Traffic movement on the Kolkata–Burdwan lane of National Highway 19 was suspended on Wednesday after a guard wall suddenly collapsed in the Deulmore area, causing major disruption for commuters. Authorities diverted vehicles through the service road, leading to heavy congestion and inconvenience during peak hours.
The incident occurred in the morning when vehicles were moving at high speed along the highway. The collapse was first noticed by Home Guards Nikhilesh Das and Sheikh Bappa, who immediately acted to divert traffic and prevent vehicles from entering the affected stretch.
Following the alert, engineers and other staff from the concerned department reached the site to assess the situation. Officials temporarily halted vehicle movement on that portion of the highway and said repairs would be carried out as soon as possible to restore normal traffic flow.
Until the repair work is completed, traffic on the affected stretch of the flyover will remain suspended, forcing commuters to rely on the service road. The diversion has already resulted in long queues of vehicles and delays for people travelling between Kolkata and Burdwan.
Local residents alleged that the highway expansion work, completed around eight months ago, may have used substandard construction materials. They claimed the guard wall collapsed unusually quickly and raised concerns over possible misuse of public funds, though no official response has been issued by authorities so far.