Several incidents of bridge collapses have been reported in Bihar over the past 15 days due to heavy rains, with three more structures collapsing on Wednesday alone. This brings the total number of such incidents to nine in the rain-affected state during this period.
Fortunately, no casualties were reported in the collapses that occurred in Saran and Siwan districts, involving bridges built between 30 to 80 years ago by local authorities, according to officials.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav criticized the government, alleging that four bridges collapsed in a single day and accused the chief minister and his deputies of remaining silent on the matter.
In response, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar directed the Road Construction Department (RCD) and Rural Works Department (RWD) to conduct an immediate survey of all old bridges in the state to identify those needing urgent repairs.
Chaitanya Prasad, Additional Chief Secretary of the Water Resources Department, highlighted concerns over the structural integrity of the collapsed bridges, suggesting they may not have been built to required standards and lacked sufficient foundational depth, which contributed to their failure during floods.
The collapses on Wednesday included a small bridge over the Gandaki river in Deoria block of Siwan district early in the morning, with another similar incident later reported in Teghra block. In Saran district, two more small bridges collapsed, prompting a high-level investigation.
Local residents attributed the collapses to heavy rainfall in recent days, exacerbating the vulnerability of these aging structures.
The Chief Minister also chaired a meeting to review maintenance policies, emphasizing the need for proactive measures from the departments involved in bridge maintenance.
Overall, the incidents underscored broader concerns about the condition of infrastructure in Bihar, prompting calls for urgent action to prevent further disasters.