Bihar: Rain caused at least three more bridges in Bihar to collapse on Wednesday; this is the ninth instance of this kind of disaster in the state.
Bihar: At least three more causeways or bridges collapsed in Bihar on Wednesday, making it the ninth such event in the state devastated by flooding in the last fifteen days.
The three buildings in the Saran and Siwan districts, which were constructed between 30 and 80 years ago by the local government, collapsed during the day, according to officials, but no injuries were reported.
However, Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of the RJD, claimed that despite the chief minister and his deputies being mute, four bridges fell in a single day.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar gave the Road Construction Department (RCD) and the Rural Works Department (RWD) instructions to survey every old bridge in the state right away and determine which ones need to be fixed right now.
“A few of the bridges and causeways that collapsed on Wednesday in Saran and Siwan are very old,” Additional Chief Secretary for the Workplace Development Department Chaitanya Prasad stated in a statement.
“It appears that these constructions were not built in accordance with the necessary specifications. It also seems that the foundation was not set deeply enough, which contributed to the damage these buildings sustained during floods, the report stated.
First, at about five in the morning, a tiny section of a bridge across the Gandaki river collapsed in the Siwan district’s Deoria area.
Deputy Development Commissioner Mukesh Kumar stated, “A portion of a bridge in Deoria block collapsed this morning. The cause is under investigation.”
Later on, in the district’s Teghra neighborhood, another little bridge is said to have suffered the same fate. The Siwan district magistrate did not respond to numerous requests for comment.
In Saran, two additional tiny bridges fell, according to District Magistrate Aman Samir.
A century-old tiny bridge fell in the Janta Bazar neighborhood. Another one, constructed 25 years earlier, is situated in the Lahladpur neighborhood and also caved in. “A high-level investigation has been mandated,” stated Samir.
The collapse of these minor bridges may have been caused by the significant rainfall that has been falling over the previous three days, according to locals.
In the previous fifteen days, reports of over ten such bridge collapse occurrences have come in from various sections of the state.
In the meantime, RWD and RCD representatives were instructed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to survey every aging bridge right away.
“The RWD should immediately sketch out its plan at the earliest,” the CM stated, presiding over a meeting to discuss the departments’ maintenance plans. “The RCD has already prepared its bridge maintenance policy,” she continued.
In the last fifteen days, nine bridges have collapsed in different districts, including Madhubani, Araria, East Champaran, and Kishanganj.
Kumar requested that department heads take severe measures against anyone found guilty, according to a statement released by the Chief Minister’s Office.
Tejashwi Yadav, a senior RJD leader, posted on X with the message, “In just one day, four bridges in Bihar collapsed! Regarding it, the state’s CM and both Dy CMs remain silent.
The former deputy chief minister stated that the NDA government ought to reveal the guilty parties.
He remarked, “It seems like crime and corruption are no longer problems now that the BJP is in power.”