Bihar: A portion of a newly constructed bridge over the Bakra river collapsed in Padariya village of Bihar’s Araria district on Tuesday. Fortunately, no casualty was reported.
The bridge, constructed by the state government, was not opened to the public as approach roads to the bridge were yet to be constructed. The bridge connects the Kursa Kanta and Sikti areas of the Araria district.
A video of the bridge collapse has emerged, with reports that the bridge was constructed less than a year ago. Locals allege that negligence on the part of the contractor and the department led to the incident. The construction cost of the bridge was reportedly Rs 12 crore. It’s worth noting that three pillars of the Padariya bridge were washed away by the river, resulting in the collapse of the bridge.
Talking to media persons, Araria SP Amit Ranjan, said that a portion of a newly constructed bridge over the Bakra river has collapsed and officials have reached there to ascertain the actual cause behind the incident.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari clarified on Tuesday that the bridge collapse in Bihar’s Araria district was not constructed under the Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry. Gadkari stated that the construction was overseen by the Rural Development Ministry of the Bihar government.
“The bridge that collapsed in Araria, Bihar was not constructed under the Union Road Transport Ministry. Its work was going on under the Rural Development Ministry of the Bihar Government,” Office of Nitin Gadkari posted on X.
बिहार के अररिया में दुर्घटनाग्रस्त पुलिया का निर्माण केंद्रीय सड़क परिवहन मंत्रालय के अंतर्गत नहीं हुआ है। बिहार सरकार के ग्रामीण विकास मंत्रालय के अंतर्गत इसका काम चल रहा था।
— Office Of Nitin Gadkari (@OfficeOfNG) June 18, 2024