Kolkata Police seek urgent repairs or replacement for ageing Zeerut bridge
Telegraph | 23 February 2026
The nearly century-old Zeerut bridge over Tolly’s Nullah, which connects Alipore with the Maidan, requires urgent repairs and, if necessary, replacement, Kolkata Police have written to the state government.
The bridge has been bearing heavy traffic loads for decades, the police said in a recent letter to the irrigation department, which is responsible for the structure.
A 2019 report stated that the bridge built in 1929 had outlived its lifespan, but nothing has moved since then.
The bridge is a crucial link between one of the most visited parts of Alipore, with the zoo, National Library and Taj Bengal next to each other, and needs immediate attention because the number of vehicles passing through the bridge has grown phenomenally over the years, Kolkata Police said in the letter.
“We have asked the irrigation department to immediately take up the repair and maintenance of the bridge because it is quite old and has been carrying a significant traffic load for some time,” Y.S. Jagannathrao, deputy police commissioner (traffic), told Metro.
“We have recently installed height barriers to ensure heavy vehicles do not use this bridge. But this can’t be a permanent solution. Either the structure has to be thoroughly maintained and repaired or replaced with a new one,” the deputy commissioner added.
The bridge, rechristened Ma Saradamoni Setu by Mamata Banerjee, came under the scanner after the collapse of the Majherhat bridge in September 2018.
The government then decided to review the stability of several bridges and flyovers across Calcutta.
Central government agency Rites inspected the Zeerut bridge, and sources in the state government said the agency recommended constructing a new one.
Senior officials in the irrigation department said that in 2019, Rites said in its report that the bridge had outlived its age and signs of fatigue were apparent.
“The report mentioned that a part of the steel structure supporting the carriageway from above has taken a dent and the steel beams are unable bear the load of vehicles any longer,” a senior official of the irrigation department said, quoting the report.
Seven years on, the police have again flagged the concerns about the steel structure.
Senior officers said they were concerned about the bridge’s health owing to the rise in the number of smaller vehicles using the structure daily to reach the heart of the city from Alipore.
“It is vital to explore the possibility of constructing a new bridge adjoining the existing one. If the existing structure is shut down to replace it with a new one, we will have to manage the flow of traffic along the concrete bridge that stands adjacent to the bridge and is used for vehicles headed towards the zoo,” a senior officer overseeing traffic movement in Alipore said.
Senior officials in the irrigation department said several rounds of discussions have been held on how to strengthen the existing structure, and an estimate of the cost for the proposed work is being drawn up.
“The top bitumen layer was scraped off a few years back from the bridge to reduce the load,” an irrigation official said. “If we have to build a new bridge, a one-acre plot belonging to the army will be required.”