Paint washed off Kolkata flyovers after skidding videos go viral

Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Wednesday (October 15, 2026) night washed off the ‘rainbow’ paint from two flyovers after videos of motorbikes skidding on the freshly painted Chingrihata Flyover went viral on social media.

Last week, the Gariahat flyover and the Chingrighata flyover were painted rainbow with shades of pink, orange, green and yellow as part of a beautification drive launched by the West Bengal government on the occasion of Durga Puja.

West Bengal Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Paul described the initiative as a symbol of brotherhood, love and public trust. She also said that a similar beautification drive has been conducted at Red Road, while the ghats along the Hooghly River will also be decorated ahead of the festival.

However, on Wednesday, videos surfaced of at least three motorbikes skidding on the rainbow-coloured road on the Chingrighata flyover. These videos raised a serious security concern. Soon after the incident, the KMC sent a scrubbing machine to the Gariahat Bridge to wash off the paint at night. The municipality also installed road studs or reflectors at Chingrihata Flyover to prevent any such accident.

Reacting to the development, the Trinamool Congress spokesperson, Kunal Ghosh, questioned why such ‘unscientific’ and ‘dangerous’ paint was used. “Who will take accountability for these accidents? Whose money did go in vain?” he said on his X.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) State Secretary Md. Salim said that the government should have given the initiative a thought before implementing it.

“These flyovers were painted as part of a beautification drive in Kolkata. The paint that was used was supposed to be anti-skid paint. But since a few bikes still skid, we are now removing the paint. We are also probing how the accidents took place,” Ms. Paul said. The Minister added that the beautification project was done with funds obtained through corporate social responsibility and not public money.

The BJP government in West Bengal, which is organising Durga Pujas for the first time, has taken several beautification initiatives. A large Alpona pattern with red and white contrast has appeared at the Park Circus seven-point intersection. On Mahalaya, the government also organised a mega event at the iconic Eden Gardens stadium with fireworks and drone-shows.