Jun 29, 2024 08:56 AM IST
The latest bridge collapse has been reported from the Bheja police station area in Bihar’s Madhubani district.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav on Friday criticised the Nitish Kumar government after the fifth bridge collapsed within nine days in Bihar.
Yadav shared a video on his X (formerly Twitter) account regarding the collapse of the bridge on the Bhootahi River between Madhubani and Supaul, saying, “This is the 𝟓 th bridge to collapse in Bihar within 𝟗 days. A bridge under construction for years on the Bhootahi River between Madhubani-Supaul collapsed. Did you find out? If not, why? Try to find out? #Bihar #Bridge.” The video has gone viral on social media.
The latest bridge collapse has been reported from the Bheja police station area in Madhubani district, located in the northernmost part of the state along the border with Nepal.
Details on the bridge
According to ANI, the collapsed bridge had been under construction for over two years. The news agency’s report also mentioned that officials in Rural Works Department, responsible for the 75-meter-long bridge’s construction, confirmed that one of the pillars had been washed away a few days earlier.
They said the bridge, which will cost approximately ₹3 crore, will cross the Bhutahi River, which has been swollen due to heavy rains in Nepal’s catchment areas.
Sources told ANI that the district administration has been tasked with investigating the incident and submitting a report. Meanwhile, the contractor responsible has been directed to repair the structure as soon as possible.
Bridge collapses in Bihar
Last week, bridge collapses were reported in the Araria, Siwan, and East Champaran districts, and a similar mishap occurred in Kishanganj on Thursday.
On Wednesday evening, June 26, a portion of a 13-year-old bridge in Bihar’s Kishanganj collapsed, isolating 40,000 people in several villages from the mainland. This marked the fourth such incident in Bihar within a week. The 70-meter-long and 12-meter-wide bridge, built under the Mukhyamantri Gram Sadak Yojana in 2011 at a cost of ₹25 lakh, caved in due to floodwaters from heavy rainfall.
On June 23, a section of an under-construction bridge in West Champaran district, being built under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, collapsed just hours after concrete casting.
On June 22, a small bridge over a rivulet of the Gandak River in Maharaganj block of Siwan district caved in due to a sudden water flow.
