Bengal government orders probe after video shows ‘bikers skidding’ on Kolkata’s newly painted ‘rainbow’ roads

After a purported dashcam video of bikers slipping on a ‘rainbow’ flyover in Kolkata went viral, triggering the Opposition’s criticism, the West Bengal Urban Development Minister, Agnimitra Paul, on Wednesday said an enquiry has been ordered to look into the cause of the accident.

“The chief minister (Suvendu Adhikari) has instructed officials to visit the spot and inspect the matter immediately. The officials have been directed to investigate the cause of the accident. Some people are saying that the colours are straining the eyes while driving. If that is the case, an alternative arrangement will be made. Whatever is convenient for the people’s needs will be done,” the minister told mediapersons.

Assuring that the paint was not permanent and was applied only for the Durga Puja, the minister rejected the Opposition’s claims that glossy paint was used. “We have used anti-skid paint… We have painted the roads and made alpona (traditional floral motifs) for the Puja as it is a part of our Bengali heritage and tradition,” said Paul, who has been leading the road-painting drive. She was recently seen drawing an alpona.

Earlier, a Congress leader flagged that such painting of roads was dangerous. The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress faction said the flyover in the viral video has now become a “death trap”.

Ashutosh Chatterjee, general secretary of the state Congress unit, earlier wrote to Paul and Smita Pandey, commissioner and administrator of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, about the risks posed by the coloured streets. “Our concern: glossy paint on roads intended for motor vehicle traffic is dangerous and should not be permitted. Anyone can paint a road, but the entire area of the carriageway used by vehicle tyres cannot be painted with ordinary household paint… Glossy paint makes surfaces smooth, which is dangerous for road safety. When wet with water, oil or diesel, its coefficient of friction may fall from 0.6–0.7 to below 0.3. As a result, two-wheelers and cars may skid. Poor adhesion to bitumen/concrete, road-marking materials are used as alternatives to conventional oil paint because of their technical performance, durability and reflective properties. Also, oil paint contains no glass beads, making it difficult to see at night or in rainy conditions.”

A flyover in Kolkata painted ahead of Durga Puja. (Express Photo)

Slamming the BJP government, the Mamata Trinamool Congress said in a post on X, “The BJP government, which has come to power in Bengal by stealing the people’s mandate, is now putting people’s lives at risk! The freshly painted flyover has turned into a death trap, with bikes skidding and accidents occurring at the very first spell of rain. Minister Agnimitra Paul must be held accountable for this gross negligence. The people of Bengal deserve safe roads, not dangerous infrastructure.”

Somendra Mohan Ghosh, an environmentalist and green technologist, told The Indian Express about the risks of such beautification. “Instead of thermoplastic paint, ordinary paint of different shades appears to have been used; these don’t have anti-skid materials,” he said.

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No govt money, but CSR fund used to paint the roads: Minister

Refuting the Opposition’s charge that taxpayers’ money was used in painting the roads of Kolkata ahead of the Puja, state Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Paul on Wednesday said the cost of the initiative was borne through CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) fund.

“No government money was used for this,” the minister said. “Someone have asked why our money was misused, why are you colouring the roads with our money, and why the road hasn’t been fixed? But this has been done through CSR. The paint company was requested to do this to make our city look beautiful. So, it was done through CSR,” Paul said. ‘

CSR refers to a corporation’s initiatives to assess and take responsibility for its impact on environmental and social well-being. Under the Companies Act, certain classes of companies, specifically those meeting the criteria of size, net worth, and turnover, are required to spend a specified percentage of their average net profits on CSR activities such as education, community health, employment initiatives, skill development, sports programmes, and the environment. —ENS