason to shout so much about the mishap here in West Bengal. The state government should not forget the event of the Posta Flyover collapse," Bhattacharya said.

He was referring to the collapse of a 490 feet steel span of the under- construction Vivekananda Road Flyover in North Kolkata on March 31, 2016 that killed 27 people.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has issued a Twitter message to condole the deaths in the Morbi bridge collapse. "I am deeply concerned about the tragic bridge collapse in Morbi, Gujarat, that has cost several innocent lives and left many trapped. My deep condolences to the families and friends of the deceased. I pray that the injured have a speedy recovery," her Twitter message read.