The political row sparked between RJD and JD (U) over the span collapse.

Patna, September 23, 2024: The political row sparked between RJD and JD (U) following the span of an under-construction bridge on an approach road on Sunday night.

The four-lane approach road connects Bakhtiyarpur of Patna with Tajpur of Samastipur district.

The political leaders of the opposition parties, like the RJD, have been criticizing the state government over the incident, questioning the quality of construction and accountability.

Tejashwi Yadav, the political leader of the opposition in the Bihar assembly and RJD leader, said the bridge on the approach road of Samastipur-Bakhtiarpur-Tajpur Ganga Mahasetu, which was under construction, collapsed on Sunday night.

“A week ago, the bridge constructed on the Barnar River in Jamui at a cost of crores also collapsed, although it was allegedly inspected by the Chief Minister a few days ago. The foundation of the 20-year-old government is based on commission, financial irregularities, by officials. Will Prime Minister Modi tell whether the continuous collapse of bridges in Bihar is a coincidence or an experiment?” Yadav asked.

RJD spokesperson Mritunjay Tiwari criticized the Bihar government led by Nitish Kumar. It is a part of a series of bridge collapses in Bihar. The state government has failed to complete this project on time.

“Another bridge collapsed in Samastipur on Sunday night. It is an indication of how deep financial irregularities had entered the Nitish Kumar government. This was not the only incident of a Bridge collapse in Bihar. A series of bridge collapses in the state is not stopping. It seems that until the government does not collapse, the bridges will keep falling. An attempt was made to remove the debris at the site, highlighting how this bridge was being built. The government should answer for this,” Tiwari said.

The Bakhtiyarpur-Tajpur Maha Setu project started in 2011 with an initial completion target of 2016 at an estimated cost of Rs 1600 crore, has faced repeated delays, with new deadlines extended to 2018 and 2020. Even after a decade, only 55% of the construction is complete.

However, ruling political party MLC Neeraj Kumar dismissed the span collapse, attributing the incident to necessary technical work. He said that allegations levelled by the political leaders of the opposition parties are wrong. 

“The bearing of the bridge had rusted and was being replaced, necessitating the removal of the beam,” Kumar said.

The bridge construction over the Nandini Lagunia railway station, undertaken by Navyog Engineering Company Ltd, saw the collapse of a span that had been installed a few months ago.

“It was a technical error in the alignment of the bridge. The collapse was not accidental, but a deliberate demolition after the error was identified. This was not an accident. The span has not collapsed on its own,” said Joseph, project manager of this bridge.

Also Read: An under-construction bridge collapsed in Araria

EOM.