An under-construction bridge collapsed in Araria

An under-construction bridge collapsed in Araria

Patna June 18: An under-construction road bridge in Bihar Araria districts collapsed on Tuesday.

The state government was constructing this bridge in Sikti assembly constituency to connect Pardia Ghat of Sikti block with Kursakanta block. The responsibility for the construction was given to the Rural Development Ministry. It has spent Rs 12 crore on the project.

Heavy rains in Nepal have created a sudden surge of water in the Bakra River which is passing through the Sikti block. Due to this, a strong flow of water in the river swept away the bridge.

Three pillars of the bridge built on Pardia Ghat’s side were also badly damaged. The girder built on it has also been submerged in the river. There is a lot of anger among the local people about this.

“The bridge was being constructed by the Rural development department. We hoped that the bridge would be good and strong but it was washed away at the beginning of the rains. It has exposed the negligence and corruption of the department. The contractor used low-grade construction material led to the collapse of the structure. Strict action should be taken against the contractor involved in this work and action should also be taken against the officials of the Rural Development Department,” said Vijay Kumar Mandal, MLA of Sikti assembly constituency.

Mandal said that there is an old bridge on this river but as the river changed its route five years ago, a new bridge was under construction.

Last year, an under-construction road bridge on the Ganga River collapsed in Khagaria district as well.

EOM.