Once again, a major concrete structure has collapsed in India, this time a flyover in Kolkata. And once again, the chaotic scenes were revisited, this in the Girish Park area on Thursday night, of rescue workers trying to get heavy equipment to the scene, of volunteers using bare hands to try to reach people trapped under the rubble and officials trying to clear the area in case the flyover collapsed further. At least 25 people have been found dead and scores injured. But because the flyover was in one of Kolkata's most densely populated neighborhoods, with narrow lanes, and shops and houses built close together, and because there were families living under the construction site, many of whom could still be buried below the debris, the casualty toll could get higher. Much of the rubble has been cleared, but many of the people rescued have been seriously injured, so the death toll could yet increase. The 2km-long flyover had been under construction since 2009 and missed several deadlines for completion. That could mean that in the end, work on the flyover became hasty and careless in the rush to finish it. An injured construction worker working on the structure before it collapsed said he had seen bolts sticking out of the metal girders. Rivets on the flanks of the flyover were damaged. Worn out rivets or bolts could be a clear indication of the wear and tear and rust that the structure might have accumulated because of its long pendency. The flyover is the latest in a long list of collapses in Indian cities of both in structures under construction and those that had been standing for years. The most recent was the collapse of a building near India's western city of Mumbai in August last year in which at least 11 people died. The problem of poor quality housing in India's cities is well documented. Official estimates suggest that in India around 2,000 people lose their lives each year when buildings collapse. The government has listed thousands of unsafe structures in and around the city of Mumbai alone. But it often proves difficult to persuade those living in dangerous accommodation to move on. Even when rickety and decrepit buildings are deemed a safety hazard and families are ordered to leave, some evacuate and some do not. Though the houses should be immediately demolished very often it is not easy to get people to move out. The government does not always afford replacement housing and the families cannot always afford to move out. High property costs in some cities mean homes, no matter how wobbly, are precious, even if lives are at risk. Some people are eligible for accommodation until their houses are rebuilt but distrust of real estate developers runs high and residents fear that once they vacate their homes they will lose them forever. Some don't even believe the buildings are that dangerous. They believe the government wants people evicted so that developers and the government can scheme to take over the land and make money out of it. While builders admit there are problems they say the government needs to better monitor the sector. The business needs a regulatory authority, not only for developers but stakeholders. For now, the same speeches that follow every such disaster are being given. The chief minister of West Bengal has said the authorities will take "stringent action" against those responsible for the flyover disaster. The company in charge of the construction said it will cooperate with investigators. And relatives of those killed in the collapse will get roughly the equivalent of $7,500 while those critically injured will get about $3,000 each. This is scant compensation for lives taken by lack of inspections and the use of substandard materials.
