False ceiling of Burdwan railway station collapses, one injured

Kolkata: A migrant labourer has suffered an injury at Burdwan railway station after a piece of false ceiling of the portico collapsed on Sunday morning.

According to sources, on Sunday morning several migrant labourers had returned from Kerala and were waiting in the queue to register their names in front of the inquiry desk. All of a sudden a portion of the false ceiling collapsed on the head of a labourer standing in the queue. Immediately he was rushed to a hospital.

Other labourers who were standing in the queue got panic stricken and ran outside of the portico. Later the labourers were again stood in a queue at another place.

On January 4, a portion of the said portico near the station entrance had collapsed, injuring two persons. Both of them were immediately rushed to Burdwan Medical College and Hospital, accompanied by a railway doctor. One of them had died later. The portico was later reconstructed but again a portion of it collapsed. It is alleged that the incident happened due to negligence on the part of maintenance of the Eastern railway. Controversy cropped up about the construction of the portico as the portion collapsed within six months. However Eastern railway authority has declined the allegation of negligence and claimed that only a piece of false ceiling made of Gypsum Board collapsed because of swelling of gypsum board due to seepage.