June 29th 2024.
In Madhepur of Madhubani district, an unfortunate incident occurred recently when an under-construction bridge over the Bhutahi river collapsed. This is the fifth such incident to happen in Bihar in just 11 days, causing concern and raising questions about the quality of construction projects in the state.
The bridge, which falls under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Nirman Yojna, has been in the works since 2021. It is being supervised by the Rural Works Department of the Bihar government with a total investment of Rs 3 crore. However, as the monsoon rains caused the water level of the Bhutahi river to rise, the girder of the bridge collapsed on Friday and fell into the river below.
The 75-metre-long bridge was meant to connect Madhubani with Supaul district, but due to the unfortunate incident, this plan has been delayed. Engineers involved in the construction project stated that the increased pressure from the rising water level was the cause of the girder's collapse. The contractor, Amarnath Jha, reassured that the damaged portion of the bridge would be rebuilt once the water level decreases.
The collapse of this bridge has sparked criticism from Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, the State Opposition leader. He slammed the Nitish Kumar government for the recent string of bridge collapses, accusing them of rampant corruption and the use of poor-quality materials in construction projects throughout the state. He pointed out that this is the fifth bridge to collapse in less than two weeks, raising concerns about the government's oversight and accountability.
Previously, a 183-metre-long bridge in Araria district, built at a cost of Rs 12 crore, collapsed on June 18. In Siwan district, a small bridge over the canal of the Gandak River also collapsed on June 22. Just a day later, an under-construction bridge in East Champaran district collapsed, followed by another bridge in Kishanganj district on June 26. This makes it a total of five bridge collapses in less than two weeks, causing a stir and raising questions about the safety and quality of construction projects in Bihar.
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