A portion of a newly constructed bridge over the Bakra river in Araria district collapsed on Tuesday, police reported. There have been no reports of fatalities. The bridge, which was constructed by the Rural Works Department (RWD) at a cost of Rs 10 crore, had not yet been opened to the public as the approach roads were still under construction.
According to news agency PTI, Dipak Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary of RWD, described the collapse as "a serious matter" and confirmed that disciplinary action has been initiated against three senior officials involved with the project from the outset.
"The RWD has also constituted a high-level committee headed by the chief engineer (Purnea) to determine the cause of the collapse and suggest necessary remedial measures. The panel has been asked to submit its report within seven days," Singh told PTI.
This bridge was intended to connect the Kursa Kanta and Sikty areas of Araria district. The incident has raised significant concerns about the construction standards and oversight in the region.
Araria Bridge Not Constructed Under Union Road Transport Ministry: Nitin Gadkari
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari clarified that the construction of the bridge was not undertaken by the Union Road Transport Ministry. "The bridge that collapsed in Araria, Bihar was not constructed under the Union Road Transport Ministry. The collapsed bridge was constructed by the Bihar Government's Rural Development Ministry," Gadkari stated in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, in Hindi.
Amit Ranjan, Superintendent of Police, Araria, confirmed the collapse and noted that officials are on-site to investigate the matter. "The cause of the incident is not yet known," he added, as per PTI.
Youth Congress National President Srinivas BV seized the opportunity to criticise the JD(U)-BJP coalition government in Bihar. He remarked, "The bridge of the double engine government was washed away in water even before its inauguration... the visuals are from Araria in Bihar."
Recurring Instances Of Bihar Bridge Collapses
This incident follows a troubling pattern of bridge collapses in Bihar. In March this year, an under-construction bridge between Bheja and Bakaur partially collapsed, resulting in one death and ten injuries. This bridge, which was meant to connect Bhagalpur and Khagaria districts, had an estimated cost exceeding Rs 1,700 crore. Originally slated for completion in 2019, its foundation stone was laid by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in February 2014.
Further back in June 2022, the Aguwani-Sultanganj bridge in Bhagalpur district, still under construction, collapsed for the second time. This was followed by another incident in December 2022, when a section of an under-construction bridge in Begusarai district fell into the Burhi Gandak river. The bridge had been temporarily shut after developing cracks, with officials assessing the reasons behind the collapse.
In light of these repeated structural failures, the Patna High Court, in June last year, pointed to the laxity of the Nitish Kumar-led government and the concerned contractors. The court criticised the collapse of a part of the four-lane Sultanganj-Aguwani Ghat bridge over the Ganga in Bhagalpur on June 4, 2022, attributing it to governmental and contractual negligence. The bench, led by Justice Purnendu Singh, expressed shock at the recurrent collapses, emphasising the need to prevent the misuse of public funds and exploitation of natural resources for the sake of societal interest.