Two pillars of a bridge floated in the Ganga River in Katihar.

Patna, August 8, 2024: Two pillars of a bridge in the Ganga River floated in Bihar’s Katihar district, an official said.

The incident occurred at Ward Number 12 of Bakiya Sukhay Panchayat under Barari block in the district.

Anwar Jamal, the chief engineer of the flood control department, confirms that two pillars have floated in the Ganga River.

“Due to soil erosion in the Ganga River, the bridge was built under the rural work department floated in the Barari block. We will investigate the matter and will take action against the contractor and officials,” Jamal said.

The bridge was constructed with the aim of connecting Bakiya Sukhay Panchayat with the Barari block directly. It was a long-standing demand of the villagers. This Panchayat did not have a direct road to connect to the district headquarters in Katihar. The geographic location of the Panchayat was such that villagers had to travel through neighboring Bhagalpur to reach the Katihar district headquarters.

Subodh Mandal, the husband of Mukhiya (Village Head) of Bakiya Sukhay Panchayat, said, “For the last couple of days, we have been witnessing heavy rain in the region. This has led to a strong flow of water in the Ganga River. This intense flow contributed to the destruction of two pillars of the partially built bridge.

Mandal lamented that this incident would likely result in a significant delay in the completion of the bridge, prolonging the villagers’ wait for the much-needed direct connection to Katihar.

In another incident, the rural work department partially constructed a bridge in the middle of an agricultural field in Bihar’s Araria district.

Also Read: An under-construction bridge collapsed in Araria

The partially built bridge is located at Parmanand Panchayat under the jurisdiction of Palasi block. This bridge has no approach road from either side.

The villagers said that the bridge was built on the Bakra River at a cost of Rs 3 crore, but it has no approach road. The villagers are facing challenges in climbing on the bridge to cross to the other side.

A similar bridge was found in the Raniganj block a couple of days ago. That bridge was also built by the rural work department, and it does not have any approach road.

EOM.