Kolkata: A part of National Highway-117 at Diamond Harbour caved in due to erosion of River Hooghly early on Thursday morning. Transport services from Kolkata to Kakdwip and Namkhana via Diamond Harbour were disrupted due to the subsidence and vehicles were diverted from an alternative road via Sirakole near Amtala.
Diamond Harbour MLA, Dipak Halder who visited the site said work for the beautification of the river bank in Diamond Harbour was going on for the last few months with MPLAD funds. There was a strong tidal current at the time of the cave in. A tunnel boring machine, three JCV machines and two generator vans which were engaged in the work have been swallowed by the river. "We began work of mending the road to resume vehicular movement soon after the damage. We are hopeful of restoring normal vehicular traffic along the stretch by Friday. We want to ensure that the daily commuters along the stretch are not inconvenienced," said P Ulaganathan, District Magistrate, South 24-Parganas.
Engineers have already been instructed to come up with a detailed plan of thorough restoration of the road. "This work will also go side by side and will be carried out at a brisk pace," a senior district official said.
Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee also tweeted saying that normalcy would be reinstated and restoration work will be completed by Friday.
Locals expressed their apprehension that a major disaster was averted as the timing of the incident was early morning when there was no traffic.