Bihar's Siwan district: A small bridge collapsed on Saturday, marking the second incident of bridge collapse in the state, in less than a week. There was an enormous noise when the 100-metre bridge over the Gandak canal collapsed, and it could be heard in Ramgarh, which is nearby in the Darbhanga district. The bridge was built roughly thirty years ago. There are no known casualties from the collapse of the bridge so far. For thousands of commuters every day, the bridge connecting the Patedhi Bazar markets in the Maharajganj district with Ramgarh Panchayat in Darbhanga was an essential link. The residents will now have to make long journeys to visit villages nearby.
बिहार में एक और पुल गिरा pic.twitter.com/3H415sqI0q— Narendra Nath Mishra (@iamnarendranath) June 22, 2024
Given that the bridge was extremely old and had not been adequately maintained, locals have expressed their fury over the neglect that caused it to collapse. Poor management during the canal's construction likely caused erosion to eventually surround one of the bridge supports, leading to its collapse.
“The brick wall and pillars connecting the bridge to the approach road weakened after the canal was recently dug. The matter will be probed.” - Siwan's administrative official
Earlier this week, on June 18, a recently built bridge in the Araria district over the Bakra River, which was approximately 180 meters long, had collapsed too. The Rural Works Department took departmental action against the responsible officials. The bridge, which cost ₹12 crore to build, collapsed before being inaugurated. Before it was inaugurated, only approach roads from either side had to be built. Notably, bridges—both big and small—built across rivers and other bodies of water have been the subject of multiple accidents in Bihar.
Inputs: Agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
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