Kolkata: The Durgapur Bridge, also known as Derozio Setu, connecting New Alipore with Chetla, has been closed from 2 pm on Saturday and will remain shut until 6 am on Monday, the Kolkata Traffic Police has announced. The Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), which maintains the bridge, will conduct a condition assessment test during this period. The vehicles bound for Chetla will be diverted from the New Alipore island while those bound for New Alipore will be diverted via Alipore Road and Gobinda Auddy Road. The Durgapur Bridge suffered structural damages due to the devastating fire at a slum just beside it close to New Alipore Railway Station in December last year. A health review of the bridge was conducted by the Kolkata Police, Fire and Emergency Services department, and the Transport department immediately after the incident.
Since then the movement of heavy vehicles have been barred on the bridge. “The load test that will be carried out is for assessing what further work needs to be done for repair of the bridge. Initial repair work was carried out immediately after the fire incident," said a KMDA official. “Saturday and Sunday has been chosen to ensure that the working day traffic movement is not affected,” said a senior official of Kolkata Traffic Police. The Saturday night fire at the New Alipore slum had singed white goods in multiple flats adjacent to the slum and forced residents of the buildings to spend a sleepless night outside their homes. They pleaded with civic and police authorities to keep the illegal settlers away from their homes to avoid further trouble.