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A total of six bridges collapsed on the Gandak river in Bihar's Siwan and Saran over the last two days, officials said on Thursday, blaming engineers and contractors for the back-to-back incidents.
Several projects, including the de-siltation of rivers, were initiated after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took feedback in Gopalganj and adjoining areas. It seems that engineers did not take care and the contractors were not careful, officials said, adding, "Engineers concerned seem to be at fault prima facie." Special teams have been sent to the spot, and strict action has been taken against engineers and contractors, they said. Officials further said that new bridges will be constructed and the cost of construction will be borne by the contractors concerned. Most of these bridges were thirty years old and the foundations were not very deep, they said, adding that the foundation was damaged during de-siltation. Notably, five bridges - in Araria, Siwan, East Champaran, Kishanganj, and Madhubani districts - have collapsed across the state in the last nine days. The first incident of a bridge collapse was reported on June 18 in Araria. The latest one took place in Madhubani.The Madhubani incident came just a day after another bridge fell in Kishanganj district. On June 22, a bridge over the Gandak River in Siwan, approximately 40-45 years old, also fell. On June 23, a bridge under construction in East Champaran, costing around Rs 1.5 crore, collapsed, with locals blaming the use of substandard materials. Earlier this month, on June 18, a newly constructed bridge over the Bakra river in Pararia village of Bihar's Araria district collapsed on Tuesday. The bridge connecting Araria's Sikhti and Kursakatta was washed away before its inauguration. Last year in June, a portion of a temporary bridge built on River Ganga in the Vaishali district of Bihar was partly washed away by strong winds. The temporary bridge connected Raghopur to the Vaishali District Headquarters. (ANI)
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