Multiple Bridges Collapse in Bihar, Raising Questions on Maintenance

Four more bridges in Bihar collapsed on Wednesday, bringing the total to ten in only 16 days. Bridges in Bihar are collapsing like a house of cards.

Three bridges in the Siwan district and one in the Saran district are the most recent to collapse.

The bridges that fell in Siwan were constructed to span the Chhari River in the Maharajganj subdivision's Deoria, Navtan, and Dhamahi villages. Approximately 200 communities lost access even though nobody was hurt or killed.

"The Chhari River was crossed by all three of the modest bridges, which were constructed in the 1980s and 1990s. The 117-kilometer river was now dry. It now has five to six feet of water after the Bihar government just revived it, Siwan district magistrate Mukul Kumar Gupta told The Telegraph.

However, the water's presence and its heightened flow as a result of the previous two days' intense rainfall put pressure on the bridges' supports and accelerated erosion surrounding them. In contrast to the contemporary concrete bridges, all of these were constructed using bricks, Gupta continued.

Regarding whether they were appropriately maintained, Gupta stated that safeguards were put in place to prevent erosion around the pillars.

On the other hand, locals asserted that the bridges were neglected despite their long-standing demands for maintenance. The river's path was recently enlarged and desilted. During the procedure, a lot of mud surrounding the pillars was cleared away. We had protested about it, but no one paid attention, "said Tewta panchayat member Shiv Kumar of Maharajganj's Navtan neighborhood.

The bridge that fell in Saran was built in 2004 on a branch of the Gandak close to the Janata Bazar Dhodhnath Temple. Two dozen villages are no longer connected as a result of its devastation.

Prior to this, six bridges in the districts of Araria (June 18), Siwan (June 22), East Champaran (June 23), Madhubani (June 28), and Kishanganj (June 27 and June 30) had collapsed between June 18 and June 30.

Three bridges collapsed today, Wednesday. Both of the deputy chief ministers and the chief minister are mute. Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, the leader of the RJD, stated that the 18-year-old NDA government in the state ought to take accountability.

Depending on the kind of scheme, the collapsed bridges are owned by various departments, such as rural development and works, as well as other organizations. Some were built with money donated by MPs or MLAs.

Our department is responsible for three bridges that fell in Madhubani, East Champaran, and Araria. In this regard, we have suspended four engineers. After visiting the locations, the probe teams are expecting test results from NIT Patna and IIT Patna. Based on the final reports, we will take additional action against the contractors and DPR creators," said Dipak Kumar Singh, assistant chief secretary for the rural works department.

According to a state government-appointed inquiry committee member, there are three main categories into which the causes of the bridge collapse can be placed: natural, man-made, and geotechnical.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar presided over a meeting on road and bridge upkeep on Wednesday night. Nitish instructed the police to "inspect all the old bridges in the state, assess their condition, and take necessary steps for their proper maintenance."

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.