Bihar: 7 bridges collapse in last 1 yr; state govt faces criticism

The Bhagalpur-Khagaria road bridge collapsed on Sunday and also collapsed on April 30 last year as well

June 5, 2023

Bihar and its history of bridge collapses

The Bihar government is facing criticism over the Bhagalpur bridge collapse but there is a long list of such incidents that happened in the past one year.

On May 16, an under-construction road bridge in Bihar’s Purnia district collapsed four hours after the concretization. The locals alleged that the contractor and the engineers were using low-quality materials, leading to the mishap.

On March 19, two persons were injured after a British-era road bridge collapsed in Bihar’s Saran district. The injured persons were the driver and helper of the truck. The truck laden with stone chips went on the bridge. Due to the excessive load of the vehicle, the bridge collapsed.

The British-era bridge was built on the Mahanadi River and has been in poor shape since the last floods. The bridge was deteriorating and cracks also appeared in several places. Despite all the deterioration, the road construction department has not declared it as a dangerous bridge. There was no warning sign board on either side of the bridge.

On February 19, an under-construction bridge collapsed in Bihar’s Patna district. The incident occurred on Bihta-Sarmera four-lane road. The road connecting Patna to Nalanda district is partially constructed. The incident happened at Rustamganj village under the Naubatpur block in the district. No one was injured in this mishap.

On January 16 this year, an iron bridge collapsed due to an overloaded truck in Bihar’s Darbhanga district. The incident occurred at Sabohar Ghat under Kusheshwar Asthan block in Darbhanga district. The bridge located on the Kamla Balan River is connecting Darbhanga with Madhubani, Saharsa, and Samastipur districts.

The truck was laden with sand and it was laying on the bridge. When the truck reached the middle of the bridge, it collapsed and the truck fell into the river. The driver and helper of the vehicle managed to jump into the river and save their lives.

On November 18, 2022, an under-construction road bridge in Bihar’s Nalanda district collapsed claiming one life. The road bridge was under construction on the four-lane stretch in the Vena block. This bridge collapsed in the past, too, due to low-quality construction materials used in it.

On June 9, 2022, three labourers were injured after a section of the bridge collapsed in Bihar’s Saharsa district. The mishap occurred at the eastern side of the Kosi embankment at Kandumer village under Simri Bakhtiyarpur block in Saharsa district. The injured labourers who were working on the bridge fell down due to the collapse and were trapped inside the debris. They were rescued by other labourers, admitted to the Sadar hospital, Saharsa, and survived.

On May 20, 2022, a 136-year-old road bridge collapsed in the state capital Patna due to excessive rain. The bridge was located in the Fatuha sub-town 25 km away from Patna. The bridge was built in 1884 during the British period.

The local residents claim that the maintenance of the bridge was poor. The district administration was not alert at the time of heavy rainfall. The incident appeared after a truck laden with construction materials was crossing that bridge. It has collapsed due to excessive weight. The bridges and road construction department had declared it a dangerous bridge and not allow heavy vehicles for the last 25 years. The driver and helper of the truck were injured in this mishap. They were admitted to a sub-divisional hospital in Fatuha.

The Bhagalpur-Khagaria road bridge collapsed on Sunday and also collapsed on April 30 last year as well.

[With Inputs from IANS]

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