Under-Construction Bridge Collapses In Bihar’s Bhagalpur, Probe Ordered

A bridge being built over the Ganga river in Bihar's Bhagalpur district, at the cost of ₹ 1,716 crore, collapsed on Sunday, June 4. The four-lane bridge, being built between Sultanganj in Bhagalpur and Aguwani in the Khagaria district, collapsed for the second time.

In 2022, the bridge's structure collapsed due to strong wind and rain. The construction began in 2014, and the deadline to complete the bridge has failed eight times.According to eyewitnesses, many men were working on the bridge when it started collapsing. No reports of casualties have been received as of now, said The Hindu.

The Aguwani Ghat Bridge was supposed to be ready in 2019. On February 13, 2014, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar laid the foundation for the bridge's construction in Khagaria, and he inaugurated the work on March 9, 2015, which started in 2016.

Extension Of Deadline

The work was slated to be completed by March 2019, but by that time, even 25% of the work could not be done properly. Later, the deadline was extended to March 2020, then to 2022.

On April 30, 2022, the bridge's superstructure between pillar numbers 4 and 6 fell because of strong wind and rain. Serious questions about the construction work were raised, but no action was taken against the company. Instead, it was given more time to finish the work. The bridge is important because it connects north and south Bihar.

Soon after the news of the collapse, the Chief Minister spoke to road construction department officials, asking them to conduct a probe, apart from taking strict action against those responsible. Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who holds the road construction department portfolio, briefed the media later in the evening, saying strict action would be taken against the guilty.

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