Patna
In the early hours of Sunday, an under-construction bridge collapsed in Bihar’s East Champaran district. The incident happened in the Ghorasahan block, where the bridge was being built under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana at a cost of Rs 1.59 crore. This 40-foot-long bridge connected Amwa village to Chainpur railway station.
Locals reported that the concretisation of the bridge took place late on Saturday night, and it collapsed immediately afterward. The bridge construction was managed by Dhiraj Construction Private Limited from Motihari, with the foundation stone laid by former BJP MP Rama Devi on March 10.
‘The bridge is being constructed in two spans. Concretisation was completed on one side on Saturday. Last night, anti-social elements arrived in vehicles and broke the bridge’s support, causing it to collapse,’ said SN Mandal, Executive Engineer, PWD Dhaka sub-division of East Champaran district. The administrative officer has been informed about the incident.
Villagers claimed that the construction materials used were of poor quality, leading to the collapse. ‘The bridge collapsed due to construction irregularities. A high-level investigation is needed. The engineer used low-grade materials,’ said Deepak Kumar Singh, a local resident.
This incident follows the collapse of a 30-foot-long bridge in Siwan on Saturday and another bridge in Araria last week, both due to construction issues.
