With five bridges collapsing in a matter of 10 days in Bihar, the state’s Nitish Kumar government has sought detailed reports from its various departments, The Indian Express has learnt.
According to government sources, the state government has asked departments such as road construction and rural development to issue notices to agencies and private contractors involved in building these bridges for “grave lapses” — including using substandard material in construction, and poor maintenance.
“We are waiting for their reports before taking the next course of action,” a senior official at the Chief Minister’s Office told The Indian Express.
This is learnt to have come after the Bihar Engineering Services Association (BESA) — an independent network of people associated with Bihar’s engineering services — warned about more such incidents unless there’s some form of government intervention.
“There is an urgent need of a third-party inspection as suspending engineers or punishing contractors would not serve any purpose,” senior BESA functionary J K Dutt said.
The development comes two days after the collapse of a 77-metre girder from an under-construction bridge over the Kosi river in Madhubani.
Significantly, the state has seen as many as 13 bridges collapse since April 2022 — including a portion of the Rs 1,700 crore under-construction Aguwani-Sultanganj bridge in Bhagalpur last June.
The rising collapse of bridges has set alarm bells ringing across the state, with Opposition parties such as the RJD seeking accountability. In a post on X on Saturday, RJD leader and former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav: “Under Bihar’s double-engine government, only five bridges have collapsed in a matter of nine days…. Some people may still call such huge losses of crores of rupees not ‘bhrashtachar’ (corruption) but ‘shishtachar’ (ethics)… Those responsible for the collapse of bridges should resign.”
The recent collapse
The 77-metre girder bridge that collapsed Friday came under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and was being constructed at cost of Rs 2.98 crore. According to sources, while cracks were spotted on the portion that fell, the contractor overseeing the project blamed a sudden discharge of water from Nepal due to heavy rain.
Likewise, a 70-metre long and 12-metre-wide bridge over Mariya river in Kishanganj fell on June 25. According to district officials, those responsible for bridge maintenance have already been served notice.
There were collapses between June 22 and 23 too – a portion of a bridge being built between Amwa and Chainpur railway stations in East Champaran and a bridge over a canal connecting Daraunda and Maharajganj blocks in Siwan.
On June 18, a bridge in Araria’s Sikti block fell into the Bakra river below.
