10th Bridge Collapse in 15 Days: Another Bridge Fails in Bihar's Saran District

Another bridge collapsed in Bihar's Saran district on July 4, 2024, making it the 10th such incident in just over 15 days. The small 15-year-old bridge over the Gandaki river, situated in the Baneyapur block, collapsed without causing any casualties.

(Photo credit: PTI ) 10th Bridge Collapse in 15 Days in Bihar's Saran District

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The bridge was constructed by local authorities and used to connect several villages in Saran with the neighboring Siwan district. District Magistrate Aman Samir stated that the exact cause of the collapse is yet to be ascertained, but recent desilting work was undertaken. "A high-level probe has been ordered to find out reasons for the collapse of these small bridges in the district," said District Magistrate Aman Samir.

"The small bridge was constructed 15 years ago. I am going to the spot. Several other officials of the district administration have already reached there. The exact cause of the bridge collapse is yet to be ascertained but desilting work was recently undertaken," the district magistrate told PTI.

In the last 24 hours, Saran district witnessed two more bridge collapses - one in Janta Bazar area and another in Lahladpur area. A high-level probe has been ordered to investigate the reasons behind these incidents.

According to locals, heavy rainfall over the past few days in the district might have contributed to the collapse of these small bridges. Altogether, 10 bridges collapsed in Siwan, Saran, Madhubani, Araria, East Champaran, and Kishanganj districts in the past 16 days.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has faced criticism from the opposition, with leader Tejashwi Yadav accusing him of inaction in the face of this critical infrastructure crisis. In a post on X on Thursday, he wrote, "Twelve bridges have collapsed in Bihar since June 18...Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar are silent over these incidents in Bihar. What happened to the claims of good governance and corruption-free government? These incidents show how corruption is rampant in every department of the state government."

The latest incident occurred a day after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar directed the road construction and rural works departments to conduct a survey of all old bridges in the state and identify those requiring immediate repair. The CM chaired a meeting to review maintenance policies, stating that the road construction department has already prepared its bridge maintenance policy and the rural works department should immediately chalk out its plan.

Commenting on the recent bridge collapses in Bihar, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary spoke to reporters on Thursday and said, "The CM, after a review meeting on Wednesday, has given a clear instruction to officials concerned to conduct a survey of all old bridges in the state and identify those that require immediate repair. The CM has also asked departments concerned to immediately prepare their respective maintenance policy for bridges or causeways in the state."